Today is the last day of 2021. As the year comes to an end I’ve recently heard these words describe the last 365 days: Chaotic Stressful Lonely Exhausting Challenging Hard There have certainly been days for all of us where these words probably came to mind. But tomorrow is a new day AND a new year. A time to look at what is to come and not of days past. “Now I stand on solid ground, and I will publicly praise the Lord.”  (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭26:12‬). Regardless of what lies ahead of us we know as daughters of Christ that our steps will be steady.  God is our solid ground. Whether…

Several years ago I was called for jury duty for a serious crime. For three days the jurors were examined. It was grueling. The entire process was very interesting to say the least. But it opened my eyes in terms of being found guilty or innocent.  David made a ton of foolish mistakes in his lifetime, one thing was consistent. He sought God and his heart was centered on his Father.   So when David faced false accusations, he pleaded for the Lord to clear his name. “Declare me innocent, O Lord.” He knew that God would help clear his name as he faced injustice. But then David asks God…

Happy Wednesday my friends! Today I finished up reading the book of 1 Kings.  King David leads at the beginning of this book and has a very united Israel under his command. The Nation is then divided (Judah & Israel) and the book ends with the death of Israel’s King Ahab, the most wicked King of all. As the kings are described throughout this book, they either supported the Lord or did not. The most common phrases used to describe a King was “He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight” or “He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight”. Most of the Kings usually followed the example…

Listening in general can be hard for most of us humans. Can I get an Amen?! Are you listening for God? God can reveal himself in very powerful ways and also in very gentle ways.  Many Christians look for God at big rallies, churches, conferences, or through highly visible leaders. They need the wow factor to listen for God. Ponder this…are you missing God in the simple subtle whispers He lays in the quietness of your heart?  Let’s step back from all the noise and activity of our busy lives and really listen humbly for God’s guidance. It may come when we least expect it.  Listening for God requires us…

Ok I said it. Job isn’t the easiest book to read. But…..there’s so much to learn if you slow down and really ponder on and unpack the conversation between Job and his “friends.” Here are the three main takeaways that have really just been eye opening for me. 1) Satan is the great accuser and he wants us to question God. He’s not a myth or just a simple character from the Bible. He hates believers. When you are walking faithfully with the Lord, be prepared for attacks.  “I’ve been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” Believing in God doesn’t get you a ticket to easy street. The…

When Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall he pulled the Israelites together and he and Ezra read the Book of Moses to them. There was crying and sadness as the people looked back and reflected on how God had rescued their ancestors. But Nehemiah encouraged the Israelites to have joy and celebrate. As a way to celebrate and honor God, the people built shelters of twigs and lived in them during the celebration.  The Festival of Shelters became a time for the people to look back and praise God with joy and a glad heart for rescuing them. Over the last six weeks Lisa and I have both…

Many Christians I know will read the New Testament or a devotional, but do not study the Old Testament.  For me, I read the OT part of the Bible to become aware of how God acts in history.  To know His character and His ways – we have to read the whole Bible to get knowledge of what pleases God. I have heard people say, there is so much violence and killing in the OT, I just can’t do it.  Yes, I agree…there was war and bloodshed and it is different from living in America in 2021, but the history of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is in the…

“Trust God as if you were blindfolded. Trust Him without questioning or reasoning. God is! This is enough! Do not doubt that when all of self is taken away, there remains only God.” Jeanne Guyon Are you having a problem completely trusting God?  In this book by Jeanne Guyon called “Intimacy With Christ” she dives deep into becoming selfless in your faith and becoming completely intimate with Christ. We have to give up self and trust and follow His ways. God is God!  He is enough. He should be our first priority. We are to become selfless. Some days we don’t understand what is going on or why God wants…

King Solomon from 1Kings is the source of this attached quote today. He was the wisest man to ever live but still was NOT completely faithful to the Lord our God. He was not completely rooted in the Lord. He did what he wanted to do when marrying many many women from many other countries and this was evil in the Lord’s sight. Solomon REFUSED to follow the Lord completely, he thought he knew best.  Therefore, he became a slave to his wives, their gods, and their religions. He was not faithful to our God and in turn was not free. Whatever you are going through today be it at…

“Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14) As I’ve studied Esther in recent weeks she’s become one of my favorite women rooted in her faith. She’s definitely in the WWRF club! Her story is one that demonstrates the heart of a woman who fully trusted God. Although Esther bore the title of queen of Persia her job was to maintain her position and please the king. And while I am sure she was well cared for physically, I imagine that life as queen wasn’t exactly an easy position to be in. But Esther accepted her role and didn’t question what…