Recently, I’ve been hanging out with Simon Peter. I’m walking alongside him and trying to keep up with His enthusiasm and zealous sense of adventure. He challenges me to be more courageous and bold in my commitment to follow Jesus. He has also made me look deep within my own heart and ask some probing questions.

God offers a future to anyone and everyone who will listen to His voice and respond to His word. God honors the time invested in learning to listen to His voice. Each time you sit with Him in His living word, He is training and equipping you. He’s preparing you.

When we are born of the Spirit by giving our lives to Jesus as Savior and Lord, we have the Holy Spirit of God living inside us. We have access to the thoughts, insights, revelation, and wisdom that God gives to His people.

Gift guides are popping up everywhere, offering great ideas for the latest and greatest things to give—and, to be honest, things to want! They are organized by interests, hobbies, price, uniqueness, usability, collectability, age, and gender. They always boast of having "something for everyone on your list" and aim to help you secure the "perfect" gift for that certain someone who is hard to shop for.

As we count down the days to Christmas, I want to embrace the profound truth this season brings—a truth that surpasses material gifts and festive celebrations. It's a truth that declares we have received more than enough—a Savior, a promise, a presence, and an overflowing hope.

Are you tired already? I am. Why are the holidays so often full of hurrying and hustle and stress?

While rocking gently on the waves of the Sea of Galilee, the multitudes gathered on the shoreline to hear Jesus speak many things to them. On this particular day He told them a parable about seeds and what hinders or helps them grow and take root. As he finished telling the story He told the crowd, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

What do you do when you don’t see a manifestation of the presence and power of God?​​ When it feels like you've been left behind, forgotten, or that your prayers go unheard, how do you stand firm in your faith?

Sometimes God calls us to do hard things. It's not because He is harsh; rather, it's during these challenging times that we experience His supernatural strength.

David prays this from a desperate place. He knows what it’s like to be forsaken, lonely, and afflicted. And He knows there is no place to go but to God.

Being prudent means exercising restraint and humility. It's about understanding the power of a well-timed and appropriate word. We don't need to reveal everything we know, and sometimes, silence can be the wisest response.

In the grandeur of King Nebuchadnezzar's court, there was an edict to find the most exceptional young men from Israel's royal family and nobility. The criteria were strict: they had to be physically flawless, handsome, well-versed in various fields of learning, informed, quick to understand, and suitable for service in the king's palace.

In our faith journeys, we often encounter moments where obedience becomes the cornerstone of our progress. It's in these instances that we discover the profound truth that obedience is an expression of our love for God.

Stop trying to find greener pastures or to move on from this hard place. While God has you here, dwell—settle into this place to learn and grow. God can bless you in the desert, in the wilderness, in prison, in exile, in a cave, in enemy territory, in a war zone, and in the valley. It doesn’t matter what life circumstance you’re in. 

Wisdom brings with it the gift of discretion, which is the ability to exercise well-measured judgment in our words and actions. In embracing wisdom, we learn to sift through what is undesirable and hold on to what is good.

The early years of striving slowly gave way to security and instead of being prone to worry, I started to experience the peace that bypassed understanding. Choices and decisions that often created division and chaos, gave way to clarity. Even troubling thought patterns were released to establish trust in the wisdom of God.

If there is anything I know from personal experience, it is the power of words to build up or put down. I want to be a life giver– a person who builds up, infuses life, hope, and courage into others. I want to speak words of life, and God’s words are life.

Isn’t it reassuring that while we are not attracted to needy, inconsistent, unreliable people to carry out our plans and purposes, Jesus is.

There is nothing like seeing your child grow into the person you prayed for them to be. It’s a beautiful thing when you have prayed and asked the Lord to grow them in wisdom and then you see them come into spiritual maturity and they are filled with the Spirit and words of truth.

Life piles up and I feel smothered under responsibilities because I have a very hard time asking for help. It is ridiculous and I know it and still I return to the same place and trip time and time again.