Armored Up. Battle Ready. When Our Head's in the Game, It Changes Everything.

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Armored Up. Battle Ready. When Our Head's in the Game, It Changes Everything.

I met with a dear friend yesterday and she challenged me in such a God ordained way. We quite literally had a conversation that covered the history of humanity, the tenets of Christianity, and why the world we live in daily tests our sanity.

And while evil is running rampant, God is still running the show. He is sovereign over all. He will have the final say. He has made a way, and He will continue to show us the way as we stay in His Word. There, he has laid it all out, from cover to cover. He tells us how to live, how to love, and how to treat one another.

As Rachel and I were journeying from Genesis to Revelation by way of conversation, we discussed hermeneutics, history, and theology. Cover to cover, we see God continually cover His people with His protection and His provision.

God’s expectations of His people, both in Bible times and for those who have been grafted into the vine, have not changed, and are in place to keep us safe.

Speaking of safety, the one thing my friend said to me that I had never really thought about (but now I can’t stop thinking about) is the way we view the Armor of God.

We’re taught that we must put it on everyday, much like a uniform at game time — suit up before we hit the field, or in this case, armor up before we hit the battlefield.

But the words Rachel spoke to me yesterday, made me view God’s safety and protection in a different way. When she hears Christians say “We have to put on the Armor of God every day,” her response is “Why do we ever take it off?”

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Never Forget {9/11/01}

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Never Forget {9/11/01}

I remember exactly where I was twenty-two years ago today on that tragic Tuesday. As those terrorists were boarding planes, I was buckling my four-month-old firstborn into his car seat, venturing out to Bible study. I was a young mom desperate to find connection with God and with others. I had no idea what was about happen, the lives that would be lost and others that would be changed forever.

I remember the outfit Joshua had on that day. I remember the sense of urgency to get home and talk to Steve when they told us what had happened and dismissed Bible study early. I remember being glued to the TV and watching it all in utter disbelief.

Twenty-two years later, I truly believe the world we live in is continually being attacked every single day in a very different way. The terrorist of our souls, the father of lies, the enemy himself has launched a full out attack on all that is good and all that God has established and set into motion. Oh, he’s been at it since the beginning of time, but everyday his tactics manifest in different ways, more manipulative and relentless than the day before.

He will stop at nothing to see to it that we crash and burn.

And now, more than ever, we need to show up to Bible Study — not in a formal way, but in a desperate to know Him way. What does God’s Word say about all that’s going on in the world around us? You may be surprised to know it has quite a bit to say about it!

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Stuck in Silence: What to do with Spiritual Paralysis & Spiritual Laryngitis

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Stuck in Silence: What to do with Spiritual Paralysis & Spiritual Laryngitis

I have felt a bit confused lately about “my voice” in this really noisy and rather nauseating online world.


Chapter 2 of my Bible study, “CALLED,” was all about spiritual paralysis. Lately, however, I feel like I’ve had spiritual laryngitis. My heart is so full of things I’m learning and ways God is pouring into me, and yet I can’t seem to find words to communicate it all.


I guess in the writing world it’s called “writer’s block,” but this is more than a mental block — it’s an angst with what I’m holding, or rather what I’m beholding. What I’m seeing and experiencing in a world I hardly recognize is adding compounded weight to the burden I feel — It’s a burden so heavy, mere words can’t hold it. Only God can hold it. It was His Son, Jesus, His Living Word that told of it.


“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ~ John‬ ‭16:33‬


So instead of sharing a lot of my empty words with you, I’ve been doing a whole lot of praying, crying out to him, allowing my heart to bleed freely before His throne of grace, trusting Him with these burdens as I seek His face, trusting His sovereignty in this confusing online space.


Spiritual paralysis can keep us stuck and spiritual laryngitis can keep us silent, but God has a way of moving in our hearts as he moves us closer to His heart. It’s in that experiential knowing God by experiencing His presence that we can be moved to action — free from spiritual paralysis and laryngitis to take steps and share words that will further His Kingdom.


“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we LIVE and MOVE and HAVE our BEING’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’” ~ Acts‬ ‭17:26-28‬


“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” ~ Romans‬ ‭8:26‬

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Stop the Scroll if it’s not Feeding your Soul.

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Stop the Scroll if it’s not Feeding your Soul.

Stop the scroll if it’s not feeding your soul.


If scrolling has you stressed or depressed, I’d love to offer you two simple words, followed by two more that lead to far more...

Just stop. Then start.

Stop scrolling. Start seeking.

Stop aimlessly and mindlessly reading content that leaves you discontent, and start reading THE WORD. God’s Word. It doesn’t return void (Isaiah 55:11), nor does it leave you feeling devoid.

I know there are accounts you follow that encourage and equip you with Biblical truths, and that is great.

But don’t just snack on sound bites, when you can feast of the Bread of Life.

We must stop the scroll if our feeds are weakening our souls. Our thumbs may be strengthened, but our spirits are weakened.

When God’s Word is read, we are not only fed, we’re nourished instead, and our spirit strengthened while the enemy is weakened.

Greg Boone of Look Up Lodge, says, “The absence of weight gives the illusion of strength.” I love how this pertains to and parallels this spiritual analogy of a well-nourished soul.


Scrolling, liking, commenting, and sharing may give the appearance of being “strong in the Lord” or “well versed in His Word,” but if we are not truly IN the Word, we will never truly live it OUT in the world. It’s merely an illusion or facade.

The absence of true connection with God (because of online connection with others) can give an illusion of intimacy. In time, however, it can lead to a misconnection with others and a disconnection with God.

Webster defines “misconnection” as “a wrong or faulty connection.” I define it this way: “online connection with others that causes a real life disconnection with God”... which makes us all desperately MISS CONNECTION with God!

“Connect with God first so you can connect with others best” has become a mantra of sorts for the way I want to live life and encourage other believers to live as well. But actions speak louder than words, and at times, I can find online connection with others coming before my connection with my the One who is above all others.

And it leaves me feeling frustrated and deflated because snacking on sound bites has me desperately craving more of Christ.

Less of me. Less of the world. Less scrolling.

Stop the scroll if it’s not feeding your soul.

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