I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we experience peace within, no matter our circumstances.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled…- John 14:27
This weekend we went the Lego store. While we were at the store, Matt was particular about what pieces he was choosing.
Why?
He knew what he wanted to build and only chose the items that would make his design become reality.
This truth spoke to my heart and made me ask myself, “what am I building in life?”
I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
And ask yourself that same question too, “what are we building in life?” Our character? A firm foundation for our lives to stand on? Strong relationships? Our faith? Etc.
Whatever it is that we are building, may we be as particular while making our own choices as Matt was that day while picking out legos. May we avoid what is not beneficial and may we make choices that will be building blocks for our journey.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.
- 1 Corinthians 10:23
Did anyone see the circle around the moon last night? It was beautiful and reminded me of how we are all encircled with love.
I know it’s not something we think about often but something I wanted to speak to today.
Why?
Between this continued journey with the pandemic to our individual trials, I just wanted to remind us all, myself included, that there are circles of love around us that we can lean into to help us in trying times. May we lean into these circles of love when we need to, starting with the first circle of love around us, God.
I know it’s hard sometimes to lean into someone we can’t see. Yet God is so gracious. He gives us our family, friends, our communities and more - who we can see - that are the other circles around us who we can lean into.
Also, what is beautiful is that we get to be a person God is using in someone else’s circle of love.
Whether you are needing a circle of love to lean into or want to be that circle of love for others, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
It’s a unique time we are living through, coupled with other challenges in life. May we remember to lean into our circles of love when we need the support and may we be that circle of love and support for others who need it. May these circles of love grow larger, uniting us all in love, and God.
With love and hope,
Shawn
…serve one another humbly in love. - Galatians 5:13
What if this was one of our daily resolutions?
I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we make it one of ours today.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. - Hebrews 10:24
This weekend Matt and I have had some quality time together on some new trails.
As I watched Matt snowboarding I noticed he didn’t fear falling. He accepted it as part of the learning process. After he’d fall he would hop back up and keep on going without missing a beat.
Then there is me.
My goal when I ski is to not fall. Yet watching Matt helped me realize that I will never get better at skiing if I don’t challenge myself and accept that I will fall at times.
I share this with you in case any of you can relate to me while on skis - or in life. If so, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we not fear falling, either literally into the snow, or falling short on a goal we have for ourselves. Instead may remember that falling is a teacher if we allow it to be. May we recognize that growth can be hard and may hurt, but sometimes the greatest growth happens after a fall when we choose to get back up and keep going, like Matt does on his snowboard.
With love and hope,
Shawn
for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again - Proverbs 24:16
Is anyone else excited it is staying lighter later?
I took this at 4:30 today as I walked in to coach a practice. Just a couple of weeks ago it was dark when we headed in to practice. I am so grateful for the brighter days ahead
With love and hope,
Shawn
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:5
Towards the beginning of the pandemic I remember walking on the trail and feeling overwhelmed by the circumstances. I was paralyzed in fear and I was having trouble resting in God’s love. On the walk I felt like God spoke to my heart and said, “if you stayed in this paralyzed place in fear, I still love you.”
This moment really hit me hard because I was reminded that God loves me where I am - whether I am messy or put together, stuck or loving on others, fearful or faithful, etc.
His love never changes.
I share this with you today in case you needed to be reminded that you are loved where you are, as you are - because you are. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
No matter where we are today may we remember that God loves and accepts us as we are. May we do the same for ourselves, and for others. When we put this truth into practice it will help soften the hard and make it possible for more love and peace to grow within, as I experienced that day on the trail.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“…God is love…” - 1 John 4:8
This year before setting any resolutions or goals for myself I’m going to try something new - pray first.
Why?
Because the reality for me is, a goal set is something I chase after. Yet if it isn’t aligned with what God wants for me, do I really want to chase after it?
I share this in case you too make a list of expectations for yourself at the start of the year that have you hit the ground running. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we make space to invite God in first, before we make our plans. Rather than chasing after the wind, I pray this year we find ourselves chasing after what truly matters most, God. I wholeheartedly believe it is when we choose to put God first, we will gain perspective about what else it is we really need to put on our lists to help us grow, from the inside out, into the person God made us to be.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things…
- Jeremiah 33:3
We are finishing 2021 in quarantine like so many others. One of the many things this year has taught me is where I look matters. And for quite some time this year my eyes have been focused on the unknowns, the uncertainties, etc. Yet these past five days in quarantine have reminded me that there will always be wind and waves in life, yet we’re not meant to stare at the waves and wind, but above them.
And so as we close out this unique year, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
As we enter this New Year, 2022, may we give thanks for another year. May we aim to seek God first this year, above the wind and waves of the unknowns and uncertainties. For we will never have the peace we desire when we are focused on struggle. Yet we will find peace when we look to God, who is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.
Cheers friends to a year of wellness, health, peace, blessings and keeping our eyes fixed above our circumstances, on God.
Happy New Year!
With love and hope,
Shawn
Matthew 14:29-33
I have been listening to Christmas music for at least a month now. These lyrics caught my attention recently. I figured I would share them in case you sing along and don’t pay attention to half the words you sing, like I do most of the time.
I invite you to join me this Christmas Eve to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May these words remind us where our worth lies and that we have a reason to remain hopeful and rejoice, even when we are weary.
Merry Christmas Eve, friends!
With love,
Shawn
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. - Romans 12:12
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