Have you heard this song before? It’s Hallelujah, written by Leonard Cohen. It’s a song that grips whoever hears it. It’s a disillusioned love song. But, there’s something about its lyrics that speak into something that we have all experienced but never share.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered why certain things happen to other people but not you? Have you ever been put into a situation with others where you felt the need to be the absolute best? Or maybe you have felt like your options were limited, and if that’s the case, you always seem to end up with the short straw. Well sister, let me just say - I hear you! There were plenty of times where I have felt these feelings and it is not only damaging to the soul and your perspective on life, but also to the understanding of who God really is and the abundance he has for us.
Read More“Are you comfortable with just a cross on a necklace or do you want a cross you can cling to?” Let that sink in. I recently read Wreck My Life by Mo Isom (which I highly recommend) who asked this powerful question. So which one are you comfortable with? Do you use the Bible for inspirational quotes to post on social media or for God to speak to you through? Are you asking Jesus to only lavish you with blessings or to carry you when blessings are given and taken away?
Read MoreI write this in the middle of deep silence. A sense of emptiness finds me, and I know it is not emptiness. It’s an ache. I work eight to twelve hour days, which is normal for most, and I have tried to shove too much in between. I finally found an hour to myself, and I wanted to cry. I cry a lot. When all the activity and bustle I have organized for myself no longer swirls around me, I am left to stare at all I have swept under the rug.
Read MoreI always assumed hearing God’s voice was a phenomenon reserved for people for more spiritual people than me. Previously, my opinion about people who say they “hear from God” sent up a red flag in my mind. It was a sign of delusion, not of blessing.
Read MoreAnyone who lives in a mountain town will tell you that while our home makes God's natural handiwork real in the form of crisp morning air, the sweet smell of pine trees, and the sight of majestic mountaintops peering above the tree line, it also comes with the threat of wildfire. Several months ago, as the mountain that rests within one mile of the mountain town I call home was set ablaze by the careless actions of one individual, I was jolted into reflection of what it truly means to hope in the promises of Christ - that He would keep my home, and my people, safe.
Read MoreHiking is one of my things. In 2018, I visited all 56 state parks in Tennessee… and then decided to do a bit of wandering because I needed more trails (there are plenty more trails in Tennessee, but I was ready for something different). So, I took off.
Read MoreThe end of graduate school was drawing near, and I was elated as I considered that the culmination of the past year and a half of my hard work was about to come to a poetic close as I crossed the stage, accepted my diploma, and became a master in my field. Even better, I knew I had a job waiting for me after I graduated - a rare gift in the recession era of the American economy. I would be teaching at the middle school where I had been working as a research intern and substitute teacher for the entirety of my graduate school career, since both the assistant principals and teachers alike had assured me that the opening in the English department was as good as mine.
Read MoreI wasn’t always close to the Lord. I became a believer and follower of Jesus when I was a young girl, but then I proceeded in those following years to live life only for myself. I would think about the Lord from time to time, and I never stopped attending church, but my walk with Him was nowhere near where it should have been. I helped out with a lot of events at church, I helped write for their weekly newsletter, and I even led worship on Wednesday nights. But other than that, I really didn’t consider my faith any other time during the week.
Read MoreTake a little extra break here, fudge on the speed limit there. Tell a white lie to get out of a commitment. Look the other way when a Sister or Brother should really be confronted. Serve the Lord or serve myself? Decisions, decisions…
Read MoreA name is powerful. One of the biggest decisions new parents have is to name a child. That name holds all the hopes, dreams, and potential for our babies. It is their identity wrapped up in a single word. For example, we named our daughter Elisha, which means “God is my salvation”. We chose that name for her because we wanted her to always know that truth. We named our son Lucas, which means “bringer of light”. He was called this because we believe this is his potential, that he will be one who brings God’s light to the world.
Read MoreHave you ever had a day where you tried to fit in as many errands as possible? You run around frantically, but when you get back home, you feel like you barely got anything done. It’s exhausting.
Read MoreI remember the day that the Lord caused me to notice teenagers through new eyes. Before this day, I knew them to be loud and intimidating (at least to me). It was at a summer church activity, several years ago, an event called Street Reach that my older two boys were attending. They spent five nights at a school campus, giving Bible clubs (similar to VBS) Monday through Friday. Graham and Drew were the second day in, and Drew was involved in a wreck. I don’t remember all the details, but I knew I had a nervous son, and he needed his mom. Two days afterwards, they had a share-night, and he invited me to come; my friend’s daughter invited her to come as well.
Read MoreThere is a voice I know too well. An acquaintance whose presence is as loyal as a friend. I’ve grown so accustomed to her message that some days I don’t even recognize it. I wake up to her subtle nudges, pulling me out of bed to obey her demands and be productive. She lingers in my aimless scrolling through Instagram and shouts at me in my work throughout the day.
Read MoreToday, Christians view hardship as a “season” that will come and go. In order to be victorious Christians, we need to reframe our thinking by accepting that most of our lives will be hard for one reason or another. I’m writing this as a gentle yet sober reminder to today’s Christians: We are in the trenches of spiritual warfare. We may not see it as we go about our school schedules, work routines, and summer holidays, but we are in the thick of it. By deciding today, if we will use our moments to the glory of God or the glory of self, we are declaring whose side we are on.
Read MoreI go to a really small church that geographically sits on a line between “gentrified” and “poverty.” The vision for this body is to reflect the kingdom of heaven by celebrating diversity of wealth, race, and life experiences. A year ago, this body was meeting in a house church. Ten months ago, a barber shop. The body has grown and shifted and changed over the past year, but it has been a joy to watch.
Read MoreHoly. I don’t understand this piece of God. I cannot wrap my mind around it. He is holy. Holy means He is intensely good, righteous, radiant, and anything that is not holy will be obliterated by His presence. I don’t visualize Him as holy. It’s easy to see Him as present, or good, or faithful, but not holy. This last week my eyes were fixated to the blinding holiness of God, and my absolute unworthiness to approach Him on my own.
Read MoreDon’t be afraid? Stand still? Stay calm? I can imagine the looks on the peoples’ faces upon hearing this from Moses. There were probably a few dropped jaws, involuntary guffaws, and shouts of disbelief. The Israelites were ex-slaves and refugees. They left behind everything they owned and knew to follow a man who claimed to have the word of God and currently faced a terrifying unknown future. I’m quite certain that I wouldn’t have been eager to trust Moses’s exhortation at this point.
Read MoreRalph Waldo Emerson once said, "The earth laughs in flowers." I am inclined to agree with him, since few things in this world bring me the same singular sense of joy as watching a flower use its God-given power to bloom, flourish, and reach toward heaven with its brightly colored petals, as if offering a sign of worship to our Creator.
Read MoreThere are two types of desperation that you will face in your life. The first kind of desperation is to feed your own insecurities. This is when you throw yourself at the first guy that pays attention to you because you think he’s all you’ll ever get. This kind of desperation is a lack of faith that will cause you to justify your reasoning and make decisions that can affect you for the rest of your life: from friendships, finances, marriage, kids, and most importantly… your relationship with Christ. This kind of desperation will cause you to give up your dreams and the calling God has placed on your life. You will think it won’t, but it will.
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