More than Unbroken

I ate too much. We had stuffed ourselves to the brink of misery by Thursday afternoon after celebrating one Thanksgiving dinner the night before. I wasn’t hungry. But I nibbled and grazed throughout the evening as we shopped for Black Friday bargains. I enjoyed my mother’s French toast, bacon, and eggs, the following morning. I savored the “tailgating foods” on Saturday at my sister’s as we watched the football game. And today I still feel full. The same can be said for us spiritually. When we are constantly consuming God’s word, spending time talking to Him, and listening for His voice, we become so full of God that it feels like we could explode. And that’s the point today. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. (Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬) God’s feast for us is so much greater than the best Thanksgiving meal. His table is constantly set with blessings for us. The question is, what are you do...

Lately, I have found myself somewhat adrift. It’s easy to feel like I’m just floating along and bracing myself for the next wave. It’s a new, growing season-not a bad one. In my weakest moments, I am reminded by my gracious Father that He’s got me. The following is an excerpt from a journal entry from a few weeks ago after a difficult few days. I hope it resonates with you as God spoke this beautiful word over me. “ And you remind me that in you I have a future and hope. Regardless of this season. Regardless of those around me. Regardless of the strife that has become a daily battle. Regardless. You’ve got me. If my focus stays in you, that’s where I belong. Not in a place. Not with a person. Not with a group. In you.” When I penned these words, I was desperate to have relief from the anxiety of life. In exhaustion, emotionally and spiritually, I put the pen to paper and poured my heart out to my Father who so lovingly reminded me of His promise: For I know the plans I have for you,” s...

Today we celebrated our pastors at Northside with lunch after the service. Full disclosure: I used to dread these get-togethers. This time of year was always so busy for me that the idea of bringing food to church along with all the other things going on just seemed impossible. It was stressful for me to force myself to smile and “be present” with my church family because I either needed to be working on something else or was exhausted from over-extending myself.  But as I have gotten older, I see the value in fellowship and meals together. Having taken on a new role as ladies’ ministry leader, I was responsible for coordinating the food for today. For the first time, I was bringing, not one, but three dishes for lunch. Lyndon, Wess, and I worked along with some precious folks to pull it together. And now that I am home considering the time we spent together today, I see such value in it. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to shar...