Recently, I struggled to hear God’s voice in the midst of the chaos that is going on around me. I needed to grow in my relationship with God, but I felt stagnant in my efforts. Every time I tried to pray or read the Bible, God felt so distant. I felt like a bad Christian. It seemed like I was talking to an old friend, who couldn’t relate to me, and there was a barrier between us so I couldn’t clearly hear His voice. With tears in my eyes, I slowly admitted this to one of my friends… I struggled to hear God’s voice. I felt like the Lord was far from me. I read my Bible and prayed. But I still felt overwhelmed and defeated.
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Wait. We don’t like that word very much, do we? I know I don’t sometimes and I think that as a whole, we are people who are in a hurry more often than not. What are some things that we don’t like waiting for? How about a paycheck? Food? Perfect timing, or as close to perfect as we can reach? Possessions—cars or beautiful homes? A husband? Kids?
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Over and over again in the scriptures we are instructed to pray. We are instructed to pray unceasingly and relentlessly. We pray, not because it makes God more inclined to help us, but because prayer makes us more attuned to Him. Often the results of prayer are not altered circumstances, but shifted hearts and attitudes. And this is especially true for our jobs.
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When someone lives through a life-changing event or trauma, like I did when I lost my sight, people often wonder how they are able to keep moving and carry on with life.
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“If you don’t use it, you lose it!” We’ve all heard that phrase before. It usually revolves around different skills like being able to play a sport well or speaking a different language fluently. As an immersion teacher, I can usually tell when one of my students speaks Spanish outside the classroom because when they communicate, it’s typically effortless.
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Do you believe it? Do you believe that there is a God who loves you, who is CALLING you?
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In the midst of unspeakable tragedy, there begins the floodgates of memories—the beautifully painful memories of those we did not have enough time with, whose lives were cut short, but also memories to create anew. A friend’s recent Facebook post captured my attention about the cycle, brevity, and finality of life, and how quickly life can be altered. How beautifully it can be created, and how it can be violently taken away
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From someone who lived in Wuhan at one point in her life, and adopted her son from China, Brittany shares the Wuhan she knows and loves, along with ways we can pray and practically care for others during this COVID-19 pandemic.
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I love the book of Psalms. Over the last few weeks I have found myself going there often when I reach for my Bible. I love to read them, because you can hear the intensity with which the writer writes. They’re very raw and vulnerable—just like we are sometimes when we’re at our worst or lowest.
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Be honest with me for just a minute—have you had a moment (or two or eighty–three) during this pandemic with those you most love? Have you totally lost your focus, your emotions, and the tight reign you try to keep over your tongue? I have. I’ve had several of these moments, if I’m being honest, and just earlier this week I was in the throes of one such time. I have this issue that I am always working on, with having high expectations of people.
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Two weeks ago, when I opened the YouVersion Bible App on my phone, I noticed there was a new update that included a prayer option. Since reading A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller with my community group, the Lord has been showing me more about prayer and I figured I’d implement some of what I have learned while using this new feature.
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There are seasons when it’s tempting to give up and simply stop reading the Bible and praying entirely. Because you’re just not feeling it, so what’s the point? You try to pray, but your mind just wanders anyways. You try to read the Bible but get nothing out of it - it’s just words on a page. Maybe it will fix itself tomorrow. So, how do you get out of this funk? How do you find your way back to your first love?
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We live in the age of social media, where we can share anything we’re doing at any moment. And let’s be real, most of us can’t go on a trip, visit a store, or eat a meal without broadcasting it to the masses. Listen, I’m as guilty of it as you are. But sharing everything with everyone isn’t healthy.
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As humans, we try to avoid pain. We do everything we can to fill our soul’s aches and needs by self-medicating. Some turn to drugs and alcohol to cope; others fill our schedules with work 20 hours a day until we drop into bed exhausted; and yet others fill their minds with social media, television, friends, parties, travel, and any kind of noise or distraction just so we wouldn’t have to feel the depth of our pain and need. Because hurting sucks. Having a need only God can - but won’t - fill is really hard. It is the deep, personal, felt needs that maybe no one even knows about but we carry with us every day, year after year.
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Persistent prayer doesn't change God. It changes us. Because it takes everything to keep showing up at His throne with the same request day after day, and more faith than you think you have to keep believing He will answer in His time.
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I have so many friends who are hurting right now. I also know of many more — thanks to social media — people who I feel like I know in real life. It’s hard to know what to do or say when people I love go through hard things, and I never want to be insensitive to what they’re going through. Here are a few ways you can support someone who is hurting this holiday season:
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Thanks to a certain Netflix show and some conversations with friends, I’ve been going through the things that I own, deciding what things to let go of and what to keep. My home editing has gone slowly because I stop to look at every single thing.
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I always assumed hearing God’s voice was a phenomenon reserved for people for more spiritual people than me. Previously, my opinion about people who say they “hear from God” sent up a red flag in my mind. It was a sign of delusion, not of blessing.
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If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know how much I love studying the Bible and talking about what God is teaching me through His word. There are a few tools I use almost daily in my quiet time that I wanted to share with you.
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It’s a simple question: “Where are you from?” The question seems innocent enough, but I never know what people are actually asking. From where did you drive to arrive in this place? What does your license say? Where did you grow up? Where do you call home? North Carolina. Tennessee. Arkansas. My car.
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