Have you ever prayed and pleaded with God over a personal matter and still had the answer be no? Have you ever laid your heart bare and thought surely God will have mercy on me? Yet, what if God’s mercy didn’t look exactly like the manuscript you sent up to Him? What if God’s mercy came through hardship, as your tears fall to the ground? Our faithful and just Creator looking beyond our desires and reaching our needs.

Each day brings with it new opportunities to learn faith and trust in God. Kids sprinkle in more of these opportunities as we rely on God with their safety and provision (can I hear an Amen). Yet kids can also teach us a thing or two more about faith. Just the other day it was […]

I look at those around me, from the Believers who sit next to me in the pews, to the non-Believers who have never felt the presence of God’s love wash over them. Yet, as we mingle in the world, the lines are blurred. It’s kind of hard to tell anyone apart. Is there anyone who looks different? Who sets themselves apart with convictions in their heart that screams that there is a God? Or do they look and act like everyone else? Does your desire to fit in cause you to be stuck in the elementary teachings about Christ, forcing you to mull over the same struggles you’ve had for years? This begs to ask the question why?

As a society, we live busy, hurried, loud lives, rushing from one place to another, or one thing to another trying to allow our feet to catch up to our agenda. Even when we have time to pause our minds are cluttered. It would take a big theatrical display of God’s majesty to stop us in our tracks, in order for us to really pay attention to God. Yet, God is not a puppet on display. He is the God of the universe that deserves our attention.

My body is tired from a long day, I have a slight headache, and some crazy hair. Yet, as I sit here, I fully comprehend why God called the man blessed who has kids. It is not the temporary discomforts that affect anything in a large scale; your body will have good and bad days. So as I sit here with my youngest on my lap, I am extremely thankful. I am thankful for the impromptu dance parties, the silly jokes, the brilliant way that children’s minds work, the sweet cards, the time they want to spend with me, and their pure faith. The list could going on endlessly. How do you show your appreciation to the ones who mean so much? How do you bless your children and express your thankfulness?

In America, you rarely see someone without clothes because they don’t own any. Some voluntarily go that route, but that’s another issue. Due to our prosperity, we almost cultivate an environment of greed and acquiring excess material just because we can. This should not be. Whether you are blessed with much, or little, if you can stay focused and grounded on the basic principles of giving you will be amazed how much more your joy will feel complete.

We serve a God of the impossible. Do you truly believe this? As you say your prayers, do you pray within the realm of possibility or impossibility? Do you realize that God’s abilities go beyond your situation, limitations, and even other people? Fears and worries creep in when our faith is limited to what we can do within our own ability, ultimately accepting a limited view of God.

I know what you are thinking… trivial. In the big scheme of things, saying blessed instead of lucky has nothing to do with salvation, however, for me it’s something I make a conscious effort to do. Here’s why. With each word we say we are making a statement. What our beliefs, ideologies, and passions are. Luke 6:45 says, “Out of the heart the mouth speaks.” The power of the tongue is very influential.

Sometimes we get so busy that we forget that God desires our love. He prefers a simple card that comes from our heart, rather than a thousand eloquent words with no meaning behind them. God wants us to sit at His feet and listen to Him. He wants us to stop rushing from His presence, in order to do things that breathe temporary value, because even the good things, if not done with God in the midst of it, will not have lasting value. They will be a chore list to get done, rather than an offering of love.

When 9:00 am rolls around, the Houle kids know what time it is; it’s Bible time. A time we’ve set aside each day to teach them about God. Our teaching is not limited to one small block of time, life is filled with lessons, but it’s a way we have instilled in our kids that making time with God is a priority. My kids are 5, 4, 2 1/2, and 31 wks gestation :) My kids love devotional time. I commonly hear the phrase, “Yay, devo time!” as I announce it’s time for the morning devotional.