We have so many things to be thankful for that we often don’t reflect on. So many things that it doesn’t even occur to us to be grateful for, but all things that God has given us, and all equally deserving to give Him praise for.

For our homes– the very fact that we have one. Whether we rent, or pay a mortgage, or live with our parents. Thank you, God, for allowing us a space somewhere in this world where we can be safe; that we can make our own. Thank you for a place to go every day, when our work is done, that we can rest and find peace in. Thank you for all the creature comforts of that home: the running water, the microwave, the comfy couch, the clean sheets, and the lights that come on when we flip the switch. That home is a reflection of us, so we thank you for the safety of that dwelling place, and the privilege to make it ours.

Does a bird reject its wings, wishing to take flight in any other way than the way it was designed to? Does a fish attempt to live underwater without its gills, breathing in some other way that allows it to work against God’s created intention for it? Does an elephant rebel against its being an elephant, trying to be a housecat? 

No. All creation lives in absolute submission to the Lord. In Matthew 6, we know Jesus talks about how the sparrow doesn’t fret over where it will be fed. The lilies don’t struggle against blooming. They don’t worry over being a thistle or a rose. All creation embraces their place in God’s creation.

This past weekend, Sam and I went on a date. The plan was to do a workshop at a glass blowing studio, have dinner, and maybe drive around together. Saturday morning, Sam said, “There’s a rally happening tonight in Charlie Kirk’s name. Would you go pass out gospel tracts with me?”

At first I was hesitant. This did not fit in with my plans to spend time together; it didn’t sound like the ideal date night I had been looking forward to. Then I caught myself thinking: isn’t this the kind of man I prayed for? The kind of man who went out of his way to share Jesus with others? These were the days I dreamed to have with my husband: to do ministry side by side and to serve God together.

My daughter makes friends wherever she goes. At 2 years old, it’s not a hard thing to do. We go to the park, the library, the play place, church, a party– wherever– and she looks around and chooses someone to play with. This past weekend, she found a little girl to play with solely because she loved the dress the little girl was wearing. 

For her, that’s all it takes. She sees a kid who wants to have fun and that’s it. Instant friends, even if it’s just for that day.

I met Paul Baloche in 2019 with my husband, Sam, during a seminar for songwriters. Paul wrote a lot of worship songs that were sung when I was a kid, like “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” “Hosanna,” and “Above All.”

During his talk, Paul spoke at length about “Above All.” Most of his songs start either as prayers or from little thoughts written down in journals, and in this case, the verse was written out of the titular words jotted down in a notebook. The verses were a meditation on the greatness and wonder of Jesus; about how His Godship is so high and lofty over us and His majesty is awesome. The song originally had a different chorus and it was sung that way for a while but never felt right.

I’ve lived in some interesting places with some cool history. 

I’ve lived on Long Island, where the Revolutionary War was fought and lots of that history is still being preserved. I’ve lived on the coast of North Carolina, where Civil War and pirate history is kept, including the wreck site of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, which was infamously captained by Blackbeard. I’ve lived and studied in Cape Town, South Africa, which still remembers Apartheid and is a melting pot of many different cultures.

Everyone knows this verse. It’s one that kids are taught as one of the first things in Sunday school. It’s on t-shirts and written on the bottom of shopping bags. Even people that don’t go to church or subscribe to Christianity know this verse. It’s a succinct and clear summary of the Gospel. It explains God the Father’s heart and His intention to save those who believe. It shows us what the true Church inherits for trusting in the Lord with all our hearts. It shows us the promises of belonging to the Lord and gives us the way to be recipients of them. 

But do we take this verse for granted? Are we desensitized to its meaning? Do we really consider each and every word of what it’s saying?

Sometimes, we Christians have a bad habit of applying our personal politics too liberally to scripture. And I get it, this country was founded on Christian principles. It’s woven into the foundations of what we once were and there are many in the Church today that are desperately wanting to see our nation return to its Christian values.

But sometimes, for the sake of an argument, we go too far.

The first war Israel had to fight after becoming a free nation of people is seen in the latter half of Exodus 17. Their enemy, Amalek, and his army attacked the nation of Israel unprovoked and in a reprehensible way. Instead of attacking Israel’s camp head on, they attacked them from the back. In ancient times, the elders, leaders, and strongest among a group would be out in front, leading the way and providing the protection needed for their more vulnerable members located in the back. Taking up the rear were usually women, children, elderly, and the infirm. For Amalek to surprise attack Israel and target their defenseless citizens was not only below the belt but despicable and cowardly.

The Israelites ate manna for all forty years they wandered in the wilderness. For a younger generation of Israelites, that was for all their lives. Think about that: Every day, for forty years, everyone would go out at the break of dawn and sweep up manna. And even though manna is known as “bread from heaven,” it didn’t drop down from the sky in loaves. Angels didn’t deliver it to the entrances of each tent wrapped in a tea towel and warm from God’s heavenly oven. No, every morning, Israel would wake up, head outside, and sweep up the manna– it materialized in the morning dew and as the sun rose, the water would evaporate off and leave behind a small seed the size of coriander or a mustard seed. Because it was so small and fine, most people swept it up rather than gathering it piece by piece; which they had to do early in the morning, because as the sun rose later in the day, that manna would also melt away.

When I’m angry at someone, the last thing I want to hear is that I need to be the bigger person. I think that’s a normal response to being told to take the high road when you’d rather slum it on the low one. And there will be times when it almost pains you to take the high road. Because the person that’s hurt you has hit you so close to home that your heart breaks. Or because someone you love or trusted is the one who did the damage.

Where is your treasure? Think about it. Take a pause and think about your life. Where is your time most spent? What are the things you absolutely cannot live without? What are your non-negotiables? Family? Friends? Career? Your home? Your lifestyle? Your politics? Jesus? Your list is completely valid, whatever it is you put on it. Your treasure is exactly that: yours. You may put value on something that I don’t, and that’s just the beauty of different perspectives.

I’ve been a part of youth ministry for 10 years now. It’s pretty safe to say that I’ve seen most things, from giving a standing ovation at school plays to sitting and playing cards in a psych ward. It’s true that youth ministry requires a youth leader to put on many hats, so to speak: advisor, friend, leader, teacher, support system, cheerleader, etc. But I think one of the most important parts of youth ministry is helping a younger person through the early stages of figuring out how to make their faith their own. For a lot of youth that I’ve worked with, they’re at the point in their life where their idea of Jesus is mostly made up of what their parents and relatives say He is. Until this point, they haven’t really thought deeply about what the Bible says, just what other people have taught them it says. So as a youth leader, you have the really cool opportunity to course correct some misunderstandings they have about what the Bible says about certain things.

Hey Pops, It almost seems unreal that it could be 2022. Somehow, as a child, you think about what being grown will be like, but it’s hard to actually realize it. It’s almost like we take things for granted, whether it be our youth or being blessed enough to live long enough to step into the unknowns of life. There’s something about a new year that feels like standing on the edge of a pool. There’s no doubt that you will plunge in, but when? How? Once you’ve committed to a plunge, gravity takes over and there is no going back.

We’ve all done it. Maybe it’s the Sunday scaries, with a new work week looming on the horizon. Maybe it’s our family or the plans we’ve made for our weekends. Maybe our own personal workload between balancing a clean house, social lives, love interests, whatever it may be.

The struggle between works-salvation and faith-salvation is one that I find many Christians grapple with. Like it or not, many in the church pew tend to think that their ticket to heaven gets upgraded based on how many good things they can do for the world and other people. And don’t get me wrong, sometimes I get in my head like that too because this whole world runs off of a performance-based lifestyle. How many likes can I get on this post? How can I excel at work to get a promotion? How can I excel at school to get good grades?