More than Unbroken

  Are you living your best life or are you just trying your best to live life? This question was asked by my teenage son, Wess. He’s a deep thinker... sometimes. And in one of our thought-provoking conversations, this question came up. I thought it was worth putting out there.  For many of us, life is about moving from one event to the next. The great rat race. Survival of the fittest. I confess that this was once how I felt. That most days I was treading water and just trying to keep my head above surface. Just muster up a bit more to give. Unfortunately, this resulted in a cycle of exhaustion, and then the enemy would plague my mind that I wasn’t enough. Have you ever been there? The cycle had to stop. For me, my physical body began manifesting the stress and burden on my mental and spiritual wellness.    I had to make a choice to reprioritize what mattered most. I couldn’t keep treading the waves and going under for a spell only to burst back to the surface just b...

 *Special Note: This is what I first wrote after I felt the leading of Holy Spirit to share my perspectives (late September to October). I have been holding on to this one until now, and initially intended to begin the blog at this time. God had other plans, and when He gave me the title, I knew He was ready for my words...and I believe some of His... to be shared.  ___________________________________________________________________________________ I’ve been thinking a lot about the events that have transpired in 2020. Most of us would agree that it has been a difficult year. But I don’t want to get caught in the trap of looking forward to better things “next year.” Allow me to explain. Life isn’t just a series of good years and bad years. It is seasons. Just like in winter, everything can seem dead. Dreary. In those moments, we may feel that God is far away. But remember that winter is necessary. If we didn’t have winter, the ground would not have time to rest and renew ...

  One of my favorite movies is “The Greatest Showman.” It encompasses everything I love in this life-music, dancing, a devoted love story, and the spectacle of dazzling performance.     The movie is loosely based on the life of P. T. Barnum and takes the audience on his journey of “A Million Dreams.” Barnum was, in fact, a great showman. But did his private life result in an eternal legacy? We can spend our days wearing a mask and playing a part while our private life does nothing to match what we show the world. Shakespeare wrote, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”    That’s pretty accurate for this time of social media where we do all we can to put our best foot forward. And then there was Paul. He spoke to the New Testament churches about his struggles. He confided in his friend and apprentice Timothy about his struggles in I Timothy 1:16: “But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his gr...

There has always been an internal struggle for me to create peaceful situations.  To fix things for people. To coordinate the chaos around me.  In fact, my key verse for this school year is Romans 12:18, "Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone."   I think this is an easy way to make the world a better place.  Of course, we won't agree on everything.  But if in our everyday lives we choose to live in peace with others, we are doing our part to be the good. Now, I'm not saying that I've perfected this art.  I have become quite skilled at avoiding conflict (which isn't necessarily healthy all the time).  Sometimes I have to physically say the verse to remind myself of my goal to lull the madness encircling me.  The reason for this is because I, in and of myself, cannot create peace.  I simply have access to the One who can. My time with God must be my top priority.  I cannot love my family and others properly and live in perfect...

As we prepare for another election in our nation, I am reminded of the gravity of the voice. It’s so important to let your voice be heard through voting. One voice can make a difference, and voices either bring peace or create strife in the name of peace. As Christians, we are called to peace. But how?   This year alone has caused us to question everyday decisions and actions. Do we go out or stay home? Mask or no mask? Which news station can we trust to be unbiased?    In the chaos of these questions, I have to physically remove myself from the noise. Sometimes that means putting the phone down and picking up the truth-the Word of God. For me, it may mean that I don’t watch the news except to catch a quick glimpse at the weather report (which in my neck of the woods is subject to change by the hour!).  I have learned that in order to discern the Voice of Truth, I have to refuse to engage with the other voices.    This doesn’t mean that I don’t care about w...