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God’s Guidance: 4 Ways to Find His Direction
Standing on the shoreline beneath Alaska’s midnight sun, the hollow clap of clear water against stone echoes beneath my feet. I’ve come to Alaska to seek God’s guidance for my life. I have no way of knowing that God is waiting to offer direction that has little to do with the questions I’ve been asking. I’m 21 years old, and I’m seeking answers about my career, myself, and my faith. I don’t know it yet, but God is waiting to graciously provide answers to all three. How to Find God’s Guidance I’ve been praying about whether to leave my home in Pennsylvania to pursue a teaching career in Alaska. Meanwhile,…
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8 Bible Verses About Change and Transition
The cobalt skies have faded to grey, and aside from a few crumpled leaves, the poplar tree beside our house has shed her summer foliage. Most of the leaves are scattered on the deck in shades of burnt sienna, and I don’t have the heart to sweep them away just yet. I’ve never been great at handling change. I pull out my Bible in search of a few encouraging Bible verses about change and transition in life. Today, I want to hold on to lingering twilight, campfires in the yard, and supper on the deck. Everything within me wants to hold onto barefoot water fights and footraces around a flourishing…
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God Uses Broken People—and He Wants to Use You
Have you ever wondered if your mistakes disqualify you from serving God? Today, I warmly invite you to travel back in time with me, and I’ll bear witness to the fact that God uses broken people—and he wants to use you. God Uses Broken People My early twenties were tumultuous. I was angry with God and decided to live for myself instead of living for him. After a few tough years, I realized I wasn’t cultivating the life I wanted for myself. I returned to God with a humble heart and asked him to help me put my life back together. Slowly, God began the restorative work of healing my…
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Overcoming the Spirit of Failure and Trusting God
A placid lake shines silver beneath the sinking sun. As we sit along the water, a friend tells me I should share my writing with the world. I want to take her advice, but overcoming the spirit of failure feels daunting. I’ve been writing all my life, but this time feels different. It feels less like aimless wandering and more like a calling. Sometimes it’s hard to know the difference. Sometimes you just want God to write your next step in the clouds or dampen a sweatshirt on dry ground at dawn. You wish he’d tell you exactly what to do and when to do it. I tell my friend…
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4 Insights to Help You Keep Trusting God When It Hurts
A pale, yellow aspen leaf flutters from above. The shape of a teardrop, it swirls on some unseen current and lands at my feet. Picking it up, I’m reminded of the One who counts our teardrops and stores them in a bottle. It’s not easy to keep trusting God when it hurts. Circumstances have been difficult here throughout the past months. Hopes and dreams have crashed and burned, and at times, it felt crushing. Trusting God When It Hurts Most of us have tasted the bitter flavor of broken dreams. Whether you were asking God to lead you into a relationship, give you a child, or bring a long-awaited vision…
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When God Calls You to Step Out: A Review of Fearing Bravely
I invite you to journey back in time with me. We’ll talk about stepping out of our comfort zones, and then I’ll offer insight into a book called Fearing Bravely, which will challenge you to step out, too! When God Calls You to Step Out: A Review of Fearing Bravely It’s past midnight in Tijuana, Mexico. I lie awake on the hard mattress of my cot and listen to the sound of teen girls snoring and tossing in their equally uncomfortable bunks. I’m here as a youth leader with dozens of teens from our church, and we’re serving the people of this city with open hearts and willing hands. Sometimes,…
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When Trusting God With Your Future Doesn’t Come Easily
We threw out the old calendar—the one with the tattered edges and scratched-out plans—and we burned it to ash last week. We watched the flames lick it up like they were happy to say goodbye to the year and all it held. As I watched the tangerine flames dance in the wind, I considered the secret for really trusting God with your future—whether you’re coming out of the best season of your life or the worst. As I reflected on our past season, I gained courage. I also thought about the many times in Scripture when God’s people told stories about his past faithfulness. Maybe we should follow their lead.…
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How to Get Close to God Again: 4 Practical Steps
I walked down the road for the sheer joy of stepping into the ivory firmament and breathing deeply today. Maybe I needed a fresh lesson on how to get close to God again. I’d been feeling distant and disconnected from him, and I hoped that time outside might help me reconnect with him. I was still within eye-shot of the house when something caught my eye. Surrounded by sleepy beige earth, a single sprig of yellow-crowned goldenrod danced in the afternoon breeze. Bending low, I stopped to admire the tiny ray of hope in the middle of the desolate, almost-winter world. There is always beauty woven into barrenness. Somehow, that…
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What Is God’s Will for My Life? (10 Absolutes)
An oak leaf falls to its final resting place on pale grass—russet and scaled with age. I consider the sights it saw from its perch high above and imagine its six short months were filled with wonder. I’m in the woods tonight to pray about God’s will for my life. I’m not trying to discern an impacting career change or a move across the country. I simply want to create space to assess the rhythms of my days and make sure I’m still in step with my Guide. Twenty years ago, I sat in this same span of forest and asked similar questions about God’s will for my life. I…
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How to Grow in Faith: 5 Things You Can’t Take With You on the Journey
I sit beneath a salmon sunset and tell God I want to go deeper with him. A certain pattern of behavior comes to mind, but I dismiss it quickly. I want to learn how to grow in faith, but I’m not willing to let go of the habits holding me back. Maybe you can relate. You know how it feels to ask God what he wants you to surrender into his hands, only to butt up against a bad habit you don’t really want to release just yet. I sit with my desires as the coral-streaked sky fades to inky black night. Ultimately, when it’s time to return home and…
