Daniel was told he could not pray for 30 days. The mandate or decree told to him may not seem like THAT big of a deal… But the motive behind this decree was greater than majority realized. It was a decree that Daniel was not willing to adhere to and put his life at stake.
My thoughts have been on Daniel Chapter 6 this past week. But are the stories in the Bible too extreme or even relevant for today?
“Time to clean the house!!!”
Anyone ever say this and have people flocking to come help?
If you do, then you are the exception to the rule, because most people turn and run the other direction. Most people do not enjoy cleaning the house. Like REALLY cleaning the house. You may ENJOY a clean house, but when it comes to grabbing that old toothbrush and scrubbing crusty nasties off your toilet, I feel I can say with confidence that this is not anyone’s Friday night excitement. Nor any other day that ends in “Y” enjoyment.
Raise your hand if you like being told, “No.”
Whether it be from asking for something, requesting to do something, or whatever… Being told “No” doesn’t feel good. Why? Because it isn’t the answer WE wanted. We wanted a “Yes!” That’s why we requested or asked the question in the first place. And from a human standpoint, we want a “Yes” 99.9% of the time.
Now, what about when God tells us “No”?
We live in the land of memes. These word quotes, pretty sayings, motivational phrases, and laughter filled verbiage have littered social media. These memes can even be misquotes of words taken out of context to sound better than they are and misguide with half truths. They can and have distorted, confused, and misguided the minds of many.
I see this also done to Scripture.
(Click to Read Full Article)
Where are you?
I think it is safe to say that we have either uttered these words at one point in our lives or had them spoken to us.
Where are you?
God said these words to Adam and Eve. But could He really not find them? (Click to Read)
Yesterday I spent the day with a room of women listening to 7 speakers who encouraged, challenged, and deepened our knowledge of Scripture. And IT - WAS - AWESOME! The content was great, but what was even better was the fellowship and the gathering of Believers. [TOGETHER.]
(Click to Read)
I can’t believe that September is almost here! Not sure about you, but I am excited for fall! It is my favorite season. The cooler crisp mornings, sweaters, and even darker mornings are welcomed after a lovely summer. I love the cozy welcoming feelings fall brings.
I recently finished reading Deuteronomy, which is Moses’ final address to the Israelite Nation before they enter the Promised Land. For 40 years they have wandered and been refined in the wilderness. And this is Moses’ final address with an offer to either choose LIFE or Death:
When I decided to make a conscientious effort to wake up early in the morning for time purposefully spent in the Word, it was hard and took (still takes) discipline. Forming the habit of not hitting my alarm over and over was hard. It also meant adjusting other things, like going to bed earlier, not watching that one show, and choosing to make this a priority. [Click to read full article.]
Barren, desolate, hot, lifeless, void of water. This is the wilderness that surrounded David. Yet, even in the wilderness, he worshiped and glorified God. Even in the wilderness of suffering, David turned to the One, the only One who could give him relief.
This is where I find my heart and soul. In the midst of this Psalm; in the midst of a wilderness. BUT, I will earnestly seek God; in a dry and weary land where there is not water… (Click to read full post.)
I began writing this blog post on April 21st and never finished it. Then was reminded of this truth today while watching my friend Cate give a devotional on Cascade Community Church’s Facebook page. You can catch it here.
When we went through our adoption process, we experienced a LOT of waiting. The process is like this: Hurry Up! Now wait! And wait without knowing an end to the waiting. (Click to read full post)
Ending brokenness, racism, hatred, maliciousness, loneliness, hurting, sexual immorality, anger, bitterness, murder... this list goes on and on, begins with a changed heart for God. THIS is where true change begins. When we love God, we love people and truly see that we are ALL image bearers of the One who created us. But the only way this happens is when we live the Great Commission. It begins when we share WHY and HOW Jesus changes our lives. It starts with us sharing the GOOD NEW to a massively hurting and broken world. HE came to heal the brokenhearted and restore all things to Himself. If we don’t share that Good NEWS our words are useless. (Click to read full post)
We have all began a sentence with the words “What if” at some point in our lives.
The last couple of weeks “What if” statements have been rolling through my mind pertaining to those of use who call ourselves Believers. The statements have been powerful, convicting, thought provoking, and fueling a passion and fire within my soul. (Click to read full post)
WHAT IF…
This is a mustard seed. It is tiny. One of the smallest seeds in the botanical world.
While reading the Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi I learned that this small seed grows into one of the most feared plants in all Israel. Why? Because once it takes root [it cannot be destroyed.]
(Click to read full post)
Monday morning during my quiet time, this verse came to mind. It is a simple verse. Nothing complicated, but straight to the point.
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Are our minds set on eternal things or temporal? Are we consumed with things that are fleeting and things that will pass away? Or are we so focused on the Great Commission in spreading and living the Word of God, which should fuel every fiber of our being? Are we the salt and light into a dark world? (Click to read full post)
For the last 5 days my mind has been consumed with the state of everything that has taken place in our State, Country, and World. And in all transparency, I hate it. I hate that my thoughts have been consumed with things that I typically do not think about or dwell on. The last 5 days I have frustrated myself with allowing my thoughts to be consumed with things that, in the light of eternity, do not matter. But instead, how I react, how I portray the love of Christ, how I live out His commands to live a life worthy of Him DOES matter, and that begins with my thoughts.
Last spring we decided to expand our garden and make it bigger. We spent hours cutting back the sod, leveling out the ground and prepping it. Our neighbors were even getting rid of garden bricks and I look them up on their offer to take some of them off their hands. Fast forward to now, the spring of 2020, and the garden is finally starting to look like a healthy place to grow fruits and veggies after more hours of shoveling and spreading healthy new garden soil.
At the end of March, Washington State received news from Governor Inslee that he would be extending the “stay at home” order through the entire month of April. I would be lying if I said my stomach didn’t drop. But It did. My next reaction was: “This will not take hold of me.” (Click to read full post)
Over the last few weeks the word “wilderness” has come to mind over and over again and what the wilderness signifies. A dry and weary land… (Click to read full post)
The tomb was closed. The grave was shut. The cross was empty. Jesus was dead.
I cannot imagine what this day, Saturday, must have felt like for the Disciples and followers of Jesus in the 1st Century. Their friend and Messiah was dead.
I was reading through Pslam chapter 78 this morning and was reminded of how faithful and constant God is. He is never changing, always faithful, always constant, full of love and compassion even when we are not.
