Enduring by Faith in Christ — The Story I’ll Tell (Easter 2022) The 2022 season of Lent is over, & after 46 days of fasting from social media posts/scrolls AND from sweets (cue the cake squares, my fellow carb lovers), I find myself needing to reflect on this season of…

If you’ve found yourself irritated, tired, or overly anxious over the weekend, you are not alone. Although life stressors in general can evoke such feelings in us, I am a firm believer that Fall time change & the onset of Winter can stir up an unsettling feeling in our souls. There’s a technical term for this I remember studying circa 2013 in my Abnormal Psychology class (hello DSM-5 publication!) — Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD has been linked to a biochemical imbalance in the brain prompted by shorter daylight hours & less sunlight in winter. As seasons change, some people experience a shift in their biological internal clock or circadian rhythm that can cause them to be out of step with their daily schedule. This disruption to the daily schedule can, in short, cause feelings of disorganization & “just not usual myself” type of moods.

Jotting to Jesus — A prayer to acknowledge our disbelief + realign with what is true. After Jesus was buried in Joseph’s tomb, the women who had come with Him from Galilee were beside themselves, mourning & despaired that Pilate listened to the jaded people who wanted to see Jesus…

I’ve recently started working my way through the gospel of Matthew using the SOAP method (read the Scripture, Observe what is happening, Apply the scripture to my life, & Pray). I was supposed to be on Matthew chapter 23 today, but flipped forward by accident to chapter 24, & realized…

In Matthew chapter 4, Satan knows that God is please with Jesus (see final verse of Matthew chapter 3 following Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan), & he tries multiple times to trip Jesus up (Matthew 4:3, 5–6, & 8–9). This passage of scripture doesn’t say that Jesus annoyed, angered, or perhaps wanting to “show” Satan up, but it does say that Jesus’ “comebacks” were commandment based (Matthew 4:4, 4:7, & 4:10). Once Jesus rebuked Satan repeatedly with the Word of God, then angelic relief from Heaven came to Jesus on earth. After He was ministered to by the angels, Jesus rises up to rally some disciples. The first 4 disciples, upon the command of Jesus (note I said command, not invitation of Jesus), immediately dropped their earthly profession/calling (fishermen) to follow Him in radical obedience. In the final verses of Matthew 4 (23–25), Jesus becomes adored for healing, loving, & teaching messages of hope. NOTE! — He wasn’t adored for erupting at an enemy (Satan) who was trying to taint His character earlier in the story. He wasn’t popular for putting Satan “back in his place.” The enemy is SO IRRELEVANT at this point in the story because Jesus is too busy being pure & authentic to others.

— Jotting to Jesus following meditation on Psalm 42 & Matthew 7 — “Lord oh Lord, How great You are despite my worldly ways! I’m so sorry for the times I haven’t represented You well. Please especially forgive me for the times when I’ve selfishly longed for something that would benefit me yet spoke of it in the name of Your kingdom. When…

Identity — From lies to truth. The last few months have been nothing short of busy. Trying to balance the work+home load while mixing in social time on the weekends led to extreme burnout. I usually pride myself on self-care. …

Blessed are the poor in spirit. Spoiler alert: That’s us. Although I haven’t written here in a while, I can assure you my heart & mind have still been stirring — rather rapidly at times! The second semester of this school year has been wild — in some of the…

“Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, & rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” ~ 1 Peter 1:13 (New King James Version) — “Gird up the loins” = to prepare oneself for action; to tie up loose ends of one’s garments as to not impede her/his movement/activity “Revelation” = communication of divine truth; resulting human knowledge about God, prophecy, & other divine things