Ann Voskamp's Blog, page 11

When Discontent Knocks at the Door, Remember the Faithfulness of God

I just absolutely love, love, love this woman and have been discipled by her anointed wisdom time and again. Phylicia Masonheimer is a wise teacher who shows us how to anchor our faith in the “why” behind the Word. Phylicia is a blogger, author, speaker, and podcast host with a passion for helping believers truly know what they believe and live it with fearless boldness. She lives with her husband, Josh, and their three children on a northern Michigan farm. It’s beyond a deep joy to welcome Phylicia Masonheimer to the farm’s table with this tender reassurance for our restless hearts: that maybe the home we have is exactly where Jesus wants to meet us.

Guest Post by Phylicia Masonheimer

Every year during Easter I call Good Friday “Black Friday.”

I confused them once and my mind can’t undo it. For some reason “Black Friday” sounds more appropriate for a crucifixion than for a day dedicated to mass materialism. I’ve always found it highly ironic that Black Friday, a day dedicated to shopping, comes less than twenty-four hours after we gather to give thanks for what we have. 

It’s tempting to scroll through the endless gift guides: for him, for her, for the kids. I love seeing the recommendations.

I tell myself I do in fact need that ice machine; the one in our fridge keeps clogging up. Or maybe an air fryer instead? Those are all the rage. Could I use some cute pajamas? I’m sure Josh is tired of me wandering about the house looking like the ghost of grandmas past in my floor-length white nightgown. And there are the books, for which I have no limits on budget or amount.

In the midst of these gift guide suggestions, there’s always one slide that stops me: for the home. Here I find sheets, candles, acrylic chairs, centerpieces, cast iron pans, wooden spoons, trendy trash cans, and throw pillows all beckoning my attention. All promising me: Once you buy this, your home will be worthy.

Discontentment and envy blind us to the goodness of the home beneath our feet, the provision already in our hands.

And the battle for Christians in today’s society is to “keep [our] lives free from the love of money and be content with what [we] have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

“…the key to contentment is a strong faith that God will take care of us.“

The author of Hebrews told us that the key to contentment is a strong faith that God will take care of us. We can be free of the love of money and be fully content in the homes we have when we are confident that God will not leave us.

If we flip the argument, the author of Hebrews implied that envious, discontent people believe God is untrustworthy.

When we choose discontentment, we’re essentially saying: “What You’ve given me is not enough. I don’t think You really love me. You won’t take care of me, so I need to take care of myself.” This kind of discontentment is often flanked by anxiety and urgency; a desperation to grasp the thing we believe will calm our roiling desires. 

So when Black Friday sales offer up yet another perfect home, our anxious hearts become blind to God’s provision.

If I only had a kitchen like that, I would have people over. 

If I had a closet like that, I would feel confident in myself. 

If I had a living room like that, I would take better care of my house.

“Discontent always lives in the future, never in the present. It consumes every good thing and is unable to see the beauty right in front of it, chewing up the goodness but hungry for more.“

Discontent always lives in the future, never in the present. It consumes every good thing and is unable to see the beauty right in front of it, chewing up the goodness but hungry for more. If I had this, if I had that, if it were different prevents I’m so glad I have . . . , I’m so grateful for . . . , I’m living an answered prayer.

Discontentment is an insatiable beast, which is why it depends so much on envy; envy keeps it alive with a daily reminder of what is lacking. To kill discontent we must first kill envy. To do that, we must return to Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (NIV, emphasis mine).

The author of Hebrews commanded us—in God’s authority— to reject materialism and to choose contentment. But he does not do so arbitrarily. He told us we can obey these commands (he assumed our success) because God will never leave us. He was not saying to recite verses or tell ourselves God won’t leave. He was saying: God is not leaving you, and that is your present reality. Will you trust this is true or not? Because God will not leave you or neglect you, you can choose contentment. You can trust God’s heart for you. You can reject an urgency about money and status because God is for you.

You don’t need the Instagram house to be loved by Him. The espresso machine is not evidence of more or less favor. More money, a nicer kitchen—these are not sinful. It is not wrong to be rich; it is not wrong to be poor. But it is wrong to place ourselves in God’s rightful role as provider: Jehovah-jireh.

Discontentment destroys a good, beautiful, and true homelife. Only those whose eyes can see beauty in the most average, mundane places will find fulfillment in the regular days of home.

“If Jesus saw humble homes as worthy of His presence, worthy of good work, worthy of feasting, who are we to say they are not?“

This is why discontent is so evil. It robs us of eyes to see. It keeps us from seeing the ways God is already providing. It tells us our blessings aren’t good enough. It isolates us, locks our doors, empties our table, and turns us self-centered—making us paranoid and insecure. Discontent is a liar, a robber, and a cheat, and God offers us a way out: faith. We can’t move to a deeper, richer theology of home until we deal with this lack of trust in our hearts. 

I often think about the homes Jesus entered during His ministry. Humble homes, wealthy homes. Accepted homes, unaccepted homes. Jesus displayed no favoritism when it came to the tables at which He dined. He dined with prostitutes (Luke 5:30), dishonest government officials (Luke 19:1–10), and members of the religious elite who would eventually have Him killed (Luke 11:37–54). Jesus did not hesitate to gather with people and speak truth and love, regardless of their financial status. If Jesus saw humble homes as worthy of His presence, worthy of good work, worthy of feasting, who are we to say they are not?

God’s provision, and our reliance upon it, brings contentment and restores our joy.

Recognizing that we are not owners but stewards should encourage us to be faithful with the precious little God has given, knowing that our faithfulness with what is small builds character for greater stewardship down the road.

This is nitty-gritty.  It’s as practical as making the effort to care for the hand-me-down furniture, setting up a cleaning routine for your week, and doing the dishes after each meal so they don’t pile up for your spouse or roommate. Stewardship grows diligence, patience, and a grateful heart. These attributes are gifts in themselves, but they also grant a lovely side benefit: the ability to love the home you have. 

“Loving the home you have is an act of defiance against discontent. “

That’s what contentment is, really. Learning to love the goodness in what you’ve been given rather than striving for more and better. Contentment doesn’t end our dreaming or dash our hopes; it simply looks with grateful eyes on the beauty already here.  

Loving the home you have is an act of defiance against discontent. 

God has given each of us a little something—a little corner of a house or perhaps a large and sprawling abode.

Whatever He has given is meant to be loved and stewarded well, then shared with others so they can experience His goodness too. As we live out a content, grateful posture, we often find that the things we thought so ugly, so inconvenient, and so subpar have worked a change in us that a perfect kitchen never could have accomplished.  

Maybe the home you have is the kind Jesus would have liked to visit. Can you love it, just as it is?

I cannot recommend this book highly enough!
Phylicia Masonheimer is a blogger, author, speaker and podcast host teaching Christians how to know what they believe and live it boldly. Her heart is to teach women the history and depth of the Christian faith; the “why” behind the Bible. Her social media and blog cover topics ranging from sexuality to motherhood to Bible study and faith in seasons of grief and loss.

In Every Home a Foundation, Phylicia Masonheimer invites readers to reconsider their view of home. The Christian home is an image of both a coming spiritual reality and the existing spiritual reality of our family, the church. Through Christ, we can heal and build a home that brings joy to us and love to others.

Every Home a Foundation will transform readers’ view of home from a place of boredom to a place of purpose, train them to find joy in their daily tasks, and equip them to use their home to love others well. Home is much more than a physical structure—it’s a place of belonging and connection that has been strongly tied to God’s mission from the beginning. God wants to build a home for His people, emphasizing the importance of homes as central for the Christian life.

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

Want to be Formed by Love: What Shapes Us Shapes Our Families

Kayla Craig writes with a soulful, reflective honesty that invites us to seek the sacred in our everyday moments. As we journey into Spring, her words invite us to intentionally reflect on what’s shaping us and our families—what’s leaving fingerprints on our hearts, minds, and homes. With her warm wisdom, Kayla offers not only a reflection on spiritual formation but also a prayer to borrow and questions to spark meaningful family conversations. This is a piece to linger over, one that just might shape you in the best way. It’s a joy to welcome Kayla to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Kayla Craig

Adapted from Kayla’s book, Every Season Sacred

“I have something for you, but I can’t tell you what it is,” my son whispers.

He shifts his weight in excitement, his surprise on the precipice of bursting forth.

“It’s a present! For you!” he says, his eyes wide.

He gestures to a small bag. The gift bag is stapled shut, as though his art teacher knows his kindergartners are prone to revealing their crafts before it’s time for their loved ones to open their gifts.

“I’ll give you a hint!” he declares, brimming with pride.

“I made it! With clay!”

He’s not whispering anymore. His wide smile makes his face even rounder and sweeter than usual.

“That is so special,” I tell him. “But maybe you shouldn’t give me any more clues if you want to keep it a surprise.”

He nods in agreement, taking his role as creator and gift giver seriously. He takes a beat.

“I’ll just show you one last hint,” he says, unable to contain his excitement.

He snaps his mouth shut to prevent himself from letting any more words escape, and instead of speaking, he uses exaggerated pinching motions, moving his pointer fingers and thumbs together. He looks like a little lobster.

I pull him close and kiss his soft cheek. “I can’t wait to open it.”

Like generations of parents before me (and all who will come after me), I’ve been the recipient of quite a few handmade pinch pots.

These small ceramic creations adorn office bookshelves, kitchen windowsills, and bedroom nightstands. Some are large enough to hold about one earring post; others can hold tiny trinkets. They come in a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, formed with care by little hands, their fingerprints caught in a moment in time. My collection may never end up at a Sotheby’s auction, but whenever I add another pot to the others I’ve acquired, I feel like the world’s winningest fine-art connoisseur.

When it’s time to unwrap my gift, my son beams with pride, outlining the steps it took to form his clay creation. His elementary pottery illustrates a spiritual truth: we’re created beings. 

We’re constantly being formed, each of our experiences leaving fingerprints all over us, shaping who we become.

In this season of spring and new beginnings, I wonder what it would be like to take some time to consider what’s forming us.

Where have we spent our time? Who have we been with? What have we consumed? Where have we gone? What have we done?

“We’ll never be satisfied if we let emptiness fill us and if we allow ourselves to be formed by influences that speak to the most untrue parts of us.“

Sometimes we don’t like to take the time to ask ourselves questions because we aren’t sure if we want to sit with the answers. But we ask questions like these because it helps us take stock of what and who is forming us.

I’m aware of my propensity to let myself be spiritually formed by the whims of whatever is trending.

My husband and I watched a reality dating series where contestants gazed into the camera, spilling their deepest hopes and dreams. As they shared their confessions, I realized they were all repeating the same inspirational phrases, motivational lines, and misattributed quotes. I cringed and turned to my husband. “It seems like an algorithm mashed together random memes and wrote everyone a script,” I said, unable to turn away.

While it’s easy to laugh and feel a little judgmental about the empty clichés the contestants shared with such conviction, I couldn’t help but wonder how my own consumption has formed me.

As we continued to eat popcorn and chuckle at the cheesy dating show, questions peppered my mind: Am I a regurgitation of what I’ve mindlessly allowed into my life? Is my faith an accumulation of thoughtfulness and nuance, or am I a collection of empty clichés and snarky hot takes?

As people of Christ, we should be formed by the ways of Jesus. But all too often, we’ve allowed ourselves to be formed by the wrong things.

“When we’re marked by the liberating way of Jesus, we are set free from thin faith.“

Whatever forms us leaves its fingerprints not only on us but on our families, our neighbors, and our coworkers. We’re all vulnerable to being shaped by self-serving influences, whether they’re motivational memes disguised as spiritual truth or dangerous ideologies packaged as religious fervor.

Spiritual formation isn’t something that happens to a transcendent few—it happens to all of us, all the time.

Perhaps that’s why the Bible includes dozens of references to people being like clay. It’s up to us whether we’ll be formed by God’s hand (see Isaiah 64:8).

Thin faith is hollow, leaving us constantly hungry for more.

We’ll never be satisfied if we let emptiness fill us and if we allow ourselves to be formed by influences that speak to the most untrue parts of us.

A robust understanding of God’s ways—full of justice, mercy, and humility (see Micah 6:8)—makes us people of profound peace.

When we’re marked by the liberating way of Jesus, we are set free from thin faith.

We reflect on our spiritual formation not to shame ourselves but to be discerning and to ultimately remember that we are creations held in the loving hands of our Creator.

As we become more deeply formed in goodness and truth, we learn from our mistakes.

If our children make their clay pots with care, how much more does our God desire to develop us in lovingkindness?

Borrow This Prayer:

God, You are the Maker of all things, and You have created us.

Help us to be formed in goodness and truth, not in the world’s lies.

You care deeply for our family and for families everywhere.

Help us to be mindful with the lives You have given us.

Help us to be thoughtful about the screens we watch and how we spend our time.

You have given us so much freedom.

Please grant us wisdom to make choices that honor You, ourselves, and others.

Amen.

Borrow These Questions

In Every Season Sacred, Kayla provides weekly reflection questions to help families bring faithful conversation into their everyday lives. Pick a few to share around the dinner table this week.

What happens when people are formed by church culture instead of by Christ?

Tell about a time you made something out of clay. What does it feel like to mold something like that?

How is God like a potter?

How does it make you feel when you think about being created by God?

Do you agree that everything that forms you leaves fingerprints? Why or why not?

How are you being formed by the people around you?

How can social media form us spiritually?

What happens when people are formed by politics instead of by Christ?

Kayla Craig brings soulful honesty and relatable wisdom to help families cultivate spiritual formation that fits into their real lives. Her newest book, Every Season Sacred: Reflections, Prayers, and Invitations to Nourish Your Soul and Nurture Your Family throughout the Year , is an invitation to bring intentional faith rhythms into your home, no matter the season or stage of life.

Every Season Sacred meets you where you are, offering weekly reflections to ground you, breath prayers to center you, and Scripture to guide you. Each week includes two prayers to share—one for kids and one for adults—along with thoughtful discussion questions to reflect on your own or spark meaningful conversations in the comings and goings of your days.

With four kids, two dogs, and a pastor husband, Kayla knows what it’s like to live in the tension of a busy family life and a deep desire for spiritual connection. Whether you’re a parent longing to deepen your family’s faith or simply someone searching for an intentional offering to anchor your days, Every Season Sacred is a companion you’ll want to keep close all year long. Kayla shares weekly spiritual nourishment in her Substack newsletter, Year of Breath, that you don’t want to miss out on!

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

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {03.22.2025}

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:

David Geib

Andrew Mulleady

Florian Eckerle

Exhale… breathe in the sea air… glory, glory, glory! Heart Vitamins for you this week:“What Does It Take For My Faith To Become Real?”You don’t want to miss this“How to Read the Bible & Fall in Love with Jesus” TUNE IN: WATCH HEREAlways Possibility! TRULY OVERCOMING HIS DISABILITY WOW: READ HERE Spiritual Formation Is Essential for Church RenewalTHIS, THIS, THIS! READ HERESoul strengtheners for you this week“He is enough” She’s amazing: WATCH HEREQuiet Time with Jesus YESSSSS! WATCH ThisGrowth Resources for you this weekThis is really the Best Experience! A LENT WITH LOVE Really, you’ve got to JOIN US!you Tracking? Learn more with The Bible Project LEARN MORE HEREThe Joshua Project JOIN US IN PRAYER!YES!!!! Secret Church YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS! Look Where We’ve seen God’s Glory this week!Wow, wow, WOW! God is moving! Did you see this? READ HEREOnly God: “Uncuffed” Stories like this so get meReady to smile this weekend?!!The Beauty of Prince Edward IslandStunningThe kindness of fellow studentsIsn’t this kind of amazing? Yesssss! So Funny! I watched more than once!Want to try this? WATCH HERE!Thoughts to Really Ponder this week“Prayer is War” What she said: READ HERE“YOU ARE NOT ALONE” Doesn’t this resonate: READ “Forgiving What You Can’t Forget”WATCH HEREDrive Thru History with Dave StottsTune in hereWhat we’re Listening to on the Farm this week“Man Of Sorrows”“You’ve Already Won”Post of the Week From Around These Parts:What our Family’s Facing: “ When Your World Burns Down & How to Answer the Question of Pain & Suffering “

…. yeah, to be honest, this has been really painfully tender &, as a family, we are still trying to process…

But the deep epiphanies… and what happened that first night after a bit of our world burned down.

And the most soul-healing questions to ask deep in the midst of heartbreak & suffering… are profoundly changing our lives.

READ THIS: THE MOST SOUL-HEALING ANSWER TO ALL OUR PAIN & SUFFERINGon the book stack at the farm

Brave Woman, Mighty God reminds us that the same mighty force of the Holy Spirit that empowered the women of the Bible to stand up, say yes, fight for justice, be the change, use their gifts, break toxic cycles, and so much more lives inside each of us. Find Laura at www.laurasmithauthor.com and order Brave Woman, Mighty God here.

The Life Application Study Bible has over 10,000 in-depth notes and resources that take the Bible off the page and into your life. You’ll take a deep dive into historical information, cultural context, and tenets of the Christian faith, but the extensive scholarship in this Bible doesn’t stop there. Taking it a step further, it helps you apply what you are learning to your life today.

So this Happened (!!): Have you got yours? gifted one to a friend? We can’t get over all Your Beautiful Messages of how God’s using this one to literally change lives More than Anything else, Especially in Loss & Trials: Believe You are Unconditionally Loved! what others are saying about loved to life:

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 LIFEBonus FREE THANK YOU gifts for your Support:

This bonus free 40-day habit tracker is an invitation to cultivate rhythms of prayer and presence. Each day,
as you engage in your chosen sacred rhythm, you’ll fill in a quilt square — stitching together a beautiful life woven together with Christ’s love…

“40 Ways to Abide in Jesus” comes in TWO DIFFERENT, BOTH Bonus FREE, PRINTABLES (one as original beautiful art prints by my beloved daughter-in-law, Aurora (!!), to place around your home, or as one stunning cross-centered compass to frame and hang) —

24 “Who I am in Christ” cards with original woodcut illustrations 40 illustrated ornaments from the life of Jesus, for your own Easter tree —40-Day Bible Reading PlanPocket Prayers for your PilgrimageA Complete “Loved to Life” Community Pilgrimage Guide With the 7 I AM Statements of Jesus — to do a Lent Pilgrimage with your people 40 Days of Seeing Yourself in Jesus’ Story: Captivating artwork paired with prompts to help you personally – and very powerfully – step into the very scenes of Scripture, immersing your life in Jesus’ story

and so many (truly incredible!!!!) more deeply spiritually formative, profoundly helpful tools coming that will help grow us in connection to each other and the Vine of Life Himself… 

My heartfelt thanks for your support of ordering “Loved to Life” here, where you can also claim all the deeply formative and soul-nourishing THANK YOU gifts… from my heart to yours, connecting us all to His.

ORDER LOVED TO LIFE & CLAIM ALL YOUR BONUS THANK YOU GIFTS And YOU REally DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS:Can you even believe it?! 

Nope, we can’t either!  And none of us want to miss out on all these beloved leaders who are joining us live during Lent!

This has never happened quite like this before! A fresh, new live way to interact, where these beloved leaders will jump in with us weekly, as Companions during our 40-Day Pilgrimage with Jesus during Lent, & you’ll get to lean in in real-time, ask questions, face-to-face, & we’ll all fall more in love with Jesus together, as Jesus changes us, & Loves us to Life! It’s about Jesus… and You…and Love. Every single week of Lent, right up to the empty tomb & Resurrection Sunday & living the fullest life!

Weekly livestream conversations! Incredible companions on this 40-Day Pilgrimage! We’ll be face- to- face so you can join us, ask questions, and journey through Lent in real community! Grab a friend, the book, and let’s do this together!

You Really Belong. And You Do Not Want to Miss This! COME JOIN US!Slow Down & Feel Loved this weekend:

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 Your World Burns Down & How to Answer the Question of Pain & Suffering

There are love stories that survive fire, and rise straight up from the ashes.   

This is a Love Story that begins more than 2 decades ago with a bundle of a baby boy …. our third son, named Levi, because the Farmer dared to believe it was a word from the Almighty: “And Levi got up, left everything and followed Him,” (Luke 5:28), and the Father said that’s exactly the kind of man that we pray our boy will be. 

And that third son of ours, Levi, he grew up and fell in love with Jesus and sunrises and cornfields and cameras, and all the ways light plays and  dances through lenses for just the right photograph and the One who is the Light of the Word keeps shining in the darkness, and he fell in love with a wonder of a girl named Aurora and that’s who she was –  Aurora was all dancing light. 

On their first date, the two shy kids, they didn’t head to the light of some movie screen, but worked on sanding and restoring an old wooden workbench, the handcrafted work of Levi’s granddad, my dad, the two of them finishing it into a table, because Levi and Aurora have always been people of story and restory-ing, and the light of restoration hope is the beat of both their two artist hearts. 

Not quite even two years ago, on a warm day in early June, Levi and Aurora they vowed their lives to each, getting married back in a clearing under old spruce trees, at the back of our home farm. Aurora had found her wedding dress on a local buy and sell page online and Levi found his jacket and vest at a thrift store and his Gram, my mama, she cut and sewed his bowtie out of an old thrifted tweed suit coat ….

And after they said I DO before their Maker, we all sat down under the wild apple trees down  by the river, at a string of wooden tables, handmade by my dad. Aurora had handpicked every table’s wildflowers from the woods and the roadsides the evening before, slipping them into found and borrowed old bottles…. 

And we all had ourselves a very humble, handmade wedding, and square-danced under the stars and when Aurora laughed, Levi’s eyes were all dancing light. 

Sometimes you can want an easier way for your child, when God has ways that will make your child stronger for life that’s not always easy. 

And on the very far edge of our river farm, stood an abandoned 152 year old stone house, built in 1872 but uninhabited – except for a family of racoons – for more than 20 years  – yet Levi and Aurora had a brave imagination for what it could someday be, their own little handcrafted house of dreams…  

I had thought it was too daunting. 

Because when you stood in the basement of the abandoned house, you could look up and see the the sky from the basement, through floorboards and rafters and shingles. I told the Farmer that I thought it was too impossible, too overwhelming, for our son and his new bride – where would they even begin? 

Sometimes you can want an easier way for your child, when God has ways that will make your child stronger for life that’s not always easy. 

Before they were even married, Levi, a farm boy with a camera and an eye for light, and Aurora, an aspiring artist, they began the marathon restoration the way everything impossible begins– one moment at a time, one foot in front of the other, one hand at a time, and trusted that there was enough manna in all the moments to sustain them. They’d pulled on respirators and coveralls and headed into that dilapidated stone house and together  began shoveling it all out with their bare hands, the weather, wear and wreckage of 20 years of abandonment,  wildlife, and deterioration of all the things.

It’s only all the love in the work that makes the work worthy.

The more they persevered and poured out, the more they were fulfilled. 

Their grit sharpened us.  

Their sacrifice moved us. 

Their vision focused us. They saw hope in what seemed too far gone. 

The day we as family worked with them to begin reroofing the dilapidated old stone house with new steel, trying to close it in from the elements, Levi turned and confessed his concerns about the expansive breadth of the undertaking: “Sometimes I wonder, will it all be pointless? But I just keep thinking: What matters is that this restoration work is what brings me real joy.” 

It’s only all the love in the work that makes the work worthy.

For long years of long, long days, Levi and Aurora worked with steady, undaunted determination, and as they worked, they dreamed of morning breakfasts at the workbench they’d made into a table back on their first date, the light flooding in the deep window wells of the old stone house. They dreamed of even maybe someday a baby or two playing out on the lawn in front of that old stone house, and they never stopped dreaming of a durable resurrection from the wreckage… 

Life is never made unbearable by the road itself but by the way we bear the road. 

And  slowly, over the next 3 and a half years, by the kind grace of God, they saw those dreams and prayers begin to rise up into reality. 

Levi and Aurora were interested in working to build more than a house — Levi and Aurora were committed to working toward preserving a piece of history. 

Levi handcrafted their bed frame from reclaimed 400-year-old ash floors beams from the old stone house. They salvaged grainery boards out of an old barn, and  lined the basement walls of the old stone house so they could live in the basement as they continued the renovations of the rest of the house. They rescued an old clawfoot tub from under debris at the back of the house and refinished and restored it to its former glory and gave it a place under the deep windowsills of the old stone house. 

The consummate craftsman, Levi learned how to expertly do everything himself, from electrical, to plumbing, to framing, to refinishing floors, to routing trim, to insulating, to drywall, even learning how to drywall all the stone house’s wonderfully deep, complicatedly angled, windowsills.

Levi passed electrical inspections. He passed plumbing inspection. He and Aurora celebrated with stargazing together out on the front lawn of that old stonehouse.

Together, they were going above and beyond to build something that was more than just strong and warm between those old stone walls; they were investing in a re-storying of a piece of history, a beautiful restoration work of art, where light could dance across the floors again… 

“We were getting so, so, so painfully close,” Aurora scrawled late one night this week in her journal when she couldn’t sleep.

And then last Tuesday, during a wildly strong northwest wind, as Levi worked on sanding the walls in the kitchen, Levi heard a roaring… 

A fire in the chimney. 

Grabbing a ladder, Levi flung himself up to the edge of the roof, to the top of the chimney, but that strong northwest wind blew Levi and the ladder to the ground, and with a bruised side and twisted ankle, Levi called 911 and the volunteer fire department to come, just come.

And then he stood stunned in the snow and the whipping wind, watching the raging flames devour years of sacrifice and history and dreams.  

That strong northwest wind engulfed that 152-year-old stone house, and all the restoration into flames within minutes, burning all of Levi’s woodworking tools, Aurora’s art studio, a lifetime of Aurora’s paintings and artwork, Levi’s camera lenses and gear, all of their wedding gifts and personal belongings, and devastatingly, in less than an hour, completely incinerated their beloved, nearly restored piece of history.

And we don’t so much need to pray to see the way through -– as much as we need to just pray to see more of the One Who is the Way Himself. 

On the second week of Lent, we stood in the lane under the century old maple trees, and held on to each other in that cold north-east wind and watched all  their earthly belongings.. all their life-savings… all their years and years and years of restoration work… all of everything from their life before… become a heap of ash… 

And don’t we all know it, how strong north winds can whip with that question for every single one of us:

WHY YOU? Why us?

Why your family? Why your story?

Why would a good God let this happen, or that story unfold? Why would He allow some storm or accident or event snuff out that one fledgling dream? Why would He let that accident shatter your whole world, with no way to put any of the pieces back together again? 

It’s the question that whispers at the back of the chamber of every heart:

 Why in the world did this heartbreak happen?

It’s a question that is an echo not really unlike what we hear from those who were following Jesus: “Why was this man born blind?”

And Jesus stands with us facing every strong north wind and He says: “This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” 

Jesus says two words that need to follow every iota of suffering. 

So that. 

Those very same two words are the ones that Jesus spoke when He heard Lazarus, whom He loved, was sick…..  “It is for God’s glory SO THAT…. God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

Loss does not mean that Jesus doesn’t love you and this suffering happened . . . so that. 

This fire happened . . . so that: God’s Son may be glorified through it.

This sickness happened . . . so that: God’s Son may be glorified through it.

This heartbreak happened . . . so that: God’s Son may be glorified through it.

This FILL IN THE BLANK happened . . . so that: God’s Son may be glorified through it.

Suffering is never meaningless, pointless, purposeless. Suffering is always about SO THAT: “so that the works of God might be displayed, so that God might be glorified.” 

Erasing God doesn’t solve or erase any suffering. All it does is erase any and all hope. 

“God did not make the world so that there is pain, but when a broken world breaks our hearts, God works through that pain so that there is purpose even in all the tender mystery. The problem of excruciating pain is perhaps best answered by entering into the mystery of it all — the mystery that makes it all about the glory of God on display.” — excerpt from “Loved to Life“

And, true, for some folks, in the midst of real pain and suffering– it can be tempting to let some strong north wind to blow away any belief in God, but: 

Erasing God doesn’t solve or erase any suffering. All it does is erase any and all hope. 

It’s really only when we expect life to be easy that it becomes hard. But life holds suffering, life in a broken world promises us suffering and heartbreak. Suffering doesn’t mean you’re cursed; suffering means you’re human in a broken world. Life is really hard, because that is the reality of being alive. And it’s not the hard roads that slay us; what actually slays us is the expectation that this road isn’t what we hoped it to be.

Life is never made unbearable by the road itself but by the way we bear the road. 

So maybe the question isn’t ever “Why is there suffering in my life?” … 

Maybe every time there is a temptation to ask WHY – there are better questions to ask that bring a deeper and better healing… 

Maybe instead of asking Why did this happen – the better questions actually are Who, What, Where, and How…. 

Instead of asking Why did this happen – ask: “Who is sovereign over all that happens, and isn’t He always good, and isn’t He always, always, always for us?” 

Instead of asking Why did this happen – ask:  “What way will we bear our suffering?”

Instead of asking Why did this happen – ask:  “Where are we in proximity, vulnerability, and intimacy and relationship with God through this?” 

Instead of asking Why did this happen – ask: “How will we live so that God is surely glorified, and the goodness of God is surely revealed in us through even this?”

Because maybe in many ways – it all comes down to this one question: 

If we had a God small enough to understand,  how could He be a great enough God to stand with us, against all that we face?

Just because you can’t see the why or the way — doesn’t mean that there isn’t one. 

And we don’t so much need to pray to see the way through -– as much as we need to just pray to see more of the One Who is the Way Himself. 

So that – God would get all the glory through even this story. 

Tuesday night, after the strong north wind died down, and only the smoke curled up from the ash heap of the stone house and their dreams….

After we all sat with the stark reality that, though Levi and Aurora, right at the beginning of the renovations, had sought out insurance for the old stone house, but due to the initial dilapidated and extreme deteriorated state of the house, no insurance company would offer insurance until any renovation was complete… so now we were all sitting here uninsured, sitting on the heartbreaking ash heap of a complete and devastating loss.

God can give the gift of seeing that…  only what’s done for Jesus will last.

As we gathered around Levi and Aurora as a family to pray… Levi found his voice, as he reached over to hold Aurora’s hand: 

“Lord, Aurora and I have absolutely nothing, not really one iota, left in this world, but You’ve given us the gift of seeing today that…  only what’s done for Jesus will last.”

And Levi clears his throat, and I choke up … 

Because there on the wall behind us all is a little framed print that I found in a thrift store decades ago, words that have always hung in our living room, the same words that hung in the hallway of Levi’s grandparents’ home, the very same words that I prayed every night over Levi, over every single one of our children every night of their childhood: 

Only one life 

Twill soon be past 

Only what’s done for Jesus will last …

And now,  here is Levi, beside his bride Aurora, with every single thing they have in this earthly world incinerated into papery ash on the second week of Lent… 

And this is the real love story that will survive fire, that, even when you lose every last earthly thing in the world, you can still pray, like a love song sung into strong northwest wind, words that can ignite your heart into the strongest light:

Only what’s done to glorify Jesus will last, will be all that survives fire –– all else is only but ash. 

Only one life 

Twill soon be past 

Only what’s done for Jesus 

will last …

And Levi squeezes Aurora’s hand. 

And we all brim, and nod though our hearts are breaking, and The Farmer can see it:

The boy named Levi became the man of God that we’d always prayed that he’d someday be, the kind of man who can leave it all to follow Jesus, who can say on the day his house burns down to the ground, and he and his brave bride have nothing left: 

Only what’s done to glorify Jesus will last, will be all that survives fire –– all else is only but ash. 

All this suffering in our life…. is only so that …. so that… God gets glorified — and it’s only that glorifying of God that will ultimately last.

It’s our suffering, that can so glorify God, that produces the only thing that will ultimately survive fire.

And in a strong north wind in Lent, the ash of all kinds of dreams blows away, and within, there’s a love, resting on the rock of Love Himself, rising and it can outlast all things.

From our family to yours…

Many of you have so tenderly asked how you can help? Our daughter-in-love, Melba Voskamp, generously set up a fundrasier with GOFUNDME, to help Levi and Aurora — but only, always, just as the Lord leads. Each of you — your withness, with us, and your witness, for us — means more than you can ever imagine & what holds us together through trauma, is each of you being the hands and feet of Jesus to our family. We can never thank God enough for each of you showing up. Pray for our family?

Go from Knowing to Living: God’s Way. Not Mine

As a checklist fanatic, Evie Polsley has had to continually surrender her plans (and checklists) to God. Since she was a teenager, God has lovingly shown her that his way is always the best, even when it comes to reading the Bible. As a member of the Tyndale Bible Team, she loves helping people discover the importance of reading Scripture with a humble and open heart and then finding ways to take what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and live it out in the world! It’s a joy to welcome Evie to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Evie Polsley, Tyndale Bible Team

The vacation location was an odd choice for my parents, pastors who had never smoked, drank alcohol, or gambled. But as teenagers my sister and I boarded the plane with our mom and dad to head to Las Vegas.

We arrived after dark, and as we drove toward the famous Las Vegas Strip, the city was ablaze with lights. It was stunning, a beacon in the desert.

The array of colors that perfectly accented the variety of architecture was remarkable—the glimmering glow shining against the darkness and the sounds of life that echoed even through the closed car windows. It was a magnet pulling us in. We were surrounded by a festival for the senses.

We pulled up to our hotel, and I nearly squealed with excitement. I could hardly sleep that night because I couldn’t wait to explore this fantasy land the next day.

As dawn slipped through the crack of the curtain in our hotel room, my eyes popped open. My sister grunted as I pulled back the covers of the bed we were sharing and sprang to my feet, ready to start the adventure I knew was beckoning.

Begrudgingly, the rest of my family stumbled out of bed too. As we exited the hotel, the riveting mystique from the night before was banished by the sun’s light to reveal dreary, dirty buildings and streets that had been concealed by darkness and glowing neon lights.

But the sunlight also revealed beautiful mountains that had been hidden by the night. The faint hues of red, tan, and gold glistening in their majestic glory put to shame the lights of the night before.

We explored different hotels, and though the unique designs were fascinating, they couldn’t mask the sadness of dreams lost in slot machines worn by many faces in the casinos. Near the end of the afternoon, my parents steered us outside toward their surprise—a sunset helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon.

The thundering rhythmic beat of the helicopter propelled the excitement as we flew past the rim, in and out of the canyon like a bird. Watching the setting sun cause the colors in the rocks of the canyon to reveal themselves in such a vibrant way took my breath away. The seemingly eternal and finite rocks mixed together to make exquisite patterns on the canyon walls. The work of our Creator was on such breathtaking display it was life-altering.

“The work of our Creator was on such breathtaking display it was life-altering.“

The human-made fantasy land from the night before could never compare to the marvelous work of God the Creator’s hand. The understanding of how humans desperately try to match or outdo God vividly came to life for me.

Though profound for me in that moment, this reality is nothing new. Human beings have been trying to match or outdo God almost since the beginning of our existence. 

“They began saying to each other, ‘Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.’ (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) Then they said, ‘Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.’” Genesis 11:3-4, NLT.

Instead of asking God to help them build the city, the people at Babel tried to do it on their own, which only ended in separation and destruction we still deal with today. What if they would’ve turned to God and asked him to help them build a city? What divisions, hurts, and even wars could have been avoided if they didn’t try to do it in their own strength?

But it’s not just external things we try to do in our own strength. What about our own hearts?

“We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.” 2 Corinthians 3:13-15, NLT.

When we read Scripture, are our minds covered by the veil of our own agenda, our own understanding? Or do we ask Christ to remove the veil of self so he can reveal his truth to us through his Word?

And are we sharing that truth with those around us? Are we living out God’s Scripture or hiding it for ourselves? Are we allowing God to use his Word to transform us? Or are we trying to transform his Word to say what we want it to say?

“The very essence of who we are should be Christ’s light radiating through us so we can be his ambassadors in the world.“

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16, NLT.

If we are allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us, Scripture shouldn’t be just something we know but something we live in every aspect of our daily lives. The very essence of who we are should be Christ’s light radiating through us so we can be his ambassadors in the world.

Let’s stop trying to do it in our strength. Let’s let God use us, his beautiful creation, to shine for his glory. Let’s go beyond knowing Scripture to truly living it out so the world can see the vast difference between what humans try to make and that which God has transformed.

“This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:25, NLT

The Life Application Study Bible has over 10,000 in-depth notes and resources that take the Bible off the page and into your life. You’ll take a deep dive into historical information, cultural context, and tenets of the Christian faith, but the extensive scholarship in this Bible doesn’t stop there. Taking it a step further, it helps you apply what you are learning to your life today.

Nearly all the thousands of notes take readers on a three-step journey to read, study, and apply Scripture to life. With Bible knowledge and application in one place, the Life Application Study Bible helps you go beyond just knowing about the Bible to understanding how to live it out. No other study Bible provides the same combination of context, history, and extensive application. You’ll not only understand the meaning of Scripture but also be transformed, living its truth in your life every day.

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

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {03.15.2025}

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:

Inspiration for you this week: The Deep Dish: Mentoring in Real LifeYou don’t want to miss thisI Want to Trust You, but I Don’tWATCH HERELet’s get in the Word! WATCH HEREMAKING HATS FOR NEWBORNS  LISTEN HEREHere’s something for your soul this week“The price He paid is to high” WATCH HEREJesus came to give life to the full! WATCH HEREResources for you this weekA LENT WITH LOVE JOIN US!The Bible Project LEARN MORE HEREThe Joshua Project JOIN US IN PRAYER!Secret Church YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS! How we’ve seen God’s Glory this week: Only God can! THIS IS WHO OUR GOD IS! The power of Prayer! WOW!!Something to Make you smile this week: Making his brother’s dream come true ON REPEATCan we stop and thank God for the blessings of today? LOVE THIS! I think we can all relate RELATABLE!The Glory of God SO POWERFUL! Thoughts to ponder this weekIs this God’s Will? READ HERE6 Things Discipleship Isn’t READ HEREThe Joy of Laboring for the Kingdom LISTEN HEREWhen Rain Comes and Winds Blow READ HEREWhat we’re Listening to this week“What a Beautiful Name”“Promises “Post of the Week From Around These Parts:“If You Want a Growth Season: A Doable Game Plan to Defeat Bad Habits & Win the Ultimate You“

You may always make mistakes—but that is very different than always making excuses. And the good news is: Every mistake, offers the courageous grace to make a course-correction. And Jesus, the One living in you, knows the right course, because He is The Way.

Your heart needs to read this!on the book stack at the farm

Brave Woman, Mighty God reminds us that the same mighty force of the Holy Spirit that empowered the women of the Bible to stand up, say yes, fight for justice, be the change, use their gifts, break toxic cycles, and so much more lives inside each of us. 

If you desire to feel God’s soul-refreshing presence and hear Him speaking in your daily life, Jeannie invites you to grow in deeper intimacy with Him in her newest devotional, Closer to God: A 40-Day Pursuit of God’s Personal Presence. Filled with rich truths from Scripture and journaling prompts for reflection on what the Holy Spirit is showing you, this transformational resource will help you enjoy the deeper life with God that you long for. 

So this Happened: More than Anything else: Believe You are Unconditionally Loved! what others are saying about loved to life:

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 LIFEBonus THANK YOU gifts for your Support:

This bonus free 40-day habit tracker is an invitation to cultivate rhythms of prayer and presence. Each day,
as you engage in your chosen sacred rhythm, you’ll fill in a quilt square — stitching together a beautiful life woven together with Christ’s love…

“40 Ways to Abide in Jesus” comes in TWO DIFFERENT, BOTH Bonus FREE, PRINTABLES (one as original beautiful art prints by my beloved daughter-in-law, Aurora (!!), to place around your home, or as one stunning cross-centered compass to frame and hang) —

24 “Who I am in Christ” cards with original woodcut illustrations 40 illustrated ornaments from the life of Jesus, for your own Easter tree —40-Day Bible Reading PlanPocket Prayers for your PilgrimageA Complete “Loved to Life” Community Pilgrimage Guide With the 7 I AM Statements of Jesus — to do a Lent Pilgrimage with your people 40 Days of Seeing Yourself in Jesus’ Story: Captivating artwork paired with prompts to help you personally – and very powerfully – step into the very scenes of Scripture, immersing your life in Jesus’ story

and so many (truly incredible!!!!) more deeply spiritually formative, profoundly helpful tools coming that will help grow us in connection to each other and the Vine of Life Himself… 

My heartfelt thanks for your support of ordering “Loved to Life” here, where you can also claim all the deeply formative and soul-nourishing THANK YOU gifts… from my heart to yours, connecting us all to His.

ORDER LOVED TO LIFE & CLAIM ALL YOUR BONUS THANK YOU GIFTS And YOU REally DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS:Can you even believe it?! 

Nope, we can’t either!  And none of us want to miss out on all these beloved leaders who are joining us live during Lent!

This has never happened quite like this before! A fresh, new live way to interact, where these beloved leaders will jump in with us weekly, as Companions during our 40-Day Pilgrimage with Jesus during Lent, & you’ll get to lean in in real-time, ask questions, face-to-face, & we’ll all fall more in love with Jesus together, as Jesus changes us, & Loves us to Life! It’s about Jesus… and You…and Love. Every single week of Lent, right up to the empty tomb & Resurrection Sunday & living the fullest life!

Weekly livestream conversations! Incredible companions on this 40-Day Pilgrimage! We’ll be face- to- face so you can join us, ask questions, and journey through Lent in real community! Grab a friend, the book, and let’s do this together!

JOIN US!Slow Down & Feel Loved this weekend:

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. 

An Invitation to Stand Even When You Feel Like You Can’t Get Up

Trying. Falling. Learning. Discovering. Growing. Discomfort. Struggle. Trying again. It’s all part of this complicated, sometimes painful, glorious life. But each time we get knocked down, Jesus extends His hand inviting us and empowering us to stand again, to try again, to become more of the person He always intended us to be. Laura L. Smith’s writing is like the warm, comforting scent of sourdough baking in my oven. Her latest book, Brave Woman, Mighty God, reminds us we can bravely face whatever we encounter today, not because of anything we’ve done or said, but because our mighty God gives us what we need. It’s a joy to welcome Laura to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Laura L. Smith

We hear calls to action all over our culture, from mantras of “let’s go!” to “slay the day” to “shake it off.” I mean, sure, we want to get up and get going and not let a dang thing keep us down.

But it’s not that easy.

I’ve tried.

When my dad left when I was young, I tried to get all A’s, follow the rules, and keep quiet to show him I was a good girl, that if he came back, he shouldn’t leave again, and to show myself that I could handle it.

When my high school boyfriend and I broke up, I decided to become a full-on flirt, because I was fine with the breakup. Right?

I could rise above it and get other guys to like me. It was a horrible strategy, but at the time it felt like a way I could get up after the breakup.

After college there was a recession, and jobs were scarce. After a year of interviews, rejections, and waiting tables to pay my bills, I landed a great job in marketing. I meticulously planned professional outfits, arrived at work early and left late, throwing myself into my job. I could shake off the previous rejections and prove to myself and the world that I’d always been capable of a thriving career. Couldn’t I?

The problem with trying to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps is it’s way easier said than done. And even if we muster up the strength or courage to rise up for a while, it’s difficult to sustain. Another argument, expense, insult, or rejection can knock us off our feet all over again.

“I learned how to stand again, not on my accomplishments, relationships, strength, or willpower but on the loving, powerful, steadfast faithfulness of my Savior.“

How can the woman whose husband cheated on her simply “shake it off”? How can you “slay the day” after someone you love has died? How can you just “wash” the pain of abuse or trauma off “your face”?

You can’t. Not on your own.

When I stopped trying to do it by myself and begged Jesus to help me, slowly, little by little, I learned how to stand again, not on my accomplishments, relationships, strength, or willpower but on the loving, powerful, steadfast faithfulness of my Savior.

For a girl in the Bible, it was the same. There was no way she could get up on her own—no matter what she or anyone else did. But then Jesus pulled her to her feet.

Her dad, Jairus, approached Jesus in a large crowd and begged Him to heal his dying daughter (Mark 5:22–23). Jesus had compassion and went with Jairus. But remember they had to make their way through a crowd.

… some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” (Mark 5:35–36)

With that, Jesus accompanied Jairus to his house. What was Jairus thinking as they walked through the streets? Jesus told Jairus to “believe.” I’m sure he wanted to, but could he? When they arrived, everyone was weeping over the loss of Jairus’s daughter.

[Jesus] went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”

He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished (verses 39, 41–42).

“…Jesus takes all that pressure off. Can you hear Jesus speaking to your heart, “Rise up, little girl. You can be brave. I’ve got you. I’m the one pulling you up.”

The girl died.

Jesus told her to get up.

And she did.

The girl couldn’t work harder, eat healthier, be more productive, do better, or achieve one more thing. She was dead.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to get ourselves up. But Jesus takes all that pressure off. Can you hear Jesus speaking to your heart, “Rise up, little girl. You can be brave. I’ve got you. I’m the one pulling you up.”

No matter how far down you’ve fallen, how much you’re struggling to stand, how heavy the weight is that’s keeping you down, Jesus can empower you to get up and walk forward.

If you’re anything like me, you want Jesus to say, “Talitha koum,” and immediately you want to be able to shake off and wash off and slay the day.

Sometimes it works like that. You encounter Jesus and throw down whatever you’re addicted to. You’re miraculously healed of a physical or mental ailment. The check arrives and gets you out of debt. The person who was tormenting you leaves town. But more often it’s a process.

For me, it’s taken years of praying, reading God’s Word, seeing a Christian counselor, and sharing hard memories and false narratives with my most trusted people to be able to fully believe how much Jesus loves me, that He’ll never leave me, that I don’t have to prove myself to Him.

Yet even when we rise, sometimes we still fall.

“Little girl, get up! I have so much for you. An abundant life. I have love with no strings attached, endless grace, joy, and peace. Get up! I’ll empower you to stand.“

A trigger. A memory. A setback.

Any of those things might send us spiraling downward. But Jesus has His loving hand on us. No matter what comes our way. He’s there beside our figurative beds when we’re unable to stand. He loves, encourages, and empowers us to share our struggle with someone we trust, send that text, attend one more recovery meeting, set boundaries that protect us. Jesus will put the right verse, sermon, conversation, movie, or book in front of us just when we need it to help us get back on our feet.

Yes, the world will try to keep knocking us down.

But mighty Jesus continues to call and empower you and me to “Talitha koum” daily.

This is how we were meant to live. Up. Revived. Alive.

I had talitha koum inked on my ankle so I can see this truth daily. But even if I didn’t, Jesus would continue to tell me, “Little girl, get up! I have so much for you. An abundant life. I have love with no strings attached, endless grace, joy, and peace. Get up! I’ll empower you to stand.”

He’s calling this exact same thing to you.

Laura L. Smith is a best-selling author, speaker, and podcaster whose mission is to tear down lies so we can live in the life-giving truths of Christ’s love. She loves Jesus, her prince-charming of a husband, their four young adult kids, the sound of church bells, the taste of mochas, and the freedom and joy found running along wooded trails. Laura’s newest book, Brave Woman, Mighty God reminds us that the same mighty force of the Holy Spirit that empowered the women of the Bible to stand up, say yes, fight for justice, be the change, use their gifts, break toxic cycles, and so much more lives inside each of us. Find Laura at www.laurasmithauthor.com and order Brave Woman, Mighty God here.

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

How we can move from Self-Sufficiency to Christ-Intimacy

God’s purpose for you is to experience His presence! Today, my dear friend Jeannie Cunnion shows us how we can encounter God intimately in our daily lives through the power of the Word and person of the Holy Spirit! I’m so delighted to welcome Jeannie to the farm’s table today…

Guest post by Jeannie Cunnion

I’m not a sleepwalker, but I’ve slept in homes with people who are. It’s wild to watch how that person seems to be functioning as if they’re awake. Their eyes may be open. They may perform routine actions such as getting dressed or eating. But all in a deep sleep!

Could it be that many of us are doing something similar in our relationship with Jesus, going through the motions, not fully awake to the life we’ve been invited into in Christ? 

Here is the beautiful news! The Holy Spirit is ready to awaken us from our slumber into a more vibrant relationship with God! From our sleepwalking into deeper Spirit-walking!

“The Holy Spirit is ready to awaken us from our slumber into a more vibrant relationship with God! From our sleepwalking into deeper Spirit-walking!“

But for this to happen, for us to enjoy a more intimate relationship with Him, we need to have soft hearts and open hands to both the power of the Word and the person of the Holy Spirit!

For example, if you love studying and unpacking Scripture, you might tend to overlook the essentiality of the Holy Spirit in your relationship with God. 

On the other hand, if you know the power of the Holy Spirit in your life and walk in step with Him, you might tend to overlook the essentiality of the Word in your relationship with God.

As someone who spent the majority of her life as the former, loving the Word but having little appreciation for the work of the Spirit, I am passionate about the union of Word and Spirit.

I’m so grateful that doesn’t mean I didn’t know intimacy with God before I began appreciating the work of the Spirit. That’s the beauty of the Holy Spirit. Even when we’re neglecting His presence, or unsure of His purpose, He’s still faithfully at work in us and for us!

But when we do welcome His presence, respond to His promptings, follow His guiding, and rely on His power, we will know a kind of intimacy only those who are led by the Word and Spirit can know. Both knowledge about God and intimacy with God are essential. 

Just one example of the immeasurable power in the divine merging of Word and Spirit is in the beautiful story of Jesus, in the hours after His resurrection, in Luke 24. Two men were walking along a road outside Jerusalem on the way to Emmaus, lamenting the crucifixion of Christ and feeling all hope is lost, when Jesus suddenly joined them. But they did not recognize Him as He spoke to them. What did Jesus tell them? 

“Even when we’re neglecting His presence, or unsure of His purpose, He’s still faithfully at work in us and for us!“

He started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him. 

They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared. 

Back and forth they talked. “Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?” (Luke 24:28–32 Message )

Their hearts burned within them as Jesus, full of the Spirit, unpacked the Scriptures that have always pointed to Him. The beauty and essentiality of Word and Spirit are on full display. 

“What the Spirit of God did for those men He delights to do today—making His presence intimately known so we burn with affection as we open the Scriptures.“

What the Spirit of God did for those men He delights to do today—making His presence intimately known so we burn with affection as we open the Scriptures. The Spirit of Truth brings encounter. He makes the presence of God palpable. 

The men on the road weren’t sleepwalking, but they needed the Spirit to open their eyes to see it was Jesus—the Word made flesh—in their presence. 

How much sweeter would our lives with Jesus be if we were committed to both the principles of the Word and the power of the Spirit, to both head knowledge and heart affection? We need both sound doctrine and intimate experience for a deeper life with God. What would happen then? 

I think we would look a lot like the early church. There would be revival, an outbreak of hearts burning for Jesus, and lives transformed into His likeness. 

Theology without intimacy leads to dry religion. Dry religion is often about the outward appearance. It’s more about looking good than loving God. Checking the boxes and staying in line. But there is no intimacy when you’re walking on eggshells.

“Depending on our good works and becoming proud of how we appear draws us deeper into self-sufficiency and further from Christ-intimacy. “

If we read the Bible as a manual for “training in righteousness” and apply it without the love and transforming power of the Spirit, there may be behavior modification, but the heart will stay stubborn, and growth will be stunted. 

Without Word + Spirit, we will be left with swelled heads and shrunken hearts. We will grow in self-righteousness—the death blow to growing in Christ-righteousness. Depending on our good works and becoming proud of how we appear draws us deeper into self-sufficiency and further from Christ-intimacy. 

But! Theology with intimacy cultivates authentic relationship with our living God. Word + Spirit activates obedience and transformation in our lives.

We get to invite the empowering Holy Spirit to invade our hearts as we study and seek to live by the Word. God’s Spirit awakens and energizes our spirit and ensures we don’t sleepwalk through the good things God has planned for us.

He makes our hearts burn within us with gratitude for what Jesus has done for us, compelling us to live in response to God’s grace. He invites us into life-altering intimacy with our Savior as we walk in obedience to the life-giving Word!

Jeannie Cunnion is a bestselling author and speaker who is passionate about helping us know and experience God’s love and presence in our daily lives. Jeannie holds a master’s degree in social work, and she is the co-founder of The 509 Foundation. She and her husband, Mike, live in Greenwich, Connecticut, with their five boys. 

If you desire to feel God’s soul-refreshing presence and hear Him speaking in your daily life, Jeannie invites you to grow in deeper intimacy with Him in her newest devotional, Closer to God: A 40-Day Pursuit of God’s Personal Presence. Filled with rich truths from Scripture and journaling prompts for reflection on what the Holy Spirit is showing you, this transformational resource will help you enjoy the deeper life with God that you long for. Learn more and connect with Jeannie at JeannieCunnion.com.

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

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {03.08.2025}

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:

Inspiration for you this week: Generations with CeCe Winans: Discipleship with Priscilla ShirerYou don’t want to miss thisWe Won’t Be Held Back Anymore- Candace Cameron Bure Podcast WATCH HEREWhat Now? READ HEREKnowing God Personally  LISTEN HEREHere’s something for your soul this weekFROM NEEDING TO LENDING A HELPING HAND READ HEREA POWERFUL, SPONTANEOUS moment inside of a prison! READ HEREResources for you this weekA LENT WITH LOVE JOIN US!Secret Church with David Platt LEARN MORE HEREHow we’ve seen God’s Glory this week: Child like Faith!! You don’t want to miss this! know the Word!! You need to listen to this:Something to Make you smile this week: CRAZY TALENTED You will be re-watching this! You need to watch this: So crazy talented!Thoughts to ponder this weekMore Than Red Letters Jesus’s Teaching Across the New Testament READ HEREContentment in Every Season READ HERETrusting When Things Go from Bad to Worse LISTEN HEREHOW TO STOP SMALL COMPROMISES FROM STEALING BIG BLESSINGS LISTEN HEREWhat we’re Listening to this week“Holy Forever”“I Speak Jesus “Post of the Week From Around These Parts:“If You Want a Growth Season: A Doable Game Plan to Defeat Bad Habits & Win the Ultimate You“

You may always make mistakes—but that is very different than always making excuses. And the good news is: Every mistake, offers the courageous grace to make a course-correction. And Jesus, the One living in you, knows the right course, because He is The Way.

Your heart needs to read this!on the book stack at the farm

A Million Tiny Moments: Reflections to Refresh a Mom’s Spirit is Emily and Laura’s latest and final book under the Risen Motherhood banner. Inside you’ll find short, instant encouragement for every season of motherhood and for every one of your million tiny moments. Learn more about Emily and Laura’s new book here.   

In Grateful, Allison invites you into the joy-filled journey of humble surrender, contentment, and faith-fueled praise as you unwrap the beautiful promises God has granted every believer. Through every page you will find your heart continually directed back to the hope and healing of truly taking God at his word through the faith-building act of giving him thanks.

So this Happened: More than Anything else: Believe You are Unconditionally Loved! what others are saying about loved to life:

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 LIFEBonus THANK YOU gifts for your Support:

This bonus free 40-day habit tracker is an invitation to cultivate rhythms of prayer and presence. Each day,
as you engage in your chosen sacred rhythm, you’ll fill in a quilt square — stitching together a beautiful life woven together with Christ’s love…

“40 Ways to Abide in Jesus” comes in TWO DIFFERENT, BOTH Bonus FREE, PRINTABLES (one as original beautiful art prints by my beloved daughter-in-law, Aurora (!!), to place around your home, or as one stunning cross-centered compass to frame and hang) —

24 “Who I am in Christ” cards with original woodcut illustrations 40 illustrated ornaments from the life of Jesus, for your own Easter tree —40-Day Bible Reading PlanPocket Prayers for your PilgrimageA Complete “Loved to Life” Community Pilgrimage Guide With the 7 I AM Statements of Jesus — to do a Lent Pilgrimage with your people 40 Days of Seeing Yourself in Jesus’ Story: Captivating artwork paired with prompts to help you personally – and very powerfully – step into the very scenes of Scripture, immersing your life in Jesus’ story

and so many (truly incredible!!!!) more deeply spiritually formative, profoundly helpful tools coming that will help grow us in connection to each other and the Vine of Life Himself… 

My heartfelt thanks for your support of ordering “Loved to Life” here, where you can also claim all the deeply formative and soul-nourishing THANK YOU gifts… from my heart to yours, connecting us all to His.

ORDER LOVED TO LIFE & CLAIM ALL YOUR BONUS THANK YOU GIFTS And YOU REally DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS:Can you even believe it?! 

Nope, we can’t either!  And none of us want to miss out on all these beloved leaders who are joining us live during Lent!

This has never happened quite like this before! A fresh, new live way to interact, where these beloved leaders will jump in with us weekly, as Companions during our 40-Day Pilgrimage with Jesus during Lent, & you’ll get to lean in in real-time, ask questions, face-to-face, & we’ll all fall more in love with Jesus together, as Jesus changes us, & Loves us to Life! It’s about Jesus… and You…and Love. Every single week of Lent, right up to the empty tomb & Resurrection Sunday & living the fullest life!

Weekly livestream conversations! Incredible companions on this 40-Day Pilgrimage! We’ll be face- to- face so you can join us, ask questions, and journey through Lent in real community! Grab a friend, the book, and let’s do this together!

JOIN US!Slow Down & Feel Loved this weekend:

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. 

3 (Biblical) Things You Can Do When Your Child Embarrasses You

Moms, we’ve all been there. We’re out shopping with our kids in tow and Timmy makes a cringeworthy comment about the person standing next to us in the checkout line, or maybe we get that awkward phone call from a teacher about what Susie drew on her paper. Our first reaction is to want to dig a hole and crawl in it. And then we get angry. And finally, we feel guilty.    What I love about Emily A. Jensen and Laura Wifler is they help moms apply gospel wisdom to everyday moments in motherhood, like when we find ourselves embarrassed in public over something our children said or did. It’s a pleasure to welcome Emily and Laura to the farm’s table today to discuss some biblical responses to when our children put us in uncomfortable situations.         

Guest Post by Emily A. Jensen and Laura Wifler

For every mom, there comes a moment when your child embarrasses you.

Big or small, in public or in the company of close friends, in an epic fallout or in a private “we need to talk about your child” meeting—it’s bound to happen.

Your cheeks flush, beads of sweat drip down your back, your throat clenches. Perhaps you laugh when you should be serious, or you’re stern while everyone else laughs. Whatever your reaction, the pit in your stomach screams that people are watching, judging you and your child, finding you lacking.

Whether it was the times I lugged a screaming child to the car from the park, pool, or store; the outbursts of potty talk or rambunctious climbing in semiformal environments; or just the run-of-the-mill “I can’t believe my kids are acting this way” events—I’ve had years of experience with this.

In my better moments, I debrief with my husband and kids and, most importantly, with the Lord. I pray and rehearse the narrative of the gospel and think on specific scriptures to process the situation. While there are numerous truths we might want or need to recall after moments of embarrassment in motherhood, here are three Bible truths to keep in mind:

1. Give Thanks

“Gratitude flows not only from good feelings but from a heart that believes God orchestrates, ordains, and provides challenging situations for our good.”

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 THESSALONIANS 5:18

Even though we don’t feel very thankful when little Johnny asks Aunt Marge why her tummy is so big and squishy, God’s Word says there is always a reason to give thanks. Gratitude flows not only from good feelings but from a heart that believes God orchestrates, ordains, and provides challenging situations for our good.

Sometimes we simply thank the Lord that we have children—even when caring for them means public tantrums and awkward interactions. Other times, we express gratitude for our salvation and identity in Christ, which defines us at all times, even when others don’t approve of us or our children. And painfully, sometimes we give thanks for opportunities to see our children’s foolishness, pride, or sin. While this doesn’t seem like a gift, embarrassing moments can warn and remind us that we have a responsibility to train and discipline our children (Proverbs 29:15; Ephesians 6:4).

The outburst of bad manners could mean that they need a nap (normal and understandable), or it could mean that we need to train them to love others and increase our discipleship in a specific area. No matter the cause of the embarrassment, it’s always God’s will for Christians to give him thanks.

2. Move Forward

“Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” PHILIPPIANS 3:13–14

When we’re still cringing from the “talk” a neighborhood parent had with us about our child, most of us are ready to make a big ordeal of it or pretend it never happened.

Neither of these responses are what Paul alludes to in his letter to the Philippians when he speaks about dealing with past sins and missteps as a believer. We seek to apologize, repent, and take responsibility when we’ve done something wrong, and we teach our children to do the same.

“Because of our faith in Christ, there is always hope beyond embarrassing moments. Moms can move forward!“

Sometimes an embarrassing moment leads to an apology note or the loss of a privilege. But this verse particularly reminds our weary hearts that when we’ve been made right with God and we seek to live at peace with others to the best of our ability, there comes a time when we press on. We stop looking back again and again and again (replaying the situation or mulling it over), and instead, we look to Christ. We rehearse and remember our purpose and goal in motherhood instead of our embarrassing moment and point our kids to their Lord—the one who took all of their sin and shame on the cross.

Because of our faith in Christ, there is always hope beyond embarrassing moments. Moms can move forward!

3. Don’t Fear

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? ” PSALM 118:6

This truth is so important, God repeated it throughout the Bible. It’s one that we need in many situations, but is helpful to remember when an embarrassing moment leaves us feeling fearful of others’ opinions.

“People have the ability to leave one another out of groups, but they don’t have the ability to leave others out of heaven.“

Perhaps it’s when a child with special needs makes socially abnormal noises and gestures in a quiet environment or when you hear from a teacher that your child struggles to read aloud (when their peers are right on track). Even though no one sinned, you still feel like you should have done better for your child, or you grieve the challenges they face and the way these impact relationships.

In this, we can take heart because the Lord is tender with those who are weak and brokenhearted. For those who are his in Christ, he is on our side. He is for us now and in eternity. Nothing can separate us from his love—not even an embarrassing parenting moment (Romans 8:38-39).

We might have socially outcast moments in motherhood, but in Christ, God will never cast us out. While our son or daughter might not get an invitation to the party or be included in the special club, we can be confident that this doesn’t have to determine the course of eternity. People have the ability to leave one another out of groups, but they don’t have the ability to leave others out of heaven.

If you’re sweating an embarrassing moment in motherhood, it’s good to debrief. Think through what happened—maybe next time, you’ll pack an extra snack or special pack of stickers in your purse. Lesson learned!

Perhaps there is something deeper at play, and you need to have a conversation about kind words and respectful behavior in different settings. Maybe everything was totally out of your control, and you’re further reminded that your children belong to the Lord—you can do your best to mother them in his ways, but you can’t help the decisions they make!

Regardless of the details, these truths can hopefully be an encouragement to you. Find a reason to thank the Lord, keep pressing on in your walk with him, and fear him first.

Emily A. Jensen and Laura Wifler are the cofounders of Risen Motherhood and the authors of the bestselling Risen Motherhood book. Through their ministry, podcast, and books, they have helped moms connect their faith to their motherhood. Sisters-in-law Emily and Laura live in central Iowa with their families.

A Million Tiny Moments: Reflections to Refresh a Mom’s Spirit is Emily and Laura’s latest and final book under the Risen Motherhood banner. Inside you’ll find short, instant encouragement for every season of motherhood and for every one of your million tiny moments. Learn more about Emily and Laura’s new book here.   

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