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Unless God Builds It
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” | Psalm 127:1a ESV Above my bedroom sink hangs a simple verse, a strong reminder that God is in charge. Year after year this verse reminds both my husband and I that the Lord builds our home—not us. Day-by-day we take baby steps in trust. Some days are steady. Other’s are not. Many days we walk unfaithfully. But God is faithful. Ever-present. Always there. A sure constant. This verse reminds me of God’s sovereignty. It reminds me that human effort simply can not accomplish anything. God however, and God alone, produces MUCH. Unless the Lord builds it……
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A Starting Point
Kept. I briefly mentioned this idea in a post recently as I wrestled with the writing of it. In truth, Sunday’s blog post was one I hoped I would never need to write, and I almost didn’t. But it was a starting point. It was the culmination of so many things God has been teaching me about His sovereignty in the midst of heart-choked “whys”. It was a response and acknowledgement that even in the hard, God is good. God is to be trusted. More importantly, His Word is to be trusted. Why? Because my feelings are anything but trustworthy, especially in the midst of suffering. Which brings us to…
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No Words
For a little over a month now I have attempted this blog post. I was ready, no eager , to write it not more than just two months ago. In my mind I knew just what I would say, just how I would write how excited we were. If you have known me for even a short while, then you probably know a bit of our family’s story. For over 10 years now my husband and I have battled infertility. Through the ups and downs God led us through the amazing doors of adoption. At the same time, we also closed and accepted the door that having children naturally just…
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Back to the Basics
Circumstances in life are inevitable. They are no more avoidable than the air we breath or the steps we take. Some are small, insignificant-even welcomed. Others are much larger than that. They are the uninvited ones, the unexpected, take our breath away storms. Moments just too big they cant do anything but shape, shift, and re-define us. Pivotal moments. It’s in these unwelcome winds of change we crave a time-out button. We want life to stop long enough to breathe but life keeps moving. Life moves fast. It’s Disorienting. That’s what it feels like to drive through storms. I remember well the day I drove down the highway on my…
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Before and After
Its hard not to miss them. Chances are you have seen them also. The powerful images of personal transformation that inundate our Facebook feeds, Instagram and Pinterest boards. These “before” and “after” photos are impossible to deny. After all, they are a testimony to benefits of personal wellness programs, workouts and products. Pictures that pack the promise that you also can look the picture, feel like the picture, be the picture with just the right program and a little will power. But can they save your life? Some of them say they can. Don’t misread me here. I’m a firm believer in exercise, good nutrition and an overall healthy lifestyle. …
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What is “Enough”?
This week I re-visited a book I first picked up over 15 years ago entitled, These Strange Ashes by Elizabeth Elliot. The book had tenderly ministered to me when I needed a reminder of God’s character, of His perfect sovereignty always at work. Today it is hard not to forget the girl I was then, ages ago and yet not so many ages ago. I was young, in love, and losing love. I had finished the task of sending back my engagement ring and with it what felt like my entire heart. To be sure, I was jilted beyond broken. In more ways than one I was a girl who…
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Have You Been Praying Starved, Underwhelming Prayers?
Confession time: I just killed off a slice of peach pie large enough for two. Yep. I wish I could say I stopped there. I also may have had a little bit of fudge to go with that, and a large, very large cup of coffee. The indigestion is real. This isn’t standard practice for this momma, but it’s been one of those weeks. OK, maybe one of those seasons. A rat-race, get your coffee hot but drink it cold an hour later kind of season. Busy, straight-up busy. You know, the kind of busy you walk in the front door from, carrying way too many bags while not having…
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Rooted
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” ~ Jeremiah 17: 7-8 Ground stepped on can feel quite shaky. Like mountain soil slick with rocks refusing to let our feet hold firm. Overwhelming like a field so vast it confuses our feet into indecision. Unfamiliar floors weighed by foreign walls standing in hello to an 11 year old freshly…
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The New Year’s Resolution I Want Most Not To Drop
Another year has come and gone. Midnight came, the ball dropped, and 2017 went the way of yesterday. 2017 was a quiet year for my little family, a resting, healing, rebuilding, waiting kind-of-year. At the same time this past year was challenging, stretching, and a bit awkward. Why awkward? Sometimes, at least for me, the gap and silence carved by waiting can leave a wake that is both disorienting and confusing. Sitting silent on the bench is hard and yet it is also a necessary part of the journey. To this end I remind myself that 2017 was a season, much like the bitter hard realities that 2016 and my…
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Don’t Wait for Tomorrow What You Can Settle Today
It’s been a while since I last wrote, I admit. In the time between Winter ending and Spring beginning I have taken extra moments to rest. In these moments I have been able to disconnect in order to connect more fully to the people most precious to me, my family. I have seen a year pass and in this time reflect on the milestone of my father’s home-going. Just this week I received official word that the estate handling had finally found an end. This business of walking through the valley of the shadow of death has finalized, settled, come to completion. For now. And on goes life. Winter has…
