I thought a lot about Manna this summer!

I love God’s whole story.  I love how I get to know God as I see His heart and know His ways as He unfolds His plans in history.  I love reading how God cares for each of His children and meets their needs. 

But I also love how God leads and highlights a particular part of His story that has a special application for my life in this moment.

This is how I came to focus on manna.  We read about God's provision of manna in Exodus 16.4a

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day."

The manna, the food that God gave His children in the wilderness, was a gift from God.

It came every morning to meet the real need of hunger.

The manna was only a blessing to them if it was seen, then gathered, and then eaten.  It was then that the people could enjoy the nourishment and strengthening that came...

I found the rocks!

Although this picture does not have the best lighting, I wanted to include it in this blog post.  I was so excited as we walked through the story of God on the third floor of the Museum of the Bible to find this stack of rocks!

This stack of rocks was meant to be an artistic replica of the twelve stones that a man from each tribe took from the middle of the river Jordan when they crossed over to the promised land. 

The rocks that the men stacked up were to be a reminder of the miracle that God did in drying up the river.  God dried up the river so the Israelites could cross over on dry ground to the promised land that God was giving them.

The tower of rocks was specifically put there for the people to remember.  

"And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. ²¹ He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones...

Each summer we have had the gift from God of a family vacation.  These travels and experiences have not only given us memories we will treasure forever, but have also helped us grow individually and in our family relationships.

So traveling together as a family is not a new experience for us.  However, traveling right after Christmas is!  This year we felt God was calling us to be part of a prayer conference right outside of Washington DC.

There were so many pieces that needed to come together for us to make this journey.  There were pets to find places for, and leaving our house in the middle of winter also felt daunting.

Amazingly all the pieces came together for us to attend the conference!  What was also so encouraging to us was to see God's fingerprints on all parts of our journey, to spend time with God and praying for our nation. 

As we messaged the hosts of the AirBnb where we were to spend the week, we found out that they loved God, and that...

Christmas-December 2019

My son Jonathan designed and traced our Christmas card this year!  

I love the names of Jesus written on the tree:

I AM

Savior

Redeemer

Son of God, Son of Man

Good Shepherd King of the Jews

Christ, Bread of Life, Emmanuel

Almighty One, Chosen One, Deliverer, Light of the World

Isaiah 9:6

We put a lot of love, time and energy into designing and making our cards this year.  But as the days towards Christmas began to dwindle I realized that I was not able to get the cards finished.

Not only was I putting all the finishing touches on our Christmas celebration, but I was also doing all the preparations necessary for us to attend a prayer conference near Washington DC, just a few days after Christmas. 

We left for the conference with wrapped packages and Christmas cards sitting on the table waiting to be addressed and stamped.

As I talked to God about the gifts on the table, He told me to surrender my timetable and agenda to Him.  As I did...

What is your favorite part of a birthday party?

Do you enjoy the decorations, the games, or maybe the cake?

Birthdays are so fun to celebrate because you get to honor a unique, one-of-a-kind person on their special day!

This year I was thinking about how our Christmas traditions have all the ingredients of an amazing birthday party!

There are spectacular decorations inside and outside.  There are fun Advent activities and special events throughout the season, and we search for special gifts for those we love.  Finally, there is the amazing food that comes with the season, like cookies and egg nog!  These are all beautiful ways to celebrate Jesus’ birthday!

Jesus’ birth was promised, and awaited for many generations.  When he was born, Jesus brought hope and deliverance, so making Christmas an amazing celebration is a beautiful response!

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart prepare Him room
And Heaven and...

What do you like best about spring?  Is it the light green of the leaves as they open up for the first time?  Or do you enjoy the brilliant colors of the first flowers to dot the landscape?  Maybe it is the tender apple blossom blooms or the yellow daffodils that dance in the breeze?  

No matter what you answered, I am sure you will agree with me that spring is a beautiful season - when what looks dead begins to burst forth with life and color! 

When you look at the different areas of your life, is there any part that is still stuck in winter?  Do you feel distraction and deadness in any of your relationships?  Are there dreams in your heart that lay dormant?

Let me help you transition to a new season, and see God breathe life into what looks cold and dried up.  Sign up for one of my fifteen minutes Life Connections consults https://www.lifeconnectionsacademy.com/store today!