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...

 I’ve spent a glorious weekend in New York with my best friend. Some folks (my family included) thought I was crazy to want to visit the city that never sleeps. The truth is, I am fascinated with the history and culture of the crossroads of the world. The fact that I’m a total theatre nerd just makes it a perfect place for me to visit. Would I want to live here? At one point in my life, I might have said yes. There is so much immersion into the arts that I could literally lose myself if this were my home. Along with this artistic culture, however, there have been some pretty extreme compromises. For example, Greenwich Village became the epicenter of the LGBTQ movement and has unashamedly spread into the island of Manhattan. Humanism has largely overtaken the religious mindset as New York is filled with people seeking knowledge. Humanity is worshipped instead of the One who created humans. I do love this city. I love the buildings and street markets. I love the small bookstores and ...

O Lord, I give my life to you. (Psalms‬ ‭25‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬) Using life experience to write authentically can be a challenge sometimes. It's easy to put out content when there is a stressful situation or even a raw emotion. But God, in His infinite grace, gives us moments of respite. We have time to catch our breath, stop worrying, and be present in the goodness of God. It's in these seasons of peace that we have to be careful not to become "less-dependent" on God. I know I have been guilty of letting my guard down in the past, and the enemy finds a foothold to smother me. Before long, I am wondering where God is while it was actually me doing the wandering. Life can be difficult. But I'm also afraid that, too often, we glorify the difficulties and the fact that we as human beings are fallible instead of giving glory to the Giver of good days. Obviously, there are extremes on both sides. Every day is not perfect, but every day is not bad. I've often told my childr...

Witness. Such a simple commission that Jesus left for us. Tell the world about His resurrection and about God's love for them. Are you doing it?  I never felt like witnessing was something I did well. As a kid, I was a bit over-zealous (I know this may come as a shock to some of you who have know me since childhood), and I ended up pushing people away. When I reached my teen years, I wanted to fit in, but my Christianity showed. Then my world changed and my heart became hard. I began building walls. I was able to play the part of the Christian, but my heart was growing cancerous bitterness toward God and others that no one knew about except me. Fast forward several years, marriage, and two children later. God, with the help of my husband, showed me grace and unconditional love when the ugly parts of what was inside of me began to reveal themselves. I should have been rejected for the haphazard way I lived. But God gave me another chance. And the change was so real.  And all of...

See below for today’s VLOG post. © Jill Cook and Unbroken & Undone Ministries.  All rights reserved.