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Letting Go To Lean In.
Each new year, our church is intentional to set aside 21 days of Prayer and Fasting to help its members refresh their faith. It’s an opportunity to strip away the excess that has crept in throughout the previous year, sit still with the Lord, and seek the priorities He will speak for the year to come. Typically fasting refers to denying the flesh certain indulgent foods for a period of time in order to practice surrender and strengthen self control. It grows the ability to choose promptings of the spirit over desires of the flesh. However, fasting doesn’t have to be from food alone. I have used the excuse that…
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FirstFruits.
“Wait! Don’t forget your blueberries and green beans!” She rushed back in the house to grab the two little plastic bags, filled with the first fruits of her Spring garden and tied off with twist ties. I waited outside, gathering the paper scraps of seed packets we’d just planted together and Charlie’s play yard stretched across the lawn nearby. Florida’s first April breeze lifted my hair off the back of my neck and, as I watched it blow through the surrounding trees, I breathed in deep that old, familiar comfort of my Aunt Debbie’s home. I’ve always loved it at my aunt’s house. It’s slower there. Simpler. Filled with a…
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Strangling Survivor.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 I was working on my kitchen just yesterday when I spotted it. I have lived in a townhome that looks out onto a Florida wildlife preserve for almost 4 years now. In that time, I have seen wild turkeys gathering at my bird feeder, otters playing in the small pond just paces from my front door, and a soft shell turtle making…
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TWOdles.
So “Minnie” Reasons To Celebrate! [ September 25, 2021 ] Savannah Jane,Today you are two years old. Two feels so much more emotional to me than one did. At one, you were my sweet and strong baby whose personality was really just beginning to shine. Now, at two, I know you so much more. This year your Dad and I nicknamed you SJ- Stuntin’ Joy. It’s the number one thing family, friends, and even strangers stop and notice about you. You wear a smile from the very moment I scoop you out of your bed each morning. When something makes you laugh, you scrunch your nose up and throw your…
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UnFOURgettable.
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UnFOURgettable.
My sweet SJ, You are unFOURgettable. Today, but truly every day. I have wondered so many times this last year all the ways you must be changing. What does your voice sound like? How long has your hair gotten? What have you learned? Does your one eyebrow still lift when you make that mischievous smirk? Do you still throw your head back and shriek with joy when you laugh? What does it take to make you laugh like that at this age? Are you the jokester of Heaven I imagine you are, spreading joy like you did here? I’ve wondered too what pieces of our lives you have caught glimpses…
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Made for Love.
I have had friends ask me, “Out of all the world’s religions, how do you know Christianity is the right one? I’m scared to choose wrong.” Let me tell you how I know… Today I laid my 3 month old daughter down in her crib to grab an outfit from the drawer and begin changing her. As soon as I laid her down, she turned to baby rage. I mean, this girl was yelling at the top of her lungs, face bright red, completely ignoring me as I stood over her offering the pacifier. As I picked her back up, she calmed in seconds, returned to her normal color, looked…
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Just What I Needed.
Truthfully, I always imagined myself raising boys. I just assumed that, with all my affection for order and organization, the Lord would throw in some boys to leave muddy little footprints across my floor and my type A heart. I was so sure He’d use them to teach me to let go and live a little. But that wasn’t His plan… No, it sure wasn’t because God gave me a daughter instead. The daintiest little thing, beautiful in every way, so full of the joy of life. He gave me this perfect and precious girl, and then He asked me to listen to the way I spoke to her each…
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Permission to Live.
When we first found out Savannah would need a little extra care, I remember asking the Lord, “How am I going to do this?” I knew her life held great purpose from Him, and I knew the promises of His Word from my own healing testimony. I could gather the Scriptures. I knew how to stand on them for her. He’d do the rest. But how could I live out my faith in between those moments of sink-to-my-knees, cry-out-my-eyes, call-out-His-name prayer closet sessions? What would it look like to take my stance in my bedroom- standing and shouting, pointing my finger at an invisible enemy, boldly declaring God’s Word over…
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Walking by Faith.
The bucket list I made in high school had “teach a child to walk” on it. This week I watched Savannah’s little footprints in the sand and had a shift of perspective. As hard as it is some days to see children Savannah’s age running, jumping, playing, doing dance and sports, we’re getting a little longer to take in this time that even 17 year old me recognized as being so precious. Knowing the promise (for a life of abundance in Jesus) doesn’t mean the difficult emotions don’t come. It doesn’t mean our minds won’t try to wander with the what if’s. Knowing the promise means we have the opportunity-…
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Simple Joys: A Bucket List
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Mom Guilt.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by “Mom Guilt?” Oh, phew. I knew it couldn’t be just me. For those of you mamas-to-be who’ve stumbled across my page, Mom Guilt is the irrational sense of not being able to give your baby everything they need and deserve for a healthy development. It’s root cause is a deep, sacred love for the children entrusted to you. It also stems from honoring the purpose of motherhood/longing to be intentional in the role. And its symptoms make up a long list of, well, crazy. I’ll go ahead and insert a few of my own here: waiting for a “Mom’s Day…
