It’s official. The Day of Love has arrived. For those who have that special someone, a romantic partner who makes your heart smile, there may be no better holiday than Valentine’s Day. But for singles, the appearance of red heart-shaped boxes does anything but make your heart smile. I admit that, in the past, I would be one who changed the name of the infamous love day to Singles Awareness Day (or S.A.D. as some might call it). I resented February 14 and anyone who dared utter the words, “Happy Valentine’s Day” to me. Thankfully, those days are gone, but… read more

One of my favorite things of all time is running. There is something about the rhythmic pounding of feet on pavement that can always be counted on to wash away the cares of the day. The key, however, is to always keep your feet on the pavement. It hasn’t happened in quite a while (someone knock on wood), but I remember vividly the first time I “ate some asphalt.” One minute I was running down the greenway, listening to praise music, and counting the number of miles I would have when I made it back to my car. The next… read more

Many thanks to our Guest Blogger, Deanna Wiseburn, a dear friend of Restoration Place Ministries. Let me start by saying that I am far from perfect….very far. I find myself constantly wanting to be in control of everything, managing all the little details of my life and constantly fighting for control of whatever situation I am currently in. How many of you find yourselves doing the same thing? I find it so terribly hard to just let go and not worry about the details, even though I know that I am called not to worry but to trust. Unintentionally, over the last… read more

The following post is written by Kristin Franks, a guest blogger and licensed counselor at Restoration Place Ministries. Recently I was inspired to complete a Bible study that I originally began when I was on the mission field in Costa Rica, fighting against human trafficking. The study was aptly titled, “The God Who Cares and Knows You: A Study of the Book of John.” Living with a Costa Rican family and learning Spanish, I was feeling quite a bit homesick. I ordered the study and had it shipped to me. I needed to know that God cared for me and that… read more

Having been born and raised for the first 30 years of my life in Louisiana, I don’t quite understand the ACC hype of the North Carolinians with whom I now make my residence. I remember moving here the year that Dean Smith retired as head coach of the Carolina ‘Heels basketball program. The news was on every radio station, whether country, Christian, or rock, headlining the newspapers, and top story on every local TV station. When I arrived at work that morning, I naively asked, “Who is this Dean Smith everyone is so up in arms about?!” Well, let me… read more