On this Water Walking Wednesday we can walk with great Joy and Pride. We are so blessed to have the heritage of Christ Jesus. Carrying the statues of God, I envision His law written on our hearts. How do we carry them? I like to think of the word abide, to remain stable and fixed in God and His word.

“Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.” Psalms‬ ‭119:111‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Summertime can be a relaxing time, yet busy, and fun. We can spend time near the water, family cookouts, and many cherished memories. I encourage us not to get too relaxed that we forget to carry God’s word, worship Him, and find Joy in His statutes. Summertime is also a time to relish in His God’s beautiful creation. The next time you sit by the water or see a beautiful sunset, remember your heritage and the joy found when we abide in God. Let’s not forget to Walk on Water!

One of my favorite summertime smells is fresh cut grass. As I ran on Saturday, I passed by a lawn that was being mowed. The fresh cut grass that had blown out into the street caught my attention about the same time I could smell the wonderful aroma. Just like blades of grass being cut, anxiety can cut us down. It can can transform us for good or bad. If we lean into God with our fresh cut places, His consolation can transform us and Bring us great joy.

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” Ps‬ ‭94:19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When anxiety is overwhelming, remember that God is greater. Remember that He lives within our hearts. He wants to transform us and console us. He wants us to experience joy in the journey. Last week Deborah encouraged us to reflect on our word of the year. In my word of the year, I also included a prayer. May we all experience God’s peace as we say these words.

God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen

Click here to worship with Ellie Holcomb and I will carry you.

Let’s make a declaration on this Mindset Monday, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Ps‬ ‭118:24‬ ‭NLT‬‬. No matter what today or the week ahead holds, we can live for today.

Everyday everyone is fighting battles we probably know nothing about. In this beautiful song by Shane & Shane, we are reminded that God has already won the ultimate battle on the cross. The lyrics sing, “I’m fighting a battle that you’ve already won. No matter what comes my way, I will overcome. I don’t know what your doing, but I know what you’ve done”.

How can we find joy in today? By living for today. By rejoicing that God has won this very day for each of us.

Click here to worship with “You’ve Already Won” by Shane and Shane

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It is the end of the week. We have made it to Spiritual Sunday. Or should I say we are starting a fresh week with spiritual renewal? Either way in Philippians‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NIV we are instructed to rejoice‬‬; “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” If you continue to read the next few verses, this passage is actually about anxiousness. Today we have the joy of resting in our Heavenly Fathers presence. Whether we are in His house of worship or worshiping from home, we can rest here.

For me and my family we are coming to an end of all the graduation celebrations. We have been on the mountain top rejoicing the last few weeks. Now as my mind quickly shifts to college plans for our two children it would be easy to get anxious. I came across this song called “Lift Our Gaze”, where the lyrics sing;

We lift our voice, we lift our praise to the one who’s seen the end of days. We lift our hands, we lift our gaze to the one who sees us face to face.

In this picture I took after our last High School Soccer game, it is easy to lift our gaze to the beautiful sky. By lifting our gaze it takes our attention off the the empty bleachers and the end of a journey. I find joy in this photo because it isn’t the end, rather the beautiful beginning of something new.
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As we go about our week, let’s not forget to lift our gaze. Let’s look for ways to find joy and not let anxiousness rob us from receiving God’s beautiful blessings. Click here to worship with Kingdom Culture Worship. Let’s Lift Our Gaze.

Yay for the long weekend!!

Click here and join me for See You Saturday as we talk about being alert and in prayer!

It has been a somber week for Texas. My heart is breaking for the families, school, and community. In times like this we can call on Our Heavenly Father; “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jer‬ ‭29:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬ The words we say, may be, “why God?” Or maybe we don’t know what to say so we sit in His presence and let the Spirit speak for us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Rom‬ ‭8:26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Both of these verses above are followed by a verse about the heart. Even with broken hearts and broken words, We can connect with God.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer‬ ‭29:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Rom‬ ‭8:27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

On this Finish Friday, let’s not forget to turn our hearts towards God and ask Him to heal our broken hearts. We can hold onto the Hope and faith that we have in our hearts. One day there will be no more death and no more tears. Click here to worship with Holding onto Hope by Bryan and Katie Torwalt.

This past Sunday we celebrated our children graduating high school. It has been a joyful time. I know at some point this Mama is going to cry. There is a quote by Dr. Seuss I’ve seen a lot in the recent weeks; “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” Our children are a gift to us. They may not always make us smile, however the time we have with them, even in the struggles should be treasured; “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭127:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬.

I feel blessed that God chose Hollie and I to receive these two precious gifts. This day is the beginning of some new, scary, exciting adventures. I can smile knowing that God is going to continue to carry them along the way. On this Thankful Thursday I am especially thankful for my village of family, friends, and church that have helped us raise our children. Let’s join together in prayer that all our children will never forget their roots; “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬.