Did you see it? Did you behold the message that followed this word? Or did you glance over it, like I did? Depending on the version of the Bible you are reading, behold appears around 40 times in the book of Matthew.   The Oxford English dictionary defines “behold” as a verb meaning to see or observe (a thing, or person, especially a remarkable or impressive one). Biblical use serves as a powerful imperative meaning look or see here. A command urging readers to pay close atte

A good friend and I decided on New Year’s Eve that we would do a 40 day fast together starting on January first. We’re reading a 40 day devotional together and checking in on each other daily. As I have stated here before, just last year in fact, I am not one for resolutions. But I do like to take stock of what’s working and what isn’t, especially at the beginning of a new year. Our decision was prompted by her admitting that she eats way too much sugar and feels like she rea

Happy New Year!   Does the New Year fill you with a sense of dread or does it energize and excite you? I have always had mixed feelings about the New Year. As I said last year, I gave up resolutions a long time ago but I do love the idea of planning for the coming year. Resolutions, to me, are rooted in giving something up, subtraction rather than addition, and frankly, most of us don’t like giving things up. Because of this, I loved it when our pastor spoke last Sunday about

I love Christmas because I love the season of Advent, a word pregnant (pun intended) with meaning. The word advent  means, the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. The word Advent means, the coming of Christ at the Incarnation. It is derived from the Latin adventus, meaning arrival or appearance, from advenire, to arrive, to come (Webster’s).   Okay, but what does Advent really mean, to us as Christians living in 2025, and why do we celebrate it?    “To be serious ab

I saw a meme a while back that I found hilarious and also a very accurate description of my life,  it said; “Being an adult is saying, ‘after this week, things will slow down,’ until you die.” Can anyone else relate? And of course the funniest thing about that is that I am a mature adult who has the privilege of dictating my own schedule, so I actually have only myself to blame for said busyness.   Yet, when I stop to consider all the reasons that I find myself so busy, each

While journaling the book of Acts last month one word in particular kept coming to my mind over and over, the word brave. The bravery and boldness of Peter and John and the early followers of Jesus was in every chapter we read. Then, on September 10 there was the Charlie Kirk assassination and suddenly everyone was talking about being more emboldened in their faith and in sharing the gospel, myself included. While journaling Acts 18, something occurred to me, specifically in

September is here, the kids are back to school, the air is chilly (at least this week it is), fall programming is ramping up at church; and if that wasn’t enough of a hint, I went to a women’s event last night where pumpkin cake and apple spice Chex mix were served! When anything pumpkin hits the table you know it’s fall!   Like most mid-westerners, I love this time of year. The longer I am a Michigander the more I fall in love with the beauty of this state, although if you c

Happy August!   What started as a desire to journal an entire book of the Bible has turned into a walk through Paul’s letters. As I was working on the layout for the book of Colossians I learned that Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon are referred to as Paul’s prison letters. There is substantial evidence that suggests that all four were written from Paul’s house arrest in Rome. Having journaled two of them that makes sense, they have remarkable similarities. Bu

Happy July!   In my opinion this is the best month to live in Michigan and I hope it’s better than the June I just had. Did anyone else get that nasty summer cold/flu that was/is going around? I spent the better part of June being sick and I’m really hoping that July treats me better.   But in spite of being sick, WOW, Galatians blew me away! First of all, being parked in one book for an entire month has just been so good. I saw things I know I missed in past reading, and by

I continue to be amazed at how this practice deepens my love for and understanding of God’s word. I love learning new techniques to...

Congratulations! If you stuck with the May Scripture Journaling Plan you just wrote out the entire book of Ephesians, 155 verses to be exact! I don’t know about you, but I LOVED taking a deep dive into one book. In fact, I loved it so much, I decided to do it again this month. But before we get to that, let me share with you a wonderful little article I found on the web by J.J. Gutierrez. The following are 15 Biblical facts about Ephesians. Some I knew already, many I did not

Last week my husband and I spent three days in Indianapolis at The Gospel Coalition’s National Conference. This years theme was Alive Together, and over those three days some of the best and brightest minds in Christendom preached their way through the book of Ephesians. It will take me weeks to unpack everything I heard.   My first real encounter with the book of Ephesians happened about thirteen years ago, and wasn’t so much with the book as a whole but with Ephesians 2:10.

Does anybody else ever feel like the Monday after Easter is kind of a let down? With Christmas  we have New Years just a week away and as kids we were still off from school so the season seemed to linger a little longer. But with Easter it’s just back to business as usual the very next day. Which feels weird to me because of the significance of the holiday.   In actuality, however, Sunday marked the beginning of the liturgical season of Easteride. Eastertide “begins on Easter

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I know we are already at the start of a brand new journal plan, Astonished by Jesus, written by my wonderful friend Kristi Wyman, but, I for one, just couldn’t skip Lent. And as I thought about these plans running concurrently it struck me that they actually go together quite well. Think about it, is there anything in history more astonishing than the God of the universe coming to earth as a helpless baby, growing up to be the mo

When was the last time you were astonished?

God prepared your gifts ahead of time for you and for the church, now go find out what they are, happy hunting!

Softer is the way of Jesus, harder is the way of the pharisees. Jesus came in love and his love changed people, his love set them free..

January marks a fresh start, a new year, a time that many pick a word, make a promise, make plans for all that 2025 will unfold.

The gospel and salvation hang on Jesus’ humanity. If Jesus was not fully human, he could not save humanity.

As I’m sitting here at my computer, trying to put my thoughts in order regarding this month’s journal plan, I’m realizing it’s not that simple. Historically the month of November is dedicated to practicing gratitude, and I love that tradition. But this November is also a presidential election, and I’m feeling the need to acknowledge that somehow; to acknowledge the anxiety, the anger, the disillusionment that so many people feel right now. It feels right and appropriate to ju