Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. –Phil.1:6 Confidence doesn’t come easily to me. In fact, I spent way too much of my life believing I wasn’t able to do much of anything. But I finally found something … More Monday Morning Musings: My Confidence
I’m confronted every time I log into my own blog. It’s right there at the top–a declaration of the blog’s purpose … Simple Faith: Living life and loving Jesus in the beauty of simplicity. It sounds good. And, in fact, it is good … When it’s true. But often it isn’t. While that craving for simplicity is … More Simple Faith?
This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.” —Jer. 6:16 I’m going back to my roots. There has been so much emphasis in this season on the “new … More Monday Morning Musings: Ancient Paths
“I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” –2 Samuel 24:24 I’ve been engaged in a tug-of-war. But I knew I would lose even before the battle began. He’s bigger than me. He’s stronger than me. He’s wiser than me. And he knows what’s best for me. … More A Fragrant Offering
“For you, normal would be a tragic loss of potential.” The words came from a strange source–a television show I had never seen before–but I knew their true Source. I had been musing about what it would be like to embrace a nice “normal” life. You know–be content with a nice little job, a nice little … More When Normal is Over
We’ve all seen the reports in the sports section. An athlete competes in a race and achieves their “personal best.” It’s not a world record. It’s not usually even a regional record. Sometimes it’s not even a school or meet record–it’s just that particular person’s best effort to date. And because it is that person’s … More Personal Best
I would loved to have seen the look on Philip’s face. First, an angel appears and tells him to head in a particular direction. Next thing you know, on foot, he is chasing down a chariot. In that chariot is an important Ethiopian official, who just happens to be reading a passage from Isaiah. A … More Dancing With the Wind
Originally posted on Cindy Powell:
Been asking a lot of questions this week. Don’t have a lot of answers–just questions … Brian Johnson has a song called “What Does it Sound Like?” The lyrics are simple: What does it sound like when we sing heaven’s songs? What does it feel like when heaven comes down?…
“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” –Luke 5: 4 Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing … We’re tired. Can’t you see we’ve done everything we know to do? We did our very best. We worked hard. We used our gifts and abilities. We gave it our … More Nevertheless …
This is for the pioneers and the forerunners … for those who have been willing to march to a different beat (the beat of his heart) … for those who’ve watched and waited with him … for those who have been bruised and bloodied by the battle for rest … for the worshiping warriors who … More God is Up to “Something”
Words. They can be so simple. And they can be so complex. They can give life, hope, and inspiration. They can also bring death, discouragement, and destruction. James says the power of life and death is in the tongue. I believe it! (And not just because it’s in the Bible.) I believe it because I’ve lived on both sides … More Words (Don’t Give Up)
“Oh Lord, please, see the ‘yes’ in my heart!” Things hadn’t gone quite the way I’d expected or hoped. I wasn’t sure what God’s plan was anymore, but I was sure I wanted to be a part of his plan no matter what it looked like. I needed to be sure he knew that. But of course … More Yes
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” –Isaiah 43:19 I ‘ve been hearing a lot of references to this verse for years. “New things” have been rumbling for awhile now. But this season … More Do You See Him?
“Lord, I just don’t get it!” It had been a bad week. A really bad week. There had been challenging circumstances, to be sure, but honestly it wasn’t that kind of bad week. It was a bad week between my ears. It was a bad week in my thoughts. It was a bad week in my … More Getting It
Return. I’ve been hearing the word over and over again. Not just from the Lord to me–but Jesus calling out to his bride … Return. The word is relevant to all of us. Whether you’ve taken a tiny step away from his presence by giving in to a momentary distraction, or if you’ve been running fast … More I Will Return
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. —Romans 8:28 In all things. Not some things. Not most things. Not almost all things … In all things. And we know that in all things God works for the … More In All Things
In case you haven’t noticed, there is a lot of ugliness in this world. It’s not hard to spot. Darkness lurks all around us, all the time. Hiding in the shadows–ready to pounce; ready to devour; ready to enshroud and ensnare souls with hopelessness. It would be easy to become overwhelmed by the darkness; by the ugliness. But … More Beautiful One
It’s a new day! It’s also the first day of a new month. And we are only one month into an entirely new year. So it is a new day, in a new month, in a year that is also still very new. That’s a lot of new. And I’m glad. I’m really, really, glad. … More A New Day
The darkness was closing in around me. The wilderness had been bleak and threatening before, but not like this. Never like this. I couldn’t see a thing. Each step brought new danger. Each moment seemed more and more ominous. Even the air was heavy–I could scarcely breathe … Hard pressed on every side, but not crushed. … More The Gift
The shepherds followed the glory. The wise men followed the star. Anna and Simeon followed their hearts. They had one thing in common–they were seeking him. And they found him. I imagine he didn’t look the way they thought he would look. He made his appearance as an ordinary looking child. A helpless babe–not a glorious … More Wise Men Still Seek Him
Cindy Powell 