Just over two weeks removed from celebrating Lent and the glorious gift of redemption purchased by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, I ponder joy’s relationship from the perspective of the cross. The undeniable joy at the thought of complete forgiveness of my unfathomable sin debt lingers, my tremulous desire urges me hold tight this joy; but how? My longing to…
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Finding Joy in Sanctification
How to Manage Difficult Emotions
One of the struggles I experienced when first employing journaling as a tool for processing past trauma, was facing complex emotions unearthed by the journaling process. Journaling provides an invaluable tool for processing past trauma long buried. The problem arises when the emotions buried with those events surface. Understanding how to manage difficult emotions is crucial to the healing process…
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Spring Speaks of God’s Faithfulness
Delightfully apprehending the changes spring brings to our property, emphasized creation’s ability of portraying our Creator to us. Springs speaks of God’s faithfulness in its emergence from the cold silence of winter into vibrancy under the warmth of the spring sun. From the minutest insect to the patriarchal oak, every living thing awakens from the slumber of winter to the…
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Freedom From Ruminating Thoughts
Slowly noticing the tension in my jaw as my teeth began aching, alerted me my overthinking a particular situation had me on a never ending merry-go-round again. Restless, anxious and exhausted from another round of ruminating thoughts, I knew no answers came from this negative streaming of scenarios. Unless I found freedom from ruminating thoughts, anxiety and procrastination were my…
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The Art of Sowing Seeds of Faith
Part of welcoming spring is the enjoyment of watching new growth emerge through the soil, leaves budding on trees and shrubs, and flowers unfolding. Sowing seeds for new plants provides another delightful aspect of spring’s arrival. It seems no matter how many flowers or plants may grace your garden, the joy of planting something new belongs to spring. Contemplating spring’s…
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How to Respond to Stress Instead of Reacting
Welcome to Mindfulness Monday! This week we will explore a valuable method for learning how to respond to stress instead of reacting to it. The STOP method teaches us to incorporate a “pause” between the stressor and our reaction to it. This allows us time to respond rather than react. In today’s culture the word “stress” is used to mean…
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Hope Found in the Resurrection
Sometimes when life seems dark, it’s hard to find hope in anything, especially the holidays. How do you celebrate “outside” when things inside your heart feel so broken? Today Christians celebrate the empty tomb, the victory of Christ over satan, sin and death. Through a horrific death and resurrection, Christ offers us a true hope found in the resurrection, that…
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I Thirst
As I meditate on Good Friday; the day that my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ gave his life a ransom for mine, I am overcome with the magnitude of God’s love for me. No love compares to that love displayed on the Cross; innocent love that poured itself out for a wretch like me. This love that would barter such…
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Were You There When they Crucified My Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Triumphantly entering Jerusalem ahead of the Jewish Passover, on what we term “Palm Sunday”, the people hail Jesus as “king”. Yet no one, not even Jesus’ disciples, despite Jesus plainly telling them, understood He entered as the sacrificial Passover Lamb. Curiously, though this week held much activity for Christ, the Gospels record…
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