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.”​

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, nick-knacks, 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.”

This simple statement carries so much weight and truth that I’ve often overlooked it during my years of reading it. God had just finished His work of creation. Everything from the expansive solar system to the tiniest blade of grass came from the words He spoke, and all of it was good. Except for one thing. The only thing God said was not good was that man was alone. 

Technically, one could argue that man wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by animal life, for which he was a steward. He also had God with him. And yet, God said he was alone. From Scripture, we see that God created man to be relational, both with Him and with others. While God is our first and most essential relationship, He also made us to need people.​

I used to think that when our children turned 18 or 21, when they moved on to adulthood and out of our home, our parenting days would be done. Wow, was I ever wrong! Our parenting days have just begun it seems.

I've heard other parents say things like, "All we can do is pray." Well, maybe so, but isn't that the most important thing we can do as well?

All we can do is the most important thing!

Praying over our adult children is a way for us to express to them our love, support, and belief that prayer has power and it works.

Our adult children may or may not ask for our guidance as they navigate this difficult adult life. Whether they do or not, we need to pray for them. They need protection that we can no longer offer—protection only God can provide.

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.

Have you ever struggled with the assurance of your salvation? I haven't, but many do. For a long time my husband doubted until we went to see our pastor. He wisely directed us to a few of the passages below.

You may even ask yourself, "Is it normal for Christians to have doubts about their salvation?"

If you've struggled with doubt, or are currently struggling with it, before you do anything else, you simply must know that going through these seasons—the ones that can wreck your faith about God and your salvation—is normal. And they are not only normal, but necessary.

Doubts can be the growing pains of our faith.

If you are struggling today, or know someone who is, meditate on these 14 passages of Scripture. They will strengthen your faith!

As I sit writing this, we are only days away from the start of a new Advent season, and by the time this is posted it will have already begun. While we ought to dwell on the magnificence and mystery of Christ’s incarnation throughout the whole year, it is at this special time, that we as believers should be completely captivated by its significance and meaning in our lives. 

​This can be one of the busiest times of the year for many of us. As we bustle about with church and family gatherings, concerts, shopping, baking, travel, and a host of other activities, we can quickly find ourselves worn out with little thought given to considering what this season is all about. While the fun, parties, gifts, and music are wonderful parts of Christmas, they are not the Thing itself, and we can easily do ourselves and our children a great disservice by not setting aside time to contemplate Christ and wonder at His coming. ​