As I sit in the hospital cafeteria typing this, amid the hustle and bustle of the lunch crowd, I feel God’s presence. With the rays of sunshine through the window, I feel God’s presence. As I watch my newborn son on the webcam in his NICU room, I feel God’s presence. When I see my husband hold our son, I feel God’s presence.
Read MoreI love birthdays. Each birthday reminds me of God’s grace and love for me. A time to thank God for his protection.
When I was 20 years old, I was doing my Bachelor of Architecture. I went with my class of 22 second-year students on a 10-day tour to towns and cities along the west coast of India. We started in Chennai where we boarded the train.
Read MoreDo you trust God? He is the ultimate definition of trust. We can count on Him, even when we cannot rely on others. But like anything else, even trusting in God in certain situations is much easier said than done.
Read MoreI lean my head back, spread out my arms and legs and allow the water to softly suspend me on the surface. I’m not swimming, forcing forward motion, or treading water, barely keeping my head above water. I’m floating: free to rest, be still and simply be. I welcome the weightlessness and wonder why I don’t float more often. Floating, in the water and out in the world, both takes faith and renews my faith. And I’m beginning to believe faith is a float.
Read More2020 was quite the year for all of us. The word “unprecedented” seemed to describe the entire twelve months in a nutshell. For some, it meant doing church on Facebook Live, for others it included getting married on Zoom. Some folks suffered great loss being laid off from their jobs, or endured the death of a loved one from Covid-19, or both. When we rang in 2021, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope that 2020 was over and that everything would change as soon as the clock struck midnight.
Read More“You can’t just decide you want to do something and do it.” The statement by my pastor really jolted me in my seat. My immediate reaction was disgust. As a typical human, if someone says “you can’t” to me, it immediately becomes my life goal to be able to come back and say “I can . . . and I DID.”
Read MoreSo often, we can’t see past the space right around us. We can get caught up in trying to see past the fog and figure out a way out of it. But maybe God just wants us to be in the fog for a little bit. Because it’s in that space that faith becomes a real thing...not just something we talk about.
Read MoreA friend of mine lost her little girl this week. I won’t share the details out of respect for their family, but the events of this week have been on my mind and heart almost constantly. Even when I went to go to sleep last night, I couldn’t, because I was so consumed with thoughts of my friends who are walking through this tragedy. Do you ever wake up in the night hours, burdened for someone? That was me, all night long, last night. I know that whenever that happens, God is giving me that name for a reason: to wake up and to pray. I don’t usually get out of bed when I do this, but sometimes I do. I share that, because it’s so important to follow through with that thought when we’re suddenly thinking about someone we know.
Read MoreLuke 10:38-42 is about two sisters, Mary and Martha, who are welcoming Jesus and his disciples into their home. One sister, Mary, was sitting at Jesus’ feet taking in all He said. The other sister is Martha (I imagine her similar to a Southern woman who has invited guests over for a nice brunch). She is preparing fluffy pancakes, fruit, and biscuits and gravy, pouring the sweet tea and being the social butterfly in the room, accommodating all the visitors in her home.
Read MoreI sat in the room, with only one other person. He told me about an opportunity I had never heard of. I never imagined this opportunity would ever be offered to me. I did not even know the thought existed, before taking those few steps into his quaint, quiet office. As my hands became sweaty and my mind became numb, he explained this choice to me and encouraged me. I was faced with a difficult decision. Do I take the opportunity? Or do I stay where I am, and on the plan I had set for myself?
Read MoreOne day, it feels like smooth sailing over calm waters: the waves gentle and quiet, the water so clear you can peer into it for miles. We make our plans and with smooth sailing, we cast away full of hope, faith and peace. But what happens when the storms start rolling in?
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