​Waiting is hard.
Waiting can produce hopelessness. 
Weariness, anxiety, feeling unloved, spiraling down into dark places, it’s hard to see any way out in those valleys. 
 
When you see those around you happy, loved, and encouraged, you wonder when you get yours, especially during this time when love, joy, peace, and hope seem to be on overload. You may still feel left out, empty, unsure you even want to give any of those a chance. 
Sometimes those dark places seem more comfortable. Or we think that it will be impossible to get out. 
 
Hopelessness is a lonely place to be. 

But there is hope. If you are breathing, there is hope.

Carol is writer and mother of 7, who finds joy in using her words to encourage others.  You can connect with her via her blog or instagram

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By: Tamika M.

Today is the day. The day I look forward to every year.
All the holidays pass, and we transition from spring, summer, fall, and winter, and I finally arrive today: December 10th, the day on which I was born.
Today I celebrate leaving my 20's and entering my 30's. 
While many people say their 20's is the most challenging time of their lives, I found that my 20's were the most beneficial.
In my 20's, I learned so many lessons, and in my 20's, I began to grow a solid foundation in my relationship with Christ.
As I start this new decade, I reflect on James 1:5 that says:

People tell you that with age comes wisdom, and while I do not want to negate the validity of that statement, there is another truth. There is the truth that we can find wisdom in and from many things, but the Bible here in this passage reminds us that we can find wisdom from God! Not in the things of this world, not in our life experiences, but we can gain true wisdom, knowledge, and understanding from God. And to attain this wisdom, the Bible says all we have to do is seek the Father.

Proverbs 21:2 says:

This tells us that while we can find wisdom in and of ourselves, our wisdom may not always be in alignment with God's purpose. If I can be honest, in my 20's, I found myself trying to be lead myself, but it was also in this season that I truly began to learn that my ways and God's are different. I found that I can rest in the truth that God is in control, and if I lean into him, if I learn him, and if I trust him, he will lead me and make even my crooked paths straight.

Despite my crooked paths, despite my mistakes, despite my failures, I am standing here. I am standing here because God's truth kept me; I am standing here because I have learned that when I trust God, he will keep me, and I never have to go through anything alone. I have learned that I can trust in his truth, and he will lead me. 

So today, as I enter this new decade, I rest in this truth. I rest in the word that I need God to lead me, and I do not need to lead myself. I set myself on a path to knowing God more and knowing him deeper; I set on a path to seek him more, understand him more, and share him more. Wisdom does not merely come from life experiences; the Bible reminds us that true wisdom comes from the Father.

By: Brittany T.

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By: Tamika M.

Oh, what a name is Immanuel.
Oh, what a representation does that name mean.
There are many names for Jesus, many names he is for us.
But Immanuel, it is not just a name; it's a reminder that the most high, the one who sits on the throne, he also sits here with us!

He's there when you're going through a good season, and he's there in the bad. 
The Bible does not say that he is only with us when everything is looking up; it reminds us that he is right there, even in the most challenging seasons of our life.

​We never have to walk through any season alone, we never have to face a battle by ourselves, but instead, we find hope in the Savior.
The same Jesus that came as flesh to save the world wants to walk with us in all things.

This time of year can bring so much joy, but it can also bring pain.
It can be hard to move through a season missing loved ones. 
It can be hard to figure out how to move forward through challenging times in our lives.
And while the hard times may not go away, we can find rest in the fact that in the hard times, we never have to be alone.
We can rest in the fact that in and through the Father, we are never alone! I will say it again, we, you, I, are never alone!

Immanuel is God with us, in all things, through all things, our Savior Jesus, he is always there. ​

By: Dawn B.

​Congratulations – we survived our first Thanksgiving during a pandemic. Not a milestone I expected to achieve in my adult life, but here we are. My energy now turns to making the Christmas season as special as possible while holding true to pandemic safety regulations. Not a small task! As the to-do list gains pages, it is time to take a moment to breathe, rest, and be present in the moment and in God's presence.

​The definition of self is "the nature or essence of a person." Essence is not a task. It is not defined by how well you clean the house, your ability to work 40+ hours a week at your job, or the number of hours you spend caring for people. All these things are essential and necessary, but they do not define one's being. To find your essence, you need to look deep within yourself and feel God's purpose inside your innermost soul.

​To seek God's purpose and hear him speaking, we need to slow down. It is impossible to hear anything when the room is filled with noise—the more tasks on the list, the more noise blocking out the voice of God. I know what you may be thinking – so who is going to do all these tasks while I'm slowing down? I get it! Life is busy, and things need to get done. Start small. Find 5 minutes sometime during the day and breathe. Breathe in God's grace, listen to His voice, and lean into your being outside of your doing.

​The next step is to acknowledge it is good, holy, and necessary to rest.

​As the journey to Christmas begins, embrace the fact that you are a human being. Take moments to breathe in God's presence and rest in His grace. Embrace the natural holiday sensation swirling around – Christmas lights, colorful stockings, nativity scenes on the mantel, and smiling children filled with excitement. Celebrate the miracle of God sending Jesus to live among us and grow to be the Savior of the world. Rest, breathe, and be present to the moment God sets before us.

Dawn Marie Beauchamp is a wife and mother of three glorious children living in the great state of Michigan. She can be found at Controlled Chaos blogging about faith, family, food and everything in between. Dawn and her husband run a growing electrical company and are avid DIY-ers. In their spare time, Dawn and family love to spend time outdoors - boating, fishing, hiking, hunting, and snowmobiling. You can follow Dawn on the following social platforms -Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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By: Tamika M.

In the midst of the things going on in this world, and in the midst of things going on in our lives, Jesus provides hope.

In 2 Corinthians 4:6, the Bible says, the same God that spoke light into a world of darkness can give light, hope, and change to our current circumstances.
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If I can be honest, 2020 was a rough year for many. A pandemic that NO one saw coming, deaths of innocent men and women at the hands of a deadly virus, life as we know it changing to something we have never seen. 
But there is still light in this midst of this season, and in the midst of this darkness, there is still a Savior!

This scripture sends us the reminder that even in the darkness, even in our hardest seasons, we do not have to fear because we have a perfect one who protects, comforts us, and keeps us in our dark seasons. That comforter is the Savior, that comforter is light in darkness, that comforter is Jesus Christ.

Jesus was there then, and he is here now. And in this season, I want to encourage you that while life is hard, Jesus is there. While this season may seem never-ending, Jesus is the light in the midst of the tunnel. We can find an everlasting peace, grace, and rest in the arms of the Father! There is hope and help in the arms of the Savior, the Savior who speaks light into darkness and speaks life into you! 

By: Tamika M.

Forgiveness is hard. 
Forgiveness may not always be the thing that we choose to do.
But forgiveness is what the Bible calls us to do.
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Ephesians 4:2 states clearly:

The Bible not only shares the story of forgiveness; it shares the truth that the forgiveness Christ gives us, we are also to extend it to others. It does not hold conditions; it does not say only forgive if the offense is small; it does not say only forgive when YOU feel like it. It reminds us that we are to walk in the truth of forgiveness in and through all things.

It may not change the hurt; it may not change what that person has done to you, but when we walk in forgiveness, we not only free the other person, but we also free ourselves. When we hold onto that hurt and even sometimes anger, we do not show Christ's glory, truth, or his message. When Christ came, died, and rose, he did it to allow you access to his forgiveness.

We are sinners who need a savior, and we have access to that savior through the sacrifice he made; it came through the blood. And the blood of Jesus was for us, our sins, our shortcomings, and when we fall short of his glory. And I do not know about you, but I need God's grace, I need God's mercy, I need God's forgiveness. While I am undeserving of his forgiveness, I am grateful that the Father was gracious enough to offer me a chance at forgiveness.

We are not worthy...we mess up...we fall short...but the message of the cross gives us redemption amid our failures—a grace that is not meant only for us, but also others. 

And today, I encourage you, whatever that person did to you, however, they hurt you, whatever wrong they did, forgive them, set them free, and allow yourself to be free. Do not be bound to unforgiveness but rather walk in the freedom of Christ. This holiday season, let us give the gift of forgiveness. Yes, it may hurt, yes it may not make sense, but you are forgiven and called to have a heart of forgiveness. Let us walk out the truth of the word, forgive others, as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. ​

By Tamika M. 

Jesus, when he came to the earth, born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, he came with a purpose, he came with a truth, and he came with salvation and a chance at life everlasting for us all.

Often, we do not see the end from the beginning; many times, we don't know the importance of what we are going through or why we are going through it. We sometimes do not understand why God is doing what he is doing when he is doing it. But whether or not we agree, whether or not we are on board, and whether or not we understand, our story comes with a purpose attached to God.

Because God loved the world and wanted to offer man another chance, he sacrificed his only Son, Jesus, so that you and I could have the opportunity to spend eternity with him. A purpose that did not have to be understood in order to be fulfilled.

When Jesus came to the earth, he was fulfilling a purpose; and that purpose extended grace, love, and forgiveness. That purpose gives us another chance to get it right. Isn't that amazing? Doesn't that bring you joy? The truth that God loves you so much that he died for you. A love like no other, a savior like no other, a purpose fulfilled like no other.

And that story of purpose, that story of truth, it speaks to us. It reminds us that the purpose that God has given us, it too can be fulfilled. God calls us to share his word, God calls us to be light in darkness, and he calls us to be His hands and feet on the earth. 

We show that in how we love, we show that in how we conduct ourselves, we show that in the lives that we live. And living according to God's will allows us to live out his purpose fulfilled in us. So this holiday season, I leave you with this word of encouragement, let your purpose be fulfilled, live God's purpose out loud! Love the unloveable, forgive the unforgivable, and let the grace that God has given you be shown towards others! 

By: Kari Minter

By: Sharon Fernandez

As Apostle Paul has so humbly spoken of his God-Given Desire, to know Christ, I draw my inspiration for today's blog from it. Without the invitation from Christ, one can never know Christ on their own. Not by our own strength, our human wisdom, can we ever know Christ.

It is purely by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; one can truly know Christ. We can't know Christ without knowing of His love. 

To further illustrate this, I draw your attention to the Apostle Paul, who once was against the body of Christ. Before meeting Christ, Paul, known as Saul,  was on a mission to kill all who chose Christ Jesus as their Lord and savior. We see Paul's experience and testimony shared in Galatians 1:13–2:10. In 1:13–14, Paul boldly summarizes his life before meeting Christ as one in which he sought to destroy the church of God.

Sharing his testimony, Paul expresses the truths of his violent persecution of the Christian community before Jesus met him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1–2, 13–14). The Greek verb translated as "destroy" in Galatians 1:13 (portheō) was also used to describe the sacking of cities, and so we see how much the apostle hated the church and wanted to eliminate it. Paul's conversion has no natural explanation; rather, his transformation from great enemy to chief advocate can only be attributed to his supernatural encounter with the risen Christ.
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Knowing Christ starts in an individual's heart, which is the greatest miracle of all time. Jesus is touching the hearts of millions all over the world. Why does He do that?! He does it so that we, Humans, can know Christ and His passion towards us. 

​The Love Of God speaks about His heart towards us. It is always full of goodness, kindness, and long-suffering. It is so pure and divine. It completes us and makes us whole. The love of God is nothing we can find in our humanely formed relationship with one another, yet; it is so profound and true. The love that saves sinners with its amazing grace and still calls us His own. The love that is found on the cross for ages long and still stands to be the testament of God's love for humanity. His love transcends all gender, race, color, and religious tradition that we humans could ever come up with. 

God is Love. To know Christ, one should have the power to understand His Love. What kind of a mystery is this?! That God would send His only begotten Son to take our place as sinners on the cross so that we have a pardon for our sins and can be made right with God. We can boldly and confidently approach the throne of grace, knowing that we won't be condemned or judged. We have access to enter through the blood of the lamb; purified, sanctified, and holy. Indeed, a mystery that cannot be comprehended with human wisdom but by the spirit of God who bears witness to us, showing the goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ.