Journey of Worship

 Do you remember learning how to walk?  Probably not!  But walking has become "natural" to you.  There are very few people that never got the opportunity to learn how to walk, and it was more than likely a limited circumstance that meant they had to learn a different mode of transporting themselves.  You would have to very diligently avoid walking to lose your ability to walk, but your brain has so many occurrences of it, that you may still imagine doing it.   Watching a baby learn how to walk, and then in those first few months "toddle" around has been a delight of mine, recently.  I have seen my own 2 children learn this: they got it in their head that they were going to do what the people around them were doing, and got up the courage and used the strength they had gained in training (crawling and pulling up) to walk.  It started with a side shuffle- along a couch or coffee table they had pulled up on- and then went to venturing to forward...

  Chapter 1: What Is Biblical Submission? Submission is often misunderstood. It's not weakness, passivity, or losing your identity—it's a strong, deliberate act of yielding to the will of God out of love and trust.  It's a commitment to take a posture of agreement despite circumstances, or perceived outcomes, and to endure in belief that God really is God over the universe. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” — James 4:7 At our point of accepting Christ, we step into the belief that, "though I don't deserve abundant grace, mercy, and love, I need it and therefore I lay down my life to the God who embodies this, trusting Him to lead my life."  Oftentimes, though, after our revelation and first step of submission, we pick back up where we left off.  We fall back into old habits; ways of acquiring a counterfeit of provisions.  I just watched MGK and Jelly Roll's "Lonely Road" music video.  What a p...

  Surrendering to Christ is not a one-time decision—it’s a daily laying down of our lives to follow Him, that comes with a promise (Luke 9:23-27, Matthew 11;28-30). You might even agree with me that it's a moment by moment giving up of your will, what you thought was best, and your reactions, and choosing to remember you are a child of God, and that changes everything.  Many women long for deeper intimacy with Jesus but don’t realize how much they're holding back.  If you think about it:  if you are "holding" anything, what is the position of your hands, and your heart?  Your hands are closed and there's a control and power over the object, idea, or person.  Your heart is saying "nothing in and nothing out."  When you are closed, you are not open.  You cannot hold on and receive at the same time.  True freedom comes not from control, but from surrender. Trusting God to truly surrender to Him what He gifted to you in the first place will actua...

 So, what was going on in my life a year ago?  That would have been the end of July, 2024, to be exact.  We had been fostering, with the intent to have 2 children adopted, for 6 years. We weren't giving up, though for many, adoption came in that first year even without that being their intention.  Maybe God knew we wouldn't give up and He could take care of a lot of kids in the meanwhile with us.  I think He knew that we still had a lot of working on to do, and He would do it in the 7 years that we stood on His promise of adoption.  We had to submit to him, and He was preparing the hearts of our bio kids.  We had completed our first adoption at the end of the previous year, on the day we left for an amazing month-long trip to visit my brother in Phuket, Thailand.  Upon arriving back we took a short couple months break before opening our home up to a 9 month old little boy, who was supposed to be a short (couple months) trip back to his momma....

Have you ever considered hiking a great mountain and reaching the peak?  Chris and I took an overnight hike up Mount LaConte when our oldest was 7 months.  We backpacked him, along with our supplies (diapers and a change of clothes for each of us, along with some snacks and waters).  We were on a mission to make it to the supplied cabins on top, though we wanted to experience everything along the way.  It was a fairly easy day's journey for Chris and I, as I remember it.  Along the way there was a steep part that we needed to use a rope to ensure we didn't slide backwards, we went through an overhang, and there were several parts that did not offer much foot space before you could be sliding down the side. We enjoyed the views, took pictures, I fed Nathaniel along the way and we had snack breaks and times to just reflect on the last leg of the journey (Wow, that was kinda scary!  Look, how beautiful!). There were several shelters along the way that a hiker ...

 Thank You Lord, for the reminder that you will provide everything we need today.  Even as I was able to get some time in my devotional before Chris left, to in-turn encourage him as anxiety started to well-up over all that we need to get done if we're really going to be able to turn our current house over to renters 4 days after we sign on our new house (which is in 7 days): with 3 of those days him going to investing classes and not actually being hands-on with any part of the move or settling.  He's got moving chickens, their coop and run, and all of the indoor and outdoor preparations in mind.  I remind him, "God will provide!  He will multiply your time and give you more hands to help."  Nathaniel has friends coming who can be of great assistance, and Chris also has friends who can take care of the moving part.  Oh, Lord, how excited I am for Chris to see you provide and pour out blessings as we entrust You and the people You provide! When we cons...

For the next 24 hours I will be exposed to the day's demands, and possible night callings.  It is now, as the day breaks and the sun rises, that I must make a choice who owns the day.  Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose.  Because I have chosen Christ, because Christ has made me new and continues to renew me, because He has given me everything I need for the day in His presence, I submit this day to Him.  It's really not about what I can do, but about what I believe.  So, because I believe in the risen Savior, Jehovah Jireh, my Heavenly Father, and Holy Spirit indwelling:  I choose Love...     No person, action or occasion justifies hatred, no injustice warrants bitterness.  God has created me and loves me: I choose to accept His love.  He has surrounded me with His creation and His children: I choose to love them with the love He has shown me.  I overflow with His love.  Today I will love God and what (whom) God loves. I ...