I was putting off playing hymns on the piano, it was the same excuse, ‘I just had no time’. Last year I decided to set aside 5 minutes before work, to play a couple of songs. I got ready at 8am and went to my piano. I played before I left for work. This has been magical.

Quietness and rest are not luxuries—they are biblical prescriptions for the health of your soul. Making space to receive God’s peace is vital. Learning to listen to His voice is life-changing. Don’t settle for simply being alone. Choose to be alone with God.

Now bring your ‘dead situation’ to Jesus- that difficult subject at University, that hard to deal with colleague or that dead ‘mother daughter’ relationship. Bring it to Jesus as you hear him say ‘ Don't be afraid, just believe’ and let him bring life, healing and restoration.

As adults, it’s not our job to shy away from these things or be ignorant to what children and the next generation face.

In the testing, let Him form in you a grateful praise that will take you to the high tower, where you will be “seated above, enthroned in the Father’s love.” The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into and are safe. May you feel perfectly surrounded, seated above in His safe tower, and allow Him to metabolize any painful emotions in a healthy way. 

God gives you dreams. There are so many people who (many are well-meaning) want to point to what they think is best for you or tell you to lay down your dreams because God doesn’t want you to have your dreams. I would argue the Bible speaks a little differently. 

We grow so accustomed to the daily grind of our busy lives, with barely a thought of reassessing if what we are doing is what we ought to be doing. And here’s another thought:  what if the “thing you had planned” that didn’t turn out the way you thought, was actually part of the Bigger Plan?

The Panama sun beats down on the cracked ground, even in the mid-morning. I have never been out of the country in my nineteen years of life, but here I find myself in the suburbs of Panama City, serving with global missionaries and other students from my college. 

Groups like ANM help people receive and access the Bible - in their NATIVE language. Right now, we are partnering to promote them giving Children’s Storybook Bibles to China. These Bibles could end up in the hands of children who have NEVER been exposed to Jesus. How cool is that?

As I watch the news headlines scroll across my television screen, I’m left in a state of helplessness and heartbreak over the lost lives and utter destruction taking place in Ukraine and across the globe. In the last few weeks of praying for the Ukraine/Russian war, the Lord continually reminded me that He is in control and has a purpose and a plan through even this sudden terror.