I woke up this morning with that old familiar children’s song in my head, “I’ve got the JOY, JOY, JOY, JOY down in my heart.” Do you remember it? If you were raised in church as a child or went to Vacation Bible School, then you probably do. There is just something about this song that makes me so happy. Most days, I wake up saying “This is the day the Lord has made, let […]
Living a Life of Love
350 posts
Where do you find God? I find God in the most unusual places, often when I’m feeling low or just plain stressed out. When things are going good, it is easy to forget about God. But when things take a turn for the worse, I go running straight to God. Last week, I hit a bit of a bottom. Feeling about as low as I’ve ever felt, I wanted to blame my hormones or the overwhelm of having way […]
With it being the week of July 4th, let’s talk about freedom for a moment. It is a word I take for granted because I have grown up with all kinds of freedoms. But today, let’s look at true freedom and where to find it. We always hear a lot of talk about freedom around the Fourth of July. Just yesterday, I received a group text from a minister which read; “Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. […]
A few years ago, I spoke at a women’s retreat. The theme for the weekend was “Do you hear Jesus calling you?”. Jesus has been calling me for quite some time. At this event, I was able to share story after story of how God has spoken to me; from selling our home, leaving our community, then our church and lastly, selling my business to follow the dream of writing a book. By hearing, trusting and obeying God, me and […]
Yesterday was the first day of school. There is always a lot of anxiousness with a brand new school year, but with it being my son’s senior year, we have shifted into excitement. We have a tradition, a motto, “First day, let’s pray.” This year is no different. When the alarm clock goes off, we are all up and at ’em. Except now that he is older, there are no lunches to pack and no clothes to lay out. It feels a lot like a […]
Every day I wake up, I have the opportunity to practice trusting God. And so do you. Whether it is a little nudge or maybe a clear message, God is always speaking, leading and guiding us. We have the opportunity to respond. We get to participate in this amazing work here on earth. Today, we are going to dive in on what it means to trust and obey and why it is so important. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a blog on Trust […]
Maybe you think Easter is over and it is time to move on. But if we are going to fully understand the gifts of Easter, and live the life Christ intended for us, we need to look at what it means to be “Easter people.” Jesus has some gifts He wants to give us. Gifts that will bring new life to these dead bones. Let’s receive them today. I never thought of Christians as being Easter people. I […]
With a slower approach to Lent this year, I hope we have discovered a newness to Easter. Often, in my haste, I miss so much. But I have to wonder, what really comes after Easter? As we continue in that slowness, reclaiming what we might have lost or maybe something we missed, let’s begin to wonder. On that first Easter morning, we find those closest to Jesus, not joyful, but confused. As we watch them, they begin to wonder and something miraculous happens. God shows […]
Who are you becoming? Do you know? Often, I think I know who I am becoming only to be surprised by who I really am. Caught up in daily life, sometimes we lose sight of who we are and who we want to be. But Jesus has a gentle way of reminding us who we really are. In John Chapter 13, we see this painful, little interaction between Jesus and Peter. Jesus reminds Peter that he is not there yet. He is not who he […]
Do you ever think that maybe you were created for something more? That there must be more than this job, this day, this life even? God is always offering us something more. Ephesians 5:1-2 reads, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love; just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” “Live a life of love…” This is my life verse. If you follow me on social media, […]
Waiting is one of the most difficult things to do. Yet, I find myself always waiting on something. When God spoke to me years ago and said, “Sell the house,” we began waiting for the right buyer. After that, God said, “sell the business and write a book,” and we waited. Now, just a few years later, I am still waiting. Do you feel like you are always waiting? Here is what I discovered; there is a proper way to wait that pleases to the […]
I dream big dreams. However, it has not always been that way. Some years back, I had this man randomly approach me and say, “God wants you to know, it is okay to dream big dreams.” The statement energized me then and it still energizes me now. God needed me to know that it is okay to dream. Because, “nothing is impossible for God.” God wants you to dream big dreams too. Sometimes, we are afraid to dream because of the fear of failure or […]
As Christmas rushes toward us, we continue to move into our Eternal Advent. Clearly, we begin to see our four themes emerging; Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Last week, we looked at Peace, as the angels proclaimed it from the night sky. “Peace on Earth. Goodwill toward men.” But what is this goodwill they speak of? “Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward men.” Re-reading the Christmas story from my NIV Bible, I noticed it does not say goodwill. Instead, Luke […]
The wrapping and unwrapping of gifts is one of my favorite parts of Christmas. In the wrapping, I find peace and solace in the preparation of the gift itself. Unwrapping the gift gives us the “anticipation of.” It is the hope of what the gift might be. It is also in the excitement of unwrapping where we discover love and joy. These are all gifts of our Eternal Advent. As we move into the second week of Advent, we […]
While talking to my sister the other day, I randomly said, “I feel like I’m stuck in some kind of eternal Advent.” With frustration, I explained when waiting persists, it can become difficult to keep the faith. However, there is one thing that always keeps me going. Hope. Hope is like a light in the dark and always keeps me moving forward. As we said our goodbyes, I could not shake this term, “the eternal Advent.” Letting the […]
Sometimes, I forget that Thanksgiving is for giving thanks. It seems so simple. The instructions are actually in the name. Thanks-Giving, the giving of thanks. Most of the time, I breeze right passed it and miss the whole point. However, practicing an attitude of gratitude, makes it easier to remember to give thanks. Last week, I wrote a blog on 3 Steps to help us become more thankful. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude helps us learn how to be […]
If I told you there were 3 steps to help you become more thankful, would you do it? Thanksgiving is the perfect time to practice our gratitude. So, today, let’s see if we can cultivate a little more thankfulness in our lives. As I opened my Jesus Calling devotion this morning, I read, “A thankful attitude opens windows of heaven.” The words remind me that thankfulness is not a gift, it’s an attitude. And not just an attitude we choose, one […]
The last few weeks, we have been talking about our feelings. What to do when we are frustrated. How to be more content in our lives. And the best ways to combat anxiety. For me, the point is obvious. Look to God and cast your cares on Him because God cares for you. A few years ago, I spoke at a women’s retreat. The whole weekend centered around this one little verse from 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast your […]
