Freedom
Put Down the Bonds: Jesus Came To Set You Free! #AdventReflections
Jesus coming set us free! Let’s walk in that freedom. I have a tendency to imprison myself—to become shackled by my own expectations. I tie my worth to my accomplishments, attach my holiness and righteousness to my outward actions, and align my happiness with my situation. Be Free It’s one reason I cherish the Holy days of…
When Serving Is a Chore Instead of a Delight
How often do I agree to do something for someone and then walk away muttering about it? How often do you? Our exchange wasn’t that different from the many my husband and I have each day. Yet for some reason, this one caught my attention. Drifting back to my desk, I reflected on what was bugging…
The Ultimate Freedom To Celebrate: Don’t miss it!
This Fourth of July let’s celebrate our ultimate freedom! In the United States, people celebrate the 4th of July with great intentionality and fervor. Annual traditions form around it. Get-togethers are planned from one year to the next. Patriotic decorations and clothing, as well as fireworks, are purchased. Plans are made for gatherings and outings. What Is…
The Best Way to Begin a New Chapter
Focusing on the promise of God’s work in our lives allows us to savor the sweetness of the past, experience the beauty of the present, and anticipate the adventure of the future. Hard Change A bit over a month ago, my boy graduated from college! My firstborn. Earlier this month, he began his first job in the “real” world. Crazy,…
Find the Strength to Take the Next Step (review)
“Joy has nothing to do with the position of your body and everything to do with the posture of your heart.” —Rachel Wojo, One More Step Stuck Deep, dark sorrow met me as a twenty-something. In the loss of my baby’s life, I refused to believe there was any hope left. So I remained frozen in…
This is So Hard, but Necessary to Live Free!
This, my friends, is so hard! In fact in our culture, choosing to store up heavenly treasures instead of earthly is often met with ridicule. But, oh, is it freeing! I’m talking about detaching ourselves from “stuff.” I’m talking about leaving the comparison game for the living-free one. I’m talking about living an uplifting, impactful, in-the-moment, free kind of…
How To Be Generous and Joyful Even Though You’re Miserable
I’m an emotional person; I cry easily (thanks Mom!). In fact, after I hit send on a short email recently, I began to weep. No, it wasn’t a sad or difficult email. Really, it just said “You’re welcome. :)” So why the tears? Because I began to reflect on how I would like to be thought…
Love Well: Emulating Jesus’ Ultimate Sacrifice in Honor of the Service Men and Women Who Never Came Home
“Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John 3:16 It’s easy to say we love. Even if we don’t like using the word “love” itself, we can find other words to adequately express how we feel. But for some of…
Forgiveness Is Yours; Accept It
“I’ll never be a non-stumbler. I’ll be a forgiven stumbler, but never a non-stumbler.” ∼TobyMac Too often I wring my hands in discouragement as once again, despite all my good intentions, I slip into self-pleasing behavior instead of God-pleasing. And in that place, I tend to carry around guilt and condemnation, asking scathing questions: “As…
A Sure Way to Become Spiritually Depleted and 2 Ideas to Help Avoid It
Overfilling our days: We see others do it and often do it ourselves. And just as a suitcase eventually bursts at the seams (zippers) when overpacked, something will give in our lives too if we continually stuff. Often it’s our spiritual life. Becoming Spiritually Depleted So why do we do it? Why do we keep running…
Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.
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