I am reminded that there are no coincidences in life … That random text message that says “I’m praying for you” … A car license plate with a Scripture reference that you needed to see. The reunion of childhood friends. The reunion of a former teacher and student. Relationships forged through the fires of this life. Songs played at the right moment. Or a sermon that is JUST what your soul needed …
Make no mistake, Dear Friend, there are no coincidences in this life. These events are filtered through the Father’s hands. The One who works ALL things together for the good of His people for His eternal glory.
Today was that kind of day … and make no mistake about it, often times, the sermons line up with what I need ... Due to some personal struggles, today ... well, it was just so very needed! 
How often I forget! I needed today, and I have an inclination that I’m not the only one, so I wanted to share quite a bit of today’s message with you.
The passage of Scripture for today’s sermon was Psalm 103. (To read it, click on the passage and it will take you to a new page.)

How are we to reflect and respond to what God has done in our lives?
How are we to reflect and respond to that which He has so graciously taught us?

We are to do what the psalmist did in Psalm 103.
We are to BLESS THE LORD!
To bless the LORD … to praise Him … We MUST remember!!!

In verses 2-9, we are told to “forget not His benefits” … REMEMBER!
Yes, there are benefits to loving/following/serving Jesus. What are some of those benefits?

• He forgives ALL our iniquity.
• He heals ALL our diseases … either here on earth or in eternity with Him.
• He redeems/rescues His people from Hell.
• He lavishes His steadfast love and mercy on His people. The Hebrew word for “steadfast love” is hesed. It is used some 250 times in the Old Testament. The LORD’s hesed stirs Him to loving action on our behalf.
• He satisfies/renews us through His ordinary means of grace. Things like worship, reading/teaching of the sacred Scriptures, praying, fellowship with other believers, etc … We have to lean in to the Word of God!
• He delivers His people and brings justice to their oppressors.
• He is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love (hesed).

BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL!

In verses 10-13, we are reminded to “forget not your justification and adoption” …

• Justification is a legal term … it’s what happens when we repent of our sins and acknowledge Jesus as the LORD of our lives. God the Father sees us as if we were Jesus … and on Calvary, Jesus was seen and treated as if He were you and me. Experiencing the full wrath of God … why? For redemption.
• Adoption … what a precious term! Not only are we legally declared innocent, we are brought into the family of God … to be loved eternally! 

One of the most radical statements from today’s sermon was that the Father loves His adopted children (Christians) as much as He loves His Son (Jesus Christ)! I still can’t wrap my brain around this!!! Can you??
BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL!

In verses 14-19, we are reminded to “forget not who God is … who we are”. We have to remember our King! The only true Sovereign who is eternally reigning on high. Through tumultuous political seasons, traumatic medical issues, loss, grief, heartache of any kind, and so much more. We must remember our King! And as we remember Him and His love for us, we are to remember to obey! Not from a sense of duty but from a heart of love and great gratitude.
BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL!

The psalmist ends the psalm how he started it …
BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL!
May you and I remember!
May we forget not!
And may we -no matter the trials we WILL face in this life- praise the One who has a plan and a purpose.
​May we never neglect to say BLESS THE LORD, O MY SOUL!
​

​To be a writer, one must simply write.
Good. Bad. Biased or not. It doesn’t matter.
One simply puts pen to paper to be a writer.
My writing journey began when I was in the 6th grade. While there have been extended seasons when I didn’t write anything, for whatever reason, I’m ALWAYS called back to it. There’s something about arranging 26 simple letters in such a way that you impact someone’s life … even if it’s just your own life. After my recent book signing with An Ugly Kind of Beautiful, ideas for new projects seemed to blossom. Currently, I have 2 projects that have been started … and one that is in the planning stages.
After receiving feedback from a few of my readers, I decided to create a brand for my writing.
What goes into a brand? What exactly is a brand?
A brand is simple and specific. Using colors, fonts, and a few design elements, one can artistically share their specific message … their purpose … their mission.
I believe that this “gift” of writing is from the LORD … so the purpose behind what I write, why I write, and to whom I write all played a major role in the actual branding.

THE WHAT. The purpose behind my desire to write is quite simple. Our words matter. John 1:1 tells us that Jesus is the Word. He created language. He is the Originator of words … words are powerful. They can either speak life or death, hope or despair. I long to speak life and hope over people.
No matter our individual background stories, our ability levels, our socioeconomic status … or whatever … we are ALL in the same position before a holy God … and He is able to transform any life.
No matter the topic …
No matter the genre.
The ultimate goal/purpose is the same. To point my readers to Jesus, the One who is hope and life … and to do it in such a way that isn’t self-righteous or arrogant.
THE WHO. My audience was chosen by the LORD Himself when He commanded His followers to go into all the world. Simply put, my audience is whoever reads what I write.
THE WHY. Darkness is real. Despair and depression are real. I fight these battles … almost daily. I write to let people know that they aren’t alone. Jesus has set/is setting me free, and I long to share His freedom with as many people as I possibly can.

THE BRAND … Our design is simple … Wait! OUR? Yes! Our! Because we are communal creatures … and I didn’t create this brand design alone.

• The blue/teal colors. I was diagnosed with c-PTSD in 2023. The awareness ribbon is often a blue/teal color. I chose this color scheme because people who struggle with mental health issues are often limited by labels and the stigma that surrounds that label. While the struggles are very real and provide very real challenges, they need not limit us. Far too often, these man-made labels completely hinder the one who bears them; however, true freedom is seeking to live out who we are in Christ … I am learning to let Jesus define me … NOT a man-made label. And I want that for every person.
• The butterfly. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are made new when Jesus saves us. Earlier this year, I watched butterflies emerge from their chrysalis … and it was fascinating! It, also, brought this particular Scripture to life for me. The butterfly looked NOTHING like the worm it once was. There, truly, is NEW LIFE when a butterfly emerges. A butterfly is also one of the Native symbols for HOPE … A simple creature reminding us that we can have hope and life … in Jesus Christ.
• “A small town author with a great big God” … It’s so true! And it’s my way to acknowledge the One who has called me to this. The LORD can use whomever He chooses … from any background … and I’m eternally thankful.

May the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world be honored by every word thought, spoken, or written. He alone is worthy!
Soli Deo Gloria!

It's taken a lot to get me here ... to see the breaking of last year as a gift, but indeed, it was a gift. Being completely free from the environment in which I broke, effective May 25th, there are no words to describe what it's like. The fears that continued to have a hold on my heart every week were intense, at times.
And the Lord saw fit to release me. 
One year later, I see that in the darkness of the unknown, the Truth held strong ... and although I couldn't see what was ahead, I was seen by the One who holds all my tomorrows in His hands. These last few weeks have been surreal as I've thought a lot about last May.

The mental breakdown.
The breaking of relationships.
The breaking of, what felt to be, a less-than-solid foundation. 
The breaking away from man-made religiosity cleverly -not so cleverly- disguised as Christianity.

In the breaking, I can say that it's been in the brokenness that a choice had to be made. Keep running away, into greater darkness. Or run into His rest ... leaning in to the Rock of Ages, the One who never shakes, never breaks. With my inner circle around me, we faced the darkness of a mental breakdown together ...

And Truth stood firm ... when all else seemed unsteady ... and it is STILL standing today. Why? because life isn't about my truth or your truth. Life is about THE Truth ... and His name is Jesus.

Learning to live completely dependent in His truth isn't easy when there seems to be much to heal, and the "remedies" offered are numerous. But if I've learned anything over the last year, I've learned/am learning ... 
~ standing for Truth is costly, but Jesus is worth it!
~ in the blackest darkness, Jesus' Light shines brightest ... through those who are TRULY His and who are seeking to follow Him and through His Word.
~ Jesus will protect and defend His own, especially when they are vulnerable! 
~ the foundation of my life will never be destroyed because I belong to the Father ... however, there are parts of my belief system that have been/are faulty ... and the Father is NOT willing for any of His children to live their lives believing lies. He will stop at nothing to set His children free. [and I might add that He does so gently]
~ Jesus has a place for His people. A place to serve. To love. To grow. To be sanctified.

Yes. Mental breakdowns happen. It's the sad reality of this life that's been tainted with sin. BUT Jesus is Lord over ANY mental breakdown because ... as someone once said ... He's either Lord of all or He's not Lord at all. 

In the breaking, there's a gift. From One who only gives good gifts to His children ... and for the child of God, I am convinced from personal experience that the gift in the breaking is Jesus Himself.