Rooted with Rachel

Grief has a way of winding itself around our hearts doesn’t it? What if instead of fighting those feelings, we invite Jesus into them? He doesn’t ask you to walk around the grief, instead, he walks through it with you. Even though I walk THROUGH the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for YOU are with me. - Psalm 23:4a #grief #jesus #christianencouragement This is a public episode. If you would l...

Today is Good Friday and perhaps you're wondering, why is it called Good Friday? Because by all worldly standards, it would seem like it's a very bad thing that this perfect man is being murdered. But it's good. Number one, because God is a good God and he sent his perfect Son to die for undeserving sinners. Then, number two, it's a good Friday because the cross was our only way to be made right w...

Today is Holy Thursday, also called Maundy Thursday, the day when Jesus gave the new commandment: to love one another just as He has loved us (John 13:34). As we continue in Psalm 22, remember that this psalm is beautifully divided into two main sections. Verses 1–21 focus on the sufferings of Christ , while verses 22 through the end shift to the subsequent glories . In the first section, we saw t...

Today is Holy Wednesday, also known as Spy Wednesday, and we are reading Psalm 22:12-21. It is called Spy Wednesday because this is the day we remember Christ’s betrayal by Judas Iscariot. According to Matthew 26:14-15, Judas went to the chief priests and made a deal to expose and hand Jesus over to them for thirty pieces of silver. Thirty pieces of silver in that day was the price of the accident...

Today is Holy Tuesday and we're reading in Psalm 22:6-11. I cannot wait to share with you what I came across a few years back when I studied this psalm, about that word “worm” in the psalm and it's fascinating. I'm going to share it with you in just a minute, but first, let’s look over this entire section. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me...

How often do you come to a holiday like Easter and it seems to be over before you even get a chance to enjoy it? One way to be more present is to spend time during the season before Easter (which is called Lent). Whether you chose to participate in Lent or not, a simple way to bring focus before Easter Sunday is to take this week (which is called Holy Week) and meditate on Jesus’s journey toward t...

A couple weeks ago, we looked at the first part of Psalm 91:1 and how this speaks to our trials and difficult situations. The shelter of the Most High is not just a place we run to when we’re in trouble, although that is our privilege, but it’s a place we dwell, inhabit, and reside in the shelter of El Elyon, God Most High. Today we are going to talk about the second part of Psalm 91:1. He who dwe...

I have a confession…most of my prayers have come from a very desperate place. They are hasty arrows shot into the dark in a moment of crisis. Maybe you experience this same conviction in your prayer life. Your prayers are formed in the moment without much thought put into them. On one hand, this is the privilege we have as believers to come before the throne of grace anytime in anyway, but on the...

If you feel like there is no point to putting in effort towards something maybe because you are unsure of your ability or insecure of your calling then today’s message is for you! Currently at our church, we are going through the Gospel of John. This past Sunday we were in John 2 looking at the first of Jesus’ miracles: Turning Water into Wine. This first miracle was performed at a wedding and if...

There is so much buildup to a new year isn’t there? I think we tend to be let down so quickly in January because we build it up so much coming into the new year. We all love the idea of a fresh new page, a fresh new start, but I guarantee you, many of you guys, just like me, started January 1 (maybe even at 1 AM in the morning) with already a blotch on your new year. It could’ve been an argument....

Today is our last day on this Advent journey through The Sounds of Silence . But it doesn’t end here. You are most likely still in your season of waiting or about to enter into a season of waiting. My prayer is that we would submit to God during every season , that we would treasure up in our hearts all the lessons he wants to teach us about ourselves and himself, and as we trust him, we would inc...

Seasons of suffering and silence grow us in ways we would have never grown if we had not walked though the fire. There are aspects about God and his character we wouldn’t have known had we not experienced those hard places. We learn about his faithfulness. His kindness in the encouragement from another believer. His provision. We often don’t see this in the middle. How many times have you come to...

You know what it feels like when you are tired, exhausted and ready to go home, but someone asks you at the last minute to do them a favor? Or a child asks you to pick up something from the store on the way home? You really just want to go home, but you stop by the store anyway, or you do that friend a favor because you care about them. Sometimes, God asks us to remain in a place of waiting and su...

Have you ever known someone that just seems to always find the perfect gift? They are the best gift givers. Gift giving seems to come naturally for them. It is their joy to give gifts as an act of love and service to those they adore and appreciate. Some people are just amazing at finding and choosing the perfect gift. Even though the gifts chosen are simple, the joy in which they are given transf...

How do you typically react when God’s plan doesn’t fit with your expectations? Sometimes our rescue comes from small and insignificant places. Our silence breaks when we least expect it to and in ways we would never have imagined. Remember: Matthew 2:3-8 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he i...

How many times have you wished God would put a sign in the sky telling you which way to go, what to do, which path to choose; just something that would give you a clear direction? I think we’ve all been there and we all wish we had a clear sign in the sky, a billboard that tells us what to do. But God works differently. He works in the realm of trust. Remember: Matthew 2:1-2 Now after Jesus was bo...

If you have ever experienced love and then have known the loss of that love, you are familiar with the unimaginable pain this leaves in your heart. Or maybe you long for love and hold the empty space of not having that need met yet on this earth. How do we remain faithful when we go through loss and waiting? How do we speak sincerity into the sorrow? Remember: Luke 2:36-38 And there was a prophete...

My younger brother liked to always give us a little scare, you know, to keep us on our toes. I remember one time, we were out shopping with my grandmother and he suddenly was no where to be found. The panic from experiencing the sudden realization that a child is missing throws you into a frantic search. The fear that fills your mind on what might have happened or could happen is almost too much t...

Have you ever waited for something so long, that you almost gave up hope that you would see it in your lifetime? Maybe it is a prodigal child you are waiting to return to the Lord, or a broken relationship you are longing to see mended. When waiting is long it’s easy to give up hope; to quit praying. Today we read about someone who waited their entire life to see the silence lifted; to witness God...

Have you ever experienced such a special and sacred moment that you couldn’t even find the words to talk about it? You just wanted to sit and savor it. Maybe you were inwardly processing all that had taken place, holding those memories close to your heart, because they were so special. Or maybe you were sifting through the events that took place, trying to discern what meaning it holds. After the...

God’s plan in our lives usually unfolds in the most unexpected ways, doesn’t it? Have you ever thought, “Well, that is not at all how I would have expected things to go!” God’s ways our higher than our ways and his thoughts are higher than our thoughts. That’s why it so important to continue trusting that his perfect plan will unfold in our season of silence and waiting in HIS way and in HIS perfe...

Getting good news when you’ve been waiting to hear it — is such a relief isn’t it? It’s as if you’ve been holding your breath and you can suddenly breathe again. The greatest message of good news we can receive is that God sent us a Rescuer. For those who were stuck in silence and darkness, a light is dawning. And that light brings salvation and joy to a world that has been waiting in pain and sil...

Sovereignty is not a word we use often. Gotquestions.com describes the sovereignty of God like this: The fact that God is sovereign essentially means that He has the power, wisdom, and authority to do anything He chooses within His creation. ‘Anything he chooses’ is most likely NOT what we would choose if given the chance. His ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. Sometimes...

How are you processing your season of waiting? Do you silently ruminate, which then quickly turns into worry? Do you blast some worship music to lift your spirit? Do you call a friend and verbally process your experience? Do you turn to unhealthy habits to dull the pain? We all process our seasons of waiting differently. As the four hundred years of silence break, Mary’s song becomes the first not...

You know what it feels like the moment you connect with someone who has been through a similar situation that you have and they’re truly able to say, “I understand exactly how you feel!”? That is such a sweet moment! Today’s reading gives us a glimpse into a precious gift God gives Mary in a time that I’m sure was very confusing and disorienting for her. God gives her this sweet gift of a relation...