The Quiet Place

This is a good time of year to re-evaluate, to step back for a moment and look at how our relationship with God is and what we can do to grow closer to him. Though the blog has been quite, I have been learning and growing a lot these past few months. So today I would like to share with you some of the most important things I have taken away from church sermons, bible studies, and Holy Spirit reminders.  Recently my pastor spoke on Intimacy with God. He described Intimacy with God to be like a newly married couple driving in an old car. The Husband driving and the wife sitting as close to him as she can. Then one day when they are old, the wife asks her Husband why he is sitting so far away from her. Looking over from the Driver's seat he responds, what do you mean? I never moved. The lesson being that if we are from from God it is because we have moved away from him, not him from us.   We can draw near to God by maintaining Keystone habits. Keyston...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9  Photo Credit Hillary Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-18   Even in the midst of the darkest circumstances God is good.  That is exactly what this passage tells us. And I love how that last part brings the point home... "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.   For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.   So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." I have learned that even in my darkest places God's hope is there shining through, providin...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have guest post from Samantha on this month's theme Gratitude. You can learn more about Samantha and her blog in the bio at the end of the post.  It’s true what they say, “the grass is always greener on the other side.” I’ve found myself countless times, wishing and hoping for things I don’t have. Some days, it’s so much easier to be unappreciative or ungrateful of my life. Some days, I wish for a more expensive home, a supermodel body, and a generous paycheck. I make a fuss about the little things, like where the toothpaste should go (I say cabinet, my husband says counter). I can get swept up in my own emotions, my wants and desires, so I start acting greedy and selfish. “Be joyful always, pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 16:18 It isn’t often, but when I have these moments, I feel completely disconnected with God. For a while, I questio...

He says, “ Be   still ,  and   know  that I am God; I will  be  exalted among the nations, I will  be  exalted in the earth.” Silence is SO not overrated. As I reflect over my restful morning and think of how good all of this quiet time to myself has been, I remember how much I love the quiet. Taking time to rest in a quiet house is just what I needed and I had no idea. The past two weeks have been really busy and even though they were filled with exciting life moments, I am still in need of replacing the energy they took from me. So today I am soaking in these quiet moments and resting. Allowing my mind to contemplate things I don't usually have time to ponder, and allowing my hands to get everything off my to do list so I can further rest this evening.  Something else that I know that I really need to do today is to take this quiet time and spend it with God. These past few weeks I haven't spent much time in the word and I know t...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of are monthly contributors Courtney, she is sharing her heart on this  month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can find out more about Courtney and her blog on the about page.  When I was 12, I was horse CRAZY. Every item of clothing that I owned had a horse on it. Shirts, pants, sweatshirts, and socks were plastered with horses. I spent hours studying horses. I could tell you how many teeth a horse had and where each breed descended from. I was especially fascinated by horse training. If you are not familiar with equestrian lingo, training a new horse is called breaking it. It does not hurt the horse, but the horse is introduced to things that are very scary to it.  Unfamiliar things are put in its mouth and on its back. At the end of the training process, you have an animal that is gentle and ready to ride. As I was thinking about this month's topic, I thought how the Christian life is a bit like bre...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have a guest post from Victoria. You can find out more about Victoria in her bio at the end of the post. Also be sure to stop by and check out her blog !  1 Peter was written by Peter (one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus) and sent out to Gentile Christians who would be facing the terrible martyrdom we read about in our history books that began in 64 AD. When this book was written and sent out in 62-63 AD, Nero was ruling in Rome and things were okay for the Christians except for the verbal abuse and harassment that they had to deal with from their neighbors. I can’t help but think about what this letter meant to many of these people and what it would come to mean in the years to come! Today, I want to share with you a few pieces that really stuck out to me which come from 1 Peter 1:3-9: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the re...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of are monthly contributors, Vanessa, she is sharing her heart on this month's theme forgiveness.  In an interesting turn of events, my family and I are moving into my childhood home. This little house was a house I moved into when I was in high school.   Over the years that followed, many members of my family have moved in and out of that little house. My mom moved out, then my dad, then my mom and step-dad moved in with my teenage brother and sister, then my brother and sister moved out, then back in and then back out, then my family moved in while in transition, and now my mom and step-dad are moving out while my family moves back in! (breathe…) My family fell apart in the little house, it grew, it changed, I changed, and we are different. As we are moving back to this little house I sit in reflection. I’m reminded of how God dwells richly in our hearts. He looks at the cracks in the ceiling, and the dirt on the floor...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have are newest monthly contributor  Buife Nomeh. She is sharing her heart on this month's theme forgiveness. You can find out more about Buife on the about  page. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ( I John 1:9, KJV). 'I am a sinner' Eww! Okay, I know how we love to be humble about our salvation and honestly, we should be remembering that we are saved by grace, not by our own doing (Ephesians 2:9). Having being saved by God through grace in Christ Jesus, I think it is unfair to God and to Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross to still call ourselves sinners. I will understand it when we say I was once a sinner but I AM?...no, no, no. Let's read a few scriptures. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17,  KJV). For w...

Something today made me realize how terrible our would be without forgiveness. Could you imagine a parent refusing to care for their precious child because they did something wrong, or a daughter not willing to accept the apology of her brokenhearted father. The truth is, this world wouldn't survive without forgiveness. Without forgiveness, families wouldn't stay together and friends wouldn't last long, because humans aren't perfect, we make mistakes. We need forgiveness so that we can have relationships, keep families together, and enjoy life-long friendships. God is well-aware of are need for forgiveness. In fact, forgiveness is SO important to God that he weaved his teachings about it throughout the entire Bible. One of these lessons is found in 2 Corinthians Chapter Two. Read it here...  2 Corinthians 2 This passage is a letter from Paul to the church in Corinth. In this section of the letter, Paul addresses the recent scandal which, concerned a man who had be...

Hello Friends! I am excited to share this post with you on are theme this month, rest. When I thought of the theme for this month, John Chapter 15 came to mind. This passage has been coming up a lot in my life lately. My plate has been full these last few months and this passage has brought me so much encouragement. I hope that you find the same encouragement here today as I share about rest with you. So read on my friend... The Vine and the Branches 15  “I am  the true vine,  and my Father is the gardener.   2  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,  while every branch that does bear fruit  he prunes  so that it will be even more fruitful.   3  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.   4  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5  “I am the vine; you are the ...

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life. Psalm 119:50 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matthew 16:24-26 I never realized before this time in my life how profound these verses are. I've read them what seems like a million times but until recently, thei...