|
Hi Friends, Last night I stepped out onto the back deck. To be honest, I was escaping the thunderous noise (oh the noise!) of three boys who felt bedtime looming and were attempting to squeeze just a few more minutes of play out the day. I stepped out into what has been one of the first warm evenings of the year, heard the birds singing in the forest beyond our yard, and I had what felt like an involuntary reaction. It felt like when the doctor hits your knee just right and you get surprised by your own body as your leg kicks outward. I stepped out into the evening air, and without even thinking about it, took a deep breath and put my hands out in front of me, as if I were receiving a precious gift. Something about the beauty out my back door. The shift of the spring air, the playful tune of birds who are unaware of all the terrors in the world — it stirred a sudden awareness in me. God is here. Sometimes we sing about God “entering the room” or we pray prayers asking Him to come. But the truth is, He’s here. He’s here. He’s always here, so it’s easy to lose awareness of that fact. Kind of like how we take air for granted though we pull it into our lungs thousands of times a day. I don’t even think He’s upset with the way we lose awareness. There’s something beautiful about the kind of love that’s so faithful, so steady, so here that you get used to being loved. Even still, I’m reaching for awareness again today, and I hope you’ll join me. Step outside, or put on a song that calms your heart. Take a deep breath and put out your hands. There’s a gift to receive, and it’s Him. He’s here. — Anna P.S. I know some of you are in war-torn parts of the world right now. Others fighting more personal battles. I’m praying for you today. Praying that He will surprise you with His presence, right in the middle of this darkness ♥️ |
I am a singer, songwriter, wife, mother, Jesus follower. I send out a 2-minute read every Tuesday about Jesus and life in God.
Hi Friends, We pretend to be experts, you and I. We pretend to be vinedressers. We offer to Him what we are sure is treasure, and we sweep what looks to be rubbish under the rug. We take up the pruning sheers. We are a mess, and we know it. So we cut and we slice and we prune till we can stand back and feel pride, as though we have established some sense of order. But maybe we have not established order. Maybe we have merely cut off all that was growing. There’s one vinedresser, and He’s our...
Hi Friends, Have you ever noticed how quickly we decide what matters? Who’s successful. Who’s influential. Whose life is “making an impact.” We see the titles, the platform… and without even realizing it, we start assigning value. But God does something completely different. He takes what seems valuable in the eyes of man and turns it on its head. His ways are so very different than ours. Turns out, He put the most valuable thing of all completely out of sight. It doesn’t matter if you are...
Hi Friends, I’ll never forget it. I showed up for class in college, slid into my seat, and noticed the girl on my left had a large smudge on her forehead. She was an acquaintance, and in my earnestness to be a “real friend”, I pointed it out. “You have something on your forehead”, I said, gesturing to her as if wiping at my face. “It’s Ash Wednesday,” she said, turning in her seat. Whoops! Neither my husband nor I grew up in churches that followed the church calendar or included liturgy. So...