I originally posted this on my last (very out-of-date) blog, My Life Commentary , on Wednesday, September 26, 2012. It was published about a month and a half before my first child was born. As I was lying in bed, I realized I’m kind of in my own personal season of advent. I grew up in a church that followed and celebrated seasons, one of them being advent. It’s a period of time where we’re waiting, anticipating the arrival of Christ. This morning, I realized how different that advent would have been for Mary than it was for me. Growing
Category: Blog
My blog articles spanning a variety of topics, from parenting advice and thoughts about mom life to Bible insight and more.
This is going to be a longer post as we go through the middle of Revelation , but I liked the big-picture view that Chip Ingram presented as he went through it. I understood it so much more clearly, and I liked the way he kept the central message of hope in focus. As Chip summarized, “This shows us we can endure anything when we look at today’s struggles in the light of tomorrow’s certainty.” I know my day-to-day struggles are nothing close to what the early church suffered, but that doesn’t mean my life is easy . By understanding
When I have a busy, long day, sometimes the last thing I want to do is open my Bible. It’s not that I’m running away from God, but it takes more thought when I’m already tired. And it’s yet another thing getting in the way of just doing what I want to do. I spend all day doing everything for everyone else–by the time I have a few minutes to myself, I want to just do what I feel like doing. However, I’ve noticed a pattern: when I’m more consistent about turning my focus on God, rather than myself, I
When I think of the word “overcomer,” I often think of Mandisa’s inspiring song that came out a few years ago. I think of overcoming giant hurdles like injustice or insurmountable sickness. I think that’s why I’ve never really thought of myself as an overcomer. But I liked the perspective Chip Ingram shared on this word in his Revelation series. He said there’s stuff that will come into your life to try to separate you from God. But at the end of each letter in Revelation 2-3 , there’s a promise to those that overcome. In this context, an overcomer
I am incredibly blessed. On paper, I have more than I ever thought possible: A funny, wise, loving husband. Three wonderful children. A career I really enjoy. Supportive parents and siblings on both sides of our family. Friends near and far. And yet, life is hard. As amazing as my husband is, we’re both flawed people and marriage takes work. As wonderful as my children are, they’re also flawed and have years of maturing ahead of them. As much as I enjoy my career, it can be mentally exhausting; some days it completely drains my capacity for making decisions and
Revelation : the last book of the Bible. Reading it always made me scratch my head. So I was really excited when my mom suggested we listen to Chip Ingram’s Revelation series together . I think one section of it that many people are familiar with are the letters to the seven churches, probably because it shares actionable guidance that makes sense without understanding the greater context of the book. But the thing is, this section does sit in the context of the book. I think God would have separated the letters out if He intended the messages to the
Like most busy moms, I feel like it’s hard to find peace. The kids are running around making messes, I have a million things to do, and the chaos exponentially increases. The more I try to do it all, the more I fail, and the more I need to remind myself I can’t do it all by myself. I think that’s why 2 Peter 1:2 resonated so much with me recently. “May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” I really like how Priscilla Shirer presented it during the Going
Revelation has always confused me. I think that’s why I appreciated Chip Ingram’s sermon series about it so much. He explained it in a way that finally made sense! In my first post about it , I shared context for when it was written, an outline of the book, and the central message: hope! In this post, I’ll get into the first chapter. The theme is trust in God: our future is secure! Don’t be deceived—The future is certain! Revelation 1:1-3 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He
If I were to ask your kids what you tell them the most, what would they say? Mine would probably answer with phrases like: Have you emptied the dishwasher yet? Why aren’t you dressed? Get off your sister’s head! While those are things I need to repeat over and over, I hope they’re also hearing the more positive messages I make an effort to try to repeat: I love you so much. I’m proud of you. God created you and designed you intentionally. He doesn’t make mistakes. Jesus loves you even more than Daddy and I do! I tell them
I’ve always felt a little intimidated by the book of Revelation. People would say things about how it says the end times would include ABC and you can tell the end is getting closer because of XYZ. But whenever I tried to read it I ended up feeling more lost and confused. Yet all that recently changed. I learned that it’s really a book of hope. Hope that, despite everything appearing to keep getting worse and worse, and life being hard for us and our families, we can rest assured that God has a plan for it all. Rewinding