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Modern Witnesses: An Interview
Recently, I had the opportunity to be featured in an interview for Modern Witnesses, a blog dedicated to spreading the stories of God’s faithfulness and inspiring women to live extraordinary lives. As twenty-first century believers, we too are called to witness – to share who God is and what he has done.
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5 Secrets of Discipleship | Giving Jesus Away
In the Christian community we hear a lot about discipleship. But what is it really and how do we actively do it? Is it just a Christian buzz-word or is it a Biblical way of doing life together? The answer is found in the Greek. What is a Disciple? Jesus issues what Christians call the Great Commission in Matthew 28 as he ascends into Heaven. “Go and make disciples.” As his last commandment, this must be pretty important. In Greek, the original language used in writing the New Testament, disciples is translated from matheteuo, which means be a disciple of one, teach, instruct. The root word for matheteuo is mathetes:…
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Why I Write: A Grace Story
A Dream Come True Once upon a time stories filled a little girl’s mind. She’d sneak away with pencil in hand and write of daring adventures: of a young family braving the Oregon Trail, of a princess narrowly missing an assassination attempt, of a sibling duo who were superstars by night and students by day (this was before Hannah Montana, mind you). The little girl would steal her mom’s floppy discs and story after story began to fill her binders. She never did finish a full story though. Just after she’d get started, new characters from another time would introduce themselves. The binder was in fact, a binder of story…
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3 Benefits of a Bible Study Tray & How to Make Your Own
I discovered it sitting on an end-cap aisle at Marshalls. It quickly found its way into my cart. Since then, it’s called various places in my house “home.” On the nook table holding a centerpiece. On the ottoman containing remotes. On the side-table displaying books. And then, one day, it found its purpose. It transformed from an ordinary end-cap display tray into my Bible study tray. Why You Should Consider Using a Bible Study Tray 1. Limits Time Stealing Distractions Before my simple brown tray found its real home, my Bible study materials were scattered throughout my house. When I did make time for my quiet time, I usually spent…
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Chasing Rest
It was mile 769 out of 1,041 of our drive across the west, when I dared utter the words. “Do you ever wish we could live a slower life?” I asked my husband as we drove across the rolling plains and red clay mountains of Utah. He turned his head slightly and I offered clarification. “Do you ever wish we could move to someplace like this? Live slower. More intentionally. Not as hurried or rushed. You know, more at peace.” I turned my eyes to the countryside, letting my imagination play. I pictured a little house in the meadow of the mountains in a small town like the one we…
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Overwhelmingly First | An Anthem for My Journal & Soul
I opened the floral cover and paused. It shouldn’t have been a hard question, but it was. A Verse to Pray Over This Journal is what caused such contemplation. Sounds simple, right? Just pick one of the 31,102 verses from the Bible. To a girl who has grown up in church, this should’ve been an easy thing and yet it gave me such hesitation that words did not come for weeks. Why did this challenge me so? Why didn’t I just write one of my favorites? (Hosea 6:3 is one of my favorites, by the way). I was waiting for a particular verse. For a verse that the Lord hadn’t…
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Create Your Own Bible Study Binder {Free Printable Templates}
The Create Your Own Bible Study Binder includes a title page, a context sheet, an outline sheet and a notetaking scripture sheet for you to utilize when studying a book of the Bible. It is a free printable template that I hope will be as helpful and beneficial to you as it is to me.
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When Your Bible Study is on Life Support | How to Fall Back in Love With the Bible
I called this post “When Your Bible Study is on Life Support” but honestly there have been times (more than I’d like to admit) when my Bible study was just plain non-existent. It didn’t come in for oxygen and a IV drip – it flat out coded on the table. Untouched except for Sunday mornings when I remembered to grab it for church, only to scramble a week later trying to find it again. It was usually back on the nightstand, or even worse left in the car. Unnoticed. Unused. Without thought. This is not how fruitful and impassioned followers of God live. This is how haggard and floundering wanderers…
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5 Ways to Prepare Your Heart for Easter {with Reading Calendar}
If you are anything like me, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of obligations around holidays. I’m already trying to formulate our plan for Easter morning as we head to church and then juggle time with our families. But this year, I want it to be different. I want to focus on the meaning and not just the must-dos. I don’t want to just attend the Good Friday and Easter services at church and then get on with my agenda and schedule. I want to absorb it all. The purpose of it. The pain of it. The relief of it. The meaning of it. I want to press…
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Girl, Jesus is Better
If I’m honest, it’s been a rough week for me. I’ve felt swallowed up by my feelings. And the worst part is – it felt good. It felt good to be angry, it felt good being “justified” in my emotions. Sometimes the hard part isn’t getting out of the pit. Sometimes the hard part is wanting out of the pit. The Lord has been so kind to me in my pursuit of him this year. And yet, sin still rears its ugly head, crouching at the doorstep of our souls. Yet, in the midst of my pride and justifications, my soul whispered: “Is Jesus better?” Is knowing him and being…
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How to Wrestle Well | Asking the Hard Questions
I am so incredibly glad I didn’t commit to reading the Bible through in a year. If that had been my resolution, failure would fall pretty hard right now. I’m not just chapters behind, I’m books. As in plural. As in way behind. But I didn’t commit to reading the Bible through in a year. I resolved to read the Bible. And I have. Not every day, but I always regret it when I don’t. My days feel off and I feel the sledgehammer of self fall hard, and self is an ugly thing. I’ve been sitting in three chapters or so in Genesis for over a week and just…
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Why the Story of Abraham & Issac Isn’t a Barbaric Tale: It’s the Story of Mercy & Freedom
I still remember my mom reading me The Tale of Three Trees. It’s a children’s story about three trees who all had very different dreams. One wanted to hold treasure, the other dreamed of sailing with kings, and the last wanted to be the tallest tree in the forest. As the story continued, I remember leaning in as my mom read, all of their dreams seemed to be shattered. The first tree was turned into a feed box. The second, a little fishing boat. And the third, was just slabs of lumber. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Turns out all of their dreams did come true, just…
