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 kids and parents connect with God and each other in the everyday moments. She is an author, speaker, and founder of Our Everyday Parables, a multi-author online resource with book reviews and ideas for families pursuing faith and compassion. A certified teacher with countless hours in ministry, Valerie writes books that serve kids at the intersection of faith and fun. Her latest book is Wild Faith Devotional for Kids: 52 Amazing Animals That Point to One Great God. Connect with Valerie online at valerieellis.com and oureverydayparables.com or on Instagram at @iamvalerieellis.

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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'm living by my own strength.

Relying on our know-how and limited understanding while also trying to be a follower of Christ is a common picture of a divided heart. And, we're not the first to struggle in this way. King David prayed for God to give him an undivided heart in Psalm 86. My friend, Mary Thionnet, too, has known this struggle, specifically as a mother, and she's sharing her reflection to help challenge us to fix our eyes on Jesus rather than trying to fix the situations before us.

Mary Thionnet serves the Pastor of Kids Ministries for Crossings Community Church at the OKC location. She and her husband, Jeff, have four young adult children. Together they enjoy traveling to Washington, hiking, and spending time outside.

Today, we're talking about:

• When there is nothing "lovely" or "right" about the situation before me, I can choose to focus on how God is praiseworthy. Trusting in God’s sovereignty over this situation is how I can live by faith today.
• What do I need to fully release to God today?

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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 is proof of citizenship on earth, meaning everyone is capable of this. Praise and rejoicing, gratitude and proclaiming God's greatness and goodness, when things don't go as well as we hoped or expect - it's proof of citizenship in heaven. Only those filled with the power of the Holy Spirit are equipped to do such an unearthly thing.

Today, Sarah Freymuth is sharing her reflection of Psalm 79 with us and helping us remember to proclaim God's praise, and live as foreigners of this earth, in those times when we feel the rug has slid out from under us.

Sarah Freymuth describes herself as a writer and dreamer who finds God's goodness in the everyday, upside-down, and in-between moments that make this life real, relatable and beautiful. Professionally, Sarah serves as the content and storytelling manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a global sports ministry, where she gets to tell the story of what God is doing around the world through coaches and athletes – guiding them in going deeper in their faith. She also writes for different places, sharing about God's goodness where it isn't easily seen.

You can find her living a simple Midwest life with her husband, visiting Lake Michigan and Washington Island as often as life allows.

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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 author of Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss. She's also the author of the brand new board book: Wake, Up Little Seed; Moo, Moo Nap, Nap; and The Growing Season: A Year of Down-on-the-Farm Devotions.

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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 and demanding that it requires get to a place of boredom before we ask ourselves, "What sounds fun?" then boredom it is! Almighty God, grant us boredom so that we might enjoy this gift and reflect more on the gifts and promises You've so generously given us.

Today, we start our sixth summer in the Psalms together (feel free to review posts and episodes from summers past), and we're opening to Psalm 65 to remind ourselves more of our abundantly generous God.

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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 adjunct professor at Oklahoma Baptist University. He lives in southeast Oklahoma with his wife and three daughters. 

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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 anxiety - as a teen, a young wife, a mother of littles, and now she’s learning to move through it as a mom of teens nearing the empty nest years. I know how it feels to be labeled as the “worry wart” of the family. I know what it’s like when anxiety is pervasive – can’t get it off my back – and the weight of shame attached to it. As someone with both personally lived-out and professionally researched mental health experience, Nichole loves coming alongside women in the thick of their struggles. 

As the author of I Don’t Have to Hold It All Together: Cultivating the Peace of Eden When Feeling Overwhelmed, she desires for others to know that they are created for a purpose and that even anxiety can be a tool to help point us to our Savior and live a life that brings Him glory. Her intentional living approach has helped countless women unlock greater peace and purpose in their lives, one moment at a time. You can connect with her at LiveWithIntent.org

Today, we’re talking about:

• Feeling God’s love in the noise and waves of motherhood
• Returning to Eden when we feel the pressure of having to hold it all together
• Truth for our anxiety and mental health

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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 cancer survivor and the author of Carried Through Cancer: 70 Days of Spiritual Strength from Cancer Fighters, Survivors and Caregivers, and Life Reconstructed: Navigating the World of Mastectomies and Breast Reconstruction.  She has a degree in English from Iowa State University and more than two decades of professional writing experience for a wide variety of publications. Married to Corey for 27 years, the two have three sons and one English Springer Spaniel who thinks he’s the fourth child. Kim offers support and resources for cancer fighters on her website. She can also be found on Instagram  @kimharmsauthor and Facebook at KimHarmsAuthor. 

Today, we’re talking about:

• Feeling God’s love in the unexpected gifts in grief
• How to lean on God's strength to uphold you
• God's promise to be with us through the ugly and hard parts of life - why this is enough

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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 studying His Word daily and has developed deeply rooted friendships during her time as a member and Steering team leader of MomCo. Alex also enjoys reading, blogging, antiquing, jogging, jewelry making, spending time at the beach, eating queso, lingering over a good Starbucks and engaging in all things fun. Author of Daily Grace for Moms of Littles: 50 Days of Knowing God More Fully and Mothering Confidently for the King, she writes, “…being a mom is an Apollo mission. It requires all of us - all of our heart, soul and strength.”

Moms, we want you to know you’re not alone on this Apollo Mission of motherhood. Specifically, we’re talking about:

• Feeling God’s love in our relationships
• The sneaky forms of idolatry in motherhood
• Releasing our children to God’s care and releasing our worries

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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 with her son, William Daniel and her mom, Helen McIntosh. What a joy to have three generations speaking on this very important topic supported by their book, I Love You Dad!: Words to Honor and Humor You.

Blythe Daniel is the co-author of I Love You, Mom! and Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters with her mother, Dr. Helen McIntosh. Blythe and her daughter Calyn co-wrote Let’s Be Friends: A Tween Devotional on Finding and Keeping Strong Friendships. She worked for Harper Collins Christian Publishing in marketing and publicity, and is a literary agent. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three teens, including her author son William Daniel. 

Helen McIntosh, EdD, Counseling Psychology, is a counselor, educator, and co-author of I Love You, Mom! and Mended: Restoring the Hearts of Mothers and Daughters with her daughter Blythe Daniel. Helen authored Messages to Myself and her work has appeared in Guideposts and HomeLife magazines. She resides in Georgia with her husband Jim. They have two children and five grandchildren. 

William Daniel is a middle schooler, competitive gymnast and author of You’re Joking Me: Jokes for Kids by a Kid. He enjoys telling jokes and making his family and friends laugh. He plays saxophone and wants to be a pilot. He has an older sister, Maris, and a twin sister, Calyn. William lives in Colorado with his family. 

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