BEFORE. Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory. I wake to a quiet house, kiss the husband, take care of necessities, pour a cup. Sit with book and journal, thought and prayer, silence. Most days begin bowing my heart, if not my body, before my Father. Breakfast. Conversation, laughter over frozen waffles. Background…
Considering that March 2020 was 2 years long, it’s not surprising that Spring 2018 seems like a million years ago. At the time, I was in the middle of a long, hard season, facing a lot of unknowns. I survived that season in part by taking a long, hard look at the Bible’s most repeated…
Extraordinary circumstances can bring the best out of people, true. But they can also bring out the worst. I am not at my best. I’ve had several conversations with friends and neighbors hurting because of the choices of others who seem to be at their worst. Spouses and partners. Parents. Children. Bosses, businesses, landlords. Customers,…
I wasn’t raised celebrating Advent (or even going to church on Christmas Eve), but I’ve found Advent to be tremendously meaningful over the past 10 + years. I love focusing intentionally on Jesus throughout the month of December, both personally and with my family. Family devotionals have never really been our thing. But I try…
I’ve written over the past few weeks about God with us and in us. I’ve never spoken to a group of women for whom the idea of intimacy with God, that kind of closeness, wasn’t scary for some, if not most. So today we’re talking about one last promise. I’ve betrayed my English Major roots and themed…
God is WITH ME. I’m hanging on tight to that promise. HE IS WITH US. That’s good news, but it isn’t the end of the story. In this season I feel God inviting me deeper. When I searched the Bible and pulled a long list of God’s WITH US promises, I saw that they are…
God is WITH us. This is gospel, this is good news. We invite people to become Christians. And we’ve hopefully responded to that invitation ourselves. But do we live the truth that believing Jesus is just the beginning? Trusting Christ opens the door to a life WITH Jesus. John says, “THIS Is eternal life, that they…
I’ve rarely prayed in a group where SOMEONE hasn’t asked God to “be with us”, I’ve prayed it myself. And it can’t be wrong, since Paul prays it: Now the God of peace be with you all. (Rom15:33, also 16:20, 24, end of many of his letters) But I try to catch myself, I try…
Updated to add: As promised, I’ve compiled everything from the No Fear Devotional Series into a PDF: NO FEAR: A 14 Day Devotional. Click here to get your (FREE) copy! So far 2018 has had more than enough change for me: I’ve graduated a kid from high school, registered another for middle school, quit…
Updated to add: As promised, I’ve compiled everything from the No Fear Devotional Series into a PDF: NO FEAR: A 14 Day Devotional. Click here to get your (FREE) copy! So far 2018 has had more than enough change for me: I’ve graduated a kid from high school, registered another for middle school, quit one…
