One of the most famous kings, the Hebrew King David, was known for being one of biggest underdogs of all time. Before he was king, he was a shepherd boy, the youngest and least of all his seven brothers. But going from rags to richest did not make David proud, but instead more aware of his need for God. In fact, he relied on God so much, he constantly said….
Read MoreEver had a negative thought or memory you can’t seem to shake?
We are told in the Bible to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). But when we get caught up in stressful situations, sometimes listening to God’s voice of truth seem challenging.
Read MoreEarlier this morning I reminisced about crisp fall days 10 years ago. I had adventured to Italy, to study art in the land and culture where some of my favorite artists had created their masterpieces. It was a gift and a challenge. Only seven other students studied in that semester’s cohort. While we lived and created in a 14th century stone and marble monastery, we traveled around central Italy and marveled at its beauty and culture.
My prayers in that monastery as I painted, sketched and studied were young artist prayers. I have the daily journal entries to remind myself that my prayers seeking God’s help were sometimes selfish and definitely passionate. It is clear looking back I was lost about what being an artist meant (and if we are honest, many of us artists are still discovering this!).
As I think back, I realized that the thing I learned about the most, more than artistic techniques or Italian culture…
Read MoreWhat kind of fruit do we produce each day? Is it self-focused or other focused? Does it give life to others or tear them down? Are we acting out of stress-based, worry-based or fear-based thinking and feeling? Some of you might be like me and be hard on yourself thinking “I’m not producing enough good fruit, I have to be better. God has given me so much, I have to give back and grow more!” This kind of shame-based thinking needs to be uprooted from our hearts if we are to live in God’s freedom. As my former pastor Emy Vazquez says “Shame off you!”
Read MoreYesterday, a woman came up to my husband and I on the beach and shared some fun news- a nearby seaturtle nest was hatching its last little egg. What proceeded was a group of the three of us, growing to nine people cheering on a baby sea turtle across the beach to its ocean destination. It brought up alot of thoughts inside me. It got me thinking about what we think the world or people owe us. While in nature, animals take their lot in life and just live without comparison or a desire have things easier or different.
How often do we open our eyes and are more aware of the lists of things that need to be done than the things of things that God could do? How much more of a gift could our days be if we opened our eyes and our first thought was “I wonder what God will do today?”
Read MoreHere’s a not-often quoted verse from scripture: “God allows the rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Why isn’t it quoted much? That’s for another day! Haha!
One meaning of this verse is that we all are given the means to be refreshed each day. We all have blessings showered on us, regardless of whether we live by God’s will or not. And it is also a good reminder that God is sending refreshment to us daily, whether we deserve it or not..
This means that God sends each one of us something to celebrate
Read MoreDoes anyone else, like me, sometimes loses sight of the big picture? I mean, professing faith in Jesus means there are some hugely wonderful truths in the world. Truths like God adores us (Romans 8:39). Truths like He created a gorgeous world for us to live in (Genesis 1:27-29). Truths like He sends a Comforter and Counselor to us when we need it most (John 14:26).
Read Morein the cool of the day, Adam and Eve walked with God (see Genesis 2-3).
How incredible is that? Often I’ve wished we still could do that.
Then one morning, while living where we had two small gardens, I woke up at dawn. This is unusual for me. More unusual was that I decided to get up and pick vegetables out of these little gardens. If you know me, this was a big deal because I had never successfully grow anything by myself before this. So while my mom is a very good gardener, I truly believed it skipped a generation for years.
Read MoreGod opens up a new day lily every morning and it only lasts for a day. No one looks at that and calls it a “waste.” This morning when I was reading this scripture from Matthew 6:30-34 (MSG), I realized that our worrying about anything is truly wasted.
Read MoreWhile the above painting is new, I wrote most of of this last year while I worked as a nurse. I hope it encourages someone out there today!
Working and living life during a pandemic, especially those of us working on the front lines, can tunnel a person’s vision to see only stress, sadness and anxiety. But God, in His magnificent love for us, gives us His spirit of peace. He also promise to restore and reconcile things to himself. And he calls us to reconcile ourselves to Him as well…
Read More
