Simplifying… me

He didn’t defend himself.
He didn’t try to justify his cause or prove his innocence.
He stood there…silent…like a lamb to the slaughter.
When offered the opportunity to speak into the situation and right the wrongs…clarify his position…he chose to stand in quiet strength.
Pilate, so arrogant in his authoritative role…his title…believed that he held the power of life [...]

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“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” Psalms 46:1-3
Trouble comes.
It is inevitable.
On this earth, through these earthly vessels, [...]

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“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Transitions are…
Hard.
The in-between…the not 100% here, the not there yet, the balancing of the chaos and the uncertainty of where we are currently…is hard.
It sometimes feels like transition will last forever.
But thankfully, it doesn’t.
It is a stepping-stone, uncomfortable as [...]

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“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will [...]

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2020, literally, went out with a bang last night. A storm blew in yesterday evening bringing with it lightening that lit up the sky and claps of thunder unlike any I had ever heard before. Sitting around our living room with our three oldest, we all joked that 2020 was throwing a temper tantrum as [...]

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Five years ago, on the 19th of December, Jasper was born.
We were reminiscing about Jasper’s arrival with our older kids the other day. They each remember, in great detail, the moment the call from the hospital finally came. They were in the kitchen making gingerbread houses when my mother-in-law entered from the other room – [...]

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When I consider Christmas – when I think about all of the traditions, decorations and planning that goes into this highly anticipated day – I realize that deep at the heart of it all is faith. The kind of faith that believes a child came, a Savior died and resurrected, and a King is returning [...]

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“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23
Hold on.
When I think of what it takes to hold on – to endure, to press on, to persevere – the word tenacious comes to mind.
Tenacity is defined by Merriam-Webster as: the quality or fact of being able to [...]

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“The Lord blesses his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11
Last month I wrote about endurance: staying in the race even when our bodies feel like they are going to give way and give out. Running all the way to the end…to the joy…fixing our eyes on Jesus…and crossing the glorious finish line at the end.
We are [...]

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My natural instinct is to boast about my strengths. Show you the best of me. Be strong. Be independent. Impressive. Controlled.
But…there are days when my weaknesses get the best of me: insecurities resurface and create fear, a sleepless night with a sick child leaves me weary for the day, challenges before me look bigger than [...]

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