Something Beautiful

I was running the other day because it was a deliciously balmy day for January in Missouri, and I was especially struck by the trees. The trail that I was running on goes through a bunch of lovely trees and foliage and over a little creek. Just being in nature on such a day is pleasant, but running in nature gives me a chance to gain perspective.  I was thinking about the trees and how tall and strong and old they are, and it seemed impossible that such trees could come from a tiny seed, but each one did. Every growing thing in nature comes from a little, tiny seed, and they don't stop growing. They may stop for a season, but when Spring comes, they are right back at it. I'm sure this is why God gave us the instruction to rule and subdue the earth because otherwise we would be living in an overgrown forest.  Anyway, back to the trees. As I was struck by how such a big tree could grow out of such a small seed, I was reminded of how Jesus compared faith to a mustard seed. If

Dear Body, I know that you aren't happy that we are training again. May I please direct you to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. " Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." The end result is worth the discipline and training now, so bear up and run in such a way that you may obtain the glorious prize. Sincerely, Me  

I have found myself full of tears lately. This is by far one of the things I am most happy to be able to say about myself. I was talking to a dear friend who has shared this journey with me, and I realized that most people don't understand what a victory it is for me whenever I say that I cried about something.  I rarely used to cry. I grew up hearing that scraps and ouchies were a long way from my heart. I am a farm kid, and with that you just have to buck up and bear stuff. I don't remember exactly when or how it started, but somehow I took those things a little too much to heart, and I stopped allowing my heart to have a say in what I was feeling. I didn't stop feeling, but I buried my heart under layers and layers of hard protective coating.  It has been about 6 years since I first started realizing that I needed to let God soften my heart. I still struggle sometimes, but every time I cry simply because my heart is moved, I am reminded of the victorious power of Chr

I am coming to discover that one of my favorite words in the Bible is submit. I know that this is one of those words that kind of gets a bad wrap in our culture, even to the point where it is on the level of a four-letter word. Let me give you an example: "Wives submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." Ephesians 5:22 Whoa. There it is in black and white, that little six-letter word. Submit. Why does this little word cause so much controversy? Why do we struggle so much with this idea? Maybe it is the fact that our human nature rebels against the idea of putting someone in authority over us. Maybe we think that because it tells the wife to submit it somehow makes her inferior or less than the husband as a person. The problem with that is that I know God better than that. God sees all people as equal in worth. He paid the same price for each of our lives. In fact, no one has done more to give worth and equality to women than Jesus did. So the question that I have to a

I have been thinking about things that are popular to say to single girls to supposedly encourage them to pursue God while waiting for their prince charming to appear. As a girl who has been single my whole life, I have heard my fair share of these statements. And if I'm honest with myself, I have probably said a fair number of cliche things to encourage other girls in times past.  The other day, though, I really started to contemplate these things we say and why we say them. Why say: Give your heart to God and when it's time He will give it to the right man. Why say: Dance with God and when the right man comes along He will let him cut in.  I understand the premiss; the desire is to encourage the girl to pursue God, yet give her hope that her dream is out there. However, there is just something about this that doesn't sit right with me. Maybe it is because I have heard these statements one too many times. Maybe it is because I am sick of flippant, surface answers to de

I'm not sure I could have imagined a better end to 2012 than the masquerade ball my church had last night, and I'm not sure I could have asked for a better start to 2013 than this day. The weather outside is perfect for staying inside all cozy and snuggled in my blankets and reflecting on an ending and a beginning. Throw in a little jazz, and I am quite content. I was thinking back over this year which seemed to go so fast and yet seems as though it was ages ago when it started. I am so blessed, and I realized just how much happened this year. I'll try to keep it short-ish. About this time last year God was telling me to prepare . I had no idea what for or why He was telling me that, but I attempted to be faithful in doing what He asked me to. Looking back now I can see many of the things He was preparing to do. I took a nice little retreat to spend several days in solitude waiting upon the Lord. I am still experiencing the fruit of that time. In February, I made a tr