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Keep Christ in Christmas: 9 Ways to Keep Jesus Central
“Who wants to go on an adventure?” I ask the kids as we drive through farm country on a frigid Saturday afternoon. As the darkness of impending winter presses tighter, we could all use the reminder that the Light of the world has come. We could use the reminder to keep Christ in Christmas when the festivities threaten to draw our attention away from him. Keep Christ in Christmas Two hours later, we bundle in mittens, heavy winter coats, stocking caps, and heavy boots. Perspiration beads on my forehead as I slide the final mitten over the little one’s fingers. Managing to pile out the door on the cusp of…
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Read These 10 Bible Verses When You Feel Like No One Cares About You
Above the tree line, the alpine grasses shiver in the wind while a pika no bigger than my fist eyes me from a rocky alcove. I’m 20 years old, and I’ve been climbing mountains all summer while running from a long list of mistakes. I know my family loves and cares about me deeply, but a quiet thought whispers, You’re all alone, and no one can help you. Perhaps you can relate to this thought. Today, I invite you to soak in the following 10 uplifting Bible verses when you feel like no one cares about you. Read These Bible Verses When You Feel Like No One Cares You might…
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How to Find Rest in God Amid the Chaos of Your Life
Welcome to our last Friday devotional post from the book Girl to Girl! My 12-year-old daughter Bekah and I are excited to share another post adapted from the book today. We wrote the book with a vision for moms and daughters to read each devotion together, but we invite you to join us even if you aren’t a mother or daughter. If your head is spinning as a result of Christmas preparation today, this is your invitation to slow down for a few short moments and find rest in God. How to Find Rest in God As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you. Isaiah 66:14 Mom’s…
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8 Bible Verses About Being Worthy Enough in God’s Eyes
Have you ever asked yourself, “How does God see me?” Your ideas about the way God sees you will radically impact your ability to connect with him in a close, loving relationship. Let’s explore eight Bible verses about being worthy enough in God’s eyes today. First, I invite you to join me at the creek with my child, and we’ll talk about how God sees us. 8 Bible Verses About Being Worthy Enough My little boy and I inch closer to the creek beneath the silver arms of the sycamores. Expectantly, we walk to the bend where the water pools in shades of ethereal emerald, and he wiggles with excitement. …
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Is God Mad at Me?
Smoky wisps of fog wrap their fingers through the goldenrod as I sit by the window in prayer. I’ve been distracted lately, and my thoughts have been far from God. A familiar question runs through my mind: Is God mad at me for neglecting my relationship with him? Summer days are full in these parts. I rarely find a quiet moment in this house filled with life and activity. Life has me stretched thin, and by the end of most days, I’m running on fumes. I imagine you know all about the rhythm of the ragged. Maybe you’ve felt guilty for neglecting your relationship with God, but you’re not sure…
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God Loves You Even When You Don’t Feel Worthy
A few years ago, an epic parenting failure left me feeling like the worst mom in the world. I imagine you’ve had a few of your own failures—moments when it was hard to believe that God loves you in the middle of your messiest moments. The evening of my failure, the sun was sinking low. It was time to clean up the house and relax for a few minutes before going to bed. I’d put away the toys three times throughout the day, and I told five-year-old Bekah it was her turn. I was ready to crash onto the couch and clock out for the day. On cue, our sweet…
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A Fresh Take on How to Love God With All Your Heart
Morning opens her mouth with a foggy breath, and the earth cups the grey mist in its lowest places. I sit by the window and get lost in the glory of it all. I begin most days in this spot, and as I lean into the mist this morning, my mind is full. Maybe you can relate. You want to learn how to love God with all your heart, but you tend to forget all about him as your mental clutter pulls you away. As I sit in the silence, I’m thinking about writing projects, the weekly dinner menu, the grocery list, my son’s spelling test, and when I’m going…
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3 Ways to Fall More Deeply in Love With Jesus
The old sycamore leans over the icy creekbed with shoulders washed white by the weather. Closing my eyes, I inhale the scent of the forest and pray that I might learn to embrace my moments and fall more deeply in love with Jesus in the process. For the past few years, I’ve been learning to slow down. I’ve been asking God to help me live with less grit and more grace. In the process, God is changing me. I’m also discovering that the secret to living with greater joy and deeper peace is falling more deeply in love with Jesus. What does this look like in my world with winter…
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Feeling Forgotten by God? This Is for You . . .
A single oak leaf glides on the breath of dawn like it’s in no particular hurry to meet its final resting place on the icy earth. I watch from the window and reflect on the events of the past day. We’ve been walking through some long months here, and a painful question lingers in my mind: Why am I feeling forgotten by God? I long for the gentle reminder that God is still at work in the areas where I’ve been waiting on him for years. Most of us know how it feels to wonder if the Lord has forgotten us. Whether we’re trudging through dark valleys of life-shattering losses…
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Why Jesus Is My Hope—Even in My Disappointment
As the season changes here, I’ve been intermittently looking back and looking ahead. I’m reminding myself of one truth: Jesus is my hope for the future, and he is my hope in the face of my deepest disappointments. I don’t know what your past season looked like. Maybe you put everything you had into your career, and there’s still no fruit to be seen. Maybe you lost the job you loved. You might have had goals for your finances, your waistline, your marriage, or your ministry. Maybe some of these areas are worse off now than they were when you had all that hope. Even worse, you might have achieved…
