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3 Unconventional Ways to Worship God While You Work
You are completely exhausted as you drive home after a long day of living out your calling. You know there are four loads of laundry waiting to be folded. The floors are filthy, and dinner waits to be cooked. You’d give just about anything to lie on the couch in front of the TV instead of diving into the work. The last thing on your mind is construing ways to worship God in the middle of your work. Perhaps the idea of worshiping while you work feels like a pursuit reserved for women who don’t have full schedules – or kids. I feel you. I see you. I’m standing with…
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How to Have More Motherhood Joy in Challenging Seasons
A quiet undercurrent has been calling me into its flow throughout the past season. It’s a gentle voice that whispers, “Let these struggles of motherhood soften you. Lean into the transformation. In doing so, you will cultivate a deeper sense of motherhood joy.” Cultivating Motherhood Joy It is a gentle call to let these uncertain times chisel my rough edges, to learn to be a woman with less grit and more grace. Granted, throughout most of my life, my grit has served me well. My grit is my tenacity, my determination, my commitment to stay the course on the most rugged trails—my eyes fixed on the horizon, zeal goading me…
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What Does It Mean to Lay Down Your Life for God?
Have you ever wondered what it means to lay down your life for God and others? Jesus spoke the following words to his disciples: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NIV). Perhaps you want to know how to live this out. I invite you to join me in my parents’ living room shortly after the birth of my third child, and we’ll explore what it might look like to lay down your life. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you experience God’s presence and power in your life.…
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Finding Your Calling From God: A Surprising Truth You Need to Know
Does the idea of finding your calling from God feel too subjective or difficult? I spent years trying to perfectly discern God’s calling for my life. Meanwhile, I missed the most obvious part of his calling. I invite you to join me as I coax our youngest child to sleep, and we’ll talk about finding God’s calling. Finding Your Calling From God The dusky light of summer’s slow fade into autumn makes its way through partially drawn curtains, and I read until the darkness is too thick to see the words. Setting aside the book, I gaze at the tiny boy in my arms. He seems to encompass most of…
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7 Back-to-School Prayers for the New School Year
A band of blue jays awakens the dawn with a cacophony of cackles. It’s early, and I’m not ready to begin the day. Nevertheless, I brew the coffee and gather the kids for devotions. We talk about going back to school and embracing the last days of summer. We offer our back-to-school prayers and pray for God’s peace to go before us into the new school year. Back-to-School Prayers As I process a dozen different scenarios for what this year might look like, I thank the Lord for going with us. The kids name their greatest fears, and we pray through their fears. Later in the day, I put together…
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How to Love Like Jesus When It Doesn’t Come Easily
A warm wind rustles the maples and sounds like clear water flowing over granite. I’m taken back to a different season. Twenty years ago, God began the deep heart work of teaching me how to love like Jesus, especially when it doesn’t come easily. Working at a summer camp will teach that kind of lesson. God placed me in a quiet canyon where wild Wyoming skies brought adventure on tepid summer afternoons, and campfires beneath the stars on chilling summer nights formed lifelong memories. He placed me among dozens of varied personalities. We melded together like one large, dysfunctional family just trying to keep the peace and keep out of…
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Leaning on Jesus When You Feel Empty Inside
There are gaping holes between the boughs of the blue spruce. I’m surprised to notice thick clumps of pinecones at the end of each branch. The spruce is bearing fruit, even in the gaps. I’m reminded of what I’ve been learning about leaning on Jesus when I feel empty inside. When You Feel Empty We all face empty seasons. We wonder how we will possibly manage to bear good fruit in our lives. Meanwhile, Jesus offers an invitation: “Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me” (John 15:4…
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8 Encouraging Bible Verses About Change in Life
I wrote this post about how to embrace change as we adjusted to life with a tiny new member of the family. If you feel like any area of your life has been flipped upside down lately, these words are for you. Be sure to keep reading to the end of the post for eight Bible verses about change in life, followed by a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God amid changing circumstances. Navigating Transitions (With 8 Bible Verses About Change in Life) Our family recently stepped into a transition that startled us all. After nine months of enduring my couch-bound illness, we welcomed our…
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When You Feel All Alone in the World
Do you feel all alone in the world? I invite you to read these words slowly. Let them wash over you and shape you from the inside out. When You Feel All Alone in the World The clouds are laying low tonight. Layers of powder blue rest on smoky white. I hold my baby boy in my arms and get lost in the moment. We sway on the glider as blackbirds flutter overhead. They’re headed east, like maybe they’re chasing down the dawn. I glance down at the fuzzy head to see if his eyes have closed. Every time, those bright blue eyes are still open, gazing at me in…
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Satisfaction in Jesus: A Question to Ask Yourself
I’m not thinking about how to find satisfaction in Jesus as the wind rustles the maple leaves. However, as I open my Bible for inspiration on the warm afternoon, I discover stumble a surprising scene. A blind man named Bartimaeus is crying out to Jesus from the roadside. Stopping, Jesus looks at blind Bartimaeus and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” For an instant, I imagine I am the blind man, and Jesus is asking me this question. “Jesus, you know what I want you to do for me,” I whisper in the deepest part of my soul. As the words leave my lips, I realize…
