I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the things I take for granted. Blessings of everyday life, like being able to turn a knob on the kitchen sink so clean water flows into my glass. Loading the washer with detergent and more clean water, instead of scrubbing clothes in a dirty stream. Heading off to [...]
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Our oldest daughter is a packrat. She always has been. When she was little she would line up her used paper drinking cups and chewing gum on her windowsill. The very thought of throwing anything away was extremely traumatic for her. Fortunately she has mellowed out a bit over the years and become more reasonable [...]
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I remember that place, that deciding place of how to educate our children. I remember its weight. I recall standing there with pudgy hands wrapped around my leg, peering down that road diverged in the yellow wood. Unsure of the next step, the faint whisper from a faint heart came, “Which road for us, Lord?” [...]
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Award-winning author Shelley Adina wrote her first teen novel when she was 13. It was rejected by the literary publisher to whom she sent it, but he did say she knew how to tell a story. That was enough to keep her going through the rest of her adolescence, a career, a move to another [...]
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My four year-old is not toilet trained yet. This makes me embarrassed, frustrated, and flummoxed—sometimes all in the same minute. I really think he might be the first kindergartener to go to school in Pull-ups. We’ve tried everything: the encouragement technique: “You can do it!” the peer-pressure technique: “Doesn’t everyone else in your class wear [...]
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For brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love to serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Galatians 5 13-14, KJV This freedom which God has given to [...]
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“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Anyone besides me have a hard time being still and quieting yourself before the Lord? Sometimes, my quiet time is anything but quiet and it is difficult to be at peace so I can enjoy the presence of my God. But, this verse is both a command and a beautiful gift from God. When we draw into a quiet place to spend time with our Lord, our Lord’s peace in us quiets our weary souls so that we can truly be still. James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” When this happens, we can feel the presence of our God and let his love and peace wash over us so we can just be still and worship.
Father, thank you for making it possible for us to draw near to you. Forgive us for allowing our busyness to pull us away when our hearts’ desire truly is to praise you. Help me Lord to be still this morning and just be in awe of who You are. In Jesus name, amen.
Drawing nearer,
Nicole
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