Shine Your Light

  every morning new beginning fresh portion of love you light the dark sky with the sunrise a new day has begun you make      all things     new every moment that i need you you're faithful to come when i call you will answer you're steadfast with your love you make     all things     new even when i cannot see it even when i don't believe it new life is starting beneath the surface

Psalm 119:37 "Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through Your word... Renew my life with Your goodness"

Hello Family & Friends! As many of you know, I recently returned from my missions trip to Krivoy Rog, Ukraine! It was a very blessed trip, in every way. Thank you all for your support: financial, prayer, donations, thoughts, help with my family, etc! It’s incredible to me how well God provided for every single thing! There were amazing things happening almost every single moment, but here is my attempt to summarize and share an overview. Our team! (not pictured: Jen) Our trip was 12 days long, and we had a team of 8 people. It was a good group, we worked well together. I learned a lot from our leaders, Kristi & Gary Graner, and also enjoyed being around Max Fetisov and his team at True Hope Ukraine & Church of Truth. (He never intended to start a church- but since he ministers to orphans, and orphans tend to be rejected- even in CHURCHES- he saw that he needed to start a church. 70% of his church population are orphans.)  We had a few interpreters that we...

What are your resolutions... or goals? Maybe you are overwhelmed by having too many, or on the flip side, are avoiding making any goals all together! That’s okay! You're okay! ...Actually you're more than okay, you're amazing & have so much potential for greatness! Maybe you just need a bit of motivation. The word  motivation  can both describe action, and also a driving force behind our actions. Our actual behaviors from day to day tend to reflect a bigger purpose/belief that we have, whether we realize it or not. Spending time thinking about the "big picture" helps to frame where we want to go. Do you want to eat healthier? Have better relationships? Start or improve at a hobby? You don't end up at these destinations overnight; it takes small, purposeful steps towards these big-picture goals. Let's talk about momentum .  Imagine pushing a car that is in neutral. It's very heavy and you (and a friend or two) push with all your strength. Once y...

I've learned a lot about humans from raising young ones. I find myself coming up with simple ways to describe profound concepts. For example, while trying to instill gratefulness into my young kids, I discovered this phrase as it blurted out of my mouth: “You can either be thankful or spoiled , not both!” They probably were not acting very thankful at the time. I'll admit I might have been challenged by this statement, as it applies to my own circumstances, more than the kids were! When do we want children to be thankful? Always. When do we want them to act spoiled?...um, never! This sheds some light onto this very important bible verse: "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for those who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances Whatever, whenever, wherever we are to find a way to be thankful. For this is God’s will Did you catch that? THIS IS GOD’S WILL. How often do we question what God...

As Your peace falls over me I am anchored in love As Your peace falls over me I am steadfast, not shaken I humble myself before Your throne I bow my heart before You Lord I lay all my worries at Your feet And receive Your grace ... And Your strength rises up in me I am stronger now As Your strength rises up in me I am steadfast, not shaken I come boldly before Your throne I exalt You with the highest praise I give all of my affection to You And receive Your grace ... Hallelujah, Hallelu, Hallelujah! Peace on itunes Peace on spotify

based on Matthew chapter 11 Have you noticed that that there will always be people who disagree with you and your choices? Have you noticed that if you try to please people, you will end up exhausted and depressed? John the baptist stood out for the pure, holy, and very different way he lived. Jesus talked about him this way: “of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John”. Jesus calls him more than a prophet. Haters call him: demon possessed. Jesus also had a pretty interesting lifestyle. He didn’t live the most pure- looking life, though he remained perfectly sinless. He spent time with the sick and lame, the tax collectors and “sinners”. At a couple points, God the Father audibly said about Jesus: “This is my dearly loved Son.” Haters call him: glutton and drunkard. …”But wisdom is shown to be right by it’s results.” What were the results of these two men’s lives? Come ON! Their very lives were a bunch of fulfilled prophecies and the things ...