Anchor Points

Some weeks life just piles up. The stress, the to-do lists, the pressure to keep it all together — and before you know it, you're carrying more than you were ever meant to carry. When that happens to me, I've learned the best thing I can do isn't to add more. It's to go back to basics. Not basic like small or simple, but basic like foundational. The things that hold everything else up. There are t...

“I deserve this.” I say it too. I worked hard, so I deserve a break. I’ve been through enough, so surely I deserve something good. But that word can quietly convince us that life—or even God—owes us something. Scripture gives us a very different picture. What we’ve been given through Jesus isn’t something we earned at all. That’s what makes grace so incredible. The best things God has given us are...

Have you ever spent so much time with someone that you start picking up their expressions or mannerisms? I saw a video of a border collie so focused on its trainer that every movement she made, the dog mirrored almost perfectly. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. That kind of attention—that closeness, focus, and willingness to follow—is exactly what I want my relationship with Jesus to look like....

I once started a new job and discovered that my boss was younger than I was. And almost immediately, my pride had something to say about it. It’s funny how quickly we can attach importance to age, titles, experience, or position. But God isn’t asking me to spend my energy deciding whether someone seems qualified enough for me to listen to. He asks me to serve faithfully where He has placed me. Rem...

Sometimes we make serving God much more complicated than it needs to be. We think we need a church assignment, a mission trip, or some big opportunity to make a difference. But what about a simple hello? Looking somebody in the eye and actually asking, “How are you?” Or saying, “Have a great day,” and really meaning it? Those little moments stand out because so many of us are rushing around barely...

Sit around a campfire long enough and you’ll notice all kinds of colors in the flame—yellow, orange, red, even blue. And sometimes our seasons with God can feel a little like that too. There are moments when the heat feels especially intense. We may not understand why we’re walking through something difficult, and we definitely may not enjoy it. But Scripture reminds us that God can use those plac...

I was working at home, completely focused on what I wanted to finish, when the repairmen showed up hours later than expected. I wasn’t thrilled, and unfortunately, my attitude made that pretty obvious. What bothered me afterward was realizing that I had treated the interruption as something pulling me away from my faith-filled day. But those men standing at my door weren’t outside of my opportunit...

A car wash taught me a very expensive lesson about control. I was supposed to leave the car alone and trust the track to carry us through. Instead, I panicked, put the car in drive, and ended up with a very noticeable reminder on the front of my car. I do this with God too. He tells me to trust Him, but then something feels too slow, too uncertain, or too uncomfortable. So I grab the wheel. The pr...

When we hear the word inheritance, we usually think about money, a house, or something valuable being passed from one generation to another. But as believers, we have something far richer to pass along. God has spent years teaching us, carrying us, correcting us, answering prayers, and showing us who He is. Those stories of His faithfulness are part of what we can give our children and grandchildr...

I’ve lied. Probably more times than I’d like to admit. Sometimes it’s obvious, and sometimes it sounds as harmless as blaming traffic when the real problem was that I didn’t leave the house on time. We have this instinct to cover ourselves. Adam and Eve did it, and we still do it today. We hide, explain, stretch the truth, and try to make ourselves look a little better. But the good news is that J...

My kids probably think I’ve gone a little overboard at the grocery store because now I’m reading everything. Pick up a box, turn it around, check the ingredients. Suddenly shopping takes a whole lot longer. It has made me think about how easy it is to consume things without paying much attention to what we’re putting into ourselves. Food is one example, but really, that question reaches into every...

Mornings can get away from us fast. Coffee, breakfast, getting everyone out the door, checking the phone—and suddenly the day is already moving. I know how my days feel when I rush straight into everything without spending time with God first. And I also know the difference when I sit with Him before the rest of the world gets loud. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Prayer, Scripture, a few quiet...

Most of the time, I’m perfectly happy in jeans, flip-flops, or sweats. But years ago, my mom met an older woman at the grocery store on a Sunday morning who was completely dressed up—beautiful dress, jewelry, hat, shoes, everything. When my mom complimented her, the woman explained that she was dressed up for the Lord. She was going to church, and to her, that was the special occasion. I love that...

I once saw a quote that kept repeating the same phrase: choose your hard. It stuck with me because the truth is, none of us gets a completely easy road. Following Jesus doesn’t mean we avoid every difficult season. There are still trials, uncomfortable choices, and moments when we don’t understand what God is doing. The difference is that we don’t have to walk through those places alone. If hard i...

There are nights when my head hits the pillow, but my mind definitely doesn’t. Tomorrow’s schedule, tomorrow’s problem, tomorrow’s conversation—it all starts running through my head. The strange thing is, worry can feel productive. Like if I think about something long enough, maybe I’ll somehow gain control over it. But if I’ve already told God I trust Him with tomorrow, why am I taking it all bac...

Social media has a way of pulling me in. I read something I disagree with, and suddenly I’m ready to jump into the comments and set the record straight—as if my response is going to fix everything. But sometimes defending what I believe can quietly turn into dividing. Hebrews 12:14 stopped me with a simple reminder: make every effort to live in peace. That doesn’t mean hiding our faith. It might j...

We can be incredibly loyal to our favorite sports teams. We rearrange our schedules, invite people over, wear the colors, and make sure we never miss the game. Once we choose a team, we are often committed for life. I am a Ravens fan, and that is not changing. But it makes me wonder what would happen if I brought that same passion, loyalty, and commitment into my relationship with Christ. God does...

When was the last time you stepped outside at night and looked up at the stars? Sometimes I lie down on the deck when the house is quiet and simply take in the sky. It feels peaceful and overwhelming at the same time. The sky is so vast that it reminds me how much bigger God’s creation is than the small part I can see. Every new discovery seems to reveal how much more there is to learn. Science do...

Sit up straight. Stop slouching. Most of us have heard those reminders about our physical posture. But what about our spiritual posture? Good physical posture brings our bodies into alignment. In a similar way, spiritual posture is about bringing our hearts and lives back into alignment with God. It shapes how we walk, what we focus on, and where we look for direction. Two simple ways to strengthe...

I was walking on a treadmill at the gym when the entire machine suddenly stopped. I was caught completely off guard and had to quickly regain my balance. Life can do the same thing. A diagnosis, job loss, housing problem, or unexpected phone call can stop us in our tracks. Our hearts start racing, and our first instinct may be to panic or pull away from God. But when we are rooted in Christ, we ha...

Is there anyone we can completely trust outside of Jesus Christ? Apparently, even the pigeons might require a little caution. A pigeon was once detained after authorities became suspicious of markings attached to its legs. After months of investigation, they learned it was not a spy at all. It was a racing bird that had traveled a very long way from home. The story makes me laugh, but it also remi...

Have you ever asked God for a sign and then ignored the opportunity when it appeared? I once prayed for a chance to share my faith with someone at work. Later that day, a conversation opened the door, but I talked myself out of saying anything. A few hours later, the same person brought up faith again. The opportunity could not have been much clearer, but I still let fear and doubt take over. Shar...

Have you ever wondered whether a loved one who has passed away is somehow still nearby? Questions about death, reincarnation, and the unseen can surface when we are grieving or trying to make sense of something we cannot explain. The gospel offers something far more hopeful than endlessly cycling through a broken world. It tells us that God created us intentionally and offers restoration, redempti...

Some losses and injustices cannot be fully repaired on this side of heaven. Consequences may come, money may be paid, and decisions may be made, but none of those things can completely undo the harm. I am facing a situation where I believe I am right and where I am hoping for justice. But I am also realizing that being right does not guarantee that everything will be restored in the way I want. We...

Waiting can look like sitting at a red light or being placed on hold. It can also look like waiting for healing, justice, an answer, or the resolution of something that has lasted far longer than expected. I am walking through a season of waiting right now. I have been waiting for more than a year for a situation to be resolved, and I am learning that waiting exposes how much I really trust God. T...