Kate is 16!

Kate is 16!

Today we are celebrating our girl’s 16th birthday. I can’t believe Kate’s 16! One of the things I absolutely love doing with Kate is our car rides together. We sing songs at the top of our lungs, she often shares her heart, or we sit in comfortable silence together. Oh goodness these moments are sweet and something I cherish.

Sixteen is a stepping stone to Kate’s independence and I’m recognizing those car rides will become less frequent soon, once she gets her license.

Sometimes we don’t recognize the gift in front of us until it’s gone, or grown.

I share this today to celebrate my girl but also for all the parents who too are in the season of letting go.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we give thanks for all the sweet memories we get to make beside our kids. May we cherish the moments, big and small, and see them for what they are, blessings from God. And as our kids grow, may we be willing to step back and watch them step forward into the people God made them to be.

Although I will admit, that until Kate’s off on her own in a couple of years, I will invite her for random car rides. And in them I’ll cherish every song we sing, every conversation we have, and every moment of comfortable silence I get with my girl.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed,

for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

Be the Helpers

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we be a part of the change we pray to see, near and far.

With love and hope,

Shawn

The crowds asked him, 'What then should we do?' He answered, 'Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none, and whoever has food must do the same. - Luke 3:10-11

True Friendship

The other day I was with Kate and a couple of her closest friends. As I watched them walk beside one another I thought about how these three have walked through the valleys, along the plateaus and to mountain top moments together through the years. They are completely themselves with one another and love each other for who they are, accepting one another, not trying to change each other. They build each other up, and don’t tear each other down. There is a calm confidence when they are together and it’s truly beautiful to witness. They may not be beside one another in person every day, as they are at different schools, but they always know they have one another.

I share this today as their friendships remind me of the love of Jesus. He’s a constant in our lives we can turn to who meets us where we are with love and walks beside us, no matter the terrain. If you already walk with Jesus, or would like to give it a try, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we make a conscious choice to walk beside Jesus today. For when we do, we will see how He loves us we are, whether we are put together or a mess. His friendship is the one we can count on, anytime, any day, always.

And like these three girls know, there is nothing better than a friendship that will last a lifetime.

With love and hope,

Shawn

…I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. - John 15:15

Focus on the Light in the Darkness

Tonight I chose to sit in a dark room and light a candle.

Why?

Because the darkness is real, it’s thick and it’s heavy. There is so much happening in the world, far and near, the darkness can seem consuming. Yet I sat with this flickering candle as a reminder that the light does overcome the darkness.

I needed this reminder and am sharing in case you needed it too. I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

Whatever darkness we may be experiencing, may we remember the truth God gave us; that darkness will not overcome the light. So when things seem dark and heavy, may we remember to purposefully focus our eyes and tune in our ears on God’s word. His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. And just as this candle helped bring light to my dark room, God’s Word will shine a light into the darkness of life and renew our sight and perspective.

With love and hope,

Shawn

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:5

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. - Psalm 119:105

The unfolding of your words gives light

- Psalm 119:130

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.

- Luke 11:34-35

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

- John 8:12

Love Your Neighbor

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

That this truth be lived out

With love and hope,

Shawn

Value People

As we move through our day where not much has changed in our day to day happenings, may our hearts extend compassion to the Ukrainian people whose world was changed over night. Together let’s lift our prayers to God, praying as though the families impacted were our own and for their provision, protection and for paths to be made to safety and peace

With love and hope,

Shawn

…be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. - Romans 12:12

Count Our Blessings

Today my mom and I took a walk and had lunch together. I am thankful for the memories we made and that I am able to see these little moments are truly the big things in life.

I share this with you today to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we take time before we go to bed each day to count our blessings. From the blessing of waking up and saying good morning to our loved ones, to the walks to the bus stop, the talks in the car on the way to or from practice, a visit with a loved one, a phone call with a dear friend, and more. May we give thanks for the sweet bits of time we get beside our loved ones, and see how these little moments are truly big moments of our lives.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Words of Wisdom

As we move into the week, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we take the time to reflect on these words of wisdom. God gave us enough time in the day, and week, to do what we need to do, but not to do all we want to do. May we gain insight and wisdom to the difference between those two and begin living this week in a way where we don’t long for our time off. Instead, let’s choose wisely how to spend our time each day, so we don’t live for our time off, but are able to live in each day as the gift it is.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. - Psalm 90:12

Quote by @careynieuwhof on the @andy_stanley leadership podcast

Leaving Cancer Behind

I have been struggling with something. Sometimes I need to come inward to pray, listen and learn before I am able to share.

A hard truth I realized a couple weeks ago is that cancer left my body in 2017, but I had yet to leave cancer behind.

With ACC, we are encouraged to be diligent and keep our eyes open yet this lead me to live in fear, constantly curious if/when the cancer would be back.

So I have been practicing leaving cancer behind.

I feel strange writing this as I am five years out. But I share this because I know I am not the only cancer survivor who has trouble leaving the cancer and fear behind.

And so I am sharing in case you can relate, or if know someone who has had cancer who many wrestling with this battle in their hearts and minds too. Or maybe you have had something from your past that you have yet to leave behind as well.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we leave cancer behind and look look ahead to who and what is before us. May we stay up to date on our scans and trust if something needs to be found that it will be. May we let go of the fear of cancer returning and look ahead to the life ahead of us. Whether our past struggle was cancer, or something else, may we take what we learned from our experience and allow it help us focus our eyes and ears ahead of us with greater clarity and purpose. May we choose to spend our days enjoying this life we have been given and all that lies ahead of us.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17

Accept the Help Coming Your Way

One day I watched my high school daughter walk towards me after a game. She was carrying a backpack on her back filled to the seams with her school books and another full backpack on her front filled with her sports stuff. If that wasn’t enough, her hands loaded with a few extra items. When I saw all she was carrying, all I wanted to do was lend her a hand and help her. I asked her if she needed a hand but she said she was fine and continued to the car without receiving the help that was offered her way.

As we drove away my eyes were opened to how I am like my daughter.

Although I am not carrying around physical backpacks on my front and my back and extra items in my hands, every day I am carrying around all that I need to do as a wife, a mom of three, a teacher, and a writer. Yet that isn’t all I carry with me. I also carry around what is happening with our family, friends, and all that is happening in the world. I saw how I am like my daughter, going through the motions, carrying more than I need to, saying I am fine, and doing things on my own strength.

I know God sees me and wants to share the load and lighten the heavy. Yet I was humbled that day to see how I often can be towards God how my daughter was to me.

Can you relate?

I share this story with you because so many of us are carrying so much on our shoulders.

We do not need to go through life powering through on our own strength while feeling overwhelmed and depleted. That is not how God designed us nor what He wants for us.

We have a choice before us, to keep walking through our days with the weight of all we are carrying on our shoulders, or we can turn to God, who sees all that we are carrying, and accept the help he is offering us.

I invite you to join me to…

Pause. Breathe. Pray.

May we do the latter. For when we do invite God beside us to help lighten the heavy we will gain insight of what is ours to do, what is for others to do, and what is God’s to do- and we will have more rest in our souls.

And maybe when we do this, others, like my daughter, will follow our example and do the same, accepting the help offered their way.

With love and hope,

Shawn