On Navy SEALs and Fiction

One of the most common questions I get about the Heart of a Warrior series is: Why Navy SEALs? I usually give one answer or another: My brother considered becoming a SEAL at one point. One of my favorite movies, Tears of the Sun, showed me what flawed men and a flawed mission can sometimes accomplish when our perspective changes. …

Kariss Writing, Writing Life 4 Comments

Expect

Since October, I’ve had a heart fixed on the stars. I sat under a cold Minnesota sky with writer friends all around and watched stars sparkle while a fire danced and crackled in front of me. Since childhood, the stars and the night sky have been my thing – my time with the Lord, my time to dream and be …

Kariss Blog, Expectation, Writing, Writing Life 2 Comments

Dear Women of America

I couldn’t stand with you this weekend, and yet I am one of you. It isn’t because I don’t believe in women’s rights and equality. I do. I believe God created men and women with equal value and different roles. I do not think that inhibits you from doing things independently or charging your own trail. I’m 28 and single …

Kariss Confronting Culture, Living Limitless 8 Comments

Christmas Through a Different Lens – No Room at the Inn

I have grown a little too talented over the years with worrying more about my to do list than a need in front of me. It’s a problem. As I imagined Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem, I imagine the chaos that must have been this town with everyone coming home. Rome wanted to account for its citizens, and Joseph and …

Kariss Blog, Christmas, Devotionals, Uncategorized 1 Comment

Christmas Through a Different Lens: Little Shepherd Boy

Two of the most powerful words in the English language are “what if.” Though the Bible gives us incredible detail about the Christmas story, I love imagining what it might have been like for those whose stories were never told. And thus began my journey of studying Christmas through a different lens. The shepherds first stirred my heart a few …

Kariss Blog, Christmas, Devotionals Leave a Comment

Slicing Through the Gray

It began with a young couple in front of a camera, fresh from the hipster state of Washington. It’s my favorite part of my job, these interviews. I get to take people’s stories and help them come to life. Yet as we rolled tape and began to dig into their lives, I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. Evidence …

Kariss Blog, Confronting Culture, Devotionals Leave a Comment

Giveaway – Remembering the Haiti Earthquake

I remember the footage all too well, the announcement that an earthquake had struck a tiny island nation, the waiting and wondering if people were alive. It’s been five years, and in that time, I’ve experienced what the Lord is doing in the aftermath. Today, I’m hosting a giveawy in support of 3 Cords, a ministry that provides jobs to …

Kariss Giveaways/Contests, Writing Life Leave a Comment