As not only our country but our entire world walks through a time filled with so much uncertainty. My prayer is that your fear turns into faith. Daily we are waking up to life changing news as things seem to be getting worse before they are getting better.
Maybe you are watching someone you know struggle with sickness or maybe you are just struggle with life itself. As we watch our country shutting down before our eyes and life truly seems to be spiraling out of our control.
Well I have some news for you… but God.
"DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS BE TROUBLED. TRUST IN GOD " JOHN 14:1
Finally Walking
I’m not really sure how other writers write. Since writing kinda came to me, and not I to it, I often wonder if they have this little quaint space in their home that helps put their mind at peace as they write. Or maybe they have sticky notes on the wall with thoughts and ideas. Since there are 6 of us in my home, my home can be loud with people in and out throughout the day... and night lol. Between running a business and a household finding time to write can be challenging sometimes. I find that most of the time when I do write it’s a thought that God gives me at any given moment. I’m hurrying to get out the shower so I can write something down. I’m driving down the street and God says use this. I’m in the yard with the dogs and a firefly lights up in front of me. All these little moments are jotted down in my phone. I do most of my writing not in a quiet spot or at a desk, but on my phone. In my phone are a bunch of “oh let me write this down” moments that somehow turn into writing. From my phone I rewrite them onto the computer and then I send them to the editor of Modern Grace Magazine or I upload them to Facebook. Well last night I mentioned that to my hubby and he set up One Note on my computer while I downloaded it on my cell. So now when I write on my cell it will go straight to my computer! I felt like that was such a huge step in my writing process as I figure out what works for me! Writing for me has kinda been like learning how to walk for the first time. You slowly put one foot in front of the other until one day you wake up and you finally feel like you are able to run! I know I still have a long way to go but I think I am finally starting to run down the path God has set before me!
The hardest part of senior year isn’t graduation.
Once you get there you are so unbelievably proud of their accomplishments you are filled with joy!
The hardest part of senior year are the last times.
Joy in the Journey
We are all on our journey in life… a very intricate journey with highs and lows. My journey looks different than yours, but one thing we all have in common is deciding how we will embrace the voyage.
We all will have times of great joy; times when we feel like we are on the mountain top and nothing can possibly take away our happiness. But what about those times where we are in the valley low; times when we wonder how we will face another day?
Stop Chasing
Often times even as a Christian we try to find our peace and joy in the things of this world. Maybe it’s something we think we need to achieve or something we want to buy. Maybe it’s a relationship that needs to be fixed or a job that is perfect for us. We think if we can just do this or get that THEN my life will have purpose, THEN my life will be filled with joy and peace. When all the while the things we are chasing are of this world and none of them will bring us the true peace or joy we are longing for. That peace which in turn brings your heart true joy can only come from Jesus.
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27 ❤️
Uniquely and Wonderfully Made
When I think of fall, I think of pumpkins, scarecrows, bales of hay and spiced latte’s! This time of the year I always look forward to picking out pumpkins for my porch! We are in a new home and I cannot wait to decorate this fall! If you are anything like me, I always find myself digging to the bottom of each box of pumpkins looking for the perfect one!
All the while knowing that finding the perfect pumpkin can be a challenge because they come in all kinds of different shapes, sizes and colors! When you stop to think about it there really isn’t any such thing as a “perfect pumpkin” because no two pumpkins are alike! The difference in each pumpkin is what makes it unique and beautiful! Isn’t that how God made us and sees us? God made each of us unique and perfect at the same time!
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With September beginning my mind has been racing with thoughts of life changing!
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23 ❤
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Proverbs 4:23 ❤
This week Sadie will be turning 16 and later this month I will be turning 40. At 16 you see the world is just at your fingertips yet at 40 you begin to look at the world in a much different perspective as life seems to be passing by quicker and quicker with each passing year. The world around us is changing so quickly.
With each passing year it seems like feminisms is rising to the forefront of our culture. How do we begin to teach our daughters to grow in grace, to grow in Christ as the world around them is teaching them to grow in themselves... to become like everyone else... to be the best version of yourself by changing the way God made you.
The world wants you to live a “me” centered life while the Christian life should be lived in the shadow of the cross. Instead of being a follower of the world I want her to be a follower of Christ. As a mother the best way to show her is to lead by example. To teach her to guard her heart above all else. To be a woman that knows her self-worth comes not from this world but from God. To be a woman that cares only about what God thinks instead of what the world thinks.
And most importantly to be a God fearing woman instead of a culture following woman.
FROM CHOAS TO PEACE
Recently I was trying to get my family ready to go on vacation. There always seems to be so much that needs to be done when we are trying to go out of town. Between trying to finalize details for eight people in Disney to getting a business, a home, and two animals ready to leave for seven days, I found myself more than a little stressed out. It felt so chaotic trying to accomplish everything that I thought needed to be done. Then suddenly in the busyness of my day I could hear the Lord saying…. Just stop and talk to Me…. Just stop and let Me help you....
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Recently I was trying to get my family ready to go on vacation. There always seems to be so much that needs to be done when we are trying to go out of town. Between trying to finalize details for eight people in Disney to getting a business, a home, and two animals ready to leave for seven days, I found myself more than a little stressed out. It felt so chaotic trying to accomplish everything that I thought needed to be done. Then suddenly in the busyness of my day I could hear the Lord saying…. Just stop and talk to Me…. Just stop and let Me help you....
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Such faith! How much different would our walk with Christ look if we had this kind of faith....
“When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Mark 5:27-28.
if I could just touch them hem of His clothes! When we let go of our lives and trust in Him, He will do miraculous things in our lives! We must just believe! ❤
“When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:27-34
CARRY THOSE BURDENS
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
Trying to get ready for vacation can tend to fill me with anxiety. Between trying to finalize details for 8 people in Disney to getting a business and home ready to leave for 7 days I find myself a little stressed. Then today in the busyness of my morning I hear God saying... just stop and talk to me... just stop and let me help you... I don’t know about you, but there are times I feel like I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. But God always has a way of reminding me that He will carry those burdens if I allow Him to. ❤
FRIENDS
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17
AS YOU GET OLDER
As you get older you start to understand the difference between true friends and acquaintances. When I was in high school I thought I had a ton of friends, but as you get older you see your circle of friends gets smaller and smaller.
AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE
At this point in my life I can honestly say I can count my “friends” on one hand and only one of those has been my friend since I was a child. Each of these women are always there for me when I need them, regardless if I have talked to them this week or this month. As I have walked through the valleys over the last year they found a way to come alongside me and lift me up.
THEY LOVE WITHOUT JUDGEMENT
They love without judgement and they listen to what I say but at the same time understand what I don’t know how to say. These women that are in my small circle make me a better person... and more importantly they make me a better Christian. ❤
notaone-timething
Following Jesus isn’t a one-time thing; it’s waking up daily and following Him. The thing is, there is so much joy in following Him! In having a relationship with Him! In sharing with others how wonderful He is! Following Jesus doesn’t just happen the day you are saved... It just begins the day you are saved! ❤
“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Luke 9:23-24
IF WE ASK.
Yesterday I committed to taking one piece of scripture and writing about it. I am giving myself a week to pray about it and write about it until I feel I have exactly what God is wanting me to say. That’s basically what I do when I write for Modern Grace Magazine but I usually give myself more time to pray about the topic and content. This morning as I start my quiet time with one of my devotions God points me directly to the chapter in the Bible He wants me to use this week as I read His word and write. Just another reminder if we ask for anything no matter how big or small and it is in line with Gods will for our lives, we shall receive it.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8
It may be the last few days of June in south Louisiana, but the humidity is down today so I am taking advantage of some writing on the porch swing.
Over and over again I have felt like there is something bigger out there for me. Something I should be doing that I’m not doing. I have come to know that’s the Holy Spirit nudging me. It may not always be clear to me what I am supposed to be doing but I know if I pray about it God will in time make my paths straight and show me what it is that He is pointing me towards. One of those things I know He keeps nudging me towards is writing more. I would have never dreamed this is something I would be doing at this point in my life. But I do know that Gods dream for us is bigger than anything we can dream on our own... it’s HUGE! Is God nudging you to do something? Take that leap of faith and do it! It may not be easy... but it wouldn’t be called faith is it was.
What if...
Life can be busy sometimes. We live life forgetting who made us and why we were made. Well maybe it’s not that we tend to forget, its more that we place it in the back of our minds because we are so busy just doing life. That’s the devils way of distracting us.
But what would happen if...
“For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” Romans 11:36
When we lose sight of Gods will and hold onto our will we lose sight of the way our life was intended to be lived. We get wrapped up in what consumes us when we should be wrapped up in what consumes Him. ❤
Gift Coming Down
I know I have said this before but the book of James might just be my favorite book in the Bible. Such amazing encouragement in just a few pages! When we walk through trials and tribulations on this earth remember even just the small blessings! No evil comes from God... no pain comes from God. Sometimes it’s hard to see the sun through the clouds... But I promise the sun (Son) is coming and HE is oh so good! ❤
“So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” ~ James 1:16-18
How Sweet
“How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.” Psalms 119:103
I always laugh and say school wasn’t necessarily my best subject. Art drew my attention most of the time and honestly today it still does. I see beauty in the simple things of life. As my walk with Christ became closer I realized that all the teachings I could have learned in school would never equal the teachings in God’s word. I could have been the next Einstein.... well maybe not.... but if I did not have Christ my life would have been for nothing. Because a life well lived is not one guided by the world but one guided by Gods word.
“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” Psalms 119:105
Fireflies
MODERN GRACE ARTICLE
One of my favorite memories as a child is being outside at night and seeing the fireflies light up! As an adult I can still remember catching fireflies on those hot Louisiana summer nights. My best friend and I would try to catch as many as we could with hopes of filling our pickle jar. It was always neat to catch them and peek through our fingers to see them lighting up in our hands. Even now when I see them it brings me back to a place of joy. Catching fireflies is one of the many things I loved about living in the country!
He Qualifies
I’m finishing up my next article for Modern Grace Magazine this morning. I’m in awe daily that God thought I should be writing. I think English was the hardest subject for me in high school.... not to mention I think I could have been voted quietest of our senior class. I didn’t even finish college! My mind tells me over and over again that I’m not qualified to do this.
But as always God reminds me that He doesn’t call the qualified... he qualifies the called.