They say raising kids takes a village and I'm sure I will learn they are right, but keeping this pregnant lady sane for 9 months took a village too. I am so thankful for friends who have not only gone before me and are willing to share their experiences (and clothes!), but who also point me back to the One that I can truly depend on for my help.
Read MoreI'm pretty sure my own mom has been praying that I would be more in THE Word than in all the other words, so I'd say those prayers greatly influenced my heart to make the switch. The importance of feeding on God's Word alone kept popping up in the various sermons and podcasts that I listen to during the week as well. So I listened to the calling, and set my devotionals aside.
Read MoreThere seems to be something about the bare sharing of a meal that reveals the kingdom of God...We Christians must learn from these meals, to bring Christ’s joy to our neighborhoods and workplaces...Jesus’ fellowship meals teach that we Christians ought to be hubs of relationship and celebration in our communities. -Mark Glanville
Read MoreIt occurred to me after the first Beautiful Mornings post that some sisters may be longing for a healthier relationship with Christ, but weren't sure where to start. The following tools are not complicated ones. Ain't nobody got time for that! And, truthfully, Jesus isn't complicated either!
Read MoreI claim Christ, yet my flesh has still been ruling over me in so many areas! I don't want that! I want to be a woman of God, a branch firmly attached to the Vine, a disciple whose life is marked by the fruit I bear, so that my time on earth may bring glory to Christ. As Jesus said in John 15, God has had to do some pruning, because the fruit I've been bearing has been rotten.
Read MoreThe past year has been a major reality check for me. Maybe people close to me knew I had some growing up to do, but I sure was blind to it. God is growing me up. And He doesn't do that on the mountain top. I have lived in fear of the valley, of loss, of death, of real pain, of those ugly trials that test you to your limit, but, after meeting those fears head on, I am praying now to embrace, not avoid them when I inevitably meet them in the future. For I do not want to be undone in the valley, I want to be made whole.
Read MoreWhen life goes along smoothly, it's easy to praise God, count myself blessed, and tell others of His greatness . However, when things aren't going my way, when my life is far less than Instagram worthy, when I feel like I can barely trust Him at all, I have a much harder time doing those three things.
Read MoreWhen I reflect on my own life, I see very distinct seasons and in each of those seasons, God has used different means of slaying the dragon within me. Currently, He is using my marriage, and like Lewis writes about Eustace's experience with Aslan, it can be painful. After all, I would prefer we operate under the illusion that I'm perfect! I have no flaws, we have no arguments, and Matthew can go to his grave never seeing me at my worst. But, that's not reality and that's not God's design for marriage.
Read MoreWe are not to lock our hearts up like they are the bad guys out to hurt us, we are to feed our hearts with the wisdom God's Word provides, so that we are prepared for the life He calls us to.
Read MoreMary had plenty of opportunities to feel abandoned by God, to ask Him to pick someone else, to lament her situation, or to give up entirely, but she didn't. She couldn't have known just how difficult the road would be when she said YES to God's call, but she had to have known that life as she knew it would be over. She had to have known EVERYTHING would change and she said YES anyway. I have been feeling convicted lately about my YES. My "yes'es" aren't nearly as bold as Mary's was. Mine are more like, "Ok, I guess, if it doesn't force me out of my comfort zone or cause me to suffer in any way." Ugh. How embarrassing to admit.
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