Yesterday, I decided to stop at a coffee shop after the gym for a little Bible time and their seasonal Apple Cider. It was then that I discovered a journal I didn't even realize was in my car. There was only one entry dated just over three months ago and then it all came back to me. I remembered sitting at Starbucks writing down the key topics I was struggling with. Authority. Doubt. Trust. Submission. Hope. I was asking myself questions like: Do I trust God to have authority

Jobs, even careers and passions, have a clock. We clock-in and we clock-out. But we never clock-out of kingdom work. We never clock-out of being the light. It's the little things we do each day, the little acts of love we offer to all who we encounter that is our greatest ministry. And so, I encourage you and myself to focus not only on what we can accomplish for the kingdom but who we are as we accomplish.

Salt is godly wisdom and understanding that comes from seeking the Lord and His truth. Salt preserves what would otherwise decay. Godly wisdom likewise preserves mankind in a corrupted world. Salt is healing, just like the Word of God is. Being the salt of the earth isn't just about having godly wisdom and understanding. It's about being gracious in your delivery of wisdom that your words may heal rather than condemn.

The enemy wants us to believe we're not good enough to receive love--the love of others and the love of God. But the truth is, we weren't created to be good enough, perfect, or even righteous on our own. We were created to have relationship with the Lord, and it's through that relationship that He works in us to make us holy. Holy, not because we're perfect and we never sin, but because of our adoption into His kingdom--into His family. You don't have to be perfect to receive

There have been times in my life when I've had to rely on God. This time, I didn't feel like I had to rely on Him. I felt like I got to rely on Him. And this time, I get to praise Him from a place of joy and gratitude rather than despair. But then came the pressure. Thoughts of how can I praise Him turned into a feeling of being indebted to Him. My spiraling thoughts led me to the place where praise no longer felt like praise. It felt like pressure.

The idea for this post came to me a few days ago as I struggled to transition from my post-surgical binder to a compression garment that I can wear long-term. Compression is key for recovery. Day 15 and I've finally settled into one that I'll be in for the next 8 weeks! Yes. I don't know how I'll do it, but probably like I've approached the last two--one day at a time. But there's a message in this, isn't it? Compression is necessary for healing. It's necessary for allowing y

Today's post should probably be a journal entry. Instead, I'm choosing to share it with you. Silver-linings and perspective from my recovery. What's your "it-could've-been-worse" moment?

Healing isn't pretty--no matter what wound you're trying to mend. It's messy, whether you're literally bleeding or just figuratively. Sometimes it requires isolation. Sometimes it's trial and error. Being willing to try, see what isn't working, adjust, and try again are part of any successful healing journey. Whatever challenge you're currently facing, be humble enough to ask for help.

Stats will tell you a lot about a person. 1383 days 2 million steps taken Over 4000 meals logged Over 1000 workouts completed 0 medications taken 156.9 pounds lost But stats are only half of the story. Today, I want to tell you the rest.

Like any piece of clothing, we do not put on strength and honor once and exist in it forever. As the day progresses, our clothes become soiled with sweat, other fluids, germs, and the general filth we encounter by merely existing. When we feel dirty, what's the thing we long for the most? The feeling of being clean again, which usually involves removing the soiled clothes, cleansing our bodies, and putting on a fresh garment. Strength and honor must be put back on each day.

Is this really wrong? Is this is a sin? When the Bible doesn't directly address a particularly thing, it can be hard to understand where to draw the line. But even when the Bible doesn't directly address the thing you're struggling with, you can still find your answer within the text. "For God is not a God of confusion but of peace." 1 Corinthians 14:33 A lack of peace is the answer.

The book of Joshua concludes the Israelite's journey through the wilderness to the conquering of the Promised Land to finally resting in the inheritance that the Lord promised them. In this post, I'm going to speak on three major components of the book: the foreshadowing of Jesus, the promises of God, and the parallelism between how the journey began and how it ends. Finally, we'll look at what this means for us today.

Every fall begins with taking something or someone that doesn't belong to you.

My pastor said, whatever you're standing in hope for make sure that hope is rooted in scripture. God's word is His promise to us--His promise of who He is, how He sees us, and what He'll do in our lives and in our world. I thought to myself, what scriptures do I come back to when the hopelessness sets in? What scriptures do I come back to when the devil starts whispering "you'll never..." "He'll never..." "it'll never..." How would I feel if I held onto those scriptures more

When life feels like a never-ending sprint, exhaustion and frustration are certain. But when we realize life isn't separated into multiple races, but a singular journey, the perspective changes. With God, every step you take is a step forward. Even in the seasons when you feel like nothing is happening, when you're running a long-stretch that feels like it'll never end, keep going. Even when the figurative deer jumps into your path and you have to swerve to avoid a collision,

A love poem to the Lord.

Discipline and daily rhythm speaks to how a woman manages her life, her household, and herself. A virtuous woman is not just defined by what she does, but how she does it. Love, discipline, and balance are necessary to become the woman who does it all, because no one can do it all on a single day. God sets the example of balance, of task organization, time management, and rest when He created the world. God modeled the rhythm of virtue. The rhythm of a virtuous woman begins w

Today's nugget of encouragement comes from a story about Michael Phelps. While our guest pastor used the famous Olympian to teach us about shame and honor, I took something else from the image of Phelps on the big screen. He was before he was recognized. He was the best swimmer in the world before the Olympic gold medal was presented to him as proof. He was before the reward. It was in the training, the becoming, that he became. As Christians, we do not have to earn glory but

In this final post inspired by my recent mission trip to Greece and Turkey, I want to write about a message that came to me my very first day in Athens and continued to ring true throughout the entire trip. We are a people searching for truth, and we always have been. At our core, we are seeking understanding and we are seeking someone to worship. It makes sense that ancient cultures sought something or someone to believe in. But where we lack understanding, the devil present

I feel guilty for waiting, because waiting implies discontent, dissatisfaction. Waiting on the Lord implies that what He's already done is not enough. While it's true that waiting is a sign of dissatisfaction or incompleteness, waiting is also an act of worship, a sign of faithfulness, and a part of the Christian walk every believer faces. Waiting on the Lord is worship. It is refusing to do life without Him.