I wanted to let you know that Soul Sisters, a women's devotional group that I co-lead, now has a website. Our heart's desire is to encourage women in God's word each day, as well as to pray for one another. If you're looking for a daily lift in His word (M-F), check outwww.SoulSistersMinistry.com. Here is a sample devotional:Free to RestRead: Matthew 11: 25-30; Philippians 1:6“If we are not free to rest, we will either burn out or the work will be about our agenda, not God’s. In a society of to-dos and goals and ambitions, the Father asks us to rest assured. He wants us to stop trying so hard to matter.” (Rebecca Lyons)

In our Scripture today, Jesus says, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I'm wondering if every one of us reading this devotion right now is weary and heavy laden in some way. We, as women, have so many demands: homes, husbands, kids, grandkids, elderly parents, jobs, ministries, and so much more. Does this full work schedule give us an "out" for resting in the Lord? I think Jesus is saying the exact opposite. He says to those who are burdened with work (and in His day, those burdened with following all the rules of the Law), "Come to Me." This invitation of "Come" is the precursor to the Lord's command of "Go". Will we answer His plea to simply be with Him? IF we do, His promise is rest for our souls. I believe our souls crave this rest (relationship with Christ) more than anything else in this world. Jesus also says, "Learn from Me." How did Jesus live? He, being fully God and yet also fully man, had to prioritize His 24 hour day/night. Priority number one: He went away often to be with His Father. Only after hearing His Father's guiding words, did He go and do. When we come to Him, He refills us for His appointed work. Just like the obvious stop we have to make at the gas station for our cars, we must stop and rest from our going and doing in order to be empowered with His wisdom and strength. Otherwise, as Rebecca Lyons stated above, "we will either burn out or our work will be about our agenda, not God's."

First and foremost, God has called you to a relationship with Himself. Within this relationship, He has mapped out His work for you. Rest today in the confidence that He will complete good things in and through you in His time and way. Our worth is safe and secure in the author and finisher of all good things, Jesus Christ. So, sister, we get to rest in Him!

Dear Lord,Forgive me for trying to go and do Your work without You fueling me with your Spirit. I tend to take on things in and of my own flesh that You never meant for me to do in the first place. I try to fix things and control things and produce things. Remind me that YOU are the ultimate Fixer, the flawless Controller, and the marvelous Producer; let me rest in YOU. When my thoughts are racing in the morning concerning my agenda, may the first words I hear be, "Come to Me". Help me to respond to this loving invitation with an expectant heart. Speak to me, O God. Tell me what You want me TO DO, and what You want me NOT TO DO. I pray I will crave Your rest above all else. May I fuel up with Your word and Spirit BEFORE I go out into the chaos of the day. Yes Lord, in this personal relationship with You, I ask for Your strength, Your peace, and Your joy to equip me in Your appointed work. In Your Name. Amen.

Many years ago, I bought some daylily bulbs from a friend of a dear friend. I picked a special place in my backyard near a stone wall to plant them; and then, I waited. The first bloom was a huge celebratory moment for me (I do NOT have a green thumb in the least, so anything that grows in my yard is a minor miracle). Now, every summer I look forward to the re-birthing of these radiant flowers.

What’s crazy to me is that this flower’s bloom only lasts one day, hence the name day-lily. It’s as if this particular plant embraces this fact however, and puts a hundred percent of its beauty into the time it has been allotted. These brick red, butter yellow, and melon orange blossoms splay themselves open unashamedly, shouting “Beautiful!” and “Majestic!” and “Glory!” in the designated place that they have been planted. Scripture uses the blossoming flower as an anology to teach us:

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.”  I Peter 1:23-25

So, when studying the temporal flower alongside the above scripture, a wise, yet convicting question can be, What am I doing with my days? Am I shouting “Beautiful”, and “Majestic”, and “Glory” in my designated place?

Be challenged by the Creator of both the fleeting flower and your seeking soul. Take in His word, the imperishable seed, and choose to hear it, and heed it. And then, without fail, you will not only be living in this world radiantly but also at some point, leaving this world triumphantly, having impacted it for eternity. And this my friend, is a major miracle.

Teach us to number our days, that we may enter the heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

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I recently had some recurring thoughts that made me look for a post I wrote many years ago...Every now and then, I think about the now...and then.

The other morning the thought about the present-day and the unseen-future came to mind when I stepped outside with puppy-Juliet for her "morning duty." Most of our outings together at this wee-morning hour still possess the remnant of night-time, with the black sky and the twinkling stars. However, for about three mornings in a row, our scenery was different; instead of a clear nightlysky, Juliet and I were greeted with a dense white fog. When standing on my front porch, I couldn't see our driveway, our black fence, the surrounding trees, the cows in the field. Nothing was in view.

I think sometimes our present day, the now, is a lot like living in this kind of fog. There are so many unknowns, whether it's about our health, our finances, our direction, or our relationships. The seemingly impassable uncertainties can create a worrisome unsettling in our hearts... so many questions, so many emotions.

But as I was walking with little pup down our driveway in the midst of this penetrable thickness, I heard a whispering in my soul, "Chris, this is what it means to walk by faith not be sight" (II Cor. 5:7). The Lord's sweet reminder to my questioning heart, was that I am walking with the One who holds all the answers. And I am called to put my faith in Him, not in myself or my surroundings. Remember, He is called the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (James 1:17).

And let us also remember this truth on our walk: in the midst of all this faith-fog "now" there is the promise of crystal-clear "then"! You may never understand the goings-on of this life, but if all you do is hold onto the hope of heaven while walking through the befuddlements of earth, then God has been glorified in and through you. Someday He will set all things right, and we will then understand.

As I walked back up the driveway, God set my mind on another Word of His:

For we know in part, and we prophecy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away... For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I have also been fully known. (I Cor. 13:9-10,12)

In light of this truth, let us each walk by faith today, remembering that God Himself is in-step with you. I pray your heart will hear Him whispering words of hope, for your "now"... and your "then."

I was having a converstaion with a young friend of mine who has been struggling emotionally, physically, and spiritually the last couple of years. He’s an awesome kid, but he has just kinda gotten stuck with some “smelly stuff” that he, on his own, hasn’t been able to shake from his heart and mind.

I shared a recent analogy with him that the Lord so sweetly shared with me:

We have a driveway that runs through the middle of our two fenced fields. One of the fields has cows grazing on it, the other does not. Interestingly, the field that the cows are calling home, now has a blanket of beautiful gold flowers on it, while the other field has only tall grass (eventual hay).

Now if I were a cowgirl, I could tell you in detail about this golden process: the kind of cows that are grazing, the kind of flowers that are blooming, etc; however, I’m a half-country, half-city girl, so I resorted to google. After much research, I found DairyCarrie: “Manure is smelly and kind of gross but it is also fertilizer that’s full of nutrients that our soil needs. Gardeners like to fertilize their flowers and vegetables to make their plants grow larger and stronger and farmers do the same thing except our garden is a few hundred acres and we don’t have to run to the garden center for bags of fertilizer. We have our own fertilizer producing machines, lounging around…” (dairycarrie.com 5/7/13). Ahh, so there you have it, the cows’ manure helps produce radiant fields of gold.

Using this image, I urged my young struggling friend to allow God to work His wonders in the midst of his mess. If He can spin manure into “gold”for the cows, just think of what He can do with the stinky stuff in the lives of the children He loves so dearly. The question I had for him, and for myself, and now for you, is, “Will you let Him do His wonderful work?” Just know this, God is ready, willing, and able; and He will do it in His time and His way. The difference between the process of nature and dealing with humans is that God allows nature to take its course; but with us, He waits on our hearts to soften towards Him before He begins His work. The Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. (Is 30:18) He will never force His way on you, because that’s not true love. He is however, always pursuing, and patiently waiting to bring beauty from ashes. (Is 61:3)

So the choice is there for each of us: let Him “fertilize our soul” with His truth and love, and then reap His radiant glory, or well, just continue on alone in our mess, which only exudes the stench of anger and bitterness. I urge you, let the Gardner in…

And instead of the thronbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. Is. 55:13
And instead of manure, the gold flowers will bloom… Yes, as a friend of mine reminded me this morning, God let’s nothing go to waste.

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I am pleased to announce my NEW BOOK:25 Years, 25 Lessons: Letters to a Bride from a Seasoned Wife

This decorative coffee table book is for any married woman. It provides foundational insights to newly weds, and it offers basic reminders to those who have been married for decades. The pages are full of beautiful images accompanied with Scripture based letters concerning on-going lessons that I have learned in my own marriage. Some topics are: be an encourager, put on love, and laughter. I invite you to be blessed by God's directive word within the pages of this book.

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25 Years, 25 Lessons can be purchased on-line: www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com

‍They are also in Hot Pink in Brentwood, TN and Oak&Willow in Nashville, TN.

There is a familiar expression, "You can't put God in a box." Agreed. The God of the Universe can never fit in a man-made contraption comprised of mere ideas and speculations concerning His character. If you want to know God, read His word; there, you will find Him. And there, if your heart is humbly willing, He will never stop amazing you with His unbound grace and free flowing love.

BUT, Godcan "put us in a box." Listen to His words of truth:

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  I Cor. 3:11

You hem me in behind and before, and You lay Your hand upon me.  Psalm 139:5-6

So we, as Christians, stand on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. When we believe in Him, our footsteps become unshakebly firm because of His truths beneath us. And as we walk step by step, God Himself puts His protective hand behind, before, and over us. We are enclosed on all sides; not constrained as some might speculate, but enclosed with the marvelous mystery of who He is and what He does.

Inside these borders are His wisdom and knowledge, His compassion and kindness, His security and peace, His faithfulness and steadfast love...and these attributes of His character are unending. It doesn't matter what goes on around me, as long as I am hemmed in by His hand. When I dare to step outside of His boundry, the weight and the struggle and the pull this world hits me full in the face like a fierce wind in a winter storm. So quickly, I step back inside to find His warmth once again.

You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance. Psalm 32:7

Yes, God of the Universe, I want to thank You for grace-fully putting me in Your "box", now and forever.