Faith

  • Faith,  Simple Joys.

    Peace, Presence, Power: The Impact of Gratitude.

    My eyes swelled with tears as I read her text: “I just can’t believe this is my life, Nicole.” How many times before had I sobbed with those same words before the Lord, written them in years’ worth of prayer journals, and painfully whispered them to my husband as he’d held me close and assured me we were together, and that would be enough. I wanted to list them out for her, to show her I understood the depth of her ache, and yet, I didn’t want to make the moment about myself either. So, as I sat there and prayed about the right response at a moment like this,…

  • Faith,  Newsletters.

    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…

  • Faith

    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…

  • Faith

    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…

  • Faith,  Motherhood.

    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…

  • Faith,  Motherhood.,  Simple Joys.

    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…

  • Faith,  Motherhood.

    The Miners League.

    For months Justin has been stopping to tap the half wall above the landing as he and Savannah come down the stairs. What I thought was quirky and cute at first soon drove me crazy. “WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?!” I finally cracked and asked. Then Justin told me about locker room traditions. About sports teams rallying around and tapping motivational quotes before heading into the game to give their all. Every bit of annoyance in me became inspiration. I knew what I wanted to do for him for Fathers Day. I just had to find our family motto. Watching Moana with Savannah one night, the grandma asked (in song, of…

  • Faith,  Grief in Motherhood.

    Believing for “Brave.”

    There was a time that I welcomed New Years with hopeful declarations. Words that I believed the Lord had placed on my heart and asked me to pursue Him for the development of. Words that weaved themselves in and out of every domain of my life. So much further reaching than a single resolution. It’s been 4 years since then. 4 years since I led my class of third graders in choosing a word to declare over their own year. We crafted construction paper self portraits with New Years party hats and written responses about their chosen words. I spent the night before they made their projects cutting out the…