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Enjoying the Presence of God: 4 Ways to Experience His Joy
The sinking sun shone white behind a cloak of low-hanging stratus clouds as the kids dipped their nets into a swampy bog. Through the lens of my camera, three bouncing bodies splashed and giggled. Enjoying the presence of God in his created world was filling us all with life-giving energy. I had intentions of capturing dozens of images on the camera that weekend at the cabin. Sadly, the morning after exploring the ponds, I awoke with a virus and barely managed to get out of bed throughout the rest of our weekend. As I lay in the tiny, dark cabin bedroom, I was thankful for the previous evening—for catching red-spotted…
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How to Be Still and Listen to God: 7 Practical Tips
Daylight finds us with an unseasonable chill, and we close the windows and wrap ourselves in fleece blankets. Pulling out my Bible, I flip to a familiar Psalm. It reads, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I’ve been learning how to be still and listen to God for decades and have yet to master the practice. My mind has been racing again lately, and silencing my thoughts today feels next to impossible. Instead of being critical of my racing mind, I am kind to myself today. I lean back and let the thoughts pass like clouds in a sapphire sky. Finally, after several minutes, my mind…
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8 Bible Verses on Breaking Negative Cycles
I stand in front of the cupboard and stare blankly. I’m not hungry, but this cupboard is where I come to escape when the kids are fighting and the walls are closing in. I know what I should do. I should open my Bible and read through my list of Bible verses on breaking negative cycles of escapism and sin. Instead, I indulge. The cycle of my escapist eating continues, and I feel trapped and ashamed. Bible Verses on Breaking Negative Cycles Perhaps you can relate. Maybe you’ve been trying to overcome a destructive habit for decades, but you can’t seem to find freedom. Today, we’ll explore eight Bible verses…
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5 Ways to Enjoy God Wherever You Are: Lessons From the Road
After 11 days on the road, we returned home to western Pennsylvania last week. All in all, the trip reminded me of how to thoroughly enjoy God and his gifts in every situation. We spent more than 70 hours crammed into a small Nissan Frontier together. For kids who are 12, 8, and 4, that’s a lot of hours. Nonetheless, the kids marveled at the majesty of the Tetons and watched Old Faithful erupt in a cloud of steam. They stood outside the site of their parents’ first date, The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, and they posed beneath Mount Rushmore (Pics are at the end of the post). We slept…
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7 Bible Verses About Dwelling in the Presence of God
What do you want your life to be about? I asked myself this question the other day as dawn ascended in shades of lilac over the tree line. Opening my Bible in search of Bible verses about dwelling in the presence of God, I thought about learning to embrace more of life’s moments, cultivating joy, and rising above stress. Bible Verses About Dwelling in the Presence of God As I watched the sunrise, I reflected on the previous day and noticed some unhealthy patterns: my tendency to hurry through certain chores, impatience with my family, and an undercurrent of stress flowing beneath all my moments. There were no epic disasters.…
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3 Biblical Coping Strategies for Stress and Anxiety
I sit with the dawn and let my thoughts gather. The grey morning light lifts her sleepy head, and the thin air is embroidered with a crimson cardinal’s song. My mind is scattered, and I feel like I’ve been stretched too thin. I’m thinking about packing lunches, painting walls, mid-morning Zoom calls, and new rain boots for the little one. I could use a few Biblical coping strategies for stress today. I don’t want to be stretched and stressed. I’m tired of snapping at my kids and rushing through moments I should have cherished. “I need a stress detox,” I whisper to no one in particular. Throughout the past months,…
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5 Practical Ways to Sit at Jesus’ Feet
Shadows of maple leaves move like water on the lawn. Lost in their dance, I step out of my cares for just a moment, and my heart feels light for the first time in weeks. More than anything, I’m desperate for space to step back, breathe, and sit at Jesus’ feet. I wish I were better at going with the flow and living with open hands, willing and eager to receive whatever happens to cross my path. Unfortunately, every time we hit a bump in the road, I call it crisis mode and come unhinged. I’m well aware of Jesus’ words: “In this world, you will have trouble . .…
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Dwelling in the Presence of God: 3 Practical Ways
The morning glories are climbing the neighbors’ porch beams when I stop along the road and come to a realization: I want to live a life spent dwelling in the presence of God, but hurrying is pulling my attention away from his presence. God is always present with us, which means that we are always dwelling in his presence; yet it’s easy to become distracted by the demands of our days and fail to cultivate the awareness of his presence. As counter-intuitive as standing along the road and watching the climbing vines feels, I could learn something from their slow climb heavenward. Staring at the climbing vines, I’m amazed by…
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4 Ways to Grow Spiritually and Connect With God
We were in the middle of a full summer schedule when I read these words from late missionary Jim Elliot: “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” Jim’s words prompted me to ask hard questions about living present in my moments as I sought ways to grow spiritually. Ways to Grow Spiritually and Connect With God Maybe you can relate. You want to grow spiritually, but you’re pulled in dozens of different directions. Most days, you hurry from one task to the next with little space for slowing down to connect with God. The morning I read…
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How to Make the Most of Your Time: A Review of “Around the Clock Mom”
I awaken before the little ones for the first time in what feels like years. There’s a fresh skiff of snow resting like a cloak over frozen earth. I brew the coffee – careful not to make any noise whatsoever – and I whisper these words, “Make the most of your time alone, Stacey. This is a rare gift.” Every mother knows about the gift of solitude. Space to sit with your thoughts before the daily barrage of endless questions is the most precious kind of gift. I pull a chair to the window while the coffee drips like it’s keeping track of time. There are goldfinches at the birdfeeder…
