Blossoming in His Presence

  Have you ever competed in a game of tug of war? In one of the youth groups I attended as a teenager, we were known as the tug of war champions at the summer camp we went to. The volleyball tournaments and go-kart races were not where we excelled, no matter how hard we tried. It was only the tug of war match that won our youth group trophies. Now, we were not necessarily the champions because we had the biggest and strongest guys on our team, although we did have some of those. The reason for our victories was due to the fact that, once our team got on the sandy terrain where they would be competing, they would begin to dig their feet into the sand. You could not even see their feet by the time the competition commenced! The other teams never noticed nor attempted to do the same. It was the winning secret that delighted our youth group for years. The best way to prepare to win is to anchor your feet. Your body position must be balanced in order to withstand the pressure that will ...

Here it is Christmas Eve... Tears, I promised myself wouldn't fall, are slowly making their way down my face. My heart is missing someone very dear to me and the silence is excruciating. Another Christmas has arrived but they are not. So here I am penning this post to remind my heart of the reason for this Christmas season. If your heart is heavy this Christmas, you are not alone. There is One who understands your pain deeply and intimately.  "He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care." Isaiah 53:3 (New Living Translation) "He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." Isaiah 53:3 (New King James Version) It’s ok for the tears to fall. He counts them all and one day you will see Him paint a masterpiece that rivals an...

What does it mean to live a life that is hidden in God? We live in an age where so much is public and visible.  Yet, the Bible speaks to us of a life that is hidden with Christ in God. "For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3 (New Living Translation) Several years ago in my quiet times with the Lord, I really started to have this sense of being hidden. At first, I did not understand it or even like it because it was actually an uncomfortable feeling. There is a natural part of my flesh that wants to be seen and acclaimed. It does not like that which is uncomfortable. One day I asked the Lord about this and He gave me the image of a caterpillar entering a cocoon/chrysalis.  There had to be some significance to this image, so I did some further research into the importance of a cocoon. The cocoon is a place of development and nourishment. It is also protection from predators during a vulnerable stage. However, before the cater...

Does this season look bleak to you? Has the thought of a new year caused heaviness in your soul rather than joy? Maybe there have been moments where you have asked the Lord with tears streaming down your face, "When will this pressure/storm/wilderness season end?" Things may look dark and the pressure may feel unbearable, but you are not alone, my friend. Jesus wants to weather the storms with you. He wants to hold you within the shelter of His strong arms. Perhaps this season has been one of refinement in your life. Refinement often comes in an uncomfortable format, however, it leaves behind a treasure in its wake. Pearls are formed in the midst of discomfort and irritation. Diamonds are formed under conditions of intense heat and pressure. The refinement of gold uses hot fire. In this process, the dross (impurities) rise to the surface and are scooped away by the refiner. The fire is kept at a maximum temperature until the refiner can see his/her reflection in the molten go...

Have you ever been in love? Have you ever experienced the overwhelming desire to get to know someone better? When you first fall in love with someone you want to learn everything you can about who they are, where they come from, what they cherish, what repulses them, and where they dream of going. The time you spend with them never seems to be enough. They are your first thought when you awaken and the last when you drift off to sleep. All throughout your day the simplest things seem to remind you of them. You leap at the chance to converse with them and every word they speak seems to brand itself in your memory. Simply put, you want to become as close as humanly possible because you value them deeply. They hold a treasured space in your heart. Have you also ever felt distance grow between you and the one you love, so you do everything within your power to rekindle the flame you have for them? This is usually accomplished through intentional actions such as setting a specific time asid...

Hello friends! I am so glad to be writing on this blog again after a jam-packed summer. Between finishing my Master's degree and making an international move, there was not much time to devote to blogging.  In the coming days I hope to unpack those stories a little bit more for you, however, before we get to those testimonies I would like to set the background by sharing a lesson the Lord taught me in 2020 and the beginning of this year. Once upon a time… Actually it was simply in March of last year, my family and I were days away from making a long-awaited international move when the world shut down due to the pandemic. What we thought would be a very short, temporary delay turned into something a bit longer and harder. I was heartbroken and disappointed, to say the least. For others this delay may not have caused the same type of reaction, but in our situation it was an addition to a long line of failed attempts spread out between 13 years. My heart was weary and, frankly, I was ...

                                                                               Hello friends! It has been a minute since I last wrote on the blog. Some days it feels like life is moving faster than me. Time just seems to be flying! Haha.  Today, I would like to focus on the very first chapter from the Bible that my momma had me memorize: Psalm 23. This chapter has a special place in my heart and the Holy Spirit breathed new life on it for me in this past month.  Please ask the Lord to show you what He would like to say to you personally through this passage of scripture.  Let's dive in! “The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quie...

The trees have begun to blossom where I live.  Even so, there are still plenty of trees that are slowly recovering from the winter storm which occurred just a few weeks ago. When compared to their counterparts these trees seem to be barren, dry, and lifeless.  Yet, there is something so beautiful and hopeful about the arrival of springtime. The contrast between the tree in full bloom and the barren tree is like a cool river in an arid desert. It is a promise that eventually each one of these trees will once again be clothed in green. This reminds me of the lyric that says “ things that we thought were dead are breathing in life again .”  Life is the same way with ever-changing seasons. There are seasons where it feels like one is walking through the wilderness or desert. Perhaps it even feels like one is camped out at or stuck in these places. Such seasons are typically periods of refinement meant to prune away that which encumbers and hinders, while drawing you clos...

First, let me start off by saying that today's blog post was not my original plan. There are quite a few blog posts that are waiting in the wings, but my heart has been stirred to bypass those and share something different.  Whoever this is for, I hope you will be reminded of the strength of our God and leave with your heart refreshed. _______________________________ Recently I was surprised by some news. Instead of saying,  "Ok Lord, this is big but I know that You are bigger. I give this to You,"  worry was allowed instant access to my mind and heart. My planner's brain was running through all the complexities of this scenario. I was trying to figure out how I was going to make this work. As a result, a heavy burden weighed down on me. The next day, a friend asked how I was doing and was met with a bit of verbal vomit as I poured out my worries/frustrations. She lovingly reminded me that this was just another area to trust Jesus in. It was also another area for the ...

  Have you ever forgotten to grab your valentines before heading out the door, either growing up or recently? That is the worst feeling! If you are anything like me, I will still give those things out late, because I either spent way too much time or too much money for them to go to waste. There is no shame in my late valentine game!  As a single person, there are times where one feels forgotten or left behind. I am certain that there are those who are in relationships who feel this way too, every now and then. For some, Valentine's Day is eagerly awaited, and for others, it is merely endured. Are you feeling like a forgotten or invisible valentine?  Then there is something I have to tell you... You are seen. You are loved. Jesus has not forgotten you. You have not escaped His notice. You are precious in His eyes. He never says "Oops! I forgot all about ( insert your name here ). Has anyone seen her/him? Oh, where did I leave her/him last?" He knows exactly where you are ...