Sometimes we just do what we do because it’s what we know to do. Have you been there? This is who I am, this is how I’m wired, this is how I respond…so naturally, you do that – the thing you know, the thing you are comfortable doing. I feel like this was the life of Moses – pre leaving Egypt.

“Covenant” feels like one of those churchy words we should probably all know. In fact, it’s just after “atonement” and right before “eschatology” on the vocabulary quiz they give you after a membership class. Covenant = Promise. Nailed it! However, how many of us actually dwell in a space–physically, mentally, spiritually–that shows the covenant relationship we have with God?

Who is the person in your life that you can always count on? Who comes through, no matter what? Who keeps their promises and doesn’t let you down? Maybe someone instantly comes to your mind. Or maybe you’re struggling to name anyone, because the circumstances listed seem too high a standard for anyone to meet.

How many times have you heard “Obedience is better than sacrifice”? 1 Samuel 15:22 “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams”. This is such a heavy scripture. It is easy to repeat but when is the last time you have taken a moment to think ‘what are we really sacrificing’ when we disobey God? It is not always something in the moment. If a promise is made with the assurance that it will bless generations to come, what is the opposite of that?

Every time I see a rainbow my mind starts to sing these words from a song I first heard as a teenager at an old-time camp meeting:

You only see a rainbow,
When the storm is o’er
God’s promise that we question
Is standing sure…

And I’m reminded...

I do not deal with death very well, as evident by me not being able to watch the movie Up. I, thankfully, haven’t been exposed to much death in my life thus far. However, I know there will be a time when it becomes more of a reality. I’m getting older, my parents are getting older, and my grandparents are getting much older. It’s a reality that I will face, and obviously, I’m not looking forward to it.

“Where are you?”

His voice echoes among the natural beauty of the perfect garden created solely and especially for His beloved. The Creator God calls to Adam and Eve. They are missing in presence and in relationship.

We have all heard the adage, “Actions speak louder than words.” This ideal is so popular that many cultures around the world espouse some variation of the phrase and Christian culture is no exception. Anyone can SAY they have faith, but how they ACT much more revealing.

The Bible contains clear messages detailing what we are called to believe, but it also includes detailed instructions on how to live if we believe. The Book of James is a relatively short guide through many key Christians living principles. It is a Scripture that we should all frequently return to for those critical reminders of what our lives should look like as believers. Probably one of the most well-known verses in this Book can be found in Chapter 2: “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17, ESV). James elaborates upon this important concept for many verses.

I used to think life just kind of happened. I know. But just pretend it makes sense for about 37 seconds. I used to think that I was on a path, locked in like a roller coaster, and whatever hills, drops, and loops happened, however intense, was just the lot casted for me. However, as I have grown up, learned, and experienced life, I came to realize life is not locked in. That’s not to say that things happen; there are many circumstances in life that I can’t control whether they happen or not (hello cancer!). And that’s not to say there aren’t certain realities that are locked in: such as the color of my eyes, the family I grew up with, or I barely passed college algebra. I may not be able to change my DNA, my family, or my math struggles, but I am able to be intentional about my life, and my faith.

“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” - Jeremiah 29:13 NLT

At the beginning of every year, it has become customary to make all of these goals for the New Year. Some people make fitness goals or make plans to improve and change their diet. Some decide to map out a different financial goal for the year. With these goals comes a need to have something in place to help us/them along the way. If it is a fitness goal, you might sign up for a membership at your local gym. If you are meal prepping you might go out and purchase containers to make it easier to achieve your goal. Vision boards have become extremely popular and people even have parties where they gather with friends and collectively talk about their goals and plans for the year.

Who doesn’t love a good meme? The beauty of memes is that it can help show others how I am feeling during a conversation, since most conversations happen via text these days. My favorite meme is the one with the woman crying, while eating ice cream. I genuinely feel my soul is connected to this meme to give a visual description of me, processing what has happened in my life and the world, these past two years. When someone asks how I am doing, I usually send that meme.

Just turn to almost any page in Leviticus and you’ll quickly realize that the Bible is not all rainbows and butterflies. Go ahead, grab your Bible and do it! What did you get?? Blood? Death? Cannibalism? Skin diseases? Fun stuff! All joking aside, for some of the people mentioned in scripture, the prince was not charming and there was no happily ever after as a result of God’s judgment. Granted there is technically a rainbow for us, our happily ever after, as believers, hasn’t come yet, and we need all the guidance we can get. Scripture is filled with stories and lessons that God wants us to know and learn from as we are called to walk with Him on our path to the happily ever after.

Dancing with the Stars premiered on ABC in 2005, it became a broadcast staple for television networks scrambling for viewers loyal to time-locked, advertising-drenched programming. Like the entertainment producers and moneymen of the ancient Roman Empire, who constructed formulas guaranteeing the tens of thousands filling the amphitheaters and coliseums with entertainment satisfaction, some television producer pitched the networks with the following: “How about a dance competition, pairing professional dancers with celebrities?!”

When I first began, writing and sharing I would send it out via email to multiple people and wait. I would wait holding my breath figuratively and sometimes literally. There I was staring at the computer screen waiting and watching for a reply. There was so much anticipation, anxiety fear and what ifs that filled every part of me almost immediately. At that time, I knew I could count on a couple of people to reply and give me some sort of feedback and in that season, I needed that. However, as I grew and continued to write and encouraged to share, I have come to a place of finding myself not hanging my emotions on someone’s every word.

At the end of his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus asserts metaphorically that everyone is building a house because everyone is building a life (Matthew 7: 24-27, NIV). Those who apply his teachings from the Sermon on the Mount are wisely building their house upon rock; those that do not are foolishly building their house on sand. His parable makes it clear that storms and floods assault both dwellings. Yet, both the significance of Jesus’ insights about living wisely and the intentional commitment of the listener to the shaping powers of Christ’s teaching provide the solid foundation for a life prepared to face inevitable tests and trials. Building the house requires the intentionality of the builder, especially the intentional choosing of the building’s foundation. The Lord asks his original audience, “Just what kind of house do you intend on building?” In other words, who are you intending to become? Who are you devoted to being?

When I think of the word ‘becoming’ I think of something being in the midst of a transition, in process, a journey, unfinished or under construction.

In the process of becoming, there is still an opportunity and time for corrections. It is during that process where you have the freedom to figure things out. That is the training ground, the season of learning and fine-tuning.

In order to become devoted to someone or something you must see the value in it first. It or they have to be worth something for you to set aside all else. In the process of devotion, you have taken the time to look at this on different levels. You have perhaps spent time, weathered a couple of seasons, and nowhave a better understanding of things.

Have you ever met a friend from social media in real life and been totally caught off guard? They seem nothing like the posts you’ve liked and commented on. Social media, for most people, has become a snapshot of who we want to be. What we think serves as our identity. How we want the world to see us. And this world is full of people searching for their identity. As Christians, we have a unique opportunity to unyoke ourselves from this life-long hunt. But, we have to break through who society says we are, first. We must fight to peel away the layers of our worldly identity to reveal who we truly are in Christ.

Happy New Year! I love January because there is a sense of crisp freshness in the air. The world somehow seems filled with opportunity, hope, and energy to push us through the cold,winter months. Usually, somewhere around January 23rd-ish, I find myself not feeling so filled with opportunity, hope, or energy. I tend to feel as though nothing has changed, and I’m still wrestling with my old self: those old habits, problems, insecurities, and dramas. Just to make me feel better, let’s pretend I’m not the only one.

There is a popular section of scripture that is quoted often. It’s on cards, on signs we may hang in our home, and the subject of many sermons:

Years ago, I was walking along the multi-laned, major through-fare of the metropolis of Livonia, Michigan—Middlebelt Road in suburban Detroit. Cars bunched together, speedily hovering to or from the multitude of side-streets and businesses that line the lane for miles. It is a road sometimes so congested that jay walking--the ultimate pedestrian offence--could be officially labeled an extreme sport.

It was a quiet night. Being outside the small town, the shepherds could see the infinite number of stars spread out across the sky. They seemed to be sprinkled into patterns and movements that communicated messages bigger than their comprehension allowed. After all, shepherds were considered second class citizens and therefore, incompetent. Their society viewed them with the same scathing opinion as tax collectors and dung sweepers.