BLOG | The Dented Fender

Never miss a post - sign up!

Boldly Shine Online Class

Meet the Authors

Search

Redefining Greatness

The Gift of Relationships

Chasing Joy

One Week

Mar 20
5 min

One Week

Let’s say you only had one week left to live. That’s it! Just one week. How would you live? How would you spend your time, and with whom? What might you do differently? As I look at Jesus walking into the last week of his life on this earth as a human being, I am struck by his choices. The Bible says, “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come From God and was returning from God,” (John 13:3). In other words, he knew his time w

17 views0 comments

Held

Feb 27
3 min

Held

Today marks the one-month anniversary of the unexpected passing of my brother, Joe. He was nine days past his forty-second birthday. The Lord called him home sometime during the middle of the night on a seemingly ordinary Saturday. Death almost always feels like a thief, especially when it steals the young or strikes without warning. It is traumatic for those left in its wake, and it has felt like a different level of grief to navigate. In the days following my brother's deat

27 views0 comments

Your Love Moves In

Feb 20
4 min

Your Love Moves In

I sit down with a heavy sigh, trying to understand my mood. My head is full—full of the looming list of responsibilities that seem never-ending. Full of past mistakes and current disappointments. My thoughts wander over to the funeral I attended in the morning. My friend was a good man. He lived a full life. I am envious of him. He’s home. He’s finished the race and crossed the finish line. He gets to be with Jesus every single day. In person. No more sorrow. No mo

41 views0 comments

This Will Never Be Different

Loving Others is Never Wasted

Jan 2
4 min

Loving Others is Never Wasted

The bell on the door chimed as I entered the local florist shop to purchase a bouquet of flowers. The aroma of fresh cut stems filled the air and graced the floor in the area where arrangements were carefully put together by skilled hands. It was a time when many local small businesses were struggling to stay afloat, a side effect of the pandemic plaguing the world at large. Sadly, I knew it wasn’t the case for this shop. Instead, the local florists were bombarded with busine

30 views0 comments

Embracing a New Year

Jan 1
5 min

Embracing a New Year

I was doing a spiritual exercise where I spent time reflecting on my childhood. I was really struck by how much those initial life challenges still play such a role in my life. I remembered the easy-going, natural confidence I had early on in my life, and how it slowly eroded away. The alcoholism and unhealthy relationships, the discipline that bordered on abuse, the big move that led to new kids in new neighborhoods that didn’t like me much. So many, many challenges. I w

35 views0 comments

The Magic of Christmas

Dec 25, 2020
4 min

The Magic of Christmas

Over two thousand years ago, unto us a child was born. His parents named him Jesus. He was born in the lowest of circumstances to a blue-collar step-father and a teenaged mother. Throughout his life, he would experience pain, pleasure, joy, fear, stress, hurt, heartache and love, just like we do. He would have friends who would betray him, a family who openly feared he was crazy. There were always more needs to meet than time to meet them. He had to juggle competing pri

21 views0 comments

Realigning My Heart

You Are Valued

Dec 2, 2020
5 min

You Are Valued

The two younger children jumped out of the newly purchased mini-van, their eyes sparkling with excitement. When they see their new home, their joy bubbles over with laughter and shouts. They have finally been chosen by foster parents. For the first time ever, they will get to experience family. The fear and anxiety of belonging nowhere, of being unwanted, temporarily dissipates. The third child, older and more seasoned, steps out of the minivan quite differently. Her who

13 views0 comments

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Taming My Thoughts

When You Feel Buried

Oct 10, 2020
4 min

When You Feel Buried

During my incarceration experience I walked everywhere. It didn't matter that I fractured my ankle after rolling off the top bunk in the middle of the night. Still I walked, and I did so with a limp for the longest time. We looked like a colony of ants wearing shades of blue on that compound of two-thousand women. And it wasn't a pretty shade of blue either. Not like cobalt or ocean or turquoise. Perhaps no shade would have been pretty fashioned as a state uniform. My body ac

18 views0 comments

Gardens and Wellsprings

Sep 19, 2020
3 min

Gardens and Wellsprings

This was the summer of our failure... garden failure, that is. My husband and I started the season of spring with the best of intentions. We carefully prepped the soil in which we would plant our peppers and tomatoes. As we did so, we envisioned the harvest of vegetables we would reap in the thick of summer. We were delighted when squash and sunflowers also germinated from whomever tended the garden plot before us. Our best intentions soon fell short. Long work hours, combine

23 views0 comments

The True Power of Hope

Keys for Strengthening Any Relationship

Sep 2, 2020
6 min

Keys for Strengthening Any Relationship

When I first became single after nearly 20 years of marriage, I resolved to never marry again unless I found the right kind of guy. After nearly 9 years of dating, I had reached a point of no longer really caring if I found him or not. After all, I was happy with my life, running hard after God and surrounded by close, meaningful relationships. Why rock the apple cart? I should’ve known better. God always rocks the apple cart! I love my new hubby, no doubt about it. He brings

71 views0 comments

When You're Feeling Small and Insignificant

Aug 29, 2020
4 min

When You're Feeling Small and Insignificant

When I was a little girl, I took piano lessons from an older gentleman who had a calming voice, and serene presence. He was patient, gentle, and kind in his critique and instruction. I still remember him telling me how to position my hands on the piano keys, arched and soft like I was holding a bubble in my hand. With confidence, and the eagerness of a young heart ready to learn, I looked forward my lessons with him. When he retired, the person who attempted to fill his shoes

29 views1 comment

Spiritual Bravery

Aug 27, 2020
4 min

Spiritual Bravery

I’m a risk-taker, always have been. I’m not afraid of heights, of travel, of new cultures and people, or dicey places more times than not. But with my heart? That’s another story. When you grow up with emotional abuse or you’ve experienced it as an adult like I have, you become skilled at what professional folks like to call “dissociation” and/or “transference.” What that means is when faced with emotional or physical pain, you shut down emotionally and dissociate or disconne

20 views0 comments