worshiper, wonderer, writer – seeking to encourage faithfulness in Christian women
I believe an idol has crept into the church today that possibly started withwell-meaning purpose. Most idols usually do, after all. Self-care has become a popular topic in society lately. I thought about listing a few of the quotes that appeared when I googled self-care, but I'll just let you try it yourself. Many of …
As mentioned in Part 1 of this topic, despite the depravity of the human heart, we tend to go on heaping expectations on each other. And these expectations often go unmet, and we respond with shock, bitterness, anger, etc. about practically everything. Why do we do this? I think the answer can be seen in …
Continue reading "Replacing horizontal expectations with a vertical hope, Part 2"
I recently chatted with a dear friend who is about to move overseas to do mission work full-time. As part of the training she undergoes beforehand, she takes an inventory of her expectations in practically every area. Just hearing about it overwhelmed me, so I cannot imagine what she is feeling about having to do …
Continue reading "Replacing horizontal expectations with a vertical hope, Part 1"
We've been preparing for our longest RV trip yet, which means making far too many pink and orange highlighted lists and checking them a gazillion times a day. When it came time to order groceries (Instacart is my best friend), I requested 12 bananas. My shopper even asked in the chat to clarify, "You want …
Continue reading "Freedom in Christ, even in too many bananas"
Like Jesus, we need to be resolved to have fellowship with our Father. It won’t simply happen. It doesn’t have to look one single way, but the determination to do it needs to be there. This can even look differently in various seasons, but if we value it, we will make it happen somehow because we …
I started this blog series with a focus on how we need these rhythms of returning to Jesus' feet for renewal. But let's take that one step further. We also need these rhythms to help us remember. Remember when we walked through Mark 6? Well only a few short chapters later, in Mark 8, we …
Continue reading "Pursuing Rhythms of Remembrance leads to Self-Denial and Deeper Dependence on God"
As we endeavor to trust our Great High Priest and pursue rhythms of renewal, there will undoubtedly be times when interruptions come our way. How do we view these and with what attitude can we approach them? Are they actually interruptions? That's what we're going to begin examining this week as we continue our journey …
Continue reading "Rhythms of Renewal: Responding with compassion like Jesus to the interruptions"
When I first started to pay more attention to my own health and fitness habits after becoming a mama, my goal was simple: to lose weight and have more energy. The Lord took that simple desire to begin to show me where I needed to develop discipline in many areas of life, and one of …
Continue reading "Habit Training for Mamas: Why do we need rhythms of renewal?"
Would you describe any circumstances in your life recently as feeling like a battle? Even if you, like me, don't leave your home much and are simply encountering daily life with your own family, there can be days where it feels like we are fighting for something. I recently found encouragement and exhortation from a …
Continue reading "When God fights the battle but still calls us to be on the battlefield"
“Jesus stole my marshmallow!” The indignant eyes of my almost three-year-old glared at me in disbelief as we examined his first resurrection bun—the classic crescent-wrapped marshmallow that disappears after baking and symbolizes an “empty tomb.” Previous visions of theological discussions to help my child understand substitutionary atonement were instead dashed and replaced with the ideology …
Continue reading "The art of remembrance in our family traditions of Easter"
jami lee gainey 