If we are created to be different, we should jump at the new opportunities in front of us. However, we are not. Fear is what is stopping us; we would rather push someone else into something new, and we will stick with what we are comfortable with. We like the easy, comfy life, but following Jesus does not guarantee our life will be easy.

Whether we are in the throes of melancholy or dealing with events on catastrophic levels, we are not alone. We can allow our brains to take the shape of our Creator’s thoughts toward us, to “take refuge in the shadow of [his] wings until the disaster has passed” (Psalms 57:1), knowing that “The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness” (Psalm 18:28; 2 Samuel 22:29).

The reality is media was never meant to take the place of face to face coffee, church community, and the workplace. We were meant to live in REAL community - side by side, face to face. You can follow my journey on @alymarie1991 in person and see that I am intentional to have wonderful, vibrant real life relationships. Many of whom wouldn’t have happened without Tirzah. 

We have often heard the adage that some people fail to make the eight-inch connection between their mind and heart; it is a paradigm shift from knowledge to belief and acting upon that belief. In the case of a believer who is prone to the roller-coaster pilgrimage of being swept along with their emotions, this adage becomes the necessary application: I must cease acting upon the whims of my heart-sick woes and know that I am safe in believing that my God is faithful, and He is what my heart-hungry soul needs.

God does not require long prayers to establish intimacy with His children. Instead, Scripture tells us that our hearts are to be in continuous prayer, whether that is with numerous small prayers throughout the day, or longer prayer sessions when we have time to bring it all to God all at once. 

Since worship is a lifestyle and not just through the music, we live a life of sacrifice. We devote every day to God. We worship in Spirit and in truth in a manner that is holy and pleasing to God. Even serving is an act of worship, it's through our actions we are worshiping God, not just our words.

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.