Rooted in Assurance

"Bring your brokenness, and I'll bring mine, 'cause love can heal what hurt divides, and mercy's waiting on the other side, if we're honest." -Francesca Battistelli I drive all the time. I made a poor life choice when I decided to commute to the University of Georgia this semester, I admit it. However, one of my favorite parts of the day is my early morning commute to school. I watch the sun rise over the mountains of Georgia, and listen to Nancy Leigh Demoss (Wolgemuth), other podcasts, and music. This gives me the time I need away from the world, to think. Now, that can be a dangerous thing for me, because I am one of those people who loves to overthink and overanalyze. Then, a beautiful song or words of truth remind me who I belong to and all that really matters. About a week ago, I had one of those moments. I was feeling overwhelmed with life, with the uncertainty of the future. Then, a lot like a sucker punch, three songs reminded me of...

"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2 As I sit in my living room at 4:00 in the morning contemplating the events of the last several hours, I feel peace. Many of my friends will question how that can be. My point is not to share my political beliefs either, those don't matter. My hope is not in things of this world, my hope is not in a political candidate. I have hope and trust in someone far greater than that. Y'all, God is in control, He is sovereign. This election was already in His hands, as is every election to come and every election that has come. If you have a personal relationship with God, this pettiness on social media and complaining needs to stop. Regardless of who won we need to be in prayer for our leadership. Can you imagine the change that could be affected in your community if you were as passionate for Christ as you are for a political party? I see believers weeping over this election. Are you weeping o...

     "To a true child of God, the invisible bond that unites all believers to Christ is far more tender, and lasting, and precious; and, as we come to recognize and realize that we are all dwelling in one sphere of life in Him, we learn to look on every believer as our brother, in a sense that is infinitely higher than all human relationships. This is the one and only way to bring disciples permanently together. All other plans for promoting the unity of the Church have failed." -A.T. Pierson       True Christian unity is founded in a relationship with Christ. The early church may have had its struggles, but there is beauty in the way they lived out community and shared the love of Christ.  The community they shared and the love they had for others was the greatest evidence of the faith we have in our savior. When the world looks at the church (for church is not a building, but the Body of Christ) they should see our unity.  ...

Dear Daughter of the Risen King,          Heart break is the pits. We will all encounter it: from disappointments in school, work, family, friends or sometimes a boy. Sometimes it will feel like your world is crashing down around you; you don’t know which direction is up and which is down. You lose sight of yourself, your dreams, your very essence as you battle just to keep your head above the waves. Despair threatens to engulf you as problem after problem beats you down. It seems like the darkness will win, as if you will never find joy again. Thankfully, we are not left to our own devices during these bouts of “mean reds” as Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn) would say. Oh sweet friend, do not allow circumstances or the careless words and actions of another individual, the lies Satan wants you believe, define you. No one else, nothing else, has permission to tell you that you aren’t good enough, that you are anything then the daughter...

Sometimes Christians like to use big words. Sometimes we don't even notice it, it's just part of conversation, especially for those who have grown up in church or have spent a long time studying God and his character. We use words such as sanctification, justification, reconciliation, reformation, protestant, amillenial, post-millennial, transmogrifier. . . Oh wait. (Just in case you don't catch this reference, here's the comic relief). But in all seriousness, sometimes we get so caught up in the theology of who God is, we miss the beauty of the Good News.   This year, I have the privilege of leading a bible study for high school freshman at my church. My sweet girls come from a variety of backgrounds, in different stages with their walk with Christ. One of my girls recently made the decision to follow Jesus this summer at our camp in Ocoee, Tennessee. Each week she brings a fresh perspective and curiosity about God and the faith we have in Him. I love the ...

“When your world is rocked, you don’t want philosophy or theology as much as you want the reality of Christ.” Mark  Harbinger My heart is broken. I weep for the nation I love, for this broken world we live in. Recently, we have been bombarded with stories of the evil in this world, and as Christians, we sometimes have trouble finding where we should stand on issues.  Over the last few weeks, I have had several conversations with friends and family about the struggles we face this side of Heaven. We discussed how, as Christians, we are meant to respond to suffering and even to nonbelievers. A lot of the thoughts I am about to share with you have been influenced by these conversations, books I have read, and recent sermons I have heard. I have learned that though we may wrestle with fear and doubt, God does not leave us alone to deal with our struggles. He is not only with us, he left us a book of instruction. In that book, He gave us an example of a man who w...