A Life Update

It’s been a minute.

I haven’t blogged in a while and thought it was time for an update. Life has been a whirlwind of change in our house and it’s taken some time for me to adjust to the new normal. A year ago, I changed jobs and started working full time for my alma mater. My work this past year has involved a decent amount of travel all over the country which has been fun, but also an adjustment for my family. About the same time, we sold our house, moved into a rental, and before long, started building a house in Tennessee where we will move later this year. They say moving and starting a new job are two of the most stressful things in life. No kidding!

Meanwhile, our youngest is about to graduate from high school and I’m processing what it means to launch him out into the world. It’s one of those happy-sad moments of life. This school year so far has been filled with all the “lasts.” Last birthday at home. Last football game. Last homecoming dance. I’ve seen the empty nest season of life on the horizon for a while now but all of a sudden, it’s nearly here. I admit I have some trepidation and uncertainty about it and remain prayerful for the Lord’s comfort and wisdom as I walk through it.

Despite my work schedule, I’ve managed to continue speaking at women’s ministry retreats. Last year I spoke in California, Virginia, New Jersey and lots of places in between. Next year will be ten years since my first book released on the Psalms of Lament and I’m so grateful that I continue to teach on the topic at retreats and other speaking engagements. I also continue to speak about the fear of the Lord, union with Christ and one another (biblical friendship), and parenting.

The past year I’ve participated in a few different group writing projects, including a devotional for teens and two study Bibles. I look forward to sharing about them when they are released later this year/early next year. I also continue to edit and manage the PCA’s women’s ministry blog, enCourage. I love connecting with writers and mentoring them through the writing process. This month, I’m hosting an event for writers at the PCA’s annual women’s ministry conference. It’s an event I’ve hosted each year for almost a decade!

It’s not lost on me that many of the things I’ve written about over the years (and speak about!) are things that I am working through right now and will so for a while. Change. Transition. Uncertainty. Loss. Community. As I let go of one season of life and step into another—in another state!—I know the Lord is with me and trust Him to provide all that I need for all that He calls me to. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3).

That’s my life update. What is God doing in your life these days?

Photo by Maksim Shutov on Unsplash

A Witness to Life

Being homebound this spring found me outside in the warm afternoon sun. I’d set up my camping chair in the front yard, plop down, and read a book. Like everyone else, being stuck at home meant that life had slowed way down. Almost to a standstill.

As a result, I saw things I was too busy to see before.

That’s because my typical day is filled with driving. I drop off and pick up my children all throughout the day and into the evening. They take classes at hybrid model schools so their schedules vary from day to day. In addition, they participate in sports and other extra curriculars, including youth group. The past couple of years, I’ve considered myself their personal Uber driver. In addition to my job as chauffeur, my days were filled with writing and ministry duties, as well as all those responsibilities required to keep a household running.

And then everything came to a halt and I sat in my chair in the front yard.

And I saw life unfold before me.

Tree buds unfurled into green leaves. Flowers bloomed and fragranced my yard. Birds chirped and swooped over head. On one particular afternoon, a frog hopped over my foot, a chipmunk popped out of its hole to engage me in a staring contest, and a rabbit munched on an afternoon snack. I then watched a woodpecker climb the tree trunk in front of me, while courting Cardinals danced above me in the sky. All of this life, just in my little front yard!

It made me wonder, how much do I miss when my day is filled with to-do lists and errands? How much life do I miss when I run from one thing to the next? And not just life in God’s creation, but what about spiritual life? What opportunities do I miss to minister life to others and receive life from them in return? What life might I miss growing in the heart’s of my children? What life might I miss from not being in communion with the Lord?

I’ve heard others say they don’t want life to return to the level of intensity it was before this crisis began. I agree. I’ve enjoyed and treasured the talks I’ve had with friends, whether virtually or six feet apart on the walking trail. I’ve loved having dinner as a family together every night. I’ve enjoyed sweet fellowship with the Lord as I’ve lingered long over morning coffee with my Bible and journal in hand.

One thing I realized as I sat in my yard and witnessed God’s creation is that life is always going on, whether I notice it or not. God is always at work, showering his grace upon me and those around me. But when I’m too busy to notice, I miss out on the opportunity to be encouraged by that grace, to grow in my faith as a response to witnessing that grace, and to rejoice and glorify God for his generosity in giving his grace.

Too often, busyness keeps me from witnessing God’s glorious works and giving him the honor he is due.

If there’s one thing I want to take away from this unprecedented experience of pushing pause on life, I want to be intentional with what I do with my time. I want to make life a priority, not tasks. I want to make people my primary concern, not crossing items off a to-do list. I want my eyes wide open to view God’s grace in bringing life to dead places. Just as I did in my front yard, I want to see spring blossom in people.

I want to witness and testify to life.

Psalm 81, Idolatry, and the Satisfaction of our Hearts

Have you ever had the experience where you were focused on learning a certain lesson and then you saw that lesson everywhere? Perhaps you were convicted of a certain sin and over the course of the week, you heard a sermon that spoke about that sin, then read a passage in Scripture about it, and then a friend shared their own struggle with it. Or maybe you were reminded of God’s providential care in your life multiple times and places and each time you thought, “It’s that same lesson again!”

As people who are quick to forget, we need regular reminders, especially when God is working in a particular area of our life. When I read the Old Testament, I see a lesson God’s people learned over and over. It’s a lesson I’m still learning. It’s a lesson that is central to our faith, so central, it goes back to our purpose and meaning as created beings. What is that lesson?

Life is found in God alone.

Psalm 81 and Israel’s Idolatry

In Psalm 81, Asaph called the people to worship the Lord God, but after a few verses, the psalm quickly turned to a proclamation from God, reminding Israel of who God is and what he had done for them. They had turned their hearts away from him and he called them back to himself. “Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me! There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god” (vv.8-9). He pointed back to the Exodus, to their redemption story: “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket. In distress you called, and I delivered you” (Psalm 81:6-7).

God reminded them of his covenant relationship with him, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” (v.10). These were the words he spoke before the giving of the law at Mount Sinai— the law that reflected who he is and steadfast love for his people. Centuries later, Jesus would tell his disciples that the law was written about him. That’s because he is the source of all life.

Yet God’s people have always sought life outside the One True God. Immediately after their deliverance from Egypt, when they lacked food and water, they looked not to God for help, but longed to return to slavery in Egypt. Throughout their history, they followed the same pattern. When they were in need, they looked for rescue elsewhere. They looked to the false god, Baal, for hope. They looked for rescue from a King, rather than the King of Kings. They looked for help from their pagan neighbors. In the New Testament, the Pharisees placed their hope in their genetic heritage and in their obedience to the law.

And today, our own hearts look for life outside of God. We don’t worship a wooden statue, but we look to idols for help and hope just the same. We pursue success, affirmation, wealth, or status to give our lives meaning and purpose. We look for hope and joy in changed circumstances and new things. We think “If only ______happened, then I would be happy.” We attempt to fill the void with relationships and experiences, only to crash in despair when they fail to deliver.

The Satisfaction of Our Hearts

When we turn from God to false idols, he gives us over to our desires. “So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels” (Psalm 81:12). God permits us to chase after false gods so we would see the futility. So we would see how empty and meaningless it is. So we would realize that life does not exist outside of him; true joy and satisfaction are found in his presence alone. “But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (Psalm 81:16).

Psalm 81 reminds us our God is a generous God. He is rich beyond measure. All that we need is found in him and he is happy to supply it. “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10). Didn’t he prove this to us in giving us the greatest gift of all, his Son, Jesus Christ? In Christ, we are blessed beyond anything the psalmist could have imagined. He made us right with God. He opened the way into the holy of holies so we could come to the throne of grace. He blessed us with eternal life and joy forever with him.

Do you feast on the paltry offerings of this world and still find yourself hungry? Do you desire more? Psalm 81 reminds us that real life and lasting satisfaction is within our reach. Look to Christ for the satisfaction of your soul.

A New Book: Women On Life

This week marks the 42nd anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. In the years since that landmark decision, more than 57 million babies have died in the womb. And since that time, human life in general has become increasingly devalued. Those who aren't strong and capable are easily overlooked, mistreated, and simply discarded.

We are called to value all of life because God is the creator and sustainer of life. God's word teaches us that people are made in God's image and are worthy of respect and should be cherished, whether they have just been conceived or are 99 years old. In an effort to stand up for and honor life, the ERLC has published a new book, titled Women on Life: A Call to Love the Unborn, Unloved, & Neglected. I was honored to contribute to this book, along with many other gifted women. Each chapter in this book looks at ways we can honor life, looking at issues such as infertility, special needs, teen pregnancy, the elderly and more.

"Because all of life is important to God, we are compelled to talk about it. Whether it’s addressing purity and teaching our children about sex, teens and pregnancy, caring for the woman with a high-risk pregnancy, children with special needs, caring for the single mother, or getting involved in the pro-life movement, how we interact with God’s image-bearers matters. It’s our desire that this book will inspire you to care deeply about issues of life, equip you for prayerful action and begin a conversation in your churches and homes." (from the ERLC).

Here's an excerpt from my chapter, titled "Teens, Pregnancy, and the Family:

"After Adam and Eve fell into sin, God promised a Savior in Genesis 3:15. The rest of the Old Testament reveals the need for this Savior, foretells of who this Savior would be, and pushes forward the plan for his arrival. In the New Testament we meet the Savior, Jesus Christ. He came in the most surprising of ways, through the womb of an unwed teen. As the angel explained to Mary, “‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be borne will be called holy—the Son of God’” (Luke 1:35).

When he was 30 years old, Jesus began to teach about God’s kingdom. He gathered a ragtag group of disciples and traveled around the region teaching, healing and delivering people from their bondage. He revealed the heart and intent of God’s law, showing that sin isn’t only what someone does, but it is also what someone thinks. He taught that all sin, including sexual sin, begins in the heart, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28).

In John 4, Jesus met a Samaritan woman at the well. As Jesus spoke to her about a mysterious source of water, he revealed that he knew more about her than she knew about herself. He knew about her multiple husbands and the sinful life she led. But he offered her more. He offered her grace and water that could quench the thirst that no man could ever quench. She ran off to the village, telling everyone about the grace of Christ, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:29).

When he had completed his ministry, Jesus went like a lamb to the slaughter. Though he was perfect and had never sinned, he laid down his life to free us from all our sin. Through faith in Christ, we have been set free from the bondage of sin and are freed to live for him. This is the grace that our children and our teens need to know. Without this grace, we cannot hope to follow and obey Christ in a fallen world, especially in a world broken with sexual sin." (p.66-68).

I have one copy of Women on Life: A Call to Love the Unborn, Unloved, & Neglected to giveaway. Enter below. U.S residents only. Update: Congrats to Sarah H., winner of the giveaway!

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