Scott and Raegan Gilliland

By: Scott Greg Hardy is a bad man. For some people, this only seemed to hit home this past week when we, the general public, were confronted with graphic photos of the bruised back of Hardy's abused then-girlfriend, Nicole Holder.  This came amidst Jerry Jones referring to Hardy as a "true leader" in interviews this past week as well, which anyone with even an ounce of morality should have concerns with.  Bloggers took aim, social media was set ablaze, and now Hardy, the Cowboys organization, and Jerry Jones especially have pariah-status yet again. Let it be said again, Greg Hardy is a bad man.  He is not a "true leader" by any stretch of the imagination.  He has clearly done some evil things in his life, including the physical abuse of at least one woman.  But I'm not sure our righteous indignation is that righteous at all, because I have noticed a pattern emerging in how we treat domestic violence in the public sphere. Back in early 2014, we foun

I have learned that we often say things that hurt people's feelings without realizing it. We say hurtful things unintentionally and people then get in their car and cry or sit in a bathroom stall and try to hold it together--not that I am speaking from experience.  One of the hardest things about going through infertility were all the things that were said to me that made me angry or cry and people NEVER knew that it made me feel anything. This list is pretty strict and you may think it is too harsh or make you overthink everything you say, but I think we have to become aware of what we say.  So here is my list of things NOT to say or at least ways to maybe rephrase questions... First of all, if you have a girlfriend that you know is NOT trying to get pregnant, then don't feel like you can't say this stuff. For everyone else that you don't know well or you're unsure, try to follow this: 1) "So do you have kids?"  So you've just met someone or y

By: Raegan Before I begin, I want to say two things: 1) I know our video was light-hearted and humorous, but infertility has hardly been something to laugh about. It has without a doubt been the hardest and most painful thing Scott and I have gone through. Just when we thought we couldn't cry more, we did. Just when we thought we couldn't be more heartbroken, our hearts got broken all over again. Just when we didn't think we could get more tired, more frustrated, or more angry, we felt like we couldn't even think straight. Somedays were just plain hard to even get out of bed. 2) I know many have gone through so much more than us, have waited much longer, and have had far worse experiences. I do not want to make our situation seem bigger than it is.  I have learned everyone's pain is individual and unique in their own way.  I never want to discount someone's hurt or journey. To set the stage, I have always wanted to be a mom. At the age of 8, I was knock

A new year. I'm not really into resolutions. Never really have been into them. Mainly because I usually am awful at them. Changing my life for Lent is hard enough, but a whole year?! Come on! I keep thinking about where I was at this time last year.  Well, not literally.  I was in the Holy Land so it is kinda hard to top that.  At this time last year, I had a huge prayer. And it wasn't answered in 2014, or 2013, or 2012... Frankly, I've had this prayer for as long as I can remember. What I wanted did not happen. So it begs the question, "Was this past year a waste?" No. Not at all. Some of my highlights this past year included: Traveling the Holy Land Completed another semester of seminary Became a certified candidate for ministry Progressed to the next level of ordination Went on a mission trip with the best middle school students around Visited family and friends Gained more responsibility and opportunities at work Wrote a TON of papers Dr