The Journey

My family and I have just returned from a fabulous vacation in North Carolina to visit family topped off with an escape to the beach for some much-needed fun in the sun! We began the trip hiking in the mountains and ended with the sun and surf on the coast. It was glorious although this trip, as do all our trips it seems, had some bumps. I jokingly told my in-laws on the car ride up that our road trips always seem to bring us closer to Jesus! I did not know that was truly a prophetic statement for this vacation adventure. We had some minor car troubles with an overnight trip to the garage for the Dodge, my hubby lost his wallet for a very stressful ten minutes before remembering where he hid it for safekeeping, and on our first full day at the beach, I encountered a bit of trouble, to say the least.  The Friday before the 4th of July was just gorgeous at Kure Beach! The sun was gleaming on the refreshingly cool ocean water as the pelicans and seagulls soared over us chattering...

Life is simply hard sometimes. It can be messy and that is okay for out of adversity comes strength. Right? We build faith muscles along the way. Often, though, we tend to take up residence in the mess. We wallow. Or maybe, we find ourselves blindsided and disoriented and it takes time to get our bearings before we can manage to claw our way out of the mire. Then, there are times when someone comes along and throws us a rope. Don't you get tired of that feeling? I do. I have prayed for several years now that God would reveal himself to me. I want to know Him for myself. Not what I am taught in church or what others say about who He is. I want to truly walk boldly and honestly before God the way He intends and be who He created me to be. Recently, I read in the biblical book of Romans that God makes His invisible qualities visible in the things He made. If we look, we can see God everywhere! The spiritual revealed in the natural. Did you know that in the Bible, trees are often ...

Photo by: Nikolas Noonan "When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever."  Proverbs 10:25 After a natural storm subsides, there is always a cleanup process.  The same is true in life, in circumstances that seem as tumultuous as tornadoes.  Much like the force of destructive cyclones, we have been through whirlwinds of hardships, heartaches, death, grief, and devastating loss that has broken lives and scattered debris.  With our houses obliterated, our trees uprooted, our lives upended, we sit in the eerie silence that follows trying to regain some semblance of control.  We take a deep breath, put on our tall, rubber boots, and begin sifting through the muddy gunk left behind.  Within days, and sometimes even within hours, we find the clouds have moved out, and the sun is shining on the remaining vegetation generously watered by the drenching rain allowing spurts of new growth.  The birds are chirping, and a...