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Five and a half years ago, I landed in Israel for a 10-day trip full of mission and work and touring the Holy Land. I was super excited about those ten days, but I was also tired…and not just because I had been on an airplane for 14 hours. I was emotionally tired. I was mentally tired. And I was spiritually tired. I felt drained. And I was in desperate need for my cup to be refilled.
Read MoreI was reading in Luke chapter 8 the other day, specifically the story of Jesus calming the storm when he was in a boat with His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read or heard this story over the years. But as I read it the other day, something new stood out to me that I’d never noticed before.
Read MoreI’ve been thinking a lot about my single years lately. I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you. Those were some of the hardest years of my life. Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of really great things about being single. And I have so many amazing, unforgettable memories from that season of my life. But there were also plenty of nights when I cried myself to sleep.
Read MoreOne of the biggest lies I believed early on in my faith journey was that my faith in God had to be perfect. Any time my faith wavered or doubt crept in, I immediately felt like I had failed or disappointed God. I felt guilty at the thought of even questioning God or wondering where He was in the midst of my circumstances.
Read MoreA while back, I was talking with one of my friends about prayer, and she said something that really struck a chord. She said, “Kristen, I just feel like my prayers aren’t getting anywhere. It’s like I’m trying to talk to God, but it feels like He’s on His lunch break and He’s not hearing me.”
Read MoreJohn 6 is a pretty popular chapter in John’s gospel because it talks about the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 and His miracle of walking on water on the Sea of Galilee. It’s a pretty jam-packed chapter. And while I have heard the stories of these miracles several times in my life, something new stuck out to me as I was reading this chapter the other day.
Read MoreDuring my quiet time this morning, I was reading a devotion about the importance of continuing to pray, even when God seems silent. I’ve read a lot of devotions about this particular topic, but this one was different. This one contained a story that I can’t get out of my head, so I wanted to share it with you today.
Read MoreOne of the biggest lies I believed early on in my faith journey was that my faith in God had to be perfect. Any time my faith wavered or doubt crept in, I immediately felt like I had failed or disappointed God. I felt guilty at the thought of even questioning God or wondering where He was in the midst of my circumstances.
Read MoreIt’s so easy to get wrapped up in our own hopes, dreams, and desires, and become convinced that we know exactly what will satisfy our hearts. But my friend Elaine reminded me that our desires for ourselves and God’s desires for us aren’t always the exact same thing. She told me, “Kristen, you’re going to be so grateful that God did not give you your lesser desires, even though you would have sworn those were the things that would do the trick."
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