Hide-and-seek is one of my favorite games as a mom. Crouching down in my favorite hiding spot, keeping my breath as quiet and controlled as possible, I try to fade into the background and make myself invisible. I get such a thrill when I suck in my breath as my kids walk into the darkened […]
December comes rolling in with a vigor that can be full of childlike excitement or of the dread of “too much to do and too little time.” I’m not going to lie, I’m going to have to fight for the childlike wonder this year. In addition to all of the other added expectations the holidays […]
Gratitude breaks the seal to a deep soul healing. It heals our vision and is the key that unlocks the gateway to abundance. Healed eyes see beautiful wildflowers where weeds once grew. Healed eyes see bounty instead of lack and opportunity instead of opposition. Eyes healed by gratitude’s touch are eyes wide open – eyes awakened to grace.
One sentence in a Beth Moore Bible study years ago significantly changed my faith journey and relationship with Jesus. I was new to town, I didn’t know anyone, and I was in a room full of women, which can be…well, let’s face it, ladies, it can be terrifying. I contemplated leaving as I sat alone […]
Easter weekend is upon us, and many of us have taken communion, remembering our Lord’s last meal with his beloved friends. Several of us have watched an Easter movie or two or attended a Good Friday church service to remind us of the terrible suffering Christ went through on the cross for us. Often times, […]
Many of us don’t do anything for Lent or maybe we meant to but it crept up too quickly. Whether or not you have given it much thought, I really encourage you to check out the podcast today. I have come to love this season, and am excited to share with you the gift God […]
“For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” […]
Brokenhearted, I laid my head down on the table on our porch and pray-cried, feeling every mom-inadequacy rising up within me. My daughter had just left for a place I didn’t want her going, and now the last words we spoke were fighting words – another round of a battle that we are both exhausted […]
Rise Up Episode 2: Hope When You Face “A New Normal” Many of us have had to deal with the ridiculously difficult realities of facing, “a new normal.” Whether a diagnosis, relationship changes, life transitions, or other circumstances that have messed with our comfort and security, we know the emotional roller coaster that those uncertainties […]
This is An Abundant Life’s first official podcast episode of “Rise Up” where we will hear ordinary women who have had to Rise Up from extraordinary circumstances and deep valleys and have watched as God did a great work in their life. This absolutely could not come at a better time, because, I think we […]
Prayer is one of our greatest gifts and strongest weapons. Bringing our cares to the Lord frees us and enables us to unleash God’s mighty power in our lives and the lives of others. I have so often underestimated and underutilized this power in my life, but as I grow in this area, I am […]
My son was lost this week. It wasn’t long, but it was enough to find my heart thinking of every possible terrifying thing that could happen to him. I dropped him off at church for his evening class and reminded him that he can never ever leave the church and run the few blocks home […]
“OUR LIVES BEGIN TO END THE DAY WE BECOME SILENT ABOUT THE THINGS THAT MATTER.” – MARTIN LUTHER KING JR The Maker of the Universe could have created anyone. He made you. Oh, beloved, you matter so very much. You were intricately designed and formed and placed. You, with all your beauty and your quarks, all your […]
DAY NINE: CHASING JOY Today…I will chase after JOY. Maybe that sounds like my theology is bad. Maybe that sounds like I’ve got my priorities mixed up. But my JOY is my JESUS. They can’t be separated. Psalms 16:22 tells us it is in HIS PRESENCE there is JOY. AMEN! Because there is nothing that […]
DAY EIGHT: UNWRAP YOUR GIFT I have a gift for you, He says. A gift unlike anything you could ever buy in a store; a gift people have sought after for centuries. It’s yours. It’s there, every Christmas. So many times you haven’t seen it. It goes unnoticed amongst the shiny bows and boxes of […]
DAY SEVEN: THE SOUND OF HOPE Hope is one of the most precious things we possess. We need to fiercely guard and protect it because, without it, what we see in front of us is the only page of the book with which to draw our conclusions, when, in reality, there are many […]
DAY 6: THE CHRISTMAS BANQUET Come and sit. There’s a Christmas banquet that’s been prepared for you – a feast like none you’ve ever seen. The white table cloth spreads out before you with bright red cloth napkins rolled up and tied with a red ribbon holding a sprig of holly and shiny […]
DAY 5: LISTEN The sounds of Christmas give us so much to be thankful for, a reminder of His provision, a sacred echo of His grace. Last week we focused on “Come, Let us adore Him” which, hopefully, began to prepare our hearts for this Christmas season. This week, we come […]
DAY FOUR: COME JUST AS YOU ARE We’ve reflected over the last week about what it means to come…Come, let us adore Him. Our study guide on day one taught us that “erchomai,” the Greek word for “come,” is better translated, “to begin something new.” People may feel December winds down the […]
DAY THREE: IN THE DARK STREETS SHINETH The song, “Light of the World,” by Lauren Daigle starts out with these lyrics, The world waits for a miracle The heart longs for a little bit of hope Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel A child prays for peace on Earth And she’s calling out from […]
