The Party of Our Master, Not Man

91c77a914217e717aaa373c5cda62d1aWe can choose to fuel the loud, petty noise of the world or we can commit to fold our hands in prayer for the faith of Abraham, the convictions of Daniel, the courage of David, the peace of James, and the joy of a father whose prodigal son has returned home. Circumstances either reveal or re-make us.

Father in such a time of chaos, hypocrisy, untruths and high emotions, let us put aside the fruition of our agendas and embrace being one over being offended. May we respect the opinion of each of our brothers and sisters while realizing that we can choose the need to be right or respectable.

Entitlement is fueling anger and tensions among our people. May we put off the lie that we deserve, (fill in the blank), and put on an attitude of, what can I do for you rather than what you should be doing for me.

May all the anger, unrest, and dissension be eased with our remembrance that you are on the throne every day. You take no vacations, and you do not rest. You are at work even when we cannot see or understand the commotion swirling around us. Please let us be motivated to encourage and engage one another peacefully.

Above all, Jesus, we represent your party and your platform. May we remember the virtues and characteristics of your master vision for America, not man’s. Amen.

Hope Survives Where Happiness Does Not

It takes great courage, faith, and intentionality to feel the grief of our cross while anticipating the gifts of its resurrection.  To feel the burden without hope of the blessing is a victory for the opportunistic enemy who since the Garden of Eden wants us to believe that God is holding out on us.  We must resist feeding our minds on his lethal fruit, and feast on The Bread of Life.  It is one thing to believe, but an entirely different thing to LIVE as we profess to believe.  Our walk must be congruent with our talk.  Self-congruence does not mean we are happy all the time, (that is not the gospel), but hopeful, yes!  Hope survives where happiness does not.  You are loved.

His Beloved

7f0a8a0c9816a9698be68c059c2ebef8To believe we are anything less than His beloved is to deny the work Jesus finished on the cross.  I do not want to do that, but I do everyday when I feel or say I am not enough. Jesus is enough in our place.  He is our worthiness.  He is our righteousness.   He is our adequacy.  Our work is to believe and live in the freedom of His gift.  That is hard work, but entirely possible when we are spiritually healthy!  Counter every negative thought today with, I am His beloved.  You are loved, friend.

It is From Brokeness That We Become Free

Friend, do you need to be encouraged today? I read the below quote recently, and it has become a “tattoo” on my heart because it is that beautiful to me. Maybe I love it so much because I grew up knowing the love of a horse, and the imagery is endearing and familiar to me; or maybe it is just simply that I know the beauty that only blooms from brokenness. Whatever the case, this quote captures one of the most hope bearing truths of the gospel. God is preparing you for things beyond your imagination in ways that sometimes only He knows and understands. I pray you find refreshment here today.  “When a horse is finally tamed and trained, bearing the burden of saddle and human expectations alike, she is called broken. It is only then that she performs the duties expected of her.” ~from the book, Wild and Free

Don’t Give Up


We all have that situation that all hope seems lost. The soundtrack of our mind keeps playing, there is no point anymore; it will never happen or change. Even the people around us lose faith for us, but there is a deep, passionate part within our heart that ultimately cannot let go. An ever present whisper exhorts our weary soul, But God. It is tempting to go underground with this undying desire to avoid standing in shame before others. But God! Only God matters. Psalm 25:3 says~No one who hopes in You will ever be put to shame. Don’t give up, friend. Your hope is in Yahweh, not in man, not in the world and not in yourself. Hope sometimes hurts us, but it also holds and often heals us. You are loved today!❤️

Your Story


I want to tell you this morning friend, that your life is an exquisite story.  I know, there are parts that are broken, messy and maybe even down right dark. You are not an anomaly!  That is a common denominator for all humanity. What you need to know is that your story, the broken parts, are what birth the beautiful parts; and someone desperately needs to know your journey.  Your life is a gift that was created to be shared because it was written by the Author of the universe, and He pens masterful stories about messy people who blossom into majestic professors of hope.  You, every part of you, is purposeful and of remarkable value in the kingdom of God. Believe in the power of the script He has written for you!

From Our Struggles We Find Our Strength

It was June, the summer of 2005.  We were preparing to move from Hoover, Alabama to Vestavia Hills, Alabama.  Carter, my son,  was six and Macey, my daughter,  four.  This particular week, the kids and I were participating in Vacation Bible School.  I made a deal with them that if they learned our new address and phone number by the end of the week, on Friday after VBS we would get ice cream.  Every morning on the way to church and every afternoon on the way home we practiced in the car over and over again.

Friday morning came and along our drive I asked Macey, “what is our new phone number going to be?”  She answered with ease and efficiency.  Then I asked Carter, “what is our new address going to be?”  He too answered correctly and promptly.  A silence fell over the car until a little voice piped up from the backseat.  In the most curious of tones, Carter asked, “Hey mom, I was just wondering, what our new last name is going to be?”  After I caught my breath from laughing so hard, I explained that there are some things we are born into, and they never change because they were given to us.  I am not sure my answer made sense to him, but it seemed to satisfy his curiosity at the moment.

We have had to ponder a similar question a lot together over the past two years.  His life was changed forever two years ago today, July 28, 2014 due to a traumatic brain injury.  All of our lives were changed.  Despite all the redirections, again I can tell Carter, some things will never change because they were given to us.  The One we did not earn that was given to us for free will never change.  Although our physical locations may change, and we change, our identity as a child of God will never change.

The moment we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are adopted into the family of God.  Our identity, as his beloved son, or beloved daughter can not be altered by circumstances.  He delights in us on our best days, and just as much on our worst days.  No amount of good works or model behavior can earn us His love.  They were imparted to us when we chose to believe.

Ephesians 2:8-10 ~God saved you by his grace when you believed.  And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

What a gift we have in Jesus.  I cannot even fully comprehend the depth of His sacrifice. He has been a faithful friend to us through the hardest of times.

It is not because we have Him that our lives are easy. It is because we have Him that our lives are changed for the better.  He brings purpose to our pain and consistency to circumstances that continually change.

Last night I was replaying the last two years in my head.  I never knew looking back on my past tears would bring so much abundance to my present years. Situations that seemed like the hardest of times were in many ways the sweetest of times in retrospect.

Suffering is the soil most fertile for growth and change is often God’s conduit for the cultivation of hearts. We can joyfully and fully embrace our struggles because we later find we have walked out of them having found our greatest strengths.  

We are all still works in progress in our family.  It is a cradle to the grave process, but we can rest in the assurance that it is as it should be.  Thank you Jesus for loving us in all our brokenness.  Remind us everyday to rest in what was given to us and will never change-You.  We love You Lord Jesus.

Press on in Faith and Hope, Friends

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Earlier I stepped out of church to more tragic news.  More evil.  More lives taken.  More unnecessary violence.  More heartache.

Yesterday, I decided my feelings would not be the boss of me today as they have been so many recent days amidst the backdrop of consecutive tragedies.  I didn’t know my pledge would be so immediately challenged.  I remain steadfast in that commitment, but my heart is heavy, and I feel deep sadness.  However, I do not have to be powerless to my feelings.  

I honor a God whose promises still reign, and He has given me the power to act in spite of my agony.  I am going to use The Lord’s strength to continue being a prayerful supporter, a promise seeker, and a peace sower.

Remember the crucifixion, friends.  From all the view points of the people present on that dark day, it looked like the most tragic event in history, and it was in many ways.  However, it turned out to be the greatest thing God ever did for the world.  

We have to hold on to that kind of wreckless faith, friends.  We cannot put our hope in this world, but we must press into the hope of God’s word while in this world.  Otherwise, we will be starving orphans searching everywhere for a drink only to find tainted water.

John 16:33 ~I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

I Am Has Sent You

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That dream you are still dreaming; the phone call you are still waiting to make; the application that is pending; that call of obedience you are silencing; why are you still putting it off?   Maybe fear of failure, unworthiness or inadequacy are hindering who you were made to be.  You continually find yourself asking, “who am I to do this?”   Moses asked that very question of, God.   The Lord replied, “I will be with you.”   After further doubt from Moses, The Lord says, “I Am Who I Am… tell them I Am has sent me.”   He is sending you, and He will be with you, friend.   He is calling you away from your hiding place to a higher place.   Stand under His promise and Follow Him!   There is no more time for delay.   Dust that fear off and dress up in the faith of The Lord and who He is in you.❤️

Thoughtful Thoughts

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Friends,
On any given day we can be one wrong thought from falling apart.  We can choose to manage our minds or let our minds manage us.  Within every one of us is an ability to preach truth to ourselves.  We often do not have control over circumstances, but we can select how we view them.  Our thoughts and choice of perspective to fixate on the negative or focus on the positive makes all the difference.  It takes extraordinary faith to choose the high road where freedom abounds, but you my friend are a fighter.