Almighty God, who was and is and is to come. Holy Father, your truth is invariable and the treasures of your goodness inexhaustible. You are our rock and all your ways are perfect. There is no unrighteousness in you. Lord, we know that nothing is outside of your perfect plan. We know that you work all things together for the good of those who love you. We ask today that you would use 50 Shades of Grey to convict the... Read more
As with all the creation, sex is meant to point to something more glorious in the gospel. Let me explain. We’re all big people in here, so think about the physical act of sex. In the physical act of sex, a man rises. He enters into his bride. He fills her to bring forth new life. This is a picture of the gospel, that Jesus is raised from death to life, that he enters into his bride, that he fills... Read more
My scale broke last summer. I haven’t replaced it yet. I kinda like not having one around. Last time I checked, I was just over 170 pounds. I am 31 years old and 5’ 5”. I have petite shoulders and an hourglass figure. It’s not that my weight at this point is healthy, it isn’t, and my doctor and I are working on finding a solution, but the chart says I should be under 150 pounds. I’ve been there before,... Read more
“I’m at my worst when I’m passionate about a new idea. I can drift into selling instead of listening and can easily become dominating. My heart is a dry and weary land. But when I begin to pray, the energy of my life is directed into the life of God and not into changing people’s minds… and I shut up!” – Paul Miller in A Praying Life This is something I’ve realized about myself as a blogger. Sometimes, I’ll see... Read more
Differences are exciting and bring a sense of getting to enjoy something we don’t possess. But differences threaten us if we have not matured enough to be truly separate people from each other. To immature people, differences imply distance, a lack of love, abandonment, rejection, or, in some cases, a challenge for us to grow. And under this threat, love gets put on the back burner for self-protection. –Boundaries in Marriage, p. 100 Read more
My eyes are swollen. My face hurts. Crying will do that. Do you ever have days where no matter how hard you pray, you simply can’t shake feeling discouraged? Today I am crossing another name out of my prayer book and adding his family. Praying for their comfort and peace as they walk through the valley. I’m surrounded by people who are hurting so much; people who have been abused, people who are in pain, people whose hearts are hard and... Read more
So-called mommy wars have no place among Christian sisters. Christian mothers are weak and needy for one another. Like the faithful Canaanite mother, we approach the Savior on our knees, saying, “Lord, help me” (Matt. 15:21–28). That is the posture of the needy, Christian mother. We cherish the shed blood of Jesus Christ who cleanses us from our sin and we live peaceably with one another because of the cross. Moreover, we love to boast all the more gladly of our weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest... Read more
The ugly truth about Christianity is that Christians are sinners. But when those intended to bring life and encouragement appear to become the “enemy,” we distance ourselves from them and end up distancing ourselves from God. In trying to rid ourselves of one problem, we can end up creating a much bigger one. Disillusionment with the ugly side of Christianity is a real thing. Frustration at hypocrisy is a legitimate response. But abandoning the church because we have unrealistic expectations of what Christian community should be is not.... Read more
“Feelings are indicators, not dictators. They can indicate where your heart is in the moment, but that doesn’t mean they have the right to boss you around.” –Lysa Terkeurst This is so encouraging today. It has been a long week and a half. I went in to visit my doctor a couple weeks ago for nausea, vomiting, severe cramping and exhaustion. I thought it was a cyst, but they couldn’t find it right away, which meant immediate blood tests (looking... Read more
Sometimes modern Christianity encourages us to derive Christian principles, action steps, and application maxims from every lesson and every sermon. The danger is that where Jesus really only offered one command—to love—we populate the heavens with shoulds and oughts. Similarly, in our Christian walk we face many ups and downs that are full of emotion. God gives us emotions—and like anything, they can either help or hurt. The downside of emotion is when it makes following God’s will more difficult. But if I can rest on... Read more
Mere Breath
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