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Accommodation

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ 

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ 

Peace. It’s what we long for, isn’t it? The world is in turmoil. Our nation seems in chaos. Things are happening that we never thought could or would. We have differing opinions than our friends about things and that rocks us because society says it is unacceptable to believe differently. Social media is filled with arguing and oftentimes untruths. There are work situations that leave us feeling frustrated.  We see our families hurting and struggling. Our kids don’t know how to act or what to do. We hurt, we struggle, change happens, and we find ourselves feeling out of sorts. We don’t know what to believe or how to act in light of what is happening. Life just does not seem very peaceful. I don’t know about you, but as of late, I feel like my peace is on shaky ground. 

As I thought about our longing for peace, I was reminded of an accommodation some of my students are provided. It is to have an opportunity and place for “cool down” when they get agitated, feel angry, or become out of sorts. This accommodation affords them a chance to get refocused and be able to move past the agitation, frustration, anger, feelings of unrest, etc. They have various things and places to bring them back to a place of calm. When they listen to the teacher helping them and utilize what is available to them, they are able to refocus, go back to a calm state, and be successful. The underlying cause may not have been removed, but the focus has shifted allowing peace to return.

God gives us that accommodation in life. However, it’s not a one and done experience. It is ongoing. He clearly tells us that there will be turmoil in life. However, in the midst of that turmoil, we can have peace. It comes through Jesus. We have to have our minds focused on Him. We have to trust Him. He is the stability in the midst of the chaos. Just like my students, we have to have our focus changed. We have to go to the Word and to God in order to “cool down”. When our mind is stayed on Him, we will have peace because our Redeemer is the Overcomer. The underlying causes for our feelings of unrest may not be removed, but the Rock we focus on will allow us to have peace and stability in the midst of it all.

Sabbath

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” — Exodus 20:8

What if resting was actually a form of obedience… and a doorway to joy? When you think of Sabbath, what comes to mind? Going to church? The Ten Commandments? Religious, rigid rules? Or freedom?

Sabbath is God’s gift! The Hebrew word Shabbat means to stop, to cease, and in that pause, something beautiful begins. God designed it for relationship, with Him, and with the people He places in our lives. And I know this might make some of us squirm a little, but Sabbath isn’t just about going to church or checking a box like your Sunday School envelope. It’s about slowing down, breathing, and delighting in God, and enjoying the people He’s placed in your life. It’s a chance to step off the endless treadmill and experience rest and joy exactly as God intended.

As a goal-setter, a planner, a reader of motivational books, this concept has truly turned my world upside down. It flies in the face of the “work harder, do more, achieve more” mindset. That way of thinking, 24/7, for years, is exhausting. As a pastor’s wife, there are endless things I could be doing, events to be planning, lessons to be studied for, people I could be visiting, social media I could be investing in. And yet, I’m learning that God never intended life to be lived this way ALL. THE. TIME. (Real relationships aren’t built like that anyway…another devotion for another day!😉 I digress…)

As I’m learning to practice Sabbath, I find that it restores me spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and even physically. It’s not just about stopping work, it’s about delighting in God, sharing meals, laughter, and conversation with family and friends, and remembering that rest is part of God’s ORIGINAL design.

For me, Sabbath is very rarely on Sunday. Find the rhythm that works for you to cease from labor and enjoy God.

So here’s the challenge if you’re up to it. This week, set aside even a few hours as your Sabbath. Turn off your to-do list, put your phone down, enjoy a meal with family or friends, laugh, pray, and watch how God shows up when you intentionally stop and delight in Him.

More of you


“More of You, less of me.”


Every single morning lately, this has been my prayer. It’s such a simple phrase, yet it has the power to completely shift the posture of my heart and the perspective of my day.


• Dealing with a stressful situation at work…more of You, less of me. 
• When life feels like turmoil…more of You, less of me.
• When insecurities as a mom and wife start eating me alive…more of You, less of me. 
• When someone hurts my feelings or upsets me…more of You, less of me. 


I think when I get so wound up in life’s problems and disappointments, I slowly stop putting Him first. I lose sight of the truth that I am not on this earth to build my own kingdom….I am here to serve His.


While He already knows the desires of my heart, I’ve been asking the Lord to help my heart’s desires align with His will, not the other way around.


Lately, it feels like the Lord has been doing some pruning in my life. And pruning is uncomfortable. It feels like loss, pressure, and things being stripped away that I didn’t even realize I was holding onto. But pruning isn’t meant to push us away — it’s meant to draw us closer. It slows us down and reminds us that we were never meant to carry everything on our own. When things are cut away, we’re left with fewer places to run and more reason to rest in Him. It gently turns our hearts back to the Vine, where true strength and peace are found.


Scripture tells us, “He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it may bear even more fruit”.


At the same time, I’ve been reminded that seasons like this are when roots matter most. When everything feels dry and heavy, shallow faith won’t sustain us. Only deep roots in Him will. Roots grow in the dark. They grow unseen. They grow when nothing on the surface looks impressive.


And while valleys often teach us to turn to Him, we are also called to seek “more of You, less of me” in the mountains. When life feels good, when prayers are answered, when blessings are visible, surrender must still be intentional. He deserves our dependence in every season, not just the hard ones.


So while 2026 hasn’t been especially kind so far. Not because of one major event, but because of a million little things that have quietly drained the joy from my heart. I’m choosing to believe that God is doing a deeper work.


I’m also reminded that the pruning and the rooting are never just for us. What God grows in the hidden places eventually becomes our testimony. The valleys, the waiting, the cutting back — all of it shapes a story He will one day use to help others come to know Jesus.


That is our life’s mission: to live in a way that points people to Him. Not through perfection, but through obedience. Not through striving, but through abiding.


Less of me clinging to control.
More of Him producing fruit.


Even if I can’t see it yet, I trust that what He is pruning and what He is rooting will one day bring forth something far more beautiful than what I would have chosen for myself. Not just for me, but for His glory.

God Winks

As I write this my head and my heart don’t want to be here.  I’m at home, but I want to be at the nursing home where my dad now lives out his last days in hospice.  We’ve had a tough autumn, my family and I.  We lost my middle brother suddenly in September, and this December my dad fell ill and we are now at the end of his earthly journey. In the wise words of my good friend Kristin, “you’re doing a lot of hard this Christmas season.”  Yep, lots of hard.

But throughout this hard season I’ve come to notice things, both big and small, that I can only describe as “God winks.”  Good news in a maelstrom of bad.

My late brother and I were estranged, so losing him was just the weirdest experience.  My mom is heartbroken – no parent should EVER have to bury a child, even a grown child.  I had to let him go several years ago so, in reality, he already felt gone to me.  Picking up the pieces after his death and planning his memorial service was almost like an out-of-body experience for me – he was my brother but he’d become someone I simply did not know anymore.  But what came after his death could only be described as God placing people in my life whom I needed to know to better understand my brother. He had friends and “framily” who loved him, and this gives me more comfort than I can describe. What could have been an awful experience turned into meeting some of the best people I’ve ever met, having some of the best conversations I’ve ever had, and seeing a completely different side of the brother I lost years ago. 

Isaiah 30:21 says“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’”  Okay, God, I see what You did there.  I see You, and I hear You.  God Wink #1.

The situation with Dad has been its own kind of hard.   If you know me at all then you know my Dad has advanced Alzheimers/Dementia plus a bad heart.  Mom has been his sole caregiver since we noticed the signs several years ago.  Imagine losing your son, then almost like clockwork your husband seemingly goes on a hunger strike.  The reality of Alzheimers/Dementia patients is that they can be very sick but they don’t know the words to say they’re sick or how to articulate their symptoms.  After weeks of declining vitals and no real answers, Dad was sent to the hospital and then, through a series of unfortunate events, to skilled nursing. One of the very first people we met in the nursing facility is a nurse who is also a full-time caregiver to her spouse, who is disabled.  She is basically a mirror of what mom does on the daily.  The very first thing she says to Mom is “you are his wife, we are his caregivers.  We got him and we won’t let anything happen to him.  You need to rest and take care of YOU so that you can be here with him.”  What are the odds that we meet this nurse at this exact time? No odds necessary. I see what God did there.  God Wink #2.

And so it continues.  The month of December was quite possibly the hardest month of my life, but during that brutal time I noticed lots of things and people God put in my path to send a message.

  • The CNA whom my father adores (who loves him right back) and who can get him to eat and go to the dining room to watch a little TV or have some social interaction, who goes above and beyond to keep him looking clean and sharp. A literal angel.
  • The nurses who park Dad at the nurse’s station to keep a close eye on him and give him comfort when he’s restless.
  • The lady who’s husband is in the room next door to Dad, who grew up down the road from us and whom mom has known most of her adult life, who has become a lifeline to all of us to help us navigate the systems we’ve been thrown into.
  • The hospice case manager who also volunteers with the ladies at Collier Park and now has added mom to her “roster” to check on and visit.
  • The friends and family who, upon finding out both about my brother and about Dad, have reached out to Mom, Doyle or I to check in, provide comfort, or just be a listening ear.

And finally, the beautiful cashier at Jason’s Deli who remarked to me about how speedy and spry Mom is with her walker, whom I ran into again at the grocery store and she said “You love your Mom.  I can tell.  You’re doing good by her.”  Oh my goodness, she has no idea how much that sentence was needed that day because I’ve questioned my own judgement EVERY  SINGLE DAY since Dad went into this facility.  Watching your parents age is hard, but hospice is the absolute hardest thing any of my family has ever done. Moving to end-of-life, palliative care is the ultimate double-edged sword. I know it’s the right thing, but the finality of it shakes me to my very core. And yet, there is peace.  I feel it all around me daily.

But throughout it all – God.  

When my thoughts waiver – God.  

When I need uplifting – God.  

When Mom needs reassurance – God.  

When we need all the things – God.

“And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.” 1 Samuel 10:7 

Let it be.  Do as the occasion commands.  God is with you.  Look for the God winks.  He is everywhere.

Stewardship

We often ask God for more… whether that is more money, more blessings, more responsibilities at work, more friends, more opportunities….
But why would God give us more if we aren’t taking care of the things He has already given us?
‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭10‬ ‭(NIV‬‬) tells us, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
In order to get “more” from God, we need to take care of what we have. We need to prove that we can be trusted.
We pray for health but run our bodies ragged.
We pray for more money, but spend it on fruitless, materialistic things.
We pray for a new vehicle, but don’t respect the one we currently have.
We ask for friends, but we don’t nurture the relationships that we already have.
We ask for a promotion at work, but we don’t give it our full effort.
We ask for blessings from God, but aren’t thankful for the ones right in front of us.
Stewardship…. That’s the word I’ve chosen for 2026.
Everything we have been given belongs to God. We have to be good stewards of the blessings that God has given us. God has entrusted us… so why are we so quick to take advantage?
Whether that is working out to take care of your body, maintaining the home that you prayed so hard for, putting your best foot forward at the job God called you to do…. We must be good stewards.
“You cannot expect abundance if you do not accept God’s standard of stewardship.”
-Steven Furtick

God’s Plan


I don’t know about you, but the holiday season was difficult for me this year. I had a pretty good idea of how everything was supposed to go, and it just didn’t turn out that way. 


You know those times when one thing goes wrong and it seems like everything else just seems to follow? Everything is spinning and you’re digging your toes into the sand trying to bring it all to a screeching halt – I was there. 


The festivities continued around me and I struggled to be present. The New Year seemed to be approaching faster than ever and I was not ready! 


Somewhere along the way I had taken a detour into my own expectations and it was feeding into my personal disappointment and discouragement. I couldn’t get a grip because it wasn’t mine to control from the start. 


I was trying to bail out my boat with a bucket when the Master of the sea was right next to me. “Lord, I’m tired. I can’t do this. Lord, I don’t understand, why did this have to happen? Just look, it has ruined everything! Lord, what am I supposed to do now? I know there is more than this.” 


The Lord gently reminded me of Psalm 27 specifically verses 13 through 14. “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of God in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” 


He never left it up to me to sort it out. The debacles of this life cannot overthrow God’s plan. His plan does not always look like my plan, or yours. 


Maybe you’re like me and you haven’t had a chance to even consider any goals for the New Year. No matter what the Lord has for us this year, I pray that our eyes are opened to see the goodness of His plan despite our circumstances. I pray that He shifts the position of our hearts from worldly expectance to spiritual acceptance so our vision remains unclouded. 


Psalm 51:10-12 “Create in me a pure heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of my salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”

2026

All the Christmas is almost put away, and I am so proud of myself. 

Probably not for the reason you’re thinking. 

I’m proud of myself self because I’m not sad this year, and I usually I am. Like really sad. 

I love Christmas. 

I love the build up. The traditions. The outfits. The family time. I love the colors and the nostalgia and silently sipping coffee by the soft light of my tree. I love Jesus and celebrating Him. 

I love it all. 

So when it’s over, I’m sad. 

But not this year. 

This year I’m excited. I have such a strong anticipation of what the Lord is going to do this coming year. 

2026 💛

I can feel it. A strong stirring in my spirit. Eeeeekkkk!!! 

I’m not sure what you’re feeling, but I do pray that you are excited to hang out with God. Let

Him be your best friend. Spend time with Him daily. 

Let Him guide you through 2026. 

Hand in Hand. 

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

Solutions


“If you want to cut your anxiety in half you must engage in God’s word.” 


This is a quote from Jon Tyson from when he spoke at this year’s passion conference. For me this was so challenging because it applies to every single struggle. If we want to defeat anxiety, depression, fear, doubt, or any challenge we are walking through really, we don’t stand a chance if we aren’t living in the word of God. 


What we all tend to do is look for our own solution. We don’t approach our Heavenly Father. We don’t look in His word for instruction. We take our challenge head on. But where does that get us? 


St. Augustine says it best: 
“What am I without you but a guide to my own destruction?” 


The good news is we don’t need to fix our struggles on our own. 


Romans 8:11:
“If the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give live to your mortal bodies through His spirit who dwells in you”


The Holy Spirit, the same one that brought Christ back to life, is resting in us. That’s so encouraging. There’s not a time that Christ is not with us. So, we can rely on Him, we can seek Him, and He is faithful to lead us along the path of righteousness, and heal our broken wounds. 

Still the same


Here we are again at the beginning of a new year. A time when I feel an urge to reboot, to start the year with a positive mindset, and a chance for a  fresh beginning in so many areas in my life. 


This week my thoughts kept reflecting back on 2025. I’m sure most of us can look back at 2025 and remember each major event, good and bad. It makes me wonder which one outshines the other? I will admit for me this has been a challenging year. Most of the time I felt like I was in the valley instead of on the mountaintop. There were moments that I questioned God and even felt frustrated that He wasn’t answering my prayers to fit my timeline. I feel ashamed to even say that, but the thing I learned in those times is that even in this fallen, ever-changing world, God stays the same and He is faithful!


“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8


I find comfort in knowing that our all powerful God’s character never changes. He is as dependable in our tough times as He is in the good times. I have fallen into the trap many times this year of feeling like God was just ignoring me. I even asked, “Why me?”. I am ashamed of that too, but to be honest I think that is a normal reaction because in our flesh we forget that this life is temporary and Jesus even told us that hardship will come. It’s not because He is ignoring us or blind to our pain. It comes to mold us, to shape us, to grow us spiritually. We all know when hardship comes it’s a lot easier to fall to your knees. It draws us closer to our Father who loves us. He promises that through Him we will have strength and peace because His power is made perfect in weakness.


“I have told you these things, so that  in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33


God’s faithfulness is evident throughout scripture and throughout my life. I can reflect on 2025 and all the past years of my life and see God’s hand in every situation. Yes, there are still prayers I am praying that I haven’t gotten the answer to, but I can look at all the prayers God has answered and know that He is faithful. I have seen His goodness in situations that looked impossible to me changed for the good, in an instant. I can trust that God knows every single thing that passes my way and I can be assured that it is in His will. He knows all and if He allows it, I can be confident He has a purpose. God’s timing is perfect! He is our hope and we can trust in Him even when we don’t understand.


“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.       Isaiah 55:8-9

Always there


With the new year approaching, now is a great time to reflect on the past 12 months. 12 months of highs and lows. 12 months of Jesus remaining faithful through it all. The Lord is consistent, steady, and unchanging. He is the Rock we can lean on through any chapter of life. 


“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8


During difficult seasons, it’s not easy to cling to this truth. We get knocked down, discouraged, and maybe our Bibles start to collect dust as we get stuck. And when life is good, maybe we want to sleep in when Sunday morning rolls around. It is a common habit to avoid God when we feel we don’t need Him. 


God is always there, even when you don’t choose Him. He still loves you. He still desires a relationship with you. If you are a Christ follower, you know joy can be found through both the ups and downs of life. This joy is rooted in Jesus, and it goes beyond the things of this world. (Thank goodness!) We can rely on Him through any circumstance life throws at us. Let’s step into the new year with a joy-filled, faith-based mindset.