A blank, white sheet of paper. A wonderful smelling, clean kitchen. A smiling bride dressed in lovely white. Beauty.   Beauty is all around us. Our Creator made it so. Yet, nothing is as beautiful as WHO our God, the Creator of all, really IS! Our God is love. He is good. He is kind. He is just. He is faithful. Yet, there is an attribute of our God that sets Him apart from all created beings. It is His Holiness. “And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” Isaiah 6:3   No sin, no evil thought to mar the beauty of our God. In majestic, moral purity He stands infinite, defining by His very existence all that is righteous and pure in the universe. Reflecting and praising Him for Who He is this morning, I found myself reveling in the beauty of His purity. It was then the verse from Psalms came back to me. “Worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness.” Psalm 96:9   How beautiful is the Purity, the Sinlessness, the Holiness of our God!!! What a beautiful contrast of hope for hopelessness, light for darkness, purity for impurity! The God Who is Holy commands us to “Be Holy as He is Holy.” “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I Peter 1:15-16   And, He gives us a Way – knowing the impossibility of us to be Holy on our own. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. “Christ in you – the … [Read more...]

Happy Valentines Day! We've made it to February 14th in 2018 and I'm just hopping on here to wish you the best one yet! Maybe some of y'all are thinking "OK, this girl has some nerve." and wishing you could stay asleep for the next 48 hours of heart-shaped cookies and cheesy hallmarks. I know it can all be a lot and when you're not exactly in a relationship it's easy to become a little hardened to the holiday. I know a few weeks ago the thought of Valentines hit me like a ton of bricks. Ya know what though? Valentines Day is about celebrating love. Love. It's not specifically for couples. It can be a love you share with your parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends. Last year my sweet dad surprised me with the flowers and a special Italian dinner. This year I am spending Valentines at home and plan on taking my adorable grandma out for tea. We might even get crazy and wear big hats and order extra scones. I totally understand the stereotypes that come with this day but don't give them a second thought. Don't wish for something to happen before it's time. God has you. His timing is perfect and His promises are faithful. In Song of Solomon 8 verse 4B it gives us some wisdom in this area. It says "don't excite love, don't stir it up, until the time is ripe--and you're ready." God knows when the perfect moment is for the perfect moment, if you know what i mean. Those thoughts of a fairy tale valentines day can be fun to think about, just don't let them get past your head. … [Read more...]

It was cold, it was snowy, and sleet came down next. We made it through the first day, happy to be inside, together, and warm. As evening came closer the lights blinked a little. We wondered . . . For just a moment, but went on with keeping ourselves and our children “entertained.” Then . . . It happened! We were all gathered in the basement, watching a family movie. Literally, just as it ended, the lights went out! The only heat left came from our wood stove. Up the stairs we went . . . Searching for light. Candles found, each of us were figuring out what to do about sleeping arrangements. After all, the woodstove is in the basement! It wasn’t long until our youngest boy headed back down the stairs, but he did have a way to see. Quickly his childish voice called to me, “Mommy, I can’t see, bring a candle.” It didn’t take me long to reach him. I certainly identified with his need for light.     . There’s something comforting about knowing someone empathizes with the need, the circumstance, the pain, the temptation you are facing. Even better when they bring a “light” to our darkness! When Christ came to this earth He didn’t come in royal robes, and splendor. He didn’t need these to “prove His identity.” He came as King of Kings, but in human form, humbly, as a baby. Here on earth, he was “tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.” He knew our darkness — yet He brought the Light! In a fast food restaurant, somewhere along the side of the road, the worker … [Read more...]

More than a just a few years ago my family piled in a minivan and left the ocean for the mountains. We were going to experience seasons and views we had never encountered before. My nine year old heart was maybe confused but excited at the idea of something new. One of the first things we had to do when we arrived in the star city was to go see the Roanoke Star. Constructed in 1949 and still shinning bright in the midst of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I loved it, every time. It was so big, 88.5 feet to be exact and I remember as a little girl just gazing at it like there was no clock to watch.   I am just shy of 22 years now and I still love that old star. On a whim a couple a weeks ago my younger brothers and I along with our grandma decided to make the trip up the mountain to see it before we left for our three month tour. My one brother particularly had not seen it in years and when we arrived the bitter wind caught our excitement off guard. It wasn’t chilly, it was cold. Insanely cold, the kind of coldness that eskimos love but we ventured on. My fingers were numb but my soul could breathe as I exhaled into the Roanoke valley. I wonder if sometimes we miss out on the blessings God has for us because of the inconvenience to receive them. It was cold, the wind wished to take me hostage and the trek up the mountain was long but it was worth everything. What if I had slipped one foot out the door and said “Aint nobody got time for that” and drove off…I would have … [Read more...]

She had a smile that brightened her entire face when she used it . . . and she used it often. When I was a year and a half old, my parents moved in to the parsonage of her church. Dad, being the pastor was quite chagrined when I toddled over and began getting into her purse. She smiled – even as mom got after me. Sometimes friends are friends for only as long as you are affiliated with that place of service. Then, there are those that become life time friends. Mrs. Greathouse was one of those. After her husband went home to glory, she came to my parent’s new place of ministry, serving faithfully in her position. Her homespun wisdom and kindness made a great impact on my childhood. A few days ago, life was extremely busy. I found myself in greater need to make sure I took time to meet with Jesus before my hectic day began. One morning, God brought to mind this little exchange that had happened when I was young. Mrs. Greathouse and I were “chatting” – most of it coming from my heart and out my mouth. “I just LOVE plants,” I was going on and on. Then I said, “I just can’t remember to water them!” Her smile turned into a beautiful chuckle as she replied, “you don’t really love them, then.” How true! Love is much more than “spouting off” the familiar words, “I love you.” It shows up in our lives by what our heart prioritizes. “I love you, Lord,” is much more than words, it’s a lifestyle. A beautiful love relationship given to us by the Hand of the Father so we may KNOW … [Read more...]

I am on my slip covered couch and staring at ashes from last night fire while homeschooling echoes through our home but in my heart I am somewhere completely different. In my heart, If I close my eyes I can picture it, I am on a white sand beach at sunset, I am in the middle of beautiful green pastures, I am walking through a peony and rose filled garden. In my heart I am in all these places with the only One who could be in these places with me. He meets me in the stillness of my soul and as I exhale I can close my eyes and see such sweet fulfillment as we spend time together. To be honest, it has been a very busy and very stressful season so far. The garland on my tree which still has no lights seems was thrown up on it while I was headed out the door. A cable guy came to fix our TV and had to take all my mantle décor off so that’s still scattered in various places around the room.  I have three gifts bought (insert nervous emoji here), so there's that. I could go on but I don’t think you need any more visual of the cluttered space in which I’m sitting. Clutter is confusing and causes uneasy feelings especially if it exists in our hearts. A chaos covered heart cannot bring peace and contentment but Jesus can. He can organize our craziness way better than we could. He has a way of slipping in and simply clearing the confusion so we can see Him better. This is what I’m figuring out: I may be in the middle of chaos colored Christmas lights but in the stillness of my … [Read more...]

How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.” Romans 10:15   How many do you have? Shoes, I mean. Living in a country which has known the blessing of God most of us have more than one pair. We have our “running shoes,” “dress shoes,” “work shoes,” (or boots) — and then there’s that “favorite pair” that may be as “old as the hills” but are simply too comfortable to throw away! Shoes. In Romans 10:15, the Bible gives us an example of those with “beautiful feet.” “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things.” It is true — a simple pair of shoes can be used to bring glad tidings. When our church mission team journeyed to Guatemala, they took all of the suitcases allowed for their flight. They filled them — not all with personal belongings, but with things needed for the people of Guatemala. One of their greatest needs is shoes. Paula remembers the line that stretched long, and then even longer than she could have imagined with people longing to get their feet in a pair of shoes—USED shoes at that. Some had no shoes. Others had shoes boasting no ends — but feet pushing through where the toes should have been. Other feet had been pushed into shoes too small for so long that they were covered with blisters and sores. Some didn’t get a pair . . . There weren’t enough . . .shoes. Recently, a friend of mine who lives out of town relayed this … [Read more...]

Every year I set out a beautiful antique pair of skates that my grandma Dubbeld gave me for Christmas. She cleaned them up, put some stockings in them and added some Christmas décor to them. They are darling. Well last year I got all my décor out including an old suitcase that I had painted a snowman on but I couldn’t remember where I put my skates. It was so sad. I looked everywhere but went through the whole season without them. When the “after Christmas blues” came around, I began putting everything away and opened the snowman suitcase to see if I could store anything in it and what did I find? MY CHRISTMAS SKATES!! If I had only remembered to look in there at the beginning of the season, right? Is it possible that we forget the things in life or even the people that bring us the most joy? I want to take you to Jonah chapter 2 verse 7. I was writing last night in my prayer journal and accidentally knocked my Bible off of the couch and it opened to this. I thought I would just see where it was and read a little and boy am I glad I did! “When my soul fainted within me; I remembered the Lord” Your probably thinking "that's it? seriously!?" Hold on, God showed me something in those 10 words.  Now recall we are in the book of Jonah and this is the moment where he realized the desperation that was closing in around him. I got to this verse and it was like God slipped in beside me and I realized that even when we haven’t remembered Him, He always remembered us. He … [Read more...]