Saved by the Cross & Caffeine

11/10/2021

🖤

21/09/2021

“We must be careful not to do so much FOR the Lord, that we forget to spend time WITH the Lord.”

Ouch & amen. Found myself getting caught up in the work of ministry & trying to prove my worth to God & everyone around me. I found myself struggling with perspective because I had a mixup in my priorities.

Jesus cares more about spending time with you than what you can do for him. Yes, we are called to spread the gospel and live out our calling - but we can’t do that without filling ourselves first.

In Luke 10, Jesus told Martha that by choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet & listen to his wisdom rather than work, Mary had something that couldn’t be taken away from her: the presence of Jesus.

Everything we do will be taken from us in one way or another. But time with Jesus is an everlasting deposit that is more important than anything else.

Take some time today & sit with Jesus. He has everything you need.

24/07/2021

With a pen in my hand & a clean journal entry canvas marked only by today’s date, I began unraveling my current frustrations.

As if on autopilot, my narration spilled the contents of my mind onto the lined pages, revealing the anger & bitterness stirring inside. There were so many reasons to be unhappy. So many questions demanding an answer from God. So many jagged shards of self-pity cutting beneath the surface.

After my pen stopped, nothing felt different. There was no freedom or sense of release. Only a still sense of loneliness & disappointment.

And then, I found my gratitude journal. What if, instead of focusing on everything that’s wrong, I focused on everything that wasn’t? What would it look like to find the beauty in my day, instead of the bitterness?

So, I began a list of gratitude. A list full of the tiniest bits of joy that I am thankful God brought my attention to. And these tiny moments turned into heaps of peace; deep breaths on a calm summer night, sucking in the same cool breeze that lines the evergreens & weeping willows & sycamores.

Gratitude is a door that swings open into a field of comfort. It’s a squeeze of a familiar hand in the middle of sorrow. It’s a golden sunset that emerges after a day of rain.

But most importantly, gratitude is intentional. So today, I choose to be thankful. I choose to focus on the blessings before me, like:

- walks with my pup among rows of budding trees.
- coffee, and lots of it.
- books that make your soul feel alive.
- comfy blankets that make you feel 5 again.
- a quiet afternoon to just be still.
- chocolate chip waffles.

What are you thankful for today?

09/07/2021

Does anyone else feel like they’re on a never ending carousel lately? Same, sis, same. My head hurts pretty much 80% of the time, I get oddly delirious at some point every day, & there doesn’t seem to be enough coffee in the world to help me focus.

When my friend’s dog locked me out of my apartment this past weekend (true story y’all, I wish I was kidding…), I sat on my sidewalk & thought about all of the lessons God is teaching me right now. It feels like a lot, because, well, it is.

This new season of my life has been incredible. Truly, I can’t say that enough. But this new territory has also brought more responsibility, which requires deeper training. & most days, it feels like I’m totally failing.

But the thing is, our life is a continuous journey of going from glory to glory. Once God works with us in one area, He will always have something else to follow it. We will never reach perfection, so why sit in a space of despair during the process?

It’s okay if you feel lost. It’s okay if you feel like you’re totally blowing it. It’s okay if you feel scared to face your weaknesses.

What’s not okay is letting that keep you from taking another step forward.

For me, those steps have been incredibly small lately. They look something like just getting out of bed in the morning, or taking 5 minutes to journal, or intentionally combatting at least one negative thing I say about myself with a positive one.

My walk with God may feel stagnant right now, but spiritual maturity is a process, and most of the time that process doesn’t reveal its progress each and every day. Usually, the progress is shown later on down the road, in the places you had no idea you were even growing in all along the way.

Sometimes, it’s a lot. And that’s okay. But I’m learning to be gracious with myself & I’m learning to be grateful that God cares enough about me to want to continue to shape and mold me to be more like Jesus.

If you feel like you’re not doing enough, or your routines have shifted with recent life changes - please know this: God is not mad at you. If He’s working on you, it’s a sign of love. (See Hebrews 12:6)

You’re doing better than you think you are. 🖤

22/06/2021

I was talking to a friend yesterday about isolation, and how the enemy uses it as one of his most effective tactics. The less we are around people, the more room we give our mind to fixate on negative thoughts.

Alone time isn’t a bad thing - it’s actually essential to hearing God’s voice. But, when we stay sheltered, convinced that we don’t have the energy to spend ANY time with others, we step into a dangerous place.

I’m an extrovert, and I still struggle with this. Lately, I’ve convinced myself that I’m okay without company. I’m okay with shutting my blinds at 7PM and watching another Netflix rom-com. I’m okay without people, because honestly, sometimes it’s easier to be alone.

This space of isolation is where I’ve found myself wrestling with inadequacy, loneliness, and sadness. It’s where I start to lose joy and motivation. It’s a comfortable cocoon that keeps me from being refilled, restored, and re-energized by the lovely people God has intentionally placed in my life.

We were created for relationship. We were designed for fellowship. We need people to help encourage us, make us laugh until our stomachs hurt, share struggles with, and try new restaurants with. We need people to talk things through and gain better understanding. We need people, because we’re stronger together.

It may take every ounce of energy you have, but take the time to gather this week. Call a friend, say yes to that plan, sit in a cafe with a stranger. Whatever you gotta do - just don’t let the enemy keep you in isolation any longer.

You’ve got too much to offer to keep it to yourself. ♡

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.’”Genesis 2:18

07/06/2021

To the ones fighting daily battles in the mirror: this one's for us. ♡

Hey y'all (yes, 6 weeks into this move down south, and it's already sinking in). So, it's been an insanely busy past few weeks. I've been meaning to post updates and write more blogs, but, life - ya know? Here's a random list of updates, in case you care: Cook Out is my new favorite fast-food place....

28/05/2021

Coffee shop inspo featuring iced coffee w/ oat milk, my battered journal, & Michael Scott.

Take some time to do something YOU love today.
Even if it’s for 5 minutes. Restoration can be found in the tiniest of moments. ♡

30/04/2021

“I got everything that I need, Your goodness & Your mercy” - one of my fav lines in “I Shall Not Want” from & ‘s latest album, Old Church Basement.

So simple, yet such a profound declaration that fills my soul with so much joy.

I don’t ever want to worship God for what He can do for me. I pray that my heart would always live in a state of gratefulness, & that I would remember how full I feel simply because of who He is.

He is love. He is peace. He is joy.
And that’s all I truly need.

But, a library and a good iced coffee are always good bonuses 😉

26/04/2021

When we’re worn out & weary, we can hope in the Lord to give us the strength to pull through. But what does it mean to truly hope in the Lord? What does that look like?

Molly Rue & I give you the scoop in my latest CRASH COURSE BIBLE STUDY: Isaiah 40:31.

Enjoy :)

23/04/2021

How often do we let the enemy convince us that our current situations have become our permanent reality?

How often do we believe these lies and fall into despair, unaware that God’s blessings are RIGHT around the corner?

Latest post is up! Be encouraged that God can do more than you could ever imagine. He WILL come through. It won’t always be this way. Don’t lose hope.

It had been one of those days. You know, the kind that make you want to transport from wherever you are straight into your bed so you can pull the covers over your head and pretend the world doesn't exist. Well, since I'm not superwoman, or someone extremely important who can just up and leave my re...