Encouraging one another, all the more
I’ll never forget the look on the man’s face at the store as he scanned my items and casually asked me my due date. It was obvious the time was near, but he gave a look of horror as if I’d give birth right then and there on the store’s floor when I answered, “Four […]
Here is another throwback hymn for you! A hymn that has been used often in the past year at my church is “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” by Martin Luther. The words are a powerful force against spiritual warfare and times of trouble. It was not until I sang this song on my worship […]
The words plunged into me like a dagger: “Jessica, In this case, you were wrong. You were manipulative. You inserted yourself to be part of a group where truth is, not everyone would welcome you. I ask that you make arrangements at a different hotel.” My church was going to a highly anticipated conference, and […]
A few weeks ago, I vandalized Gods’ temple. I wrote hate speech on its walls. I tore down the beautiful altars; altars that memorialized obstacles that lead to grace. I snuffed out all of the candles; candles that were lit with trembling faith and hopeful expectation. I stood in the middle of the temple and […]
“Lord, I lay down my life for you.” “Really? Will you lay your life down for me?” Jesus asks Peter in John 13:38 (NLT). Will I lay my desires for my career, my free time, my ambitions, my relationships, my reputation for Our Father? Well, I don’t know. I’m willing to lay down maybe one […]
The start of the new year always brings an onslaught of emotion and reflection for me. My birthday falls on December 30th, so as the world turns another year older, I do as well. To be frank, as of late this event has failed to yield an overwhelming amount of contentment and gratitude in my […]
I’m not good at accepting help. There. I said it. I say that like you twisted my arm to admit it, but honestly, who is? Our culture thrives on that “pick yourself up by the bootstraps,” “stand on your own two feet” mentality. By accepting help, we feel like we are admitting defeat. We just […]
The Frozen II soundtrack has been on repeat in my home over the past few weeks. On it, there are two songs that stand in contrast to one another. The first is “Some Things Never Change,” which is about the desire for some things in life to remain constant and true. But Elsa’s song, “Into […]
This guy was worshipping Jesus more fearfully and fearlessly than anyone I had ever seen in my entire life. He was praising Jesus like no one else was in the room. Or, better yet, like Jesus was actually in the room. Like a complete madman. No joke, it was as if he was just set […]
If someone asked me what my passions are, discipleship would be one of my top passions. Discipleship is teaching someone to follow Jesus. It is doing life with a person (they seeing your routine interactions with others and how you live your life) and walking alongside them in their relationship with Christ. Discipleship has no […]