Earlier this month, I found myself back in Louisiana, drawn by the familiar sights—and the even more familiar faces. What began as a simple trip became something deeper, rich with the strength of friendship and the depth of shared history. One afternoon over lunch, I gathered with four women, each of whom I had the honor of working alongside for over a decade through the leadership development work of ICC. These are the kinds of…
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In the rich tradition of Ignatian spirituality, we discover not an esoteric practice reserved for monasteries, but a spirituality woven into the fabric of everyday life. At its core lies a radical proposition: God is present in our world and actively engaged in our lives, not just in moments of transcendence, but in the mundane, and perhaps most powerfully, in our suffering. Ignatius of Loyola understood something profound about human experience: our imagination is not…
4 CommentsMany years ago, while attending a student event, I found myself engaged in an unexpected conversation. Over sodas and cake, a parent turned to me and asked, “Mary, do you really believe people can change?” I was taken aback. Such a deep question posed so casually. Do people really change? This question has lingered in my mind, resurfacing time and time again in different seasons of my life. I often return to it through the…
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As a child, summer nights meant one thing—flashlight tag. It was thrilling, a mix of fear and excitement. Our large home provided the perfect setting. A ledge on two corners allowed us to set the flashlight down, keeping everyone guessing whether “It” was holding the flashlight or if it was safe to sneak past. We knew the terrain well—where the flower beds lined one side, the covered stairs led to the basement, and how to…
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What does a conjunction—a part of speech that connects contrasting ideas—have to do with hearing God? In the case of “but,” it becomes a bridge between despair and hope, between our human frailty and God’s sufficiency. This small yet powerful word helped me discern the difference between the enemy’s voice of self-condemnation and God’s voice of love. Many years ago, I joined a group of wise, older women reading Peter Lord’s Hearing God. It was…
2 CommentsLast week, I shared a story and a lesson on how to begin sheltering friendships in my blog. This blog post is a lesson on how to continue doing so. Throughout my years of homeschooling and serving in leadership roles within churches and nonprofit organizations, I’ve had the opportunity to run many events. One spring, I was leading a two-day tournament where students spent their time delivering speeches—again and again, in multiple rooms, to multiple audiences.…
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