Tag: life in Jesus
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The most unexpected big goal you can have this year
“Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands.” 1 Thessalonians 4:11 When there are unspeakable injustices or conspiracies, when anxiety starts to rage within me over things that are completely out of my control and out of my understanding, things “out there” that I learn…
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When life hands you lemons, take a Christmas-light drive
We were just getting home from a family Christmas party, tired, ready for bed. But when we opened the door of the house we were hit by a smell. You know me, I smell everything, but everyone smelled it this time. An obviously toxic smell, like that purple primer you use for PVC pipe. We…
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Are you “in tune”?
Yesterday we had our piano tuned. I should back up- I’ve dreamed of having a piano for years but always thought of it as maybe a “someday” thing; well, recently someone Justin knows from work just gave us a piano. Just said, “if you can move it, you can have it” (by the way, moving…
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How to not be a fool
“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise” Ephesians 5:15 One nice thing about living in New Mexico is that you’re always near nature. We can visit lakes, rivers, forests, or mountains in a 10-30 minute drive from where we are. Earlier this week, the kids got an urge to climb…
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September day journal and God’s provision
I’m sitting on the couch with my nourishing cocoa (raw milk, raw cacao, raw honey), watching, listening to, and smelling the rain come down. It’s so kind of God to give rain. Justin’s been working all day on the plumbing under the house, and it was so difficult and gross. When I saw clouds I…
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A prayer to fight selfishness
I know selfishness is wrong, but something we often fail to realize is that it doesn’t pay. The lie it tells is that it will serve somehow, give something good. But, though not necessarily seen immediately, “you reap what you sow”. Selfishness with friends/relatives repays with… Gossip? Loss of opportunities? Lack of closeness? Selfishness with…
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YOLO- The world’s perspective vs. Christianity’s perspective
“Lord, help me understand my end. What is the limit of my days? Let me know how fleeting I am.” Psalm 39:4 The psalmist here is not asking to be told his fortune; not asking for his fate to be revealed or to know the day he will die. No, he’s asking for something far…
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Acceptance and peace, and babies fighting sleep
When things don’t go my way, simply wishing for different circumstances or outcomes or wherever doesn’t do any good. Nor does trying to busy myself with distractions or becoming bitter or complacent. Not only are these attempts literally useless in helping the situation, they also don’t accomplish the good that God might be working in…
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Peace isn’t passive
“Do you want to really live?Would you love to live a long, happy life?Then make sure you don’t speak evil wordsor use deceptive speech! Turn away from evil and do what is right!Strive for peace and promote it! The Lord pays attention to the godlyand hears their cry for help. But the Lord opposes evildoersand…
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The joy of selflessness, and the line between generosity and overextension
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 “How can I be a blessing to you today, dear girl?” was how Kim, our pastor’s wife, answered…
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Journal- The Sun Still Rises
I didn’t know what direction our room was facing until the sun blazed through the window after a couple hours of restless sleep. Again, we’re home now; God is amazing. Just sharing what I wrote while in the depths of uncertainty. It’s still hard; the mornings have been harder for some reason. I cried on…
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Pray Like it Depends on God, Work Like it Depends on You
There’s an old saying, “pray as if it depends on God; work as if it depends on you”. A more recent quote I’ve heard echoes this: “God is in control, but He doesn’t expect you to lean on your shovel and pray for a hole.” The Bible records many instances of God performing miracles, and…
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The Most Important Thing In The Universe
In Stuart Little, which we recently finished together as a bedtime read-aloud, there’s a wise and adorable scene: Stuart, the school-teacher-for-the-day, says to his class, What are the important things? Maybe family closeness? The shade of a generous tree on a hot day, Good food and laughter at the same time, Stories around the campfire…
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God Has Everything You Need
Visiting the ocean, there’s really no way to miss God’s lavish abundance. Standing on the shore and looking out over the vast expanse– that’s really the only word that describes it properly- I just marvel at the size and volume. It’s incredible. Wave after endless wave repeating a roll and crash onto the sand. If…
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Disturb Us, Lord
I came across this poem this week and think it’s so relevant to today, though it was written in 1577. Disturb us, Lord, whenWe are too well pleased with ourselves,When our dreams have come trueBecause we have dreamed too little,When we arrived safelyBecause we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, whenWith the abundance…
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Does God Cause Suffering?
Here’s a big question- why would a loving God allow evil? And the big question that comes after considering that one for a while- does God cause suffering or only allow it? This is a theological debate; most Christians probably have an immediate response and opinion. Reading Elisabeth Elliot’s “Be Still My Soul” this week…
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What Does It Mean To Abide In Jesus?
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do…