Caryn & Jeremy in the Morning

James 1:2-4 says:  "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." Christians who face trials with a joyful outlook—trusting God to accomplish His good purpose—will develop into full spiritual...

A man was visiting a tribe in Africa and he proposed a game to some of the kids that were running around. He put a basket of fruit at the far end of the field and said whoever gets to the basket first wins all the fruit. But something weird happened after he said that. When he told the kids to run, instead of running individually, they grabbed hands and ran together as one group. Puzzled by their...

The enemy likes tempts you with sin and trample you with guilt. But there is a lifeline for you. James 5:16 says: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." - James 5:16 Despite anything that we will do in our lives, we can't let the guilt from that destroy our desire to pray. God's spec...

Every person in the world at some point has asked these questions: Who Am I? Why Am I Here?  While much of the world still seeks to find answers to these questions, we as Christians have the answer to these two questions in God's Word. Ephesians 2:10 says: "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10 So who are...

You may have heard it said that: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper." That's actually from Isaiah 54:17 when it says: "No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the LORD." - Isaiah 54:17 But a friend of mine turned it around recently and sa...

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that: "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." - Hebrews 11:1 Faith is trust, assurance and confidence in God and Jesus Christ. Living faith is not just believing that God exists. It is demonstrated by one’s service and obedience to God. Faith makes us stronger, braver, better. Faith helps us through times of trouble and allows us...

Recently, Jeremy was driving home from downtown Dallas to see a homeless man shaking a tree. At first, Jeremy was alarmed because he thought the man was crazy but then he felt convicted for making such an assumption.  After that, Jeremy was reminded that this homeless man was made in the image of God and that God died for them. After that, his perspective changed on the man completely.  God sees e...

1 Peter 3:9 is what I like to call a seatbelt verse because it saves me from getting hurt. It says: "Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." - 1 Peter 3:9 For Christians, revenge is never the right option. Period. Peter echoes the teaching of Jesus, as well as that of Paul, in...

Matthew 6:14-15 says: "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." - Matthew 6:14-15 It's often true that we have no problem accepting forgiveness from God for our sins but when someone sins against us, that's another story. Whenever we are sinned against...

It's a reminder that we all need from time to time but it's okay to ask God for mercy. I know it can be hard because we don't deserve it but Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds us: "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." When you ask God for mercy, you're not wearing Him out. You...

God can use you in really unexpected ways. It happened for Brittany and her toddler son, Ethan. They were blowing bubbles in the backyard when some floated off towards the fence. So Ethan went running after them and he starts yelling back, "feet, mommy feet". She's thinking, "What is he talking about?" So she walked towards them and crouched down to his level and look through this fence into the w...

The world can give you a lot of reasons to worry nowadays whether it's for the safety of our kids, finances, relationships, etc. But in Philippians 4:6-7, God reminds us that it's okay to give that worry to him. It says: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all unde...

God still answers prayers in amazing ways. Nick's wife was pregnant with their first child and they found out a few months ago that the baby has severe hydrocephalus, which is also known as water on the brain. It was off the charts bad to the point where the doctors were talking to them about what it was gonna be like when they would have to take them off life support. They gave them absolutely no...

Caryn recently heard a quote in a movie that said: "You may not have the life you imagined, but it may be the life God intended." This reminded her of Proverbs 16:9 when it says: "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." - Proverbs 16:9 Even if we have many plans, right or wrong, in the end it is the Will of God that will remain. Many times we blame ourselve...

Special letter to mom on first day of school

Often, we can forget how God feels about us and when hearing things like "God is for you", it can be hard to believe it. The Apostle Paul gives us this amazing reminder in Romans 8:31 when he says: "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31 When God says he is for you, it means He is working on your behalf for your good. He has ad...

Yesterday, Caryn attended the funeral of a friend who had two sisters. Naturally, they were bawling their eyes out and one thing that Caryn realized after losing her dad a few years back is the importance of the ministry of presence. Romans 12:15 reminds us: "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." - Romans 12:15 Be thoughtful. Be compassionate. Be quick to lend a helping hand...

Like Jeremy, it can be hard to be optimistic about what God is doing but when it comes to Romans 8:28, we have every reason to be hopeful: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28 Even during grueling circumstances, we can find joy that God is working through our situations to make us more like Jesus...

With life as busy as it can be, we often forget what is most important. As Caryn & Jeremy were moving into their home, they began to obsess over the various changes that were going to need to take place like paint color, appliance repairs, renovations, etc. But in the midst of all of that, Caryn was reminded that God's priority for our life is to seek Him first and everything else follows that.  A...

It's a new day, a new week, and a new month and we wanted to share an encouraging verse for you today:  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17 In this passage, the Apostle Paul is writing that Christ's death for sin has changed the way he regards people. Instead of looking at each person as a mere human being, he must...

How does a child receive a gift? With openness, honesty, and unbridled joy. That type of happy authenticity should be a hallmark of our faith as we receive God’s gift in Christ.

If you were to tell me that "your faith is a work in progress", I would agree that you have a biblical mindset. Philippians 1:6 reminds us that:  "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6 I love the confidence that Paul is writing with to these Philippians Christians. While salvation from the pena...

In a world that tells us to live our way, our truth, and our life the way that we want to, we find that all this ever leads to is emptiness and a lack a fulfillment. Jesus says in John 14:6: "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6 So how do we follow Jesus today? The same way the disciples did long ago. They heard the wo...

When the weight of all that is going on in the world lands on our shoulders, how should we handle it? This verse shows us how to avoid letting the water in when it comes to weight of the world: "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." - Isaiah 26:3 When situations present themselves, our thoughts always need return to Christ. When we do this, we are in...

When our world feels like it's being tossed and turned every single day, may we find hope in this verse: "Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." - Psalm 62:2 We may never be delivered from our circumstances in this life, but we can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will be present with us the whole time. At the end of the day, we aren't stronger be...