The Good Day

There's no better way to beat the Summer heat than with a splash. But, sometimes we get more than a splash. We get a wave or waves of chaos.   My good friend, Valerie Ellis, is sharing her reflection of Psalm 93 with us today and reminding us of the stark contrast between chaos and Christ and the invitation that awaits us in these inconvenient and overwhelming waters.   Valerie Ellis loves helping...

What does it mean to "live by faith"? If you're like me, there have been moments when I think I'm living by faith but later realize I was blinded to see my attempts to strategize, analyze, and "fix" a situation for the lack of trust, lack of faith , it really is. When this "strategizing" is based on my emotions and perspective rather than my trust and dependence on God, I'm not living by faith ; I...

Maybe this Summer, foreign is exactly what you need. But no bags need to be packed. Not a single one. No airline reservations need to be made. You see, praise in times of plenty, that's easy. It's natural. But praise in want , it's never easy. It's unnatural. Foreign may be an even better word. It feels strange, unfamiliar, unsettling. That's because it is. Praise and rejoicing in things go well i...

My good friend, Sarah Philpott, shares her reflection of Psalm 72 with us today and the gentle redirection meant for all us - who are we worshipping? In whom or what have we put our hope? Sarah Philpott, PhD lives on a cattle farm in the south. She is the mother of four young children and wife to one hard workin’ farmer (who has been her sweetheart since high school). Sarah is the award-winning au...

I want us to embrace a moment of nothingness, as hard as it may be for us. Keep the TV off, put the phone away. If not for a whole summer, how about today? How about for five minutes? For, it's only when we're bored that we start to ask ourselves the question: "What sounds fun?" We need more fun! This life is a gift and God intends for us to enjoy it. To have fun. If our days have become so busy a...

As we begin our Summer in the Psalms series this Summer, we're getting to hear from my friend, Cole Feix, as he helps us understand the Psalms as "the nervous system of the Bible." Cole Feix is the Pastor of Carlton Landing Community Church in Oklahoma, the founder of So We Speak Media , and a director of the Library Co . He has a PhD from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is an adjunc...

This message today is for parents who are feeling overwhelmed and craving peace. To help us experience more of Eden, the promise of heaven on earth, my good friend, Nichole Suvar is joining us. Nichole Suvar loves helping others overcome the anxiety that tries to take us out and learn how to live with purpose and intention, one small moment at a time. She has thirty years of experience living with...

We’re talking about the pressure parents feel to “have it all together.” But, inevitably life happens. Curve balls come. For my new friend, Kim Harms, she had 2 back-to-back curve balls in the form of cancer - both coming to her attention on Jan 20, just 7 years apart. She’s joining to help us experience more of God’s strength in these desperate times of our lives. Kim Harms is a two-time breast c...

In honor of Mother’s Day last Sunday, we are taking some time to celebrating mommas. Today, this message is for moms of littles as my friend and fellow Okie, Alexandra Jensen, is joining us today.  Alexandra Jensen—Alex, as her friends call her—resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband, Dave, and their three beautiful, energetic kids: Emma (6), Josiah (4) and Madison (2). She loves the Lord and...

As we engage our sense of touch, we want to feel God’s love for us through our closest relationships. Mother’s Day is coming up, but we’re first taking a moment to talk about Dads. To help us more clearly see the role of a Father as God intended and to help us help the men in our lives feel more seen themselves, good friends you’ll recognize from previous episodes are back again - Blythe Daniel wi...

Last Sunday was the OKC Memorial Marathon , so it’s fitting to have a good friend of mine and ‘Dubya’s join us today to talk about his experience running the marathon after enduring months of bedrest from a terrible car accident. Plus, what did he learn through this trial to help propel him forward as a new Dad?  If you are a dad or one day hope to be, this episode is for you. If you know a dad, t...

As we continue thinking about how we can experience God's presence through our five senses, we are going to focus on feeling  God's embrace through our closest relationships - family. It may be a parent or grandparent, a sibling or neighbor, or someone else who has served in a nurturing or mentoring role for you. God is so very faithful to bring the family of God around us to help us feel His embr...

So far in this mini-series, we’ve talked about how we can see God and see Love in our midst. Through His creation surrounding us, we can see Him and learn more about Him and how scriptures can come to life. Now, we’re going to transition to what others see in us and we’re starting with those who are always watching (even when we think they aren’t)… our children. Today, my friend and author of Her...

Kids love visiting the zoo, but what if we could connect what they see to scripture through these wild animals? By helping our children engage with their senses, they can come to realize God, though He is invisible, is MORE real than what they do see. Valerie Ellis is a mom and teacher who understands how tricky it can be to help kids discover and develop a vibrant, authentic faith amidst life’s m...

Faith requires us to see differently. To help us understand this concept in a more concrete way, we’re talking with a good friend of mine, Dannah Jo, who has learned and continues to practice this through photography. Dannah Jo is a Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer based in Oklahoma who strives to capture authentic emotion and connection. She loves taking a documentary approach to her photograph...

How can we see an invisible God? It’s not just a question from young hearts but one we may wrestle with ourselves. Though we cannot see God, we can see evidence of Him and His love for us and evidence of the truth of His Word all around us. God îș teaching us through His creation, we just forget to look for Him.  My friend and author of The Growing Season: A Year of Down-on-the-Farm Devotions, Sar...

How can we see God? How can we see Love? Can we see Him and learn more about Him through His creation surrounding us? Today, my friend, Susie Lipps, who has a background in theology from Fuller Seminary, a passion for leadership and after being “banished” to wine country, her eyes have been opened to understand the Love of the Father and Son for us in a deeper way. Susie Lipps (MAGL, Fuller Semina...

"... that is what life is really all about - our relationship with God. So it makes sense we will see God in everything when we learn to look for God in everything. And that, my friend, is what I want us to practice together. Because I want to be us to be a people who are green thumbs, not necessarily with plants but with our faith. I want us to be keen observers, taking in every opportunity to se...

Growing up, I remember watching Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. If you’re not familiar with this book or movie, it’s about 4 teenage girls whose stories and lives are all so different, and though they are forced to spend their summer apart, a pair of jeans somehow fits each one, though their figures are as different as their stories. Reflecting on our unexpected friendship, I think I’ve found m...

Hard times are no respecter of persons, we all experience these, and like my friend, Sarah Freymuth points out, there are no instructions for times like these and no platitudes or forced positivity will bring us the peace we crave. Sarah is the author of All the Hard Things: 50 Days Through the Valley and is offering truth to help reinforce our faith in God’s intimate goodness. She writes: “When w...

What if the theology you believed as a kid doesn’t hold water for you now? What do you do then? Kristen Neighbarger is joining us and sharing her journey to faith and finding a sturdy hope, the kind you can build a life on. Kristen is a recovering fundamentalist who believes that truth, faith, and the sovereignty of God will survive deconstruction and are critical components of healthy reconstruct...

If you’ve wondered if God loves you, if life is worth living, if God has a purpose for your life, Johnnie wants you to know the answer is yes, for he’s asked these same questions too. His is a powerful story of how God pursues us. His reckless love, which we know leaves the 99 in pursuit of the one, even when that means riding through a rolled over humvee with him, visiting you in a hospital when...

What impact could a whisper hold? Do we dare listen to this whisper we’re hearing? My friend, Kathy Izard, admits, “I worried that listening might mean making a huge mistake by veering off my carefully constructed life plan. It turned out, however, that listening would not be a detour but rather my destiny.” Today, we are practicing engaging our sense of hearing to hear God in the quiet but insist...

Have you ever thought or said, “I didn’t sign up for this!” Plot twists come and we’re tempted to wonder where is God in this? Right now, we’re learning to engage our sense of hearing, to hear God through His Word and the stories of those who lived long ago. To help us, my friend, Sarah Frazer, author of “I Didn’t Sign Up for This” is joining us today. Sarah E. Frazer is a writer, Bible study ment...

If you’ve ever wondered if you’ve heard God correctly or if you found yourself waiting for another sign, I’m excited you’re joining us for this conversation today. My friend, Abby McDonald, the author of Surrendering Certainty: Hearing God Today By Letting Go of Tomorrow , is joining us to help us comb through some of the questions and assumptions we have about hearing God’s voice and encourage us...