I grew up an Air Force brat, which means my childhood was spent moving and starting over every 2-3 years. I spent my high school years in Hawaii and Germany. While that gave me a chance to experience amazing things, I was often filled with insecurity. As soon as I felt settled somewhere, we’d be packing up for another move. At one point, we lived in 5 houses and 3 hotels in just over a year…

“So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day, it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided” Genesis 22:14

When I was expecting my third child, I read a book called Radical by David Platt. He tells of how he challenged his church to do radical things as God called them—some sold houses and gave the money to missions, some left high-paying jobs to join the mission field, etc…

I grew up homeschooling in the 1980s. Homeschooling was a bit of an anomaly back then and though I knew it was a good fit for me, I found myself developing a long wish list as I became a teenager. My desires for experiences grew quickly...wishing I had more friends, or for the ability to go to "extracurricular activities", or just to be more independent. I felt uncertain about my future and longed to know what God had in store for me…

I like to put Bible verses to song, to make them easier to recall. This Psalm has been very meaningful to me over the years and I love to sing it to myself. We need to be reminded of God’s goodness to us, during the hard seasons of life when circumstances fail us, during the seasons of hard choices, and during the times of joy and “ease”…

Times of trial expose the condition of our hearts. Are we willing to trust God, in spite of not knowing all the ins and outs of His plan, or will we be the god of our own lives because we only have confidence in the things we can understand…

All it takes is one look at the news headlines to feel like the world is spinning out of control. Many things we may have looked forward to, like vacations, holiday celebrations, and graduations, are suddenly gone. Happiness has been replaced with fear for our health and that of our loved ones. In this difficult time, our hearts may wonder, ”Is God still in control?” and if he is, why is he letting this pandemic happen?