Running is just me and the strength of my God on the path to perfect peace.

I find it hard to run or walk without listening to either music or a motivational speaker. I love using my time of running or walking as an act of worship. I feel as though running is my sacrifice. In the Old Testament, people sacrificed as a demonstration of their faith. We are blessed that we live on this side of the cross and have Jesus as our ultimate sacrifice. There is still something sacred about sacrificing as an act of worship. As for me, I accomplish this through my pain and endurance when I run. I turn my music up, pray, and sing. I will share with you some of the songs that have touched my soul many times over and over. One day on the treadmill otherwise known as the “dreadmill,” the song Come Alive by Red Rock Worship played. The lyrics sing, “Come all ye weary, broken inside. Lay down your burdens, lay down your life. Come and lift your voice at the throne of Grace, we come alive.” It made me recall the scripture from Matthew 11:28 NIV —  Come to me, all of you who are weary burdened, and I will give you rest. 

There are so many fighting a disease, whether it is cancer, mental illness, food addiction, finances, and many more. You may be thinking, how is this a good song to run to. It is a time I can give God my burdens. 

This week I will discuss “active worship,” which means getting your body moving while worshiping God. After all, our bodies are His Temples. I will also include a song each day that has touched me on my running journey. 

Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

See You Saturday in real time! The snow is melting and secondary roads are being cleared. Unfortunately we don’t have a snowman for you but we hope you enjoyed our snow video posted earlier today. We hope you are encouraged to Walk on Water as you say yes to God!

Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭13‬, ‭16 NIV — For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

It has been a wonderful week with Deborah sharing on being equipped! Have you had any God Winks this week? Any key verses or takeaways that you can refer to when you feel underqualified?

I, Julie will share with you my God Wink. I subscribe to a daily email from Steven Furtick with Elevation Church. Friday’s email included the scripture verse, Jeremiah 1:5 — Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

He also included a video titled, Don’t Waste The Gifts You’ve Been Given. The video had me evaluating my gifts and if I am using them for God’s Glory or wasting them. I encourage you to take a minute to watch it. Even though the Psalmist instructs us that all our days are ordained and written in His book, God still wants us to be a willing vessel by saying, here I am Lord, use me.

We hope you’ve seen God this week as much as Deborah, Ray, and I have! Stay tuned for a See You Saturday video from Debs and Ju Ju.

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.

Join us as we wrap up our week with Julie sharing in Taste and See!

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.

I find great joy in preparing meals for my family and baking for family and friends. I would go as far as to say it is a love language for me in acts of service. I also love to keep things simple. When a recipe has too many ingredients or steps, I tend to get overwhelmed. That is why I have fallen in love with this lasagna recipe. 

Just like a recipe, as humans, we tend to complicate our Christian walk. Too often we question our next move when God has already approved and blessed it. Ask yourself, does it fall in line with the word of God? Does it bring me joy? God desires for us to be joyful. Although we may not always enjoy being a Christian because life isn’t easy, we can take joy in the simplicity that Jesus offers us. Next time you are asking God for direction, have the confidence you receive through God’s word.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for the simplicity that You offer. Thank You for the joy that only You can provide. Give me the confidence I need to do Your perfect and pleasing will. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Give us today our daily bread.

God teaches us to daily feed off His word. Not weekly or monthly, but daily. Do you have a practice to read God’s word daily? My word for 2025, “Humble,” is used in ‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Every time I open the word of God I am humbled to love and serve Him. His words keep me grounded and true to Christianity. Because I am human and will have times when I fall short, humility is a great way to be in practice of turning to God daily. God created us to be in relationship with Him. Notice in Deuteronomy, God says that He will allow us to have hunger. May we all feed off of God’s word today. A great way to curb physical hunger is with granola. I love making different variations that I can eat plain or on top of yogurt.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for feeding me daily with Your word. I humbly come before You ready to love and serve. I pray for our readers, that they will get filled from Your daily word. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

What do you think about when you read today’s key verse? Do you feel convicted to take better care of your body? Every October Deborah and I share on Rachel Hollis’ Last 90 Day challenge, which consists of her 5 to thrive: get up 30 minutes earlier than usual to do something for you, get your body moving for 30 minutes, drink ½ your body weight in water, fast a food group or food item, and write 5 gratitudes. 

What if we started the year off strong with the first 90 days? January is usually when we make New Year’s resolutions that may or may not last. If we choose to take care of our bodies by daily improving our habits, we would feel so much better. I say improving because none of us are perfect. My obsession is my love for coffee. Black coffee is good for you in moderation. I know I need to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. One of my favorite things to make is detox water. It is so refreshing, just like God’s daily word refreshes our souls.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for opportunities to improve my habits. Help me to take care of my body for Your temple. I desire to be refreshed by Your living water. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.