Join me in praying for those who feel intense loneliness right now. 🙏🏽💖 Sometimes our wilderness is voluntary. Sometimes it's not. Either way, God invites us to reframe it as a chance to draw more deeply from Christ’s infinite well of love, joy, healing, peace, and purpose. Just like the woman at the well—who sought satisfaction through relationships—Jesus astonishes us with His mercy and can fully quench our thirst when we seek Him. In turn, we can point others to the Wel

During the holiday season, many people wrestle with complicated feelings about relationships—absent, distant, antagonistic, or otherwise. Often, expectations (which we know can be a problem) simply don’t match reality. As always, Jesus helps. Sometimes His help comes in unexpected ways. Matthew 10 may not be very Christmassy, but it contains some of Jesus' clearest words on relationships I’ve returned to and shared again and again. Challenging our understanding of Christian l

It’s pretty hard to be thankful for all circumstances. Should we be thankful for a broken marriage, a broken leg, a broken heart? Paul isn’t asking that of us. He’s inviting us to be thankful in all circumstances—not for them. For many years, I exchanged a daily gratitude list with a few women. We were writing to God and to ourselves more than to each other, but sharing our lists kept us connected. In the beginning, I had to work to come up with even a few things. Later, I of

Something has been shifting, and I want to speak plainly about it. Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t shared Sage Sayings content in a while. It’s not because I’ve been quiet—if anything, God has had me writing more than ever. When He puts something on my heart, it pours out. There’s never a strategy behind it. It’s always Spirit-led obedience. When I first published Sage Sayings & Slogans in the spring, I created a separate page out of sensitivity to the principle o

Bearing the Burden of Seeing Discernment is one of the most beautiful—and one of the most brutal—gifts God gives. It is a gift you want, because it brings clarity, protection, wisdom, truth, and spiritual sight. And it is the gift you don’t want, because once you see something, you cannot unsee it. Heavy. Discernment is both a light and a sword. A comfort and a burden. A gift and a responsibility. And if you’ve walked with this gift—especially since childhood—you already kno

“We can be proud of our clear conscience. We have always lived honestly and sincerely, especially when we were with you. And we were guided by God’s gift of undeserved grace instead of by the wisdom of this world.” —2 Corinthians 1:12 (ESV / CEB) Wow! What a verse. The apostle Paul is writing to the wild and wacky Corinthians who had gone off the deep end with all kinds of compromise, conflict, and chaos. This paragraph is like a mini manual for human relationships. Paul make

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 (NLT) There are times when it feels like the wheels have come off the bus and we’re careening down the highway with a load of screaming metaphorical children—and no brakes. Sometimes it’s global chaos—a perfect storm of crises that seem unmanageable. Other times, it’s our own little universe collapsing due to something we d

I’ve shared that I started reading Psalms 27, 37, and 40 several months ago during a challenging dry spell. If you’re struggling, Google a psalm that fits and try declaring it aloud with zeal—and see what happens! It works. There’s something powerful about rereading Scripture. God will often highlight a passage and reveal something spectacular in it. Our part? To seek Him. He wants to be found. He delights when we dig deep and mine for spiritual treasure. Such was the case wi

This is just another variant of familiar encouragement along the same lines: “Be still and know that I am God…” “And those who wait on the Lord…” “Fear not, stand still and behold the salvation of the Lord…” They’re everywhere—on mugs, plaques, bumper stickers, and journals. We hear them, see them, read them… a lot. But do we do it? Do we actually sit still and wait? And even if we do, do we do it the way God invites us to—calm, confident, trusting? Oh, boy. I'm reading Psalm

CORRECTED: Please forgive me, beautiful Angelenos! How could I? The World Series is underway, pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Toronto Blue Jays after Toronto’s stunning Game 7 upset over the Seattle Mariners. At the top of the eighth inning, it seemed the Mariners had the pennant locked up—until George Springer’s three-run blast turned defeat into destiny. In a single swing, everything changed. That moment feels like more than baseball. It echoes a deeper truth: v

Heavenly Father, In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, I come before You in humility and authority—not my own, but the authority granted through the blood of the Lamb and the word of Your testimony. Lord, You said, “Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19) I know I've posted these videos before, but I just like them. ;-) Today, I stand on that promise. I lift b

I’ve been thinking about childbirth lately. I have two teenagers, Pierce, who is 18, and Isaac, who is 15. I had both by C-section....

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8) The enemy wants to separate you. Jesus wants to draw you near. Knock down any barrier. Get closer. The enemy whispers that your sin is too great, that you cannot go back. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. Jesus always wants you back. Here is the truly remarkable reality of our Savior: He is the Author of new beginnings. He makes all things new. He restores lost time in ways that defy imagination. I know this becau

✨Days of Awe 10 of 10 Re/Turn✨ As sunset falls and Yom Kippur rises, Jews enter 25 hours of fasting and prayer—seeking God’s forgiveness, releasing others, and repenting. Tomorrow at nightfall, the “book” is closed and the year sealed. Repentance was the very first word Jesus preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Matthew 4:17) Repentance remains essential — it restores our relationship with Him and opens access to His cleansing power and grace. I often

✨ Days of Awe 8 of 10: Drunkenness ✨ “You must not associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.” 1 Corinthians 5:11 (NLT) At first glance, Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 5 about drunkenness can seem random and harsh. After all, what’s so bad about “a good buzz”? But Paul is stern: a chronically drunken person should be removed

10 Days of Awe TOOLS & INSIGHTS Judging gets a bad rap, but truth is, we all make judgments every day—sometimes life or death. It’s also a little hypocritical. Even in recovery, we say “stick with the winners” (a judgment!) while condemning judgment—even if it happens behind closed doors. WHAT JESUS REALLY SAID When Jesus said “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1, ESV), He wasn’t calling for moral free-for-all. He was calling for humility. 3 “And why worry about a

Author Note: Here are the first four in a series of weekly Facebook posts on the topic of repentance, aka, Steps 4-10, started a month...

A key stop on the Via Francigena—an ancient travel and pilgrimage route to Rome—Lucca is known as the city of 100 churches. Its many...

🇺🇸 Happy 4th, wonderful people! 🇺🇸 I seldom post political content, since I consider myself apolitical—because Jesus was apolitical....