The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

In the beginning, God created a good, good world. There was no pain or grief, no hardship or poverty, no loss or heartache. Even better, our first parents, Adam and Eve, enjoyed unbroken fellowship with their heavenly Father. But almost as quickly as the story began, it took a dark turn. In the shade of Eden, Adam and Eve doubted God’s good heart, and with the crunch of forbidden fruit, all of creation began to unravel.

However, God did not abandon humanity in their sin. Even as he was doling out consequences and judgments, he made Adam and Eve (and all of us) a promise. He told the serpent, later identified as the devil (Revelation 12:9), “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). With that word of judgment, God announced a Savior would one day be born, and He would deal evil a fatal blow.

And so, down through the centuries, the people watched and waited, looking for the one God had promised. But they were not left to wait in isolation. God spoke, giving his people instructions and making them promises. At one point, he also came to live with his people, taking up residence in the tabernacle as Israel sojourned in the wilderness, and later filling the temple in Jerusalem. But still the people waited for their Savior.

Jesus’ arrival was a new chapter in humanity’s story, to be sure, but it was also the fulfillment of all the stories the people of Israel had treasured in their hearts. And so, when the apostle John sat down to write his account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, he knew just where to start.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). With that opening line, John ushered his readers back to the book of Genesis. There, God brought creation into being by his spoken word. John will introduce his audience to that Word, but first he wants them to consider that the Word is both God and also distinct from God. It won’t do to press them together too tightly, nor will it work to pull them apart. It’s just like a word that proceeds from your lips—it us both an extension of you and distinct from you. The Word is Yahweh, and yet the Word is with him. He is sent from God, and yet he is God.

All that brings us to John’s use of “the Word” to describe the Son of God. The prophets of Israel and Judah would sometimes describe revelation they received from God as “the word of the Lord.” (See, for example, Genesis 15:1; 1 Samuel 15:10; Ezekiel 14:2). As we read these passages, we commonly think God spoke to these Old Testament saints by a powerful impression or perhaps even with an audible voice, but that’s as far as we go. The “word of the Lord” in these instances is a message, nothing more.

But perhaps we’re wrong.

Consider Jeremiah 1:4–10. There, Jeremiah records, “The word of the Lord came to me” (v. 4). But then, a few verses later, the prophet tells us, “Then the Lord reached out his hand, touched my mouth, and told me: I have now filled your mouth with my words” (v. 9). A disembodied voice, no matter how powerful, does not reach out its hand and touch someone’s mouth. This “Lord” conveying divine words to Jeremiah’s mouth was God in physical form.

In John’s famous prologue, the Word is a message from the Lord. More accurately, he is the ultimate message, for he is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). He came to show us what God is like, to silence any doubts about his goodness. That is why Jesus could say, “The one who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). But Jesus is more than a message.  He descended to be born one of us. He is the offspring God promised to Eve in the garden, the one he said would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:16). He is the God who “camped out” or “tabernacled” with Israel in the wilderness (for that is literally what the Greek word translated “dwelt” in John 1:14 means).

At Christmas, we celebrate the God who draws near, the Savior who came to earth to wipe away our tears, put an end to our grief, and make a way for us to come home. We praise the Word who put on flesh so that he could reach out and touch those he loves.

The post The God Who Draws Near first appeared on Live Original.

For others, this year may mark a “first” that feels anything but joyful: first year without “them”, first year with the diagnosis, first year alone. And for others, it may not be a “first”, but this holiday season carries a heaviness that can’t quite be put into words, even if you tried.

Did you know that the word “holiday” comes from an Old English words meaning “holy day?” I believe this is so important because when we first think of the holiday season, it’s so easy to measure it on the scale of whether it’s going to be a “good” “bad” or “hard” holiday season. But what if the origin of this word opens up so much more meaning of the holidays for each of us, no matter what season we find ourselves in?

What if we asked Jesus, the author of our stories, the following questions as we kick off the seasons festivites:

Lord, what does clinging to your holiness in the brokenness look like this holiday season?
Jesus, how can I bring your sacred presence into my home, even if my family can’t get along?
God, what areas of my life am I not leaning on your holy presence?

My prayer for you, is that you would see these holy moments found in God’s presence all around you this holiday season. Not in spite of what you are carrying this year, but through it.

I pray that the “God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Cor. 1:3-4) will draw near to you this year, nearer than you ever knew possible.

I pray that if you’re in the valley, Jesus would wrap his arms around you through His presence, His word, and His people. And if you are the friend walking alongside someone in the valley, that you would comfort them just as you have been comforted through the power of prayer and presence.

If I’ve learned anything, it’s that we as humans need two fundamental things in life: We need God and we need each other 🤍

Let’s be people who seek help when we needed this year and also be those who keep our eyes open for those who may need a smile, a hug, and prayer.

Happy Holy Days, friends 🫶🏼

The post A Note for the Holiday Season first appeared on Live Original.

The view from my back porch used to include three giant Leyland Cypresses, a towering Oak, and half a Hackberry Tree. The scenery was lush. That is, until one December evening when a hard freeze killed everything. The one pleasant surprise, however, is that I can now see a grand and gorgeously coiffed tree, one with multiple branches fanning outward in near perfect symmetry and crowned with a healthy head of thick, summer-green hair. The pre-existing foliage had obscured my view of this near perfect Maple. In this case, I hadn’t been able to see the tree for the forest.

Sometimes, the removal of certain obstacles or distractions, even healthy activities, can sharpen our perspective. Suddenly, what we couldn’t see before now towers in front of us with unmistakable clarity.

This reminds me of the book of Esther. For centuries, the book of Esther has been a favorite. It’s enthralled us with its gripping story about a vulnerable, young Jewish girl turned queen of the Persian Empire. Esther, a literal beauty queen, possessed more than physical splendor. Her rich character and unflinching resolve, traits that developed over time, are an inspiration to us all. In many respects, Esther is the heroine we hope lives inside us. Hers is the against-all-odds, rags-to-riches story we cherish. Who doesn’t want to know that our lives matter, that God has a purpose and a plan for us, even when—especially when—life doesn’t look the way we thought it would?

For the longest time, I thought the book of Esther was primarily about Esther’s heroic bravery on behalf of her people. And certainly, this is no small detail. But the book is about far more. It is ultimately a story about God and His covenant faithfulness to His people—no matter where they find themselves. This is most clearly on display during one of the book’s most pivotal moments, when Esther learns of the king’s approval of a plan to annihilate the Jews, her people (Esther 3).

In Esther 4:4-12, we learn Esther was overwrought with fear in response to the news, and I appreciate this detail because it reminds us that she is human. Even queens get scared. Back and forth, from palace to court, short messages flew between Esther and Mordecai, like modern text messages. For the first time in the story, we hear directly from Esther (v. 11). She explains that approaching the king means putting her Jewish identity on display and her very life in jeopardy.

We don’t have to make too big of a leap to see the connection to our own day. How easy it is to keep quiet about our faith in Christ among our colleagues, neighbors, and friends. And yet, will we really serve a Savior with whom we have not yet publicly identified? Will we stand up for our church community when no one knows we’re even a part of it?

Certainly, Esther’s situation was extreme. It is unlikely that any of us will be forced to put our lives on the line for an entire people group. Yet, how often do we resist speaking up for our faith for fear of our reputations? We’re afraid that if we tell our neighbors and coworkers we are followers of Jesus we will be lumped in with religious fanatics or the intellectually weak, thrown into a certain political party, or just labeled a strange ranger. The stakes are higher for some: the loss of a job or professional opportunity, maligned character, or an uncomfortable situation for one’s children. The costs are real, and more so by the day.

But sometimes it is these very risks that define the edges of our faith. When compromise is easy to come by, our faith can lose its definition. But when our work, child’s school, or social status in the neighborhood comes into direct conflict with being obedient to God’s Word, we’re suddenly forced to choose. Will we blend in or take a stand? This was the question for Esther, and it’s the question for Christ followers today.

You and I have the opportunity to talk about the hope we’ve found in Jesus! Yes, some will dismiss what we have to say, but many are longing for Jesus in their lives. Let’s not hold back. We may be afraid, but so was Esther, yet fear didn’t stop her.

I’ve been praying that God would give me natural opportunities to speak about Him without forcing Him into conversations. He has been answering this prayer. Boldness for Christ doesn’t necessarily mean extremely awkward situations or risk of reputation. It may mean those things, but for most of us being a witness for Him is simply a matter of letting our true identity be known—that we love Jesus and follow Him. As we do this, our conversations (as well as the way we walk through life’s joys and trials) will naturally testify to His love, authority, and power in our lives.

Just as Esther was determined to stand up for her people, may you and I stand up for Christ and His church with love, truth, and grace.

Discover how Esther’s story inspires us to live faithfully and courageously in our own time with Esther: Daring Faith for Such a Time as This, a 7-session Bible study by Kelly Minter.

Kelly Minter is passionate about God’s Word and believes it permeates all of life. The personal healing and steadfast hope she’s found in the pages of Scripture fuel her passion to connect God’s Word to our everyday lives. When she’s not writing or teaching, you can find her tending her garden, taking a walk with friends, cooking for her nieces and nephews, riding a boat down the Amazon River, or walking through a Moldovan village with Justice & Mercy International. Kelly is also working on her M.A. in Biblical and Theological Studies at Denver Seminary. 

The post Esther first appeared on Live Original.

Joyful music is wonderful but true Godly sorrow is transformational. And we need both in the House of God.

Not long ago, our precious Border Collie, Bear, was hit by a truck in our cul-de-sac and his leg was so badly damaged we were forced to amputate. It was only the second week at a brand-new school for my then eleven-year-old, and I knew it would be better for Selah to be in school while we had Bear at the vet hospital. That morning, rather than having her take the bus, we drove the backroads of Kentucky together in silence, her sitting in the front seat. Her little hands were perfectly clasped in her lap as she gazed out the window, her eyes full of tears threatening to fall at any moment.

I grabbed her hand and started thanking God for the gift that Bear was to our family and how God used him to bring us joy and protection and laughter. Right there in our little Toyota SUV, God met my daughter and me in a time of thanksgiving and lament, because God meets us in both expressions of worship. We don’t have to gaslight ourselves into believing everything is always good all the time. Our children need to see us wrestling with God in situations that feel unfair and unkind. They need to hear us praying, weeping, rejoicing, and worshiping in freedom, not fearing what people will think.

In Acts 16:25 we see Paul and Silas sitting in their prison cell and we’re told, “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” 

I don’t know about you, but I struggle with nighttime. During the day I am busy and my thoughts are on the many tasks in front of me, but as soon as my head hits the pillow, I’m a prisoner to regret, fear, and insecurity. As someone who has struggled with anxiety, the midnight hour can be filled with Googling mysterious symptoms ailing my body, rethinking old conversations and scenarios, and waking up to every creak in the house as I beg sleep to find me.

Paul and Silas were in their own literal midnight hour, but rather than worry and focus on their circumstances, they began to pray and worship, and it says in the scriptures that the “other prisoners were listening.” (v25)

What should we take away from this?

Those in bondage to this world are watching us as Christ followers to see how we will respond to the midnight hour.

The cancer diagnosis.

The divorce.

Our prodigal.

The loss of a child.

A season of unemployment.

Financial struggles.

Will we worry or will we worship?

There are sounds we can’t un-hear. For me as a church kid, it was the wailing of saints in the pews begging God to bring home their prodigal. It was praying in living rooms for God to restore a marriage. It was the silent sobs of a mother in her birthing room asking for a miracle. It’s a groan like no other. It’s animalistic, primal, raw, a sound I could identify without looking up.

Because sometimes worship and wailing sound the same but I learned they come from two different places. One from what God has already done and the other from a deep hope of what we long for Him to do.

I remember the first time I distinguished the difference between someone worshiping from a place of gratitude and worshiping from a place of deep sorrow because it woke me up. Yes, joyful music is wonderful but true Godly sorrow is transformational. And we need both in the House of God. Both have changed me.

From far away one might not be able to tell the worship from the wailing, but it reaches the throne of Heaven equally. It’s a sound I’ll never forget. It’s a sound that kept drawing me back into the House of God and into the homes of the saints and it’s possible this sound led me into an early ministry of worship leadership. I got to be part of both the celebration and the transformation, in the lives of the congregation as well as my own.

Holy lament is a song few want to sing, but it’s our worship penned in the dark night of the soul that writes a mournful melody in a minor key. We’re singing over those who have lost, wrestling with anger, contending for peace, waiting for answers, grieving, weeping, suffering.

When the Church worships, lives are changed. We don’t worship because we got the outcome we wanted, the test results we prayed for, or the miracle we felt we were promised, but because God promises that when we worship and pray, he will be among us. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom and unity.

May we be a people who worship and wail, shouting His salvation and mourning with sweet brokenness His amazing grace.

—

Excerpted from The House That Jesus Built: Leading Our Churches Back to God’s Original Blueprint © 2024 Natalie Runion. Used by permission of David C Cook.  May not be further reproduced.  All rights reserved.

The post Sometimes Worship and Wailing Sound the Same first appeared on Live Original.

More often than not, I haven’t known where I was going, but with every surrendered step, I grow in confidence that the One I am following surely will not lead me astray. Jesus never has and He never will. The more I follow Him, the more my trust in His goodness increases. I move forward continually in the decision that I will follow Him wherever He leads, no matter the cost. It is costly, but I can assure you that the reward is far greater than the cost. His way has rarely led me to the expected road, but He has been faithful with every step.

I can’t tell you how your story will unfold, but I can assure you that the best things in this life will come as a result of knowing, trusting, and following Jesus, not the easiest things, but the best, most abundant things. Proverbs 3:5-6 has become such a thematic passage in my life, selected out of the realization that only in complete surrender have I experienced the abundance of knowing and walking with Jesus. I desire for everyone to experience that abundance. I can’t live it out for you, but I can share my experiences, point you in His direction and encourage you to wholeheartedly follow Him. That’s my heart behind this devotion, to provide you with a resource to grow in understanding who Jesus is, what His word says, and what that means for you personally. 

Wherever you find yourself in this journey of taking Him at His word, I pray that as you read these pages that you will grow in knowledge of the truth, boldness to live out and proclaim it, and love for the One who it’s all about. Jesus, this is all about Jesus. I pray that as you prioritize dwelling in His presence daily that you will experience the evidence of His goodness undeniably and that He will increase your desire to live a life that points people in His direction. 

There is nothing better than a relationship with Your Creator, Savior, Father, and closest friend– it’s what you were created for. His word, applied, delivers. It never returns void. 

He will be found faithful to His word and true to His character in the lives of those who know Him and follow His lead. His plans for you are good and they will prevail. 

Over the next 60 days, I invite you along this journey of knowing Jesus more than you did before. I challenge you to be sincere in seeking, honest in reflection, and expectant for His truth to begin or continue to transform your heart and your life as you apply it. 

I know first-hand that if you give Him your wholehearted yes, He will do more with it for His glory than you could have ever imagined. You, holding this book in your hand is proof. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs‬ 3:5-6‬ ‬

Day 1 – Know, Trust, + Follow 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs‬ 3:5-6‬ NIV‬‬

[[headings are located immediately following scripture]] There is nothing better than knowing, trusting and following Jesus. You will find Him faithful to His character and true to His word in your life. 

Let me invite you into the process of titling this devotional because it was very intentional. Generally speaking, you can’t trust someone you don’t know, and you won’t follow someone you don’t trust. Therefore, this journey has to begin and end with knowing Jesus. It’s one thing to know of someone, but it’s another to know them personally. There is a huge difference between acquaintanceship and relationship.  

Too many people, yes even people who are raised in the church, spend their lives knowing of Jesus, but outside of personal relationship with Him. I can only imagine how it breaks His heart. Jesus doesn’t want to be your acquaintance; He wants to be your closest friend. Not only does He desire a relationship with His children, but as long as any one of us lives outside of relationship with Him, we are missing out on what we are made for. 

Without knowing Him personally, we can’t graduate to the adventure of trusting and following Him. If you don’t know Jesus personally, He is inviting you to make the best decision you’ve ever made of getting to know Him. If you do know Him, He wants to grow deeper in relationship with you daily, equip you to introduce others to Him, and lead you further along the path of His perfect plan for your life. He will be faithful to complete what He has started in you. 

The more you know Jesus, the more your life will be transformed by the truth of His word. It’s a never-ending process on this side of Heaven. A life of surrender is a life lived in response to your knowledge of who God is and trust in what He says. The evidence of us truly knowing Him is our willingness to do what He instructs. Everything He instructs is intentional and purposeful. Are we living lives that reflect our trust in that promise? 

Continually exchange your own plan and preference for whatever He has in mind. Your own plan will fail you, but He never will. God’s ways are higher than our minds can comprehend. You may not always know or understand what He is doing, but if you know, trust, and follow Him, He will leave you continually in awe of His goodness. Ask yourself this question today, “If my obedience to God’s word is the evidence of my love for Him, am I living like I love Him?” 

“We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.” 1 John‬ 2‬:3‬ NIV‬‬‬‬

Prayer: “Jesus, grow me in the knowledge of who you are and the application of your word to my life. Thank you that as I follow You, You are leading me step by step. Amen.” 

Thank Him for who He is and what He has done, ask Him for what you are believing for and to make you more like Him today. 

Reflection/Application: What have you put before your desire to know Jesus more? 

How do you want to grow in knowing, trusting, and following Him in the days to come? 

TRUST + FOLLOW: a 60 day devotional to  know Jesus more is available (most) everywhere books are sold. Here is the link to order on amazon:

The post Trust + Follow first appeared on Live Original.

Competitive by nature, I wanted to win probably more than I cared to admit. There was one problem: my stubborn self refused to wear goggles, giving my sister an obvious advantage over me. As much as I desired to win and find all the pennies, without the proper eyewear, I would just drift around picking up any blurry speck I could find.

Without the proper equipment for the game, my vision would always be impaired, impacting my ability to see clearly and participate well.

But the penny game isn’t the only area of life where seeing well matters. In our spiritual lives, we need a clear view of God to start to let Him into our lives to love us, care for us, and redeem us as His daughters. And a clear view of God starts with knowing more about who he is and what He’s like.

1. W. Tozer clearly explains these qualities, or attributes of God as things about God that are not only true, but also ones that we can know because He has revealed them to us:

“What is God like? What kind of God is He? How may we expect Him to act toward us and toward all created things? Such questions are not merely academic. They touch the far-in reaches of the human spirit, and their answers affect life and character and destiny.”

Today, I’d love to look at God’s love together.

The word love is often one that we neglect and misuse. I don’t know about you, but I’ve actually had my heart broken by people who said they really loved me. In a sense, love has been dragged through the mud at times in my life. My guess is that in one way or another, you can relate. That is why it is absolutely crucial that we understand what it means when we say God is the root and the essence of the true version of love.

One of the greatest metaphors in all of Scripture for the Father’s love is found in Luke 15. In short, a father has two sons. One son demands his inheritance. He runs away, uses it, and squanders everything he’s been given. Ashamed and downcast, he musters up enough courage to return home and try and convince his dad to at least let him back into the home, even if as a servant. Let’s pick up at the moment of his return:

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:20–24)

So many people read this and focus only on the prodigal son. But this story is about so much more. A major theme in it is the father and how he demonstrates God’s love.

The father would have been wearing a long, heavy robe with multiple layers. Not only that, but it was seen as disgraceful for a man of status to run like we see in this parable. But this father wasn’t just any father. He was one who had abundant grace and love toward those who were his own. He deeply desired his son to return, even if the son didn’t believe his father wanted him to. This is love.

Let’s look at the end of the story when his older brother finds out the younger brother has returned.

“He was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!” And he said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:28–32)

What does this show us about God the Father’s love?

God’s love is not contingent on what we do or don’t do. For the son who returned home full of shame and regret, everything the father had was his. For the son who never departed from him, everything the father had was also his. This is the Father’s love—filled with reckless abandon for those He calls His own.

After my dad died at 15 years old to liver cancer, there was a shame that haunted me. At fifteen, I had no idea how to watch someone I love die or how to even be around him. I found myself being completely emotionally shut off toward him out of a place of deep sadness and fear of losing him. On top of all that, because I wasn’t able to make it to him in time before he went into a coma, I never got to tell him how much I loved him and that he was a good dad.

With him gone, the daunting reality that I would never get to tell him these truths caused pain in the deepest parts of my being. To the point where I didn’t know if I would be able to live the rest of my life knowing that I had blown it in his last days. The enemy attacked me hard with this lie and I lived every day in despair and regret.

About a month went by as I walked in this specific pain. One morning around that time, I woke up and found myself physically unable to get out of bed. The grief was attacking every part of my body and I had no strength to go on another day. My mom allowed me to stay home that day from school and I quickly drifted back to sleep. I woke up around noon, figured I should try and get up and eat something, and stumbled to the door. I opened the door, looked down, and saw a letter sealed with an envelope with my name on it. I immediately recognized the handwriting—my dad’s. Unknown to me that he even wrote me a letter, I was met with nerves, excitement, and fear. What will he say? Will he be disappointed in me as a daughter over how I handled the months leading up to his death? I made my way downstairs and slowly opened the letter and braced myself for whatever it might say.

The letter read: “Morgan, if you are reading this, I have died and am now in Heaven with God.” What followed shook me to my core:

I want you to know that I know how much you truly loved me.

Did I read that right? I read it again. And again. And again. Did he really just say that he knew how much I loved him? What I was expecting was for him to say that he loved me. But he knew I already knew that. What he somehow knew was what I would truly struggle with: the fear of him not knowing my love for him. In that moment, chains broke. God freed me from the one lie that I would have believed for the rest of my life.

A lie that could have broken me.
A lie that could have made me take my life.
A lie that would have held me back from freedom.

That day, just like the prodigal son and the older brother, I learned that God’s love for us will never be contingent on our performance or perfection. It was in our inability to perform or be perfect that Christ died for us.

I have heard it said that salvation is free, but surrender is costly. Will you surrender even the darkest places to the Father who is eager to pour out His goodness, immanence, and love onto you as His beloved?

All you have to do is allow the Father to love you and respond with loving Him back. When we learn to be loved, everything else will follow.

As I think back to that nostalgic summertime pool game, I like to think of those pennies as attributes of God. All around us, clear for us to see, and ready for discovering if we have the proper equipment. But instead of goggles, God pours out His Word, His Spirit, and His Son—all helping us to see the truth that He is full of love, He pours out His love, and He is love.

Morgan Krueger is a Jesus follower, wife, mother, and author who found her voice connecting with women seeking freedom from the brokenness of past shame. Her first book, Goodbye Hiding, Hello Freedom: Trading Your Shame for Redemption in Jesus, is out now. In her downtime, you can find Morgan enjoying the significance of the mundane, including spending time with her two sons, encouraging women through words and watching British baking shows with her husband, Ryan, in Franklin, TN. You can connect with her on Instagram @morganwkrueger and at morgankrueger.com.

The post A Father’s Love Letter first appeared on Live Original.

Amanda and I had followed God’s call to plant a church in Indianapolis, Resonate Church, exactly four years before – yet national news outlets were now broadcasting our family‘s tragedy. As shock morphed into overwhelming grief, I stepped with my toddler son Weston into an uncertain future without Amanda.

Over the past nine years, God’s mercies have been new every morning. And one of the greatest mercies goes by the name of Kristi.

It was late 2016, almost a full year since Amanda had passed away, and I had just started writing a book – a memoir. I had asked God to help me see his hand of redemption in my story, and the process of putting emotions and memories to paper was bringing me a lot of healing. I even found myself wondering if I was healthy enough for God to bring love my way again. The odds were not in my favor – my current life would require a truly unique woman, one who loved God, loved my son Weston, loved me, loved our church, and even loved Amanda. I left the idea in God’s hands.

That evening, after a twelve-hour day of writing, I headed to the gym to decompress. The owner of the gym had kindly given me a key so I could break a little sweat at odd hours when I wasn’t writing. That night I arrived just as the last class of the evening was finishing up. As providence would have it, Kristi was in that class.

I had noticed Kristi at the gym and around church over the last few months, but we hadn’t exchanged more than a dozen words. She had caught my attention from day one, but she seemed to be avoiding me like the plague. I decided this was the moment, so I worked up the courage to engage in conversation.

“Hey!” I said, trying (to no avail) to play it cool. “You’ve been coming to Resonate church for like four months now, and I know almost nothing about you.” And, to keep it pastoral, I added, “What’s your story? How did you come to know the Lord?”

For the next thirty minutes, we stood there as she regaled me on her upbringing and past. Out of all that she shared,

I homed in on the four years she spent studying abroad and on the mission fields in Mexico, Cambodia, and Brazil. “So that’s why you’ve been serving in Resonate’s inner-city project,” I commented. “You have a heart for missions.”

“Yeah,” she said with some hesitation, “but also my family lives in that area.”

“Wait, by choice?” I blurted out, thinking of the crime rate in that part of the city.

“Yeah.” She kept her poise. “My stepdad and mom feel called to that area as their life’s ministry. That was one reason I chose to attend Resonate. The church’s ForIndy initiative in the inner city? It’s the kind of work our family has prayed to see for years.”

“Wow. That’s amazing!” I said. “Amanda and I used to pray for that neighborhood when we ran by while training for half marathons. Ever since Amanda passed, I’ve felt this huge burden for that area of the city. Much of what we do as a church has come out of our story and the burden it’s placed on me.”

“I’m connected  to your story in some other ways,” Kristi said, “but I don’t think you’ll want me to tell you that.” She shuffled her feet a little and looked around the room.

“What is it?” I was intrigued and a little apprehensive, especially at how awkward she had suddenly become.

“Well. Um. Davey, my stepdad is a chaplain for the Marion County prison system.” She paused to let what she said set in for a second. “And he has regular conversations with the men that killed Amanda.”

I felt all the blood rush out of my face and the room began to spin. “What?!” I was dumbfounded. What are you doing, God? The girl I’ve been interested in already has a close connection with my story? I was at the gym to decompress after a long day – the same day I had asked the Lord to show me the redemption in my story. And Kristi tells me this?

Fast forward through several months of dating, and we were ready to see how our families felt about this: hers, mine, and Amanda’s. We spent a week with Amanda’s family in Elkhart, Indiana, followed by a week with my family in North Carolina. Kristi’s family was in Indy, so we’d already had some time to talk with them. We knew those two weeks were make-or-break for us. We returned to Indy reassured and started talking about a future together.

On November 8, 2017, almost exactly two years after Amanda’s death, I got down on one knee and asked Kristi to be my wife.

It was important to Kristi that we have a small, private, and quiet wedding. You see, although she had a very loving an

d involved stepdad, her biological father hadn’t been in her life for years. Because he struggled with

serious mental illness, Kristi had often feared for her safety. She hadn’t seen her birthfather since he walked out on the family years ago, but the thought of being walked down a wedding aisle touched more than a few childhood wounds.

Meanwhile, I was aware that dozens of people had been personally involved in my journey, both with Amanda and sinc

e her passing. I couldn’t imagine not having those people present as we celebrated this new chapter of life together. Suddenly a message I had received earlier from the Lord came to mind: My redemption story would usher in Kristi’s as well. I convinced her to go through with a bigger wedding and asked her to trust me with the “walking down the aisle” part.

On a chilly, rainy, magical December day in 2017, we gathered friends and family in a castle – well, a local venue that looked like a castle. Although almost nothing in our stories looked like a fairy tale up to the point, we felt like we were living one that day.

I stood at the front with Brad Cooper, who was officiating the wedding, and waited for the doors to open, knowing that what was about to ensue would have us all in tears. I shifted nervously, hoping that everything would go as planned.

“Claire de Lune” began playing softly. The doors swung open, and everyone stood to their feet. There she was, standing alone, a magnificent beauty, delicately resplendent in a fashionable white gown with lace sleeves, clutching a bouquet of snowy flowers.

I could see the hesitation on Kristi’s face as she began to step forward. Her beloved stepfather, Lee, immediately eased out of the back row to meet her. She smiled and accepted his arm as she walked toward me. About one-third of the way down the aisle, Lee stopped walking and Kristi froze with him. He leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered in her ear, “This is where I leave you.” Stunned and unsure what to do next, she looked up at me.

At the same moment, Amanda’s father, Phil, stood up and gently took Kristi’s arm. You could almost feel the entire room gasp as people held back tears. Phil walked Kristi the next third of the way until, right on cue, my own father got up from his seat.

My dad escorted Kristi the last few steps until she stood directly in front of me, in all her radiance, and Brad asked, “Who gives this bride to be with this groom?”

“We do,” the three declared in unison from behind Kristi.

It was a storybook moment, and it wasn’t lost on either of us. Tears filled both of our eyes as we looked at each other, two broken puzzle pieces about to fit and stitch our crazy lives together to display to the world a picture of God’s redemption—an unordinary family.

Davey Blackburn is the founder of Nothing is Wasted Ministries which creates resources for those facing trauma, tragedy, and loss. He is the author of Nothing is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness, and Finding Purpose in Pain (July 2024). Davey and Kristi live in Indianapolis with their three kids, Natalia, Weston, and Cohen. Find resources at www.NothingIsWasted.com.

Friend, we hope this encourages you that God is not done writing your story. He can bring redemption and healing into any part of your life!

You can read more of Davey’s inspiring story in his book- Nothing is Wasted: A True Story of Hope, Forgiveness, and Finding Purpose in Pain. 

The post Nothing is Wasted first appeared on Live Original.

Oftentimes when you want to be something or do something, you have a role model or mentor. Someone who has already become a so-called “expert” in the subject you are trying to master. You watch this person closely and hang onto their every word in hopes to find some bit of the map to your desired destination. Piece by piece, word by word, story by story you’re closer to unveiling how to accomplish this ambition. Your mind begins to expand and your heart smiles as this goal of yours is slowly becoming a reality.

Our first thought for someone who is an “expert” on strength is probably someone with immense physical strength. Like Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, a man of enormous size and physical capabilities. His physical strength was so monstrous that he terrified an entire army and kept them from battle. Yes, an entire army. And if I’m honest, this will never be my kind of strength. I am 5’7. Paralyzing an army from my sheer physical strength and stature is not in the cards for me.

The kind of strength I desire is not this physical strength demonstrated by Goliath or what we typically think of described in the first definition of strong: “having the power to move heavy weights or perform other physically demanding tasks.”^[1]

The kind of strength I desire is that of David in the Goliath story. He exemplified the second more encompassing and true definition of strength that I believe is far more valuable than just the physical, to be “able to withstand great force or pressure.” ^[2]

When every soldier in the entire army trembled in fear at Goliath’s physical strength, David revealed what it means to be truly strong. He had every pressure to back down from battle but he withstood.

Fully aware that he was just a shepherd and not a soldier, David begged to go into battle against Goliath.

Fully aware that Goliath was a GIANT, David begged to go into battle against Goliath.

Fully aware of the warnings of fellow soldiers that he was not capable of winning, David begged to go into battle against Goliath.

When I read this story, I couldn’t help but wonder how David was able to withstand. How could David be so strong when everything in this world points to just giving in?

It actually took me flying 23 hours across the country, passing out in freezing weather, and climbing the tallest free standing mountain in the world to figure this one out. So I pray and hope this streamlines your process a bit.

The 23 hour flight was to Tanzania. Tanzania is home to a 19,341 foot Goliath of a mountain called Mount Kilimanjaro. I had the incredible opportunity to hike this mountain this summer to raise awareness and funds for Compassion International, an organization committed to freeing children from poverty in Jesus’s name. And that mountain is home to the freezing weather I mentioned a bit ago. For 6 days, this mountain was my home as well.

We ate on this mountain, talked on this mountain, laughed on this mountain, slept on this mountain, and yes…. went to the bathroom on this mountain. But more importantly, we hiked on this mountain.. for hours and hours. The first four days were honestly bliss. All my months of training for this trek had paid off. On the fourth night you wake up at midnight to climb the remaining 4000 feet to the top of the mountain. You eat breakfast in the pitch black with only stars and the moon illuminating the sky and begin your summit to the top.

Staring up at the stars, in the 9 degree weather, I looked up to the heavens and told God “this is one of the best days of my life”. I danced for the next 2-3 hours as I walked step by step up the mountain until something funny happened. I began to feel lightheaded. And then I would pass out. As I am climbing up rocks and in the snow, I begin to pass out for 1-2 seconds at a time and catch myself just before I hit the ground with my handy hiking poles.

Long story short, I did this for the next 2 hours of the hike. All my months of training never prepared me for this moment. My physical strength was gone. My mental strength diminished every time I passed out. I was not strong like David. The very real pressures of this circumstance were weighing on me like I had never experienced weight before and I was entirely too weak to withstand.

I started to pray and ask the Lord for strength because I no longer had it. I was absolutely desperate. And in my desperation, the Lord reminded me of the lyrics of the first song I ever sang in Church “I am weak but thou art strong”.

Step by step. I hiked this mountain for 6 more hours singing this song to myself.

“I am weak but thou art strong.”

And step by step. The Lord gave me strength. Strength to withstand the pressures and summit Mount Kilimanjaro.

I realize that this is how David did it. This is how David withstood the pressures and entered battle. This is how David slayed Goliath. This is how David was made strong.

By first recognizing He is weak but thou art strong.

He didn’t have the strength, but He walked with a God that did.

As I have been home I’ve faced days where the pressure feels like it’s coming from every side. And instead of trying to find the courage, I just simply surrender to God and say “I am weak, but thou art strong.” I put God back on the throne of my heart, I make Him the source of my strength, and humble myself that I am not strong.

And then I walk with the one that is. Just like David did. The song I sang on the mountain is actually a hymn called “just a closer walk with Thee”. How beautiful? I don’t have to muster up the strength, I simply need to walk closer to thee.

You don’t have to muster up the strength. Simply surrender. Say “God I am weak, but thou art strong.” And then walk with the one that is.

Remember how earlier I mentioned finding an expert, role model, or mentor? Jesus is that. He is my expert, role model, and mentor. He walked this earth and exemplified to us perfectly how to walk with thee. How to be strong amidst the pressures of this world. And He is so much more. He is the source of this very strength and life I desire.

I’ve learned that if I want to walk with thee, I need to study the one that did so perfectly. And you know what’s beautiful? As I study and read about Jesus’s life, pray, and surrender this crazy thing happens:

Piece by piece, word by word, story by story I’m becoming stronger although I am weak. My mind is expanding and my heart is smiling. Perhaps even doing a dance. And this goal of being strong, through Jesus has become a reality.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

And through Christ, it can be your reality too.

Maia Mae Huff is passionate about spreading love, truth, and light to all people. Whether that be through phone calls with a friend, her In This Together podcast, speaking, or any way that God leads.

Keep up with Maia Mae Huff on Instagram @maiamaehuff

The post I Am Weak, but Thou’ Art Strong first appeared on Live Original.

Plan

plural noun: Plans

I know majority of us are not a stranger to the idea of “plans” or the word in general.

I feel like I hear this word 10+ times a day.

Whether it’s as simple as “What are your plans for the day?” Or as broad as “What are your plans for the future?”

Or even better, when someone asks you “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”

Everything in life seems to have a “plan”.

Planning a schedule, a practice, a race or execution of a game, a hard conversation, a test, a result, a response, a date…etc.

Maybe I’ve turned my ear towards the idea of “plans” in this season of my life more than ever. I’ve never been much of a “planner”

Well, unless it comes to how many hours before I race I need to eat food so I’m not seeing it twice (lol).

But, seriously…

I’m about to start my senior year of college, and last year of collegiate athletics, and the question I’m receiving most is…

“Well, Allie! What are your PLANS for after college?”

And ya know what, to be transparent…

I don’t have one!

Sure, I have hopes and desires on my heart I know the Lord sees (Psalm 37:4). I’d love to put that hard worked degree to use, get married to my love, have a family, and continue to work towards goals.

But I’ve also learned this year (more than I thought I lifetime could teach me) because I’ve seen it unfold in my life…

It is truly GODS PLAN that prevails, not always what we have in our mind.

That does not mean He does not care what we have on our hearts, though.

Proverbs 19:21 —

“Many are the plans in a persons heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

I saw my sister’s life flip upside down this year. A big part of our lives flipped upside down, too.

Just weeks before she was going to be getting engaged to her high school sweetheart of 7 years, God brought him home after a hard fought battle with cancer. I’ve shared about Ben in blogs before. A faithful servant and fearless warrior.

Ben had plans, just like the rest of us. Plans to become a doctor (he was so smart and driven), plans to marry my sister, and many wonderful hopes and dreams most 22 year olds have desired for themselves. And that is good! It is good to have desires and work for things, and plan for the future to an extent. Ben was such a planner, but He was never “unrealistic” and ALWAYS more confident in the plan God had for Him. Never once did He doubt Gods plan for His life. Even in sickness. I want to live more like that. With a confidence like that.

And yes, God had different plans. Do I understand why it had to be this way? Or why the things Ben worked for didn’t come to fruition? Well, most of the time, no. 

It is hard some days to sit and wonder what could have been, and in my human thinking, in my eyes, what should have been.

God does have a plan…. But when that road has tragedy it is very hard to go,

“Oh yeah, God has a plan!”

I am sure many of you reading can relate.

This is where faith comes in and is tested. Where hope must stay alive, and confidence in Our Jesus must outweigh the doubts of evil.

Ben is not physically still here with us, but I know Ben is alive, new, healed, and in the paradise of Heaven with Jesus. The safest place to be.

Gods plans are NOT to discourage us. Even when life can be hard and scary to understand sometimes.

We aren’t always going to understand, but we are called to trust. He will provide strength. (Isaiah 41:10)

I believe it will all be revealed to us one day, maybe just not always on this side of Heaven.

We live in a fallen world. Horrible, unjust things happen. Usually, those things don’t fall into our idea of “ideal plans” we picture for our lives.

Romans 8:28 —

“God works ALL things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

It does not say, ALL THINGS ARE GOOD. We can name 1,000+ things that are NOT.

But, even if, He is still good.

Romans 8:18 — Paul writes,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.”

Thankfully, we know from Jesus’  life that there is  purpose to our pain we walk through. God doesn’t waste anything, including suffering.

He doesn’t always remove us from trials, because He plans to use them.

2 Timothy 2:11-12 —

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.”

Jesus joins us in the suffering, but we will also rise with Him in victory.

Pain that we endure in our life is not God’s punishment. Jesus Christ paid that price on the cross. 

We serve a God of love, grace, truth, protection, and power.

A God who will finish what He started.

What He says He will do, HE DOES.

What He says He can do, HE PROVES.

What He says He can heal, HE TRANSFORMS.

ALL hurt, confusion, damage, distress, doubt, failed plan, and death —

HE CONQUERED ON THE CROSS.

The blood of Jesus Christ covers it all.

EVERYTHING that has left you hurt in this life of sin, will be made right in the throne room of Heaven when we meet face to face with Him.

A game changer perspective God is teaching me is turning my “whys” to TRUST that God is making all things work out for HIS glory and not our own.

Why would I spend my time caught up in the 1,000 “Why’s” of why it didn’t go the way I perfectly pictured?

Ephesians 3:20 —

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

If my Jesus can do IMMEASURABLY MORE than I can EVEN IMAGINE — going beyond what the human brain can bear… why would I doubt the plans God has for me?

Why would you doubt what God has for you?

As Christ followers, if you are currently reading this, you are Earth bound, serving your purpose here for His glory, while ultimately working your way HOME bound.

Where all is made right.

Eternity with Jesus.

There is protection, prosperity and purpose, in every part of Gods plan. 

Trust it. Believe it. Receive it. Live it.

I love you, friend!

LOVE, AW

The post When Planning Takes A Detour first appeared on Live Original.

Our verse comes in the middle of a letter written by Peter, one of Jesus’s main dudes. In fact, Jesus told Peter he would be the rock on which the church was built. Peter is writing this letter to encourage the church, the followers of Jesus throughout the world. In this chapter, I just want you to know that I’m going to be referencing all different parts of his letter to help us understand the bigger picture of what Peter was saying. If you have time, right now would be a great time to just take fifteen minutes and read that letter called 1 Peter. If you don’t have a Bible handy, you can Google it; we use the NIV translation. Even though our verse doesn’t come until chapter 5, I want to start our discussion with how Peter starts off his letter:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:3–7

Y’all, we could just bask in that glorious passage for a good long time, am I right? If that’s you right now, go on ahead. For the rest of us, stick around as we unpack this passage together. I want you to see that before Peter teaches them anything at all, and well before we get to our verse, he reminds them of this foundational truth: because Jesus has conquered death itself, we can have a living (not dead) hope for a new life that’s no longer riddled by our old self’s struggles (like our sin and this fallen world and the resulting anxiety it brings us). As followers of Jesus, we have a living hope for heaven, where struggle and sin and suffering (and anxiety) are completely eliminated. But while we’re still living in the struggles of this world, we can keep the faith because God will shield us by his power. And in the end, though we’ve endured all kinds of trials (like anxiety), we will have a strong faith! And what’s more? We will get to share in the praise, glory, and honor of God!

Yes, yes, yes!

Peter knew that followers of Jesus needed to first and foremost be reminded of the reality of their situation in light of Jesus and what he has done! Surely his friends still struggled, surely they were anxious. Otherwise, why would our verse even be in this letter? And surely they would continue to struggle with the same sorts of things as long as they drew breath. But in the midst of their struggle and their anxiety, Peter reminds them of the truth of Jesus and the reality of his victory for all time. So, when we’re facing something hard, like trying to overcome our anxious thoughts, we need to be reminded of the living hope that Jesus was raised from the dead! He conquered every hard thing when he conquered the grave. If Jesus was raised from the dead, anything is possible. Even being freed of our anxiety!

Anxiety is hard.

Jesus was raised from the dead. 

Amen!

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). I can’t tell you how eager I am to live out our verse! I want to cast my anxieties at the feet of Jesus. I want to believe that he cares for me. And I know you want to believe that too! But there are these negative thoughts, lies really, that we’re believing that keep us from doing so. We might know in our minds that God is in control, but our practical response is anxiety. Our hearts still race with worry, telling us that our mind is wrong. In order to fight our anxious thoughts with God’s truth, we must first see what the root of that anxiety is. There are three basic types of lies that cause our anxiety; let’s take a look.

Throughout his letter, Peter addresses the struggles his friends have been facing. These are the very things that are giving them anxiety, the things Peter is encouraging them to give to God. And if we flip back just one chapter before our verse, we see him address the stark reality of their struggle. Peter’s friends are facing persecution, trials, and all sorts of suffering, and he draws attention to the temptation we all have to elevate our struggles above God.

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

1 Peter 4:12–13

It’s no secret that life is hard! Yet I often look at my own “fiery ordeal,” and I am bewildered! Sometimes it feels like life is happening to me, that my situation is master over me, and I am subject to its bidding. Have you been there before? It’s during times like this that we are tempted to think:

• If only my situation were different, then I wouldn’t be anx- ious anymore.

• If only I had more money, then I wouldn’t be anxious anymore.

• If only I had a clean bill of health, then I wouldn’t be anxious anymore.

• If only my kids were on the right path, then I wouldn’t be anxious anymore.

• If only I were married, then I wouldn’t be anxious anymore.

• If only I were more successful at work, then I wouldn’t be anxious anymore.
  It feels like our situation is just too much for us. It’s overwhelming and impossible. There’s nothing we can do. Our situation is in control. It is the thing, the focus; we see it above and before everything else, even God.

I’ll say it again. God is in control. Not my situation, not yours. It might feel like our situations are in control because they are right up in our grills. We wake up to them in the morning. They persist through the night. They never stop happening to us. Notice that Peter says, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). We may be surprised at the hardships in our life, but you know who isn’t? God. He isn’t surprised at all. He knows. He sees. And he has a plan. The next verse tells us that suffering is not the end of his plan for those who suffer according to his will. Again, Peter reminds us of the living hope we have in Jesus, that he will return, and that we will “be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (v. 13). There is more going on than what we can see in our little corner of the world at this specific time. God knows all and sees all for all time. He has a plan, and he is God, so we can trust that he will execute it. Our God is not detached or unaware of our struggles. This is why Peter can tell his friends (and us) in 1 Peter 5:7 to “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Adapted from Dwell Differently by Natalie Abbott and Vera Schmitz, provided by Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Copyright 2024. Used with permission.

About the Authors

Natalie Abbott and Vera Schmitz are the cofounders of Dwell Differently, a vibrant online community committed to memorizing one million Bible verses together. Cohosts of the popular Dwell Differently podcast, they are sisters and also the authors of the forthcoming book, Dwell Differently: Overcome Negative Thinking with the Simple Practice of Memorizing God’s Truth. 

About Dwell Differently

There is more power, more truth, more goodness, and more knowledge of God himself in his Word than in any other earthly thing. And while we long to connect with God through the practice of memorizing and meditating on his Word, so often we struggle to do so. We need a simple way to memorize God’s Word! And that is precisely what Dwell Differently provides. Dwell Differently creates beautiful, easy-to-use Bible memory tools and resources to help people of all ages memorize, meditate on, and apply God’s truth to their everyday lives, so they can not only know God’s Word, but know Him.

The post Truth to Overcoming Anxiety first appeared on Live Original.