Posted on Wednesday, June 7, 2017

You Can Stop Trying to Fix It

As a college student, I volunteered at a youth camp for several summers. Most of the time, I led worship and hung out with the girls, but this night, the altar was full of teenagers and the youth minister asked if I would help counsel. Within 10 seconds of my “yes,” a young man made a beeline to me. He was middle school-aged. I knew his name but that was all I knew. I asked him why he came to the front and he told me it was because he wanted to ask Jesus into his heart.

I reviewed what that meant with him and then asked him to pray with me. “Nope.” was all he said.

Okay, so this is not what I expected! It made no sense. I explained the gospel and asked him again. “Do you want to pray to receive Christ?”

“Nope.”

I asked “Do you understand?” He answered, “Nope.”

So, I explained again and thought we had a breakthrough. Again I asked, “Do you want to receive Christ?” You guessed it! “Nope,” was his answer.

I was so frustrated and confused. I hadn’t had much experience with middle school boys, but, seriously? I just couldn’t tell if he was rebellious, pulling my leg or truly didn’t understand.

The youth minister must have seen me looking totally perplexed and helpless so he rushed over.

Posted on Wednesday, May 3, 2017

How to Choose Hope When You Feel Despair

Sometimes we girls just feel spent, right? And, when we are flat out overwhelmed and running on empty, I don’t know about you, but that is when my feelings start to get really wobbly! We may be physically spent, emotionally raw, mentally zapped or spiritually dry. Can I get a witness?!

Am I sharing your testimony?

Posted on Wednesday, March 29, 2017

3 Things You See When You Look Up

There’s plenty about life that can keep us looking down. And there’s an awful lot we deal with that makes us look around, trying to find something better. But we, as women of God, can have hope all the time, no matter what! When we have hope, we are always looking up – not looking down, and not looking around for something different.

I want to be a woman who looks up, and I know you do too. So sister, here are three things you’ll see when you look up.

Posted on Wednesday, March 1, 2017

How to Make the Best of It So You Don’t Experience the Worst of It

Sometimes when hard things come into our lives, they take the best from us. Long lasting trials can drain us and wear us out. Our initial energy and faith gets slowly depleted until we find ourselves flat, hopeless and defeated. All that I can! attitude gets replaced with I can’t and I don’t want to apathy.

When a parent is ill for a long time, it can take the best from us. When a teenager is in full blown rebellion, it can take the best from us. When we lose a job, or our spouse does; when we deal with a chronic illness or are stuck in what feels like a dead end job or relationship – all of that can take the best from us.

Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Your 5 Favorite Blog Posts from 2016

What a year it has been! When I think about the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens, there’s been this overwhelming theme throughout it all — the Lord has worked and been so very present. I’m so thankful in that what has been a tough year in some ways has also been an opportunity to experience God’s faithfulness. He is so good.

And I’m so thankful for you! Each one of you. Thank you for joining me for Java every week. It feels like we are truly on this journey together, and I couldn’t ask for a better group of sisters to join me. So, as the year winds down, I figured I would feature the blogs you liked the best from this past year! Let’s just sample a few sips of Java from 2016 together — maybe they will be sweeter the second time, and if you’re new to this great bunch of coffee buddies, pour yourself a tall something that is warm and refreshing, pull up a chair and enjoy a cup of inspiration… five cups, to be exact!