Don’t be afraid, for you are very precious to God.

Don’t be afraid, for you are very precious to God.

We see things, hear things, experience change, and become afraid. But when we know we are precious to God, a deep peace can come and flood us with strength.   It was only a couple of words, and I felt stronger. Words can cut, hurt, and harm, but they can also […]

Caged By the Opinions of Others

Caged By the Opinions of Others

Others’ opinions about us can lead us to feel we are caged. Trapped, we grow in fear and worry, but recognizing them and boldly stepping out of the cage can bring us into new freedom. I could feel myself slipping into the dark place of despair again. As is my […]

Thanksgiving Requires Taking Notice. A Bible Story

Thanksgiving Requires Taking Notice. A Bible Story

We often miss the obvious, but when we stop and take notice of the changes, we have but one response – thanksgiving. I noticed something about them. They had changed, and it was for good. Something deep had happened in them. Instead of being so caught up in the emotional […]

To-Reap-in-Joy-you-Need-to-Sow-in-Tears

To Reap in Joy you Need to Sow in Tears

The only way there is through. To reap a joy, we sow a tear, but it’s work, hard work, so we don’t travel alone. We journey with safe others. I knew there had to be an ocean of loss behind the lifestyle mask they were wearing. For all the stories […]

Change can feel like Being on the Wrong Side of the Road

Change can feel like Being on the Wrong Side of the Road

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. Henry Ford. To change, it may feel like you’re driving on the wrong side of the road. It all made sense. I began to understand how the brain changes and that to learn something new […]

From One Thousand Gifts to Three Thousand Gifts and Counting

From One Thousand Gifts to Three Thousand Gifts and Counting

Moments of thankfulness often pass us by without acknowledgment. But what might happen if we create a habit of noticing and capturing them. From one thousand gifts to three thousand gifts and counting. This is a Guest Post from Pauline Turnbull. It all began on the 24th of October 2020 […]

For Mental Health You may need a Wire Brush

For Mental Health You May Need a Wire Brush

Something new had to happen, and it could, but it would take a wire brush to shift the bark. So we submit to the master gardener. As I came to winter prune this old rose, I said a prayer. ‘Creator God, guide me as I prune. As I cut and […]

Yes. A Christian can have a Mental Illness

Yes. A Christian can have a Mental Illness

Having a Mental Illness can mean you feel very alone, but does being a Christian mean that you’re somehow on the outside?  I wouldn’t have noticed it at the time, but a few years ago, I began to look at the shaping influences that happened in my early life, particularly […]

Tired? Take Time to Cease and Savor Delight

Tired? Take Time to Cease and Savor Delight

You’re tired, drained, but you can’t find a simple way to restore. So maybe it’s time to cease and savor delight in the little moments. It had been a tough week—full-on giving out. People, work, tasks, energy-draining memories all want a piece of the energy pie. What was leftover were […]

God is Going against the Grain and it's Terribly Good

God is Going against the Grain and it’s Terribly Good

There is a grain or a pattern to our thinking that needs to change, but we are stuck, so God gently comes against the grain and changes it from the inside out. It goes against the grain of self-protection to let someone in, especially when we have been hurt. But […]