Paul’s Prayers “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you” (Ephesians 1:18a) Paul’s Prayers are a beautiful picture of honest supplication for the body of Christ, and they bring to light the need for depth in our prayer life. This prayer in particular reveals the root of our identity as followers of Christ – that we may know the hope of our calling from God. Here, Paul prays for Ephesian believers to have a deep, spiritual understanding of the hope to which God has called them, a hope that is intertwined with the knowledge of God’s power…

Mark 12: 29-31 “Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark titles this set of verses as “the Most Important Commandment”. And though there are many different translations and variations of God’s Word, all of the common translations use either “the greatest” “the primary” or “the most important” to describe this set of instructions – so this…

 “Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ ” John 6:29 (ESV) Have you been waiting for something for so long, you’re starting to think it just might not happen? Has doubt over the future kept you from taking action, or sent you spiraling in fear?  My husband and I made life-altering decisions to walk through doors God was opening. It meant some big changes. We moved across oceans and started over in a city where we knew no one. We said ‘yes’ to the unknown, and ever since, I’ve been waiting for my career breakthrough—the culminating prize of hard-earned…

Read John 3:16-21 and Philippians 2:5-8. Isaiah says, “The Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). Immanuel is directly translated in Hebrew to God with us. And 1 John 4:8 says that “God is love”. So, Immanuel is another way of saying love with us. How does that soften your heart? How does knowing this truth alter your perspective, shift your attitude? How does this promise change your life? These are the questions I want to reflect on this week, because Christmas is a celebration of love coming down in the form of man to make a way…

Read Matthew 2: 1-15. When the wise men looked to the star that guided them to their Savior, they rejoiced with exceeding joy!  “When God brings restoration to his people, there will be laughter and joy, and tears shall be turned into shouts of joy” (Psalms 126:5). But truthfully, some days it feels like we have so much more than we can handle. Some days we anguish over the hardship, brokenness, and sin prevalent around us. Some days, there is no felt joy. But our theme for this third Sunday of Advent is one that can shift us out of these moods and into rejoicing, because we have a constant…

Read Isaiah 40: 1-10, then reread verse 2.  “Comfort, comfort my people” are the opening words to our key passage this week, the second week of Advent. These words, spoken by the Lord to Isaiah, were meant for the Jews living in captivity in Babylon. It prophesies of their deliverance; when their dark days would soon be over and their sins would be forgiven. Jerusalem needed comfort. We need comfort, and the Lord has much to give. Not in the way of false hope, silver linings and hollow, positive thinking, but with tender and true reasons to be comforted and to live comforted. And isn’t that what we really need?…

Week 1: Hope Read Isaiah 9:1-7. Key verses: “1 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go on forever…2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” The prophet Isaiah announced that Christ would be the great Light who brings joy into the shadow-land. In the previous chapters, Isaiah 7 and 8, the history of Israel’s oppression during Isaiah’s day are recorded. The nation was surrounded by invading armies, the city of Jerusalem was under siege, and in this dark hour, the Lord told Isaiah to offer some encouragement to King Ahaz of Jerusalem. The…

“For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) I had been wrestling with this question for so long: How do we persevere when we are living in the tension of a world that’s not our home?  It is the worst feeling to find yourself living in the fallout of your own sin or someone else’s sinful choices. Like when a loved one does or says something hurtful and shatters your trust. Or when your dreams and prayers don’t get answered. I felt so fed up after years of waiting, years of rejection from something I felt called to…

The grit and grace of broken things. One of my favorite things to do is use a gratitude journal. Sitting with the ritual of counting gifts and gratitudes everyday centers my heart on the good, the beautiful, and the faithful. If I can start my day this way, I know it leaves me in a better, more peace-filled state to serve and love my family, my friends, and tend to that to-do list. One morning in particular started this way. As I looked around counting gifts, I saw memories, moments, and gifts splattered across the walls and cluttering the countertops. I thought of how full my fridge is, even in…

It’s hard to make sense of a reality that doesn’t match up with the dreams, calling, and expectations I had for myself. I’ve struggled to reconcile decades of hard work, purpose-driven work, with the reality of being at home and not working. With the reality of rejection after rejection. Maybe you know the feeling–the ache of an unanswered prayer, a dream unfulfilled, or frustrated plans.  How can I trust that this is for my good? Is Your way really better than the plans I made? If your inner dialogue sounds like this, let me first give you the permission to think it, to ask it aloud. I’ve been there, I…