"Trust in the Lord with all your heart" Proverbs 3:5
I was reading through 2 Samuel and noticed a name I had never paid much attention to: Ittai. Don't recognize the name either? Let's talk about who he was. Ittai was from Gath, a Philistine city. Another Philistine you'd recognize from the Bible is Goliath, the giant David killed with a slingshot and a stone. [...]
We are forgetful beings. We forget loved one's birthdays, where we put our keys, even memories go hazy around the edges, details lost to time. And sometimes we don't even remember we forgot. That might sound weird, but its likely someone will eventually mention the birthday party you missed and you won't forget the existence [...]
Sunset on a cloudy sky
I never like to go in more than one direction. I like to have a focus, something that is grounding me. If I'm applying to a job, I like to apply to one, see if I get it, and then move on from there. If I'm looking for an apartment, I like to find a [...]
One of my favorite things I bought in Italy is a Venetian glass necklace. Venice is known for their blown glass, and one of the places we went was a glass blowing company. It's a small, teardrop shaped piece of glass that reflects light in yellows, blues, purples, and oranges. Venice was the first city [...]
I've heard the verse a hundred times, but this time it hit different. I really thought about the meaning of the verse, and it impacted me in a whole new way. In Luke 12 :7, Jesus says "Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted..." I had never really thought twice about this verse. [...]
"The Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name." Genesis 2:19 This detail is such a beautiful image of fatherhood. I used [...]
Words are hard to form in the face of grief. Well-meaning people say things that are less than helpful to those having a difficult time. We have a tendency to want to fix other people's problems, including their grief. We say things like "well, at least..." "everything happens for a reason" and "just be thankful [...]
We've all been in situations we wanted to change. Whether they were situations of mild discomfort or life or death, it's likely there have been moments you prayed for God to intervene. My prayers for change usually end up being very similar to one another: "please change this," "please remove this obstacle," "please make this [...]
Deuteronomy 2:5 "You've been traveling around this hill country long enough; turn north. Command the people: You are about to travel through the territory of your brothers, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, so be very careful. Don't provoke them, for I will not give you and [...]
A Bible story that has been sticking out to me lately is a conversation Jesus has with Peter after His resurrection. In John 21, He is telling Peter to tend His sheep, and describing what will happen to Peter—a not so peaceful death. Peter sees John, and asks Jesus "Lord, what about him?" (verse 21). [...]
There is no escaping it: this is the season where everyone sets goals, makes resolutions, and prepares for the next year. I've seen countless posts about "40 Day Challenges" and "7 habits you have to take in to 2023" and I find myself frowning at my screen. I don't know why it bothers me so [...]
In the busyness of the holiday season, we can get distracted from Christmas' true meaning. As you buy gifts for loved ones, prepare meals for gatherings, and take time off of work, remember what you are celebrating. Jesus came into this world as a baby to live and die for us. What we know about [...]
Not even Jesus was loved by everyone. Creator of the world and the gospel of peace and love. The actual one person that could heal, restore, and bring peace to our broken world was killed by it. The Gospel of John says "He was in the world, and the world was created through him, and [...]
In the best possible way, Jesus has been wrecking me lately. I am not someone who usually cries at the drop of a hat. I'm the kind of person who will bite the inside of my cheek before I let a tear fall willfully, and I especially don't like others to witness me crying. But [...]
God speaks to me through written word. Through reading the Bible and journaling my thoughts out He delivers whatever messages He may have for me. It is a source of comfort to know that He knows me so well and meets me uniquely in that place, but I've gone through seasons of jealousy in this [...]
"Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my song." Isaiah 12:2 My biggest fear is that I am walking down the wrong path. That I am somehow missing my calling, missing out on the best parts of my life. [...]
In college I really began to come into my faith. I started learning what it was like to have a relationship with Jesus and live out my faith every day. I was excited about beginning to walk on this faith journey that was more than Sunday mornings and praying when I needed something. I began [...]
As I was reading Matthew 21, this conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees caught my particular attention: 23 Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” 24 Jesus [...]
I've learned a part of maturing is doing the things you don't wan't to do but know you need to do. At least, that's what I told myself one Sunday as I got ready for church. My body was charged with anxiety, my mind weighed down from the difficult week. I was getting emotional thinking [...]
We all have big dreams and plans we insert into our faith journey, all the while forgetting that the number one thing God wants from us is relationship.
I ended my last blog post with a verse from Proverbs. “A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.” Proverbs 15:1 I think a lot of us can attest to this verse. We’ve been on a receiving side of someone snapping an angry answer at us, only to feel that [...]
I've been angry for a long time about a lot of things. I was consumed by bitterness that was uncharacteristic of me, and I didn't know what to do. Then I looked to the gentleness of Jesus.
I settled down in the lawn chair, looking out into the changing colors of the woods, wrapping my blanket around my legs. The air was cool, a slight breeze picking up every now and then. The sun was shining down on my face through the trees, warming me. I reached into my backpack and pulled [...]
For a long time I’ve carried an image of the ideal person I wish to be. This person does everything right. She knows exactly who she is. She goes to bed early, she works out, spends time with God, writes every day, eats well, maintains relationships and makes everyone she knows feel loved. She is [...]
I finished a journal today*--the first journal I have ever finished front to back. It has taken me over a year to fill, and cover to cover it is full of my faith journey over the past year and three months. Its pages hold my deepest transformations, so much of what God has taught me, [...]
A few words I got from the Lord earlier in this year were “be still” and “wait.” I was in a season of worry, a season of looking frantically ahead, a season of anxiety. At the end of the spring and beginning of the summer, I kept feeling like God was setting me up for [...]
Always Emily 