The more I study the Sabbath, the more I learn about rest and the more I learn about the character of God. There can be overlap into the other areas of rest, and that makes sense- but it can also be confusing. Understanding and engaging in spiritual rest is foundational for the Christ-follower and that's what we are going to talk about today.

Taking time to acknowledge and appreciate God's kingdom work in you and recognizing what is now part of you and how you are living out your identity in Christ is GOOD. It brings joy and fills us with gratitude for God's faithfulness over the past year. And it brings us to the bridge of crossing over into the new year. We are going to consciously and intentionally decide what we take with us moving forward and what we lay aside, whether that's permanently or just for a season.

"Who you are becoming right here, even now, in the middle of the hard story… it's shaping you into something beautiful and rare in this world. What was meant for your harm, this broken, hard, story.. God is redeeming even now by transforming you into a soft place for others to land." - Mary Marantz

In considering the gifts we give to others in this season, I have been reminded that sacrifice is the ultimate gift. Whatever it costs us is going to be invested in God's kingdom for him to do miraculous things. Let's be clear- Jesus doesn't NEED our gifts or sacrifice. He is not poor. He gives us the privilege of being part of His story of redemption by using our gifts…our sacrifices.

When the angel came to Mary he made it very clear that our Savior's name would be Jesus, for He would save His people from their sins. We are saved by the only name given to accomplish that, JESUS. We live in the power of that name by accepting His grace which results in our freedom. We use our freedom to serve, because THAT'S HOW FREEDOM GROWS. It's not an external duty. It's an internal expression of faith following the lead of the Holy Spirit.

I want to encourage you today to trust completely that God is with you, God is for you, and God is in You. You are shining His hope and bringing glory to the Light of the World as you embrace God's way in the everyday.

In real-time, we are entering the holiday season. My absolute favorite time of year... maybe yours too. Thanksgiving is upon us where we put a special emphasis on gratitude. That opens the door for the Christmas season and the opportunity to engage more deeply in what we call Advent. I've found it takes intentional effort to experience a meaningful Advent so that the less important and peripheral things of the holiday season don't take over and blur my focus. Today's topic relates to the practice of Bible journaling and how that is impacting my celebration of the season.

Waiting is not something we intentionally pursue because it's so hard! But what if there is more to waiting than just patience building? What if waiting is about God providing what we didn't realize we needed? That's what we are going to unpack today!

What do we do when the unexpected stress overwhelms us? While it is grace that helps me recognize how I can do my part to make things better or reform and improve, grace also takes on the role of telling me, "You can let go of blame. You can be free of having to plan and execute the perfect scenario". Instead of calling ourselves a failure when we find ourselves in a place of overwhelm, grace allows us to experience tension AND have peace at the same time. It's not an either/or. It's both/and.