Do you ever feel like you are being attacked on all sides? 

Some days (weeks or months) it seems like I take two steps forward, three steps back.  Normally I manage challenges easily.   My favorite way to deal with them is when they come one at a time, with plenty of recovery time in between.   But that’s not usually how they happen, is it?

If your life is anything like mine, things seem to happen in groups.  Whether it’s broken relationships, self-doubt, disappointments, trouble with children, financial strain or health worries, there’s often attack coming from different directions … at the same time. 

I can go from strong and confident, to weakened and worried quite fast.  In that state, my responses are less than helpful to the situation.  And in that overwhelmed state, I switch from depending on God to depending on myself – which makes absolutely no sense, but there it is. 

I need to be more like a soldier trained to react automatically in battle.  I need my responses to certain situations well thought out BEFORE they happen, so that my shield of protection is already in place.

Proverbs 30:5 reminds us that we have an incredible shield of protection in the Word of God:

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

A shield is only effective if it’s up before you need it.  I’ve seen Braveheart, and I know a shield doesn’t stop an arrow when it’s hanging at your side.  It has to be raised and in position when you are charging into battle, and then kept there. 

While the world might have some good advice, it won’t shield me when I’m in true emotional or spiritual danger.   Only the Word of God will do that.  So how does that help me today?

I have to fill my mind with God’s truth, and review it regularly. Years ago I started writing Bible verses on 3″x5″ note cards.  The cards hold the verses that speak truth to my heart about certain situations.  Here are a few of my favorites:

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts you.”  Isaiah 26:30

“Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.”  Exodus 14:13-14

“Obviously I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.  If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.”  Galatians 1:10 (NLT)

I often pick up my stack of cards and review them.  It’s like fuel to my spirit when I put the Word of God into my mind. 

While God’s Word is effective as a shield, it’s also good in the heat of battle.  Really, God’s Word has power any time you turn to it.  So the next time you find yourself surrounded, put up your “shield” and watch God step in to protect you.

In His Love,

Glynnis

I have been a part of our wonderful for church for 2 years in June.
My husband, 4 sons and I moved from Bristol, England where we spent 4 years as Pastors with the Bristol Vineyard.
One of the things I personally became involved in was the huge population of very young single mom’s. A few of us teamed up with a support group in one of the local neighborhoods and we would go and give the young “mums” a day where they were pampered.
A day they could receive and refuel.
A day that the Lord could, without any hidden agenda, touch them in a very real way.
These women only needed an affirming word and not to feel judged. We wanted them to be proud of their decision to have gone through with their pregnancy when so much of the world tells them otherwise.The woman in charge of the support center was completely shocked that we didn’t charge them for this service, and when I explained we wanted to bless them, she was silent and bewildered. It was a wonderful success and we went back a few months later to do another one.I know that God left a fingerprint on all those young moms and I personally feel blessed through that experience.
Last year I was approached by Alecia Manes who had been successfully running an outreach for the VCNP called Single Mom’s Spa Day.
“Small world, and wonderful timing I thought!”.. We had lunch together and I learned about this now 12 year ministry that she and a handful of other faithful women had started with 10 moms… I was so excited to hear how God’s hand was obviously in this and was delighted when she asked me to join the team. Like the outreach in Bristol, there was no charge for this day. The whole team were excited about the idea of reaching out to women not just in the church but outside as well. To really focus on becoming an outreach, much in the same way the compassion ministry works.
To reach women who were in the sex industry, victims of spousal abuse, recovering from drug and alcohol addition, HIV and AIDS positive mom’s and teen moms.
We asked the Lord to bring half of the women from outside of the church, and in 2009 that is exactly what happened! He did it!!
We had 250 women come, and 125 of them were from outside the church!!!
I had never witnessed anything like it.
Women were crying with gratefulness at being given a day where they are simply loved on.
No hidden agenda, no surprise attacks or “Accept Jesus or else!” moments.
Simply stepping out of the way, and allowing the Holy Spirit to minister with our actions and words of affirmation. Being an ear for them to be heard, and offering prayer if the Holy Spirit prompts you.
I love that our church is willing to get messy and love those people that some may be afraid to love.
I love that we invite everyone to come as they are, and yet be challenged to allow God to make you into more than you will ever expect to be.
Transforming ordinary people into extraordinary followers of Christ.
It is truly overwhelming to lock hands with our fellow sisters before Spa day officially starts and see the over 100 women serving together.
Striving to be 1 Corinthians 13 and allow God to use us to love on His people.
We get to do it again this Saturday and we cannot wait to see what God has in store this year!!!

Thank you VCNP for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful family.

Blessings,
Rebecca Turrigiano

Once you get to be my age which is nearly old enough to enjoy a senior discount at the movies, there are few things in life that make me feel like a kid again. Last week I bought myself a new bicycle, not because I was hoping it would make me feel young again, but because I live near a great bike trail and thought bike riding would be a great way to burn some calories.

On my maiden voyage with my pretty pink Schwinn Cruiser with the white sidewall tires I found myself transported in time to when I got my first bike as a six-year-old. And just for a little while with my hair blowing in the breeze and legs pumping for all I was worth — I felt a kid again.

It was liberating to lean into the wind and feel as if I was flying. I let my thoughts wander and imagined those long ago summers when I raced down Deadman’s Curve (didn’t every small town have one of those?) sans helmet soaring at speeds that defied common sense. The playing cards clothes-pinned to the spokes of my wheels thwacked with a rhythm all their own adding to the magic making me feel invincible.

Now however at my age, I wash down common sense with my daily fiber tablets so it was a no-brainer for me to avoid the part of the trail with the long sloping hill. I must admit though, I was tempted to throw caution to the wind and fly until I realized I most likely lacked the leg power needed to ride back up the hill again. Not to mention the fear of falling off a bike at my age would most likely result in more than just a bruised ego.

Bike riding has given me a lightness in my spirit I haven’t felt in a while. I can actually feel my Heavenly Father smiling down on me as I let the shackles of adulthood fall by the wayside with each mile I pedal. I take life far too seriously sometimes and get caught up in worry, even though I know I’m supposed to trust God for all my needs. Worry just seems to come more naturally.

Too often the world has a way of making life seem overwhelming. Dealing with the day-to-day responsibilities like child-rearing, living paycheck-to-paycheck, dealing with aged parents, the sinking economy and rising unemployment, blah, blah, blah – we forget that God says it’s okay to have faith like that of a little child.

Some days we just need to pedal faster, smile bigger and simply trust deeper. Yes we all need common sense (and a good helmet), but ultimately — God is always in control so why worry.

16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Luke 18:16-17 (NLT)

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy Kurlin
www.kathleenkurlin.com

I’m so excited! my friend Marlene said over the phone, giddy with enthusiasm. I’m bringing my sister’s pasta salad to Ronnie’s birthday party. You are going to love it!

I must confess that at first I didn’t share my friend’s excitement. For starters, pasta salad does not rank #1 on my favorite-things-to-eat list. And in my non-connoisseur opinion, it isn’t something you write home about. I mean, it’s not like you win blue ribbons at the state fair with your world-famous pasta salad or something you make to impress your future mother-in-law.

So why was Marlene making such a fuss about a mere salad?

A few hours later, my friend and her kids walked through my front door. She headed directly to the kitchen and set a bright red bowl on the island, looking like a little girl who’s just baked her first cake. Can’t wait for you to try this, she said brimming with excitement.

Ok. She really had my attention now. My sweet friend and this humble blogger have never been known for our prowess in the kitchen. In 12 years of friendship, we have shared all kinds of things: lunch, mini-vans, hilarious off-the-wall incidents with our kids, a few tears, play dates at McDonald’s with plenty of French fries, horror stories about our relatives, jobs and finances – but never recipes.

Either the woman in front of me was an impostor, or this dish was really worth a try.

I took three bowls and three forks out. Marlene, Mary – another mom who had stayed for my son’s birthday party – and I dug in.

Wow, this is really good, Mary said.

I took a bite and chewed slowly. The combined flavors of tomatoes, fresh spinach, shredded chicken, pasta, parmesan cheese and creamy dressing permeated my palate. Oh, my! This was better than good. This was amazing!

No wonder why Marlene was so excited.

Ron, I told my husband as he walked into the kitchen, you have got to try this pasta salad!

At the mention of the girly dish, he displayed the same unconvinced look I must’ve had earlier that day, when Marlene had called to say she was bringing the salad. But being the nice man that he is, Ron sat on the table and eat the dish noisily set before him.

The three of us girls looked at him in expectation. My husband is a man of few words and, sometimes, of no words. But his actions spoke loud that afternoon. Unlike the ladies, he didn’t go nutso with compliments. But two extra servings later he finally uttered a satisfied, Man, that was pretty good.

The following day, I began to think about my friend’s excitement over her newfound recipe. Excitement is contagious, but it isn’t enough to sell goods or ideas. It must be sustained by quality and substance.

Then I thought about the message we Christians have to offer. Boy, does it have substance! But we often lack the excitement to “sell” it. We know we have something great to tell a hurting and needy world. Why can’t we be as excited as my friend was to share something as mundane as pasta salad?

It is my prayer that God will fill our hearts with a contagious type of excitement and compassion, so that we may eagerly share the Good News of salvation. May we never tire of inviting others to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” One taste of God’s goodness and their minds – and lives – might be forever changed.

Ana

Would you like the recipe?  Click on my blog:
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/

 One quality I’ve come to appreciate more and more in people as I grow older, is the quality of gratitude.  An attitude of gratitude can also be contagious.  Trusting disciples (I believe) do develop attitudes of gratitude because gratitude revolves around our having such a good God.

  Ps.  107:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His love is everlasting.”  We serve such a good God who is worthy of our trust.  As we trust in Him, we come to realize He does have things under control. (even when it doesn’t feel like it)

Henri Nouwen, one of my favorite authors, writes of the spiritual work of gratitude…

“To be grateful for the good things that happen in our lives is easy, but to be grateful for all of our lives—the good as well as the bad, the moments of joy as well as the moments of sorrow, the successes as well as the failures, the rewards as well as the rejections—that requires hard spiritual work.  Still we are only grateful people when we can say thank you to all that has brought us to the present moment.  As long as we keep dividing our lives between events and people we would like to remember and those we would rather forget, we cannot claim the fullness of our beings as a gift of God to be grateful for.  Let’s not be afraid to look as everything that has brought us to where we are now and trust that we will soon see in it the guiding hand of a loving God.”   

 I must admit that at times I succumb to a pity party when my circumstances are not ideal, but I am trying to grow in gratefulness as I also grow in age.  (May I grow up and not just old!)

 An opposite of Gratitude is grumbling.  (Matt. 20:1-16) This destroys both relationships and the church.  Grumblers live in a state of self-induced stress.  I know for sure, I don’t need to add to my own stress level by grumbling.

 Here are some questions to ponder:

1. What are some things I am thankful to the Lord for right now?
2. What kinds of things seem to cause me to lose my joy?
3.  How can I cultivate an attitude of gratitude?
4. What steps can I take to move past grumbling?

 Bless you as you focus on our good God!

Thora

Four years ago when my son Josh was 14, he e-mailed me an article he found on a website.  It was about a Christian in China who was persecuted to the point of death for his faith.   There wasn’t any personal note from my son, just the article.  I read it, was moved and didn’t think much else about it.

Several months later, a magazine arrived in the mail addressed to Josh.  It was from the organization Voice of the Martyrs.  I remembered the e-mailed article and connected the dots.  Obviously, this website interested my son.

When Josh came home from school, I showed him the magazine and asked, “Why are you interested in this?”  I thought perhaps he’d discussed it at youth group or Young Life.

Without a pause, and with sincerity shining from his young face, he answered, “I’ve always wanted to be a martyr.”

My heart started to thud and my insides twisted.  This was not what I expected to hear.  My mind raced frantically, trying to make sense of his answer.  Surely, I reasoned, he doesn’t know what a martyr is.  Hoping my assumption was true, I asked “Do you know what a martyr is?”

 “Yes,” he replied, “someone who’s willing to die for his faith.  I want that kind of faith.”

After recovering from the shock of his answer, and battling the fear of a mother’s heart, God revealed something to me about my son’s desire to be a martyr.  It wasn’t that my son wanted to die, but that he had found something worth dying for. 

At 14, Josh looked around him and saw people pursuing things that were meaningless.  He watched friends search for happiness in popularity, music, drinking, being rebellious and disrespectful.  Even his young mind could tell none of these things are worth dying for.

 But many years before, my son met Jesus.  And when he did, Josh discovered something that mattered … Someone worth dying for. 

 I believe God’s eyes roam the earth looking for a child of His whose faith burns in his/her chest … who loves Jesus Christ with such passion, that sacrifice for His sake is an honor.   The first believers were trained to suffer for Christ’s sake, while many today are trained to be happy and comfortable in their faith.

The call is loud and clear – Jesus is worth living and dying for.   Jesus is worth living life to the fullest.  Jesus is worth dying to self-centered desires.  Jesus is worth living as if every day could be our last.  Jesus is worth dying to a life that is all about us. 

It’s a few weeks after Easter, and the excitement of the celebration of Christ’s resurrection has diminished.  And yet the truth still rings strong.  Jesus is worth it all.   

In His Love,

Glynnis

www.glynniswhitwer.com

The Lord tends to highlight certain scripture to me. Sometimes it corresponds with the beginning of the New Year, sometimes with a season I am going through in my life or that of the life of my family.

Our eldest son recently left to join the Navy to train to be a special operations solider known as a SEAL.

As you may imagine I have gone through a myriad of emotions.

Trepidation for his safety, bittersweet feelings surrounding our first born becoming a man…

Amazement and Pride, wonderment at the strength of his conviction and peace knowing he has gone about it under prayerful consideration.

I also felt a tremendous amount of gratefulness to have been a part of his spiritual maturity.

Through the last 18 years of raising our first, my die hard prayer was found in Proverbs 3:5-6.

“Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding- in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will set your path straight.”

I was able to release our son over to the Lord knowing that He was trust worthy, knowing He wants only our worship and our hearts and then He will make our paths straight. I knew that Josh had that core belief and value, and that even if he didn’t it was about my trust in the Lord that had to drive me through that season.

We spent the weekend watching our young man graduate and I found that I was able to set my fears at rest.

He hadn’t become a hardened solider who had already forgotten how to laugh or how to make silly voices and oddly timed movie references. He had a confidence neither of us had ever witnessed. He expressed all of his wonderful self with more maturity, and was even more firmly grounded in his decision to have joined the navy. We felt so blessed that he seemed to be so plugged in to the Lords prompting and His voice.

God knew the plans for him when he knit him together in my womb.

He knows every thought, every fear I may have and invites me to give them to Him.

This leads me to the next wonderful discovery

Psalm 139.

My beginnings of motherhood started out unconventionally, and because of that people constantly challenged me. First with my decision to have him instead of aborting him and then until I married Matthew with the way I chose to raise him, I opted to be a stay at home mom even then, feeling very strongly that this child needed a parent as full time as possible.. Many well intentioned people sometimes spoke words of fear, discouragement and flat out lies over us both. I found a champion in my husband who swept along side us both and embraced Josh as his own and with his protective nature silenced any words that were poisonous. He then helped draw me to the words of truth and love that the bible shows us, and throw a healthy church family I began to grow in confidance and heal where God needed to heal me.

Psalms 139 told me this.

“For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb.. Oh lord you have searched me and you know me- all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

And like king David said,” Such knowledge is too wonderful for me!! To lofty for me to attain!”

All the things I have done and will ever do, all the things my children and husband will ever do has been known by Him who died for us… He knows it all and still  wants to be a part of everything! In out hearts, every step we take, every tear we shed, every battle our sons or daughters may be in, He is there.

How can I not celebrate in Joshua’s calling to protect and serve those who cannot do so for themselves? With God on his side all he needs to keep pursuing is the heart of King David, the heart to please God.

I will leave you with my final promise and heartfelt request to the Lord found at the end of  Psalm 139.

” Search me oh God and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in. The way everlasting”

I cried after we said our good byes, but my heart for my sons is strong and I believe that pleases God. I miss him and the things about him that add to our family. So I won’t try to pretend it isn’t hard, and will rejoice that the Lord doesn’t expect me to. He isn’t surprised at all by anything or any feeling I may have! How freeing!!! All we can do is continue to love and pray for Josh and our other 3 son’s, and speak words of life and love for ourselves and the ones trusted to us.

Thanks for letting me share.

Blessings!

Rebecca Turrigiano

Today is my oldest daughter’s birthday. It’s hard for me to think of anything except what I was doing 29 years ago today. It’s amazing how I can’t remember what I ate for lunch yesterday but I can recall with perfect clarity everything that took place on this day 29 years ago.

The fact that we both survived her infancy still boggles my mind. I was completely ill-equipped for parenting and had no experience with babies. The only thing I had going for me was the minute I held her in my arms I felt whole and ready to tackle what would prove to the be the hardest job I’ve ever had.

I’ve heard it said the first baby we have is the one we raise with the intentions of showing our parents how to do it right. Oh wait, maybe that was just me. I expected to be the perfect mother and of course my child was going to be the perfect daughter. Not surprisingly, we both missed the mark on that (me, more than her).

I never expected parenting would force me to grow up so quickly. Kids have a way of aging us before our time. They bring on prematurely gray hair, calluses on our knees from frequent prayer – and in my case, occasional rug burns on my forehead from lying before the Lord crying my eyes out on the carpet.

The toddler years were tough; I thought puberty would be the end of my sanity but surprisingly, the most difficult time for me as a parent was after my daughter turned 18. Whoever said parenting toddlers was hard has never had to parent a grown child. I find that parenting my three adult children is far more stressful than the “terrible twos.”

There have been times with each of my children I’m ashamed to admit I wanted to walk away and throw in the towel. I know as Christians we’re supposed to be above that sort of behavior and with God all things are possible. Occasionally however, parenthood can make us feel completely helpless and like utter failures. Oh wait, maybe that’s just me?

During those times of inadequacy and the subsequent guilt and shame that accompanied my feelings of failure, those were the times that God was always there to support me. Somehow that still small voice of my Father reminded me, He has never given up on me even though I’ve given Him ample reason to. I’ve not been an easy child for my Heavenly Father to parent, but yet He’s stuck with me. How could I do less with my children?

The perfect mother … she’s a myth. We’d ALL fail without God’s mercy. Yes, I’ve got the gray hairs, but by God’s grace I’ve got laugh lines too and I’ve got amazing kids! Days like today, why count the candles on the birthday cake when the blessings outnumber all else – even the gray hairs.

Blessings in Christ,
Kathy Kurlin
www.kathleenkurlin.com

It was a Sunday night. Jesus’ followers had gathered together, filled with dread and sorrow. Their doors were locked for fear of those who had killed the Lord. If these evil men had taken their Leader’s life, what would they do to them?

Suddenly, out of the dark blue sky, Jesus appeared and stood among them saying, “Peace be with you!” He showed them the scars in his hands and on his side. The disciples were overjoyed. And who wouldn’t be?

But Thomas, one of the twelve, wasn’t there that night. When his friends told him what they had witnessed, he refused to believe it. Oh, how he wished for Jesus to be alive! But, wishes didn’t always come true.

Like an unsolvable riddle, the words Jesus spoke before his crucifixion came back to hunt him:

In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.

Did He really mean that…? No. It couldn’t be. The cruel reality had to be faced. Jesus was dead. Hope was lost.

Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

But, how? Thomas saw what they did to Him. It was awful! He had believed Jesus was the Messiah. And despite his doubts, he had chosen to follow. But this was insurmountable. Jesus was dead. He would never see Him or rejoice again.

Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.

I wonder how I would’ve reacted if I had been in this disciple’s shoes. Would I have believed my friend’s incredible account? Or like “Doubting Thomas” would I have thought that the news of my Lord’s resurrections was too good to be true?

The choice to believe without seeing is something I face every day. And I have to be honest: Sometimes my faith is stretched beyond my own ability to carry on. Prayer becomes a struggle; believing, near impossible.

It’s so easy to believe when things go my way! But not so easy when it requires the kind of faith that trusts completely, that patiently and resiliently waits on God’s hand to move on my behalf.

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.

Stop doubting and believe… Oh, Lord, when the answer to my prayers seems too good to be true, fill me with Your peace and remind me that You are alive and that Your promises are true.

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Lord Jesus, help my unbelief!

Ana Stine
http://anastinescorner.blogspot.com/
[Excerpts taken from John 16 and 20]

I think today is gonna be one of those days where different emotions set in and thoughts arise. Now before you think that I’m all upset and going to splash my concerns over a blog that no one wants to read, just hold tight and hear what I have to say.

A couple weeks ago, I was in search of an encouraging book. A book that may have some insight as to why I once desired God so much and now I find it a struggle to more times then not. Unfortunately the one I found is not in stock anywhere. (great now to wait for it come in, so I got a different book. ) A friend and I are sort of on the same trek together and we decided to see if there was some sort of book that maybe could point insight to our dilemma. (don’t judge me for thinking a book may help, maybe that’s your problem, and I NOT trying to be mean, just sharing…) I was opposed to the idea of a book at first, cause why would I need to search out in a book my problem when I knew what it was? But to my surprise in the first few pages, I felt like crying, it really touched me. As I read through the pages, I believe the Lord met me and started breaking my heart.

I have also started to read devotionals every day and a verse to go with it. That has been a real refresher, because for me, whenever I take a step back and find myself in my own world and realized I left the Lord behind me, I am now standing on a very thin rope. My wants and feelings get all messed up. I get in a bad mood and treat people like crap. I wanna run to every WRONG thing and partake in it a thousand-fold.

The verse of the day I read a couple weeks ago was like a stake in the ground, like a pillar made for a vow or a promise: Ephesians 6:10-11; Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the FULL armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. I don’t know about you, but this hit me different today. I have read this a bunch of times, but haven’t for a while. That is my answer to the questions: “where have you been Lord? why have you been silent? why do I want to follow evil?” If I am not placing the armor on EVERY day, then I may as well sign my name on the doted line and give over all rights to sanity and peace . . . with God!

When the thoughts come and feelings tell me to run with my rebellious ambitions . . . I need to realize, I can’t mess around. There is not enough time. I KNOW better than to play with the ideas in my head and go with what I feel all the time. I need to stick to the Lord and run after Him even with everything I carry along the way . . . and when that happens, I find that as I get closer to Him, the things that once hung on me like heavy chains, now are far behind. Inspiration whispers in my ear again. Beauty runs away with me. I find life in everything again . . . once I take the maker around with me close to my heart.

Lastly, another friend posted something on her blog and I’d like to share. I recently lost my grandpa and still have a hard time with it. The way that I released what I was feeling was through totally wrong venues. And having lost him was the topping to everything else I have been feeling and dealing with the last year . . . so this really ministered to me.:
He is Here–Anyway by Ruth Senter

God is everywhere present, so why am I surprised when I find Him in unexpected places? Royalty in a barn? Sovereignty riding a common colt through the streets of Jerusalem? Peace by the bedside of a friend’s mother who is dying of leukemia? Expectations are disappointed. Plans are thwarted. I do not like what life does to people and plans.

But the very essence of God is that He is here anyway. No, the conditions are not right. But He is here–perhaps even more so because the conditions are not right. The conditions were not right when He came. There was no room in the inn. The conditions were not right when He died. They crucified Him with two criminals, one on each side. Not until He comes again will be conditions ever be right.

But the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. (John 1:14) It is the height of incongruity. It is in His humanity that we catch glimpses of Christ’s divinity. The shepherds came to the stable and found a King. The people lined the streets of Jerusalem for a common colt and found the Messiah. So I must go through the death of a friend and know peace. For God often chooses to couch His lessons in places and situations that don’t make sense. But He is God, and HE is there. I will find Him, if I will but look.

I hope you are encouraged in the season you are in and remember God is always there!

Christi Schuman