Rose

Have you ever had a fear that basically makes no sense? A completely illogical fear….or maybe the fear makes sense, but your reaction is what is illogical?  That was me growing up…. with many things, especially THUNDERSTORMS.  I didn’t just get scared and hide under the blanket like you see in the movies… I would enter into a full fledged panic attack - which wasn’t uncommon for me - panic and anxiety are still areas the enemy tries to use. It didn’t matter if the storm was particularly “scary” or just a regular thunderstorm… I would freak. We have lots of funny stories in my family about my thunderstorm fear… haha! The one person that could calm me down was my Dad. Even to this day when there’s a storm that starts to induce anxiety… I call my parents and always have to talk to my Dad. His voice brings me back to all of the other storms he and I have sat through together… and it reminds me that I’m okay.  My Dad’s presence doesn’t mean it won’t storm.  It just reminds me that it's

“You’re the only one.”  Ever heard that one before? You’re just trudging along through life, when suddenly it happens - the enemy tries to convince you that you’re the only one being “ignored” by God. You look around and everyone else is living your dream and you’re still waiting for it to come to fruition. YOU’RE. THE. ONLY. ONE.  You’re the only one God doesn’t love. You’re the only one struggling to get pregnant.  You’re the only one God isn’t listening to.   You’re the only one hurting.  You’re the only one financially struggling.  You’re the only one depressed.  You’re the only one who isn’t living a perfect life.  You’re the only one facing this trial.  You’re. The. Only. One.  The enemy loves to isolate us. He loves to turn us against God and make us so jealous of those around us that we refuse any sign of a friendship. He loves to lie to us about who we are, who God is, and what God thinks about us.  The enemy knows that if we actually DO grasp how much God loves us and know wh

"Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath." - Psalm 116:2 If you weren’t aware already, I love kids. Like really, REALLY love kids. Like would- gladly-have-100 type of love kids. Always have... kids are way better than adults but that’s for another time! Haha! Anyway, when I was younger I would always go to these “babysitting classes” and pretty much just anything I could do to learn more about one of the things I am most passionate about in this world... babies.  One of the things I learned about speaking to children, is how important it is to get on their level when you speak to them, particularly when comforting them or correcting them.  That brings me to this verse. Because He BENDS DOWN to listen. I think sometimes we just skim right over some of the most beautifully profound parts of the Bible.  He. Bends. Down.  He doesn’t just listen, although that’s beautiful and incredible in and of itself. He bends down. He gets down on our level. He ge

A couple of nights ago, we went to the live recording of David and Nicole Binion’s new album at the TBN studios in Dallas (by the way… when it comes out… GET IT. Just trust me. So good.) and it was such an incredibly refreshing night. Everyone in the room…every race, every background, so much diversity coming together to worship God wholeheartedly. I kept having this thought come to mind, during and after, that “This is what heaven sounds like”.  Voices raised to our God.  Unity that tears down walls. No fear only love. Perfect peace. People that have never met worshiping together. Shouting . Dancing. No concerns about what others think. The body of Christ coming together and actually functioning as the body of Christ. We live in a broken world, and sometimes it can seem like “Is this it?!” or it can be really frustrating because all we can see is the here and now and not big picture. That there is a place for us in heaven, where the angels are in never ending praise as they dance befo

It is perfectly okay to rest, BREATHE, take a break. It is okay to not be working 24/7… it is okay to need a day off. It’s okay to take care of yourself.  Psalm 46:10-11 - Passion Translation  “Surrender your anxiety! Be silent and stop your striving and you will see that I am God. I am the God above all the nations, and I will be exalted throughout the whole earth.” I love that this version says SURRENDER your anxiety. Just like everything else we do. It is a CHOICE that requires action. We decide to surrender, it is an intentional act every day. When it’s easy and when it isn’t.  God created you on purpose for a purpose. As much as we think that means we have to continuously work and never take a breath, it simply isn’t true. In order to be the best we can be, we have to take time to rest. I mean come on… on the 7th day, what did God do? He rested. If the creator of the entire universe has time to rest… you do, too. Oftentimes, feeling like people can’t live for 5 seconds without us

Picture this - It’s Sunday morning. You wake up, put on your “Sunday Best” or maybe just whatever makes you feel the best. Spend the whole morning trying to get everyone together. You finally get there, walk inside, and there it is - someone is wearing something you didn’t like, I mean come on… nobody ever wore sandals to church when you were growing up, what are they thinking?! A HAT?! Ripped jeans…. You spent the whole morning trying to get your family to look “churchy” and here these people are…. just galavanting around wearing whatever they want. That’s not “tradition”….I mean, your grandmother would be appalled. That’s not how you are suppose to “go to church”…. right?!  Let me tell you about a man named Jesus.  He was a carpenter, probably dirty a lot. I picture His hands, that were later pierced with nails for you and I, rough and calloused. I’m sure there were times He didn’t smell the best. He worked hard. He had shoes that were most likely made out of grass, rope, that kind o