Encouragement for the Field
Life can get hard Y'all. Sometimes we just need a little push to keep us going till we make it to the end of our week. Wednesday Word of Encouragement is that quick word of encouragement to help us get there.
-
Discovering Off-Road Faith
Have you ever thought that life would be so much easier if you could plan for every detail of what you went through in life? I have often thought it would be nice to know what to expect, especially with the things that hit you out of nowhere. Times when your life takes an uncertain turn down a path you never saw coming. It can feel like you spend more time on the roads less traveled than the more pleasurable ones you plan for. Faith can feel distant when you are walking through challenging valleys. It can feel as if you are walking under grey skies, while everyone else travels…
-
Finding God’s Path in Everyday Frustrations
It was a busy morning, and I was in a hurry to run errands and get back home. I was aware that the clock was ticking, and I had only a few minutes to get through the breakfast line at McDonald’s before they stopped serving. As I reached the McDonald’s parking lot, I was quickly cut off by a man who sped ahead of me into the drive-thru line. My first thoughts were ones of frustration, but I noticed the other drive-thru was suddenly open. In just a few seconds, I was able to order and then slip right back in line in front of the man who cut me…
-
The God Who Bends Low to Listen
Do you ever feel other women have it so much more together than you do? Do you think you fall short at almost everything in comparison? From being better organized and goal-centered, being more fashionable, and even being better at prayer, sometimes it is a struggle to keep from feeling like you are falling behind or falling flat. It is in times like these that you learn to appreciate that we serve a God who bends low to listen to our every prayer, no matter what stage of life we find ourselves in. I listened intently to the woman author and bible study teacher on a favorite podcast. She vividly described…
-
Traveling Light in an Overstuffed World
As I stared down at my suitcase, my mind was a whirl of thoughts on how to arrange all my belongings so it would close. I had carefully planned for every situation that might occur on my trip and felt every piece of clothing would be needed. I couldn’t possibly eliminate even one thing, so I would have to force them all to fit. Honestly, my natural suitcase isn’t the only thing I tend to overstuff. I do the same thing with my spiritual one. God instructs me to travel light, but I am still prone to carry around tons of extra stuff I don’t need. God has given me…
-
Continuing to Lead Others When We Feel Like a Hypocrite
Have you ever considered stepping down from a leadership position or stepping away from your calling because you were struggling with your faith? You wrestle with the thought that if anyone knew the wavering thoughts going through your head, you would be the last person they would want to step out to lead or minister to others. Surely they would call you a hypocrite if they only knew. I have lost count of the times I have heard someone use the word hypocrite recently, and it has had me pondering and praying about how we use this term. People often use it to describe someone else, but surprisingly, I mostly…
-
When God Walks Beside Us Wearing Someone Else’s Shoes
Have you ever wondered why it feels like God isn’t there when you are going through your most challenging seasons? Do you ever wonder if He notices you struggle when life is hard and you are holding on to your faith by a thread? Let’s talk about the possibility that God is there all along. He is just wearing someone else’s shoes. On a cold and blustery winter’s day, I spotted a solitary bird nest peering through the barren limbs of my Dogwood tree. I passed by the tree at least a thousand times during the summer and had never once noticed it was there. The foliage of summer completely…
-
When You Are Tired of Waiting
The word “wait” was appearing in scripture again when I honestly didn’t want to wait again. I was tired of waiting. I felt worn out, frustrated, and disappointed from all the waiting for unpleasant and uncomfortable things to change in my life. My life was totally off the rails of any plans I had wished for, and I couldn’t see any hope for change as far as my eyes could see. So, I allowed my tears to fall and boldly cried out to God in prayer, “What does it truly mean to wait on You? What will it mean for me if I do?” In a moment when I honestly…
-
Trusting In The One Who Is Stronger Than The Storm
“We are stronger than the storm.” Words I saw on a Christian tee that landed on my heart after having just prayed for a deeper understanding of the story in Matthew 14:22-33. Jesus’ disciples had just witnessed a miracle. Jesus multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish to feed a multitude of over five thousand counting women and children and still had twelve baskets full of leftovers. The disciples were no doubt tired from all the excitement of the day and from actually serving that many people. But without any time to rest, Jesus sent them ahead to cross over to the other side of the lake, and He…
-
Waiting For My Temporary to Change
“All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” Job 14:14 (KJV) Temporary. I can totally forget in a hot minute what that word means when challenges find me. The enemy just loves to mess with our heads until we are thoroughly convinced we are permanently stuck in our situations and circumstances instead of temporarily on our way to passing through. Temporary means for a time only, brief, passing, transitory, short-lived. Unlike its counterpart, permanent, which means never changing, set in stone, fixed. Stuck. What brings change to our circumstances is a God who is anything but stuck and never rendered unable to change any…
-
How to Start a Brand New Year
As I sat contemplating new goals for 2024, I suddenly became aware of two things. Others around me were blowing past me with all sorts of mind-blowing goals with matching palettes and color schemes to match. Me? I was finding it hard to get started this year. Giving up on my calling wasn’t an option, so I allowed myself to ask some very important questions. How do you get moving when you have no energy left? How do you refuel when you feel totally depleted? Finding the answers to these questions meant spending some time with Hezekiah and God’s people in 2 Chronicles 29. Hezekiah was facing a starting over…
