Category: Devotions
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Full-Circle Moments: God Wants to Refine Your Story
Click here to read previous entries to this series. The Refinement Process When I hear the word “refine,” I think of sea glass. My friend Ann uses sea glass in her artwork to depict the refinement process. With a history of alcoholism in the family, Ann was attentive to the chipped, sharp bottles left behind…
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Full-Circle Moments: God Wants You to Remember Your Story
Do you remember what your future plans were when you graduated high school? Maybe you wanted to get into your top-choice university. Maybe you wanted to take a year to travel the world. Or maybe you desired to enter the workforce or start a family. In my high school yearbook, we had a “future plans”…
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Don’t Forget The Armor
When midnight prompted 2023 to begin this year, I didn’t anticipate big changes. I just wanted to get some sleep before an early morning at church. It was supposed to be a happy new year. I originally was going to share about how I woke up, exhausted and running on a few hours of sleep,…
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Finding Joy in Being
Part 1: A recollection Did you have a word for the year? What about a favorite Bible verse or a resolution? If you’ve been with me since last year, you might remember that my Scripture for 2022 was Psalm 34:5. “Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” (ESV)…
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Advent Anticipations
In this Advent season, it’s so easy to get wrapped up (quite literally!) in the hustle of the holidays: gift shopping, decorating, baking, all the TV specials – you name it! I’m a fan of finding the best gingerbread lattes, which is quite harder than it sounds. We spend 4 weeks anticipating Christmas Day and…
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Persisting in Prayer and Believing for Bigger
“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” – Mark 11:23 (ESV) For a while now, I’ve wrestled with the hope found…
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When You Need To Let It Go
I’m currently in the midst of two situations: One where I’m ready to move on and leave the former things behind me. The circumstances are too unhealthy and no longer sustainable. Another where I have no choice but to give up my desires and my ways. The outcome is too far beyond my control, regardless…
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Psalm 23:1 – The Good Shepherd
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” – Psalm 23:1 (NIV) In this verse, it’s easy to identify the Lord as Provider. It’s clear that, with Him, we have all that we need. Some translations say “I shall not want” because, in Him, we lack nothing. But there’s so much more depth in declaring…
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Progress > Perfection
One of the most obvious and necessary techniques in a workout is to keep your head up. As you complete barbell moves and box jumps, your eyes need to be looking ahead of you, fixed on a constant spot. As you move, that space becomes what centers you and keeps you from falling or losing…
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Coffee Shop Community
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:19 (ESV) It’s no secret that the recent disappointments in my life hit hard. I felt like Buddy the Elf when he realizes he’s not an elf. Or a dog walking with its tail between…
Consider the Joy 