At one point this week, one of my children screamed from the bedroom, “I hate this place so much!” To be honest (which I always try to be here), I wasn’t loving “this place” so much either. Summer has been trying at times here for us (well, mostly me). We’re off our regular routine of friends, community, and school. I’m dealing with some allergy issues. My husband is in the middle of some demanding projects at work. And let...
As I wade through various circumstances in my life, this verse comes to mind, so I’m sharing this artwork with you today! It takes courage to wait on the LORD to move in us, to move in others, and to move in our world. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And...
Marriage can be a beautiful, but tricky thing. First of all, let me say that I’m so thankful to be married to a man who is a new creation in Jesus and who is always growing and learning. The two of us have the same Spirit, so in the end, God smoothes out our rough edges. But in the middle . . . well, we sometimes get splinters. Take this past Sunday morning. My husband grew up in a...
I had this idea for an illustration of some verses from Galatians 3, so I’m sharing the printable with you today! We are teaching through the story of God’s promise, or covenant, to Abraham (Genesis 12, 15 & 17) in Sunday school, and also happen to be studying the New Testament’s application of that promise in Galatians 3. “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There...
We are celebrating a Maundy Thursday meal with our community group tomorrow night and I was doing some research for the devotional.What is Maundy Thursday? I’m so glad you asked, because I didn’t know either! It’s mostly agreed that the “maundy” comes from the Latin “mandatum” which comes from the words spoken by Jesus on the night He celebrated the Passover with His disciples, the same night He was betrayed by his friend and later turned over to the...
God is up to something in me. I feel a particular strain of truth hitting me from several directions and I’m wading in the deep of it. We have just started a study of Galatians in our community group. I’m reading Elyse Fitzpatrick’s “Good News for Weary Women: escaping the bondage of to-do lists, steps, and bad advice,” I had a conversation about judging and grace with my friend Katie over lunch leftovers last week while the kids ran...
September 17, 2015
gospel•joy•printable•readerfavorite
The JOY source + FREE printable Scripture cards
My mother-in-law asked me to create this joy Scripture card set for a church event recently. We love how they turned out, so we’re sharing them with you today! I love these verses because they remind me of our joy source: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:12 “Let all who take refuge in you be glad, Let them ever sing for joy.” Psalm 5:11 “You make known to...
We sure need good news in our house. We’re experts at sinning and wanting our own way (especially me!). We need rescue. We need for Jesus to work in our hearts through His Spirit. We want to obey God, but we find we’re very resistant! I’ve been thinking about ways we can share the Good News with our kids–here at home and at church. With my kids, a combination of both art and music have been great tools for...
I impressed myself this morning. I was the mom I know I can be if I just pull it together. I didn’t yell ALL morning. I controlled my twitches of anger when one little miss took almost two hours to stuff a pile of clean clothes in her dresser. I used my best calm mommy voice. I let them paint. Post-nap I let myself down. I blame it on the new sprinkler, which was supposed to be highly entertaining....
