This wasn’t the life I had planned. It wasn’t part of the carefully filled out “five-year” plan I completed in senior English. This wasn’t what I had strived for, what I imagined, what I dreamt of. It was nothing I would have wanted for myself. By now, I should be putting a down payment on a house. I should have my New York Times bestseller published.
Read MorePersistent prayer doesn't change God. It changes us. Because it takes everything to keep showing up at His throne with the same request day after day, and more faith than you think you have to keep believing He will answer in His time.
Read MoreYou finished school, drudged through the application processes, nailed interviews, and have now landed the job! Congratulations! But you may be asking, “Now what?”
Read MoreRecently my son’s health began to decline, whilst trying to navigate this I was preparing to teach on Sunday. I kept on moving forward, childhood illnesses come and go, and I imagined this too would pass. My assigned passage was James 1.
Read MoreFor two days in a row now, I have had such excellent time with the Lord each morning. I always do this, but some days are better than others...you know what I mean. I've been trying not to rush on these days when I don't have to rush off somewhere, and in that time, I've really been praying some specific things regarding those I know and love.~
Read MoreI once believed the only stories worth reading boasted of intriguing romantic plot lines. Over the past few years, though, the Lord has shown me what love truly is – and what it is not.
Read MoreWait - is anyone here religious? It’s the follow-up to a slightly off-colored joke. But everyone is talking and the conversation has moved on. I shrug. I’m what most people would consider religious, but I’m not easily offended. It had become normal to “shrug off” my religion. I had left the comfort of the Bible belt and was making my own way in the world.
Read MoreAs a Christian I want to stand apart from the rest, both at home and when I step into the office on Monday morning. The average American worker sent and received an average of 126 emails per day in 2019. No matter what line of work you are in, you will probably find yourself needing to email someone in the course of your workday.
Read MorePractically, how do we go about living with God? Especially, if we are in seasons where it is easier to accept He’s not actually around. How do we live with a living God, when we still aren’t convinced He is living?
Read MoreEvery year I pick a word to focus on - something that sums up my goals for the coming months, while also being more flexible than a new year’s resolution. For 2020, I’ve chosen the word invest.
Read MoreThis year, I am reading through the Bible chronologically again, along with a lot of the women in my church. I am an avid reader, and I think the chronological order makes more sense, at least to me. You can purchase a Bible that is already divided up for such reading, or you can read along on an app. Whichever way you read is fine; the main thing is that we all need to be reading the word of God on a daily basis. One day last week I came across the story of Sarai and Hagar, in Genesis 15-16.
Read MoreDo you ever find yourself asking God what He wants you to go, and feel like you are not receiving a response? Do you ever pray through a monologue with all your requests to God, but never stop to listen to what He may need to say? Just me?
Read MoreLast week, we talked about what it means that women were created to be helpers. There are two opposite ways women react to this statement: (1) push back that this is an unfair stereotype that pigeonholes women at home doing domestic chores or (2) embrace it as support for why women shouldn’t be in the workforce and/or moving up the corporate ladder into leadership. Both points have merit, so let’s discuss the intersection of women working and being helpers.
Read MoreHave you ever looked up the word hospitality to see what it means? Dictionary.com defines this word as “the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers.”
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 MoreEverything around you is moving. Texts received and emails flooding inboxes. Schedules are filling up…quickly. Just a few short weeks ago, we had such big aspirations and goals for ourselves. But then life got busy and time flies, and it becomes hard to focus on what matters most.
Read MoreAs a teenager and into my early twenties, I really didn’t like the marriage set up painted by the church and the Bible. I am not even going to the topic of submission. That’s a topic for another day. No, I want to start with the basics: being a helper to a man.
Read MoreEver since I discovered what business people do around 6th grade, I began to dream of reaching the top. The “top” changed over the years - in high school, I wanted to do fashion design or PR; in college it was business or journalism; then law school opened its own doors into courtrooms and politics; and then when I went to work for an accounting firm, making partner was the top. Regardless of the field or profession, I’ve always just had this drive to be the best I can be what I do. I love learning and always look to do the next hard thing that would move me up in my career and profession.
Read MoreHave you ever had a moment where you know you absolutely should not say the words that are going through your mind, but somehow they come out anyway? I like to think I am a kind person most of the time, but when I get stressed or upset, I say things to my husband that I don’t intend to say. Rather than using my words lovingly to help us find a solution to a problem, I use them to cause harm.
Read MoreThere is something liberating about new beginnings. A clean slate. A fresh start. That is what 2020 brings. But we are not just entering a new year, we are also entering a new decade. And as we enter a new decade, we, more often than not, cannot help but want it to be grand. We have big goals in mind. We set a vision for our lives and how we want to live it in the next 10 years.
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