Living in New Orleans , you know food is our love language! We practically focus every gathering, celebration or milestone around what we are eating . I even have a few friends that have specific foods they want served at their funerals!! 

I love food. I mean, what’s not to love? There’s the taste, the satisfaction, the variety, the smell (most of the time), and of course, the delight of something sweet and the sensation of something salty. (Blend the two, and I can hardly resist.) Then there’s breakfast food: eggs, bacon, pancakes, coffee. You know it must be a good thing if restaurants serve it all day long. But I don’t think there is anything more delectable than freshly baked bread, do you? Pull a warm roll apart with your fingers, pop in a bite, and it will practically melt in your mouth. 

Oftentimes, people often refer to the aroma of fresh-baked bread as “heavenly.” Jesus calls Himself the bread of life in John 6:35, after all. Truly, there is something heavenly about bread. In John 6, after Jesus fed the five thousand with only a boy’s small lunch, the crowd begged to see him do it again. They wanted more bread, and I can’t say I blame them. I have a feeling it tasted delicious. Not to mention, the Jews knew the story of their ancestors living on manna in the wilderness, so if Jesus could provide bread in the same way, then they’d have reason to believe His crazy claims. 

But Jesus doesn’t give in to their baiting. He takes the opportunity to point them to something better, and in doing so, He makes a connection between the manna God gave Israel and Himself. Jesus said to the crowd in John 6:51, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 

The Bible isn’t just a book. It’s nourishment for the starving soul. The Psalmist testifies in Psalm 119, “If your instruction had not been my delight, I would have died in my affliction” (Psalm 119:92). Then he goes on, “How sweet your word is to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth” (Psalm 119:103). Coincidently, do you know what else tasted like honey? Manna. Exodus 16:31 tells us it “tasted like wafers made with honey.” 

I love that God didn’t give Israel bland food but gave them something sweet to eat. Likewise, Christ’s words are not bland. They are the sweetest, most delectable feast, especially for the anxious, lost, or hurting soul. There is nothing better for us to consume than the living, breathing Word of God. It is a gift from the Lord intended for nourishment, enrichment, joy, and satisfaction while we wait for the return of Christ. 

My friend, just as we will suffer from malnutrition if we do not eat nutritious food, so can our souls suffer from malnutrition if we do not consume the Word of God. Trying to live your life without a regular infusion of Jesus is like trying to live your life without food. 

There is a feast awaiting you in the delightful words of Scripture. I am soo looking forward to my next round of comfort food as I open my bible along with a side of fresh baked bread!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I’m about to celebrate my birthday at the end of this month. No, not a milestone, but a decent number on the age scale! I’ve found myself really reflective this year as I’ve had to move my mom to an assisted living facility. It’s been a whirlwind of to-do’s getting her settled in along with handling her finances. We are also in the midst of planning our daughter’s wedding coming up at the end of this year. I’m full on living the sandwich generation life!

My mom has had a few adjustments in her new life. Coming to the realization that she now has physical limitations has been hard for her. Giving up driving did not come easily for her as it truly was her last bit of independence. However In true ‘Weezie”(my mom) style, she had her little pity party and has now embraced her new adventure! Making friends and crafting and learning how to Uber ! I’m so proud of her and her resilience. She doesn’t focus on what she’s lost, but is focusing on what she’s gained . She will be the first to tell you that her new beginning is an opportunity to be used by Jesus! Wow! I remember not so long ago having a conversation with her and her being so sad for her old neighbors and now she’s overjoyed at the possibility that she can impact twice as many people !

She’s already started planning her 85th birthday which is coming up in July ! She wants a big Celebration with her old and new friends. Imagine celebrating your birthday like you’re 10 years old again. Full of joy, excited for the year ahead, doing something you love with the ones who make you smile.

Why do so many of us stop celebrating as the years pass? Birthdays come and go – maybe there’s a dinner involved, a few cards, some well wishes online. We move up one number, and it’s business as usual. What would it look like to really celebrate our years again – to begin shifting our focus from the fear of aging, to the rich, full lives God is calling us into as the years pass?

But what does God say about it all? If we listen to the One who created us, we will hear all about grace and goodness; not fear and resistance.

He reminds us more than once in His Word that growing older is an honor. “Gray hair is a glorious crown…” Proverbs 16:31 CSB.

The more years we live, the more experiences we’re given to learn from, and the more wisdom and perspective we gain to see life in new and beautiful ways. When we see someone in their later years (or when we look in the mirror and it’s us!) let’s remember what a gift that is.

Some of us also fear growing older for physical reasons. Aging is often seen as a loss of control. Maybe our bodies aren’t able to do what they once could; our memories aren’t as sharp; we begin to need more help than we used to. As the years pass, our fear of the unknown may grow stronger.

But the truth is, we’ve never been in control anyway! From the moment we were created – whether we’ve realized it or not – we’ve relied on our Creator for every breath. Growing older helps us to shed that illusion of control more and more, and to rest in the promises of our loving God. Whether we’re 9 or 90, He vows to be with us every step of the way:

“I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will bear and rescue you.” (Isaiah 46:4 CSB)

Celebrate Life Every Day – Whether you’re celebrating your birthday or that of someone you love, remember that every day in every life matters. Don’t wait for a milestone to make it extra special. Look in the mirror and cherish your laugh lines; remember how they are created.

During our recent Shareathon, there was a torrential storm threat to Southeast Louisiana and I figured I would get some outside time before we all hunkered down! The start of this years’ Shareathon was a little rough for me personally and I find walking outside very therapeutic. Little did I know that on this particular Saturday, at this particular time, God would give me the sweetest opportunity of encouragement and bless me with a new friend!

I want to tell you, I don’t even have a dog , but for some reason I stopped in the dog park that day just to watch all the little puppies play together. I often like to people watch too. I noticed a couple right outside the gate as I was walking in. They seemed to be a husband and wife in a sweet embrace right by the rainbow bridge of the dog park. I thought to myself that maybe they had just lost a beloved pet.

I noticed this teen and her little sister come in with their little brown dog just walking the path. The 2 of them chasing their dog and petting others along the way. For me, sitting on a bench soaking up the sun watching the puppies play together is such a tremendous joy . Dogs love it too, you can almost tell when a dog is smiling. One thing that I’ve noticed in observing the dogs at the dog park, they genuinely just live and lap up the moments; saying hello to strangers, humans included , tails wagging and jumping, then just going about their own business.

I observed an exchange between a strange lady and the girls. Not sure what she said, but it seemed as if she was dishing out some sort of correction, and I watched that smile disappear from the teen and her little sister’s face. Not once did the young girl say anything, she just stood and listened. In that moment my joy switched off as that woman walked by me with her dog. I didn’t even hear what she was saying, mumbling to herself, because I was looking beyond her watching the girls leave. They both looked so disappointed.

I decided to leave the park at that moment and walking out the gate, there was the older girl embracing that same woman I saw sitting with her husband as I walked in. I connected the dot – that was her mom, who upon closer inspection appeared very ill. The dad had taken the little sister back into the park with the pup. For whatever reason, I felt led to introduce myself and compliment this girl on how gracious she was to that grumpy lady. Her mom didn’t speak, but I could see she was so proud to hear about her girl. As her Dad walked up I’m sure he was taken aback by this strange woman talking. I told him my observations and he smiled sooo big.

Then, the encouragement came for me, Miley let me pray for her family.

Proverbs 11:25

Miley, oh how I wish that lady saw your heart, your dad’s heart and the fact that you guys were just enjoying a pretty day at the park with your sick mom. Living in the moment, embracing each other and just going about your day saying hello to strangers! Funny, that’s exactly how my interaction started at the dog park except it ended with humans! Miley, thank you for being so kind to me. Your gentle spirit will get you far in life. Thank you for showing that old lady grace and patience at the ripe old age of 15. You showed far more wisdom than she did, even though she has decades of experience on you! Hope to see you at the park again soon and I’ll bring the treats, for your pup and for us!

Little did I know I would make a new friend that day. A friend that challenged me to think that sometimes when you only look on the surface of a person that’s all you get and you miss out! I wanted to meet that girl who showed kindness and patience when it wasn’t being shown to her. I’m so glad I did. I’m so grateful to her for talking to me, a stranger, and letting me into her life.

1st Samuel 16:7

I haven’t written a blog since last year! I know it’s only February, but are you feeling like me, that we’ve had a year’s worth of events in a month ? Since my last blog , I’ve experienced a wedding, two funerals, an epic Grand Canyon adventure as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas along with all of the other extra events surrounding those Holidays.

The Pollyanna side of me wants to say it was epic and amazing, but the reality is, while it was wonderful, there was more conflict during these times than I have ever experienced in my entire life. Anxiety set in between rude people on the airplane, flights getting delayed , and also tending to some caregiving responsibilities that went into overdrive. As if that wasn’t enough, then along comes the sadness and flood of emotions that happen with the loss of a loved one.  Families just trying to process the hurt and loss sometimes end up lashing out in unhealthy ways …

I never really struggled before with letting words go, but for whatever reason, I guess as I was grieving, I took every word about everything personally and then just stewed in the yuck! Have you ever done that? Played a conversation in your head over again and gone through all of the coulda woulda shoulda talk? Well, I did and I literally was overwhelmed and anxious having my own little pity party feeling like I tried to do things right and then ended up not being able to please everyone anyway.

So grateful our Church always has a fasting emphasis at the beginning of the year! When you really press in and just lay whatever it is at God’s feet , God does show and give you exactly what you need.

For me perspective came through the story of Joseph.

This was Joseph’s response to the injustice inflicted by his brothers: “And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you” (Genesis 45:5, NIV). Later, he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)

Joseph did not say, “Oh, that’s OK. Don’t worry about it.” No, he called the betrayal what it was — evil against him that resulted in 13 years of slavery. At the same time, he chose to forgive the wrong done to him and allowed God’s grace to flow through him. He opened the door for reconciliation. We can’t avoid conflict, but we do get to choose how to deal with it. Do we make the rip worse, or do we do all we can to mend and heal?

Life delivers many reasons to be at odds with our sisters and our brothers. Let’s look for ways to be at one with them instead. Let’s also look for ways to be family to each other, to stand up for each other as dearly loved daughters and sons of a Good Father. Because the family takes care of each other, and entrusts to God the matter of justice.

When we passed forgiveness around the table in the serving dish of grace at my home, we weren’t saying that what had gone on in our family was right or that it didn’t matter. We were saying yes, it was wrong, it did matter, and now we were choosing to let it go.

Joseph’s forgiveness ends Genesis, the first book of the Bible. We close out the epic narrative with a portrait of forgiveness that continues throughout the entire Bible, and it all begins with a very mixed-up family.

Hey there.

I’ve been on this “ kick” about LOVE lately. It’s like every devotion I open or podcast that comes up on my feed relates to this topic. I find myself lapping up morsels of wisdom about Love wherever I can get it . I’m thinking maybe it has to do with the fact that within recent months we have had a major election and social media and new outlets have been in overdrive. The news has been reporting in overload and what’s being reported is almost always negative!

I know I’ve been intentionally trying to counter all that “stuff” and fixing my mind on the one thing that sums up what’s missing in all of it: LOVE.

Holidays are coming up and we get to Love more than ever. Some of us have the Norman Rockwell picture and then others, that picture is not quite as serene.

I read this sweet story in one of my recent devotions.

In 1917, a priest named Edward Flanagan opened a home for boys to help the neediest and most vulnerable boys in Omaha, Nebraska. The orphanage took in the homeless boys with criminal records, and the disabled. One of those boys, Howard Loomis, had polio and wore heavy leg braces.

One day, Father Flanagan saw one of the older boys carrying Howard up the stairs. Father Flanagan noticed this kindness and asked him, “Isn’t he heavy?” And the boy replied, “He ain’t heavy, Father… he’s m’ brother.”

Cue the song by The Hollies and sappy tears! This is a beautiful picture of what it looks like to “bear with one another.” In a way, to love someone is to open ourselves to suffering. Their sadness becomes ours. This is one of the reasons we are so often guarded and slow to love.

It can be hard to open ourselves to a relationship that may require from us what could be difficult or inconvenient.

Yet this is what God asks us to do for each other as a community of Jesus followers. He calls us to love in a way that will cost us. God is not asking us to do anything that he has not first done himself. God did not guard his heart from us. He poured it out generously. Jesus bound up his heart with ours. He made our suffering his suffering. He made our pain his pain. And he asks us to do the same for others. This is part of what it looks like to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3 NIV

Praying that you can grin and “bear it” this Holiday Season as you might have some people that are hard to love.

God, thank you that you first loved me. Teach me how to love others well.

Josh and Nancy missed the good ole days when they were the dynamic duo of the LifeSongs Morning Show – so they put on some sunscreen, kicked the kids in the pool and had a little chat covering everything from Summer to the Olympics to competitive hog dog eating and even the bravest little donkey in the world!

Enjoy some time with your besties by the pool!

One of my favorite authors is a priest named Henri Nouwen. He’s got some tremendous insights into life.  Here’s what he said one day:

Sometimes we are called to do great acts of kindness or make great sacrifices. But this is seldom normal.

Simple acts of charity can be done by anyone—a child or adult, in any area of life. Just one act, word, can

If you read the Bible you’ll see that God likes small things. it’s his specialty to take insignificant

The day of big things is coming. Until then, do not neglect the day of small things.  As long as we are in the day of small things, then, our job is to bear the Spirit’s fruit of faithfulness as we wait for God to bring the big things (Galatians 5:22–23).

Your gifts of financial support help LifeSongs see and share, by faith, all the big things right in front of us.  Thank you for your faithfulness and thank you for believing BIG!

About a week ago Josh asked if I could write my blog for this week about my experience with the Lysa TerKeurst event, “You’re Going To Make It Tour.”  The event featured Lysa TerKerst, Hope Darst and Dr. Joel Muddamalle and took place at Covenant Church in Houma. I can tell you I was very happy to go and looking forward to receiving some new wisdom. I have read quite a few books by Lysa and love the music of Hope Darst.. I had not heard about Dr. Muddamalle, but figured he was going to be great as well, considering the evening lineup.

Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

I began the evening with expectations of being able to settle in and listen once we did our meet and greet with our Houma friends. The hour plus car ride flew by with Elena and I catching up and chatting. We never get to hang that much in the office, so the fellowship was long overdue and made the ride go so much faster.

We get to Covenant Church a couple of hours early and are greeted by some of the church volunteers that are helping for the event and it’s like we were part of their church family ! We had some sort of kindredness with them as they held the door open for us.  Some even offering to help carry our gear in!  I knew we were with “our people” when a volunteer named Christy came right up and “un-poofed “ my hair that went frizzy, thanks to the humidity on the bayou!

Elena and I spent the evening by our LifeSongs table.  It was as if we were in a wedding reception receiving line: non-stop friends from Houma swinging by, telling us Hello and sharing their LifeSongs Stories.

A little side note: Houma girls have some of the best shoes I’ve ever seen! Also very curious on what hair products y’all use, cause even my extensions were out of control!

The event was packed ! I loved catching up with the Welch family; our faithful friends from Joe’s Boots in Houma. So many familiar faces that we had not seen in a while!

Next thing we know it’s almost 9:00! I didn’t get to listen to Lysa or Hope or see who Dr. Muddamalle is.  I expected to receive something from the event, which I did, just not in the way I thought I would.  Our Houma night encouraged Elena and I so much.  So much joy with our Houma friends! They really love their LifeSongs! They even joked how they switch back and forth between the 2 frequencies of 89.1 and 89.5 to keep tuned in to LifeSongs.

I left the evening feeling so grateful to be part of the Houma family!  I got to be in the company that evening with some friends that have generous hearts and I’m not just talking financially. Our Houma family that we got to hang with have an amazing spirit of joy, that’s contagious!  And they live our LifeSongs tag: God is Good, All the Time!

Thank you Houma. Thank you for welcoming LifeSongs into your hearts.

Thank you for being our LifeSongs Bayou Beacon of Light!

It’s almost Fall Ya’ll!

I know, we are still technically in summer, but it’s been so hot that I feel if I look forward to the next season, it might seem cooler in my mind, LOL.

It’s funny how we are all wired differently. I tend to struggle with getting ahead of myself and not being in the moment. It’s not that I worry, but I have a type “A” personality and I do tend to try to order my world.

Have you ever noticed that those very places where you are challenged the most are the very ones that God will send you to? I am so blessed to be in a new role at Lifesongs. My official title is Donor Relations. My position gives me the opportunity to connect on a personal level with our Lifesongs family! I get to do this by calling and connecting regularly with friends that give to the ministry, whether it is a 1 time gift of $50 or a major gift of $1000. As I make the calls we chat and catch up and then I often get the opportunity to pray with someone!

I had absolutely NO idea how much praying with someone I’ve never met would feed my soul! The privilege of praying one-on-one for our Lifesongs family keeps me in that moment! When we pray we are truly united and Lifesongs is what brings us together! I have learned that our Lifesongs family is made up of all ages and stages of life, therefore the challenges are from getting a good grade in elementary school to praying for someone who has lost a job or someone battling cancer. I get to be in the moment as I listen to someone share what’s on their heart.

God has given me the greatest chance to challenge myself by being a better listener, as well as getting out of my comfort zone of a schedule or a “ to-do “ list with boxes to check off. Now a lot of my days I have a “get-to” list of friends that I “get-to “ connect with. If I get through the whole list one day, great, if not great! I’ll get to connect the next day!

Here I am stepping into this position to help grow the Ministry of Lifesongs and I am the one growing! I’m not about titles or accolades, but I appreciate that my position is Donor Relations. It truly sums up how we want to operate as a ministry at Lifesongs.

If you look up the word Relationship in the dictionary…

Looking at the meaning of relationship, you can see, that is what we have. Our relationship with our listening family is what literally keeps us going . We truly are there for each other, doing life together, encouraging one another as well as reminding each other that God is Good all the time!

We are all in this together…

Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (ESV).

I want to encourage you to have some “in the moment “ experiences.. you can do this by going to our Lifesongs PrayerWorks page and praying for whatever needs there are . You can also turn those school zones into prayer zones by joining us in prayer for our Lifesongs prayer school of the day.

You can give, online at Lifesongs.com, whether it is $1 or $1000. Your gifts make a difference!

Most importantly, you can pray for the Lifesongs Ministry.  Pray for God’s provision, pray for our team and pray overall for your Lifesongs listening family.

I’m so blessed to have a relationship with you! Please feel free to reach out if you ever have any specific prayer needs or prayer requests. 504-816-8000.

“I wish the world would stop so I could catch up!” The words my 17 year old son said to me after he returned from a recent retreat with his high school senior class. The trip was a very reflective time for him as he is about to embark on his next phase in life, off to college . He has some decisions still to make, where is he going, what is he studying and he is nervous about making the wrong decision.

It hurts my momma’s heart to think that he is so overwhelmed. I get that feeling too sometimes, where you think about things so much, or decisions that have to be made and you end up with “analysis paralysis”, and not wanting to make a decision at all!

I can be overwhelmed by family issues, work, school, finances and commitments, often all at the same time.  What’s hard is that these seasons seem unavoidable, and I’m left with little choice but to plow through if I hope to receive a harvest. 

In seasons of overwhelm, my sinful nature becomes evident. Everything is so cloudy that I can’t see Jesus. I get impatient and snappy with my family. I try to cut corners and slack on my responsibilities instead of doing what I said I would do because I feel justified by my excuses. I often walk out of step with the Holy Spirit. I am not loving, kind, gentle, self-controlled, peaceful, joyful, patient or faithful.

In times when I am broken down and tired I need grace. I need to experience God’s grace, be strengthened by God’s grace, and be motivated by God’s grace. But I have to go to the throne to get grace!

“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:14-16, NLT).

It’s encouraging to me that Jesus can sympathize with my weaknesses. Jesus, too, is familiar with being broken down and tired. He knows how it feels to be tempted to sin, but didn’t. As a result, I have a holy High Priest who beckons me near to the throne of grace despite the foolishness of my life. Because I am forgiven in Jesus, there is grace for me! I can go to God with full confidence that He will not condemn me for all the ways I feel like I failed in the midst of my overwhelm. 

I feel overwhelmed and tired, but God is able!

I feel like I’m going to snap, but God rescues!

I feel like I’m out here in these streets all by myself, but God is my friend!

I wish I could tell my son that his feelings are temporary and that this time of feeling overwhelmed will pass. Unfortunately, from here on, his life will be filled with seasons of ups and downs. My prayer for Him is that he will learn to grow to receive God’s Grace to get him through! 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (ESV)