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Hi Friends, Last week I shared about the Feast of Normalcy… the banquet the Lord sets before us in every moment of every ordinary day. (If you missed it, you can catch it here.) But what about when life turns sideways? What about when the word “normal” sounds foreign to your ears and life is war-torn (for some of you, literally)? I believe that in difficult seasons of life, our need for the feast of normalcy actually increases. Our craving for ordinary—for patterns and expecteds—actually spikes when what we’ve known turns upside down. And that craving for normalcy: even that is from Him. Into the very fabric of existence God wrote pattern. On the most earth-shattering of days, the sun rises in the east. Even when your heart races, “unknown” lurking behind every turn of the hour hand, the sun still marches across the sky at just the same rate, sinks in the west at just the same time. Spring follows winter, summer follows spring—it’s like the world around us is unaware of the grief, pain, or waiting that fills the days for many. It can feel wrong, unfair even, that nature carries on when all else is coming to pieces. But there is One who is actively turning the page every day, changing the scene every season, and He is not unaware. Could it be that even here, He sets a feast before the unsteady heart? Perhaps He is saying, “Even when the whole world falls apart, I never change”. There’s a feast in the normalcy happening all around us. A feast of His faithfulness. His goodness. His constancy and trustworthiness. And just as He lifted up bread and wine on the night before His greatest suffering, lifting up ordinary food and drink always found on the table in that day, He wants us to remember Him. In our eating and drinking. In our sleeping and waking. And yes, even in our trembling under the covers in our greatest hardships as the dark of night surrounds. Because the sun will rise even then, and it comes as a feast to remind us: He is here. –Anna |
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, When we were on our “church tour” about a year and a half ago, something stood out to us. With all the different expressions and traditions that have been handed down through different Christian denominations, there are a few practices they hold in common. One of those practices is communion. In some churches you kneel. In others you’re handed the bread. In some places you pass bits of crackers down the aisle. Some churches do it weekly, others less often, but I have yet to see a...
Hi Friends, We don’t often like to be “all in” for something. In fact, we are often cautioned against it. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Hedge your bets. Have a plan B. Except, when it comes to life in God, the only way forward is to give… everything. There’s no pseudo-form of Christianity where we write in our clauses and exemptions. No partial committing. No standing at the shore and dipping in our toes. It’s a head-first dive into the ocean of God. An all-in taking up of our cross....
Hi Friends, One thing I’ve loved in sending these weekly devotional emails is the way we get real with one another. I’ve felt so honored by the way you have let me in on your struggles and your redemption moments. Something we’ve talked about over the years is anxiety. Let’s go there again today: No matter who you are or how strong you feel, there are seasons in life where the strain of anxiety can feel like too much to bear. The sleepless nights with a heightened heart-rate that no deep...