“Then I heard the Lord asking ,”Whom shall I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am Lord. Send me.” Isaiah 6:8

EXCITED, anxious, EXCITED, nervous, EXCITED, overwhelmed…. Humbled, prayerful, covered in peace- AND, officially trying to not freak out 🥴. Lol, ALL the emotions of a very “human” momma. The momma that loves the Lord with her whole heart, has seen His face and love, trusts His Word, holds on to her faith for dear life – but, STILL, human.

All of a sudden your babies are basically grown, love Jesus, and want to GO OUT and tell others about Who He is.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of age.” Matt. 28:19-20

This is what we pray for, what we want for our children. To see them love Christ more than anything, and to fall more in love with Him daily. When Emma, Piper, and Mac came to us and told us they wanted to go to Alaska that’s when all of those emotions came flooding in. We all started praying. Praying for guidance, direction, and of course- confirmation. And God, in all His glory, and His way, worked it all out and lined everything up. Long talks about missions, what to expect (the very real and raw), and gosh – them being SO FAR away! (YA’LL! My kids were closer to RUSSIA than to me!😬🫣)

Days, weeks, months of hard work, prayer, preparation, and so many moments asking God to calm nerves as it got closer and reality set in. So many days PRAISING GOD for an Ah-Mazing Youth/ Church leadership, Church family, and grateful for our community and village!

I knew myself what it was like to go on a mission trip. I knew all the different sides of it. The overwhelming emotions, the exhaustion, the nerves, and the very greatness of God unfolding before your eyes. The good, the bad, and the in between. But, it wasn’t me going this time … it was “my” babies and their friends – that are my babies!

“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

“…. take up his cross and FOLLOW ME.” There is so much overwhelming spiritual joy in missions and following God’s call. There is also the very reality that taking up His cross and following Jesus is not easy. CHRIST’s mission was not easy, His life was not easy, spreading the gospel – not easy. As “momma”, I was so excited for the mission, the joy and refining they were going to take part in and experience. I was also, admittedly battling my flesh. Nervous about the possibilities that come with the mission- heartache, trials, tribulation, risk, rejection, safety … all the things. Even when we know that God teaches us our greatest lessons in the midst of “the hard” – it stinks watching your kid hurt, struggle, battling sadness, or fear.

God continually reminded me of WHO HE IS. Reminded me that they are HIS children – and so am I. And while they did experience some “hard” and unplanned hiccups- sickness (imagine being closer to Russia and sick lol 🫣🤪), spending days and hours with children sharing the gospel and crying because you don’t want to leave them, cancelled flights, being split from your sibling and church family to be put on different flights, AND up for 33 hours trying to get home – but – even with all that and more – they saw His face! And so did I and many others. They were His hands, His feet. They took up their cross to follow Him, and He was with them every step of the way. They fell more in love with Christ, with His people, and His mission. They went to Alaska to change lives – and they were embraced in Him changing theirs. I look at all their pics and see that Alaska was breathtaking- but Alaska with GOD was LIFE-GIVING.

3 John 1:4 “I could have no greater joy than to hear my children are following the truth.”

“for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”” Ephesians 5:14

“I was buried beneath my shame

Who could carry that kind of weight

It was my tomb

Till I met You”

From “GloriousDay”

It was my tomb……..

Have you ever been just going along and 💥 the Lord just ties a bunch of loose thoughts together and 🤯.

I have been studying Jabez’s prayer from 1 Chronicles 9-10, and I am especially hung up on borders right now. If you go to Freedom Fellowship you know we now see trees, mountains and Colossians everywhere we look. Now, I also see borders.

It was my tomb……..

We sang Glorious Day during our song service the other day and “my tomb” just struck a chord in my spirit. The Lord opened that tomb and set this captive free 🙌🏻. Those borders were forever expanded and reach all the way to the throne room. Hallelujah 💃🏼

It WAS my tomb……..

Why then do I allow the enemy to sneak back in and start luring me back to the tomb. Why do I allow myself to let discouragement wall me in? Why am I seeing borders in my life where God has granted access?

It was my tomb…….

No more. No more borders. No more isolation. No more pity parties. No more walking in defeat.

Victory is mine and can be yours!

He called my name…….🙌🏻💃🏼🙌🏻💃🏼

“You called my name

And I ran out of that grave

Out of the darkness

Into Your glorious day”

Shoutin words 🙌🏻

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬-‭3a

Earlier this week as I was praying about what to write for this day, I highlighted and noted in my daily readings this passage as a possibility. I had no idea what would transpire over the weekend, but I knew that fear is prevalent and often crippling due to the scary times in which we live. The weekend’s happenings have further accentuated these fearful times. 

As believers, we are commanded to “fear not”. God very clearly tells us not to fear, but then He tells us why. “I have redeemed you” is what He says. Redeemed has multiple definitions in the Merriam Webster Dictionary: “to buy back; to free from captivity by payment of ransom; to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental; to release from blame or debt; to free from the consequences of sin”. That redemption is available because of Jesus. When we are redeemed, we are His. We are freed from captivity that sin brings because He bought us. We are a precious treasure to Him. As His special treasure, we are not immune to scary times, but we are immune to the effects of them if we will obey the command to “fear not”. God said that He will be with us “through the waters”, “through the rivers”, “through the fire”. His presence will keep us from being overwhelmed or burned or consumed. 

Our nation is certainly in a very scary time. Our kids and our families are facing scary times. We are facing scary times. The scary times may be financial problems, wayward children, illnesses, crime too close to home, ungodly leaders, ungodly bosses, threats to our freedoms, and we could go on and on, but we won’t. Why? Because God says, “Fear not! I have redeemed you. You are mine I will be with you and nothing can overcome you because nothing can overcome Me. I am God, your God!” On the other side of these scary times is victory for the redeemed child of God. Don’t sweat the scary stuff! God’s got us!

Don’t forget your tambourine!

“For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Miriam was born into slavery. She watched her mother send baby Moses down the Nile in a basket with a prayer that God would spare him- and Miriam saw God answer that prayer. But she was a grown woman who lived through the harsh hand of slavery before God sent Moses back to Egypt to free His people. 
We don’t know what she was thinking when they finally walked out of Egypt. We don’t know if she crossed the Red Sea in terror or in confidence, but we do know that she packed her tambourine. 
It says something about her faith that as she left Egypt she chose to keep her tambourine at the ready. She expected to need it. She expected to sing in praise.

Sisters, we have that great expectation EVERY DAY. Jesus has delivered us from our sins. Our father loves us and He has prepared goodness before us. He guides our steps. He provides for our needs. As you prepare for the new day He has given you, thank Him for His sovereignty, for His kindness, for the Red Seas He will part for you and even the pain He may carry you through. As you walk out the door today don’t forget your tambourine. 

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭51‬:‭7‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

A few weeks ago in June, I got the privilege of going on my second mission trip to Alaska with my church youth group. My experience and time spent there was life-altering, humbling, inspiring, and very very rewarding.

We set off to Alaska on July 9, taking a 7 hour flight across the US. The first sign of being in Alaska was the beautiful mountains that surrounded you, and of course, the AMAZING weather. Let’s just say, coming back to Texas was a serious let down because nothing can beat the no humidity felt in Alaska. After landing we got set at a local church in Anchorage, and the whole week we were hosted by an organization called Grace Works. They cooked every meal for us, and don’t think this food was church camp food. We were eating delicious home cooked meals, and even got to try cool things like reindeer sausage. Grace Works also provided us with volunteers to assist us as we set out to our assigned trailer parks. This is where we got to interact with kids, and where all the fun happened.

A day in Alaska consisted of waking up around 8 and eating breakfast, then either going to explore in the mountains and down trails, or helping local churches with projects they needed done. After that we would come back to the church around 11 and begin chapel. I’m currently a part of my youth worship group, and one day I got the privilege of leading worship for the group staying at our church. That was a huge blessing. After chapel, we would eat lunch, then around 1, we would load our vans up with supplies to go teach kids about Jesus, and we set off to assigned trailer parks. Since our church brought such a big group of kids, we had to split into two groups. My group went to a very low income trailer park, and it was huge. The kids there know about Grace Works, because some have been attending for years. They knew exactly what time of day we were coming to their trailer park, and when we got there, there was nothing but pure joy on their faces. We average around 30-50 kids every day, and we met in a little field of the trailer park. We played games, sang and danced to songs, did crafts to go along with the Bible story every day, fed them snacks, and drank lots of tang. The sad thing is that some of these kids didn’t have great home lives, so the meals we provided them with may have been the only thing they could eat. They were so grateful for everything they got, and that was sweet to see because it reminded me how fortunate I am to have all the things I’ve been provided. God has been abundant in everything in my life, and I worship him and praise him for that.

The last day at the trailer park, I got to teach the Bible story. I taught the children about Jesus being our good shepherd. We discussed Jesus being the shepherd, and we are his sheep. They began to understand the concept that if Jesus had 100 sheep, and 1 went astray, he would leave the 99 just to retrieve and find the 1. I had some deep conversations with some kids about feeling like they were the 1. The 1 sheep that loses their way and strays away from Jesus, and maybe it’s because they didn’t feel loved, they were scared to be open about their faith in their home, or they didn’t want to be judged by their friends. As best as I could, I assured them that Jesus will never abandon us. He’s always willing to get down to whatever level we are at, and bring us back up to where we need to be. Still now, I miss the kids I got to spend the week with. They were special, and left a big mark on my life. They knew I was there teaching them, but they still don’t realize how much they did for me. I pray I get to go back to Alaska and see them again, and I encourage everyone to pray that God continues to work on those children. God is evident in so many things, and my week in Alaska was filled with his presence.

Hope is the word the Lord has been speaking to me this season. 

But what is hope really?
If you are anything like me, the meaning has been lost because it’s become and been used more as “wishful thinking”. Hope in the Bible however is confident expectation. It’s a trust that God is who He says He is, that He will do what He said He will do, and does not disappoint.

Last month I had read in Romans 8 and there’s a verse that says “hope that is seen is not hope at all” and at the time I had taken it as: that even though I don’t have many experiences to go off of regarding certain hopes in my life, I can still expect. But I’m me and I like to know things and I’m wanting the next 10 steps lined out for me. (Anyone else like that because if so, hi hello you have found your people haha.) Obviously God doesn’t always work like that — in fact, I’d say He rarely does. When I found myself just a few weeks after back in the same hopeless place, the Lord brought this to my mind again and it ministered differently. This time I took it as: hope that is constantly reassured and spoken into is not hope at all. Sounds harsh when writing it out I’m not going to lie but it actually gave me so much peace. If I am going to confidently expect God, to take Him at His word, to believe He will do what He has already said He would especially since He’s not man and cannot lie and no word will return to Him void, then I do not need to hear it a million times or see how He is moving. Granted, that’s not to say He won’t ever reassure or remind us of promises He’s given us but if we find ourselves no closer, can we still hope?
If we find ourselves in a season of uncertainty, can we still be confident?
Can we still be in expectation when nothing has changed or it’s even worse?
Can we still stand on what we have heard and do know?
Can we remain firm when no other words are spoken and God feels distant?
Can we hope without seeing, hearing, or understanding anything at all?

Speaking for myself, I fail at this. But when I put my eyes and confidence on Jesus, in His character of faithful and true, a fresh wind for hope just comes. And it spurs me on. Renewed to wait again and believe and expect – HOPE – again.
So may I encourage you not to give up hope even when it seems hopeless in the natural or disappointments have come because your “confident expectation” in Jesus will not be put to shame, you will not be left disappointed…He is the God of hope after all.

Hope again.
Expect again.
Dare to believe again.

“Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭AMP‬‬

“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Moms of toddlers. It’s hard right now.

I know.

I was there.

Fast forward twenty-plus years and they are preparing to move out on their own for the first time.

You’re about to do their last load of laundry. You’re about to clean their room for the last time. You’re about to pick up their stinky shoes – one last time.

And it’s hard.

And you start to doubt.

You doubt everything you’ve ever done and ever said.

Did you parent well?

Did you love them well?

Did you model well?

Moms of toddlers let me give you this one piece of advice:

Go to God.

Go to God for it all.

For the good.

For the bad.

For the hard.

For the in-between.

Go to God.

Go to God in prayer. It’s the only way to get this thing called parenthood right. It’s the only way to model. It’s the only way to love. And it’s the only way to make sure that you did in fact “parent well.”

Moms, go to God. Go go God and thank Him for the blessing that he entrusted you with. You don’t want to mess this up.

So, go to God.

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Tomorrow we will be celebrating the Fourth of July and all the freedoms that come with it. This is a very important day in American history. We celebrate and honor those who gave their lives to secure our freedoms!!! We didn’t do anything to earn it. It was granted to us by the people who fought and died for it. For christians it is also a day that we can remember and celebrate our freedom to express our faith and share it with other people.Our spiritual freedom is a blessing from God!

As we celebrate we need to remember to thank our Lord and Savior for the free gift He has given us. Jesus willingly gave His life so you and I could have freedom from the bondage, penalty and guilt of sin. We definitely haven’t earned it. It is a free gift that brings with it eternal life! When we truly accept Jesus in our hearts we have freedom in Christ!! Praise God!! Christ created us and gave us the gift of grace so that we can fellowship with Him.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:12

As Christians I wonder, do we always live in this freedom? Do we fully believe and accept the saving grace of God? Do we let go of our past failures and the guilt and shame that come with them? Do we allow things to hinder our freedom to fellowship with God by holding on to certain sins like bitterness, anger, having a critical spirit, addiction,feeling insecure in who we are, idolatry, being greedy or selfish ambition etc.?

I personally have times where I forget my freedom in Christ. I lose sight of the fact that He doesn’t expect me to be perfect. He just wants my fellowship. He wants to know our struggles and doubts. Yes, He already knows, but that is the beauty of it, He wants to hear from us. In turn, He brings to light what may be hindering our freedom and fellowship with Him and then He reminds us of who we are in Him.

The more we seek Him and His will, the easier it becomes to live in freedom. We have to protect our freedom by having a steadfast faith in God and His promises. Remember we cannot add one single thing to His grace. We just have to accept it and persevere in our faith.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17

Sea Glass

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

John 16:33

Tribulation. 😳. I read it as not fun.

The Greek word is thlipsis which means a pressing, pressing together, pressure. The same word is used in the Bible as persecution, affliction, trouble, anguish…. You get the picture. We will be pressed, but ultimately because of who we serve it will be for our good.

It makes me think of sea glass. Sharks teeth and sea glass are top priorities when I go to the beach. I search for the clear and light green glass. Sometimes I get excited when I see one, but when I pick it up I know it’s not ready. I can tell because it’s too shiny and the edges are still a little rough. It’s the right color, but needs more time in the water. It needs time for the waves to do their work, washing the glass against the sand to make it beautiful. So I toss it back in.

Tribulation can be like that. I just want out. O. U. T. out, but in reality the Lord is doing a work. He’s there in the waves with me rubbing off those sharp edges. He’s teaching me contentment, perseverance and patience. He’s increasing my faith and putting His faithfulness on display.

So the next time you feel like you have been tossed back in the waves keep your eyes on the One who is in control. Allow your faith/confidence to build to the point that you know that you know He has overcome whatever tribulation you are facing and is perfecting you in the process.

Preaching to self per usual.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 1:6

After I read Ezekiel 37 last week, the images were on auto replay in the following days. I could almost see Ezekiel looking out over a valley FULL of dry, dead bones that belonged to the unburied dead, left as food for scavenging birds. (Awful image, I know.) When God asked Ezekiel if the bones could live, Ezekiel had no reason to think that they could live. However, Ezekiel had hope in God and said (v.3), “Lord God, You Yourself know.” Next, God tells Ezekiel to “prophesy over the bones” and to tell them to “hear the word of God” (v.4). Ezekiel prophesied over them, and dry bones began to rattle and come together. I can almost hear the rattling, can’t you? Then God gave the bones tendons, flesh, and skin. God was doing a new thing, but the bodies did not yet live. God then told Ezekiel (v.9): “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘The Lord God says this: “Come from the four winds, breath, and breathe on these slain, so that they come to life.’” Ezekiel prophesied and breath entered the bodies and “they stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.” (v.10)

Commentaries tell us that the bones represented the house of Israel who had forsaken the Lord their God and chased after idols of other nations. God allowed them to be exiled (several times), and many died in captivity. Perhaps, Ezekiel even saw some of them fallen along the way. Their disobedience had led them to the valley of dry bones. The spiritual truth here is that God will one day redeem His chosen people. In verse 14, God says: “And I will put My Spirit within you, and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and done it,” declares the Lord.’” As believers, let us give thanks that we have been adopted into the family of God’s chosen people, bought with the price of our Savior’s blood.

I think there are personal applications because each of us has dry bones in our valleys. Sometimes, our bones have names: failure, broken relationships, unforgiveness, anger, hurts, unmet needs, inadequacies, prodigal children, death, illness, addictions, sinful tendencies… But God wants to do a new thing in our lives, too. He invites us to look at our dry bones through His eyes. We can trust that our God knows the way ahead for each of us and that He is the God of impossible things. We may only see dry bones, but the Lord over all things and all people sees life. Jeremiah 29:11-13 reminds us: “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’” 

Lord, help us to trust You and to speak Your Word over the dry bones in our lives. Holy Spirit, come and breathe life into them. Help us to be ever listening for the rattling of dry bones. Charles Spurgeon said it this way: “Since, apart from the Spirit, we are powerless, we must value greatly every movement of his power. Notice, in this account of the vision in the valley, how the prophet draws attention to the fact of the shaking and the noises, and the coming of the sinews and the flesh, even before there was any sign of life. I think that, if we want the Spirit of God to bless us, we must be on the watch to notice everything he does.”