God is good;
our Hope from above.
A hope anchored in Christ,
that knows God is love.
I grew up thinking that God was punishing me every time something bad happened. I remember clearly asking about this in my journal to Him growing up and yet I did not pause to listen much back then. My conversations were often one-sided. Venting, pleading or praising Him…
As I continue to read the Bible as an adult, I find more and more of God’s faithful and loving character and see that I had this wrong.
God, what do I need to let go of?
There is so much we carry
so much we hold.
But it’s in the surrender
that we begin to live fearlessly bold.
Lord, tame my tongue but fuel my heart.
Fueled by faith…
Recently, I heard a song I’ve heard many times before and yet, I listened differently. While the lyrics sang about riptides, I sat, reflecting on those currents in life. First of all, I thought about the leaps of faith despite the fears. And how, no matter what we face, a new relationship or the ending of one, a new opportunity or the return of a familiar one, or whatever it is…
We don’t need to be pulled into the ways of the world. We don’t need to be pulled by the fears or the cycles of negativity. We don’t need spiral in the tides that will keep us stuck or spinning. Instead, God is our rescue. ♡
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4)
But like many things in life… often it is a choice. Do we want to be rescued?
Let’s talk about emotions and start by recapping last week’s blog post…
It’s not enough to know we must do it. We must be mindful of our emotions and how anger can open the door for sin. As I was walking through some anger myself and feelings a whole bunch of emotions, I was also in God’s Word, reading through the Gospel of John again and learning more about Jesus. That was when the following verse stopped me…
“The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.” (John 13:2 NIV)
Read part 2 of this two-part post here and stay tuned for an episode about it too on the podcast.
Let’s talk about emotions…
The ones that do not feel good, the ones that we know are not good for us and yet they can come up time and time again.
Let’s discuss how they often also lead us to forgiveness, time and time again.
Let’s chat about anger and even frustration.
I don’t know who needs of hear this but keep seeking God through ALL the moments and ALL the feelings. Because even in the midst of many emotions, God can grow such beauty.
Still, we need to seek God time and time again, leaning into Him in order to see it and receive it.
It is about the moments.
Sometimes, the simplest days and moments make for the best memories… if our eyes are not overshadowed by the emotions that are not good for our souls.
Read part 1 of this two-part post here and stay tuned for an episode about it too on the podcast.
How will I Find the Time?
Let’s transform time from excuse to friend!
Read the full post here and listen in episode #9 on the podcast.
What’s on your list?
I’ve been a list maker since forever and I have been an old soul since as early as I can remember too. I remember car rides growing up and how I would go into a world of imagination each time staring out the window, daydreaming about life in my “old soul” yet immature kind of way. But out of those journeys, what I remember more than the daydreams were the music. One song around this time of year that spoke to my heart and reveries was the Amy Grant classic “My Grown-Up Christmas List. “
Well last week that song came up in the car with my kids and well it got me thinking, leading me to this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional now up on the blog. It is called “My Grown-up Christmas List.”
Read MoreWho is feeling exhausted lately?
I mean I am on so many levels, mainly because of having an infant but also because of the hustle and bustle, the hurry and the worry… Wait! Hold up. What is this season about?
Presents upon presents upon draining bank accounts and … Wait! Press the brakes and pause into PRESENCE. As much as this season is about giving, isn't it really about receiving? Hear me out in this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional… TIS’ THE SEASON.
Read MoreNo matter how it may seem or feel…
Jesus is by our side.
Then, why do we fear? Why do we doubt? Why do we question the quiet times or even the times that rage? Why do we question why God sends us places where we may feel inferior or like it’s too big for us? Why do we entertain the feelings when God's promises are true?
Honestly, I question myself on this and this is what I find time and time again… it is because we are human. We are walking through a journey, a real-not-perfect one.
Still there is so much to learn during the storms of life like the disciples learned in Mark 4:35-41. That’s the topic of this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional… JESUS IS STILL IN THE BOAT.
Focus, focus, focus…
These days everything seems to be fighting for my focus. And while I am a very focused person, the reality is my focus is sometimes flawed and even tangled up in confusion. That is why I must first turn to to Jesus time and time again. Jesus knows the course. He guides us so graciously to stay the course.
What helps you focus? What do you do to keep yourself focused on Jesus FIRST?
For this week’s devotional, let’s go back to the Book of Revelations when Jesus instructed John to write to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Let’s focus on Sardis and how its present didn't match its past yet it was a powerhouse at the time. You see they were content with their past encounters with the Lord but not moving forward in their relationship with Him.
Can we get like that too? Focused on what God has already done and not in growing our relationship with Him deeper? Well that is the focus of this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional called… Fix our Focus.
Read MoreBusyness can be a distraction. It can make us feel like we are being productive but busy does not always mean productive.
I think of Eve, Martha and David and how they all faltered in their distractions. But I think of Nehemiah and how despite soooo many distractions he continued on what he was called to do, rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. I want to be like Nehemiah even now as I write this and I see the notifications on my phone competing for my attention. I need to keep my eyes fixed on what matters, on what I don’t necessarily see, on eternity…
Check it out in this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional called… Eyes on the Prize.
Read MoreI was healed from anxiety in my thirties after decades. Then, flash forward 5.5 years later… I was blessed to be pregnant again at the age of 39 free of anxiety for the first time.
Praise God!
But that didn’t make me invisible to the enemy. He tried at me again and I do plan to continue to share more about this.
The devil tried to steal my joy and peace.
But no one can do that!
You see the devil has no new tricks.
Check it out in this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional called… No New Tricks.
Read MoreLife is full of experiences, good and bad. It is full of choices too. Often it involves the choice of how we respond to and through those experiences.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have faced this with many situations including one with my daughter. It required me to make a conscious decision in how I would respond and what my outlook would be despite the situation.
Check it out in this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional called… The Choice is Mine.
Read MoreHave you ever reached a place you felt stuck?
Like you were growing and improving on something or even a dream or goal was unfolding and then it came to what “seemed” like a standstill? I know that feeling and situation in more ways than one. But today let’s focus on how it relates to my son’s allergies.
If you know us, you know his testimony. He had 21 as an infant and then around the age of four or five, it went down to 3! Now, at the age of eight…
We are still at 3!
At our appointment this month, his allergist who we love told us what the data and blood showed for the past 3 years, “TJ’s allergies seem to have ‘hit that plateau.’”
Wait, that couldn’t be right…
We are praying and believing for a shift.
And yet, we know what the numbers show. It’s easy to see those numbers as facts because they are what are before us in plain sight. Still… there is more because there is God! BUT GOD…
God is why I’m over here dancing on that very plateau, which leads us to the topic of this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional… Dancing on the Plateau.
I was bullied.
It was not in elementary, middle or even high school. It was in college.
I was ashamed of it for the longest time. Even after removing myself from those people for good at the age of 21, I held onto the acts & words. I hadn’t even realized it but I had stored it deep down where really I should have been storing the words of God.
However, I hadn’t read the Bible yet for myself so I didn’t know to lean on what God said about me.
I didn’t even know what He said. I didn’t have those truthful words stored in my heart for times like those. So, I stayed in situations and around people who were not good for me. Still, God is so good! He was there. He was working!
Such situations have been around for ages. The passing of centuries does NOT make it right though. I think of Daniel, Esther and even Jesus in the Bible. They all faced unfair treatment or situations where unjust treatment was present.
And it is the topic of this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional.
Anyone else commute a decent distance for work?
This year on my commutes, I traveled alone without kids. Therefore, I had a lot more time to think and observe. That was in addition to more time to pray and praise too.
One observation came in late May 2022, on a hot and traffic-filled afternoon.
It was one that convicted me to reflect on what I see and what I soon forget. Or will I remember?
And it is the topic of this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional. Check it out here.
Are you like me and ever battle with sleep issues?
Oh how I love the feeling of laying down in an already-made bed to catch some Zs but often those same Zs play hard to get. Therefore, sleep and I have had quite the tumultuous relationship over the years.
This week’s devotional takes us back to 2009 after one of the happiest times of my life. It was soon after that, that one of the most intense battles with sleep came.
It was then that I barely slept for 6 months. I could not catch up with the Zs so I knew I needed a change and that is just what I did…
I was running on empty and feeling so guilty but our God was right there, guiding me to learn a very important lesson and techniques to last a lifetime.
That is the topic of week 18’s Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now devotional series. Check it out here.
I am not perfect. Far from it…
There are moments that remind me of this time and time again. Take for instance, the start of each morning that I have work. I wake up and spend time with the Lord praying, in silence, reading the Bible and writing. It is there I lie in peace, hopeful for the day ahead, charged for whatever God has for me.
Then, I come downstairs…
and the hustle and bustle of the day soon hit me. As I try to cling to the cup that was filled during my quiet time, I am soon greeted with questions, requests, complaints and responsibilities. Stress and hurry soon fill the air. Drama tries to drain that cup too with issues such as…
Who doesn’t like apples today…
Who wants the television on…
Who wants it off…
Who no longer likes socks …
Who forgot that today is Show and Tell…
In the midst of it all, I kiss my kids goodbye. Sometimes, blowing a kiss to my husband from afar who still needs his coffee, as I jet out there to make it to work on time now (even though I thought I was ahead of schedule). And as I get into my car, I am reminded time and time again of how valuable time is and of so much more too.
For there are improvements to be made, lessons to be learned, forgiveness to pray for and new moments before me to embrace. That is when I may call my family and tell them an extra I love you. Then, I think ahead to our next trip together when we will have so much undivided time to catch up and slow down.
That is often when I am convicted by the Holy Spirit too that I MUST NOT WAIT. Instead, I must fix my focus right here right now.
That brings us to this week’s devotional of the Truth Seeking Right Here Right Now series.
Read MoreTime sure flies, but it is not an excuse.
instead, we must make time, not excuses.
I played Candy Crush for five years.
Yup
five years
I do admit I loved how it made my mind turn off any worry or stress for those minutes, or hours each day of playing, and I do not judge anyone who plays it. However, let me share why I finally stopped playing cold turkey.
Read the full story here in week 16’s Truth Seeking Right Here and Right Now devotional.
No matter how many years pass, the Word of God stands firm and His character remains true.
Speaking of the passing years, week 15’s devotional takes us way back to being a child.
In fact, think back to being 5 years old again.
I think of dancing, singing to Sing-Along videos (anyone else remember those?), playing outside and loving my army of stuffed animals and dolls that surrounded me.
Yet, I also remember that time as being when I started to notice others and care about their opinions. What I share this week may seem wildly far-fetched since it’s been decades but I promise it is what I experienced and why I feel so strongly about teaching our youth the Truth EARLY on.
I started feeling anxious and having body image issues at this age. I remember it as clearly as 35 years will paint you.
It was at that age of five when I noticed that I was taller than other girls. In fact, at dance class, I often thought to myself, “I want to be small like them.” Then, my recital dress ripped at practice & I had an accident because of nerves. That is when I felt feelings that I didn’t know much about. I just knew I didn’t like them.
I started to hear lies inside like, “If only I was shorter…” “If only I was smaller…” “If only I was prettier…” And we know where “If onlys” often take us…
It is when I started to be conscious about eating and my body. However, it was not cultivating healthy habits. Instead, it would lead me to an eating disorder unit at the age of 15 and decades of distorted body image/eating issues.
Yet so different from the journey that “if onlys” can take us on, God was with me and working. He was taking me through this journey of healing that I could never have drafted, to a freedom I hoped for but never knew truly existed #freedominchrist
It was one where I learned first-hand how faithful God is and that His promises are true.
You see when I was 15, I was told I would become a statistic but God promised me that I would NOT!
And that is the story that this week’s Truth Seeking Right Here and Right Now devotional shares. I pray it encourages you and gives God all the glory. Read the story here…
