This week's throw-back comes from a post I wrote in 2014. Take a minute to reflect on our gift of a Savior this Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas! A cross forms the backdrop for my nativity scene downstairs. There’s a reason for that. I don’t know about you, but I need a visual reminder—not just once, …
Jesus Is God
For our third week of Advent, we throw back to 2014 and this post by Shereen which rings as true today as it did then. It comes up too often to ignore, to push aside and move on. Whether lingering over warm cups in my favorite coffee shop, sitting face-to-face at the kitchen table, or …
Mary’s Song
For our Advent series this year, we are drawing on some favorites from the past. Today's blog was written by Renee Meyer in 2016 for our series called The Songs of Christmas. I know you will enjoy reading it again as much as I did. As protestant believers, we don’t spend a lot of time …
Awaken to His Coming
This is a great time of year to talk about AWAKENING! We’re celebrating the greatest wake-up call in the history of everything. Here's how it's described in Matthew 4 as quoted from Isaiah's prophesy: “The people who were sitting (living) in [spiritual] darkness have seen a great Light,And for those who were sitting (living) in the land and shadow of [spiritual and …
Lessons in Gratitude
By Carey Helmink Well friends, the holidays are fast approaching once again. I don’t know why I am always shocked when this time of the year occurs again. We KNOW it’s coming – every year – but the older I get, the faster it comes it would seem. 😊 Of course, the subject of gratitude …
Awake My Soul
If you’ve known me very long, you might know I like to prepare for things well in advance. But I have confession to make: I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants most every week this semester. It makes me very uncomfortable, especially since I’ve been planning to build on our theme each week …
Soul Awakening
Depending in the version you read, the word SOUL is used over 280 times in scripture. The most common word for soul, nephesh, in Old Testament Greek means "the inner being of a person, the seat of appetites, emotions and passions." Notice how it's used in these passages: Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require …
Freely and Lightly
I don't know about you, but much in life seems weighty these days-- the overwhelm of media, an undercurrent of deceit, growing discontent--like a pack rat has taken up residence in our souls. But this is not new. Jesus spoke clearly and kindly about this in Matthew 11:28-30: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out …
Taking Every Thought Captive
By Carey Helmink As you know, my purpose in spending these moments with you every few weeks is to drag you into whatever I’m learning. If you have been around me long enough, you should be aware of some of my “issues” by now because they just keep coming up. I am apparently a very …
Breathing Prayer
Last week, when Maranda and I chatted about how becoming more in tune with ourselves physically led us to become more aware spiritually, I was reminded of breath prayer. Simple. Refocusing. A pause between activities. In her book, Sacred Rhythms, Ruth Haley Barton says “Breath prayer is to the spiritual life what oxygen and the …
Equip Her 