Women's Ministry

Joy.  Only three letters, but it packs a powerful punch. When I was asked to write this blog, I did what anyone does who realizes they need to know the power of the meaning of this word — I Googled it. And, I learned a lot.  Basically, joy is an intense, long-lasting state of contentment and satisfaction, rooted in a relationship with God. It’s not just being happy; it’s going beyond happy. It’s more of a feeling of well-being.  It’s knowing that, regardless of circumstances, we will survive and be stronger. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Gal. 5:22-23 says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.” (Emphasis added) Joy is a gift from God that remains even in trials, coming from trusting His faithfulness, His promises, and knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  

I needed to be reminded of how joy was defined, because at about the same time I was asked to write this blog, something happened to some friends that has broken my heart, causing me to ask some hard questions, to search for answers I’m not sure are there just yet, and to be strong, all at the same time.  

In late January, some friends of my youngest daughter (Mary) went on a ski trip to Colorado. The friends are Jennifer and Chance Hanes, with their 3 kids — Ellie, age 10, Addie, age 8, and River, age 5. (Jennifer is one of Mary’s best friends. She is an OB nurse in Amarillo, and she was there for the birth of all three of my grandkids. I’ve known her most of her life, so she almost feels like one of my own kids.) Ellie has been skiing many times, so she skipped Ski School that particular morning. As Ellie and her parents were skiing from one trail to another, something happened. Someone fell in front of her, and she tried to ski around them, and in the process, lost control, flew off the side of the mountain, and hit a tree with great force. By the time her parents got to her, she was not breathing and was turning blue. Jennifer started CPR until Ski Patrol got to them. They took her to a local hospital and realized she needed to be airlifted to Colorado Springs. She was then transferred to the best neurological hospital in the country in Denver, Colorado.  

While Jennifer and Chance and their other 2 kids were driving to Colorado Springs, she sent out a text blast asking for prayers. Mary was in that blast. Mary then sent a text to people she knew would be prayer warriors, and that’s how I got involved from the beginning. I reached out to my prayer warriors, and the fire was lit. There have been prayers for this child all over the country, and probably even the world (her aunt is from Austria, and her family has also been added to the prayer warrior list.). Without going into great detail, because it will make this blog way too long, Ellie is currently still in the hospital in Denver and is paralyzed from her shoulders down. Her parents have been told this will be her life, But God is the one in control.

When this all happened, to say I was sad was an understatement. I was so full of fear for Ellie, pain for her parents, worry for her siblings, and a ton of questions. I really couldn’t think straight, let alone pray.  And joy — nowhere to be seen. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Ellie was alive! And although at first she was completely sedated, on a ventilator, and facing the unknown, God was with her. A couple of weeks later, she had a tracheotomy tube put in and still can’t really talk, but she can mouth words, and her brain is fine. The Hanes family is still facing many unknowns — will Ellie improve any physically, what will the future hold for Jennifer and Chance as her caregivers, how will this effect Addie and River long term? Things that the evil one can use to steal joy and crush hope. But, I believe this is just a chapter in their collective stories, and not the end of anyone’s story. Joy is returning to my heart. Psalms 30:15 says, “Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning!” One day, a few weeks after her accident, Jennifer posted a video of Ellie teaching her speech pathologist the Anne Wilson song, “Let me tell you about my Jesus.” THAT IS JOY!!!!!!!!  

A few days ago, I received a devotional email and found this truth: “If you are up against something difficult today, remember: You’re bing shaped.  You’re being sharpened. And because of Jesus, you can choose joy.”  

So, each morning, before your feet hit the floor, join me in saying Psalms 118:24: “This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” (Emphasis added)   

“Father, You are the source of my joy. Even when I face various trials, I can trust You are using these things to make me stronger. Thank You for stretching my endurance and strengthening my faith. I know You are always with me.  Help me to see every day and every circumstance as an opportunity for great joy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” (Proverbs 31 Ministries daily devotional.)

We want to thank Hope Warren for sharing this post.

Joy…how we all desire joy! That inner most longing that so many search for on a daily basis! Joy transforms difficult times into blessings and turns heartache into gratitude. Joy could also be viewed as an utmost surrender and a choice to be made. Depending on the translation, the word “joy” can be found between 165-245 times in the Bible. Joy is obviously very important; however, it’s often misunderstood.

A few years ago, I had the word joy spoken over me, not once, but twice. After many years of caring for two parents and everything that accompanies that, I just didn’t see joy in my life. Obviously, others did! Maybe I was missing or misunderstanding something. What my friends had spoken over me was accurate. I DID have joy! I was just misunderstanding the true meaning.

I have seen joy listed as one of the fruits of the Spirit; however, the true meaning of joy is often confused with the emotion of happiness. I had my eyes set on happiness rather than joy. Happiness is linked to external circumstances or even possessions and can sometimes feel like a roller coaster ride. Happiness is here one day and gone the next. Joy, on the other hand, is deeper. It comes from our connection with God, not from our life’s circumstances. Joy is a choice, a deliberate focus on God’s presence and all He has to offer.

So, did I have joy in the midst of my daily caregiving? Yes, I did. God was my rock and my fortress. He was my comforter, counselor, and guide. Did I question Him? Absolutely! Did I experience happiness? Sometimes. When things looked like they were improving and we had amazing days, there was nothing but happiness. But as the definition of happiness says, it will be fleeting. Those amazing days eventually came crashing down.

James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. “

Caregiving did bring trials, and those trials taught me how to persevere through whatever was thrown at me that day. The trials brought many tears and brought me to my knees more times than I can count. It was through these times I learned that the real secret to joy was training my heart, rather than depending on my mood.

How many times do you say, “I’m just not feeling it today?” The world values feelings and emotions, and often, we make them the highest authority in our day. The Christian life isn’t one of passive response to fleeting moods, but it is a call to active engagement with our Lord, especially when our hearts feel cold, hurt, or distracted.

Society often tells us to “follow our hearts.” Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” But…what if we allowed our hearts to become pliable instead of a fixed instrument? What if we allowed our Creator to shape and train our hearts? That’s where joy begins.

If we are going to allow the Lord to shape and train our hearts, there are some steps we must take in order to partner with Him in this journey:

*Begin with the Word. Read and reread. Let it sink in. Do it slowly and intentionally. It doesn’t matter when during the day you do it. Personally, I prefer to do it first thing in the morning with my breakfast. It sets my mind and heart on the right path for the day. When we wake up with a sluggish heart and decide not to read the Word of God or seek God in prayer, it may seem like a minor concession. But over time, these small neglects compound, leaving us spiritually depleted. When we are depleted, joy is absent.

*Express gratitude. Even in the trials there is something to be grateful for. It may be minuscule, but it’s still good. It’s all about what you magnify.

*Enjoy God’s presence. He is with us always. He is there on the mountain top, in the valley and all points in between. Cry to Him for help. Talk to Him when things seem dry or even discouraging. The key is persistence with Him.

Joy is a process. This process isn’t instant. Trees don’t grow overnight. But over time, with consistency, you will find your spiritual roots growing deeper and stronger. Joy may not come immediately, but it will come as you begin to make Jesus your first and final focus in your day. It’s about knowing Jesus and developing an intimate relationship with Him.

We want to thank Kathy Jones for sharing this post.

I must admit, I love adventure. Adventure equals discovery. I’ve had many adventures in my life. Some of the crazy ones happened in my own kitchen experimenting with new recipes. You never know what “discovery” may land on the family table for dinner. Travel adventures with my husband are also a favorite. These are great fun to us! 

What about you? Are you one for adventure and discovery? Have you ever set out on a type of mission to discover something? Sounds like a 007 movie, doesn’t it?  Has there ever been something that was so mind-boggling that you spent time and effort to discover the depths of what it was that was of such interest to you? How long did the discovery mission take? Did the adventure take you to places unknown, to sights you had never seen? Did you feel things you had never felt before? Were there “Ah Hah” moments or just jaw-dropping, eye-popping “WOW oh WOW” moments? What did you feel? Fulfilled or disappointed? Maybe, not even sure how to feel about what you discovered?  

It’s funny, I think as Christ followers, that we are on an amazing discovery mission every day…we just don’t realize it. A mission of discovering who God is. Let’s face it, sometimes life seems mundane and routine, not really the most exciting adventure we might choose for ourselves, right? But what would happen if we changed the way we see our daily lives to seeing life as a discovery mission? We are here by God’s plan and we have purpose. Grabbing hold of this thought is the start of the adventure of discovering who God is. That thought alone changes everything, doesn’t it?

If someone were to ask you, “How do you discover who God is?” What do you say? It seems like a tough question at first, at least I thought so. I think I probably stumbled a bit with my words and rattled off something that I can’t even remember. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I needed to search for the answer! Check out what I found: Psalm 139:13,16 tells us very clearly. ¹³“For YOU created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. ¹⁶Your eyes saw my unformed body; ALL the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Mind boggling, jaw-dropping, right?  

If we ever had a MISSION to discover who God is, this verse beckons us to live our lives on the most exciting adventure mission EVER!  Think of it: discovering who He is because He thought of us first. We are HIS idea! Which means, this gift of life that we have been given, is an adventure of purpose to discover who God (our Creator) is on a daily basis. He wants us to know His love and care for us, because HE created us! The most wonderful part of discovering who God is, is that HE WANTS TO SHOW US who He is! He doesn’t hide from us. He desires relationship with us. 

So, how does this work? We know earthly relationships, right? So, let’s start there. First, an introduction is made. Then spending time with that person is probably next on the list. Listening and talking to that special one usually occurs. At times, we may find ourselves just sitting quietly observing them or thinking about them. All these things are ways we use to discover and learn about who someone is.

I think a relationship with God to discover who He is, is somewhat similar. There are some obvious differences though. Our physical eyes can’t see God. Our physical hands can’t touch Him, and our cell phones don’t have Him listed in the contacts. This is an earthly dilemma; however, I have some good news! There is a book, it’s been around for quite some time. Its writer is God, but He did choose to use human hands to dictate for Him. The Bible. His very words written in a way, that if we will take the time and make the effort to read them or even use those “devices” to listen to them, He will make Himself known. Discovery of who He is begins to happen in us. Our heart’s eyes will begin to see Him. Our spirit’s hands will raise to touch Him, and the discovery we will make will be something we will want more of every day of our lives! God just works like that. The more we read or listen, the more time we spend asking questions of Him and allowing Him to show us answers, the more we DISCOVER WHO HE IS! I know, it sounds crazy, but it is true! 

Spending time in His word, is where we truly discover who God is. Sometimes it’s in the mundane and routine where the words we read come to life. At other times, it’s an exciting adventure! A prophet named Isaiah penned these words, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is MY word that goes out from MY mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

God’s word was written to us on purpose to show us who He is! His word tells us how much He loves us and desires a relationship with us. Whether we read or listen to His words on our devices, it will accomplish what He desires for us. Our part: make the effort to pick up the Bible and begin the discovery mission of a lifetime. Remember the family table I wrote about…my Bible is laying on that table. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some discovering to do today.

We want to thank Kori Covington for sharing this post.

I heard a sermon illustration one time that went something like this:  A young woman was given a book for some occasion, but when she tried to read it, she found it to be boring and hard to read, so she put it on her shelf and never opened it again  As time went by, she met a man, they began to see each other, and she fell in love with him.  As they grew to know each other, she found out he had written a book – the very book she had been given!  She ran to pull it off the shelf, and as she read it this time, she found it fascinating!  She could not put it down.  The words were the same.  But now, she knew and loved the author.

When I think about discovering who God is, I think about when Kelly and I got married. I thought I knew him pretty well by that time. We had talked and prayed and spent a lot of time together. I was confident about spending my life with him. Now that we’ve been together for 39 years, the way I know him now is so much richer, deeper, and our relationship has been proven through the good, the bad, the fun days, and the boring, humdrum ones.  I believe it’s the same for most everyone who is married, or between life-long friends!  You can’t know someone well without time spent together. And not just the fun times!  

​I’ve known ABOUT God for most of my life, but I did not KNOW Him.  When I finally received Him after many years, our true relationship began. Spending time with Him through all these years – a couple more than I’ve been married – I’ve come to know Him more deeply. He’s been there through joy, disappointment, hurt, sickness, health, and He’s NEVER failed. NEVER. The cool thing is – we’re not done!  As we grow older, and even after we pass to heaven, we get to know Him better and better for all eternity.  I Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” Wow! To know Him fully one day!

​I’m so grateful to God for wanting us to know Him.  He’s not, as some in this world think, a distant, uninterested kind of God. He’s fully committed to involvement in our lives, if we will just give Him the chance. Psalm 139 describes it, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar…How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!” Who doesn’t want to know Someone with that kind of love toward you? 

​Just as the girl in the first paragraph began to read the book with new delight because she was in love with the author, and he loved her, I want to pick up the book of love letters God has written to me, the stories of all He has done, because I love Him so much! I want to spend all my days forever getting to know Him better. Let’s join with the apostle Paul, when he says that his desire is “that I may know Him (Philippians 3:10). 

Here is a song that has been on my heart as I have thought through this blog post. I pray that it blesses your day today. https://youtu.be/Y_-pvEyxVS8?si=F60sNk_9MRbsS-NS

We want to thank Sheri Warren for sharing this post.

When I was a little girl, I always wondered how the stars stayed in the sky. I would look up at the moon and wonder how it could just hang in space without anything holding it up.I have always been fascinated with astronomy! I love looking at the stars, trying to pick out the planets, watching comets run across the sky, and waiting to see a falling star.

There are times when I love to just go outside and watch the hawks flying over our pasture. Have you ever noticed that the trees all point upward with their branches? Do you ever sit and listen to the birds sing? Isaiah 55:12, Psalm 96:12, and 1 Chronicles 16:33 describe the trees of the fields clapping their hands and the birds singing for joy. Isaiah 44:23; 49:13, and Job 38:7 all teach us that the heavens and the Earth sing praises to their Creator. All of creation worships God!

Did you know the stars actually sing? After you finish this, please take a couple of minutes to go to YouTube and search for “Mashup of Stars and Whales by Louie Giglio”. I’ve always been fascinated with the stars, planets, animals, and nature! I love hearing the sounds that the stars make and listening to the whales sing. I promise you that once you hear them you won’t ever be able to sing “How Great is Our God” the same way again. (Psalm 148:1-10, Psalm 48:1)

Our God is Lord and Savior! He is King of Kings and our Redeemer. He is powerful and sovereign, yet gentle, merciful, and loving. He loves us and cares deeply for us. (Psalm 139:1-18, John 3:16)

He is everywhere and part of everything. He created all we see and hear. John 1:1-5 says “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through Him.”

He makes Himself known prior to salvation through creation. He wants us to find Him. This is how He woos us to a relationship. (Hosea 2:14, John 12:32, Luke 15:20, John 3:16-17, John 6:44, Revelation 3:20, 2 Chronicles 16:9)

Once we surrender our hearts to Him, our relationship grows deeper and we continually learn as He reveals Himself more and more. This comes from spending time with Him. Discovering who God is will be a journey that continues right on into eternity.

So, the first step to discovering who God is, is surrendering to the wooing of the Holy Spirit and giving your heart to Him. Then, the rest is the adventure of a lifetime.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

We want to thank Janie Keller for sharing this post.

I was recently talking to a friend about my daughter going on a date with her Dad. We talked about how when she was growing up, that wasn’t really a thing. For me, it wasn’t in my routine; I grew up with a single mom and had visits to my dad’s house. My grandparents were very involved, but my granddad wasn’t taking me on a date every month. I am not saying this to bash Granddad (or my dad), just that times are different now. But here is what my daughter and I will both take away from our experiences: her dad and my granddad are good fathers.

I am not sure if you have gone to the Freedom In Christ class here at Harvest, but you are asked to go sit alone and picture sitting down with Jesus. This could have been happenstance due to my granddad passing before the class, but the man that sat with me representing Jesus was similar to my granddad, an older man moseying to his chair, with a pleasant smile and loving eyes. I know my granddad was good and a great example of faith, but this sealed it for me. I have followed Jesus for most of my life, since I was eight, but seeing him as father was not my experience. My biological dad had left our family, not wanting children, and I’m supposed to see Jesus as my father? It made no sense to me. And then Anthony started talking about our roles as Christians and being a son or daughter first. We are children of God, adopted into His family (Romans 8:14). Of course, I’ve heard this before, but more recently it has brought me around to reflecting on how my granddad was an example of Jesus as a father: loving, loyal, disciplining in love, faithful, and steady.

It has taken me several years and lots of loss to see God as a father, and a good one at that. I first had to learn, or really realize, the role of a father (what the role of a father is). As described earlier, it took the loss of my granddad to see those characteristics and how he was a reflection of Jesus. It took another loss for me to see God as good. When we are hurting and, in the weeds, it can be hard to see God is good, even when we are reminded daily by friends and scripture. One way this finally “clicked” for me was hearing how Annie F. Downs talks about December 21st. December 21st is the winter solstice and the darkest day of the year, but she reminds us that light is coming, the good is coming. We may feel like we are in the darkest hours with no hope in sight, but the light and good are coming. (1 Peter 2:9).

Being adopted into the family of God may not seem like a milestone to some, but if you’ve grown up without that family bond, it means the world. While it may have taken me years to see how I was adopted by a good Father, I am so glad to finally see the light. I am glad to know and have such a good, good Father.

Romans 8:14-17

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

We want to thank Ashley Criswell for sharing this post.

I really don’t want to write this post. I would much rather sit across from you on my couch with my cup of coffee and instead hear your story and share mine. A year and a half ago, my very young marriage ended in heartbreak as my husband walked away. I was left a single mom to a sweet little girl trying to pick up the pieces and asking so many of the questions that you have probably asked yourself. How do you trust God who would allow such tragedy to happen, after you trusted Him? How on earth can the God who says He “works all things together for my good” think this is good? Why would He allow those things to happen? If I am being honest, it is hard to trust again after all of your dreams, plans, and hopes have been shattered and the fears you have spent so long running from become reality.

I don’t know if I have the perfect answer for you, the one that will make everything that happened to you be alright and make you go “back to normal.” The reality is sometimes God allows tragedy to expose what our trust is really in, or He uses it to invite us to trust Him in deeper ways. When I started to sit with this blog post, I asked God how do *I* trust again. He clearly said, “Trust begins with fear.” Now, I don’t want you to be confused. He did not mean being afraid. Many times, when our trust is shattered, we allow fear to be the thing we cling to. We build walls around our heart and declare, “I have trust issues,” or “I don’t trust anyone.” I get the sentiment, I really do. Why would I let someone back in that has hurt me? However, the only one who is hurt by this is us.

Instead, the word for fear He was pointing me to is Yirah in Hebrew. This word does not only mean being afraid, but it also means respect, reverence, and worship. It is a type of awe that is closely tied to trembling. When we look at scripture, we see in Psalms 33:18, “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, that He may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.” The fear of the Lord causes us to place our hope in Him and keep us from death, because fear sees God rightly. He is the one who can sustain and can give us life. He is someone worthy of being trusted, because He is the only one capable of fulfilling His promises.

A few verses down from the one I just referenced, it says, “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him because we trust in His holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us even as we hope in you.” Psalm 33:21-22. Trust is calm assurance that the one who is bearing the weight of what has been given can and will hold it well. Trust requires faith in the one that it is put in. When it is put in anything or anyone other than God himself, it is folly, because it cannot bear the weight. Fear allows our hearts to trust God again because we see Him for who He is: Sustainer, Creator, Promise-Keeper, Healer, Redeemer, the list could go on and on. But it starts with a humble admission that we are not the center of His world, but that He entered ours to save us. He is the greatest good that we could have.

Trusting Him won’t disappoint you, but if you feel disappointed, don’t rush past that feeling. Instead, sit with it and submit it to Him. Tell Him that you feel like He abandoned you and didn’t do what you thought He would. Then, after you are done, sit and listen. The verse I just quoted says, “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him because we trust in His holy name.” Psalms 33:20-21. We need to wait for the Lord to speak, and He will, sweet sister. If we sit waiting, He will answer us, and rest assured that what He says will draw us ever closer to His heart. Remember, we do not need to be afraid of what comes next or afraid to allow God back in after rejecting Him. Instead, repent of this fear, and take up a holy fear that worships and kneels in awe of Him and He will hold you close as you learn to trust Him again.

We want to thank Savanna Rodriguez for sharing this post.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” – Psalm 127:1-2

I’ll admit I am not always great at trusting in God. But my husband is very good at that; he never worries about anything! I’ve always found that amazing, because I can manage to worry about anything! But I’ve realized lately that worry is a sin. Worry is me saying, “God I don’t trust that You can handle this; I think I can do it better.” Which, that is, in fact, a lie. Because, as the psalmist says, even the watchman who is doing his job is working in vain, because unless the Lord watches over a city, it will not be protected. I’ve had to learn this hard lesson when it comes to my children. When I became a mom, I wanted desperately to keep them safe and to do everything right. But then I started to realize that even if I did EVERYTHING in my power to keep my kids safe, it doesn’t mean that bad things don’t still happen. And I began to realize that I have to release control of even the things I love the most to my Heavenly Father, who loves them SO much more, and is the only One who can actually bring protection.

This past year has been one of great joy, and with that, great difficulty. We have welcomed another daughter into our family, and she is such a joy! But we’ve also dealt with hardships, such as financial difficulties, mental health battles, parenting hardships, and discouraging health diagnoses in our family. And all these things seemed to happen back, to back, to back. I remember asking Daniel one night, “when is the hard stuff going to end?” And the more we talked about it, the more we realized that we are all promised “hard”. And as much as we might want an answer of when it all ends, we don’t usually get that. But we are also promised that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us. And what He constantly reminded me of during those hard times, is that He had brought me through every single day up to that point. I had made it; I had survived. And while that maybe didn’t feel like much of an accomplishment, to only be able to say, “I made it through,” it should be enough for me to be confident that He would continue to help me through. And then, as this time of “survival mode” continued, God slowly began to change my mindset where I could begin to enjoy the days and the time and see all the joy and good in everything again! He had promised to get me through, and He was, and is faithful.

Hebrews 12:26-28 “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, ‘yet once more,’ indicated the removal of things that are shaken – that is, things that have been made – in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”

This scripture has been comforting to me in knowing that when I feel like things around me are shaking, it will only reveal the solidness of Gods support and presence in my life. The things that are shaken in my life are things that I might feel attachment to, like my comforts or circumstances, but in the midst of the shaking, they are proven to only be temporary. God may be stripping away things that are NOT eternal, in order for my focus to be placed on things that ARE eternal. I have begun to learn through this season of life, to trust God with our provisions and when things feel hard ,to lean into the constant presence that I know He provides in my life.

I am not always good at trusting God and releasing control, but sometimes I have been forced to trust because there was no other option! And maybe that is the best place to be, because He always comes through.

We want to thank Joanna Capps for sharing this post.

I used to be suspicious of God. My default view of him was that he was holding out on me. Often, I felt he was mad or disappointed in me. And these feelings led to a general doubt whether he really was good.

Of course, I didn’t know I felt this way. I wouldn’t have consciously been able to articulate it. But it showed up in my life as a lack of trust. And the evidence for distrust is directedly related to our level of control.

When we want to control God, when we want to control our circumstances, or when we want to control others—the general root is a lack of trust in God.

Trust is not the same as belief, though they are sometimes used interchangeably. We can have a firm belief in God, in Jesus, and in all that he accomplished for us at the cross—and yet not fully trust him.

These three things I’ve learned about trust:

1. Trust comes through relationship.

2. Experience builds trust.

3. Our level of trust directly corresponds to our level of surrender.

At the core of my difficulty trusting God was a wrong view of him, and a wrong view of him will always lead us to suspicion and control. Over the last decade, I’ve discovered more and more who God really is—the perfect, loving Father he’s always been. This changes everything.

My ability to trust him grows as I see his continued faithfulness and goodness and as I learn to surrender every part of me—all that I want to control.

One of my favorite quotes comes from a parenting book I read years before we were parents. It says, “The only person I can control on a good day is myself.”

God gave us a spirit of self-control (2 Tim 1:7). We control our choices, our response to our circumstances, and our response to those we’re in relationship with. That’s it. We can’t control what other people do or every circumstance in our life. And we sure can’t control the Creator of the universe, try as we might.

When I know God is sovereignly in control, that He maintains all things, and by him and through him and for him, they exist; when I know this sovereign God is both holy and good, just and merciful, gracious and loving, present and faithful—then I can trust him fully with my heart, despite my circumstances.

In this world, you’ll have trouble. Jesus said so. But he didn’t say it without hope. He attached it to a promise—”Take heart, I’ve overcome the world” (John 16:33).

It seems like every time I’ve blogged over the last year, I’ve said the same thing: I’m in a hard season. It’s still true, though now it’s a season of grief. My heart hurts, and the pain and sadness overwhelm me some days. I simply and profoundly miss my mom. And yet I understand now why Paul writes that we do not grieve as those without hope (1 Thes 4:13). I understand the comfort God gives us in our grief because I’m experiencing it daily (2 Cor 1:4). His presence never leaves. He’s faithfully carrying me through good days and hard days.

This is no longer a mental assent, a choice to believe the truth of God’s word. It starts there, yes. But what grows is a familiarity and a certainty in the character of God and in the strength of our relationship.

That’s trust.

If we want to trust the Lord, we have to let go of our suspicions, embrace the truth of God’s nature and character, and surrender all to him.

“Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield.

For our heart is glad in him because we trust in his holy name.

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

—Psalm 33:20-22

We want to thank Laura Brandenburg for sharing this post.

Romans 8:28:  “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  I know that verse very well and have heard it quoted and have quoted it many times to others. I believe that His word is truth and that He never changes. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  It is easy to believe these verses when times are good and we see our plans working out, but when our plans have died, when we’re facing something that is life shattering, and our hearts are broken, it is hard to believe that anything good could come out of it. That is when I must remind myself of my Heavenly Father’s Heart of Love for his children and that God’s not finished with the story yet. Learning to trust takes time. We want the hurting to stop and our questions answered quickly.

Just like the children of Israel in the desert had to learn to trust God through experiencing hardships and God’s deliverance, the same is true for us today. There is not a formula for this journey. And we can’t expect God to do things our way, and in our time. He and He alone knows the future and what is the very best for us. Through every hardship that we go through, there is a learning opportunity to trust God with the outcome. Knowing our Father’s heart for us determines how we perceive all other experiences in this world, and our trust in Him and others. Romans 8 has many verses about God’s Love and they are a great reminder for us to not lose hope.

I’m sitting here looking at a picture of our daughter, Torrie, in front of a house in Germany that my grandparents and Mother lived in until she was 8 yrs old. These were trying times for Germany and its people. Hitler was rising in power, the country was in a depression, and the people were looking for a way out. Grandpa Zschiedrich chose to sell everything, leave his friends and family, and move his wife and children to America. I cannot imagine what trust, faith, and courage he must’ve had.

You might be asking why I’m telling this story of my grandparents. It’s because the story didn’t end there; it didn’t have a happily-ever-after ending. When they reached the United States, they were to have property and home awaiting them. Instead, they were put on a train and sent to the swamps of Arkansas. They and 10 other German families were made slaves to clear the swamps. Some Christians hearing about them came during the night to rescue them. My grandparents never got to see their dreams happen, but their children were freed from living the nightmare of a horrible war, starvation, and living in a country that had no freedom. Their children, grandchildren, and generations to come were given the freedom to live a life of freedom and abundance! Where their dreams ended, ours began!

The dreams we have for our lives don’t always turn out to be what we wanted. The dreams I had for my life look nothing like the life I am living. God’s plan is so much better! I have learned to trust God’s love for me, no matter what is happening in my life. It sometimes takes me a while, and I still ask why. But very quickly, The Holy Spirit reminds me of His love for me. He has the last word, and my story has not ended.

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16

Dear Heavenly Father, I give you praise and glory! Knowing that when I am in the darkest valley, my heart is breaking and all hope is gone. You are there with me! Your Holy Spirit gives me perfect peace. That when the fear of ‘WHAT IF’S’ try to come, they will not come near me but will flee before me. And instead, I will fix my eyes on you and live a life in anticipation of your love and goodness. To God be the Glory! Amen

A good Bible Study on learning to trust is—- ‘ I Want to Trust You, but I Don’t’ by Lysa Terkeurst

We want to thank Elaine Norrell for sharing this post.

**During the month of January, we will be reposting some of the top posts from 2025. We hope these will encourage you and connect to your heart. Stay tuned for all new posts coming in February 2026!

“Joy in the journey” sounds like a glorious adventure. The heroes in all the action films make it out okay; even still, they escape with scars, often losing friends along the way. A journey through the mountains displays spectacular views along the way; yet the breathtaking views come at the cost of a pack laden with necessities for survival and often blisters on feet, sunburns on face, perils near the path. A lifestyle in sin seems quite fun in the moment; however, sin goes down smoothly but bites like a poisonous snake (Proverbs 23:31-32).

Real life journeys include wounds so deep, you question if they will ever heal enough to form scars much less allow you to function again. A quest for a spouse can involve waiting longer than desired. A hunt for a career may end in lackluster disappointment. A desire for children may tarry or taunt through infertility or miscarriages. A battle with cancer or other terminal illnesses-no words adequately portray this torment unless you’ve witnessed it first-hand.

And yet! And yet even in these daunting journeys, as believers in Christ, we not only obtain, but also exude joy. You see, joy is so much more than a warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s an outcry of hope, a cheerful, calm gladness that wells up from within.

Joy is so much more than circumstantial happiness. Joy breaks forth from a wasteland (Isaiah 52:9). Joy is oil in place of mourning (Isaiah 61:3). The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10 , Psalm 21:1). Joy is a guttural victory shout erupting after battle. (2 Chronicles 20:27)

Joy is not conditional upon circumstances. In the midst of trials, joy wells up. (2 Corinthians 8:2). In the midst of trials, we are called to joy (James 1:2).

Every journey has brilliant highlights but also daunting shadows. What makes the difference in our journeys is the faith and hope and joy and love that we have in Christ. The questions are: Where are we going to place our faith and hope? What will be our source of joy and love?

Like an aquifer bursting forth to form a freshwater spring, joy emerges from faith and hope in Christ. Like Old Faithful spouting in time, joy marks a person as full of faith and Christ.

I would like to challenge you to read Hebrews 11 and 12 straight through. As I did this, I was reminded of what joy is, and Who the source of joy is. You see, Jesus became human. He became relatable to us in every way. This includes endurance through persecution and hardship. Jesus chose not to focus on the pain and the rending and the scarring that comes with human life. He chose to focus on the joy set before him – the joy that is our salvation.

Here is my walk-through Hebrews 12:1-3 and an application of a deep, resounding joy that supersedes and supplants trials and grief and the temptation to succumb to despondency:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,”
Therefore-as a result of the hall of faith in Hebrews 11. I am also reminded of the testimonies of countless Christian brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage me with their witness, with their testimonies of God’s faithfulness in their lives, of their perseverance in the face of trials. Further still, I recall God’s hand and protection and joy in my own life-His faithfulness to fulfill His promises even when I cannot see a way. As stones of remembrance, His faithful provision fuels my joy and peace and hope.

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”
May I continue to walk in the light as He is in the light. May I shun willful sin and seek to expose any hidden sin. Not only slip off sin casually, but cast it away, so that it wouldn’t become a stumbling block to myself or to others.

“And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”
My path is marked – not promised as easy; easy doesn’t take perseverance – marked and beautiful and not to be compared with anyone else’s.

“ fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
Locked in! Not to be distracted by sin. So focused on Truth that any counterfeit exposes itself as false. Like Peter when he sees Jesus and not the storm, may my faith, perfected by Him, call me out of the boat of complacency into the journey that God has called me.

“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” For the joy! Joy kept Jesus on the cross. He rose victorious, persevering, enduring, my salvation, my Lord.

“Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Consider Jesus, my relatable savior who endured with joy. When I consider Him, I won’t grow weary. I won’t lose heart.

May you join this joy-filled journey fueled by faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May the Joy of the Lord be your strength no matter what your path looks like. May that strength place your feet running on the path set out for you. Like our Savior, may the joy set before you give you strength to endure, to not grow weary, and to not lose heart. With our eyes fixed on Jesus may our joy be so contagious that others desire salvation as well. There is joy no matter the journey.

We want to thank Mary Coleman for sharing this post.

**During the month of January, we will be reposting some of the top posts from 2025. We hope these will encourage you and connect to your heart. Stay tuned for all new posts coming in February 2026!

“So don’t worry about tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes” – Matthew 6:34 (MSG)

Life is full of uncertainties. In my life, it was moving across the state following my husband’s job. We face seasons of joy and abundance, but we also endure trials that shake our faith. In those difficult moments, it’s easy for me to fall into fear, worry, and to give in to loneliness. Yet, Jesus reminds us that our Heavenly Father knows our needs and will provide for us each day.

The world tells us to have a plan for everything; each move brought us to a new city with the promise of stability for him, but uncertainty for me. We have left friends, support, and family to begin in a town where, for the first few weeks, we must have directions to our own house.  In these times of need for literal directions to know how to navigate our surroundings, we can feel the most alone. However, faith teaches us to trust, even when we don’t have all the answers. Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG) says, “Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.”

While this did mean I needed to be responsible for the items within my control, such as household, job, and church attendance, I was reminded that my ultimate security is in God, not in our circumstances or location. When we release our worries to Him, we make room for His peace to take over. He never fails to provide opportunities, people, or provisions when we lean into his understanding, rather than relying on our own.

Matthew 17:20 (MSG), “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”

For our family, faith is not merely about having every detail and aspect of life neatly arranged; instead, it is about placing our trust in the One who possesses all understanding and wisdom. When all else has failed, showing up and being present in moments with others from school to church has brought clarity when the path is foggy. Embracing the beauty of taking small, deliberate steps of obedience has strengthened each nugget of faith.

The deliberate steps for us have always started with unified prayer. Whether it’s just the two of us or groups of friends or colleagues, there is power in seeking Him. We have also found answers in the Bible, without knowing the next steps on our journey. Right before we were stationed in Odessa, we had been reading about provisions in the desert during the Israelites’ journey. We were both immediately blessed with jobs, found a church, and joined a marriage ministry that filled holes in our marriage we never knew existed. We still credit many of our current marriage practices to that time and the need to lean heavily on God, because He saw us through that season of literal and figurative deserts.

 As I dare to step out in faith, I discover that God meets me with His boundless power and unwavering provision, guiding me through unknown terrain. This was a great comfort when we arrived, since Odessa was a far cry from the lush trees and lakes we left in Austin and the piney woods of Houston. While the number of times you start over and step out may never come naturally (or at least it hasn’t for me), understanding God’s purposeful plan offers comfort.

Even when the turpitude of life remains obscured, trust that God is illuminating the way forward, revealing the next step for you to take. Each act of surrender to Him becomes a thread woven into the larger narrative that He has in store for us. No matter what season you are in, remember that God is faithful. He sees you, He loves you, and “He is working all things together for your good” (Romans 8:28, MSG).

Choose today to walk in faith, not fear, and watch how God moves in your life above and beyond your wildest expectation.

We want to thank Kate McCandless for sharing this post.

It seemed like every year around Christmastime, my mom would remind my siblings and me that “it is better to give than to receive”. I believe she was teaching us that precept at a young age because she wanted to remind us that Christmas was not just about getting gifts, but the true joy was in giving gifts as well. As a youngster, I really didn’t believe that theory at all. However, as the years have separated me from my youth, I have come to realize that my mom knew exactly what she was talking about. 

The joy of giving is indeed a special feeling. There’s nothing I enjoy more than seeing the look on my grandkids’ faces when they open a gift from me. Or the joy I receive leaving a basket of goodies on my neighbor’s front porch. I believe that God allows us to experience that joy so that we might become more generous in our giving. 

The Bible clearly encourages us to be generous with numerous scriptures that set the standard for helping others. Proverbs 21:26 tells us that “The righteous give without sparing.” Without sparing means that we are giving generously. 

Another verse that comes to mind is Deuteronomy 15:10, “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” It’s like a circle. We are blessed to be a blessing to others. When we use our gifts that we were blessed with to bless others, God can and will bless us in return. Then we will have more blessings to use to bless others. Isn’t that neat?!

Generosity offers us an opportunity to also be grateful for what we have. Through the blessings that we receive from the Lord, we can and should thank Him for all He’s given us.

2 Corinthians 9:7 reminds us that “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Giving should not be done begrudgingly or out of guilt but should be given in accordance with love for others. Love is what matters most. Verses about giving remind us of the reality that without love, even giving all to the needy is fruitless. It’s important to give with LOVE and to be motivated by care and compassion for others. 

It seems there are always more opportunities around the holidays to become a generous giver. If you are looking for a way to give generously this Christmas season, here are a few ideas:

1. Dress a live doll – this is sponsored by the Junior Service League in Plainview and benefits children who need Christmas gifts.
2. Salvation Army – there are always “bell ringers” at Walmart or United. Any monetary donation is appreciated.
3. Give an offering to the local church. The Bible tells us that we should bring our “tithes and offerings” meaning that an offering is over and above our tithe. The local church has ways throughout the year where they can bless families in need. 
4. Give of your time at a shelter or a food kitchen. Giving doesn’t only mean financially. Your time and talents are a huge part of giving generously. 
5. Do something kind for a neighbor. Rake leaves. Help take down Christmas lights. Bake cookies. Anything you can do out of love is a blessing!
6. Keep that generous giving going all year long! It doesn’t just have to be at Christmas!!!

Give it a try! I promise that if you give generously, you get much more in return. So, during this Christmas season, I pray that you have a generous spirit and realize it truly is BETTER TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.

We want to thank Vickie Young for sharing this post.

I’m not a gift-giver by nature. Not that I don’t love to bless someone with a gift if I think about it, but it’s honestly not my love language. I would rather spend time with someone or tell them how much they are loved than give an actual gift. Even during Christmas, I much prefer gifting experiences to my children rather than a wrapped present. Thankfully, my husband loves to give gifts, so we have a good mix of both during the holidays.  

Being generous can come in many different forms. When you hear the word “generosity”, what comes to mind? I used to only think being a generous giver had to do with giving money. However, the more biblical definition is a selfless, sacrificial giving of one’s resources-including time, talent, emotional support, hospitality, and treasure-out of a heart of gratitude for God’s own generosity. It isn’t so much about how much money you have to give. It’s more about having a heart that is willing to give in whatever way the Lord has blessed you with and then responding in obedience when the Holy Spirit asks you to do so.

When we show others gracious generosity, we are modeling the ultimate gift giver: Jesus Christ. During Jesus’ ministry on the earth, he continuously gave beyond what anyone ever asked him to. One example is in Mark 2:1-12 (also in Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26) when Jesus not only healed a paralyzed man but also told him his sins were forgiven! He gave more than was asked or expected. There are many other occasions throughout the gospels where Jesus gave healing when it wasn’t even asked for. He saw the true needs of the people He encountered and met them without hesitation.  

Generosity is a huge part of God’s character. God is so generous that He gave us Jesus, His only son. Jesus then gave His life for us on the cross so we could have eternal life with Him in heaven. He hasn’t stopped giving even today! The Lord’s blessings are continually being poured out over us, and it is not dependent upon what we do. We didn’t earn any of it; He does it out of love. The least we can do is show the same love and generosity to those around us. It’s not always easy, and it often requires some form of sacrifice on our part. When God calls us to give generously (whether with our time, money, skills, etc.) we must be willing to die to “self” to serve others and show them the love of Jesus. 

My introverted self likes to be in my own bubble. For a long time, it was way outside of my comfort zone to go pray or visit with someone when I felt the Spirit tugging on my heart to do so. I can remember several years ago when I was struggling with this (but didn’t have the monetary means to generously give either). Did I get a free pass on giving because I was shy and didn’t have the money? Not at all, but I guarantee I tried to make that excuse. Praise God for spiritual growth and maturity! Even in our lack, God provides ways for us to bless others. If you feel called to do so, go pray for a friend, pay for a stranger’s meal, or give your time to help someone with a project today. We don’t have to “have it all together” or make a certain amount of money to be gracious, generous givers. It’s all about showing others the love of Jesus. 

We want to thank Courtney Harper for sharing this post.

There was a season in my life where I felt more dead than alive. I was depressed from decisions I had made, and continued to make, and effectively choosing to walk away from grace. I dragged dread with me everywhere I went. I look back now and see the chains that were holding me down, but at the time, I couldn’t seem to break free. 

I had plenty of people in my life who cared and loved me fiercely. They tried to help, to understand, but there was an invisible wall they couldn’t break down to get to the hurt. They would try to speak wisdom into my life and fix the issue that was making me miserable, but I held back from accepting it. I had no idea of my worth or my identity. 

I had always been told that God our Father was a gentleman and would never push any decision on his children. I see the graciousness in that now, but at the time, it made me angry. I wanted out of my situation, but I wasn’t willing to surrender my fear. The fear and anxiety had become a comfort. It was a presence I was used to and familiar with. Letting go of that and moving into freedom scared me. 

I had a breaking point one Sunday evening when my godmother, Jenny, came up to me after a service. I felt so dejected, ashamed, and alone with my situation. She had been a constant presence in my life, praying and waiting patiently for the Lord’s timing to make her move. That evening, she came and reminded me of my worth, my identity as a daughter of the King. It seems so simple, but it was a transforming moment. Holy Spirit began to show me that after all I had done, and not done, that He was good and gracious and he had not given up on me! From there, Jenny and others in my life began moving at the Holy Spirit’s calling to show me how events in my life had led to strongholds that needed to be broken off me. They pointed me toward my savior, His grace and mercy, and were his hands and feet. They had been filled with his gracious generosity, and they shared that with me. It was life changing. 

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:25

“The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” Psalms 103:8-13

May we, as women of God, remember to listen to His calling and share his gracious generosity with those He has called us to minister to.

We want to thank Christian Greer for sharing this post.

Generosity is more than just giving; it is the overflow of a heart transformed by God’s love. Gracious generosity reflects not only the act of giving but also the spirit behind it. When we give with grace, we mirror the very character of Christ, who gave Himself for us.

Gracious generosity is giving freely and joyfully, without expecting anything in return. It’s about cultivating a lifestyle of kindness, compassion, and selflessness. This kind of generosity flows from gratitude for what God has done in our lives.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

There have been so many times when my family and I have been on the receiving end of gracious generosity. Before I married, I needed a place to live, and a kind, gracious family opened their home to me. They poured into my life and gave me the spiritual foundation I still live by today.

Many times, while we were  in full-time evangelism, our family was taken care of by people who provided meals, shared fellowship, and welcomed us like their own. Friends spent time with us, gave us a place to rest, and never asked for payment. They even gave us medicine when we needed it—at no charge. This reminded me of the truth in Proverbs 11:25: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”

There were also times when others helped us in practical ways. We were given automotive parts when our truck broke down while traveling with our trailer. Again, this generosity came at no cost to us. These experiences showed me the blessing of Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Through it all, God always provided—often through the graciousness of others. These moments have taught me to live by Romans 5:8, which declares: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Because God has been so generous with us, we can best honor Him by doing the same for others.

Gracious generosity is not measured by the size of the gift, but by the heart that gives. Jesus reminds us in Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

When we give with open hearts—our time, our resources, our care—we are living as reflections of Christ. Let us choose to live each day from a heart of graciousness and generosity, trusting that God will use our giving to bless others and glorify Him.

We want to thank Janie Keller for sharing this post.

Give your thoughts and your time to God. This is something I have really been working on the past couple of years. I felt myself in the busyness of life growing distant in my relationship with God. I was attending church and serving, but I found myself not reading my Bible as much and not praying like I knew I could. I wanted to find ways to get more connected to God, so I joined a Bible study, to really dive in and deeply understand God’s word better. I changed the music I was listening to and started to begin my day with worship music and positivity. I began praying more and talking to God. I began to share a daily Bible verse on social media in hopes it would help or reach anyone who needed to see it and feel God’s love. I felt a change when I began to give my time and effort to the Lord again. In my study of the book of John, I learned how simple it is. God just wants us to give Him our time. He gives us so many opportunities and chances and wants everyone to come to Him; what an awesome God!!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.” -Psalms 107:1

As parents, giving our time to God is not only beneficial for us, but it flows down to our children. Nothing makes you prouder as a mom than seeing your son stop and pray for someone without being prompted or asked to. My daughter recently told me I was her third best friend. After being slightly offended for a few seconds, I swelled with thankfulness when she told me her first two best friends were God and Jesus.

Thanks is defined as an expression of gratitude. Recently, as I was in the midst of a very difficult couple of weeks, I found myself stressed out and exhausted to my core. I finally laid in bed one night and broke down in tears. I could not even find the words to pray, but I found myself just telling God thank you!! I had so many reasons to be mad or discouraged, but I found thanks in all God’s glory and what He was doing, even through the most difficult times. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” After my prayer, I could feel God tell me that it’s going to be ok, and I felt such a weight lifted off of me, because I knew He had heard my prayers and was already going ahead of me and taking care of it all. No matter where you find yourself today, find something to be thankful for. I promise God is thankful for you.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.” – Psalms 100:4

We want to thank Jamie Austin for sharing this post.

Thanks and giving are two concepts that should be easy for any Christian to understand, right? We give thanks to God our Father for all the wonderful blessings in our lives, but how do we react when things are not going as well? Are we still thankful? Are we still willing to give to others so they can see the love of Jesus?

When l was asked to write this blog, l was all ready to put what I had to say on the page and talk about the holiday season and why everyone should give from their hearts and blah blah blah, and God said, “No, that is not what I want you to say. I want to speak to the women who feel broken and lost, who are having a hard time in this season being grateful and giving from their hearts, just like you used to be.”

A couple of years ago, Chris and I were really struggling financially, and we were in a place where being thankful for what we had was the last thing on our minds. We had a two-year-old, and we wanted to do all the fun things with him, but unfortunately, our bank account said, “Think again.” We decided to get creative with our “dates” out with Connor. We would have a backyard cookout, picnics in the park, anything that would make a memory and didn’t cost a dime. One Saturday, we decided it was a beautiful day to go to the park and have a picnic and let Connor feed the ducks. As we were discussing what to eat and how the price of how much everything had gone up, we found our way to Popeye’s, again, having a picky two-year-old that would only eat chicken and mac and cheese. The chicken was great, but the price was ridiculous. Chris and I continued to complain after we paid for our meal and headed to the park. Did God not provide? Should we have been thankful that we had the money to get ourselves something good to eat? Yes, but we were not.

At the park, we enjoyed our lunch, and we had enough biscuits left to feed the gophers and ducks. It was a beautiful afternoon. As we walked down the sidewalk, I noticed an older gentleman digging in the trash for our leftover food. Up until this point in my life I had been very sheltered and had never seen a homeless person, let alone someone digging in the trash for food. My heart was broken and instantly I heard a soft, still voice say, “Have I not provided for you and for him?” As a family, we walked over to the gentleman, gave him the box containing our extra food and some cash, and let him know that God loved him and was watching over him.

As we were walking back to the car, I was so upset with myself for not being thankful for the simple things that we take for granted in our lives. We had the money to pay our bills, go out to eat, take our kid to do something fun. We were not the Joneses, but we were comfortable, and yet, we were still complaining that it was not enough.

How do we remember to give thanks to God and give from our hearts when we are in a season of lack or sorrow? We pray to our Father, who knows our hearts and our situations, with humility and grace and have faith that He works all things out for good. Reflect on the Father and His amazing love for you and the many times He has walked with you through the valleys and climbed to the top of the mountain with you.

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!” 1 Chronicles 6:34

Give Him thanks every day! Not just for all the good things in your life, but for the trials and tribulations as well, because that is how we become closer to HIM! Seek Him, trust Him, for He loves you. Jesus is the ultimate proof of how much He loves us. So, remember, even when we are broken and bruised, we always have a reason to be thankful and give thanks from the bottom of our hearts.

We want to thank Randi Cason for sharing this post.

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:6-7

For most of my life I have been anxious! Queen of the “what-ifs”, but I have learned to give thanks to the Lord in all things. Before, I would always ASK the Lord for everything, and if I had time, I would thank Him for what He did for me. A godly man spoke over my husband and I a few years ago that in our later years of life, we don’t really need much of anything, so why not spend most of our prayer time thanking God for all our blessings. This was a revelation for me, and I have changed my prayer life by thanking Him first, and if I have time, I ask Him for things. The good thing about this is I don’t seem to need much by the end of my prayers.

 ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

This was a hard-fought battle for me. I know a lot of you know that I came from a very poor family, broken home, and a spirit of poverty hung very heavily over my home as a child. We didn’t have much, so MY money was very precious to me.  When I became a Christian and was told I needed to give 10 percent of MY money to God…really?! I had been living paycheck to paycheck for many years, so let me tell you the way I learned the lesson of giving to the Lord cheerfully.

During our building campaign at Harvest when we were planning to buy and restore the old Kmart building, we were given the opportunity to give over and above our tithe for a 3-year commitment. I was giving, but somewhat begrudgingly in my heart. That spirit of poverty had become a spirit of selfishness. But I was learning that ALL that I have belongs to God, not just the tithe. 

We were asked to pledge what we felt we could to our building campaign.  Of course, our expectations were pretty low. After all, they said “what we felt we could give.” When we filled out the form and wrote the amount we had agreed on, I felt okay but felt that it was going to be difficult for us. We did pray about it. Later, we got a letter in the mail from the church thanking us for pledging. When we read the amount that was on the letter it was considerably more than we had agreed on. I knew that we didn’t write that amount. Maybe it was a typo?

But what do you do? We didn’t feel we could call the church and say there was an error. So, we earnestly prayed and told God that if that amount was what we were supposed to give, He would have to help us. We really had to surrender everything to Him and repent for our selfishness. 

Let me tell you the best part of this story. We continued to surrender to God daily. We had 3 years to pay this pledge off, and can I tell you that we paid it ALL in about 2 years as we continued to give our tithe faithfully? But there is more. We kept asking God to guide us in our finances to become debt-free. We sold the house we were in at the time, bought a new house (to us), and in a couple more years we paid off our house, car, and all other debts we owed. We were debt-free, all praise and glory be to God. We did not do anything but surrender and obey. God did the rest. Looking back, I believe with all my heart God put that amount there on our pledge. 

At times when that spirit of poverty creeps back in, I remember what God did for us to teach us about giving with a cheerful heart. I repent and give thanks to Him.

Now that we are in another building campaign, we are still trusting God to help us give as much as He wants us to, and we know He will bless our giving.

Rejoice always.  Pray continually.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

Thank You Jesus for loving us so much!  

We want to thank Debbie Crosby for sharing this post.

November is normally the kickoff month for the holidays. Many people look forward to gathering with friends and family for Thanksgiving dinners, watching football, and starting their holiday shopping. It’s a time when people like to count their blessings and be more intentional about giving thanks. However, for others, it’s not a time of joy but rather a time of sadness, loneliness, or financial struggle. It’s easy for many of us to give thanks when things are going good in our lives, but what about when things aren’t going so great? We are quick to feel defeated and giving thanks may be the last thing we feel like doing. Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”. You may be wondering, “Well, how can I be happy, pray, and give thanks to the Lord when I’m going through the storm”? Although this may seem like a daunting or even impossible task, God wants us to do it. He wants us to see a beneficial purpose to every trial and have an inward sense of joy and peace that only comes from him. 

About 12 years ago, before I had given my life to God, I was a complete and total mess. I had no purpose in life and no sense of direction. I was just living to have a good time. Well, my lifestyle finally caught up with me. I went to court and just knew in my heart things were not going to go in my favor, and I had to suffer the consequences of my selfish and senseless actions. I had to endure the hardest trial I ever faced in my life: incarceration while pregnant. Yes, you heard me right. By the time I was sentenced, I was 6 months pregnant and had to serve a 9-month sentence, which meant I would have to have my baby in prison. It was a hard pill to swallow. I felt every emotion possible rolled into one. I had no idea how I was going to survive this. How was I going to leave my 2 older sons behind, but also bring my baby into this world alone? It was at this point in my life that I had reached rock bottom, and the only place I could look was up. It was during this storm that I surrendered my life to God and said, “God, I don’t know what’s going to come of this, but I trust you”. What should’ve been the scariest time of my life turned into a season of peace and trust. It was during this trial that I developed an intimate relationship with the Lord and grew closer to Him than I ever had before. Right after I had my son, I was accepted into a program where I got to keep my baby while incarcerated and learn life, parenting, and recovery skills. This was literally a blessing in disguise. What the enemy meant for evil, God turned it for good. When I was released from the program six months later, I came back home, reunited with my family, started attending church, got baptized, married my husband, finished my degree, and began my newfound life in Christ. God gave me a purpose, a sense of direction in life, and most of all, gave me beauty for ashes. It was in this trial that I learned to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in ALL circumstances. I want to encourage you ladies to do the same because in the midst of the storm, we may not always see the bigger picture, but we must trust that God is working it all out for our good and for his glory. 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything”. James 1:2-4

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation“. Psalm 100:4-5

We want to thank Angelina Alvarado for sharing this post.

As many of you know, I opened Betty Faye Beauty Bar in the Fall of 2021, and in our business our mission has always been more than skin-deep. Yes, we love the artistry of beauty: the lashes, the brows, the fresh glow of a good facial. But my heart for women goes beyond the mirror. I wanted women to believe Song of Solomon 4:7. “You are altogether beautiful my darling; there is no flaw in you.” And still, I want every woman who walks through our doors to feel seen, valued, and reminded of the beauty God has already placed within her.

That same heart flows into so many other aspects of our lives that reflect our beauty as women. Because true beauty isn’t found in our features. It’s found in our friendships, our families, our faith, and how we show up in the ordinary and the hard.

Real beauty is shown in how we love each other in friendship. It’s in the quiet texts checking in, the coffee dates after a hard week, and the laughter that fills a room when women come together without comparison. It’s being a safe space for each other and offering grace when needed most. True beauty isn’t always loud. Sometimes it shows up in silence, just being with someone when they don’t have the words. That’s friendship, and that’s beautiful.

I see true beauty in mothers. Whether you’re a mother to little ones, grown children, or spiritual sons and daughters, the love of a mother reflects the nurturing heart of God. It’s messy. It’s sacrificial. It’s sleepless nights and prayers whispered over cribs and car rides. And yet, it’s also where beauty shines the brightest. There’s something breathtaking about a woman who gives of herself for the sake of someone else. Even when no one sees it, God does. He calls it beautiful.

The way we handle ourselves in our marriages is truly beautiful. In a world that often celebrates self, true beauty in marriage is found in humility, forgiveness, and choosing love. It’s in the quiet acts of service, the shared laughter, and even the tears that draw us closer together. Wives, your beauty isn’t measured by perfection. It’s reflected in your commitment, your strength, and your willingness to love like Jesus loves His Church.

One of the most powerful forms of beauty is kindness to others—especially when it’s unexpected. A smile to a cashier, a warm greeting to someone visiting church for the first time, holding the door, or offering a word of encouragement. These things may seem small, but in a hurting world, they shine.

We were never called to be beautiful for ourselves. We were made to reflect the One who is Beauty Himself: Jesus. 

Whether you’re in a salon chair or a church pew, my heart is for you to know this:

You are already beautiful. Not because of what you wear, how flawless your skin is, or what others think. You are beautiful because you were created in the image of God. You carry His spirit. His strength. His grace. And when you walk in that truth, you bring a beauty into the world that can’t be bought, bottled, or faked. Let’s be women who radiate true beauty. In our words, our relationships, our faith, and our everyday lives.

Let’s be women who reflect Jesus.

We want to thank Beckah Hunt for sharing this post.

I spend a lot of time on social media because I create content for different jobs. Lately, I’ve noticed a growing trend of women sharing about being supportive and submissive Christian wives. Maybe it’s just the algorithm feeding me more of that content but either way, I’m thankful for it. For so long, the message women received was that our value came from our outward appearance, not from our inward service to our husbands, families, and ultimately, to the Lord.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love doing my hair, putting on makeup, and finding the perfect outfit. But over time, I’ve learned that true beauty shines brightest in how I love and serve my family, my husband, and others.

I have two little girls, and I’ll never forget the day we found out our second child was a girl. I was so nervous! I often say that being a girl is hard, and I still stand by that. Growing up, I remember I desperately wanted highlights in my hair. My mom eventually gave in but understandably didn’t want to spend money on a full head of highlights (now as an adult, I get it, highlights are expensive!). So, she let me get two chunky highlights. I thought they looked amazing… until I got to school and some girls told me how terrible they were.

I laugh about it now especially because just last year I got the same chunky highlights again, and this time they were completely in style! But when I was younger, it didn’t feel funny at all. I remember how embarrassed and insecure I felt when the other girls at school told me how bad my highlights looked. At that age, so much of my worth felt tied to what others thought of me, and something as simple as a hairstyle could make or break my confidence.

Looking back, I realize how exhausting that cycle was chasing after trends, trying to fit in, always wanting to be “enough” in someone else’s eyes. Now, as I’ve grown in my faith, I’ve found such freedom in knowing that my worth isn’t defined by a hairstyle, a size, or anyone else’s opinion. It’s defined by God alone. Resting in His definition of beauty has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. Instead of striving, I can simply walk in the identity He’s already given me.

As a mom now, I’m so grateful to know what God’s Word says about beauty. I love that more women are speaking up and reminding others that true beauty isn’t found in trends, but in how we live, love, and serve.

1 Peter 3:1–6 says:
 1Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

That paints such a beautiful picture of the power and influence a wife has, not through outward beauty, but through Godly conduct. Her actions reflect not only on her husband, but on God Himself.

As a mother of two girls, I take seriously the call in Titus 2:3–5 (ESV):
 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

For the past two years, God has given me the opportunity to live this out more fully by being at home with my family. We started homeschooling, and I’ve found myself cooking more meals and spending more time in the daily rhythms of home life. I’ll be honest, it hasn’t always been easy. I still work from home, so I’ve had to find creative ways to balance work, homeschooling, and family responsibilities. But in the middle of that juggling act, God keeps reminding me that each day is an opportunity to model service for my children.

We are slowly increasing their chores, beginning each morning with prayer, and taking time to talk through how to handle tough situations with grace and patience. These aren’t big, flashy things—they’re small, consistent choices that I pray will show all my children what it looks like to love and serve others. To me, that is true beauty lived out day by day.

And here’s the thing: even if you aren’t a wife or a mother, there are still younger girls and women in your life who are watching you. God calls each of us to teach, guide, and encourage the next generation. We all have the opportunity and responsibility to model true beauty, the kind that flows from a heart devoted to Him.

We want to thank Chelsea Criswell for sharing this post.

When I was a little girl, my grandmother often said, “Pretty is as pretty does.” I must admit, growing up through the sort of chubby, awkward stages of junior high, this saying did little to comfort me. It seemed like outward beauty was much more desirable because it was, well, outward! People could look at you and know right away that you were beautiful!

Having long since aged out of my teen years, I have learned over time that many women do not see their own beauty, even those the rest of us would say are simply gorgeous. In our society, women are tempted to compare themselves to every other woman who ever lived. If you were to interview every woman you know, or any woman on the street, and you were to ask them to tell you one area where they are lacking in physical beauty, most of them would easily answer. For example, my nose is too wide, my hair is too curly (or too straight), and my skin is not perfect. 

People can find the right make-up or even have plastic surgery to create just the look they desire. One woman I heard of had multiple procedures to try to look just like Barbie! The thing about all things outward, though, is that beauty fades.  The writer of Proverbs 31 says this: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30 NASB) No matter what I do today to become outwardly beautiful, in a few years’ time, I will have to repeat it, or it will fade away.

However, that inner beauty – here’s how Google defines it: “Inner beauty refers to a person’s positive character traits, personality, and qualities that radiate from within, such as kindness, compassion, empathy, and integrity, rather than physical appearance. It encompasses a beautiful heart and soul, reflecting a genuine and lasting essence that goes beyond superficial qualities like physical features and is experienced through a person’s actions, character, and how they treat others.”

Where outer beauty fades over time, inner beauty deepens. 2 Corinthians says, “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16). Outer beauty has little to no effect on the people around it, but inner beauty ministers to the spirits of the people around it, by releasing the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. This is why Peter tells women: “Your adornment must not be merely external – braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3-4).  Notice there is nothing wrong with looking nice on the outside, but the inner self is at least as important to work on, and it will become more beautiful over time. 

People were attracted to Jesus, not because of His outward appearance, but because of His heart.  “He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.” (Isaiah 53:2) Our inner man (or inner woman) is being made to look like the inner man of Jesus!  Paul says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) Oh, to reflect His beautiful heart! My grandmother was right!

We want to thank Sheri Warren for sharing this post.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

Have you ever noticed that the most coveted, precious, and beautiful things in this world are the hardest to find?  Like diamonds and pearls, they come out of an environment of high pressure, heat, irritation, and sometimes pain. Gold and silver are hidden from the naked eye and must be searched for, dug out, or panned.

Before Jesus redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit came into our hearts, we were like that uncut diamond, the pearl still in the oyster or the gold and silver still in the earth, our beauty was hidden not only from the world, but also from us. The more we surrender and yield our hearts and minds to the Lord, the more He is able to cut away the things that are blocking His light shining through us, open the shell that has kept us hidden, and wash away the dirt and mud that has kept us under condemnation. 

I am still drawn back to that old nature of seeing that which is on the outside, not within. Genesis 3:6 says, “Eve saw the tree was good and pleasing to the eye.” Have you ever wondered why Eve was not afraid of the snake or repulsed by how it looked? In Ezekiel 28:12-19 it describes Satan as the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and beauty, every precious stone were his covering. It must’ve been a beautiful sight to see, and it drew Eve right into his trap. Satan sets the same trap for us today when we set our eyes and heart on the beautiful things of this world instead of using our spiritual eyes for discernment and wisdom.

Proverbs 27:19 emphasizes that true beauty is a reflection of the heart, God’s nature within us. The genuine qualities of a person’s character: love, kindness, wisdom, morality, faithfulness, being dependable. 

We have seen people with true beauty in action, in the floods, fires, and tornadoes. People risking their lives to save others, comforting those who have been affected by or have lost loved ones, taking food, helping in whatever way they can. 

Our family has been blessed to witness firsthand how God uses one of his own beautiful children to bring about His love and miracles. Our granddaughter, Kenzie, was diagnosed with lupus in her late teens. She had her first kidney transplant right after she graduated from college. After going through cancer and many emergency trips to the hospital, surgeries, and almost dying several times, she again was faced with kidney failure and two years of waiting to find a kidney donor. Through all this Kenzie never gave up her faith and hope. She lives her life with joy and purpose. Marrying the boy next door that she grew up with and is her brother’s best friend. She worked every day that she could and traveled all over the world. She never complained or felt sorry for herself, always had a smile, put others first, and truly has a servant’s heart. Kenzie knows who she is, and who she belongs to.

Our Heavenly Father heard our prayers and saw Kenzie’s tears and pain and sent her best friend Andrea from sixth grade to be tested for a donor. (This was not just a decision, but a sacrifice. It’s major surgery, which leaves you with only one kidney, pain, and time away from your life to heal.) Andrea did not consider it a sacrifice, because of her love for the Lord and Kenzie. She knew the testing would reveal she was a perfect match, and this would be the last kidney that Kenzie would ever need. This was also our declaration and prayer!

On July 7, 2025, Kenzie received not only her new kidney, but a new life where she and Brett can dream and make plans for the future!

THIS IS TRUE BEAUTY! It’s not just about the outward appearance, but about the reflection of God’s nature in us. “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” Psalm 34:5

Looking to God with love, faith and trust, we become radiant, reflecting His glory and goodness. 1 John 4:11 “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as He is, so, are we in this world.”

JESUS IN US

Author unknown (rewritten by Elaine Norrell)

I saw Jesus last week,

He was wearing blue jeans, digging through the mud and debris.

He was standing in a once raging and flooding river, praying, and crying as he worked.

For just a minute, he looked a little like one of the many other volunteer rescue workers

But it was Jesus! I could tell by his compassion, courage, and determination.

I saw Jesus last Sunday

He was teaching a Bible class.

He didn’t talk loudly or use long words, but you could tell he believed what he said.

For just a minute, he looked like a leader in the church

But it was Jesus! I could tell by the truth in his loving voice.

I saw Jesus yesterday,

He was at the hospital, being a kidney donor to my granddaughter.

They talked, laughed, and prayed together quietly.

For just a minute, he looked like our granddaughter’s friend Andrea

But it was Jesus, I could tell by the tears in his eyes, and the smile on his face.

I saw Jesus today.

He was praying on his knees all alone.

He then began to cry for those he prayed for.

For just a minute, he looked like a lady from our church.

But it was Jesus! I could see the love and compassion poured out in his prayer.

I see Jesus everywhere, 

Taking food to the sick, welcoming others into his home, being friendly to a newcomer, and for just a minute, I think he’s someone I know.

But it’s always Jesus! I can tell by the way he serves.

May someone see Jesus in you today.

We want to thank Elaine Norrell for sharing this post.

What makes a person truly beautiful? The answer is easily lost in a world saturated with superficial standards and fleeting trends. While culture intentionally points to outward appearance, physical features and material presentation, as believers, we are called to look beyond mirrors and media and turn instead to hear what God says about true beauty. Scripture tells us exactly the opposite of what the world says.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

Last summer, I traveled to visit my parents, who had recently moved back to my hometown, Xi’an. It had been many years since I last set foot there, and the city had transformed in countless ways. One afternoon, as my parents and I were out for a stroll, we were approached by an elderly woman with a warm, familiar presence.

My mom smiled and said, “Mrs. Tang, do you remember my daughter? She was just a little girl when we were neighbors.”

In that moment, it struck me—this gentle woman was the kind-hearted grandmother who used to live next door, always greeting us with a smile. Amazingly, she hadn’t changed at all.

A vivid memory came rushing back: I had been walking past her front yard one day when she called me over and asked if I could read her a book. But this book was unlike any I’d seen before—it had no cover, and the pages were filled with handwritten words. She gently opened it to a page titled “The Gospel of John.”

I began reading, a bit awkwardly: “In the beginning was the Word…”
The phrase made little sense to me at the time. I paused and glanced up at her, puzzled—and then I saw it. Her face. It seemed to glow with a quiet radiance, almost otherworldly. I never forgot that moment. And many years later, when I encountered Jesus for myself, I finally understood what I had witnessed that day.

True beauty is not about what one looks like, but about who one is in relationship with God. It is spiritual, not superficial. It is found in a heart that reflects God’s love, a mind that is renewed by His truth, and a life that seeks to glorify Him. The world may overlook such beauty, but in God’s eyes, it is precious. This “unfading beauty” does not age or diminish, but grows stronger and more radiant with a life lived in alignment with God’s will.

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14

Truly beautiful people are ones who recognize their divine origin. They understand the profound truth that each person is a unique masterpiece, purposefully and intricately crafted by the hand of God. When we embrace the reality that we are created by a perfect Creator, we can embrace our worth without the need to conform to the world’s ever- changing standards. This is the beauty that endures, the beauty that God cherishes, and the beauty we are called to pursue.

We want to thank Yanna Elliot for sharing this post.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9 NKJ

One afternoon, many years ago, I was flipping through the TV channels, when suddenly, I stopped on a program that captured my attention. What I saw was Rebecca St. James leading hundreds of people in worship. Hands and voices were lifted high as the rain gently fell. It was as if the presence of Jesus was visibly pouring down upon them. Something came alive inside of me that day. I thought, “I want to sing and lead people in worship like that!” …. and to my heart came the reply from the Lord that I will never forget. “Count the cost.” What did the Lord mean? What was the Lord asking of me that day? I really wanted to find out, whatever it was….

I have always known that worship is not just about getting behind a microphone and sounding pretty. Worship is not about lip service or that dreaded word: “performance.”  It is not an activity reserved for Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. It most definitely is not something you check off a box and get over with. It is certainly not the “warm-up act” to the sermon. So, then what is worship, really? The answer is found where worship is first mentioned in the Bible.

At Harvest we often use the phrase “The law of first mention.” With worship, we see it in, Genesis 22:5. “He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there, we will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham was going up the mountain with the intention, as per direction of the Lord, to sacrifice that which was his most loved and most treasured possession, his only son. Even though God provided the ram for the sacrifice, we can see an incredible picture of a heart willing to sacrifice it’s most loved and treasured possession. We also see that worship is connected to sacrifice and will cost you something. Count the cost…

The word most translated “worship” is the Hebrew word Shacah, and it means “to prostrate, bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship. This is the word used in Genesis 22. The second most common word used for worship is the Greek word Latreuo. Latreuo means “to minister to God”. I love this translation as it describes our role as a “royal priesthood,” called to minister to God, as well as to others. Isn’t that where our hearts should be in worship? To seek to minister to God more than to please others?

There is a story in all four gospels that I believe accurately depict these two words for worship. Dr Luke recounts it like this…

“ ³⁷ And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, ³⁸ and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.” Luke 7:36-38. John’s gospel says that the oil’s fragrance filled the room.

This “sinful woman,” believed to be Mary of Bethany, came to meet Jesus for that very purpose: to minister or latreuo Him, to bless him and love on Him. She poured out what would have been the equivalent of one year’s wages to anoint her Jesus. She gave to Him what was most valuable and most precious and most costly. She then bowed low or “shacah” at His feet when no one else in the room did. Mary remained behind Him, avoiding the attention. Her humility and reverence inspire me.

As her tears and oil flowed, insults came as well. Jesus rebukes them, as only He could see the depths from where her worship came. The insults did not deter Mary from her humble, sacrificial worship at His feet. Not even the insults nor the opinions of man could keep Mary from her worship. That was a sacred and holy place for Mary, at His beautiful feet.

The feet where she sat and hung on every word (Luke 10:39)

The feet at which she fell when she learned He was calling for her after her brother’s passing (John 11:32).

The feet that she was now anointing (Luke 7:38)

This was the place her love and her worship began and it’s where it begins for us as well. “You must sit at His feet, or you will never anoint them; He must pour His divine teaching into you, or you will never pour out a precious ointment upon Him” -Charles Spurgeon.

“Count the cost” was an invitation for me to dive deeper into what it truly means to worship. At the time, I was only looking at worship from the outside in, and the Lord wanted me to see it and live it from the inside out. I was being called to look beyond what I was seeing and discover what it would cost to live a life, not only just a moment, that was createdto worship.

The cost of giving my best to the Lord regardless of circumstances or feelings.

 The cost of choosing to obey even when it’s hard or not convenient.

The cost of humbly bowing my wishes, desires, pride, and ambitions at the feet of the Jesus and saying, “He must increase, and I must decrease.” John3:30

The cost of offering myself as a “living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God,” which Paul saysis our “true and proper worship” Romans 12:1 

“The greatest worshippers in the Bible were all people who were willing to humble themselves before God- to submit to His way instead of their way.” – Zach Neese “Howto Worship a King.”

If we are to live a life of worship, fueled with a passion for our King, then how we worship should show Him and the world how much we value him. 1 Peter 2:9 says that we are a chosen generation to worship and praise our true God. This tells the world who He is and how He has called us out of darkness and into His light. And isn’t that light marvelous?! What a privilege that has been given to us by the Lord!

We want to thank Julie Posey for sharing this post.

Three years ago, I decided to homeschool my children, and I pulled my oldest out of school during his first-grade year. I expected it to be a challenge, because I did not feel fully equipped to do it. Well, I did it anyway, and to my surprise, my son breezed through the curriculum I found online. It was so easy that we finished his first-grade curriculum by the first week of May. That is not to say that we did not face challenges, but little did I know that the one who would struggle would be me! Teaching the kids was fun, and so fulfilling, but I had a strong feeling of restlessness.

Before homeschooling, every day after I dropped them off at school, I would create a to-do list of things I needed to get done. I would run around town and set an alarm for pick-up. Being home with the kids, at first, was fun, and then the first week went by, and I realized I had not found the time to go grocery shopping, clean the house properly, or even pick up the mail. I was overwhelmed at that point, because I was certain that all the other things that I needed to get done were important. I must admit that I tried to do it all, but it didn’t last long. I could not homeschool, continue my online business, and run errands all in one day, because being home with the kids was taking up all my time.

It was at that point that God revealed to me the things I was prioritizing over my family. So, I slowly learned to do less and enjoy more. I had a simple prayer for God. I asked him, “God align my desires with yours.” I had no idea what that simple prayer would do for me. Whenever I felt restless, I said that prayer, and peace would come over me. Slowly, God filled my heart with the desire to sit and enjoy school with my kids. I started to see that God’s desires for me were simple and brought me peace and contentment.

I was no longer finding worth in productivity, but, instead, in God’s presence. I started to prioritize reading my Bible every day. The more I prayed for God’s desires in my life, the more I longed for His presence. My desires kept me empty, but He filled my cup and opened my eyes to what true worship is. Homeschooling was a challenge, because I had to be selfless, but I could only do it with God’s help. In 1 Chronicles 16:26-29, David is singing a hymn of worship to the Lord that sums up what I experienced, “For all the gods of the people are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.”

Seeking His desires and not mine gave me freedom, and it helped me get through the day. I said that prayer many times, and I still do to this day, because I needed to let go of the idols I was worshiping. I desired to serve my children and husband. Everything else had to wait for another day, and sometimes I would simply forget about it altogether. My desires were often shaped by the things of the world and not His Word. Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be confined to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Paul urged the people to do this, because God’s will for our lives surpasses ours. Our bodies are temples, and therefore, our lives can be presented to God as living sacrifices. My time spent in His word revealed to me more of who God is and what His desires are like. I was able to point out what desires came from my flesh, and which ones were of Him. He renewed my mind and gave me discernment of what His good and pleasing will for my life is. He did not give me a five-year plan for my life, or even a one-year plan to follow. However, He helped me get rid of my idols and bring true worship to my home. I had discovered what it was to worship at His temple.

I pray that this encourages you to seek God’s will for your life and experience true worship in His presence. For me, that was serving my family through homeschooling. It might be different for you, but one thing remains: we were all made to worship. 1 Peter 2:4-6 says, “As you come to Him, a living stone – rejected by people but chosen and honored by God – you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” When I said the simple prayer, “God, align my desires with yours,” I did not think of how much that would change my life. My desires conform to the world, but God’s desires do not, and that is good. He reminds us that the more we look and act like Christ, the more we will be rejected by the world. The best part is that we are chosen by God. Trust in him and lay down your life as a sacrifice as you seek to worship him with your life, because he declares that those who believe in him will not be put to shame.

We want to thank Mayra Ramirez for sharing this post.

“I love you, Lord, for your mercy never fails me. All my days, I’ve been held in your hands… All my life you have been faithful. All my life you have been so, so good.”

This has been a hard season for me. The pain and agony of watching my mom go through cancer. The grief and loss of secondary infertility. It’s all heavy, and it’s all hard.

Still, I sing these words, “I love you, Lord,” because God is no less good.

I told the Lord last fall when my mom was diagnosed with cancer, and we suffered our second infertility loss of 2024: “Whatever happens, I will not be angry with You, and I will not doubt Your goodness.” I needed Him to know, but maybe I needed my soul to hear it too.

Back then, Mom was Stage II with a 90% survival rate after treatment and surgery. Today, she’s Stage IV with a very negative prognosis.

Back then, we knew we’d do another round of fertility procedures in 2025. Today, we have faced even more loss, and we know our fourteen-year season with infertility has ended.

Still, my declaration is the same, because God is no less good.

I’ve been through hard trials before. I’ve faced loss and grief over infertility, and I’ve watched a dear friend die from cancer when I was convinced she would be healed. I’ve been mad at God, and I’ve doubted His goodness.

But today, I can declare whatever happens, God is still good. We’ve walked together longer. I know Him more intimately than I did five years ago, ten years ago, twenty years ago.

And so I say, like Peter says to Jesus in John 6: To whom would I turn? Where else would I go? He is the Christ, the Messiah, the only One who can save me.

“Who else is worthy?” This is what I hum on the hard days because the answer is: “There is no one. Only you Jesus. Who else is worthy?”

Believe me, I have plenty of days where I say, “Why does life have to be so hard right now?” I have plenty of days where I don’t feel like singing. But then I remember God’s faithfulness throughout my life. I remember His goodness. And I choose to worship my Creator, my Savior.

If you’re in the valley today, worship through it. I promise you’ll find life and peace when you choose to fix your eyes on Jesus. We were made to worship Him. In every season. Through every trial.

If you don’t know what to sing, find the Harvest worship 2025 playlist on Spotify. If you don’t know what to pray, read the Psalms. (Psalm 119 is a favorite of mine!)

“My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.” – Psalm 119:28

“Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise.” – Psalm 119:41

“This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.” – Psalm 119:50

“You are good and do good.” Psalm 119:68

“My soul longs for your salvation. I hope in your word.” – Psalm 119:81

We want to thank Laura Brandenburg for sharing this post.

I am married to a musician. He plays the keyboard, and he sings.  He can lead worship with his music. I wish I could do that. I, on the other hand, can play the radio, and I fall into the “make a joyful noise” category. I love to sing, but I also know my limits. But, nothing takes me to the throne of God like praise and worship music.  

Praise and worship were created to do just that – take us to the throne of God. But, what happens when we make it all about the music and not about Who it is intended to be about? Where do our hearts go? Our thoughts? Our true worship?

A song was written by Matt Redman that really speaks volumes to me about this. We recently sang it on a Sunday morning, and it really made me stop and think about my acts of worship. The title of the song is: “The Heart of Worship.”

When the music fades,

All is stripped away,

And I simply come

Longin’ just to bring

Something that’s of worth

That will bless Your heart

I’ll bring You more than a song

For a song in itself

Is not what You have required

You search much deeper within

Through the ways things appear

You’re looking into my heart.

These words really hit home when you stop to think about who and what we worship. Worship is defined as the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity. It encompasses both the internal attitude of the heart and the external actions that express reverence, adoration, and submission to God. In simpler terms, it is recognizing God’s worthiness and expressing admiration, love, and praise. Psalms 100:1-2 says, “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” We come to His throne with our songs of praise and our acts of worship. But, like the lyrics of the song above say, our praise and worship is more than a song. It’s about our hearts and our relationship with our Savior.

In this world, so many things are worshiped: beauty, money, status, etc.  But as followers of Jesus, our worship needs to be God-centered. It should come straight from our hearts.  

King of endless worth,

No one could express 

How much You deserve?

Though I’m weak and poor

All I have is Yours

Every single breath

Romans 12:1 tells us “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” Worship is more than words; it’s offering our lives to God as a sacrifice, dedicated to His purpose. So, although I can’t sing or play an instrument, I can offer Him my heart and my praise.  

I’m coming back to the heart of worship

And it’s all about You,

It’s all about You, Jesus

I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it

When it’s all about You,

It’s all about You, Jesus.

We want to thank Hope Warren for sharing this post.

I’m sitting here, thinking and praying about what God wants me to write, and I quickly get an answer!

Darkness could be black, sad, scary, lonely. It could be depression, grief, loss, or emptiness! I’ve been in the dark a lot this last year in my life. Not because of doubt or anger with God, but because I felt left behind when my best friend of forty-five years went to Heaven. 

The light in this message is the Lord gave me almost six years to get ready for this. From the day of Michael’s surgery when we were told he had six months (darkness)and then we were given six years (light). Blessed!

Through this experience I’ve been given a new life that has great light in it. I’ve never been alone, just lonely. 

In this light I’m seeing and knowing my God more. I’m Heavenly blessed with a fantastic family! I now have the friends my daughter had been praying for. She knew I would need them because I had spent the last forty-five years being with Michael and taking care of our children, my parents, Mike’s Aunt Esther, and a few other family members. 

As I was searching for examples of God in relation to light in the darkness, I read Psalm 139:12 – “Even darkness is not dark to you. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to you.”

God’s right hand will hold on to you regardless of your circumstances. You can call on the Lord God in your day of distress. He is always right by your side.

Always remember there are treasures in the darkness that bring us back to the light.

In 2 Corinthians 4:8 it says, “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, we are perplexed but not in despair.” After all, it is in the darkness of life that God prepares us for His best. The best of God sometimes involves the little things. For example, turn your frown to a smile, radiating that God-given glow that someone can see in your face, a hug, or a handshake. Just a little touch can bring some light into someone’s darkness.

John 1:5- “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” There’s always light available to overtake the dark. Your light should shine no matter how much brokenness is in that light. Even a dim light can be brightened by a friendly glance.

My light is starting to shine brighter even though days seem dark at times. However, knowing that you have God on your side, in your heart, and that He loves you, are all the components of having the best life! When those dark days appear, they will turn to light with God!

Faith, family, and friends are what leads us out of the darkness!

We want to thank Jo Beth Dietrich for sharing this post.

When I was four my mother left my father and subsequently her children. My dad, consumed by grief, by all accounts forgot he had children. At the time I was the youngest of five. My brother who was eight stood in that caregiver gap for me. He bathed me, fed me, and got me ready for school. He cared for me. Even now at 33 I can look back and see how much he did. In a world without our parents, where the ache for both of us was so incredibly devastating. There was an eight-year-old being mother and father to a four-year-old. My brother was the light in the dark for me. He gave of himself. He loved. I can’t imagine what it cost him, but he chose to pay it. In all that time I can see God’s hand over us, and I see God’s heart in my brother. My parents worked it out and God called them back together. But for the better part of a year, it was him. I’m forever thankful and grateful for his choice.

When I was first asked to write this blog I initially wanted to talk about the many times (and there have been many) that God has moved mountains. However, I kept going back to His people.

Jesus says “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 ESV

God is the light in the darkness but sometimes we forget that He calls us to carry that light into the world. What a big responsibility that is. In all my dark times, in all the hurting and the hard, I can look back and see where God used people: a meal, a kind or encouraging word, the space to vent, prayer, a hug, time spent together. Each one like a balm to a wound. Like a cold breeze on a hot day. I will always be thankful to those who used their light for my darkness. How we show His love matters. It stays with people. In a world that can feel heavy with grief, division, and fear, God chooses to shine through us—His people. That means our kindness, our forgiveness, our patience, and our faith all become tiny reflections of His great light. But it also raises an honest question: Are we being that light? Are we showing up in the dark places—with gentleness, with grace? 

This week, I’m asking myself those questions. Maybe we all can. Whether it’s in a conversation, a helping hand, or a quiet prayer—we each carry light that someone else might be desperate to see. Don’t underestimate what your presence, your kindness, or your love might mean to someone else walking through the darkness.

We want to thank Lauran Lancaster for sharing this post.

While writing about my experiences from darkness to light, the words “But God” came to mind and totally changed my first draft of this blog into what this is now. I have seen the saying “But God” on shirts, hats, sweatshirts, there is even a Christian song out that is called “But God”, but I had never really done much studying on specific verses that say, “But God”. So, I decided I was going to do some studying about the words “But God” in the Bible. I looked up around 20 verses with the words “But God” and it was so powerful to see how a person or a group of people could be overcome with so much darkness, BUT GOD stepped in and did what only He can do, turn it to light.

Before I started digging, I wanted to first look up the meaning of the word “but” and this is what I found.

It is used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting what has already been mentioned.

As I was reading, if I saw the words, “But God”, I knew the situation I was reading about was about to change and for the better. The situation was dark, But God was about to turn it into light. Below are some of the verses that were the most impactful to me while looking up verses with the words, “But God”.

Side note: These are just single verses taken out of whole chapters in the Bible. If one of these verses is stirring inside you, I encourage you to look it up and read the whole chapter and even the chapter before and after for more context of the entirety of the darkness that God has turned to light

1 Samuel 23:14 – “David then stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him.”

David was on the run from Saul and I’m sure he was dismayed, BUT GOD did not forsake him.

Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Oh, how our heart can be so deceitful and put us in total darkness sometimes, BUT GOD is where we should get our strength and value, not in the world.

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Do you ever have the thoughts of, “Why would God love me? I’m a sinner”, BUT GOD loved you while you were still sinning, while you were at your lowest. He loved you even then.

1 Corinthians 3:6 – “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.”

Paul and Apollos had taught people about Jesus, BUT GOD is where the real growth happens.

Do you rely on something or someone to pull you out of the darkness? I know I have. I have found myself indulging on the world’s idea of happiness instead of God, but there was no growth in that, no true light. Spending time with God is the only way to turn your darkness into light. We are all going to have a dark day, dark week, or even a dark season, BUT GOD says “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life”. John 8:12

Follow him ladies, keep spending time with Him because eventually the light in this world will turn off, but the light of God never will.

We want to thank Bethany Williams for sharing this post.

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God separated light from the darkness.

I have been in dark places at different times in my life and could fill up pages and hours of stories. I will tell of some of them but will not elaborate much for reasons of time and space. 

Some of you know my story of darkness in my childhood. A bad home life and an alcoholic father. I was afraid of…well I am not sure what, but the unstable life was hard. But where there is darkness there always seems to be some light. My brother was part of that light; he took care of me when I was afraid. 

 In 1 John 1:5 we read: “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you; God is light, and there is absolutely no darkness in Him.” I didn’t know the Lord at this time, but I believe that He put my brother there to show me the light that I would eventually learn about later in life.

Many of you know of the dark time in my life when I wanted so much to have children and couldn’t. This was probably the darkest time in my life. I had found the Lord by this time, but not being able to have children made me a little crazy, so crazy that I left my husband and church and went out in search of some ease from the pain of it. But that hole in my heart that was there all the time could not be filled. It was only the Lord that could fill it, but I couldn’t see it for the darkness that was pulling me away from Him. John 9:5 tells us: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” I may have turned my back on God, but He was always there protecting me and waiting for me to come back to Him so He could fill that hole in my heart.  

There was a time when I was on wheat harvest, and we had two young men with us. We were in Wyoming, a long way from home. One morning they were waiting on us to get to the field and decided to take a swim in the irrigation canal. While swimming, they hit some concrete pile-ons at the bottom of a spillway and it killed both of them. Here I was wanting children and 2 boys, 16 and 17 years old, in my charge were killed. It was very difficult to tell their parents and the journey from 1,000+ miles away to get them home was hard. At the time, I had a good church family, and they were the light that God used in this time of darkness. 

“For you are all children of light and children of light of the day.  We do not belong to the night or the darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5

There are many times that I have struggled with the darkness trying to pull me in. When my mom died. When I was called to my dad’s side, who I had only seen a few times in 40 years. He was beaten up badly and some drug addicts were taking advantage of him. He was 86 years old, and we had to step in and take care of him.  The enemy tried to pull me down into the darkness, reminding me of the bad home life I had as a child. But my wonderful Christian friends and church family held me and Dewitt up. Sometimes I would sit in the car and cry while Dewitt took care of my dad. My brother and sister asked me why I was doing it, and I told them that my Bible said to honor my Mom and Dad, and that’s what Dewitt and I did. (From the sermon on the 5th commandment a few months ago)

Recently, when we were caught off guard by Dewitt’s heart issues, I could feel the enemy pull at me. But my church family was lifting us up, praying for us, and visiting us during our 17 days at the hospital and even when we came home. God always sends us light whenever we need it. And now I am going through some health issues. I rarely have health issues; I have been so healthy all my life. The enemy sure tries to use this against me, but when I feel him tugging at me, I tell him that my Jesus is bigger, and he might as well get away from me. I have been pleading the blood of Jesus a lot lately and I know He has me and Dewitt in His hands and that darkness must flee. 

When you feel the darkness pulling you in, always remember you have a Savior that is shining a light very brightly in your path.

The night is nearly over, and day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Romans 13:12  

We want to thank Debbie Crosby for sharing this post.

“So where do we go from here?” I looked at my best friend through tears, sitting across from me on my dorm bed. “Do we stop being friends?” I am not sure if you have ever had this type of conversation. A crossroads of relationship where you must decide between continuing to grow closer or go your separate ways. No relationship is exempt from this decision. Friendship, dating, marriage, all relationships have this defining moment where we decide whether to push through the hard into something beautiful, or if we gather ourselves up and go our own ways. But sometimes, this moment isn’t a beautiful one. Sometimes it is born from an earth-​shattering breaking of trust that leaves us shaken and reeling.

​Trust is a beautiful thing when handled with care, but when it’s betrayed, it leaves us bruised and deeply wounded. Like any wound, if not properly and promptly tended to, it can turn into a scar—or worse, an infection. I have heard women proudly proclaim, “I don’t trust anyone,” and “Oh I just have trust issues,” as if it is a badge of protection around their hearts. What we are really doing when we say that is, “don’t get too close, because I will not be hurt again.” Relationship is impossible without trust. Our trust issues don’t end with human relationships, either. Like I said, they can cause an infection of the heart that leads us to a deep mistrust of God. 

​Mistrust of God causes us to run away from Him and everything He says is good, when we are hurt. It could be a coping mechanism, like scrolling on your phone, gossiping with friends, shopping beyond your means, drinking to numb yourself, or watching/reading porn. It could be allowing your feelings and ruminating thoughts to keep you in anger, sadness, or anxiety. I know I am mistrusting God when I feel a reluctance to approach Him in prayer or to read my Bible, but an easiness to doing any of the above activities. The answer isn’t a coping mechanism, but a wholehearted surrender. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

​Surrender is a beautiful letting go of your pain by placing it in the hands of the One who not only created you but sustains your very being. God doesn’t want us to fear the pain of broken relationships; He wants to be trusted with it. When we surrender, what we are really doing is drawing closer to the One who will hold us, heal us, and eventually send us out to help heal the hurts of others. Surrender begins with prayer. Your prayer might be reluctant but as Anna said in Frozen 2 “just do the next right thing.”

This was my prayer that has helped me through a very recent time of mistrusting God. Maybe it will help you too. Take some time to be with God and pray it, as you surrender your everything to Him. 

“God, my feelings do not want to forgive the person that has hurt me. I don’t want to let them off the hook. I am so angry and crushed, but I know that You have a plan to change this pain into a glorious purpose that brings honor to You. So, Lord, what my feelings won’t allow for yet, let the blood of Jesus cover. Give me strength to forgive and heal my heart. I love You, Lord. Forgive me for running to convenience and sin instead of You. Give me Your steadfast love and remind me of Your faithfulness. Amen”

We want to thank Savanna Rodriguez for sharing this post.

I’ve always been a sports fanatic.  The comradery of team, the growth through practice, the thrill of competition…I love it all! The Apostle Paul shows us he relates to sports fandom by telling us in I Corinthians 9:24 to “…run in such a way to win the prize.” And what is more American than self-reliance and hard work in accomplishing a goal, right? 

My competitive spirit showed up in school and the workplace and my ability to “make things happen” and “take charge” served me well…until I got married. The very traits that had brought me success seemed to cause trouble in our marriage. I knew God’s order for marriage set the husband as the head of our home, but my husband’s ideas didn’t always line up with mine. Surely God didn’t expect me to submit to him when he was obviously wrong! I remember a very wise older woman saying at my bridal shower, “it is better to be reconciled than to be right.” I could have avoided much strife in my life had I taken these words to heart earlier.

Through prayer and Holy Spirit’s leading, I began to understand this was not just a lack of trust in my husband, but rather a lack of trust in God. I was afraid of surrendering to God because I viewed “surrender” in a negative connotation. My competitive spirit saw it as giving up or waving the white flag at my opponent. But God is NOT my opponent, He is my Father and my Friend! He loves me and has proven Himself trustworthy.  

Time and soul-searching revealed that I was afraid to surrender to God because I didn’t know what craziness He had in mind for me. Then one night I read in a Beth Moore Bible study that “the goodness of God and the glory of God are inextricably linked.” That gave me such perspective! I could surrender to God without fear because He is GOOD! I had forgotten that God is my loving Father, not a control freak or a bully. He wants me to trust Him because He can do “exceedingly abundantly above all that I ask or think,” (Ephesians 3:20). By surrendering control of my life, I free God to use His unlimited wisdom and resources to accomplish things I could never imagine.

Don’t get me wrong, following God is not always sunshine and roses. There have been seasons where following Him was hard, sometimes even painful. But He is so faithful and kind, and I know if I surrender to Him, not one of my tears is shed in vain. He uses every difficulty for my good and for His glory!

Although surrendering to God remains a daily struggle, He has provided the following tools to help me:

• He gives me His Word which is full of reminders to “…humble yourselves under the mighty power of God…” (I Peter 5:6) and “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding,” Proverbs 3:5. I simply search “surrender” or “trust” in my YouVersion Bible app, and I can find so much wisdom!  
• He’s provided the ultimate role model in Jesus. Philippians 2:8 tells me Jesus “…humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross.” The more I read and study about Jesus, the stronger my understanding of true surrender becomes. 
• Finally, He’s given me the Holy Spirit who is faithful to show me areas I need to surrender further. Through His tender leading, I’ve seen growth and peace in my life. I’ve also reaped the immeasurable reward of deeper intimacy with Him.

This journey of surrender is not a one-time decision, but a lifestyle. I’m learning to seek and obey God’s direction in all areas of my life because He is loving and trustworthy. What seemed like a scary road has become a path of joy!

I Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

We want to thank Lea Stukey for sharing this post.

Surrender – to willingly yield to God’s authority and relinquish personal control in favor of His will. 

To most of us women, the idea of giving up control and trusting someone other than ourselves to ensure a successful outcome is difficult. We like to fix things, but sometimes God reminds us it is not our job to fix it or make it better. That’s HIS job and that’s where trust and surrender are keys to our Christian walk. 

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 

Trusting in our Father God should be the easiest thing we ever have to do – wake up and trust HIM! However, by the time the alarms are ringing and the kids are screaming, we are not thinking that trusting God is the easiest task of the day and giving up control of how the day will go is not on the agenda either. 

But, I stop, take a breath, and pause. God wants the very best for me today, so why should I be so arrogant to think that my plans for me and my family are better than HIS?

The most recent case in point is when my husband and I decided it was time to buy a new home. We had been praying for this since our daughter was born and we experienced the need for more space. I wrote our prayers down and placed them in our prayer pumpkin to look back on later. We had every hope and faith that God would put us in the right house for our family. While driving to work one day, a for sale sign caught my eye. Instantly, I was in love with this house, thinking about all the renovations we could do to make it our own, all the space the kids would have, the fireplace, etc. After my husband and I looked at the house, we went full speed to race to get into this house we wanted, and we ignored red flag after red flag. We clearly heard God say to us, “Be patient. I am not saying no, I am saying not right now,” but we refused to listen and trust and surrender to the plan God had for us, and it cost us. After three weeks, we had spent almost all the money we had saved up to spend on fun things for our new home, and instead had to use the money to fix and repair a house that would never become our home. 

Fast forward to the end of the closing process, and it was time for the house to be inspected. Even after all the money and repairs, the inspection failed, and our mortgage company could not provide us a loan for this property due to an unsafe foundation. So, we were out a lot of money and a house, all while living out of boxes in our old house, because we were in such a rush to move to a bigger space. We were devastated that our plan fell through and that we didn’t listen. It reminded me of the story of a mom and her young son in the car. She is driving and being silly, and he just wants to “go faster, Mom!” However, his tiny head cannot see out the window, the semi-truck heading for their car. We don’t see over the mountains in our lives, but God has an amazing 360° view! 

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us God knows the plans for our lives. He wants nothing but good things, blessed things, to come our way. He just asks that we surrender to Him and trust in Him completely.

As upset as I was about all the time and money spent on a house that would never become our home, I am so thankful we have a loving Father who was looking out for us. Our children could have been hurt, our floor could have collapsed, and things would have been horrific. Our lives, like our homes, must be planted on a firm foundation, and that is Jesus Christ, a foundation that is unshakeable. So as difficult as it is to give up the control, choose to trust and surrender to the Father who loves you so much. He wants you to have a home with a strong foundation, filled with trust, hope, and lots and lots of love!

We want to thank Randi Cason for sharing this post.

When my friend, Kathy, contacted me and asked me if I would write a blog,

I said, “Sure.” Then, she texted me what the topic was. I had to laugh; God is so funny. Anytime I have ever had to write a blog, or a Bible study, or something of that nature, it’s always on something I am having a problem with. Well, maybe not a problem, but something I could use a bunch more practice with. So, join me for a little more practice in trusting and surrendering to the Lord. 

God is good, God is faithful, God is all-knowing. God makes our paths straight, God is with us and in us, He will strengthen us, God works for our good. God gives us peace and joy and has infinite mercy. He is our refuge and fortress. God never changes his plans, God is dependable, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

We can go to God for all our needs. We never have to worry about the well drying up. He is a never-ending well of goodness, peace, joy, mercy, and grace.  So, what exactly is the problem? Why can’t we just release our burdens to him? Why can’t we just lay it down and surrender?

Daily surrender involves committing each day and each moment to God’s leading, letting go of control, and trusting His plan. There is no limit to the number of times one can rededicate or re-surrender, as the journey of faith involves ongoing growth and reliance on God.

We must come into surrender. If only we understood what surrender holds. Oh, how God waits on us. You have been searching, longing, yearning for something more. You have searched for peace, joy. You have done all that you know how to do, but something is missing.

If you would yield to Him today, if you would choose to surrender everything: your doubts, your fears, your failures. You would find; His desire is to be known by you. If only you could grasp this truth. I’m still trying to grasp it myself. The very life of God Himself is within reach for those who will yield to Him.

The very presence of God Himself is waiting to take control. He longs for you! He is not distant. He is not reserved for a select few. He is available to all who will open their hearts to Him, to all who will surrender.

Surrender changes everything. It is no longer about struggling to be holy, to be righteous, to be pleasing to God. It’s His power working within you, transforming you from the inside out. It’s the supernatural work of God in the life of a surrendered believer. There are those who resist Him, who hold back, who are afraid of fully yielding. They fear losing control, fear what others might think, fear the unknown, but my friends, let me tell you, there is no safer place to be than in the hands of the Holy Spirit. There is no greater joy, no greater peace, no greater power than in surrendering completely to Him. He will never lead you where you should not go. If only you trust Him, if only you let go and allow Him to have His way in your life.

Surrender. Oh, what a word. If we truly understood what it means to surrender, how different our lives would be, how different our churches would be, how different our world would be. So many of us hold back, me included. I resisted, afraid of losing control, afraid of what others might think, and yet, it is in surrender that I found the greatest power.  It is in surrender that we step into the fullness of all that God has for us. 

The Holy Spirit waits for us. He waits for the time we finally come to the end of ourselves, when we finally stop striving, stop struggling, stop trying to do the things in our own strength. He waits for the moment we lift our hands in surrender and say: Lord, I can’t do it on my own, I need You.

2 Corinthians 12:9  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

We want to thank Julie Duke for sharing this post.

I was at Youth Camp one summer, and we were in small group time talking about faith and trust and our relationship with Jesus.  To bring practical application to what we were discussing, we were asked to participate in a “Trust Fall” exercise.

One by one, we each took a turn standing on the porch of the mess hall, which was about 3 feet off the ground, turning around with our backs to the others standing below, folding our arms, and then free-falling backwards, trusting those below to catch us and not let us hit the ground! I remember I was scared. I didn’t know these people, and I was being asked to trust that they cared enough not to let me fall and hit the ground. Even though I was full of fear, I surrendered and fell into their arms. Had I not gone through that exercise, I never would’ve learned to surrender and trust. Trust and Surrender means to leave everything to the control of another. Trust and Surrender for a Christian means we leave everything in His hands and under His control. Much like the “Trust Fall,” we need to trust and surrender to a relationship with Jesus.

Trust is a firm, confident belief in the reliability and strength in someone or something. Surrender is to cease resistance to and submit to authority. Give up and resign oneself to circumstances out of one’s control. So, recently, Murlyn and I walked and are still walking through a significant life change that required a new level of trust and surrender on both our parts.

Murlyn had been dealing with short bouts of spasms in his neck that would travel to the back of his head, causing headaches and sweating. He didn’t say anything to anyone, because he thought it was stress-related and would eventually go away. Little by little, the spasms were coming more frequently and lasting longer each time. This started back in October. Fast forward to New Year’s Day, he had one spasm worse than the others before. He stayed in his recliner most of the day, because he felt like his heart was racing, his blood pressure was high, and his head was pounding. Eventually, everything subsided, but it left us both feeling uneasy, and fear began to creep in. I didn’t sleep well at all that night. I had all kinds of thoughts running through my head. I was trying to take the thoughts captive but losing the battle! The next morning wasn’t any better. He was still having spasms but went on to work. Mid-morning, he had two intense spasms and went to the emergency room.

His heart was in AFIB. Fast-forward again, and we’re on our way to the BSA Hospital in Amarillo. At that moment, I felt helpless and alone! Fear took over, and I began to think the worst. I can’t help him. All I can do is stand by and let all of this happen to him. I felt angry, and tears flowed down my face as I followed in my truck behind the ambulance. We arrived, and they took Murlyn through the emergency room, but I wasn’t allowed to follow. I had to go to the front of the hospital and wait for them to get him into a room. By the time I was allowed to see him, they already had him hooked up to all kinds of monitors, were drawing blood for tests, were giving him meds to slow his heart rate and bring his blood pressure down. As I sat there watching all this take place, I heard Holy Spirit say, “Let go, and let Me handle this.”

Control is the power to direct people’s behavior or the course of events, to have authority over someone or something. I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me. I felt a peace and released everything to His control. I had to surrender; I had to trust Him; I had to put my faith in Him and be confident in what He said, no matter what the outcome. I knew He was taking care of us. So, we spent the next five days in the hospital, running test after test, trying to find an answer to what was going on. Everyone knows that trying to rest and sleep in the hospital is almost impossible. So, during the times when I just couldn’t sleep, I would read Scripture or talk with Abba. I told Him I was scared. I told Him I was struggling to take my thoughts captive. I told Him how much I love Murlyn, and that I wasn’t ready to live without him. I told Him that, whatever the outcome, I trusted His plan, that I loved Him and knew He would take care of us, of me. But, no matter what, I am surrendered to His will!  During one of those sleepless nights and conversation with Abba, I heard Him gently whisper, “It’s not his time. I have more for him to do.” I felt His peace wash over me. (Phil. 4:7) “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts in Christ Jesus.” I was able to sleep without the intrusive thoughts I had been having. Through trust and surrender, we turn control over to God, and our faith releases His Power. (Luke 17:6)

Though our tomorrows are not promised, Jeremiah 29:11 is a promise from Abba that gives us the reassurance that He is in control. He knows the plans He has for us; He gives us the peace we need! He tells us in John 14:27 not to let our hearts be troubled. He knew we were going to go through this. I just needed to trust Him. During those five days in the hospital and several days after we came home, there was one scripture that kept coming up at different times, when I needed it most:

Joshua 1:9: “Haven’t I commanded you, be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you.”

I stood on and am standing on that Scripture, but not just for what we’ve been walking through. From here on out in everything we’re faced with, Abba can be trusted!

Before we went back for the follow-up visit with the cardiologist in Amarillo, Murlyn’s heart was back in rhythm. The cool thing was, he got to tell Dr. Ali, and he held nothing back in letting the doctor know that it was God! I have been blessed to see what God spoke to me as Murlyn and I walk out each day together! We are full of the joy of the Lord. We have a renewed feeling of knowing the gladness that comes from having a relationship with God and from being filled with the Holy Spirit and abiding in Christ.

Trust and Surrender deepens our relationship with Jesus and grows our faith, as we learn to walk in step with Him. Living in trust and surrender opens our hearts to hear Him speak. It strengthens us and matures us as we learn His promises are true, and He is faithful.

This journey taught me to take my eyes off the circumstances and focus on the Word, fill my mind, direct my steps, and transform my thinking to be obedient to whatever it is that He is doing in my life. Trust and surrender positions us for God to speak through us to bear witness to those we encounter. Murlyn was able to share Jesus with his nurses and doctors and a few others who would listen.

I leave you with one of my other favorite Scriptures.  Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In everything acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path!”

Let go, and fall into His arms fully trusting, fully surrendered! Just jump!

I hesitate to write this blog post today, because I’m still trying to understand and process this situation with the Lord. Last week at Freedom in Christ, the Lord revealed to me that I’m not fully trusting in Him because of this part of our family’s story. So, here is me and all my rawness. 

We adopted 3 of our kids from foster care and then the Lord gave us 1 biological kid. From the oldest to the youngest, there is only 25 months in age difference, so basically, all 4 of our kids are the same age – like Irish quadruplets! Our oldest son, John, has 2 biological siblings. In foster care, especially when the kids are still in care prior to adoption, when a sibling comes into the world, the foster parents are typically the ones who get “the call”. At the time of both kids making their entrance into the world, we were fully and completely unable to handle any more babies in our house, so both of those siblings got placed in other foster homes. The youngest of his siblings was born in November of 2020. Her name is Bella. 

We got “the call” for Bella but were unable to welcome her into our home, but our best friends at the time were also fostering, so we told CPS to please consider our friends, the Russells, for placement. They did! John and Bella were going to be able to grow up like cousins, still living life together, just in separate homes, and with our very best friends as her parents. This was the best outcome for our families, but most importantly, for John and Bella. 

In July 2021, Bella got sick with RSV. They took her to the hospital; she was acting lethargic and not breathing normally. The hospital gave her medicine and breathing treatments and that little girl perked right up! The next morning though, all her vitals started plummeting. We got the call from Mike, her dad, that they were going to air-flight her to another hospital. The medical staff tried and tried to get her stable enough to get in the helicopter, but they were not able. Bella died that day in the hospital in the arms of our best friends. She was a few days shy of 8 months old. 

The next few weeks were a blur. No one should ever have to bury their child. It’s not fair. It’s not right. I was mad that the Lord did not answer my desperate prayers to save her. How can I trust the Lord’s plan when that plan involved this innocent child’s death? 

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Romans 8:28-29 CSB

If you have been through a hard thing and you grew up in church, you have heard those verses many times. In the depths of grief, you probably have been really mad about that verse being sent your way. GOOD? How can anything about Bella’s death be good? But that’s not what the Lord means in this verse. He’s not calling her death good, or the circumstances of her death good. He is saying that through your circumstances, God will make goodness. What is this goodness? Verse 29 says that we will be conformed to the image of his Son! He works everything in our lives to transform us to looking more and more like Jesus. If we love God, we are constantly looking to the Lord, even in the hardest most grief-stricken times in our lives. 

So how do we trust the Lord after tragedy? We look to His Word and see all that He did throughout history. We look back on our life and see all that He has done in our lives, in the lives of our friends and family. Was Bella’s death fair? Absolutely not. But here, 4 years later, I can see a glimpse of how the Lord has used her story to bring healing to strangers. The Lord used Bella’s death to bring her biological dad to Jesus. Only the Lord can turn complete tragedy into a beautiful story of redemption. 

Do I wish the Lord would have answered my most desperate prayers that day? Yes. And that answer will never change. But am I learning to trust that the Lord already knows about all the tragedy I will face in my life? Also, yes. Like I said at the beginning of this blog, this fully learning to trust in the Lord thing is still a work in progress. I wish I could tell you that with all my heart I trust in Him without any hesitation. I am praying that the Lord continues to mold me and shape me into looking more and more like Jesus. I pray that wholehearted trust continues to grow and establish a place in my heart and mind. But most importantly, dear sister, I pray for you. I pray that the Lord will show you his overwhelming, trustworthy love to you. If you are currently walking through grief, I pray that you cling to Jesus. HE IS OUR HOPE. Without Him, what is the purpose of tragedy and grief? But WITH Him, we have hope. Cling to Jesus. 

We want to thank Megan Hollis for sharing this post.

Do you like to be the person that’s always right? I used to be that way, but GOD. 

When I was a young woman, all the bridal and baby showers in my family always fell on me to host. I don’t know how this got started, but it was always understood that it was my responsibility. I have a very large family, and my siblings would call me and ask when the shower would be. If you’ve never been the one that was in charge of a shower, you probably don’t understand the amount of work that goes into it. Even after you plan the date, time, and place you still have to get together with the other hostesses and decide on a hostess gift and the refreshments that will be served. Of course, it’s up to you to go buy the gift and sometimes the refreshments. The other hostesses all agree to pay you their part, but that doesn’t always happen. That causes you to pay double or even triple what the other hostesses are paying, depending on how many don’t pay you back. Don’t get me wrong, it is fun but a lot of work at the same time and not always appreciated.

At one time, I had to organize so many showers that we decided that we would only give a baby shower for the first child in each family. That is where the trouble began.  

One family member had already had a baby shower for her first son. She expected another shower when she got pregnant again. I reminded her that we were only giving one, so her mother talked her into going to church in hopes that the church would give her a shower. She claimed to be an atheist, so I was thrilled that she was going to church. One week she missed church, and I called her to see if she was okay. She told me not to check on her because she missed church, because after the shower she wouldn’t be coming back. She was only coming to get a shower [her words].  Needless to say, I was not happy with her. I was always a hostess at church showers, so I still would have been involved. I turned down the offer to be a hostess at her shower and that branch of the family stopped talking to me. I didn’t see any reason they should be mad at me. They knew the rule we had about second showers. I WAS RIGHT!!! They didn’t have a right to be mad at me. I stewed about it for a while, getting angrier and angrier each time I thought of it. Then, one day Holy Spirit spoke to me. Not audibly, but my spirit understood. He asked me if it was better to be right, or was it better to be a representative of His love. This really hit me where it hurts! It took me a few days to let go of the anger I had allowed Satan to build in my heart.  

When I finally let go of the anger, I called that family member. I apologized and let her know that I was in the wrong. I didn’t get the response I expected from her. She told me that yes, I was wrong, and I should have given her a shower without complaint. I had to bite my tongue, and I prayed for God to take over the conversation because if I spoke what I wanted to, it would not represent God’s love. I wanted peace in the family, and I had to pursue it through Holy Spirit.  

This family member eventually came to know Christ as her personal Savior. Did this experience with her have anything to do with it? I will never know this side of heaven, but what if I had not surrendered to the will of Holy Spirit that day. I would truly hate to find out that my attitude could have caused a different outcome in her life.

Colossians 3:17

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Romans 12:18 says “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”. This verse encourages striving for peace with others to the best of one’s ability. I never want to be the tool Satan uses to bring dishonor to the Lord.

We want to thank Naomi Jones for sharing this post.

Peace is the most underrated gift we have as Christians. There should not be any one thing we value more than His peace.

Philippians 4:7 says, “The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, guards our hearts and minds.” Peace gives us an inner sense of calm, wholeness, and confidence. “Jesus is the Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6. “He himself is our peace.” Ephesians 2:14. If you are a believer, you always HAVE peace, because you always HAVE Jesus. Peace isn’t dependent on our circumstances. Peace isn’t a feeling to catch, is a person to know. A Savior to know.

If we don’t identify the places that are robbing us of our peace, we won’t be able to ever truly be at peace. If we are always chasing the feeling of peace, we will always be at the mercy of our circumstances.

In a world driven by fear, noise, success, busyness, peace often gets overlooked. We sacrifice peace for counterfeits. We believe that by attaining that one thing, we will have arrived at peace. Or by buying that one thing or our children doing that one thing, it will bring peace. This is false. This is where we strive instead of just receive. This is where we try to prove ourselves instead of just being ourselves. Here are some counterfeits I have found in my own life that I try to substitute for peace: control, constant activity, approval, bitterness, perfection. I could go on…

Control isn’t peace. Surrender is peace.
Constant activity isn’t peace. Rest is peace.
Approval isn’t peace. Identity is peace.
Fame isn’t peace. Fruitfulness is peace.
Bitterness isn’t peace. Forgiveness is peace.
Perfection isn’t peace. Grace is peace.

Learn how to guard your inner peace at all costs. The more you make space for God’s presence, the more you’ll recognize when He’s speaking through peace. Don’t chase chaos. Every day, choose to listen for peace instead of noise. That quiet clarity? That could be God’s voice. If we are anchored to the Person of peace, our souls can rest.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and he will make your path straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Peace was promised to us and given to us by God. He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives…” John 14:27

I’ve had many times where I’ve wrestled with God about answering me. I wasn’t focused on how he was speaking to me, but instead I was focused on how I THOUGHT he was supposed to be speaking to me and therefore I missed Him.

We often expect God’s voice to thunder—clear, direct, undeniable. But more often, His answer is not loud at all. It’s peace. That quiet assurance that settles in your spirit, even when nothing around you has changed.

Think of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. After a powerful showdown on Mount Carmel, he ran for his life and cried out in despair. God didn’t meet him in the wind, earthquake, or fire. He came in a gentle whisper. That whisper was enough to renew Elijah’s strength. Peace is like that. Soft, subtle, but deeply powerful. When we pray and don’t hear a booming response, we can think God is silent. But the stillness of peace can be His clearest reply. It’s His way of saying, “I’ve got this. Trust Me.”

If your situation isn’t perfect but you feel a calm confidence, lean into that. God’s peace doesn’t always mean the circumstances are easy—it just means He’s with you in them.

Don’t overlook peace. Trust it. Hold onto it. Treasure it. Protect it. Let it rule in your heart (Colossians 3:15).

Sometimes God’s Answer Isn’t Loud, It’s Just Peace.

We want to thank Julea Bouma for sharing this post.

As I write this blog, peace is not how I feel on the inside. I have learned from experience that when the Lord uses my circle to reach out to me, it is normally something he is teaching me a lesson on.

I have spent my whole life pleasing people. I love my circle well and plan to until Jesus hugs me in Heaven. I am not saying that it is always a peaceful road. You should see my picture of my path to my goal…it is a straight line to the goal! Then there is God’s path, and it is all over the place to make it to the goal. That is reality! We want easy. Our brains look for the path of least resistance. But did Jesus choose the easy path?

I like to look at Jesus teaching others and how he would leave them and pray. He took time for himself to regroup and fill his cup with God’s Wisdom before he poured it all out on others. How many of you pour out to people constantly and rarely get a thank you or I appreciate you? Often, we seek affirmation from the people around us when we should be taking the time to pray and listen to what the Lord has or needs next from us.

I will never forget coming to Harvest as a young mom. My house was not peaceful. I was a yeller and would get so frustrated with myself if everything wasn’t done when I went to bed. I was a stay-at-home mom so why was it so difficult to get all the dishes and laundry done? My husband had a stressful job. He was driving over an hour one way every day and farming an hour the other direction. Peace was hard to find. One day a dear friend said “Janeé if you want peace in your home you have to seek peace.”

I just looked at her. I didn’t even know where to start. She smiled and said, “Take the pressure off. Look at your husband through Jesus’s eyes. Look at your two beautiful girls through Jesus’s eyes. Look at your beautiful home through Jesus’s eyes. It is okay to have dishes in the sink and dirty clothes. That means you are living a full life. It is okay to have toys everywhere. Soon, they will be gone. When you stop yelling everyone else will.” Thank you, Erin Cruz! We know heaven is amazing! We miss you and love you!

As I type this, I hear the vacuum going in my youngest teen’s room. She is asking us not to sit on her bed because we’ll wrinkle the covers. We jumped on that bed and started laughing because we all thought this day would never come. It does young moms. So please seek Jesus in your crazy to find the peace to see your people through his lens and not just look at your to-do list.

You cannot control PEOPLE!

Through the years I have worked with so many parents and adults. It is not an easy job to be a teacher and a coach, but it is a rewarding one! I am coming off a hard year. My health tanked last June and I had to have emergency surgery. It is true that it takes a year for your cells to turn over. I am just now feeling like myself. My busy world stopped in June, and I had to sit down and process the last few years that have been some of the hardest. The panic attacks came back. You see, I am strong for others and encourage them but for myself I am my worst critic. I also keep going to avoid dealing with the pain of losing loved ones, the pain of my body that hurts daily, the pain of having hard conversations with people choosing a hard path. And even the hard conversations I chose not to have and now
that relationship is not what I wish it was because I didn’t let the Lord lead. We are all facing something and going through something so choose kindness!

The Lord spoke to me one day when I was teaching elementary kids and I will never forget it. When it snows, I always take the kids out to play in the snow with magnifying glasses. We talk about how all the flakes are different. We talk about how many millions, billions, trillions, of flakes it takes to cover the playground. How do so many flakes make the playground so beautiful? We talk about how each one is not the same but together they create beauty. Then I tell them to look at the person beside them. Are you different? Are your stories different? When we work together what do we create? They look at me and say something beautiful. Yes! Littles get it so much faster than we do!

We are all snowflakes, we fall through life, and we are put through different storms at different times creating something beautiful. All our stories are different and yet, we tend to want to control the people around us. WE CAN’T! They must fall and choose for themselves. Loving people where they are at is a hard job. God’s timing is not always our timing. Too often we want to rescue our kids or loved ones and make life easier for them and we stop that beautiful crystal arm from growing. You see without walking through the hard and letting the Lord guide them we sometimes become the melting point. What does this have to do with peaceful pursuit? We must pray and seek his wisdom and encourage the ones around us to do the same. To find peace in all situations we must SEEK the Lord for all things, even the little things we think we have on our own, so we don’t melt what he is trying to form.

Peace comes when we let him in for all parts of our lives. What are you not letting him in on? Relationships, work, finances, parenting, bible study, dishes, laundry, yard work, car issues, health, etc. What do you hold control of that he can bring peace to if you just ask?

Philippians 4:6-7:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We want to thank Janee Harrison for sharing this post.

To conclude our “Faith in Action” theme for the month of May, we’d like to share this incredible blog by Phylicia Masonheimer about prayer. Prayer isn’t passive – it’s faith in action. When we kneel in prayer, we stand in spiritual battle, believing that God’s power is greater than anything we face.

https://phyliciamasonheimer.com/prayer-is-war/

There’s something sacred about putting your faith into action, especially when life doesn’t make sense. I’ve come to learn that faith isn’t just a feeling—it’s a decision. A choice we make every day to trust God in the seen and unseen, in the calm and the chaos, in the known and the unknown. And if you’re anything like me, you know just how hard that choice can be when your world feels like it’s teetering on the edge.

I’ve walked through seasons—both in my family and in my business—where nothing seemed certain. Dreams felt fragile. Plans unraveled. And faith? Well, faith was tested in ways I never imagined.

Family is often where we place our deepest hopes and experience our deepest heartbreaks. It’s where love grows, but also where tension can run high when life doesn’t go as planned. I’ve watched loved ones struggle. I’ve prayed through sleepless nights, asking God to intervene, to heal, to restore. There were moments when I questioned if He was even listening. But over and over again, God reminded me that He was not only present—He was working.

Even when I couldn’t see the outcome, God was cultivating growth beneath the surface. The strained conversations, the misunderstandings, the waiting—it was all preparing us for something greater. And now, looking back, I see His fingerprints in every detail. What once felt like a breaking point became a turning point. He brought healing where there was hurt and unity where there was division. His plan, though mysterious at the time, was always greater than my own.

If family is the heart, business is often the hands—building, creating, pushing forward. And just like with family, there have been times when I questioned if I was walking in the right direction. Contracts fell through. Doors slammed shut. Plans I was so sure about dissolved before my eyes. In those moments, fear would creep in, whispering lies that maybe I wasn’t cut out for this, maybe I misheard God, maybe I should just give up.

But again, faith required action.

I learned that faith isn’t about having a backup plan—it’s about trusting God’s plan, even when it doesn’t look like what you expected. Every time I leaned in instead of giving up, God showed up. He sent the right people at the right time. He opened new doors I hadn’t even seen before. He reminded me that obedience always produces fruit, even if the harvest takes time.

I used to think faith was fragile—that it could break under the weight of struggle. But now I see that struggle forms faith. It’s in the tension of the unknown that we’re invited to deeper trust. It’s where God stretches us, shapes us, and strengthens our resolve.

Yes, I’ve cried. Yes, I’ve doubted. But every time I return to the truth that God is for me and not against me, that He works all things together for good, that His timing is perfect and His ways are higher—I find peace. Not because I have all the answers, but because I trust the One who does.

If you’re walking through a season where faith feels hard—whether in your home, your work, or your heart—let me encourage you: God sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you. You may not understand the “why” right now, but one day, you’ll look back and see how it all wove together for your good and His glory.

Don’t stop showing up. Don’t stop believing. Don’t stop praying. Faith in action looks like waking up and trusting God again, even when yesterday didn’t turn out the way you hoped. It’s in the small, daily yeses that the big miracles often unfold.

Remember, His plan always prevails.

And you? You’re not just walking through the unknown—you’re walking it out with HIM. 

We want to thank Beckah Hunt for sharing this post.

Sitting quietly in my front room one morning, before the rest of my family began to stir for the day, I reflected on just how stuck and frustrated I felt. Several things in life weren’t going the way I wanted them to. I was worried, angry, tired – I couldn’t even see how I could push through that day – much less whatever was going to be required of me to push through these less than desirable circumstances. It’s a place we have all been.

I knew I needed faith. I knew I had promises to stand on. I knew I just needed to keep moving forward. And yet, the mountains in front of me seemed insurmountable.

Then I heard it, the voice of my savior. Still and quiet, but undeniable.

“Look at me.”

Right then I knew – I had my focus in the wrong place.

To have faith in action, it does at times require action, but all the time, faith in action comes from a clear focus. A right focus. Faith in action requires us to have our eyes on Jesus.

Hebrews 12:1-2 states “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, ² keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before Him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The author of Hebrews is calling for action. This chapter comes right after what I have heard called “The Faith Chapter,” or “The Hall of Faith,” in Hebrews 11. So now, after reminding us of the great cloud of witnesses that surround us, the author calls us to action. He calls us to do two things – Lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and to run with endurance the race that lies before us.

Chapter 11 calls us to faith, and now in 12, we are called to action – but the instruction doesn’t end there.

In the beginning of verse 2, the author tells us exactly how to run this race of endurance – by keeping our eyes on Jesus.

Faith in action requires us to have our eyes on Jesus. Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Other translations call Him the author, or the founder of our faith. Not only did Jesus pioneer or author our faith – He is the perfecter of it. Perfection takes time, work, repetition. And how is He going to perfect our faith? By reminding us to keep our eyes on Him.

I love where the author of Hebrews goes next. Because the passage doesn’t jump to the victory, or the joy. Instead, there is more remembrance.

Remembrance that our High Priest and King is no stranger to hardship and endurance Himself.

Hebrews 12:2 continues, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

For Christ to endure the cross – to complete the action He was sent here to complete – He had the proper focus. For Him, it was the joy of restoration and relationship with us. For us, our focus must be on Him.

As I sat in my front room that morning, I shifted my focus. I remembered all the times I had seen the Lord fight for me before. All the times I had seen His promises come to pass. All the ways in which He has loved and provided for me – over and over again. And as I did, the mountain shrank. And then I praised Him for who He is – Father, protector, defender, savior – and the mountain shrank. And I thanked Him – for how he would provide again. For how He would fulfill these promises too – and the mountain shrank.

Faith welled up in me, and my fear, my frustration, my exhaustion – fell away. I knew I had what I needed to take my next steps. It was all clear – because I had a clear, right, focus. Because my focus was on Him.

Faith in action comes from a clear focus – a right focus – our eyes on Jesus.

We want to thank Brooke Kellum for sharing this post.

Walking into HCF every Sunday, I see FAITH IN ACTION! I look around and see people making coffee, praying for people and the service, security guys and policemen keeping us safe, greeters with smiles and hugs, golf cart drivers in all kinds of weather, Kid City workers smiling and welcoming kids, connection center willing to help anyone, AV workers setting up, and the worship team practicing and worshiping. Plus, lots of people visiting, smiling, hugging, and sharing God’s love!

Our actions truly do speak louder than words, especially when it comes to sharing our faith! There are many ways to put your faith in action, but here are a few ways we can show our faith in a more profound and authentic way than words ever could.

1. Live with Integrity and Honor – Sometimes it’s easy to say one thing and do another. Living with honor and integrity can powerfully demonstrate your faith.
2. Be Kind – “In a world where you can be anything… be kind.” When we choose to show kindness to everyone, it can be life changing for everyone. And our faith shines through our actions of kindness!
3. Volunteer – When you put your needs aside and volunteer your time, money, and energy it’s a way to show others your faith. So instead of telling people about your faith, you’re living out your faith by serving others. ***BTW – HCF has many opportunities to serve! Please reach out to the church office and they can find a perfect fit for you!
4. Forgiveness – It can be tough to forgive if you are wronged or hurt, but faith allows us to put aside our hurt and choose to forgive and live out our faith through action.
5. Be generous – Generosity speaks volumes about your faith. It’s not just about your money, but it’s about your time, energy, and prayers.
6. Be compassionate – Being compassionate takes your faith and puts it into action through empathy and love.
7. Have Patience – It’s a fruit of the Spirit, and it requires us to take our faith and practice patience in our daily lives.
8. Walk in Humility – When we walk in humility and in God’s word and truth, it shows our faith. We can be respectful, understanding, and open to others’ opinions as we live out our faith daily.
9. Love – Love is key to living out our faith. It’s not just about feelings, but it’s about our actions. It’s a way to show others how much God loves them by loving them through your faith.
10. Share God’s Word – when our faith is put into action, it should lead others to the cross and God’s love, forgiveness, truth, and saving grace!

With all this said, I’m going to challenge you to check your FAITH IN ACTION!

Can people see Jesus in your everyday life? Can they see Jesus in your words and actions? Can they feel love from you that will lead them to an everlasting relationship with Jesus and secure their place with Jesus in eternity?

As we all put these practices into action in our daily lives, we’re not just talking about faith, we are living it out! Remember, it’s not just a destination, but a journey to be more like Jesus in all we do!  Faith is living out what you believe – walking the walk, not just talking the talk.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

We want to thank Bambi Lutrick for sharing this post.

Sitting down and writing this blog was a little more difficult than I was expecting. The Lord asked me to share my journey, and that’s not always an easy thing to do. Some parts of my journey I’ve preferred to keep to myself, but I know in sharing it, it can help someone else along their journey too. So… here goes! 

Rage. Depression. Anxiety. Identity crisis.

Those were never words that I thought would be in my vocabulary to describe my journey through adulthood. When you’re young, you have this picture, or really an expectation, of what you think being an adult will be like. What being in college will be like. What being a wife will be like. What being a mother will be like. And now that I am approaching my mid-thirties, I can honestly say that none of it turned out the way that I had pictured.

In many ways it is so much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined on my own. But there have also been many, many moments where I have had to honestly deal with some really ugly things. I didn’t even know what post-partum depression was until after I had our first child. I didn’t understand why in one of the most joyous times in my life I didn’t even have the strength to get out of bed. I didn’t know what post-partum rage was until after I had our twin boys. I didn’t understand why I suddenly snapped, yelled, screamed at mere inconveniences. I didn’t know what post-partum anxiety was until after I had our youngest. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t go a single day without imagining some of the most ridiculous things happening, while trying to control and make sure they never did.

Not a single one of those things felt like ME. My husband and I had our 4 kids in under 5 years, and I felt trapped in a person that didn’t feel like me – I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I felt so isolated and so alone. I tried so hard to make things look on the outside how I deeply wished I felt on the inside. Until I was too exhausted to carry it anymore. I thought losing weight would help. Making more money. Career promotions. Fitting in. But it was all just temporary. The Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), and I had to be reminded of that truth. Cue the identity crisis – I had to walk through a lot of things falling apart so that the only One who could, put them back together.

God. In His tenderness and mercy, no rush or urgency. He reminded me of who He created me to be. That I was His. That I was made by Him for a purpose to do good things – the literal skill and precision of His creation (Ephesians 2:1-10). That I was given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7). That He loves me with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3).

I had to walk through some difficult things that didn’t seem fair to truly grasp His unfailing love for me. Sure, there were little pockets of joy along the winding way – always because of Him. But because He always works things out for our good, it’s a little easier now to find joy in the journey, because my joy comes from Him and not my circumstances.

We want to thank Paige Keller for sharing this post.

Nehemiah 8:10 (CSB) ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.” 

Our journey through life has a mixture of elations and challenges and how we perceive our challenges can refine us or become a setback. Nehemiah 8:10 mentions that the joy of the Lord IS our strength. 

Every challenge comes with mighty heavenly opportunities to learn, to grow, to gain wisdom, and to testify of God’s goodness. We are all called to a place in Kingdom work and the enemy is hard at work to kill, steal, and destroy our calling and place in the kingdom.

In the very darkest times of my life, and there were many, God was with me; I was repeatedly reminded of this scripture as my peace and strength often waned. My peace and joy were the target of the enemy in the violent battles for my deliverance and wholeness. This scripture was key when the enemy had me pinned down trying to convince me of ways to take my own life, suffering with the many effects of trauma and PTSD, riddled with addictions, perceived failures, and hope was far from me. If the enemy can steal my peace, then he can steal my joy; if the enemy can steal my joy, then I have no strength for the battle. I was literally fighting for my life and needed strength from the Lord. The Lord would remind me to offer a sacrifice of praise, so he could deliver me from my troubles. (Psalms54:6-7, Jonah 2:9) 

Hebrews 13:15-16 (NIV) says, “¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” I would stand up, raise my hands up to the Lord and praise Him; I would push through until the sacrifice of praise became heartfelt praise leading to joy, which gave me the strength I needed to continue moving forward.

The Lord’s reminders to me of one day being able to share my struggles to encourage others on their journey gave me hope to stay in the battle and not give up. (2 Corinthians 1: 3-11, Romans 5: 1-5) I find myself at a place where my testimony of the Lord’s goodness, grace, and mercy can and does help many. God is so amazing because after our difficult struggles and we receive the battle scars,He fills the scars with beauty. (Isaiah 61: 3) When God heals and fills our battle scars, this ends up making us seasoned warriors who can then move forward to encourage others in their battles. (Matthew 5: 14-16) 

All of this leads back to the remembrance of where strength for our journey is to be found: the joy of the Lord is our strength. To God be all the glory.

We want to thank Leah Montez for sharing this post.

I often wish for immediate solutions from God. 

Miraculous healing, instant freedom, winning the lottery.. instant fixes!

I’ve asked God multiple times why he won’t “just fix it for me.”

That sounds selfish typing, but it’s the truth. 

What I have noticed is there are blessings that come in the path to freedom or healing that wouldn’t have happened with the instant fix. 

The coffee dates, the prayer and connection with friends or family. 

The feeling of victory to see God’s promise come to fruition. 

The new friendship made over the connection of the struggle. 

The wisdom others speak into our lives when we had a blind spot. 

In Exodus 18:13-27, Moses’s father-in-law Jethro gives advice to Moses who is tasked with leading the Israelites. Jethro sees this will become too much for Moses. Jethro advises Moses to select capable men to help lead and provide counsel so Moses does not become burnt out. 

This story has come to mind frequently lately. When I have a task or issue and I feel like I should be strong enough or have enough faith to handle it on my own or pray for an instant fix. God reminds me to lean in to my husband and community. Every time I do, I am blessed by a prayer, wisdom or insight I wasn’t thinking of or experiencing. 

The Lord is kind, he gives good gifts, and he allows us to experience joy, even in the struggles. 

I hope this can bless you too, especially if you are feeling like you should be able to handle the struggle you are going through on your own. Let people walk with you.

We want to thank Lori Johnson for sharing this post.

I feel that what Papa is saying to me about this subject is best expressed in the words of a song. It is a collaboration between Jeff Pardo, Matthew West, and the artist, Megan Woods. I’m not going to write it in verse, but in narrative form, so we don’t get all bound up with rhyming and such.

How many times can you hear the same lie before you start to believe it? The enemy keeps whispering to me. I swear, these days, it’s all that I’m hearing. I used to know who I was.  Now I look in the mirror and I’m not so sure. Lord, I don’t want to listen to the lies any more.

When I feel like there’s so much noise living rent free in my head, Heaven finds me in a still, small voice, and it sounds like grace instead. You remind me who I am when I look in the mirror and I’m not so sure.  Lord, I don’t want to listen to the lies any more.

I know who I am because I know who You are, and I hold Your truth inside of my heart. I know the lies are always going to try and find me, but I’ve never been so sure.

The truth is, I am my Father’s child. I make Him proud and I make Him smile. I was made in the image of a perfect King. The truth is, I am truly loved by a God who’s good when I’m not good enough. I don’t belong to the lies. I belong to You.

And that’s the truth.

I knew Dan loved me when I asked him if he could change anything about me, what would it be? He said, “Nothing.” It made me love him even more. All Papa God wants from us is to have an intimate relationship with us. If we have that kind of relationship, we will love Him even more. And that’s my eternal perspective.

We want to thank Di Zeigler for sharing this post.