Tag: Jesus Calling

• Day 22: Comforting

  Posted at 8:23 am by How the Light Gets In, on November 22, 2020

  

  Day 22; Honey shows us how comforting the light can be.

  The old girl reminds me how warm and enveloping light feels. Every day she seeks out the brightest spot and basks in the warmth of it.

  COMFORTING

  Random transition here but – I used to think it was bad to write in my Bible. I thought it somehow disrespected the book or God. Or maybe I just thought it looked messy? Either way. My Bible was crisp and clean.

  Not anymore. Scriptures are underlined, highlighted and circled. There are dates and names scribbled all over it.

  To flip through my Bible and devotionals and read through it all is powerful for me. To then sit with the scriptures that held meaning in the moment feels like basking in comforting light.

  

  I was bitter (and confused and angry) because of all we were going through as a family. I thought I’d been a good Christian and deserved a smooth life because of it.

  Oh, how much I’ve learned and am learning… God is not transactional. This world is broken. Just because I’m a good Jesus follower doesn’t guarantee an easy ride. God is all-powerful but still very present in the most precise of details in my own little life and I’ll never get over it.

  Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with whole hearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him. “Go back and tell Hezekiah this is what the Lord the God of your father David says, “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.”

  2 Kings 20:2-6

  I held onto that promise for another two years.

  Then there’s this. Haha.

  

  Find a cozy, quiet spot and read this from Isaiah 30:15-21.

  

  Find your strength today sitting in quiet stillness. Let the comforting truth that no matter which way you turn, an all-powerful God is beside you whispering the way to go.

  

  Posted in November 2020, Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged 2 Kings 20:2-6, Bible, Comforting, Hezekiah, How the Light Gets In, Isaiah 30:15-21, Jesus Calling, Streams in the Desert

• Compass in the Chaos

  Posted at 4:18 pm by How the Light Gets In, on March 19, 2020

  Where the heck are we right now? What is going on?

  I feel a little lost in all the Coronavirus updates and state mandated restrictions and empty grocery shelves. It’s all so disorienting.

  How are you?

  Since you can’t be student, boss, employee, non-teacher, hostess, room-parent, coach… how are you?

  It’s weird and slow. 

  I know. I feel it too. Right now, I want to sit next to you (virtually) and offer you a compass in the chaos.

  Because I’ve been here before.

  From 2016-2019, we were swirling in a medical mess and I felt lost in a sort of wilderness. Just like you now, I wasn’t able to be all the things I’d signed up for like coach, room mom, hostess, tennis player, volunteer, etc.

  My calendar was wiped clean of every layer of identity I’d wrapped myself up in. They were all taken without asking my permission. 

  As you read this; COVID-19 has wiped your calendar clean. And you didn’t get a say. We’re back to basics with no clear path of what lies ahead. So, what next?

  First, let’s get our bearings. Friends, we are IN the wilderness.

  And, I can tell you from experience and from reading lots of scripture, the wilderness is where God does His thing.

  This is where He works.

  Behold, I am doing a new thing;
  now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
  I will make a way in the wilderness
  and rivers in the desert. – Isaiah 43:19

  

  Rachel Held Evans wrote “…some of Scripture’s most momentous events occur not at the start of a journey, nor at the destination, but in between, in the wilderness.” Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water and Loving the Bible Again

  We are IN BETWEEN right now.

  And God is in it with us offering “a way.” In all this uncertainty and pandemonium, why not, WHY NOT invite God into it and ask for direction.

  How does this work in real life, like right now? Well, if you were lost in the literal wilderness; you would keep your eyes open for signs to point you in the right direction. Same applies to you and God in the metaphorical wilderness. Really.

  Here are a few “signs” in the wilderness to point you in the right direction: Read the Jesus Calling Devotional, sign up for a reading plan on the Holy Bible App, follow Aussie Dave or Priscilla Shirer or Bianca Olthoff or Bishop Jakes on Instagram, listen to 95.1 Shine-FM, look up She Reads Truth and join the community, tune in to mass on Church of the Nativity’s website.

  We’re feeling a little lost right now but we have a God who loves to show up IN the wilderness in remarkable ways. He’s full of promise and hope and relief.

  Point the compass His way, ask Him for help and TAKE NOTES! {You might not be able to see God in the moment but being able to look back at what you asked for can be a powerful way to see He was working all along.}

  Just yesterday, I was journaling about my worry with the news of even more closings and my anxiety over my daily routine being swallowed up with the needs of all the kids home now. The “Jesus Calling “reading for March 18 was from Matthew.

  “Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” – Matt 6:34

  I’ve seen it before. I know I’ll see it again and again. You might be lost but you are not alone.

  Let God be your compass in the chaos.

  Posted in March 2020, Uncategorized | 1 Comment | Tagged 95.1 Shine FM, aussiedave, Bianca Olthoff, Church of the Nativity, compass in the chaos, coronavirus, covid-19, Holy Bible App, How the Light Gets In, Isaiah 43:18-19, Jesus Calling, Matthew 6:34, priscilla shirer, Rachel Held Evans, She Reads Truth, Wilderness

• CHRISTMAS – Day 25

  Posted at 2:09 pm by How the Light Gets In, on December 25, 2019

  Merry Christmas

  You did it. WE did it! Hooray for us! 24 days of reading God’s word. 24 days of devoting a little time to learning God’s voice. I’m so proud of you and me!

  Take a moment to scroll all the way back to Day One. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and jot down the websites, books, Instagram accounts, Music, Photography, Email subscriptions, Apps, Artists, Podcasts, Places, People, Recipes.

  Then, take note of what struck you most – was it the beauty, the pain, the encouragement, the community?

  Finally, we should list all the scripture from the posts. The Bible still blows my mind with all those words written so long ago and somehow still very alive and so powerful.

  You know what ALLLLL this tells me?

  GOD

  WILL

  STOP

  AT

  NOTHING.

  God will stop at nothing to get YOUR attention.

  These 24 days have just been a glimpse of how relentless God is trying to grab your attention.

  Christmas gives us the sweetest example of this. Immanuel is God with us.

  Jesus IS God with us.

  But wait, the story doesn’t end here. There’s Good News! Jesus wasn’t just born, end of story. Jesus lived a life full of friendship and story telling and healing and teaching and loving. There’s more to learn. Jesus didn’t just live for you and me. He also died for you and me.

  Today we celebrate His birth but there’s so much more.

  And hey, if you’re reading this you’re alive too which means God’s not done with you. Your story with Him might just be beginning. Or maybe you go way back. Either way, keep walking with Jesus. Read His Word. Learn His voice. Look for Him.

  Remember how we started this journey with Gods word as a “lamp for our feet”? Today let’s celebrate because the light is here. Jesus – God with us – is here “to guide our feet into the path of peace.” (Luke 1:79)

  Thank you for being with me this Advent. You have made it so special for me.

  One last song Reckless Love

  Posted in DECEMBER 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged 1 John 1:5, 1 John 1:5-7, 1 John 5:14, 1 Peter 2:9, 1 Peter 5:6, 100 Days to Brave, 2 Corinthians 1:6-7, 2 Kings 20, Acts 2:28, Advent, Ann Voskamp, Annie F Downs, Christmas, Church of the Nativity, Colossians 1:9-10, Cory Asbury, Elevation Worship, Ephesians 5:13, Exodus 33:14, Genesis 28:15, Hooray, How the Light Gets In, Isaiah 40:3-5, Isaiah 43:18-19, Jenna Mace Photography, Jesus, Jesus Calling, Job 42:5, John 11:38, Joshua 1:9, Journal, Luke 1:3-4, Luke 1:79, Matthew 14:13-21, Matthew 28:66, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 27:14, Romans 15:13, Romans 15:4-5, Wonder, Zephaniah 3:17

• Day 12

  Posted at 3:19 pm by How the Light Gets In, on December 12, 2019

  Two of my kids are home with the flu.

  Stupid cancer has crept into some of my favorite families’ lives.

  Medical messes are tangling up even more of my friends.

  A heavy, sad anniversary just passed for a neighbor.

  Don’t even get me started on the world beyond what I see or the constant battle waging on cable tv.

  Boooooo.

  God, I’m mad and sad and confused. Do you hear me?

  In a very mature move, I hop onto Instagram hoping to scroll my way into distracted avoidance.

  Instead, I see a post that says “CHOOSE JOY JUST BECAUSE.”

  

  Dang it Morgan Harper Nichols and your gorgeous artwork and intentional words. Here’s a link to her work on Instagram.

  Morgan Harper Nichols

  The timing and simplicity of her post spoke directly to my grinchy, questioning heart.

  I’ve lived enough life to know this being a human deal isn’t easy. Life can feel like a roller coaster, can’t it? And I’ve learned some bonus lessons through the mayhem of Joseph’s illness and my own medical chaos.

  One thing I know is I can get angry at God. I have been angry at him. I’ve slung my frustration and disappointment and hurt at God with some ummm pointed language… and with tears.

  
  But God wants a relationship with me, with you. Knowing God, believing in Him isn’t just a ritual or a weekly habit to check off the list. And just like in any relationship, I can’t just sling words at God and not wait for a response. I wouldn’t do that to you and you wouldn’t do that to me.

  I see the Choose Joy just because; And I go outside to breathe in the crisp air.
  I close my eyes to soak up the vitamin D offered freely by the sun.
  I plug in the Christmas lights on the tree and on the banister and on the mantle.
  I light a few candles.
  I open my bible.

  And, one of the scriptures from the Jesus Calling reading today is 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” I mean…

  My heart still hurts for the hurt around me but I’m making room for Joy because God hears me and answers me in artistic, meaningful ways in the most unexpected places and always in His word.

  I pray that if you are feeling grumpy, alone, neglected that you would tell God and then look, listen, wait.

  Posted in DECEMBER 2019 | 0 Comments | Tagged 1 Peter5:7, Advent, How the Light Gets In, Jesus Calling, Morgan Harper NIchols

• Day 2

  Posted at 9:59 am by How the Light Gets In, on December 2, 2019

  Day 2 of Advent

  Today we’re looking at the “Jesus Calling” Devotional. This little book has you set up day by day. So good, right?

  First step is look up the day you need.

  Before you start reading, imagine Jesus is the one speaking to you. That’s how the author has written it. Then look up the verses listed at the bottom of the page, open your bible and read God’s words for you.

  So for example, one reading today is from Isaiah 9:6. You can always google it.

  Or, if you have an actual bible, find the name Isaiah, then flip to chapter 9 and skim down to verse 6.

  Let me just show you.

  After I read, I like to write the verse down in all caps, sit with it a few moments, then write a thought or idea from it. You can underline in your bible. It is okie dokie.

  So this verse from John, I notice Jesus offers his friends PEACE in the midst of their fear. And while they were “overjoyed,” Jesus’ message is still PEACE. Did you notice that?

  We did Day 2! 💗

  Posted in DECEMBER 2019 | 2 Comments | Tagged adven, How the Light Gets In, Jesus Calling, John 20:19-21