A moment of Spring morning peace to receive with each inhale, and to release with each exhale. I breathe in stillness, I breathe out frazzled. I breathe in kindness, I breathe out harshness. I breathe in gratitude, I breathe out criticism. I breathe in forgiveness for myself, I breathe out disappointment. I breathe in [...]
As I prepare to speak this Sunday, my nerves are running high. Again. Searching for reassurance and peace, I remember how God granted these elusive fruits three years ago, the first time I stood in front of the congregation for thirty soul-exposing minutes. This morning I am finding new peace as I remember what God did. [...]
God has a way with those who mourn; a way of coming close and whispering promises we dare not dream. He even does this for a mother "Weeping for her children because they are no more." If that resonates, the Lord has promises you can hold tight.
God took Abram outside and said, “Look up at the sky…” Genesis 15:5 Skies are clear(ish) tonight. Care to seize some quiet in this moment and gaze at the beauty that’s been hidden behind a cover? Go outside and look up at the sky? While you're out there, look for Orion - you know, the warrior guy [...]
Every day is the same – shop, cook, dishes, laundry. Sweep, wipe, scrub, pick up. All the papers, all the arguments, all the scheduling, all the homework. The monotony can turn a happy heart upside down. So much unpaid time and effort spent on things unseen, neverending, undone as soon as they’re finished. Perhaps the [...]
from her innermost being will flow rivers of living water... all her springs of joy are in Me... the water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.
One evening as I lingered in God’s presence during a worship gathering, looking to see what God was like and what He was doing, a scene began to fill my imagination. Something so beautiful and mysterious unfolded that I’ve kept it close for a long while. Could I share it with you now?
What's that? Someone willing to help me do the laundry? Tell me more.
Consider David: for 25 years he held on to the hope that God would establish his kingship. Many of those years were spent running for his life - even to the point of living in a cave. So what did David do to survive, even thrive, in such dark times? How did he hold on? If you've ever felt like a cave-dweller, this is for you.
Walking into preschool one particularly stressful morning, my daughter said, "You know trees grow their roots underground, just like diamonds grow down deep underground!" The moment I got back in the car I wrote this poem to remember the truth: in the face of strain, stress and the weight of life, we can have hope! For when they press in, something beautiful is being formed.
Rachel Norris 