I’m from New York. I’ve lived there for twenty-somewhat years. It’s the city that never sleeps. Never stops. For better or for worse, that’s ingrained in me. So though, I’ve been living in the sanctity of peaceful Maryland for the last 4.5 years, that New- York- work-now-rest-never spirit still lives in me. And I’m working on it. I’m working on it because for most of my adult life, (and I’m only 26) I have silently struggled with anxiety and hypertension. My mental and physical well-being depends on me finding rest often and consistently. I’m working on it. I work a…
Browsing: faith/ spirituality
Here are 5 Things The Bible Teaches Us About God’s Grace: When you start to feel hopeless… remember that by God’s grace, nothing is impossible.
One of the greatest gifts we are given as followers of Christ is grace. For a moment I want you to picture Jesus Christ on the Cross. Blood, sweat, and tears encompass this pivotal crucifixion. He bared the weight of our sins, even the ones we don’t know we will commit yet, and still He chose us anyway. He chose YOU anyway. He chose ME anyway. Despite our past, present, and future, He chose love and covered us in the truest form of forgiveness: grace. The power of God’s grace is immeasurable, in fact, I am certain that we have…
After 4 1/2 years of employment with the bank, I’d just been fired. Relief and uncertainty followed as I gathered my belongings and headed out the door. Later that evening, I headed off to Bible Study. Service was great. I felt renewed, rejuvenated and was ready for a new start. Fast forward three weeks later… The mortgage was due and my funds were low. Two weeks prior, the car broke down and my small “egg nest” had been depleted. Rewind…Three years earlier. I’d just purchased my first home. My daughter was attending private school, which meant monthly tuition payments had…
As I look around me every day, I am constantly aware of the brevity of life. As a child is birthed into this world at any given moment, the same goes for a life that is taken away. We didn’t come on this earth to stay; we are just sojourners on this path of what we call life. Yet, we go about our daily lives as if we have all the time in the world not aware that we could be here today and gone tomorrow. I know we don’t like to talk much about death but dying is inevitable.…
Perhaps you know the feeling of waiting for your phone to charge? You’ve run out of batteries, you’ve plugged the phone in and now there’s nothing to do but sit and wait? And even if it really only takes a matter of minutes (and even though it’s nothing more than a phone), you start to feel tense and anxious, wondering how long this could possibly take. Most people don’t like to wait. We often get frustrated waiting on fast food or waiting behind the slow car in the fast lane. We are always in a rush to get to the…
God loves you on your best day, your worst day, and any other day!
If you’re anything like me, social media can more often than not lure you in. Before we know it, we have spent a good portion of our days (and nights) aimlessly scrolling through Newsfeeds and Timelines. We have mindlessly “liked” stories that frequently have little to do with our real lives and “commented” on things that only get us distracted, frustrated, or even envious. If you’re anything like me, you have had to take mental breaks from social media or even fast from social media because of the great distraction it presents. Personally, I struggle with what I deem the…
It’s easy to get impatient and attempt to take matters into our own hands when we feel our prayers are going unheard. Why does it seem like some people just ask and receive while others beg and plead with God, but to no avail? I know, it’s hard to sit back and watch everyone around us continue to reap blessings while we sit back and wonder… when will it be our turn? The problem with giving God deadlines is that God doesn’t move on our schedule. His timing is perfect. This is a lesson, I unfortunately had to learn the hard way. 12 years ago,…
Scripture provides no list of qualifications for a pastor’s wife. Pastors and deacons are covered in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, but the pastor’s wife? She doesn’t show up, at least in terms of suitability for an office. Nevertheless, some churches have their own set of unwritten qualifications for the pastor’s wife, many of which create unrealistic expectations and abundant misconceptions. These can place undue pressure on the wife of a pastor. This shouldn’t be the case, however, since Scripture knows no such formal category. Here are five popular misconceptions about the pastor’s wife: 1. You have it all together. Some will assume you’ve worked through all your issues. Sure, you may struggle, but…
Christmas has long represented joyful family gatherings and sharing generational holiday traditions. Television commercials, billboards on highways, and even annual entertainment events portray happiness as intact families celebrating in peace and harmony. Grief has a way of shuffling up emotions during this time of year. Christmas, especially, can bring to surface sorrows that burrow deep within our hearts after significant loss. We plead with God to hasten us through the days of December. In spite of deep faith, many of us emotionally limp through November and December, breathing a sigh of relief as the calendar welcomes January. January gives us…
Some people live by the motto “When All Else Fails, Pray”. Prayer should be your steering wheel, not your spare tire. Pray daily, not just in emergencies.
Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones in order to get to the place where God wants us to be.
The world says, “I’ll believe it when I see it!”, but faith says, “You’ll see it when you believe it.”
Fear causes us to focus on the bad things that could happen, rather than the goodness and protection that God has shown to us time and again.
While you may see a “problem”, God sees a plan.
When the pains of life force you to move on, don’t fret. Know that bigger and better things are on the way!
Emotions are our natural response, but worship should be our spiritual response.
Though people say this for their own reasons. It often deeply saddens me when I hear, “I’m Spiritual but not Religious.” To me, people say this in part because though they have a relationship with God, they want nothing or little to do with the Church. First of all, we ARE the Church. And frequently, people are misguided in thinking that Church is merely the infrastructure or the place they go to on Sundays. That is incorrect. On the other hand, though it saddens me, I really do understand why people who know God have reservations about the Church. It…
If you’re praying about it, God is working on it, but what are you doing while you wait?
