Mental Health Meets Faith
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Ps. 34:18) I was sick to my stomach over Tuesday’s news. 22 lives lost. 19 precious babies. 2 teachers. 1 troubled 18 year old boy. I have no children of my own, but I cherish my 3 beautiful nieces. My husband and I are looking forward to having a baby of our own. As such, I have been doing a […]
As we dive into the topic of rest, let’s consider the things that distract us from the rest that God has designed for us. For many of us, it’s simply the problems and challenges of life. We face storms, battles, and giants that loom over us. There are circumstances in our lives that threaten to rob our security, our peace, and our joy. We struggle with fear and insecurities. And we know this isn’t how things were meant to be. […]
Today, pressure, busyness, and a sense of not being quite enough hit me. The calendar is too full. There is not enough time to make time for everyone I want to make time for and to do everything I should do. Let alone the things I want to do. I can’t please everyone. I’m not eating well enough. I haven’t exercised enough. How can I be all and do all? How? When thoughts like this swirl around in my mind, I know it’s time […]
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (1 John 4:16 NIV)) Lately, as I read the Old Testament, I ponder over all the instances in scripture where God prioritizes our remembrance of the things that He has done through celebration. Throughout the Bible, God institutes ceremonies, feasts, the sabbath day of rest and even the Lord’s supper to […]
What are some of the elements of your favorite movies? Is it the suspense? Is it the feel-good vibes? Is it the true story content? What about the storyline of the overcoming underdog? When it comes to our lives, we all direct our own stories, or movies, if you will. For fellow Christians, we might ask, “Hold up. Doesn’t God direct our story?” I think the answer to that is yes and no. God loves to direct our lives, with his permission. He doesn’t […]
At the start of this year, as I began to read through Genesis, I came upon these familiar words, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day, he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Gen. 2:2-3). I started to think about the idea of sabbath. In the […]
God looked over everything that He had made; it was good, so very good! (Gen. 1:31 MSG) There is something entirely refreshing and incredible about starting a brand-new year. I began 2022 feeling inspired to go on a journey of reading through the Bible in a year. On day one, I found myself reading the story of creation. Of course, I know the story of creation and have read it before. We learn the creation story as children. As adults, […]
You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight. You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit; you give me all I can drink of you until my heart overflows. So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life. Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you! (Psalm 23:5-6) In many ways, Thanksgiving […]
This morning as I was driving to church the beauty of the day struck me. The sky was amazingly bright and blue. I found myself thanking God and filled with joy. Along the ride, I began to notice that up ahead were massive gray clouds that appeared as a wall before me. Even though I was surrounded by blue sky, clouds loomed up ahead. As I arrived at my destination, at first glance, I could no longer see the sun. Dark […]
As I am writing this, it is September 29. I started graduate school this month. With the start of school, many of my lofty goals have gone out the window and much of my time is spent with a highlighter and a book in my hand. Although in my academic past, I have prided myself on being able to do it all and to achieve with flying colors, I have come to the rude awakening that this time […]