Do you remember the song ‘Where is the Love?’ by The Black Eyed Peas? It was circa 2003. Some of the lyrics include, “Can’t we all just get along?” and “Can you practice what you preachin’?” I wonder if the songwriters ever imagined we would ask the world ‘where is the love?’ louder today than they did fifteen years ago.
Read MoreThere are so many different expressions of faith within the church. Some feel it’s more honoring to God to dress up on Sundays and some feel perfectly fine wearing a pair of jeans and flip flops. You may even have your own opinions on whether it is morally okay to get a tongue piercing or tattoo. There are some things that God makes abundantly clear—like the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ—everything else is disputable.
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So you think you are ready to get married. Then be prepared to guard your heart like never before (Proverbs 4:23). Be obedient to strip down every ounce of pride that hides in the shadows of your heart (James 4:10). Be ready to fight, to be tried, and to be tempted (Hebrews 4:15).
"Does God love us no matter what?" I looked up over the rim of my glasses to see a small child standing in front of my desk. It was "free choice" time in our classroom, and while many of the students had chosen to engage in puzzles, games, and movement activities, a small group had elected to take the children's Bible off of our prayer table and sit quietly on the carpet, flipping through its pages.
Read MoreHave 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 felt tired and worn out, but nothing seems to quench your thirst for rest? Imagine, you are in a desert and your mouth is aching for a drop of water. You see an oasis in the distance, but as you move closer, you realize your mind was playing a trick on you--a hallucination. Something looked like your solution (and for a bit it was) but your thirst was never satisfied. Sometimes we can feel this way about rest. We continue to look for long term solutions, but become disappointed with the momentary idea of satisfaction as we realize our coping mechanism was only giving us an illusion of rest.
Read MoreI wrote My Inner Child two years ago. Poetry is an outlet for my pain. Writing, although difficult, helps get pieces of my brain onto the page so that I have more clarity on my struggles. Little did I know that this is where I would continually meet with our God. Jehovah has used this poem as a place holder in my life. He has been whispering gently to me, “Darling, we are coming back to this place of pain and I will go through it with you.”
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.
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Ruthie Allen is a friend, wife, mother, entrepreneur, and photographer. She began the Return to Rest Retreat in 2014, understanding that her many titles complimented her, but that they were not what her identity was built on. Return to Rest is a retreat for ALL women rooted in finding true rest through Jesus Christ. Ruthie is excited to continue to share this message of rest with others as she facilitates this retreat in a cozy cabin in New Hampshire.
I have found myself thinking a lot about my identity lately, not just In a Spiritual way, but in rethinking how I view myself based on how the world tells me I should be viewed. For instance, when I introduce myself I have a really hard time just saying my name. I love when I am in a big group of people and you have to tell your name, what you do, a fun fact, or something else that tangibly explains a little bit of who you are as a person to the people you are meeting.
Read MoreWhen I was in high school, one of my friends gave me a beautiful pink mug with the words from Philippians 4:8 written on it. I loved it as soon as I saw it. This gift has turned out to be one of my absolute favorite mugs. It traveled with me to college and, later on, to my first solo apartment. The pink mug has survived countless moves, and I still drink out of it at least once a week.
Read MoreI love fall! The minute I feel that slight chill in the air and I start seeing pumpkin everything, I can’t help but get excited. Sweaters, boots, chili, bonfires, apple cider--I love it all! But there’s something more significant about this season that draws me in every year. Fall can actually be a great reminder of God’s goodness, even in the toughest times.
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 MoreGrowing up in a conservative, Slavic community, I was one of the few women to go to college and graduate, and the only one who graduated from law school. One time, a few guys from my church told my grandmother, “With one degree, maybe one of us would have married her, but with two, no one will.”
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 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 MoreThe summer and fall after you graduate from college can be a very weird time in any young adult's life. You are high off of the excitement of finally being a college grad, but eventually, the excitement fades as you are faced with life after college and all that it entails.
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.
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