A quick announcement: today at 2:30 I have the privilege of speaking on a great podcast called “Begin Again with Winston Faircloth” (don’t you just love that last name?!).  Winston is a dear friend who has always Inspired me with his tenacity and his continual success in the business arena.  We will be talking together about the power that comes from harnessing moments of change in your life to achieve greater result even when they are emotionally hard.  Hope you can join us

As a young woman I struggled with severe health issues.  Sometimes simply walking across the living room would tire me out.  I felt like an old, worn out battery with barely enough juice to make a light bulb flicker.  I simply had no energy left to expend. Spiritually, there are times where I can feel the same way.  I’m going through the motions of prayer, serving and worship, but it feels empty, lackluster.  It’s as if all of the power of God has been drained away and I’m le

By MARY GEISEN Have you said “yes” today? Yes to starting your day with God. Yes to coffee with a friend. Or yes to that one thing you really don’t want to do. Consider Romans 2:14-15: “When outsiders who have never heard of God’s law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God’s law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation.  There is something deep within them that

I had an upcoming work opportunity recently that didn’t turn out as planned.  I mean, I had asked everyone I knew to pray for blessing and opportunity.  For months.  I walked in full of faith and eager expectation for God to show up and bless mightily.  I waited … and waited.  And waited some more.  Nothing.  Nada.  Not only did He not come through, it was one of the worst turn-outs for a work event I had experienced.  I mean crickets.  Chirping.  LOUDLY.  Ugh! How do you han

By BARBARA LOWNSBURY Hello!  Gosh, I’ve missed you.  Sometimes I don’t always realize what I most value until it’s gone.  I’ve missed writing.  I’ve missed our back and forth, and hearing from you!  I have much to share. First of all, I’ve gotten engaged <insert HUGELY grinning emoticon here>!  On my vision board I crafted in January, I felt the Lord prompting me to focus on developing a personal covenant relationship this year.  I fought Him at the time because it felt selfi

By MARY GEISEN Is rest just another four-letter word? Do I allow myself to rest or treat it as something I should avoid at all cost? When I slow down, am I fully present in the moment? Growing up, I remember the lazy days of summer. Each day there was a smattering of play and pool time, and mixed in were long periods of cloud gazing, reading, or just hanging out with the neighborhood kids. There were no schedules and the best part of the day was when dusk descended and all th

By BARBARA LOWNSBURY Leadership is a heavy mantle that sometimes we wear too lightly.  While I never want my role as a leader to feel overwhelming, Two scriptures immediately come to mind.  The first, by the Apostle Paul, comes after a long, long list of his sufferings for Christ.  He wraps it up in 2 Corinthians 11:28-29 by saying, “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?  Who is led into si

I have this vivid memory of a prayer night I participated in back in my college days–so vivid that all these years later, I still remember it.  We were all down on our knees huddled together closely in a circle.  We were slowly making our way around, with each person praying about whatever was on their hearts.  It was a little intimidating hearing everyone’s prayers. I wondered if my prayer would be as good or as thoughtful, if I would be perceived as being “spiritual” enough

By KRISTAN DOOLEY The best I can compare this season of waiting I’m in is to the birth of my girls. For months I walked with them inside me, growing and showing. I felt them, talked to them, sung over them, prayed for them. I told Ella stories about what we would do. I read to Addy all the time. Before they were ever born they preached sermons with me, they laughed with me, and they felt the tears I cried.  The anticipation of their physical arrival was overwhelming. I was ex

By BARBARA LOWNSBURY Did I spend time with God?  You bet.  But it didn’t feel like it.  I read the scriptures, I wrote my response and I prayed, but God’s comforting presence didn’t seem to pierce through my morning moodiness.  I just felt off. Grabbing another hot cup of caffeinated courage, I hopped into my car and headed to the gym, hoping a good workout would shake the cobwebs loose from my heart and mind.  Jumping around, lifting and stretching, all to loud, upbeat jams,

By KRISTAN DOOLEY There is a great story tucked away in the third chapter of 2 Kings. In this fascinating chapter, we see the three kings of Israel joining forces to fight a war they could easily win. These three kings were about to learn, however, that things don’t always turn out as planned. As their army traveled toward battle, their supplies dwindled and before they knew it, they were completely out. Without food and water, the men and animals would never even make it in

By MEGAN SITES John 15:12-17 says this, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that yo

Muhammad Ali once said, “The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses—behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” And dance he did! He danced his way into double digit boxing championship titles, a gold medal, Fighter of the Year, Boxer of the Year, and the boxing Hall of Fame. That’s not even touching on his numerous honorary and character awards. Considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time, Ali firmly beli

By MARY GEISEN Every Sunday evening, a pastor of a local church gets on Facebook to deliver a short message. Several weeks ago, as I listened in, I heard the words “name and identity” swirling along with words of encouragement. My mind immediately drifted to the season I had just experienced and was just now stepping out of. The pastor highlighted Romans 16 as an example of Paul’s community. The beginning of the chapter identifies Paul’s spiritual family and I found strength

By KRISTAN DOOLEY I sometimes overthink repentance. I hear the word repent and imagine a dramatic scene with sackcloth, ashes, weeping and runny mascara. And although it’s healthy to experience intense moments of emotional repentance and sorrow over the sin that keeps me from God’s perfect plan, I also must grow in my ability to simply admit I’m going the wrong direction, turn around and follow God. AJ Swoboday says, “Repentance does not….bring us closer to God. Rather, repen

By JENNY SEYLAR Many times in those early years as the distance from shore grew, it seemed that the intensity of the wind picked up with that distance.  People on the shoreline seemingly shrunk to the size of insects. Powerful gusts of wind would make the sails so full it was difficult to hold the boat on a steady course. The wind and waves could get so choppy that the fear of capsizing was real. Then there were times when the wind gusts propelled the boat forward, followed b

By MARY GEISEN I woke up and walked into the bathroom just like every morning. One wall is flanked with a large mirror and I can’t help but catch my reflection as I walk by. The first look in the morning is not my favorite, but on this particular morning a new awareness filled my line of vision. The person in the mirror is now a single mom. I no longer belonged to another and instead, I was beginning a journey of walking through life alone. The realization hit me hard and thr

By SARAH DAVIS I walked everywhere I went during my incarceration experience. Even after rolling off my top bunk and fracturing my ankle in the middle of the night, I limped along for the longest time. We looked like a colony of ants wearing shades of blue on that compound of two-thousand women. And not a pretty shade of blue either. Not like cobalt or ocean or turquoise. Although, perhaps no shade would’ve been pretty fashioned as a state uniform. My body acclimated during t

Bwaahaahaa!  It must’ve been like I’d issued a challenge out to the universe that said, “Please.  Come and give me every occasion to test the true plumb line of my patience.  Now!”  Within a week or two, challenge after challenge started coming my way, and I very quickly learned, No.  I am not patient.  In fact, sometimes I am anything but! Over the years I’ve learned that as soon as I think I’ve “arrived” somewhere, God shows me a whole new layer of that very thing I need to

BY MARY GEISEN There is nothing like a “thank you.” Whether the words are spoken or written, this simple acknowledgment goes a long way in making my day. The first time I heard the words “thank you” from my sons, it left me speechless. The sweet blessing of knowing that I was doing something right boosted my confidence. I am learning there are no better words than when another person takes time to recognize the good in you. Today we celebrate Mother’s Day and I pray you all f