Jesus
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Talking Jesus in the Mayonnaise Aisle
Picture it… Talking about Jesus in the mayonnaise aisle at the grocery store as others come and go around you… If we’re being honest, what feelings does it stir up in your heart? Discomfort? Anxiety? Fear? Not too long ago, I would find myself awkwardly uncomfortable – to the point of shutting down – if any conversation, public or private, ventured into the topics of God, Jesus, or the Bible, but especially in group or public settings. I could give you a whole list of reasons why, but it primarily came down to two (well one, really): Fear and Insecurity. I feared either total rejection (even by strangers) or that…
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Two-Minute Thoughts: Shaking Courage
When describing the moments just before he stepped out in faith, Nehemiah writes, “I was terrified.” (Nehemiah 2:2) But he took the step. And guess what? God showed up. God delivered. God was faithful. Sometimes, God calls us to step out in faith, muster up every ounce of courage we can scrape together, and trust that He will catch us. And sometimes we are shaking in fear because we have a lot on the line and we’ve been disappointed so many times when we have counted on anyone other than ourselves. Sometimes what He is calling us into feels so impossible or the road feels too impassible. But my friends,…
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What If Joy Doesn’t Come With the Morning?
“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5 NLT) But God, what if it doesn’t? What if the morning comes and I’m still curled up in the fetal position, overwhelmed with depression, anxiety, and confusion? What if I’m angry… so angry… because it’s all just so unfair. It’s unfair, God. I’ve done everything I know to do and these unrelenting waves are beating the life out of me! One after another after another. I come up for air and just as I think maybe there’s a reprieve in this storm, I’m thrown under the water again, gasping for my next breath and struggling to…
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2022 New Year’s Resolution: Simply Put… More Jesus!
Friends, if I may be a little vulnerable with you today… 2020 was a year that brought me to my knees, quite literally. It was hard… so very hard. There were times that I wasn’t sure how to breathe, much less how to put one foot in front of the other. And by the start of 2021, I had only one prayer on my lips; one resolution that I could even wholeheartedly commit to chasing. Simply put, More Jesus. Over the course of the year that followed, I dedicated myself to speaking life into His promises, over and over, even when I could not see a way through the emotional…
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8 Truths About God’s Love & Powerful Declarations to Speak Over Your Life Today!
Friends, if you need a little reminder about how much you are loved and how valuable and irreplaceable you are in His eyes, I encourage you to read through these eight truths and allow them to deeply take root in your heart today! Make these declarations over your life and allow them to bring you hope, encouragement, and strength. Blessings, friends! He is with us. 1. I am deeply loved by a Heavenly Father that knows me by name. He delights in me today, right now, in this very moment, just as I am. Even in the moments when I fall short or fail, He picks me up, dusts me…
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“Fall Into Me” A 4-Week Trust Fall Into Our Heavenly Father’s Arms
Fall… it’s a season of change. It’s a quite visual demonstration of how beautiful it can be to let go. Living in the Colorado mountains, we marvel every year at the colorful show put on by our aspen trees. We embrace the transformation and stand in awe of the changes that God is creating all around us. What a beautiful and delightful time! But, guess what? As I marvel at the beautiful changing of the seasons all around me, I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that God isn’t just the Creator of change in nature. He’s also changing things in my heart. And He’s changing things in yours too.…
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When My Feelings Threaten to Consume and Define Me…
I feel small and find myself taking up less space. I am so much less colorful than I once was and I fear that I will never find joy again. My light and spark have dimmed and sometimes I am afraid that I will be swallowed up entirely. I feel defeated and tired. I feel hopeless. I feel anxious. I feel misunderstood. I feel alone. And I find myself totally at the mercy of these feelings. A lot. Does any of that sound familiar to you? That was exactly where I sat last year as God walked me through a very beautiful, but often difficult, total heart transformation. I can…
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Which Comes First… Faith or Glory? Hint: It May NOT Be What You Think!
Sometimes I work out a message from God in my writing. I wanted to invite you to join me today… The answer seemed obvious…faith, of course. If you have faith, especially through the storms, you’ll be rewarded, right?! That’s what I reasoned out when God challenged me with that question earlier this week. But, as soon as the answer settled into my thoughts, something about it just didn’t sit right. I’d like to set the scene for you on how this conversation with my Heavenly Father began. A while back, I wrote the following: Ever feel like your circumstances do not look like His promises? Like your storm is swirling,…
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30 Days of Chasing Joy: A Jesus-Based One Month Action Plan
Referencing some of the apostles in the Bible, Max Lucado once wrote, “within them dwells a fire not found on earth.” Let that sit with you for a moment… “within them dwells a fire.” For the better part of the last year, I have chased that fire with eagerness and intentionality. I have not always known which direction to take, but I have leaned into my relationship with Jesus and tried to learn as much as possible about what He is trying to teach me. What I have found is a renewed joy like I have never experienced in my life. It is not a joy that comes from a…
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How This $7 Homemade Board Changed My Praying Game
I am going to admit something here, right up front. I spent many (many) years paying little (or no) attention to my prayer game. I honestly felt like God was going to do… well… whatever He wanted to do, with or without my prayers. Wow… that’s a lot of honesty. But maybe you find it relatable? All of that changed for me about a year ago. If you’ve ever been through a life circumstance that literally dropped you to your knees, then you understand the complete paradigm shift that took place in my heart when I witnessed the truly divine power of prayer. I had a beautiful friend reach out…