Ann Voskamp's Blog, page 35

Does Prayer Really Matter In the Face of All Kinds of Disasters?

I’ve got no idea who went ahead and just pulled out a Sharpie marker and circled a bunch of dates on the calendar, but there it is, dates with Sharpie ink ringing around them like circling vultures.

Dates for doctor appointments and drop-dead deadlines and dream days that have sort of been lifelines… and there on the calendar too: Easter coming.

But who in the world knows what disaster could befall us around the corner and what tomorrow even holds? 

Lenten Wreath from The Keeping CompanyLenten Wreath from The Keeping CompanyLenten Wreath from The Keeping CompanyLenten Wreath from The Keeping Company

“It’s kinda feels like — our whole life is up in the air.”

I turn and whisper it to the Farmer like I’m looking for relief of my own.

“Life is always kinda sorta supposed to be up in the air, isn’t it?” He murmurs it in the dimming room,  like he’s turned on a light.

“Yeah—maybe…” I try to smile. “The abundantly good life is supposed to feel kind of up in the air.”

He finds my hand.

Life’s about being like Jesus, — pulling on the skin of Jesus —  here on earth —   and then about pulling out all the stops against the powers of the air.  

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

I try to still all this whirl of worries within. Just listen to him and I and all just breathing in the quiet…

Prayer is never an acceptable way to simply accept the status quo — but real prayer, without exception, moves us to take the status of a warrior, who fights against the insidious dark until it finally accepts defeat, in the face of glorious justice.

The real good life is meant to be up in the air — because life’s real battles are being fought up in the air — up in the heavenlies. 

And yet: Prayer is never an acceptable way to simply accept the status quo — but real prayer, without exception, moves us to take the status of a warrior, who fights against the insidious dark until it finally accepts defeat, in the face of glorious justice.

There’s a text message from our son: “Can you pray for me? Please?”

There’s a friend who I’d bleed for, who looks numbs and empty these days, who is painfully going through the brave motions because you’ve just got to do the next hard and holy thing even when it feels like it’s not changing anything.

And there’s an aching world of hurting heartbreak out there, and our brave kids are in the centre of it, and our dreams and our hopes and our futures and our communities and our countries are hanging in the balance through it, and there is a war in the heavenlies and the farming man laying beside me is believing it:  

If our prayer lives aren’t, as they say, up in the air, where the real battle begins, our lives on the ground, lose ground. But if our prayer lives never become actual boots on the ground, effecting real change to usher in more the Kingdom of God, then our prayers make a mockery of God.

I can hear a clock ticking —  this is the thrum of things:

The more indifferent we are to prayer, the less God’s power makes any difference in our lives. And the less we let prayers cause us to actually change and live differently, the more we actually profane the name of God.

Prayer isn’t the merely least we can do, prayer is the most we can do, but unless our prayers beg God to break open the eyes of our hearts, to break us away from our own self-protection to protect the least of these, unless our hearts break with what breaks His, which is always the slaying of the most vulnerable in all kinds of ways, unless our prayers beg God to somehow change and transform us — then our prayers are but parody.

If our prayers don’t cause us to do actually live differently — then we aren’t actually praying, we’re playing.

The more indifferent we are to prayer, the less God’s power makes any difference in our lives. And the less we let prayers cause us to actually change and live differently, the more we actually profane the name of God.

There’s light out the window, light cutting it’s way through the dark — and there’s the way forward:

When we are moved to truly pray, God moves us to truly live a new way.

Our prayers

makes us slayers

and culture-changers.

No weapon is more formidable than prayer to slay the dark & the demons — and if our prayers don’t slay our own deceptive apathy, we’re actually being formed by the dark & the demons. If our prayers don’t move us to act — is God active in us?

Prayer’s the weapon we wield to make everything else we do survive fire. 

I dare to believe in strange and heartbreaking days like these:

She who commits to pray,

she slays —

all kinds demons, within her, before even around her —

and she commits to living a different way.

So go ahead, let our life be all up in the air. I can hear the wind outside the window, see the night sky’s stretching far above trees, like a shadowed battlefield, and I try to remember to breathe, to rest:

Prayer’s the weapon we wield to make everything else we do survive fire. But if our prayers don’t cause us to do actually live differently — then we aren’t actually praying, we’re playing.

Work for all your worth for change in this world for Christ, yet never neglect to make time to pray to Christ for this world. He is the lifeblood of all prayer, all work, all being, all communion. There’s moonlight catching the cross on the bedroom wall across from the window.

The calendar squares say we’re moving toward through the final days of Lent.

What had   Andrew Murray said? 

“Prayer is reaching out after the unseen; fasting is letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepen, confirm the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God.”

What of earth do I need to let go of,  fast from, sacrifice completely, to reach for what is unseen, to reach for the One more life-giving than air? 

I lay there in the night quiet for a long time…   letting go, letting go of self-interest, letting go of self- righteousness, letting go of self-protection. Praying, praying, praying — until things within me change, because I’m done with playing.

Rain’s falling, splattering across the window…

I’d heard it once from an old farmer’s wife, how an eagle never takes a snake on the ground. An eagle always tears into the reptile with its talons and flies it into the sky.

Because an eagle knows not to try to conquer the snake on the ground, because the eagle knows:

The way you win is to change the actual battlefield.

Lenten Wreath from The Keeping CompanyLenten Wreath from The Keeping CompanyLenten Wreath from The Keeping CompanyLenten Wreath from The Keeping Company

Take every battle to the air in prayer — and God will take over your battles on earth. And we are only really praying for great good in the world when we are willing to do whatever it takes for the greater good to come through us.

That’s why the eagle flings the snake into the air.

A snake has no strength, no power, no way when tossed into the air.  Dashed upon rocks, the snake’s food for the victorious bird. When you do your battle in prayer with the principalities in the air — and within your own soul — there’s winning on earth. 

I exhale in the darkness — I didn’t even know I was holding my breath.

Take every battle to the air in prayer — and God will take over your battles on earth. And we are only really praying for great good in the world when we are willing to do whatever it takes for the greater good to come through us.

In the quieted, dark stillness, I almost say it aloud anyway, say it to all the questions about all the things, say what the universe knows:

“A life up in the air — can be a life up to the best things, because it changes things on earth .”

You can see from the rain spattered on the window — that the wind’s shifted toward the east.

There is a changing of everything —

when breath becomes prayer.

Are you desperate for more than just a way through, but The Way through?

Honestly, all our heartache, grief, suffering, obstacles, they all come in waves. There is no controlling life’s storms; there is only learning the way to walk through the waves.

It’s really possible: you can find a way – The Way – through the waves of life into deeper intimacy with the WayMaker Himself. With a S.A.C.R.E.D. daily habit in hand, learn to navigate through the pounding storms of life with an internal calm and peace that is anchored and unwavering.

For every person who is walking a hard way and looking for a way through, WayMaker is your sign.

Your sign that there is hope, that there are miracles, and that everything you are trying to find a way to, is actually coming to meet you in ways far more fulfilling than you ever imagined.

Gr ab Your Copy of WayMaker —
and begin the journey you’re desperately looking for…

What’s the answer to All This Suffering? When You Need Answers for Your Broken Heart

W hy in the world is there such staggering suffering in this heartbreaking world? 

It was four Lents ago now, that I’d been sleeping beside a hospital bed for 12 days, been sleeping alongside the brave 300 children curled and splayed in stacked floors of beds under the sign: Hospital for Sick Kids.

Maybe what we need is more than good answers in the midst of suffering — what we need is good people  to walk through the suffering with us. 

How many times had the hallways buzzed with Code Blue, Code Blue?

How many times had a child’s cries and begging no’s seized us down these hallways and we cracked wide open with prayers for all these little children caught in the land of the suffering?

Surgeons had cut through our daughter’s sternum before dawn on that third Friday of Lent. You do whatever you have do to get to a broken heart, to heal a broken heart. 

I had sang “Jesus loves me” into the curl of our little girl’s ear till the very last second, till they took her from us, till they rolled her into the operating room, sang that one line over and over again: “Little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong,” kept singing it after I thought my legs would give out.

Our favourite Lenten Wreath from the Keeping CompanyA beautiful family Lenten tradition: Cradle to Cross Wreath from the Keeping Company

How many caffeine-drunk prayers can you murmur for the surgeon who is holding your daughter’s half-heart in his willing hands?

I desperately want the whole world healed and whole, I want us all to walk out of this Lent and into the rising.

But I know: There is no healing until you get down to the heart of all our heartache, till we figure out what to do with the problem of all our heartbreaking suffering. 

I had stopped short, mid-riser, somewhere on the stairs between the 3rd and 4th floor.

Under the lights of the OR on the 2nd floor, there was a surgeon bent with a scalpel over our daughter’s pulsing inferior vena cava and there’s this cutting through everything down to the tender heart of our being here in a broken world:

Our greatest stress in life is more than suffering — it’s suffering alone.  Our greatest stress is more than suffering — it’s estrangement… estrangement from our Maker and our people. 

Maybe in the midst of all our suffering, we don’t so much need a solution to the problem of pain, as much as  need sojourners to walk through the pain with us.

Standing there in the Hospital for Sick Children, in the midst of all kinds of suffering children, aching for God to come quickly, aching for relief from all kinds of pain, I had held the thought gently:

The cause of our deepest distress is all that keeps us estranged from God. 

And Jesus got down to the heart of our heartbreak: The very heart of our pain are all the things that keep us apart from God. 

God, do surgery — just do whatever it takes to heal our hearts and everything that keeps us apart from you. 

There are so many problems that we collectively, as a society, can work together to effect real change, and we have agency to better protect and take care of each other, especially, the most vulnerable of us, our children, and still, ultimately, as all our hearts are breaking, we still dare to hold on:

Humanity’s greatest problem is more than the problem of suffering — it’s the problem of sin. And Jesus comes with His whole surrendered heart to solve that problem with His own suffering on the cross. 

Maybe, in the midst of suffering, more than needing an explanation of why — we need an experience of Love. 

Jesus could have just healed our bodies — but in this broken world, our bodies would have just broken again, and our bodies will keep breaking again — but Jesus came to completely, once and for all, heal the deepest brokenness and aloneness  in our own souls.

Maybe what we need is more than good answers in the midst of suffering — what we need is good people to walk through the suffering with us. 

Maybe, in the midst of suffering, more than needing an explanation of why — we need an experience of Love. 

And Jesus, Love Himself, comes to co-suffer with us. 

And Jesus’ people, we get to come to walk through the suffering with each other. 

Lenten Wreath from the Keeping Company

Six interminably long hours of a surgeon working painstakingly in the chest cavity of our daughter, six hours of pacing, six hours of praying through this moment —  and then the next moment.

When I see her surgeon walk into the waiting room looking for our faces, we are on our feet again. He’s smiling, reassuring –  talking about a fenestration and lateral tunnel through the heart versus an extra cardiac Fontan but I just keep staring at his hands: His hands held her broken heart. Those hands.

When you need to see God’s hand, look at the hands all around you. 

In a world of suffering, dare we tenderly believe, even when our hearts are breaking: A God who is beyond great, must, by definition, work in ways that are beyond our understanding.

Maybe in the midst of all kinds of suffering, we don’t get all kinds of clarification — what we get is all kinds of comrades through the suffering. 

After surgery, all the days bleed into streams of nights through those final weeks of Lent, the Farmer and I kept vigil beside our daughter’s bed in CICU, refusing to take our eyes off her heart rate, her oxygen, her heart beat pulsing across a screen.

Every recovering breath through her oxygen mask sounds like raspy hope.

Tubes from her chest bleed and drained away in all this surgical aftermath. Hope is always painfully messy, unbelievably hard, fiercely resilient. And every fighter deserves a witness.  

When anyone has to bear pain, they deserve someone to at least bear witness to it. When our hearts are in all kinds of pain, the body of Christ can be a buttress for us against all kinds of pain. We’re here for it, here for her, here for all of it. We’re but one of the bleary-eyed huddle of parents barnacled to the side of a child’s bed in ICU.

In a world of suffering, dare we tenderly believe, even when our hearts are breaking:
A God who is beyond great, must, by definition, work in ways that are beyond our understanding. 

It’s scars that mark a soul with otherworldly strength. 

I had watched her tracking monitors, her dripping IVs, through the night watches and trust the ways of God:

For our Father to have created a world without suffering — would our Father then have had to create a world without us? For a world without suffering to exist at all — would humans get to exist at all? 

Maybe a world without suffering changes the DNA of everything that would leave a world without us?

Isn’t a life of suffering that can still lead to eternal life better than creating a world where there may be no human life as we know it at all?

It’s scars that mark a soul with otherworldly strength. 

There is a world of suffering out there, but there is a world of indestructible hope within us.

When our daughter’s surgically-traumatized heart then jolted into a wild gallop of an arrhythmia, and her room filled with a dozen of the cardiac team just after midnight, explaining to us the risks of this arrhythmia… the risks of the medications to reign it back into its steady pace, I had just kept stroking her hair back, keep hoping for morning with her here.

Slow and steady, Braveheart. There is a world of suffering out there, but there is a world of indestructible hope within us.

They had tracked her rhythm with EKGs, measuring beats — and five times throughout the night, they administer medications through her IVs, trying to shock her relentlessly racing heart into slow and steady, slow and steady. My heart aches with praying.

Suffering has to have enough purpose in the world if God Himself daily purposes to endure suffering with us. He who names Himself “God with us” never stops suffering with us.

This is a broken-hearted world but we are a lion-hearted people.

We roar prayers and love large.

And the Lion of Judah Himself enters into the suffering with us, staying with us, forever living to intercede in prayer for us.

Even Friedrich Nietzsche has to concede that “the only satisfactory (answer to the problem of suffering)” is that “the gods justified human life by living it themselves.”

And I believe it here beside her with heart pounding hard at breakneck speeds, here with hundreds of Sick Kids struggling to breathe, to sleep: He who names Himself “God with us” never stops suffering with us.

Suffering has to have enough purpose in the world if God Himself daily purposes to endure suffering with us.

Whatever unbelievable suffering crosses our path, Jesus suffered through that and worse at the Cross — so we can believe the problem of suffering is solved by the plan of salvation.

And the night before the nails, as Jesus approaches the cross, the God Man confesses, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, to the point of death” (Matthew 26:38).

Whatever unbelievable suffering crosses our path, Jesus suffered through that and worse at the Cross — so we can believe the problem of suffering is solved by the plan of salvation.

Our estrangement is solved by the strange grace of the Cross.

And we are saved from purposeless suffering — by our Suffering Savior.

The God with us, He feels all the suffering that’s with us.

“Mama?” Our little girl had whispered to me, reaching for me from the hospital bed. “How we get there?”

I think she’s asking about how, in the midst of monitors and leads and oxygen, to get to down the hall to the playroom?

“We can just walk to the playroom, baby? One step at a time?”

But she puts her hand on my cheek:

“No, how we get there? How we get out of here and get home? HOMMMMMEEEEEE.” She looks so fragile, her eyes begging mine.

“As soon as your heart is stronger, I promise — we will go home.” My eyes try to calm hers.

“Can you make it all go faster, Mama?” Her eyes keep searching mine. I kiss her forehead gently.

What if our problem of suffering in the world is really our problem with the strange ways of God?

When I don’t understand God’s timing, my heart will keep time with God’s heart.

On the evening of the 13th day, when her cardiac team feels sure she is safe, this brave beating heart rerouted and healing –  this new beta-blocker medication which will hold our girl’s post-operative heart in a steady rhythm, and we’re discharged to walk out the hospital door — I stop at the bottom of the stairs, her grinning, and the Farmer holding her the tightest, and I brave a smile through everything brimming.

Home. She gets to go home.

It’s true – this heart journey of hers is a story that never ends… a warrior road that will always be hers to bravely walk… but she smiles. This chapter is now finished and she gets to go home. 

How we do all survive all this survivor’s guilt?

Why do we get another morning, why do get the grace of days, why do get to breathe at all? We got the last hour — why do we get more?

Why in the world did we get the miracle of now — and how do we steward the miracle of another day?

Is the only way to survive survivor’s guilt — is to help more survive their suffering?

Since our daughter’s heart surgery that Lent four years ago now, I have walked around carrying that one thought:

The only way to survive survivor’s guilt — is to help other’s survive their suffering.

The only way to survive survivor’s guilt — is to help other’s survive their suffering.

If we have survived — how can we not do something, anything, practically, somehow, someway, to show up to help others survive their suffering. 

Bake the cookies or order the pizza, pick up the phone or send the text, copy and paste an actual verse that’s a true lifeline to let them know that the God of the heavens keeps His promises, stop what you’re doing and earnestly pray, advocate, show up somehow in solidarity. 

Maybe in the midst of all our suffering, we don’t so much need a solution to the problem of pain, as much as  need sojourners to walk through the pain with us.

It happened again this week, as we move through Lent this year, just as I tucked our little girl into bed — she took my hand and laid it over her as I her scarred heart and I nodded, so tenderly moved, as could feel her heartbeat, and the beat of the coming Holy Week and all these holy moments:

This is a broken-hearted world but we are a lion-hearted people who give each other withness and witness and there is nothing now to fear.

Are you desperate for more than just a way through, but The Way through?

Honestly, all our heartache, grief, suffering, obstacles, they all come in waves. There is no controlling life’s storms; there is only learning the way to walk through the waves.

It’s really possible: you can find a way – The Way – through the waves of life into deeper intimacy with the WayMaker Himself. With a S.A.C.R.E.D. daily habit in hand, learn to navigate through the pounding storms of life with an internal calm and peace that is anchored and unwavering.

For every person who is walking a hard way and looking for a way through, WayMaker is your sign.

Your sign that there is hope, that there are miracles, and that everything you are trying to find a way to, is actually coming to meet you in ways far more fulfilling than you ever imagined.

Gr ab Your Copy of WayMaker —
and begin the journey you’re desperately looking for…

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend [3.25.2023]

Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Come along with us here because who doesn’t need a bit of good news?

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

Jessica Walker – Photographer Jessica Walker – Photographer Jessica Walker – Photographer Jessica Walker – Photographer Jessica Walker – Photographer

These views! Take a moment and breathe in the beauty of this–

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This! Yes, yes, yes!

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A post shared by Suge Imhoff (@ewomanministriesusa)

< so very thankful God is on the move! >

In the midst of heartache and pain, these stories out of Ukraine are beautiful, raw and inspiring.

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Sometimes we just need a bold reminder, don’t we?

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When they experience a swing for the first time ever?

How this perspective would strengthen us in the church–so good!

–We’ll sing this one over and over and over–

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What kind of notes can we leave?
Sister-in-law leaves a love note in lunch box – we are in this TOGETHER.
Who can we remind they’re not alone and give a smile to today?

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Make sure you watch to the end! The surprise he gets–tears!

Oh oh oh! You just have to see this! 5 students from war-torn Ukraine get the news of full paid scholarships to a university!! And oh there is so much good! 

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A post shared by Danyale Griffin (@approved_by_god)

This is just so much beautiful!

Just In Time For Easter!

Looking for a great Easter basket idea?

This exquisite, hand-crafted wooden “Jesus Loves Me” music box and our recent children’s book, Your Brave Song, create a perfect Easter gift together!

The hand-crafted wooden music box features intricate laser engraving, as well as timeless old-world charm and plays the first verse of “Jesus Loves Me” and reminds us–young & old–of God’s love and care for us.

Get yours here–on this *phenomenal* deal! Get your own “Your Brave Song” in time for Easter! The reminder we all need…

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A post shared by Dave Adamson (@aussiedave)

Want to pray like Jesus? This is a phenomenal tool!

5 keys for answering kids theological questions – love this!

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-Oh this is just the best!-

Now this mama is truly inspiring! – there is just so much good!
#bethegift

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A post shared by John Derting (@johnderting)

Oh God’s world is just so magnificent!

Oh glory! Would you come along with us?

What a prayer for us this weekend!

[from our Facebook community – join us?]

You may want to give up on your mountain,
but God has not given up on you
*and He moves mountains.*

Give everything to the One who never gives up on you.

That’s all for this weekend, friends.

Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.

Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again

Share Whatever Is Good. 

Front Row Seat: Encouragement For Pastors’ Wives

Kari Olson is the cohost of Front Row Seat, a new video series for pastors’ wives from The Gospel Coalition. She has a heart for encouraging other pastors’ wives to live in sincerity and faithfulness to the Lord through all seasons of ministry. It’s a grace to welcome Kari to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Kari Olson

“You know you don’t have to sit in the front row, right?” my friend gently asked. She had heard me bemoan the fact that walking to the front of the worship center was a little inconvenient and a tad embarrassing on Sunday mornings (especially when I tend to run a few minutes late everywhere I go!)

She’s right—no one is forcing me to sit there. But I choose to. There are fewer distractions for me up there, and I can hear and see better. But mostly, I want to attend service sitting by my husband’s side. And as pastor of our church, he will be in the front row—so that’s where I will be too.

While not every pastor’s wife prefers to sit in the literal front row, we all have a figurative front-row seat to what happens in the life of our church and our pastor. This can be an exciting place, sharing in the sweetness and successes of our church body, but it can also be an isolating and lonely place.

But, we are not alone.

The front-row seat can be an exciting place, sharing in the sweetness and successes of our church body, but it can also be an isolating and lonely place.

I often text with my fellow pastor’s wife, Kristen Wetherell, about the rhythms of ministry life, as well as the joys and temptations that come with being married to a pastor.

We are hungry for conversations that encourage our devotion to the Lord, our husbands, and the church God has called us to love. Her texts are gracious words “like a honeycomb; they bring life to the body and healing to [the] bones” (Proverbs 16:24). They provide gospel fuel to persevere on the path God has asked me to walk.

Are you also a pastor’s wife who needs encouragement to persevere?

Kristen and I have partnered with The Gospel Coalition to create a space for this community through a 10-episode video series called “Front Row Seat: Encouragement for Pastors’ Wives.” When you watch this series, you can expect to hear biblical encouragement from other pastors’ wives who are thoughtfully and faithfully trying to live out their role—just like you!

Kristen and I bring our own stories and questions to our conversation with guests who speak into various topics with wisdom and hope.

And yet, I struggled to feel this reality, to rejoice, to praise—to feel much of anything besides dry and flat. I longed to feel close to God again. That was the hardest part.

Let’s face it, we need to know how to raise our children in the church and how to navigate friendships. And would it surprise the people around you to know that your marriage is struggling or your devotions are dry? We need a dialogue of hope to bravely face these circumstances.

In our first episode, “Walking with God,” Kristen begins with a confession: “I was walking through what I would describe as a dry season, or maybe even a form of spiritual depression. It was winter, our family had been sick for months on end, and I felt isolated and lonely. God felt distant. Not that he seemed cold or angry—I knew he wasn’t—I knew he was good and near to me. And yet, I struggled to feel this reality, to rejoice, to praise—to feel much of anything besides dry and flat. I longed to feel close to God again. That was the hardest part. But the second-hardest was navigating how I expressed this struggle to others in our church, especially my small group. I’m the pastor’s wife. Will this freak them out or disappoint them? Aren’t I supposed to have my spiritual life ‘together’? How can I support them when I’m struggling to walk with God myself?”

Kristen’s confession led to a conversion with Joanna Kubiak, a pastor’s wife who understands the importance of nurturing your personal relationship with God simply because he loves you, for “in his presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).

You’ll also hear from Jen Carter, pastor’s wife to Matt Carter. Jen talks with us about Sunday mornings in her episode, “Navigating Sunday Mornings”, reminding us that they are the culmination of a worshipful week and preparation for the one ahead. We ask her about finding rest when Sundays can feel like work.

We are hungry for conversations that encourage our devotion to the Lord, our husbands, and the church God has called us to love.

In the episode “Loving and Serving the Church,” Megan Hill comforts the pastor’s wife who feels left behind in ministry, even when it inconveniences her own family.

From decades of experience, Jani Ortlund encourages us to have the right perspective in her episode on “Engaging God’s Calling and People’s Expectations.” She gently instructs us about our own incredibly high standards and others’ critique, and how Jesus’s heart is kind and gentle toward us, even when others (or ourselves) are not. 

Susan Yates, a pastor’s wife of more than 50 years, helps us think through what it looks like to walk alongside a husband who is hurting, discouraged, or depressed in the episode “Supporting Our Husbands.” Her wise counsel is anchored in the ever present hope we have in Christ.

These conversations were created to encourage you, pastor’s wife, and to remind you of your true identity in Christ Jesus, and to spur you on with hope.

Our goal for “Front Row Seat” is to have honest, Christ-centered conversations that leave you feeling a renewed sense of joy and hope in who God is and what he is doing in, around, and through you.

Whether you are a seasoned pastor’s wife or just starting out in ministry, we would love for you to join us in this series and be encouraged. We’ve saved you a front-row seat!

Kari Olson is the cohost of Front Row Seat, a video series from The Gospel Coalition for pastors’ wives. As a wife of a pastor, Kari has a heart for encouraging other pastors’ wives to live in sincerity and faithfulness to the Lord through all seasons of ministry. Kari loves serving the women at her church, leading Bible studies, and occasionally speaking at events. Kari and Tom reside in Barrington, Illinois, with their three teenage children.

Front Row Seat is a new video series for pastors’ wives from The Gospel Coalition. In each episode of this 10-episode video series, hosts Kristen Wetherell and Kari Olson invite a pastor’s wife to discuss specific topics pertaining to this unique ministry calling. Episodes of Front Row Seat are released every Wednesday and Saturday. The first episodes are available to watch now or subscribe to The Gospel Coalition’s YouTube channel to receive notifications of new episodes. If you are a pastor’s wife, an elder’s wife, a seminary student’s wife, or the wife of someone in full-time ministry, this series is for you. We want to encourage you to have a renewed sense of joy and assurance in who God is and what he is doing in your life. Join us—we’ve saved you a front-row seat.

[ Our humble thanks to The Gospel Coalition for their partnership in today’s devotional. ]

The Way Through Pain and Trauma

Aundi Kolber spent much of her life feeling ambivalent about her strength, but also frightened of her softness. She thought that letting herself heal might mean she was weak, so for many years she didn’t allow herself to deeply receive God’s profound care for her. In a beautiful turn of events, Aundi came to find—through secure relationships, increased internal trust, her training as a licensed therapist, and the astonishing compassion of Jesus—that she is loved in the fullness of who God created her to be. It’s a grace to welcome Aundi to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Aundi Kolber

The waves of the mighty Pacific Ocean crashed in front of me; the sparkle of the water and the intensity of the shore break were almost hypnotizing. I buried my toes in the sand, which was speckled with rocks and black dust, as I took in the majestic view.

I never tired of the ocean and came here often—mostly, just to be near it; to be regulated by the rhythms of the waves (though I didn’t have words for that yet).

I wanted to feel immersed in something much bigger and more powerful than myself. 

The chaos of the ocean mirrored the tumult I felt inside. I’d graduated from college a few months before, but frankly, my life felt as if it were falling apart. Actually, it’s fair to say that it was.

I had called off an engagement and quit my first professional job within the span of a week. (For the record, I don’t regret either of those decisions, but this certainly wasn’t how I’d pictured my post-college life.) What I didn’t realize was that, in addition to all those disappointments, I was still carrying around the effects of a childhood full of complex trauma that I hadn’t begun to unpack. Its presence affected me every day. 

I was only twenty-two, but sitting by this oceanside, I felt much older; worn.

Is life always supposed to feel this hard? After a few decades of pushing myself at all costs to achieve and tying myself into pretzels for everyone around me—honestly, I didn’t know who I was anymore. 

Even more honestly? I was not completely sure I ever had. 

Others told me I was the strong one, the spiritual one, the wise one, the responsible one, the good kid, the girl who would get things done. There was a part of me that liked these labels.

Perhaps the invitation God has for us is not to become less of ourselves as we heal, but instead—to reflect the fullness of how God made us; to be strong like water. 

And there was some truth to them—there was a ferocity as strong as the rushing tide that coursed through me. Many of these traits had been hardwired in me as a way to survive the tumultuous and at times traumatic household I’d grown up in, but my family’s dysfunction had begun generations before.

I carried my ancestors’ pain as well as their strength:
I was the daughter of a refugee who’d escaped in the back of an ambulance from a war-torn country when she was only four.
I was the granddaughter of a man who’d survived a childhood of poverty by eating leftover corn from pigs and who had the audacity to flee Hungary with his family when the only other choice would have been to join the oppressor.
I was the great-granddaughter of a Croatian woman so tenaciously determined to live that she’d fended off thieves with just her fists.

These were the stories that had been passed on to me, and this was the fire and fierceness that ran through me. And yet this strength had come at great cost, not only to my ancestors, but also to me—kids aren’t meant to hold adult problems or adult pain.

What if sometimes emotional health means stepping back and letting ourselves truly receive the lavish compassion God has for us?

To feel that the world was constantly on my shoulders; that I had to remain tough, responsible, and put together no matter what—it was a heavy burden to bear. 

And so, like I’d done for much of my childhood, I let myself feel pain in one of the few places that it felt safe to do so—here, near the water.

This was where I saw a glimpse of who I truly was.
This was where I felt the Spirit of God.
This was where I could find at least a glimmer of the peace for which I’d been looking;
this was where God whispered that I was loved in such a gentle voice that I almost missed it.

This was where I understood Jesus’ words, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
This was where I could sink into these words from the psalmist: “Be at rest once more, O my soul” (Psalm 116:7).
This was one of the few places my body could fully exhale. 

And finally, finally, she did. My body settled. 

I wonder whether you’ve ever felt alone and weighed down by the burden of needing to be “the strong one”? Maybe you’ve found identity in your armor—your tenacity, your ability to survive. After all, maybe it seems to be the thing people like best about you.

What if it’s loving others, but also letting ourselves be loved?

Maybe you’ve tried to let others know how much you’re hurting, but it’s always ended either in your being misunderstood or experiencing heartbreak. So now when your heart is tender, you shame yourself or find a way to suck it up again; you’ve decided that vulnerability just isn’t worth it. Sometimes it might seem like being unemotive—pretending and suppressing what you truly feel or need—is the only way you’ll actually be loved at all. 

Is there a different way?

What if emotional health doesn’t always look like being “the strong one”?

What if sometimes it means stepping back and letting ourselves truly receive the lavish compassion God has for us? Or, as Jesus did with his friends Mary and Martha—to fully grieve our losses? Or to finally honor our God-given emotions?

What if it’s not just facing hard things—though that matters—but also knowing our limits? What if it’s loving others, but also letting ourselves be loved? What if the truest strength is less rigid than we have believed?

Instead, what if it’s as expansive as the tide and the God who made us; the fierce and gentle elements dancing together as one? What if this strength has the flexibility to be both soft and bold; to both nourish and protect—because it is rooted in a foundation of love rather than fear? 

Perhaps the invitation God has for us is not to become less of ourselves as we heal, but instead—to reflect the fullness of how God made us; to be strong like water. 

Licensed therapist, speaker, and author Aundi Kolber lives in Western Michigan with her husband and two children. She is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology and has received additional training around her specialties of trauma and body-centered therapies. Aundi is author of the acclaimed Try Softer as well as her newest book, Strong like Water: Finding the Freedom, Safety, and Compassion to Move Through Hard Things—and Experience True Flourishing. As a survivor of trauma, Aundi brings hard-won knowledge about the work of change, the power of redemption, and the beauty of experiencing God with us in our pain. 

In a world whose main response to hardship is to simply preach, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” many of us are weary of having to be a certain kind of strong. But what if a different, more expansive way of healing, wholeness, and possibly―especially―strength is possible? Aundi believes it is, and with a thoughtful combination of story, faith, and research-based practices, this book will be a compassionate resource on your journey. We were made to be strong like water.

[ Our humble thanks to Tyndale Refresh for their partnership in today’s devotional. ]

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend [3.18.2023]

Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Come along with us here because who doesn’t need a bit of good news?

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

David M. Rule – Photographer David M. Rule – Photographer David M. Rule – Photographer David M. Rule – Photographer David M. Rule – Photographer

– What a happy, happy way to start the weekend –

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Who gets the final word in your life? You may feel lost but SURELY goodness and mercy chase you down.
Yes, yes, yes!

– How writing to a prisoner changed my life – a really beautiful piece to not miss. –

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Ohh! these siblings are just the cutest!

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facing hard things? just the encouragement we need this weekend!

This is an absolute must read: “Why Read If You Forget Most Everything Anyway?”

< If you just need something lighthearted and fun… this is for you! >

It’s Here! And you don’t want to miss it!
This quarter’s GRACE CASE!

Order your own Grace Case to receive quarterly cases with amazing fair-trade products from artisans around the world…AND AT THE SAME TIME…

Empower women around the world and care for women,
orphans and refugees with every purchase.

Not only does your Grace Case purchase provide dignified work for artisans around the world, but 100% of the profits go toward funding the work of Mercy House Global, whom we love, love, LOVE!

Learn More & Order Your Very Own GRACE CASE

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This! Don’t miss this one!

She was homeless just a few short years ago — and now this!
How she got back on her feet and now uses *baking* to help others? Just wi ld applause!

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< In case you needed permission: It’s okay to make mistakes and try something fun this weekend! >

When you face a storm — here are some truth to cling to!

a library book returned after 44 years? It’s never too late! And today is always perfect to make something right…. And to wander through the stacks at the library!

Post of the Week From Around These Parts

What if we all gave up shame for Lent? Gave up shame in all kinds of ways, every day.
Shame is a bully & grace is a shield. And maybe your soul desperately needs the relief of this…

Give Up All Kinds of Shaming for Lent: Why Shame Anyone In Pain?

Read the whole thing — and catch the hope you need

Okay! Now what this 79 year old just accomplished?! You just have to see this!

– Ohh these kid besties are just too cute! See their special friendship right here –

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we all need to be held tenderly, safe like this–don’t we?

“What looked to everyone else like a messiah failing was the Messiah fulfilling the most holy journey. Death is life, and a tomb emptied of its body is full of a promise that will turn everything inside out and right side up.”
– Such good news! for all our hearts coming up on Easter –

On the Book Stack at the Farm

Don’t miss Megan B. Brown‘s recent guest post:
The Truth About Who You Really Are

Read Evie Polsley from Tyndale Publisher’s recent guest post: How To Have The Bible Really Come Alive

Oh glory! Would you come along with us?

This one this weekend!

[from our Facebook community – join us?]

It’s not about you making time for God
because He’s already made Time for you,
and is just waiting for you to come be with Him.

He loves being with us so much that He carved your name
into His hand and named Himself
“God with us.”

His commitment to you is more than written in stone–
He wrote it into Himself.

Spend time with Him.
He spent everything for you.

That’s all for this weekend, friends.

Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.

Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again

Share Whatever Is Good. 

How to Have the Bible Really Come Alive

Evie Polsley is a member of the Bible team at Tyndale House Publishers, where she helps provide resources to people who want to better understand the Bible and apply it to their lives. She has a love for sharing stories, especially the story of Jesus. Her passion is to help others fall in love with reading God’s Word and better grasp their role in God’s beautiful story. It’s a grace to welcome Evie to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Evie Polsley of Tyndale Bibles

When we read the four Gospels together, it helps us… meet not just a fascinating historical figure, but the God of the universe…

Some of the world’s bestselling books are biographies. Know why? We are fascinated with stories—especially stories of real people who have done amazing things. We put ourselves in their shoes and hope that we would make the same inspiring decisions in the same circumstances.

Though there are thousands (if not millions) of biographies out there that have touched lives, only one has had a truly world-changing impact: the biography of Jesus. It has sparked revolutions, transformed individuals and societies, and compelled people to put their lives on the line to share his story.

Though it is an integral part of Christian theology, Jesus’ story asks us to engage with it beyond head knowledge or philosophical thinking. It forces us to grapple with who we are in light of who he is! The question Who is Jesus? has world-shaping power, but it is also an extremely personal question that we each need to ask ourselves.

People are drawn to Jesus’ life story for many reasons. He lived out values we find important, like compassion, altruism, fairness, and integrity. He was self-sacrificial, a great teacher, and unyielding in his mission. These are all great qualities—but who is Jesus? And what makes him different from other great leaders?

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6, NLT)

When we cherry-pick from the Gospel writers, focus on only one aspect of Jesus, or even emphasize one Gospel over another, it can distort our understanding of Jesus and the importance of his story.

This is a life-altering statement. Jesus was laying out who he is, and he knew some people wouldn’t like it. Yet nothing could limit his steadfast determination to do the will of the Father.

But how do we make sense of these words? Who is Jesus?

When we try to answer this question, we easily get stuck trying to mold him into a reflection of who we want him to be. We focus on our values, our desires, and lose track of who he truly is.

Sometimes our confusion comes from the fact that Jesus’ biography was written differently from how modern biographers would write it. We think of biographies as telling a person’s whole story from birth to death, but Jesus’ biographers thought it was most important to help their audiences connect with the truth of who Jesus is, not just who Jesus was and what he did.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John intentionally highlighted different parts of Jesus’ story because the audiences they were communicating with were different. For example, if I tell a story to my sister, the information I share will be different than if I were sharing the same story with my coworker. My sister already has context, knows the people in my story, and doesn’t need a lot of explanation, whereas my coworker doesn’t have the inside scoop. But it’s still the same story, even though I include different information and context depending on whom I am talking to.

When we cherry-pick from the Gospel writers, focus on only one aspect of Jesus, or even emphasize one Gospel over another, it can distort our understanding of Jesus and the importance of his story. By appreciating the unique perspective of each Gospel writer as well as seeing the four Gospels as a unified story of Jesus’ life, we can better answer the question they confront us with: Who is Jesus?

In the introduction to his book God with Us: The Four Gospels Woven Together in One Telling, James Barlow gives an example of how reading through the different Gospels helps us better understand them:

Whether we are reading Jesus’ story for the first time or we’ve read it many times, we can’t help but be in awe of who he is.

Why in the world would four simple fishermen suddenly leave their families and their work without hesitation to blindly follow a man walking along the shore whom they didn’t know? . . . Matthew depicts these four men willing to leave everything behind after hearing Jesus’ simple request: “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

The answer to this question suddenly came to me as I read the Gospel of John, specifically John 1:29-51. John provides the added insights that John the Baptist had first introduced Andrew and one other disciple to Jesus, and that Andrew had in turn introduced Simon Peter to Jesus. These disciples had spent time with Jesus, thus they knew him when he ultimately called them by the seashore.

My entire perspective changed on why they left and followed Jesus. I discovered background and context to the story that was not included in Matthew’s account but could be learned by reading the Gospels collectively. That raised my curiosity level significantly as to whether there were other aspects of the individual Gospel accounts that might be confusing if not read within the perspective of the four Gospels as a whole.

Whether we are reading Jesus’ story for the first time or we’ve read it many times, we can’t help but be in awe of who he is. When we read the four Gospels together, it helps us gain a more complete understanding of the story and meet not just a fascinating historical figure, but the God of the universe, the great I Am.

Evie Polsley is a member of the Bible team at Tyndale House Publishers. She loves being part of the New Living Translation team and helping to find ways for people to better understand who Jesus is so they can build a deeper relationship with him. When people connect with Jesus through Scripture, it changes everything.

In the book God with Us: The Four Gospels Woven Together in One Telling, James Barlow gives readers a unique way of interacting with Jesus’ story. God with Us seamlessly brings together the distinct elements of the four Gospels in the New Living Translation while staying true to the biblical text. This format is helpful to those just starting their journey with Jesus as well as those who have read God’s Word over and over again. This unique format helps us grow in our understanding of who Jesus is and his amazing gift of salvation.

[ Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotional. ]

Give Up All Kinds of Shaming for Lent: Why Shame Anyone in Pain?

Lent can ache with loneliness that ends up feeling like a kind of wilderness.

“Lent can ache with loneliness that ends up feeling like a kind of wilderness.”

The Farmer and I, after a long season of prayer and late night discussions, finally found ourselves on the cusp of taking steps forward into a community of new connections and relationships — but then, as we stumbled into a tender, unexpected, heartbreaking chapter in our story, we found ourselves achingly, painfully, alone.

Crisis can make you feel like you have leprosy, and when you most need people, you can feel most shunned. At 3 am, we’d wake, unable to get warm, wander to the kitchen and simply cry and cling to each other. Grief is devastatingly cold, and the only way to get warm is to hold on tight to someone.

After an emergency session with my therapist, I think about it long, how we can too often respond to people in pain.

“When conversations lead with shame — real people end up limping lame.”

Sure, there was that one guy who was born blind, and that was the first big, begging question, right out of the gate was: “Who got it wrong, this guy or his parents?”

Who got it wrong, who tripped and messed things up, who fell hard and took out whole bunch of people on the way down? What did someone do to cause this suffering, why did this go down the way it went down, that took everybody down?

When conversations lead with shame — real people end up limping lame.

Lead the conversation with shame, and you lose. Lead the conversation with shame and you lose perspective, lose trust, lose relationship, lose redemption, lose the light of Christ.

“Suffering isn’t a riddle to unlock, but a call to enter in and unlock redemptive hope.”

I kept tracing that scar on my index finger at 3:30 am when I couldn’t sleep. The reality is: People in pain aren’t a puzzle to solve, but are people to provide for and protect. Suffering isn’t a riddle to unlock, but a call to enter in and unlock redemptive hope.

True, yes, it can be seductively easy to hunt for a neat, formulaic explanation to conclude the why of someone’s pain, just so we can avoid the how of they got there. If we just can nail down what they get wrong, maybe it gets us off the hook for any suffering? If we point fingers to the reason for someone’s pain, it’s a heady but futile way for us to point out the way to detour around any pain for us.

It’s strange how the human default can be to shame people in pain. Shaming others for their story, can be a way of distancing and protecting yourself from ever having that story.

“Sin always happens — but nothing happens that stops the works of God from happening.”

“Who messed up, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9)

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9).

Sin always happens — but nothing happens that stops the works of God from happening.

The question isn’t so much who did what wrong — but Who, even now, are you looking toward to make all things gloriously right?

The question isn’t so much why did this happen — but look at how great and glorious God-good is still happening.

“It’s not ours so much to conclude about a situation, but to be cruciform and compassionate in all situations.“

The question isn’t who is to blame or shame. The question is: How can this story change me, a community, to live out grace?

It’s not ours so much to conclude about a situation, but to be cruciform and compassionate in all situations.

“It is ours, not to speculate,” writes the great theologian Charles Spurgeon, “but to perform acts of mercy and love, according to the tenor of the gospel. Let us then be less inquisitive and more practical, less for cracking doctrinal [shells], and more for bringing forth the bread of life to the starving multitudes.” (Spurgeon)

“In the middle of every wilderness, there can be real oasis.”

A couple whom we’ve been friends with since we were teenagers, made a cake together, brought it over, and we feasted on tender, redeeming grace. A heart-sister put a package in the mail and texted me worship songs every morning. My confessional community of 6 women all convened a spontaneous hour long zoom session to sit with us, to be fully present with us, to listen with open heart to us, to speak Gospel over us.

In the middle of every wilderness, there can be real oasis. In the middle of a lonely Lent — love can be lent, hope can be lent, withness can be lent.

Withness is always what waters our wildernesses.

“Letting go of shame — lets grace cover us and carry us tenderly out of the wilderness.”

And maybe the surest thing to give up in Lent, in relationships, in communities, is shame and blame. Shame never keep us in line — it’s keeps us in shackles. Shame drowns us in condemnation, grace grows us in conviction. Shame exiles us out of community — grace heals us in community. Shame drives us in the wrong direction, into the arms of depression, addiction, regression — grace rightly drives us in the direction of Him.

Letting go of shame — lets grace cover us and carry us tenderly out of the wilderness.

In the third week of Lent, at 3:00 am, we’re sleeping deep and warm.

Are you desperate for more than just a way through, but The Way through?

Honestly, all our heartache, grief, suffering, obstacles, they all come in waves. There is no controlling life’s storms; there is only learning the way to walk through the waves.

It’s really possible: you can find a way – The Way – through the waves of life into deeper intimacy with the WayMaker Himself. With a S.A.C.R.E.D. daily habit in hand, learn to navigate through the pounding storms of life with an internal calm and peace that is anchored and unwavering.

For every person who is walking a hard way and looking for a way through, WayMaker is your sign.

Your sign that there is hope, that there are miracles, and that everything you are trying to find a way to, is actually coming to meet you in ways far more fulfilling than you ever imagined.

Gr ab Your Copy of WayMaker — and begin the journey you’re desperately looking for…

The Truth About Who You Really Are

When Megan B. Brown fell in love with a military man, she had visions of adventure. Never in her wildest dreams did she anticipate the challenges and heartache that would follow. After five military moves, ten homes, and four children born in two states, Megan has discovered that the military lifestyle takes a toll. Sacrificing jobs, communities, friendships, and her own dreams of the future, Megan invites military spouses to see that God has placed them right where they are supposed to be-chosen for this specific time and place- and perfectly positioned for the work of The Great Commission. It’s a grace to welcome Megan to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Megan B. Brown

The man who made me a military spouse also had no small part in helping me become a follower of Jesus. Before we met, I was a college dropout trying to live my best life in all the worst ways.

In open rebellion, I denied God’s very existence, felt extremely disenfranchised with the church, and truly believed this broken life is all we get. About six months after we were married, my husband woke me up after I had spent the previous night partying.

“Hey, let’s head to church this morning, babe.” Laughing half-heartedly, I rolled over and put a pillow over my head to signal I was ignoring him.

“Yeah. That’s not happening for you, man.”

“Please?” he replied. “I want you to just try. If you don’t try, I will really be disappointed.” Well, that did the trick. 

As a newlywed, I didn’t want to deny this very kind man an honest effort for his request. So, dragging myself from the warmth of the fluffy down comforter, I started to get dressed. I threw on an old concert T-shirt from a Bright Eyes show in New Orleans, a flowy hippie skirt I nabbed from a local flea market, and my favorite pair of flip-flops. My hair was not so neatly tied into a side bun, and I barely washed my face, much less applied makeup.

I looked nine ways of crazy.

I only share the details of my appearance because it was the early 2000s and this boy took to me to a very respectable, very affluent church looking like a bag lady. I’m sure the deacons there thought I needed some sort of financial assistance, and let’s just say I got my fair share of side-glances.

God has chosen a people for Himself, a people He has blessed and called to holiness.

Visibly uncomfortable, I shuffled through the pews to find a spot that didn’t look occupied or reserved. Finally, settling in, I watched a rotund, stately gentleman as he began waddling his way to the pulpit. His three-piece suit was perfectly pressed, and he held this little rag he was wiping his forehead with. 

My eyes darted around in anticipation as he began to start instructing the congregation, a people he referred to as “Beloved,” to open their Bibles to the book of Ephesians.

On the way out of our apartment that morning, I had grabbed my copy of the Bible. The only Bible I owned was the one obligatory gift Bible people give to high school seniors when they graduate. It was a brand-new, gold-foiled New International Version, and had indented tabs in the pages. To tell you how unfamiliar I was with this particular gift, I was using it as a doorstop in our second bedroom. I had rarely picked it up, much less opened it, before this particular morning in “big church.”

“What’s an ‘Ephesia?’” I asked my husband, whispering. 

All in one moment, I was simultaneously overwhelmed in the conviction of my sin and the joy of knowing that Jesus paid for it all.

After peering over at a few neighbors and saying to myself, It’s in the back half, I thumbed through toward the back of my Bible and found the place.

The pastor started in on the task of unpacking the first chapter. Ephesians 1:1–14 is forever burned into my memory and etched upon my soul. As I listened to the words, I was overcome. God has chosen a people for Himself, a people He has blessed and called to holiness.

“In love,” the pastor read, “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons [and daughters] through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved”. (Ephesians 1:5–6). “Beloved” was Jesus. Now, I had heard the gospel before and had a few emotional responses to a few Christian worship songs, but this time, the gospel wrecked me. 

All in one moment, I was simultaneously overwhelmed in the conviction of my sin and the joy of knowing that Jesus paid for it all. After the service, we walked back to our car, and I could barely speak.

By the time my husband closed the car doors, I erupted in tears. “Did you know about this? Is this true? For real?”

Keith, sounding excited and somewhat surprised, replied, “I have known this truth since I was five. I am glad now you know it too.” He took me to lunch and walked me through his favorite Scriptures. That day remains the first milestone in my faith walk with the Lord.

Now—and this is truly amazing—when God looks at us, He looks at us through the sacrifice of His Son and views us as unblemished, holy people.

On that day, I truly submitted my heart to Jesus Christ. This is where the journey for all of us begins. 

The apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament we hold in our hands, is telling God’s people who were assembling at the church in Corinth (and us too) about what truth they should stand upon.

“Now I would remind you, brothers [and sisters], of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures . . . (1 Corinthians 15:1–4) 

The phrase “as of first importance” is tattooed in my brain. This is the most important information in order to experience salvation and the gift of eternal life. It is the hinge pin.

Now—and this is truly amazing—when God looks at us, He looks at us through the sacrifice of His Son and views us as unblemished, holy people.

If you are reading this in your living room, tucked into the corner of a coffee shop, or wherever you are, and you can feel the gospel actively tugging and pulling you, it’s time to do something.

It’s time to decide. It is time to repent and believe.

Knowing the gospel, and submitting to it, is the first step toward building a life-changing relationship with the Lord.

Megan B. Brown is a seasoned military spouse, mother of four, and military missionary. She is the Founder and Executive Director of MilSpo Co.– a military centered nonprofit focused on the intentional discipleship of  today’s military community. Throughout Megan’s journey as a military missionary, she has discovered God is faithful-even when things feel like they are falling apart.

In her newest book, “Know What You Signed Up For,” she created a Christian field guide for military spouses who did not know what they signed up for. Calling women to be radically hospitable and unconditionally loving, she shares what it means to follow Jesus, love people, and live on mission as a military spouse.

[ Our humble thanks to Moody Publishers for their partnership in today’s devotional. ]

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend [3.11.2023]

Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Come along with us here because who doesn’t need a bit of good news?

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

Zoe & Sue Field – Photographer Zoe & Sue Field – Photographer Zoe & Sue Field – Photographer Zoe & Sue Field – Photographer Zoe & Sue Field – Photographer

– What a happy, happy way to start the weekend –

Psalm 23 for Lent… this was the realest manna for the soul this week

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For anyone walking a wilderness–the BEST encouragement.

What this kiddo did for his favorite waiter? Stunning!
To see people and love? What a way to be the gift!

– How to love those in suffering… don’t miss this one. –

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Dare you to watch and not smile huge! ;)

Oh this on repeat over here!

It’s Here! And you don’t want to miss it!
This quarter’s GRACE CASE!

Order your own Grace Case to receive quarterly cases with amazing fair-trade products from artisans around the world…AND AT THE SAME TIME…

Empower women around the world and care for women,
orphans and refugees with every purchase.

Not only does your Grace Case purchase provide dignified work for artisans around the world, but 100% of the profits go toward funding the work of Mercy House Global, whom we love, love, LOVE!

Learn More & Order Your Very Own GRACE CASE

Okay, really, don’t miss this one. Cities past & present–this is just beautiful & moving.

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Watch this one all the way right to the end! Because she’s so right!

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Okay you just HAVE to read the comments!
All the mamas and the friends, let’s hop on this bandwagon too!
This is too good to miss out on!

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A post shared by Maria Shriver (@mariashriver)

Oh my!!! To notice the little things and love large like this gentleman!

This one! So good!

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*Oh goodness! This is just too funny!*

Now THIS is phenomenal! What an initiative to inspire and include. JUST WOW!

Be awed of the miracle of life! Born at 125 days — 126 days early!

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– Oh it’s just so beautiful! God’s grand world! –

Now THIS is a real reason to celebrate!!

“Because when you shine you give the world a glimpse of heaven, so SHINE!“

“Like the jewels of a crown they shall shine” Zechariah 9:16 (ESV)

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< Just way too cute not to share. >

On the Book Stack at the Farm

Don’t miss Tara Sun’s recent guest post: Why Depending on God Will Always Be Better Than Hustling

Read Amber Bolton‘s recent guest post: What Legacy of Faith Will You Leave?

– Come along with us for all this glory? –

Soul-truth for this weekend.

“There will be storms
That won’t move out of my way
And trials will come to only test my faith
Your mercy and Your grace
They go on forever and they’re sufficient for today”

[from our Facebook community – join us?]

Give up everyone else’s incomplete story about you
and just completely embrace God’s story for you:

You are made brave and strong.
You are beloved and you belong.
No one’s story about you
gets to rewrite God’s truth about you.

That’s all for this weekend, friends.

Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.

Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again

Share Whatever Is Good.