Heartbeat

I went hiking with a group of friends recently on a mountain I hadn’t been to before. The trail wasn’t steep at all- but the hike was long. After about an hour or so we turned around a bend and the trees opened up to show us an incredible view. We were at the top! It was such a mild slope that I hadn’t realized how high we had climbed. That feels like life sometimes huh? Maybe you’re in a difficul...

Someone wisely once said, “Dream like you’ll live forever. Live like you’ll die today.” That might sound intense but it’s great advice; The question is- HOW do you live each day with that degree of meaning, focus and purpose? Have you ever heard or read the Latin phrase, “Coram Deo?” Coram Deo refers to something that takes place in the presence of God, or before the face of God. The theologian, R...

If you’ve attended church for a while- what do you picture when you hear “Discipleship Group”? Is it a group of people who meet once a week with pizza and a specific curriculum? In Christ, discipleship is people leading each other towards Christ. It’s accountability, praying for each other and bearing each other’s burdens. You may already be a part of a group like this without knowing! Maybe you h...

If you’re anything like me, my days can get so busy- before I’ve realized it, I’ve been stressed about something all day- and never paused to pray about it! On days like these when you feel like you can barely catch your breath- my advice to you is to just- pray. You thought I was going to say breathe didn’t you? Well- you’ll do that too.   A breath prayer is a simple way to interact with God for...

Think of the last really good action movie you saw. The car chases, the crazy parkour moves, the fight scenes… Chances are, the actors you know aren’t actually doing these stunts themselves. Instead, movies rely on body doubles to make these crazy stunts happen safely. A body double is similar in height and appearance- wears the same clothes and even learns to walk the same way as the actor they a...

It’s no secret that poor posture will eventually result in preventable back pain. Our neck muscles tighten, and we start holding a lot of stress in our shoulders too. We simply “forget” to stop slouching and to sit upright. So, a company has created a small gadget that you clip onto your shirt. It analyzes spinal positions and buzzes when your posture needs to be corrected. That’s crazy right?! Bu...

In a study of 37 cultures around the world, 16,000 people were asked about their most desired traits in a mate. Out of all the responses, the first preference was kindness. Above looks, wealth, or intelligence! Kindness is a deep-seated human value and is considered a virtue in most cultures and religions. Part of the biblical definition of kindness includes usefulness, making it clear that being...

It’s been over 500 years since the great artist, Michelangelo painted his famous frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. But did you know that when he was first asked to undertake the project, he didn’t want the job? He thought it was beneath him! And yet, this incredible work ended up being his biggest legacy and most famous work of his career. Sometimes opportunities come to us disguised...

St. Patrick was a remarkable man who chose to live among what society considered barbaric people, the Celts. The Celts were known for their violent tendencies, bold behavior, and engagement in ritualistic human sacrifices. In his earlier years, Patrick had been enslaved by the Celts. But eventually, he managed to escape captivity, and during his newfound freedom, he felt a profound calling to retu...

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, once told a story about returning to her home soon after she’d found her fame in New York City. When her family began to do the household chores, her father asked her why she wasn’t participating. “I’m a star,” she protested. Her father brought her down to size, and sent her to mop the kitchen floor. That was a lesson in humility she carried with her and never f...

The 1800’s philosopher, Fredrich Nietzsche (NEE-chuh) said, “What doesn’t destroy me, makes me stronger.” Researchers put that old saying to the test. They found that people who had experienced events of adversity reported better mental health and well-being than people with no history of misfortune. It seems that exposure to adversity promotes better resilience and higher life satisfaction. This...

In her book “Learning to Walk in the Dark,” Barbara Brown Taylor writes about her exploration of Organ Cave. In the darkest part, a beautiful rock full of tiny crystals resembling glitter caught her eye. She put it in her backpack as a souvenir. Later, back in her room, Taylor pulled out the rock anticipating miniature fireworks; but instead, it looked more like an ordinary piece of gravel! The ro...

Mark Twain once said, “My life has been filled with calamities, some of which actually happened.” We laugh at his comment, because we can see ourselves in it. But “worry” is no joke.  It causes serious problems: physiologically, emotionally, and spiritually. Most of our stress comes from worrying about things that might happen in the future; and yet, research shows that 85 percent of what we worry...

A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway equipped with large scales to inspect the weight of trucks. This is to ensure it’s not overweight and is compliant with state laws and safety guidelines. God’s Word, the Bible, is a checkpoint along life’s highway to inspect the weight of your mind, body, spirit, and soul. Life is often metaphorically described as a long-distance race and Hebrews 12:...

Think about the difference between the mighty oak tree and a quickly growing plant like a tomato. The oak tree grows slowly, it sends roots deep into the soil that will enable it to withstand strong storms, hot summers and cold winters. It eventually provides shade and a habitat for wildlife. However, the tomato plant grows quickly but doesn’t even last through the winter. Our faith is much like t...

A friend of mine’s grandmother passed away recently. And sadly, in one of the last conversations he had with her she stated that she just hoped she’d been good enough to get into heaven. What does “good enough” even look like? The comedian, Mike Atkinson once said, “If you can get through the day without coffee, if you can always be cheerful, if you can resist complaining, if you have never lied;...

One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing someone littering. When I see someone throwing trash out of a car window, it drives me crazy to see someone disrespecting the environment like that. God gave us this beautiful planet, and He wants us to be good stewards over it. We find ourselves asking God for things we desire, but if He can’t trust us with taking care of what He’s already given us, why shou...

Rather than focusing on scientific details of the origin of life, the book of Genesis focuses on sharing the world’s purpose and how it’s meant to function. The author, John Walton, says that the book of Genesis is telling us how God turned this house into a home. When you go to a friend’s house, you aren’t concerned with how the foundation was poured or the layout of the plumbing. You’re more int...

Matthew, chapter six verse six says: But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. These are important words from Jesus. He’s about halfway through His most famous message we now know as the sermon on the mount- and had spoken clearly on the kind of behavior and heart of a person that...

As Jesus was doing the will of His Father; gathering His disciples, renaming some of them, healing the sick, ministering to the poor, preaching to the crowds… Mark chapter three says that when His friends heard of this, they tried to hold him back because they thought he had lost his mind. Kingdom living often looks quite strange to the rest of the world. What has God called you to do, that you’ve...

In Luke, chapter 22, Jesus is breaking bread with his disciples for the last time. After he gives thanks for the meal, he says to them, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me”. Now this has become a beautiful sacramental expression of faith in the Christian Church, The Lord’s Supper. A sacred moment as we gather for a meal to pause and remember Christ. However, this doesn’t h...

Have you ever been in that place where you have to choose between what God has instructed you to do and what you think you should do? Maybe it’s how you WANT to react to someone who has mistreated you. The human reaction and the Godly reaction are quite different. If you’ve been in this place before, don’t feel bad, me too. You either appear weak in someone else’s eyes, or you walk in complete obe...

Fear is a natural, chemical reaction in our brains. The amygdala is a part of the brain that activates when we sense a threat and causes the body to have a physical response. However, the hippocampus is a part of our brain that then helps our brains interpret the threat. So, if we were to see a T Rex coming towards us, we may instinctively be afraid, but, that fear is tempered by us knowing it’s j...

How do you handle loneliness? It’s a feeling we all struggle with from time to time. Some may try to fill their time with distractions like social media, Netflix, medication… But what are you left with when there’s nothing to watch or when the bottle’s empty? Jesus knew loneliness as well. Leading up to the cross we see Him in the garden of Gethsemane, overwhelmed with emotion and praying to His F...

How many times have you simply needed someone to listen? We live in a world where many within our journey of faith carry heavy burdens and feel as though no one wants to hear them for fear of being judged or ridiculed. But praise God they have you in their lives – a fellow believer who will “carry each other’s burdens, and in this way fulfill the law of Christ.” Be that listening ear for someone t...