Winter does not have to be a weary few months, but a time to draw near God. He cares about you and your family. Seek enjoyment by creating a time of connection during the rut of winter.

You are already loved, you are already seen, and you are already known by God. All He has is available to you, child. You are a child of the King: and heir of God and a co-heir with Christ which means you get to enjoy the fullness of Christ’s inheritance. As His child, you get the privilege to cry out to your Abba, Father. Your achievements will never earn His love. You are loved because He is your Father.

What he offers is more sustaining than a simple meal of bread and fish. He offers us life: yes, it’s eternal life in heaven, but we also have the ability to experience life here on earth. Life of freedom from the bondage of sin. Our flesh is in entrenched in sin (Jn 6:63), but the Spirit of God gives life. The all-powerful presence of the Spirit makes His home in you. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead LIVES. IN. YOU. And we so desperately need Him.

To the girl who is struggling. The girl hurting. The girl hoping for breakthrough and broken chains. The girl stuck in patterns of unbelief. The girl desperate to feel alive. The girl muscling through her days in her own strength.

It may be easier to talk about it, worry about it, or post about it, but those things are not fruitful. We know the correct answer, and it’s not found on our phones, it’s found on our knees.

Spending intentional time with the Lord gives Him the opportunity to reveal any areas that need to be improved or changed, so we can repent and continue to be transformed in His image.

I do encourage you to make your application personal and practical….otherwise it becomes another broken New Year’s Resolution. The more specific you can be, the more likely you will see change or growth over time.

I’m reminded from time to time that any time spent with our children is a beautiful opportunity from God that can evoke love, safety, laughter, warmth, importance and closeness. As we approach this Christmas season, what memories are you creating?

“What does it mean?” Not “What does it mean to us?” but “What did God mean for the original audience?”

The question we ask here in the Observation stage is, “What does the text say?” During observation, we want to read the text thoughtfully, sit with it, inspect it, and look deeply.

Friend, every piece of Scripture is God breathed and inspired. I don’t want to miss one thing He has to say, but we have to learn how to read it all to gain a better and growing understanding of it.

When we face a battle for our memory, which directly affects our ability to rightly see God’s faithfulness, we too can raise an Ebenezer, and the only response that we can give is genuine thanksgiving, because by His help alone we have come.

In all transparency, I wish I was writing from a place of rest and not weariness, but that just isn’t true. Many days, I do feel tired and worn down. But one essential thing I’m learning with God is the importance of community. In our moments of weariness, we must realize we are not alone.

God’s desire to dwell with humanity is a constant theme thread through Scripture. He created us to share in His abundant love and desires to be with us. Today, let’s follow that thread through from beginning to end, shall we?

Here’s the truth. We are deeply entrenched in sin beginning at the moment of our conception - every part of us. And it runs bone-deep. We will never be enough without the blood of Jesus.

Friend, we are in the redemption phase of this grand story. God has redeemed us- purchase us through Jesus’ blood on the cross. He took the penalty of our sins on his shoulders because of His great love for us. His resurrection is our hope for future restoration.

There is something about mankind: when we are given a restriction, our human will is tempted to push the boundaries. In the story of our genesis, it does’t take long after God creates all things for the story of Adam and Eve to take a turn for the worst.

If my main source of connection with others is based off of whether they agree with me on any given topic, I have made an idol out of my opinion. We forget that every human has value and dignity because of who they are created in the image of.

Genesis 1-2 is our origin story as Believers. It paints for us a picture of how all that we see came into being, who God is, and who we are in relation to Him.

Friend, you were created as an outpouring of God’s perfect and abundant love. The purpose of all creation: the sun, moon, and planets, plants, and animals, and people.. we all exist to bring glory to God, because who, besides the Creator of everything, is worthy of all glory, and honor, and praise?