When Peace Makes No Sense
In 2 Thessalonians 3:16, we read this beautiful prayer: “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation. The Lord be with you all.” I’ve been thinking about this because of the remarkable power of God to give us His peace through the Holy Spirit when […]
In Your Helplessness
I’m loving what I’m learning about becoming weak to become strong. The counterintuitive way Paul writes about boasting in weakness to manifest God’s power more and more makes sense to me as I grow older, as I endure difficult situations, or as I step out in faith to work as God leads. I’m embracing helpless […]
Remember This
This morning, I loved proclaiming this truth to my heart from Psalm 86: For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. What kind of lives would we lead if we remembered this moment by moment? God is good. Forgiving. Abounding in love.
A Few Little Seeds
When my daughter decided to plant tiny seeds to create a garden full of miniature pumpkins, I couldn’t predict how much I’d enjoy the lovely harvest. We gave little pumpkins away to the neighbors, scattered them around our front porch, and lined the windowsills with them. I love the simplicity of fall decorations in the […]
Back to Living with Flair
This morning, I remembered to shake the pumpkin spice creamer. All the good stuff settles at the bottom, and a good shake swirls it up. I stood there in the kitchen and remembered the joy of ordinary moments of meaning and joy. I thought about how life shakes us up; it’s not a bad thing. […]
Simplicity
Today some professors and I talked about simplicity. What would a life look like that valued simplicity? I return home, and I gather the afternoon harvest of raspberries–just enough to top yogurt or stir in oatmeal. As I rinse the berries and store the uneaten ones in the freezer for a winter evening when a raspberry […]
Each His Own Task; Each His Own Labor
This morning, as I read Number 3-4, I couldn’t help but notice how God gives such specific assignments to those caring for the tent of meeting. Every person enjoyed a special task–whether they carried a peg or a goatskin. I read this: “Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his […]
Better than Everything
I remember exactly where I sat in the Counselor Hut at Camp Greystone when one of the older counselors, Natalie, shared a devotion from her journal. Exhausted, immature, and confused about life, I let the wisdom of Christian staff at Greystone wash over me whenever I could. God was shaping my 18 year-old soul. She […]
Courage and Abundance
In my professor prayer group, we’ve been talking about living courageously. To live courageously (and therefore even more abundantly), we do things that require faith and a new perspective on what to actually fear. We know courage must operate when fear rises. Otherwise, it’s not really courage. Courage, after all, is the ability to do […]
Americana on Friday Night
My husband and I enjoyed the high school football game last night. Our city of State College only has one public high school. One! Friday night football, then, is a big deal. So when you go to a game, you see everyone. You find yourself eating popcorn and drinking Coke; you’ll sing along with the […]