Beauty for Ashes

What makes your heart happy?  I mean truly happy?  Have you ever sat down and thought about that?   For me, I live for the moments.  I live for the memories.  I live to see all of my boys smiling.  To see the flicker of happiness in their eyes and pure joy on their faces.  I live for experiences, not stuff.  What makes my heart happy is nothing money can buy.  It's much simpler than that.  What makes my heart truly happy are pulling up all of the memories we have made as a family that I have tucked away in my heart.  Remembering the excitement in trying new things.  Remembering the look on their faces-the smiles, the laughter.   What makes my heart happy is to look back at a moment I captured in a photo and remember all the details from that day.  I see the world differently when I'm behind the lens of my camera.  It's always been extremely important to me to capture these moments.  These moments ...

God is constantly working on us.  He will continue to peel back layer after layer until we have that breakthrough.  Just when you think that you don't have any more layers to peel, God starts to show you that you do.  He shows you that there is still work that needs to be done.  He will pull and pull until those layers are completely gone.  Until you are free from that chain, healed from that pain or recognize the path you are on isn't where He wants you.  I don't know about you, but to me, this process can be excruciatingly hard.  You know that God is refining you-that He is working on you, and that you have to walk through this in order to get to the other side.  The side where He wants you to be.  It's all for a reason and a purpose, you just can't see it yet.  Any season of refinement is not easy to go through.  But it is necessary. In the seasons of refinement or discipline, trust wholeheartedly in Him.  Surrender i...

My heart at this moment is full of gratitude for our youth leaders.  These men and women work so hard at guiding and shaping young minds down the road that God has in store for them.  They have an amazing opportunity to help put these children on the path to a future God has in store for them. They have such an important job in this lost world; that is to reach these kids and show them the love of Jesus. Now a days, it seems as if most kids come from broken homes, or single parent households.  That is the norm.  My own children come from a broken home.  So I know first hand how difficult it can be.  A lot of children have been abused and feel like they have no purpose because they are living such difficult lives.  These children feel like they don't fit in at church because of their environment at home.  These children are already feeling and experiencing life-such darkness at a young age. There are kids out there that don't feel safe anywhere...

It's incredibly hard to walk down a road when you don't know where it leads to.  You are unsure of what to expect; what it will be like.  The only thing you are certain of, is that you have no choice but to travel down this unfamiliar road. Imagine this.  You are happy.  You have an awesome job.  In your eyes, your life is perfect and you think that it can't get any better than this.  You have a beautiful home, an amazing group of friends that you can't imagine doing life without.  You have finally found the perfect church and your family is thriving.  But what if? What if you lost your home?  What if something happened with your job?  What if the life you love so much was suddenly ripped apart?  What if?  What if God wanted you to walk down a different road?  What if He was asking you to walk by faith and not by sight?  Would you try to do anything to keep life as you know it?  What would you do?  Walk...

Do you have any lies that you believe about yourself?  I know I do.  My lies come from my past.  From a past that sneaks up on me when I least expect it.  Just when I think I've conquered one battle, God will show me another area that needs to be set free with His help.  Lately, God has shown me that I still believe certain lies to be true.  He is showing me that I allow these lies, these scars, to define who I am today.  The lies that I have believed for so long are: I am weak.  I do not have an opinion in my marriage.  I will never survive on my own.  If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have anything.  I do not have a say in finances because I am a woman.  Because I am a woman, I am not my spouses equal.  Those are just a few that I still struggle with today.  They come out in the way I act or do things.  It's also internal; in the way I think or view myself.  I struggle because of my scars.  I strugg...

I don't know who this poem is intended for, but I feel led to encourage you.  You may be feeling like you aren't doing enough; like you are a failure in God's eyes.  I need you to know that He sees you.  He sees how hard you are working to keep your light shining bright.  Not only shining for your friends and family, but for the world to see.  I know life can make it difficult sometimes.  Please don't let life's circumstances cause your light to be snuffed out.   There is this light, high up on the hill. There is this light, that never grows still. There is this light, that flickers all night long. There is this light, that will never lead you wrong. There is this light, in the darkest of nights. There is this light, that will always shine bright. There is this light, that may grow dim. There is this light, that won't burn out within. There is this light, that lives in you. There is this light, that will get you through. ...

As the sun comes up, I am reassured by my God that He is there.  As I open up my eyes, I can already see the yellow and orange colors reflecting in the sky and on the lake; letting me know that it indeed is a new day.  I don't know if anyone else has ever felt this way, but today I felt as if the sunrise was just for me.  This morning, I was just overcome with such a peace by seeing the sun make her appearance.  I felt His presence all around me.  I felt His love and His warmth.  The lake is so calm this morning; just smooth as glass.  No sign of choppy waters.  It made me think about life and hardships.  About how we can be sailing on smooth waters one moment and in an instant, it can all change.  A storm can quickly roll in and churn up the water making it so rough that you are having a hard time trying to stay afloat.  In all times, I'm thankful that I know God.  I'm thankful that He is sailing with me on calm waters and ...