Beautifully Broken

Lately I have been reading through Exodus-probably not the typical Christmas read (Merry Christmas, here's a story about a plague of gnats!), but as usual, God has a way of showing me what I need to hear. While reading about Moses and God's deliverance of the Israelites, it's interesting to think about Pharaoh continuously hardening his heart to God's people.  Chapter by chapter, terrible things are happening in Egypt.  Blood, insects, diseases, and death are continuously put in front of Pharaoh's face, yet he still chooses not to listen.  You would think that if God is so clearly and continuously telling him something, it might be beneficial to actually listen. Let's look at some other poor cycles in the Bible: like the entire era of Judges: Israel turns away from God>>Israel is punished>>Israel cries out to God>>God delivers (as always)>>Israel forgets and turns away again>>repeat for way too many cycles. If you want an ex...

When I was in middle school, I attended a conference for young Christian girls that featured a segment on how a girl's brain is like spaghetti, and a boy's brain is like a waffle.  (Shoutout 2007 Revolve Tour). I'm going to argue that we all-guys and girls- have some spaghetti happening in our brains-at least I do. If you're not familiar with this concept, imagine picking up a big handful of spaghetti-all the noodles are intertwined with each other.  Similarly, our thoughts can be totally different, yet still tangled with each other.  God has designed and allowed our brains to be such powerful things that we have the ability to have a multitude of thoughts and emotions at the same time.  At this time of year, I think these at times opposing emotions can be even more prevalent. Example from my brain: Thankful. Waiting . Content. Anxious. Happy . Curious. Expectant. Doubting. Trusting. And that's just from the last few minutes. Sometimes I get frustrated...

Tonight, I'm reflecting on this morning's sermon at Frontline; it never fails to amaze me how God allows us to hear the right message at the exact right time. Today's sermon was from 1 Kings in the Old Testament.  The pastor began by drawing comparisons to the stories in the Old Testament and our current lives, and how unfortunately, our lives look a lot more like those of the false prophets than we would care to admit.  Today's message was on 1 Kings Chapter 18 16-46- the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel. In this passage, Elijah was talking with followers of Baal, a false God popular with the Israelites at this time.  Elijah calls the people out on their wavering opinions on who they called their God.  Elijah stated "If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him".  Basically, Elijah is telling them to make up their minds and stop switching between the two.  They decide to put it to test and figure out who is truly God.  The f...

This week I volunteered at a camp for kids and teens who have had a special person die.  My sweet campers continued to comment on how much I smile.  I LOVE that this is something people recognize about me, until this assumption is made: “Aren’t you happy all the time?” After losing my own dad, I don’t want those kiddos or anyone else to think I’m invincible to pain and that their own emotions aren’t valid.  I miss my dad. That makes me sad.  People have said hurtful things to me. That makes me angry.  I’ve been bold just to get shot down. That’s hurtful.  Emotions are SO fleeting. But that’s NORMAL! But here are some things that don’t change.  My Creator For we are God’s handiwork,  created  in Christ Jesus to do good works,  which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10) My Strength She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. (Prov. 31:25) ...

I have been trying to change up my quiet times lately and spend some time in the Old Testament.  There are so many stories that can have pretty simple messages that can apply to our daily lives.  To start, I have been going through Genesis. When thinking about the story of Noah, the first thing that comes to mind is a cute picture of animals happily getting on a boat-a picture that could be hung inside a nursery or child's room.  These chapters tend to take on a children's story persona in our minds as we picture the animals happily trotting along. So how can this story relate to our daily lives as adults? One thing that I feel is sometimes glossed over is the waiting.  Not only was Noah and his family trapped as it rained for 40 days, but this was in the midst of a storm like no other.  Instead of a happy family cruise, these people were not only isolated from everyone they knew, but they were aware that each person not on the ship had drowned...

2019: A new year full of new opportunities, new hopes and dreams, and maybe even a fresh start.  So what better subject to write about than change? A New Year typically offers a feeling of anticipation.  Maybe you are determined to follow your resolution this year, maybe you're trying to leave toxic situations behind, or maybe you're just full of curiosity for what the next 12 months might bring.  Whatever the situation, change seems inevitable. For some of us, change offers a sense of hope.  This past year could have been a year of heart break, financial trouble, or even a sense of complacency or straying in your faith.  While you may not can leave those memories, situations, or consequences completely behind you, a new year offers motivation to turn your situations over to Christ and find hope that He will deliver His promises. When thinking about hardships you have been through this past year, it's comforting to realize that God never hid th...