The sumac has come to life in shades of fiery crimson.  I stare at it from my perch by the window and open God’s Word with a sense of expectation.  A few weeks ago, I started a new daily Bible reading guide, and this devotional is leading me straight to the Lord. I’ve been learning from Patsy Burnette for years, and when she released her 365-day devotional book Sweeter Than Honey, I jumped at the opportunity to draw near to God with Patsy.  I have not been disappointed. Sweeter Than Honey walks the reader through the full Bible in one year—reading chronologically, which is a compelling way to read through…

A thin band of sunlight slips through the window and illuminates a dried bouquet of thistle across the room.  Lately, my passion for God seems to be wilting like the dried bouquet. I remember the day we gathered the thistle. It was warm for November, and the threat of the impending months of darkness and snow weighed on me. We went to the fields and gathered thistle, horsetails, and milkweed.  We hoped that bringing life inside might somehow lengthen the months when the weather would stop us from wandering through fields of wildflowers. Months later, I gaze at the bouquet as worship music plays. I silently ask God to give…