March 1, 1985, I came in like a lion, as I’m sure my mom can attest. Much to my parent’s surprise I arrived three weeks early, probably the first and last time I was early for anything. Haga clic abajo para leer en Español.
What might lead us to prayerlessness?
Dressember for Success
Filling the Void in Our Life with Living Water
Call on the Name of Jesus
Jesus. Just five letters, two syllables. His name is so simple yet so powerful. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were unable to put words to a prayer, but in your pain could simply whisper the name “Jesus”? Take a moment to reflect on these Jesus prayer moments. Here are a few of mine …
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Beauty From Ashes
Isaiah 61:3 talks about God giving us beauty for ashes and Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” This is a poem I wrote reflecting some thoughts about those two verses.
Lord, Your Word says you make all things beautiful
I want to believe this
I want to claim this
I want to know it deep within my heart
But Lord, some things are so ugly
My own heart seems beyond repair
Beauty seems so far away
I resonate with ashes, but beauty?
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Blessings in the Mundane
I needed to get groceries today. I was almost out of essentials (Read: coffee, peanut butter, toilet paper). But I really didn’t want to. I was tired and hungry. I needed to get home to write this blog. And it was windy and possibly going to start raining (and why the weather impacts this mostly indoor activity, I don’t know, but it does!). I had lots of excuses but finally made up my mind to just do it. So, I went through the motions …
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Running with Perseverance
The summer before entering seventh grade my parents encouraged me to be a part of fall sports. The two options were cross-country and volleyball. It only took a week of volleyball camp to determine that I would run cross-country. All summer my dad, an avid runner, tried to get me to go run with him. “Just a mile” he’d coax, but I was not interested in training.
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Stuck
It’s a new year. Lots of people are anxious to make changes. Many are reflecting on the past year and progress made. It’s a new start, a new beginning. It should feel exciting, fresh and motivating.
But maybe you’re feeling a bit like me. Stuck. Looking at the past year and not seeing the growth you would like. The failures seem to loom large, and the progress has been slow. The new habits gone to the wayside. The goals long forgotten. And maybe, like me, you feel a little discouraged, or a lot discouraged.
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Helping Those Who Grieve
Exactly one year ago today I received the phone call no one ever wants to receive. My dad had been killed at an accident at work. I spent the day in shock – unable to really cry, my heart just felt heavy and sad. Friends and family immediately reached out. I think I responded back. It’s all a blur.
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Waiting Well
Music: An Exercise in Refreshment
Intimate and Simple
If there’s one thing that will consistently prick my anxiety, get my nerves going and make me start to sweat, it’s the thought of having to share my faith with someone. What if I say the wrong thing? What if it’s not perfect? What if I miss something? It’s intimidating and scary and most of the time I try to avoid it. But the thing is, when we look at the example of Jesus in the Bible, when He shares the Gospel, it’s not intimidating and scary. It’s intimate and simple.
A Glimpse of My Faith Journey
What being a friend at all times can look like
Friendships haven’t always been easy for me. In high school I really struggled with not fitting in and not having close friends. I had low self-esteem and was so self-conscious. The harder I tried to get others to like me, the more I pushed them away. It was painful and there were many tearful drives to school as I contemplated another day of feeling insecure amidst my peers, wanting nothing more than to belong. I wondered if I would ever make friends or be accepted for who I was.
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Choosing Trust in the Midst of Pain
A Meditation on Psalm 103: Let Us ‘Forget Not All His Benefits’
Often, I can easily become wrapped up in the stressors and hardships of things of this world. Psalm 103 reminds me that my struggles are temporary and my time on earth is fleeting… The psalms are full of great examples of praise and lament. There are many I go to often, but Psalm 103 is probably my favorite. Let’s dive in for a closer look.
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Who?
Eutychus probably sounds like it needs to be followed by “bless you.” “Euty…who?” You might be asking. Or you might remember him being mentioned in Bonnie Kotler’s blog a few weeks ago. I’m going to unpack the story a little bit more as Eutychus just happens to be one of the main characters in a favorite Bible story of mine.
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Overdraft
Several years ago, the church I was attending had a huge push for financial giving as there were multiple projects that needed to be funded. Although I was working at the time, I was struggling to make ends meet, but after hearing stories of how God had provided for many who chose to give abundantly, I decided to do the same.
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