Category: Cami

Homesick for Heaven

6/16/2023

4 Reasons It’s Okay to Long for Better

A few weeks ago, I had a perfect day. A perfect cluster of days, maybe. All I know is that one afternoon as I was snuggling a warm, cuddly baby while mentally planning out some writing projects and looking forward to my husband getting home for a yummy dinner, it hit me. At that moment, I thought, “Life really doesn’t get much better than this.”

I’m not suggesting that I live in that peaceful, idyllic mindset every day. In reality, I battle anxiety and a desire for complete control over every detail of my life on a daily basis. My personality is one where guilt over every stupid word I’ve ever said or awkward social mistake I’ve ever made follows me into the shower every morning and onto the pillow every night.

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A Prayer for Those Who Are Grieving

5/12/2023

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When overwhelmed by loss I long to lean on the arms of my Heavenly Father. He is my Comforter and knows what I need, even when I don't. Knowing how to express my feelings through #prayer helps my heart heal. Words are powerful and finding the right ones to tell #God about my sorrow helps. Recently, many I care about have entered different seasons of loss--relationship, child, health, job, loved one... Loss leaves us with #grief that stays long after others have forgotten, but God never forgets!

When I am emotionally overwhelmed by a loss, I long to lean into the everlasting arms of my Heavenly Father more than ever. He is the greatest Comforter, and He knows exactly what I’m feeling and what I need even when I can’t express it myself.

Sometimes, though, figuring out how to express what I’m feeling through prayer helps my heart to heal. Words are powerful things, and finding the right ones to tell God about my sorrow can help me heal. Recently, many people I care about have gone through seasons of loss. These losses come in many different forms.

Loss of a relationship
Loss of an unborn child
Loss of health
Loss of a job
Loss of a loved one

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Does God Want Me to Be Busy?

4/14/2023

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We celebrate Easter--when our hearts are tuned to the amazing Gospel story. For a while, everything that is truly important comes into focus as we picture the empty tomb. Then we dive back into our week where we juggle housework, grocery shopping, meal prep, a messy family, work projects, relationships, volunteer work, business meetings, church ministries, and a never-ending to-do list... In our culture, being busy is a bit of a bragging right. Busyness is what it takes to be an adult, right?

We recently celebrated Easter—a time when our hearts are turned back to the amazing Gospel story of Jesus.

For a little while, everything that is truly important comes into focus as we picture the cross and the empty tomb.

Then, we dive back to our week and we juggle…

Housework
Grocery shopping
Meal prep
A messy family
Work projects
Relationships
Volunteer work
Business meetings
Church ministries
And a never-ending to-do list

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Are You Loyal to God?

3/17/2023

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I wish I could say #church me, work me, #mom me, and neighbor me are all the same. We like to think of ourselves as genuine, but sometimes I feel two different versions of me are necessary. Society likes to make #God inappropriate outside of the church, and sometimes, I inadvertently let that lie seep into my life. I don’t intentionally switch mindsets from #Sunday to #Monday, and God isn't less present on Monday than He is on Sunday. He's always there. He sees us. He hears us. And He cares.

I wish I could say that church me, work me, mom me, and neighbor me are all the same. We all like to think of ourselves as genuine, but sometimes I feel like two different versions of me are necessary.

Society likes to make God inappropriate outside of the church, and sometimes, I inadvertently let that lie seep into my life.

I don’t intentionally switch mindsets from Sunday to Monday.

When I learn about gratitude in my Sunday school class, I don’t leave thinking “I’ll only be thankful until midnight, and then I’ll complain again tomorrow.”
When God uses the preacher to convict my heart, I don’t tell God “I’m sorry for this sin today, so I won’t do it again until tomorrow.”

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3 Ways Minimalism Helps Us Live Like Jesus

2/17/2023

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A few months ago, it would have been hypocritical of me to try convincing anyone that a simpler lifestyle could benefit their walk with God. Being an introvert, I’ve learned to regulate the number of events and people cluttering my schedule, but as a lover of books, nicknacks, and every birthday card anyone ever sent me, I didn’t have a natural understanding of how simplifying our home could give me a sense of spiritual rest.

As 21st-century Americans, we’re used to having more than just the bare necessities. We know the Bible says we didn’t bring anything into this world and we can’t take anything out (1 Timothy 6:7), but we still cling to a garage full of stuff we don’t use. We might know that we are supposed to build up treasure in Heaven instead of on earth (Matthew 6:19–20), but we still spend a lot of time boxing away earthly items that we might use “someday.”

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How Parenthood Changed My View of the Gospel

1/13/2023

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The #Gospel message is beautiful in its simplicity. It is straightforward and never changes. #God is behind the Gospel. He can make a Gospel simple enough for a #child to understand but complex enough for scholars to discuss for centuries. He can make a Gospel simple enough to distill into one sentence and complex enough to fill an entire #book. He can make a Gospel simple enough to understand at the time of #salvation and complex enough to still be learning about it twenty years later.

The message of the Gospel is beautiful in its simplicity. It is straightforward, it never changes, and it holds equal power for every individual who believes. Behind that simple message, though, is an infinite and incomprehensible divine power.

God is behind the Gospel, and He is capable of anything.

He can make a Gospel simple enough for a child to understand but complex enough for scholars to discuss for centuries.
He can make a Gospel simple enough to distill into one sentence and complex enough to fill an entire book.
He can make a Gospel simple enough to understand at the time of salvation and complex enough to still be learning about it twenty years later.

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Choosing Motherhood

5/13/2022

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We celebrate #mothers on Mother's Day because of the #relationship we have with them. For those of us #blessed enough to have had good, godly mothers, this relationship is one that imitates God’s relationship with His #children because it is a relationship built upon often unrequited sacrifice, selflessness, and #love. Just like we love #God because He first loved us, we love our mothers because they have shown so much love for us before we even knew how to reciprocate. #motherhood #mothering

This Mother’s Day was my first time being included in the “mother club.” It felt good—if strange—to have people wishing me a “Happy Mother’s Day.” So many people assured me this past Sunday that I was indeed a mother, and it got me thinking about what truly makes a mother and why we actually celebrate mothers.

We celebrate mothers because of the relationship we have with them. For those of us blessed enough to have had good, godly mothers, this relationship is one that imitates God’s relationship with His children because it is a relationship built upon often unrequited sacrifice, selflessness, and love.

Just like we love God because He first loved us, we love our mothers because they have shown so much love for us before we even knew how to reciprocate.

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