There’s been so much going through my mind lately, but I think one of the most significant moments occurred at a funeral two weeks ago. A dear family friend and former mentor of mine passed away suddenly from a stroke at the age of 59. This man didn’t waste a moment of his life. He was one of the closest examples I’ve known of Christ to the world. He saw every person and moment as an opportunity to show God’s love and share His truth. He understood our call by Jesus to “go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19-20). Though there is much I could say about his life, I want to encourage you with a couple lessons he taught that helped shape the person I am today. 1 – Get Curious With every lesson he taught, Jeff would always say, “Don’t take my word or anyone else’s…

On Monday, I received one of the greatest gifts a friend could give me – I watched the ultrasound of her little one growing in her womb. When you hear the announcement that someone is pregnant, you can register that there’s a baby in her womb, but the significance of that reality doesn’t necessarily impact you. Over time, you see her belly grow and months later, Lord willing, you can witness the baby for yourself. To be honest, for years, the hardest part of my own infertility was receiving pregnancy announcements. My heart was grateful the couple received this miracle, but a strong wave of grief for my own loss would hit me like a freight train. It would take a while to settle my emotions so I could rejoice through the process with the expectant mother. By God’s grace, I’ve been able to have peace and joy when I…

Many struggle with the purpose of prayer. Why pray if God already knows what you’re going to say? Does He even care about our prayers? I trust that today’s post is going to help you see just how much God cares about every single need we bring before Him and how His love made a way to bring them even closer to Him. From the time the Lord came down on Mount Sinai in thunder, lightning, loud trumpets, and dark smoke, the Israelites always had someone interceding on their behalf to the Lord because of their fear of Him. There were sacrifices that needed to be made by a priest on their behalf, then the priest would report things to the high priest. Then, once a year, the high priest would enter the most holy place to pray on behalf of the people and see if they still had God’s…

This morning’s Bible reading was in Numbers 21. As the Israelites were traveling through the wilderness toward the promised land and fighting battles along the way, “From there they went to Beer, the well the Lord told Moses about, ‘Gather the people so I may give them water.’ Then Israel sang this song: Spring up, well—sing to it!The princes dug the well;the nobles of the people hollowed it outwith a scepter and with their staffs.”(Numbers 21:16-18) Music has a powerful way of impacting memory. When I read, “Spring up, well – sing to it,” it made me think of an old song we used to sing at a Christian camp I attended as a child, called, I’ve Got a River of Life. The lyrics go like this, “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me!Makes the lame to walk, and the blind to see.Opens prison doors, sets the captives free!I’ve got a…

Does communion hold significance for you? Has it become a ritual you do in church or with friends or family to remember Christ’s death and forgiveness for you, or does it still reach the core of your heart when you take the bread and the cup? I think today’s post will help reignite a deeper meaning for you so when you gather for communion, those elements will resonate in a special way. “With the first lamb offer two quarts of fine flour mixed with one quart of oil from crushed olives, and a drink offering of one quart of wine.” (Exodus 29:40) On our social media channels, we’ve been looking at the prophetic laws and offerings that proved to be illustrations of Christ. Yesterday, we learned that in the daily offerings of the Old Testament law in Exodus 29, it required a year-old lamb, fine flour, oil, and wine. The…

Forward from Rachel Van Pelt – One of the greatest blessings I’ve been privileged to have in this life is to connect with many beautiful Christians around the world who are constantly living on mission for Jesus. Their letters always inspire me to grow my faith in Christ and share that with others. This week, I received one of those kinds of letters from my sister-in-love who works with a program called Keramiko Moms through Youth Unlimited in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Yes, my sister-in-love and I share the same name. It can get a little confusing when we’re together but it’s an honour all the same. My brother’s and her home is an almost constantly revolving door of community. It’s a fun house where you’re sure to find some epic shenanigans happening. It’s also a safe place to unload and share your burdens, and know you’ll be unconditionally loved. When…

Holy Spirit does amazing work in us through our times of suffering. It is here where our hearts are most exposed to Him. It’s where we see our need for a Saviour. It’s where we cry out in dependence and desperation. And it is here where we understand Jesus as our Redeemer.

Could you do it? Could you leave your culture and relatives behind, and move to a foreign country you have not even visited, if a God you may not know well told you to do it? How about if at the time, He didn’t tell you exactly where you were going? All He said was “ Go to the land that I will show you.” I’d imagine it would feel a bit like Amazing Race. You’d receive your first instruction: “Go southwest. Follow that trail for a while until you reach your next clue. I’ll instruct you which road to take next when you get there.” You have no idea where that next road would be or how long it would take to get there.

Has your family done a generational family photo of a grandmother, mother, and daughter together, or grandfather, father, and son? It’s a precious image that captures a story of the impact of a legacy being written and passed down through each generation. You can see similarities in look and stature. The hands of the grandfather show evidence of decades of hard labour. The grandson’s vitality and freshness of young skin holding potential of learned skills ahead. As we carry on from the event at the tower of Babel, Moses continues to share the genealogy of Shem’s family down 10 generations and the promise of the blessing Noah gave his son Shem in Genesis 9 starts growing root by the end of the chapter. “These are the family records of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. After he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and fathered…

Between Genesis 10:32 and 11:10, Moses pauses the genealogy to bring light to a defining moment in history; dare I say one of the most significant in the beginnings of time that would change the world from that moment until Christ returns! And yet, even in this event, we can see the Lord preparing our redemption. This post has been welling up within me for a year now and I’m SO excited to share it with you today! Come and commune in awe of our Great Redeemer’s work and the hope-filled detail He’s invested into His story! “The whole earth had the same language and vocabulary.” (Genesis 11:1) Wait, this doesn’t make sense. If you research the names of Noah’s genealogy in Genesis 10, it’s evident that there was more than one language. Some names are in Hebrew, others are Greek, Arabic, Assyrian, etc. This leads us to wonder, “What…