Ann Voskamp's Blog, page 5

What If You Don’t Want to burden Anyone with Your needs?

You know, too often, our needs are perceived (by ourselves or others) either as burdens  to shamefully hide, or as idols before which everything else must bow. But what if our needs could actually be tools to care for others? In their new book, The Hospitality of  Need, Kevan Chandler and Tommy Shelton provide a biblical framework to see our needs as opportunities for deeper, truer community. Kevan shares with us here a  glimpse at his life with a disability and what his relationships look like with God and friends like Tommy. It’s a deep joy to welcome Kevan and Tommy to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Kevan Chandler and Tommy Shelton

There was once a man who was lowered through a roof.

He was disabled.

We don’t  know the specifics, what disease he had, or the accident that crippled him. We do know he couldn’t walk; his body didn’t work right.

“My friends cut holes in roofs every day—in word, deed, laughter, and song—and  together, we get to experience Jesus.“

I relate a lot to this guy, whom the gospel  writers simply call “the paralytic.”

Because I can’t walk; my body doesn’t work right. If I had been around in his time, I would have lived out my life lying on a mat like he did.  

But that’s not the only way I relate to him.

He also had friends, like I have.

It was his friends who carried him on his mat across town to meet Jesus. And when they got to the packed-out house, they pulled him up onto the roof. They tore open a hole and lowered  him into the middle of the room, plopped him right down in front of Jesus.

I have friends like this. Good friends who bring me to the feet of Jesus time and time again with every action they take to care for me and to make my life not just possible but abundant. My friends cut holes in roofs every day—in word, deed, laughter, and song—and  together, we get to experience Jesus. 

Tommy is one such friend. We grew up together in the foothills of North Carolina,  although our deeper friendship began some years later. He cares for the vulnerable,  celebrates the unseen, and listens to the forgotten. He delights in his wife, cherishes his  kids, and honors his parents. And when I come around, he cuts holes in roofs for me.

“God has called us to live in; friendship that goes deep and flourishes, not in spite of our needs but actually through them.“

Tommy gladly helps me with the restroom when it’s really most inconvenient for him,  jumps in to give me a shower without any heads-up, and has welcomed me into his home amid busy family schedules more often than I can say.  

Like the man lowered from the roof, God has called us to live in; friendship that goes deep and flourishes, not in spite of our needs but actually through them. Needs– (mine and those of others) has ushered my friends and me into deeper fellowship with God and one another.

We have stepped into each other’s needs together, with all its  countercultural pace and mess. Cutting holes in roofs ain’t pretty! And I struggle with  whether that makes me a burden. I’m sure it crossed the paralytic’s mind, too, as his friends grunted with every heave-ho up and down. But these friends lower me down as they did him, and I hope that in some way through the process, I’m lowering them down  too. As they carry me, help me, and meet my needs, their needs are also met. As they bring me to Jesus, they get closer to Him as well.

We have found that while doing things  this way may have challenges the world would prefer to avoid, it’s a doorway that can  lead to healing, growth, and restoration. It leads us together to the feet of Jesus.  

There’s one more way I relate to the man lowered through the roof. Jesus told him his  sins were forgiven, and He’s told me the same. But here is where we are different. After forgiving him of his sins, Jesus turned away from the paralytic to address the Pharisees who were there. They were murmuring about Him thinking He could forgive sins, so  Jesus called them on it. He asked them which of the two options was easier to say:  

1. Your sins are forgiven, or . . .  

2. Take up your mat and walk.  

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,” and with that, Jesus turned back to the man and told him to get up. And he did!

He hopped up, grabbed his mat, and probably danced his way through the crowd to meet his friends outside. Or did he climb back up the ropes to join them on the roof? I don’t know,  but I am guessing it was quite a sight to see for everyone in the room.  

I am a paralytic.

I have been lowered through roofs to the feet of Jesus. I am lowered every day. And when I was six years old, the King of Kings knelt by my mat, looked me  in the eye, and forgave me of my sins.

I am forgiven.  

But I’m still lying on the mat.

“He forgives my sins and their sins, too, and  they wait with me—I wait with them—for Jesus to faithfully complete the good work He  has started in us.”

What was for the man perhaps thirty seconds—lying there,  waiting, between forgiveness and physical healing—has been for me more than thirty  years, and it will likely be longer. Maybe a lifetime. Jesus is currently addressing the Pharisees in the room, and I’m waiting—mostly patiently.  

I wonder if the man looked up through the hole to his friends in that moment of waiting. I  wonder if he winked at them or if they gave him an encouraging thumbs-up. Maybe he  kept his eyes on Jesus the whole time, and maybe they did too. That’s probably more  like it.

Whatever the case, he wasn’t alone in the waiting, even thirty seconds of it.

And I’m not alone either. I guess that’s another way I can relate to him. My friends lower me through the roof to the feet of Jesus.

He forgives my sins and their sins, too, and  they wait with me—I wait with them—for Jesus to faithfully complete the good work He  has started in us. 

I’ve been keenly awaiting this book!

Kevan Chandler is the founder of the nonprofit organization We Carry  Kevan and speaks worldwide about friendship and disability. Tommy Shelton is the  pastor of Live Oaks Bible Church in Palm Harbor, Florida.

Through engaging real-life  stories, their new book, The Hospitality of Need, shares what can happen at the crossroads of selflessness and vulnerability.

Ultimately, it’s a book about friendship, the kind that God has called us to live in… friendship that flourishes, not in spite of our needs but actually through them.

{ Our humble thanks to Moody Publishers for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {06.07.2025}

Happy, happy, happy weekend!

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…

Smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything —

and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))! 

Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

Photo by Katy Anne

Photo by Alisa Anton

Photo by Roman Kraft

Photo by Micaela Parente

Photo by Daniel Spilka 

This is Your Nudge to go to a darling little Flower stand and get yourself a Stem or Two & Smile over the Grace of Today!Heart Vitamins for you this week:How Gratitude Transforms Our Darkest MomentsSo soul-encouraging Empowered Together: A New Fight  with David PlattTUNE IN: WATCH HEREJesus loves you because Jesus is good You have to watch this! Rooted in the Infinite Life of Christ THIS, THIS: Read HereSOUL LEARNING 101 this week:How To Seek Daily Direction From God- Better Together LIFECHANGING LISTEN Experiencing the Transformational Power of GodYESSSSS! The best!Who is the Holy Spirit for? You need to watch this! Utterly miraculous! WOW! So moving! Make a Joyful Noise: Worship for you this week:Come Lord, Come Don’t miss this! You’re gonna be ok Watching over and over!Where your treasure is A must listen! You have been faithful! So beautiful! Recipes for you this week: These are so so good -Oreo Brownie Date Bites!! A MUST TRY! Something to consider when you’re cooking Don’t miss this!Resources this week for you: Check out the resources at The Daily Grace co. YES PLEASEA 5 week bible study with Beth Moore Don’t miss this!POST OF THE WEEK FROM THESE PARTS HERE… “How To Really Not Waste Your One Life: You get to do This.” It’s a strange thing to find yourself sitting on a peak with wandering sheep on this tipsy top edge of the world & kinda half-smiling at the very real gravestone for the imagined Jame Bond, with that etched abbreviated exhortation of Jack London’s full quote:“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”DON’T LEAVE THE INTERNET BEFORE READING THIS TODAY!! Encouragement for the Mothers this week:Why Every Mom Feels Like She’s FailingWOW! How God Leads Us Through Life with Ruth Chou SimonsYES! THIS!! All before 8 am! Don’t miss this!How to Grieve well Read here!Ready to smile this weekend?!!Oh my! CRAZY! On repeat!Such a great idea! This is AMAZING! Absolutely unreal! This is crazyGuard those toes! Can’t stop watching!Taking after his dadWow! So beautiful! Tears are flowing!Creative Inspiration for your Weekend: This is a masterpiece! I was so inspired! Click Here.Crazy talented! WOW! So beautiful! A few Summer ideas for you this week: How fun is this?! Click here to watch! This is amazing! LOVE THIS! Thoughts to Really Ponder this weekThe Deep Dish – “Your Questions, Our Answers”Don’t miss thisWhat is your true path to freedom? – Jennie AllenDoesn’t this resonate: LISTENIn Praise of Throwing Out Your Back I found this so movingreading through the entire Bible a year? Really, so thinking about thisWhat we’re Listening to on the Farm this week“In Jesus Name (God Of Possible)”

If you are going through something in your story you would’ve never imagine, I encourage you to pray this over that circumstance. He is the God of possible.

“John 1” – IBC LIVE 2025on the book stack at the farm

In Mid-Faith Crisis: Finding a Path Through Doubt, Disillusionment, and Dead EndsCatherine and coauthor, Jason Hague, guide readers through the complex landscape of doubt and disillusionment. They reassure us that the crisis of faith is not an endpoint but a transformative stage that can lead to a more sincere and robust belief system. 

If you’re in the midst of a spiritual reevaluation, Mid Faith Crisis will serve as a beacon of hope, reminding us that while the road may be rocky, the destination holds the promise of deeper faith and connection.

Looking for the way through to a deeply meaningful life — that doesn’t waste your only life? 

“If there’s a deep disconnect in what we believe and how we actually live — is it maybe because we’ve forgotten the way to live actually and intimately connected to God? 

Our walk will only match our talk when we live attached to His heart. This is how we live, fully live, live the love story of our dreams. This is the way of all the epic Love stories.”  ~ from WayMaker

Come wake to enjoying your one and only life, enjoying God, enjoying the time you have here, your very own WayMaker who will carry you the best way through . 

Over 7 sessions, the Daring Joy Bible study explores the powerful stories of 6 women from the Bible who teach us about the vulnerability of joy and the profound power of celebration. They reveal that abundant joy is not only possible—it’s something God deeply desires for each of us. Don’t let your fear of heartbreak keep you from experiencing the full, beautiful life God has for you. Joy can feel risky. When you’ve experienced pain of any kind, it can feel easier not to dream than to be disappointed, or not to hope than to be left heartbroken. If you ever feel like it’s safer not to embrace joy at all than to hold something that might break, you’re not alone. Thankfully, the Bible paints a different picture—one that gives you the courage to hold on to joy regardless of your circumstances.

His latest book, How to Read the Bible: A Simple Guide to Deeper Intimacy with God, is a simple and practical guide to studying and understanding Scripture that will help you see the Bible as a priceless treasure that reveals God’s love for you and His relentless pursuit of a deeper relationship. As you dive into the richness of the Bible using this proven, step-by-step approach, you will learn to avoid common pitfalls in interpretation, savor scriptures through meditation and prayer, and apply timeless truths to every area of your life. How to Read the Bible equips you to better understand not only the Word of God but also the love of God and His plan for the world.

Um … wow (!!) #1 Bestseller at ECPA: Loved to Life ! Only God! And it’s ON SALE right now at Amazon: 30% off right now!

Pick up  Loved to Life: A 40-Day VISUAL Pilgrimage with Jesus, that will:

give you enlightening insights to calm your real worriesground your identity in who you really are, regardless of failuresspeak to your deepest doubts in a profoundly steading wayand walk you in fresh, intimate ways with Jesus, Love Himself, that will grow your soul into real LIFEAND (!!) OUR GRATITUDE JOURNAL IS NEARLY 50% OFF! STOCK UP FOR GIFTS BEST GRATITUDE JOURNAL: Nearly 50% off Download yours free when you subscribe to emailsJoin us in a Night of Worship with Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes and Martin Smith

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 Pray, When Prayer Seems Really Confusing?

You know, many of us embarked on our spiritual journeys filled with hope and certainty, only to find ourselves somedays with questions as the complexities of life unfolded. Do we still believe in prayer? Yes, but it can confusing and complicated. Do we believe God is with us and hears the cries of our hearts? We do… even when life’s tender and bewildering. Catherine McNiel, coauthor with Jason Hague of Mid-Faith Crisis, joins us on the farm today, vulnerably sharing her own complicated journey with prayer, from how it all started to how it’s going now. It’s my delight to welcome Catherine and Jason to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague

How did you learn to pray, way back when?

Many of us who first encountered God in the Inherited Faith stage of childhood were introduced to prayer as a time to talk to God. And we talked a lot.

The Bible tells us to bring all our prayers and petitions before God, knowing that God will meet our needs—so we did.

Before dinner, before bed, during Sunday school, we babbled on about our sick pets, our bumps and bruises, every vulnerable joy and sorrow in our young hearts.

Back then, God was something between a distant parent and Santa Claus—not really available but likely to provide what we needed if we told Him about it.

I was turning ten years old the first time I reconsidered this approach. Too excited to sleep the previous night, relishing my last hours in the single digits, my brain was spinning and summoned a long-buried memory. I jumped up wide awake, afraid for my life.

Years before, I had hatched a genius plan: choose a particular age, the definition of a long and fulfilling life, then earnestly pray God would allow me to die on the birthday of that year (after presents and cake, of course). This would take away all the guesswork and worry about unknowns like accidents, illness, and death. Why not lock in your future early on?

The ripe old age I chose was ten. Of course,

I had no context or life experience to inform this bold decision. And now, with just hours left to go on this earth, I leapt from bed and ran to find my parents.

Amazingly, they were unconcerned.

My tenth birthday came and went—cake, party, presents, lasagna dinner, all of it. No one died.

Yet my prayers had been earnest and consistent. I had prayed in faith, fully believing with all my heart that God would hear and grant my request. Like the righteous believer in James (a book I memorized word for word in fourth grade), I had asked
without wavering or doubting. Surely my prayers would be “powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

But since that day when my faith was strengthened by God’s failure to answer, there’s been so much water under the bridge.

I’ve been abandoned and deeply harmed by people who were supposed to love and protect me.

Felt all hope for goodness shatter around me.

Sat in the room while my best friends’ baby died in their arms.

Bristled with anger when a friend chirped, “Praise God!” upon finding a good parking spot while nearly ninety million displaced people in our world can’t find a home country.

Carried stories—my own and others’—almost too terrible to believe.

Yet, I’ve also seen long-unsolved ailments disappear from my body during prayer. Felt God draw so near to me it changed my life’s direction.

Experienced spiritual and emotional healing from wounds I didn’t even know I had. Been prompted to do things so clearly God’s voice was almost audible.

Seen those in desperate need provided for in nearly supernatural ways.

Thus far into my journey, it’s not God, or even prayer I doubt, so much as our confidence in prayer, the hubris of our own causation, and our own willingness to overlook profound suffering in the world.

“I felt so isolated in those months, so desperate for a friend to cut a hole in the roof and lower me down to Jesus.“

When a friend’s flight delivers her to vacation safe and sound, she posts to Facebook that “God knew how much I needed restful time away.” But another friend texts me that, due to cancellations from the same airport on the same day, she missed getting to her sister’s deathbed in time to say goodbye. Well, if God is to be praised in the first instance, is He to be blamed in the second?

What are we supposed to make of a prayer-theology so confident in God’s will and our prayer-to-result causation, and so unaware of our own privilege and dumb luck? Do we really think God is granting some of us luxury items simply because we asked—and does this mean that victims of genocide and sexual assault just didn’t have enough prayer coverage for God to act on their behalf?

A few years ago, I suffered a traumatic brain injury that turned out to be far worse than I realized at the time. What my doctors pronounced would take weeks to heal stretched into months, then years. At first, friends were eager to pray for me, asking to place their hands on my head and in faith ask God for my healing. I was grateful for their care, and grateful for their prayers. I craved it, actually, nearly crying with relief each time someone offered. I felt so isolated in those months, so desperate for a friend to cut a hole in the roof and lower me down to Jesus.

“This season of suffering isn’t what you need liberation from—this season of suffering is the liberation.”

But the moment my praying friends opened their eyes I saw them look expectantly at me: Did it work? Had they done it? Was I healed? Did it work?

I was not healed, that part was easy to answer.

I believe God can heal, and I think it’s good to ask for healing—but I didn’t see it that day. My pain and long-term damage did not lift even one iota during or after these heartfelt petitions. I could not produce the evidence my friends so badly hoped to see—and the burden of being asked for it so often added to my burden.

But I would not say those prayers didn’t “work.” They bonded me to my community when I needed companionship—at least, to whatever degree people stuck by me when I had no fruit of healing to offer them. Prayer allowed me to feel cared for, not entirely alone in my darkness and fears. And prayer bonded me to God when I was desperate for Him. 

As I spent hour upon hour alone in the dark so my brain could heal, as it became abundantly clear God was not using prayer to magically fix things, these worship lyrics lingered in my addled brain day after long day: “I’m no longer a slave to fear; I am a child of God.” 

I could almost hear God’s voice saying, “This season of suffering isn’t what you need liberation from—this season of suffering is the liberation.”

Honestly, I have no idea what this all ultimately means. I didn’t understand it then, and I’m not sure I understand it now. But while prayer did not make me healthy (years later, I’m still not fully recovered), prayer — God Himself — did get me through.

“…if that prayer was enough for Jesus at his darkest hours, it’s good enough for us in ours: God, here I am.“

Maybe Jesus’ prayers in the garden and Jesus’ prayers on the cross are the examples we need in this mid-faith season of suffering and doubt. Jesus begged for His suffering to ease—begged so hard and long that His anguish looked and felt like bleeding, like dying. But His suffering did not ease, not in the slightest—nor would it in this life. Later that night, He prayed again, this time asking for help to surrender: “If it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done” (Matthew 26:42).

Just a few hours later, Jesus’ final words were these: “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

And some days that might be as far as you can go. But if that prayer was enough for Jesus at his darkest hours, it’s good enough for us in ours: God, here I am. So tired, so worn out. Far too exhausted to hold on to hope, with all this pain and sorrow still here. I put myself into Your hands.

Lord, into Your hands I commit … all of this.

That’s a prayer we can honestly repeat every day.

Adapted from Mid-Faith Crisis by Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague. ©2024 by Catherine McNiel and Jason Hague. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press. www.ivpress.com . 

Catherine McNiel is a chaplain, author, editor, and speaker searching for the creative, redemptive work of God in our ordinary lives. She lives in the Chicagoland area with her husband, three children, and one enormous garden. Catherine holds an MA in human service counseling and is finishing a Master of Divinity at North Park Theological Seminary. Her previous books include Fearing Bravely, All Shall Be Well, and Long Days of Small Things, which was an ECPA finalist for New Author.

In Mid-Faith Crisis: Finding a Path Through Doubt, Disillusionment, and Dead Ends Catherine and coauthor, Jason Hague, guide readers through the complex landscape of doubt and disillusionment. They reassure us that the crisis of faith is not an endpoint but a transformative stage that can lead to a more sincere and robust belief system.

If you’re in the midst of a spiritual reevaluation, Mid Faith Crisis will serve as a beacon of hope, reminding us that while the road may be rocky, the destination holds the promise of deeper faith and connection.

{Our humble thanks to InterVarsity Press for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

How To Really Not Waste Your One Life: You Get To Do this

When we all just past the half way mark through this year, when I just return from my year 2 residency and pass the halfway mark for my doctorate in ministry, I find myself thinking much of time, and how it wildly keeps passing, and what does it mean to live your one glorious life well?

And I unexpectedly end up returning again in my mind to that time when the Farmer and I ended up flying within 4 degrees of the Arctic Circle, to take up the invitation of one of my dearest classmate friends — from when we both were getting our Masters from Wheaton — to come visit her at her home in the Faroe Islands, and she surprises us with this hike up this farm mountainside where they filmed that infamous character James Bond apparently dying, in a movie ironically named, No Time to Die.

It’s a strange thing to find yourself sitting on a peak with wandering sheep on this tipsy top edge of the world & kinda half-smiling at the very real gravestone for the imagined Jame Bond, with that etched abbreviated exhortation of Jack London’s full quote:

“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”

Visiting Faroe Shepherd John who owns this farm on this edge of the world, where the James Bond movie was filmed: John @kallsgardur Shepherd John’s sheep farm where the James Bond movie was filmed: John @kallsgardur

I look over at my grinning Farmer, and all these glorious grooved lines of time lining his face, an underlining of a lifetime of our memories, and I try to memorize this moment here at the jagged raw cliff at the end of the world, and there’s this feeling it:

When you realize all you have is time, all you have is one decision: What ways can you make your time into Love?.

Do not waste your days wanting more days.

It’s like the wind at the top of the world hushes everything, to ask the only question that matters:

What’s the wisest way to live before you die?

The wisest way to live is to know you have no time to waste.

When you realize that time is all you have, you realize all that you don’t want to waste your time on.

Because:

You don’t have a house… all you have is time that you spend on where you live.

You don’t have a vocation… all you have is time that you choose to give away to a vision, a work, a dream.

You don’t really even have a family or children or your people, in the sense that you don’t have, possess, own them … all you really have is time, fleeting time, to say you love them.

That’s what keep thinking about, that when I make another meal, when I fold another load of laundry, “This is how I get to love them, this is how I GET to love them.”

All time is for, is just to get to love — because Love is for forever.

That is to say: When you make time into love, you conquer time, because Love is what goes on forever and without end.

When you realize all you have is time, all you have is one decision: What ways can you make your time into Love?

Running my hands along the engraved lines of the granite gravestone marking the end of Bond, that imagined spy, I can hear the windswept top of the world whispering its secrets to those of us with very real graves coming sooner than we could ever imagine:

Use your time only for what is useful, and it’ll be your very soul that’s left feeling used.

You don’t have to waste your life wanting more time — when you can simply enjoy what time you have even more.

Use your time for more than just what is useful, but for partnering with God to make all things beautiful, and you won’t have anything to fear at your funeral.

The greatest function of humanity is to not merely exist, to not merely exist for self, to not merely exist for enjoyment, the greatest function of humanity is to exalt the God who exists, who births stars and everything into existence, and make all of existence about the beauty of enjoying Him.

The way to live and not merely exist is to make every moment simply about deeply enjoying — deeply enjoying the relentless love and beauty of God.

Because He knows:

Enjoying is what enlarges. Enjoy the wind in the trees, enjoy the laughter of your people, enjoy and savor and notice and give thanks for the grace of this amazing moment right here and now.

You don’t have to waste your life wanting more time — when you can simply enjoy what time you have even more.

Farmer John sharing with us on his sheep farm where the James Bond movie was filmed: John @kallsgardur

Isn’t that what the catechism says:

“What is the chief end of man?“

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever.“

Our first priority everyday is to first enjoy God Almighty and all His grace.

The first and greatest commandment is that we love God, delight in God, enjoy God.

As the Puritan theologian Jonathan Edwards writes, since God’s “happiness consists in enjoying and rejoicing in Himself . . . so does also the creature’s happiness . . . [consist] in rejoicing in God; by which also God is magnified and exalted.”

So now is the time to savor and enjoy God and the grace of now , right now — because enjoying is what enlarges a life, and enjoying is what glorifies God:

Enjoy drippy ice cream and hollyhocks swaying in front of crooked picket fences and laugh too loud with someone today and feel how joy expands your lungs with life while there is still the gift of time here

Enjoy the glory of sky over you, and earth under you, and the wonder of Almighty God with the finiteness of you — and feel how He must love you to make His home in you and with you and through you.

Enjoy this moment and the way the light’s warm at your feet right this instant and you will, if you’re unexpectedly blessed, get to hear you love’s footsteps come back to you again today, and you will find their eyes and you will smile, and your heart will explode a bit, that you get all this miracle at least one more time.

Enjoy all this amazing grace, and make every second of all your time into Love that lasts forever. Everything can be a way to get to Love.

Every moment that we love has eternity in it.

At the top of this big ole windy world, James Bond’s very real gravestone may have written it in granite, that we aren’t here to merely exist, but to live, that right now we have the time to live, fully live.

And you can feel it, there within, written across your ole thrumming ticker, written there by the finger of God, eternity written right into your fiercely beating heart.

Every moment that we love has eternity in it.

Looking for the way through to a deeply meaningful life — that doesn’t waste your only life?

“If there’s a deep disconnect in what we believe and how we actually live —
is it maybe because we’ve forgotten the way to live actually and intimately connected to God? 

Our walk will only match our talk when we live attached to His heart.

This is how we live, fully live, live the love story of our dreams.

This is the way of all the epic Love stories.”  ~ from WayMaker

Come wake to enjoying your one and only life, enjoying God, enjoying the time you have here, your very own WayMaker who will carry you the best way through . 

Struggling to Feel Joyful? Add These 2 Practices to Your Days

When you think about joy, you may not initially think of it as a vulnerable emotion. But if you’ve ever been in a painful season of loss, celebrated a friend who is stepping into something you’ve longed for, or experienced broken relationships, you’ve probably felt like joy is too risky, or maybe even impossible. In an excerpt from her new Bible study, Daring Joy, Nicole Zasowski, a licensed marriage and family therapist, points us to the enduring joy Jesus promises and the profound power of celebration.  It’s a joy to welcome Nicole to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Nicole Zasowski

Exodus 14 describes how the seas parted, and God’s people walked through to their freedom on dry land. In that moment the people of God experienced a profound demonstration of God’s power.

Can you envision the awe of God you might experience after such a revelation of His graciousness and power?

Can you imagine their joy?

Can you fathom their relief? 

The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how the Israelites felt, though Exodus 15 provides some good clues. We find Miriam and the rest of the Israelites responding readily to their joy with thanksgiving. 

Most of the book of Exodus is written as a story. But here in Exodus 15, we get a break from the narrative. The biblical text switches from prose to poetry as the Israelites celebrate their deliverance from Egyptian control, inviting the reader to join the celebration in this song of thanksgiving.  

Say Thanks

“Inherent in thanksgiving is a proclamation of what is true about God’s character now and the ways in which He has been faithful to us in the past. “

This passage offers many examples of praise of God’s character, the power He demonstrated, and the faithfulness He showed His people. The Israelites sang about God being their “strength and [their] song” (v. 2) and how He is “glorious in power” (v. 6) and “majestic in holiness” (v. 11). 

Thanksgiving is one of the best ways to move through the vulnerability of joy.

Instead of practicing disappointment or rehearsing disaster, thanksgiving keeps us focused on what is true in the present.

And naturally, these truth-filled reminders give us courage as we square our shoulders toward the future. Inherent in thanksgiving is a proclamation of what is true about God’s character now and the ways in which He has been faithful to us in the past. 

The Bible often links the practices of joy and thanksgiving, as we see Paul do in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV, emphasis added), “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

Most of us use the terms and ideas of thanksgiving and gratitude interchangeably. But there is a distinct and important difference between the two.

Thanksgiving is the outward expression of the gratitude that we feel in our hearts.

Gratitude involves more than merely noticing the gifts in our lives. It also includes expression and action.

According to professor and clinician Alan Carr’s research, “Gratitude involves recalling these gifts, appreciating their benefits, experiencing positive emotions and expressing this appreciation by showing that we are thankful and generously giving gifts to others.”1 

“Saying truth or thanksgiving out loud allows our brain to process information differently and give more attention to the truth.”

Consider the example of the one leper out of ten healed by Jesus whose joy was exponentially greater than the rest (Luke 17). Overwhelmed with gratitude for what Jesus did for him, he “turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks” (Luke 17:15-16, ESV). 

Saying truth or thanksgiving out loud allows our brain to process information differently and give more attention to the truth.2

Speaking our praise out loud also keeps our praise focused. Most of us are very good at thinking about several things at once, but we can only say one thing at a time. At least seven times in the book of Psalms the psalmists encourage the people of God to offer up thanksgiving to Him through song—out loud! 

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for 

his wondrous works to the children of man! 

And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of 

his deeds in songs of joy! PSALM 107:21-22 (ESV) 

Celebrate in Rhythm

Along with songs of thanksgiving, the Old Testament bears witness to the importance of celebration for the people of God. From songs to holidays and feasts, they regularly celebrated who God is and how He worked in their midst. Here are just a few examples, all from Leviticus 23. 

“Celebrating in rhythm separates joy from our situation. It provides an opportunity to rejoice in God’s goodness and faithfulness regardless of what our circumstances might look like in a given season. “

Passover was a holiday birthed out of the exodus that became an annual rhythm of remembering God’s deliverance of His people from Egyptian slavery (Ex. 12). The Feast of Firstfruits was a feast in which they experienced their gratitude for the harvest and acknowledged their dependence on God. The Day of Atonement was considered a feast, but the people fasted on this day, celebrating God’s abundant provision. The Feast of Booths celebrated God’s protection during their years of wandering in the desert. 

Whether these feasts and festivals were celebrated once a year, every seven years, or every fifty years, the Israelites celebrated not because God’s people felt like they had earned it or because they happened to be in the mood to celebrate, but because it was time to do so.

Celebrating in rhythm separates joy from our situation. It provides an opportunity to rejoice in God’s goodness and faithfulness regardless of what our circumstances might look like in a given season. 

In Exodus 15, we see Miriam and her fellow Israelites expressing their joy in response to miraculous breakthrough in their story. It is good and right for us to celebrate when we experience God’s movement in our lives. But when our celebration is only reactive, we restrict our joy to the far side of a dream realized or a goal achieved. 

A key part of celebrating in rhythm is ongoing reflection on the faithfulness of God.

“Dwelling on how God has been faithful to us in the past reminds us of who God is to us today in our present moment and ignites hope and confidence as we look to the future.“

Dwelling on how God has been faithful to us in the past reminds us of who God is to us today in our present moment and ignites hope and confidence as we look to the future. For the people of God today, this is a reminder of the gospel—God’s faithfulness to redeem His people from sin by sending Jesus to live, die, and rise again, conquering our sin and uniting us with God for eternity. What better cause for celebration do we have than this? 

When celebration is a rhythm and not a reaction, we remember God’s goodness instead of simply rewarding ourselves for our own. We can all think of situations or seasons in which we’ve thought, “I didn’t ask for this . . . ” Celebrating in rhythm—even through things like gathering weekly at church—helps us remember what is still true about the character of God and the fact that He is still present in those places of our story that we didn’t ask for.

When we put our trust in Jesus, celebration is no longer circumstantial. 

1.  Alan Carr, Positive Psychology and You (Oxfordshire: Routledge, 2019).  2.  T. D. Hargrave and S.A. Hargrave, 5 Days to a New Self (Amarillo: Hideaway Foundation, 2015). 

Nicole Zaswoski is a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of What If It’s Wonderful?, From Lost to Found, and her new Bible study, Daring Joy.  As an old soul who wears her heart proudly on her sleeve, she enjoys writing and speaking on topics that merge her professional knowledge, faith, and personal experience. Nicole lives in Connecticut with her husband, Jimmy, and their three young children. You can connect with Nicole on Instagram @nicolezasowski and her website: nicolezasowski.com. 

Over 7 sessions, the Daring Joy Bible study explores the powerful stories of 6 women from the Bible who teach us about the vulnerability of joy and the profound power of celebration. They reveal that abundant joy is not only possible—it’s something God deeply desires for each of us. Don’t let your fear of heartbreak keep you from experiencing the full, beautiful life God has for you. Learn more at lifeway.com/daringjoy.  

{Our humble thanks to LifeWay for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {05.24.2025}

Happy, happy, happy weekend!

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…

Smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything —

and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))! 

Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

Photo by Karsten Würth 

Photo by Martin Katler

Photo by Alen Rojnić

Photo by Lopez Robin

Photo by Angelo Casto 

Soak in all the beauty this week, right here! Heart Vitamins for you this week:Defeating Fear & Doubt by Listening to God’s Story for YOU!So soul-encouraging Staying Faithful When You Feel Forgotten with Christine Caine TUNE IN: WATCH HERE“If joy can me mind, it can be yours” You have to watch this! WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE THIS, THIS: Read HereSOUL LEARNING 101 this week:“Christian Formation According to Edwards”LIFECHANGING LISTEN “HOW TO SAVE A LIFE!” with Candace Cameron BureYESSSSS! The best!Do we choose to Praise in the Valley? You need to watch this! “Why Should I let you in? … The price has been paid WOW! So moving! Recipes for you this week: Lemon Chicken Katsu Bowl — Trying this week! A MUST TRY! Roasted pumpkin, Cous cous & feta salad This looks so good! Resources this week for you: Discover the Power of Listening to the Bible on Dwell YES PLEASEA 7 week Study on Friendship from the Live Original team Don’t miss this!POST OF THE WEEK FROM THESE PARTS HERE… “About What You Really Own, Ukraine, Heart Surgery, True Discipleship & New Hearts” I put my steaming cup down on one of the coasters on the coffee table between us and just frankly ask Nelu and Delia, who live a 15 plus hour drive from the Ukrainian border:“But, can I just ask you? In this war with Russia and Ukraine, with families now finding themselves refugees, looking for safe shelter, how do you build margin in your life…  margin in your heart… to care enough to open your life — open your heart? How do you do that?” I’m not sure I really expected what Nelu would say next. DON’T LEAVE THE INTERNET BEFORE READING THIS TODAY!! Encouragement for the Mothers this week:How To Find FREEDOM In God’s LoveWOW! God Provides, Again and AgainYES! THIS!! Mom Guilt and the Gospel with Emily Jensen + Laura WiflerDon’t miss this!Pursuing Your Passions and Finding Yourself in MotherhoodWatch here!Ready to smile this weekend?!!Baby Fever!! SO SO CUTEWe need this energy This is AMAZING! Absolutely unreal! This is beautiful!When they see each other Can’t stop watching!So so cool! Wow! So beautiful! Tears are flowing!Creative Inspiration for your Weekend: Patient Creativity: What Making Art Can Teach Us About Motherhood I was so inspired! Click Here.“A High Calling : Christians in the Arts” from the Gospel Coalition Don’t miss this read: God is in our stories Click here to watch! Psalm 91 Beautiful! Thoughts to Really Ponder this weekIt’s Time to Anticipate EMPOWERMENT from GodDon’t miss thisMidwifing a Miracle with Lisa HarperDoesn’t this resonate: LISTENThe Personal Pentecost and the Glorious Hope I found this so moving7 Different Types of Prayer from the Bible Really, so thinking about this WOULD LOVE TO SIT WITH YOU: CLICK FOR YOUR TICKET What we’re Listening to on the Farm this weekOpen The Eyes of My Heart“Worthy / You Are Holy / We Fall Down”on the book stack at the farm

Aundi’s newest offering, Take What You Need: Soft Words for Hard Days, is a collection of quotes from her writing designed to be a healing balm when life is too much and you need to remember you’re not alone.  For when the day is long. When you are afraid. When you don’t know what to say to someone you love. When you feel alone. When you’re questioning everything. When you wonder if God is with you. When the bottom falls out. When you don’t know what’s next. When you do something courageous. When you don’t know how to have hope. When you need to know you can try softer. When you’re learning to show up for yourself. You can follow Aundi’s work on Instagram at @aundikolber or at aundikolber.com. 

His latest book, How to Read the Bible: A Simple Guide to Deeper Intimacy with God, is a simple and practical guide to studying and understanding Scripture that will help you see the Bible as a priceless treasure that reveals God’s love for you and His relentless pursuit of a deeper relationship. As you dive into the richness of the Bible using this proven, step-by-step approach, you will learn to avoid common pitfalls in interpretation, savor scriptures through meditation and prayer, and apply timeless truths to every area of your life. How to Read the Bible equips you to better understand not only the Word of God but also the love of God and His plan for the world.

Um … wow (!!) #1 Bestseller at ECPA: Loved to Life ! Only God! And it’s ON SALE right now at Amazon: 30% off right now!

Pick up  Loved to Life: A 40-Day VISUAL Pilgrimage with Jesus, that will:

give you enlightening insights to calm your real worriesground your identity in who you really are, regardless of failuresspeak to your deepest doubts in a profoundly steading wayand walk you in fresh, intimate ways with Jesus, Love Himself, that will grow your soul into real LIFEAND (!!) OUR GRATITUDE JOURNAL IS NEARLY 50% OFF! STOCK UP FOR GIFTS BEST GRATITUDE JOURNAL: Nearly 50% off

Download yours free when you subscribe to emailsLet’s end with something gentle today: Worship in your loving room with us

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. 

When You Need Soft Words for Your Hard Days

As a survivor of complex trauma and a licensed therapist, Aundi Kolber compassionately and authentically guides on a journey toward healing. It’s an honor of Aundi’s life to resource people on their own path to wholeness and to point them to the Author of Healing. It’s such a joy to welcome Aundi to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Aundi Kolber

Sometimes I’ve wished for different story, but there is no gentle way to say this:

For most of my life, I was terrified of my dad.

Truth be told, I had reason to be. For decades I fantasized about what it might be like to have a dad who embodied the God I have come to know and love and give my life to. But my reality was so very different.

In truth, he was chaotic, violent, punishing, and manipulative. Before I had words for it, I learned to walk on eggshells and contort, shrink, and conform myself around a person whose first role and calling was to love me—but instead taught me that love equated to being harmed. When I think back to many younger versions of myself, I feel a bit breathless, realizing how vulnerable I was to his abuse. Even after twenty years of my own healing journey, becoming a licensed trauma therapist, and experiencing the beauty of God-with-me again and again, this reality is still stunning to sit with sometimes. 

To adapt to my dad and the threat I constantly faced, I became hyperattuned not only to him but to what others wanted from me in order to keep the peace. (I had learned the alternative could be horrible.) This, in turn, meant that instead of taking what I actually needed, I took what I assumed others thought was okay for me to need.

Even simple questions like Do you need help? Do you want to stay or go? Which restaurant sounds best? would often be met first by anxiety and then the sinking feeling of deferment to what I thought I must say, instead of what I actually felt.

I often unconsciously transferred my fear of my father to almost everyone, because this was the template I had been given about having needs and a voice. Now, it’s important to state, there is nothing inherently wrong with those types of questions; they are quite understandable and fair. But you see, I learned to bypass my body, mind, and spirit very early as a strategy to survive.

Even when the panic around displeasing someone dissipated, the shame I carried around having needs was profound.

This kept me from voicing the truth of my experience and sometimes kept me from the important conversations that are bound to happen in interpersonal dynamics where we learn to give and take. It is incredibly common for trauma survivors to internalize the belief that they don’t have a choice or voice in their own experience, the aftermath of actually having those bits of agency ripped away in the first place.

“What I have witnessed—in my clients, my readers, my loved ones, and myself—is that as we return agency, affirm dignity, and honor our ability to listen to our God-given needs, we tap into the softness and strength of healing. We create space for repair.“

This is often the cost of unresolved trauma: that even after the event ends, our body still carries the imprint of the pain like a thousand splinters never removed. Yet, I have found it’s possible to reclaim connection to our God-given body and needs; in fact it’s foundational.

I have come to believe it’s more than okay to access and receive what I need, in order that I may participate with God in tending the wounds underneath. In a way, this is part of the repair necessary for all the younger ages of me who never felt safe enough to do just that. 

Why do I share this with you? 

Well, I’ve observed how common this situation is—and not only for trauma survivors, but often for anyone trying to survive in a world with much pain and destruction.

How often are we required to disconnect from our internal compass—the part of us who knows if we’re thirsty, hungry, sad, or alone—just to navigate all that comes our way?

In my work as both a therapist and trauma survivor, I have come to learn the essentialness of feeling free to listen to the still small voice inside of us that supports us in discernment. This is where we can listen for “God with us.” This is what helps us know how to love our neighbors from a place of integrity and authenticity. And this is where we can listen to the embedded wisdom placed within us. But for those who have a history of unresolved trauma or pain, this experience of having access to this inner wisdom can feel snuffed out. 

And yet. What I have witnessed—in my clients, my readers, my loved ones, and myself—is that as we return agency, affirm dignity, and honor our ability to listen to our God-given needs, we tap into the softness and strength of healing. We create space for repair.

I’ve come to think of the work I do as both a therapist and an author as a sort of hospitality: a way in which I can offer nourishment where there may be fear, pain, loss, or trauma. Like the God who promises to set a table for us with good things, it is my desire to follow this model.

“I wonder if you can sense the invitation from your Maker to come, be seen, be known, be loved—to take what you need. “

I find that many of us are starved for hope, care, attunement, and compassion. Many of us are hungry, but for more than just food. We need to know that not only can we partake of the sustenance, but we can do so in the way and at the pace that will actually support us. 

Today, dear reader, I wonder if you can sense the invitation from your Maker to come, be seen, be known, be loved—to take what you need.

You, too, are invited to the table of God’s goodness.

There is more than enough—for each of us.

May we each come to see the way the Author of Healing is with us and for us in this work of wholeness. 

—Adapted from Take What You Need

Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor (MA, LPC) and the bestselling author of the critically acclaimed books Try Softer and Strong like Water. She has received additional training in her specialization of trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. Aundi has appeared on Good Morning America, regularly speaks at national events, and is a frequent podcast guest. 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.

Aundi’s newest offering, Take What You Need: Soft Words for Hard Days, is a collection of quotes from her writing designed to be a healing balm when life is too much and you need to remember you’re not alone. You can follow Aundi’s work on Instagram at @aundikolber or at aundikolber.com. 

{Our humble thanks to Tyndale Refresh for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

About What You Really Own, Ukraine, Heart Surgery, True Discipleship & New Hearts

“I was raised in a Baptist family under communism, under Russian occupation before that,” Nelu, and his wife, Delia, sit across from us, warm spring sunlight falling across his shoulder, across the floors of their modest, welcoming Romanian home.

It’s early spring and Nelu and Delia have opened up their home to us, as they have for countless Ukrainian families fleeing war the last three years.

“So now with this Ukrainian crisis and families fleeing war, it’s natural that God’s called us, Delia and I, to open our home.” Nelu stops himself. “Well, maybe not natural, but supernatural, because doesn’t God supernaturally give His heart for all people, to all of His people?”

“Doesn’t God supernaturally give His heart for all people, to all of His people?”

I put my steaming cup down on one of the coasters on the coffee table between us and just frankly ask Nelu and Delia, who live a 15 plus hour drive from the Ukrainian border:

“But, can I just ask you? In this war with Russia and Ukraine, with families now finding themselves refugees, looking for safe shelter, how do you build margin in your life…  margin in your heart… to care enough to open your life — open your heart? How do you do that?”

I’m not sure I really expected what Nelu would say next. 

“Well, I think I just maybe to first understand,” Nelu leans back in his chair.

“As nations, politically, Romania and Ukraine have not always been friends. I’m aware of the politics. I am aware of the history. Wrongs have been done. But it’s not about getting all wrapped up in who is right or who is wrong, when it comes down to being about people being in need.” Then Nelu says it with slow and steady certainty:

“And before hearing my testimony about God, people need to feel my testimony of the love of God.”

I may be nodding with Nelu’s words — but it’s his lived words are stirring an inescapably deep conviction within: 

Who can genuinely be a testimony for God, unless they daily live the generosity of God?

Who can genuinely be a testimony for God, unless they daily live the generosity of God?

“I’ve just really tried to imagine what it’s like to be Ukranian –  I have tried to put myself in their shoes,” Nelu’s speaking quietly, the sunlight moving further across the floor, across his own shoes. 

Only when we keep trying to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, are we actually walking in company with God. 

“We had a Ukrainian family come here to the door,” Nelu turns toward Delia who is nodding, remembering, with him.

“He was a doctor. 65 years old. Retired with his wife. And they were trying, in this very small car, to get his elderly father and mother out of the war. I still don’t get how they got it all into this small car, packed full with goods, with a wheelchair inside, because his father was paralytic, and his mother somehow was squeezed in the front seat, and he was trying to get to France to leave his parents there,” Nelu pauses, gazes out his window.

“And if he was 65, how old were his parents? And this man…. this man had been a heart surgeon, and he was going back into Ukraine to war zones, to the injured, to help. But he said that he first wanted to get his parents out, and how could we help?” Nelu turns back twoard Delia and I, and he speaks with emotion:

“I mean, I could not grasp the pain and the suffering they were all going through. How can you understand this kind of suffering and despair?” 

Sometimes your mind doesn’t have to fully understand, for your heart to begin to undergo a surgery of its own. 

Only when we keep trying to put ourselves in other people’s shoes, are we actually walking in company with God.

“And frankly… the first thing is..,” Nelu adjusts his glasses, and then he says words that what feel like the beginning of a interior heart work : “I mean, the first thing that we have to do as a person is to actually realize:  

You do not own anything.” 

The room’s filling with all this morning light.

And Nelu’s words are filling me, doing this careful operation of their own. I write his words down, not wanting to forget any of them, what he’s saying, what he’s living. 

What if the first thing a Christ-follower has to realize is that you do not actually ultimately own anything in the end? You don’t ultimately own your very life….. and everything you have in life? 

“As long as we think we own anything, that thing owns us. As soon as we know that we own nothing, then God owns us,” is what the theologian A.W. Tozer said. 

Only when we live out the reality that we don’t ultimately own anything, does God, in reality, finally own all of us.

Would this change everything — and the whole world?

“Everything under heaven belongs to Me,” the Lord says to Job then, and to us now (Job 41:11).

Only when we live out the reality that we don’t ultimately own anything, does God, in reality, finally own all of us.

“When I was just a young kid in the ‘80s, under communism, my Grandma, who virtually had nothing, she regularly made food for 20,” Nelu’s taps the fingers across his own hand.

“Food for people in need, for soldiers coming from the UK, for missionary teams coming to help as communism begins to fall in Romania. Somehow God provides and He just says to you, ‘I need you to do this, and you just do it.’ This is a legacy of my family: This real realisation that you really don’t own anything.”

Do we finally have the legacy we long for…. when we finally accept that we ultimately own nothing?

What’s being cut open and healed in my own heart?

“To the Lord your God belongs… the earth and everything in it,” is how the Infallible Word underlines who ultimately owns everything (Deuteronomy 10:14).

I feel like I am having a heart surgery of my own:

Is there a crisis of discipleship because, in part, we have conflated the cultural narrative of personal ownership…. with the Christian call to faithful stewardship?   

Photo Credit Ester Havens

Nelu’s quietly waves his hand to punctuate his point:

“Everything that we seem to have, it’s not something that we actually own; it’s only something that we have been entrusted to only steward, to only manage.”

When you finally manage to realize you’re never an owner, but always only a manager, God finally owns all of your attention. 

When you finally manage to realize you’re never an owner, but always only a manager, God finally owns all of your attention. 

 “Then it’s easy to open up your life, or your house – because neither actually really are your own,” Nelu’s voice is steady, sure… cutting straight to the quick. 

God Himself agrees, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

And I think of one of my assigned reading this term for my doctorate in ministry, in regards to the early New Testament church, and how the very first Christians were instructed to be faithful disciples by their pastors: “Pastors enrolled new believers in a training program to prepare them for church membership….These manuals provided moral instruction for the Christian community too. One such manual, the Didache, states, “Do not be one who holds his hand out to take, but shuts it when it comes to giving… Do not hesitate to give and do not give with a bad grace. . . . Do not turn your back on the needy, but share everything with your brother and call nothing your own.” (Didache, in Early Christian Fathers, p. 173. as quoted in Water from a Deep Well: Gerald L. Sittser and Eugene H. Peterson)

What is more important–— the stuff we have, or the testimony we have for God?

Nelu sets his coffee cup back down and Delia begins to tell us how she keeps the fridge stocked and ready to serve a meal at short notice for anyone who comes to the door, anyone in need passing through.

It strikes me, as the light fills the room — how much they look they have the hearts of very first New Testament Christians.

When you own nothing, nor are your own — but God owns you, and everything — then you are free to live a kind of generosity with everything –  which ultimately gives God a great testimony. 

What is more important–— the stuff we have, or the testimony we have for God?

Does true Christian discipleship only begin when we accept there is no such thing as ultimate ownership, but only faithful stewardship?

Where do I want to have pretty stuff and lovely things, more than I want to live a powerful cruciform story of actually loving?

Does true Christian discipleship only begin when we accept there is no such thing as ultimate ownership, only faithful stewardship?

I’m not sure I’d known that before we sat down with Nelu and Delia, but it lingers long afterward, like there’s been a healing in these loud and strange times of self first, like there’s been a needed interior heart surgery, and the realization feels like amazing grace:

The heart is a muscle – the more it supernaturally opens, the stronger it becomes. 

Related: Our series of posts from Romania, interviewing Romanian Christians who have welcomed Ukrainians fleeing war:

Part 1: What to think of when you think of the world, Ukraine, and the heart of Jesus

Part 2: And picked up at Christianity Today: Real Christianity Amidst War

You aren’t alone. And Jesus is with us, within us, to cause us love like Him.

God knows what it feels like to be where you are, where you have been — and He’s here to give us a new heart.

God Himself knows how hard this broken planet is―He’s walked where you’ve walked. But out of those hard, dusty roads emerges a way into the exhilarating life you’ve longed to fully experience — that exudes His kind of Love. 

This is the truest story in the whole universe: God is the only One who has ever loved you to death and came to resurrect you into the fullest life you always hoped for.

Embark on a 40-day spiritual pilgrimage following the entire life of Jesus through the Gospel of John — a 40-day pilgrimage to move you from barely getting through―to passionately living like Jesus Himself!

When You Want To Be Part of a Bigger Story: Don’t Let The Word Stop With You

This man has been such a faithful prayer warrior and friend to our family — David Platt‘s a deeply humble servant with a heart stretching wide for the Word of God and the beauty of His people across the nations and he’s seen firsthand how the Word doesn’t just shape us but is meant to spill over, spread out, and reach into the farthest corners of the earth. It’s a humble honor to welcome David Platt to the farm’s table today, drawing us near to the heart of God through the living and active power of His Word.

Guest Post by David Platt

I have often asked followers of Jesus this question: Are you a receiver or a reproducer of God’s Word?

The illustration that always comes to my mind involves a group of persecuted brothers and sisters I once spent time with in Sudan.

Imagine walking with me into a thatched hut with a small group of Sudanese church leaders, where we sit down to study God’s Word together. As soon as we begin, we notice that each of them is writing down all that we’re discussing. They come up to us afterward and say, “We are going to take everything we have learned from God’s Word, translate it into our languages, and share it with our tribes.”

They are not just listening to receive; they are listening to reproduce.

So what about you?

I think most of us, at best, are prone to stop at receiving God’s Word. Even if we desire to learn God’s Word, our default is still to listen with a self-centered mindset that asks, What can I get out of it? But the second-greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves. That means we need to reframe this question—and our entire mindset—so that we ask, What can I get out of God’s Word and how can I share it with others?

“After two thousand years of Christian history, during which many people gave their lives for spreading God’s Word to different language groups, you and I could be the generation of God’s people to actually complete this task.“

God’s Word is worth giving our lives to spread.

After all, that’s how we have God’s Word: because people have given their lives to spread it to us.

Whenever you hold a Bible in your hands that is written in your language, you see the labors of people who sacrificed their lives for your sake. For me, when I see the Bible in English, I realize that people died to translate it into my language centuries ago, and I thank God for all the people who have worked to make sure it was passed on to me. What a treasure we possess in being able to hear God speak to you and me!

And that’s the point. This Word is not just for you and me. There are over seven thousand languages in the world, but because the Bible has not yet been translated into many of these languages, millions upon millions of people are unable to read God’s Word. Multitudes of others have access to only parts of Scripture.

This is a sobering reality, but here’s the good news: We have the opportunity in our generation to translate the Bible into every one of these remaining languages. Due to a variety of factors, including technological advancements and unprecedented cooperation and collaboration among Bible translation workers, it is possible that almost every person on earth will have a copy of God’s Word in their own language within the next several decades.

Do you realize the time in which we are living? After two thousand years of Christian history, during which many people gave their lives for spreading God’s Word to different language groups, you and I could be the generation of God’s people to actually complete this task.

So let’s spread His Word today.

Let’s start by simply sharing His Word with people around us. In Jesus’ parting command after his resurrection, we find him instructing his followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them in his name (Matthew 28:19–20).

When we see the word teaching, many of us think, Since I’m not a preacher or don’t have a gift for teaching God’s Word, this is not for me. And yes, the Bible does talk about gifts and callings related to teaching God’s Word, but that’s not the only way it speaks of passing on his Word to others.

“God’s Word should saturate our conversations all day long, from the kitchen table to the classroom to the office to the streets – wherever we go and amidst whatever we’re doing“

In fact, God says to all of his people, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7).

In other words, God’s Word should saturate our conversations all day long, from the kitchen table to the classroom to the office to the streets – wherever we go and amidst whatever we’re doing.

And these instructions from God in the Old Testament lay the foundation for Jesus’ instructions in the New Testament. Jesus is telling each of us to pass God’s Word on to others in a way that helps them know and obey it.

Then, let’s make God’s Word accessible to people who are far from us.

Let’s use the resources God has entrusted to us to get this Word that we possess to every people group and person in the world.

In the end, let’s live every day like God’s Word is not intended to stop with us when it is intended to spread through us.

This book is a must read — and to have on hand for family, for gifts — deeply encouraging, needful read!

David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church in metro Washington, D.C. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the nations. David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.

His latest book, How to Read the Bible: A Simple Guide to Deeper Intimacy with God, is a simple and practical guide to studying and understanding Scripture that will help you see the Bible as a priceless treasure that reveals God’s love for you and His relentless pursuit of a deeper relationship. As you dive into the richness of the Bible using this proven, step-by-step approach, you will learn to avoid common pitfalls in interpretation, savor scriptures through meditation and prayer, and apply timeless truths to every area of your life. How to Read the Bible equips you to better understand not only the Word of God but also the love of God and His plan for the world.

{Our humble thanks to Thomas Nelson for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {05.17.2025}

Happy, happy, happy weekend!

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…

Smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything —

and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))! 

Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

Photo by Léa Delligne 

Spring is here and we need all the Flowers! Heart Vitamins for you this week:A People Called by the Grace of GodSo soul-encouraging There is no Condemnation – Romans 8 TUNE IN: WATCH HEREevangelism in the Park You have to watch this! SUE’S KIDS THIS, THIS: Read here:SOUL LEARNING 101 this week:“You Must Lose Yourself to Find Yourself” with Tim KellerLIFECHANGING LISTEN How To Seek God’s STRENGTH In Our WEAKEST MomentsYESSSSS! The best!The Trinity—Your Pressing Questions Answered You need to watch this! Have we decided to follow Jesus… Really? WOW! So moving! Make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord:Jesus is Alive Pretty incredible! I thank God God is stirring revival!Recipes for you to try this week!

with warm weather coming in, I thought it would be the perfect time for us all to try some fun, new, spring drinks!

Learn how to make your own syrup YES PLEASELook at all of these delicious drinks! A MUST TRY!POST OF THE WEEK FROM THESE PARTS HERE… We’ve Been Picked up by Christianity today:“Real Christianity Amid War” So this Ukranian man handed me a cup of coffee & said some truth bombs that shook Me beautifully AWAKE to what it means to really  love  Jesus, to live  real Christianity.  
It’s true: There is a kind of Christian love that embodies cruciform generosity because the image of God is in all of humanity. 

Don’t miss this one & how to live real Christianity … 

DON’T LEAVE THE INTERNET BEFORE READING THIS TODAY!! Encouragement for the Mothers this week:A Messy Conversation About ParentingWOW! Motherhood: There Is No Formula with Jinger VuoloYES! THIS!! How slowing down can make us better parents don’t miss this! These Women Changed the World! Read here! Ready to smile this weekend?!!This is Precious I LOVE this:Woke up Praising This is AMAZING! All from Dry Shampoo The CUTEST!Pure Utter JOY Can’t stop watching!An Attitude of GratitudeYESS!! THIS! A mother’s Love Tears are flowing!Creative Inspiration for your Weekend: How I write I was so inspired! Click here:So so beautiful! Beauty!We need to try this! Click here to watch! Need some inspo today? Beautiful! Thoughts to Really Ponder this weekStaying Consistent with Your Quiet TimeDon’t miss this: Midwifing a Miracle with Lisa HarperDoesn’t this resonate: LISTENJesus saw people I found this so movingWow! do we need this! Really, so thinking about thisThere is real evidence for The Resurrection of Jesus You need to watch! Maybe your book club the secret to better living? Made me want to start a club! WOULD LOVE TO SIT WITH YOU: CLICK FOR YOUR TICKET What we’re Listening to on the Farm this weekBrooke Nicholls: Glory to god! “Lord I need you” : Being there for this choked me upWhat Is A Christian Response to Refugees & Immigrants?

“… it seems everyone is up in arms about immigrants and refugees. The issue is often framed as a political debate. But for Christians, how we care for outsiders is far more than a policy question….” — David Platt

David Platt has thoughtful words to consider hereon the book stack at the farm

In Desperate Woman Seeks Friends, Kristen Strong shares with you the pitfalls and possibilities of putting yourself out there—and why it’s worth it to keep trying for the friends you need. Research shows friends are as important for our overall welfare as healthy eating habits and a good night’s sleep, and in this book, Kristen gives you a game plan for finding your friendship groove. Through tell-it-like-it-is talk and vulnerable stories, she wants to help you be a good friend to yourself and others through principles and practices that give life to your friendships. And Kristen wants to show you that while friends may fail you, your Friend Jesus never will. You’re meant to have lasting friendships that feed your heart and soul—you are not the exception.  

In Hope for My Hurting Heart, Linda Dillow offers practical wisdom, real-life stories, and biblical teachings to help you navigate pain and loss and find hope and healing through God’s love. Learn what it looks like to experience God’s presence in the midst of pain. A practical heart skill is included in each chapter. 

Want to start your own Adoration Girls group? Use the eight-week Bible study as a guide for your gathering. Or use the study to help you grow in your own spiritual journey. 

I’m devouring this book — absolute page-turner of a book about the kind of life I really want in the end.  Brilliant!

The term “theology” is often associated with academics in dusty offices. However, good theology is anything but sterile subject matter—it is meant to be lived, because God isn’t a proposition to be examined, He’s a Creator Redeemer with whom we get to engage! Join Lisa Harper for this substantive yet intentionally unstuffy exploration of biblical truths that really matter in A Jesus-Shaped Life. Learn more at LisaHarper.org.

The Story of Joseph offers the hope of redemption for every family, no matter how broken. In this new 8-week study you’ll dive deep into Joseph’s family tree and discover that even in the face of dysfunction, deceit, and deep pain, God as at work. He has a good plan, and He is building a beautiful family for His glory.

Um … wow (!!) #1 Bestseller at ECPA: Loved to Life ! Only God!And it’s ON SALE right now at Amazon: 30% off right now! TARGET IS ALSO HAVING A SALE OF 30% OFF RIGHT NOW

Pick up  Loved to Life: A 40-Day VISUAL Pilgrimage with Jesus, that will:

give you enlightening insights to calm your real worriesground your identity in who you really are, regardless of failuresspeak to your deepest doubts in a profoundly steading wayand walk you in fresh, intimate ways with Jesus, Love Himself, that will grow your soul into real LIFEAND (!!) JUST HEARD THAT BOTH OUR JOURNALS ARE NEARLY 50% OFF! STOCK UP FOR GIFTS BEST GRATITUDE JOURNAL: Nearly 50% off AND I BEGIN EVERY DAY WITH THE SACRED PRAYER JOURNAL: Nearly 50% off

Download yours here: Let’s end with this: Worship At Golden Hour:

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.