This is the place you’ll find hope. The kind of hope that can carry you through those hard places you unexpectedly find yourself in.
I’m no stranger to the hard life throws at us and in the midst of trying to find my way through one of those dark places I heard 4 words deep in my spirit,
“Lift Up Your Eyes.”
It was a gentle reminder from our great God that I needed his perspective instead of my own to walk through my husband’s unexpected journey to Heaven.
Those words carried me and you too if you’ve followed along with me. They also led us to creating the Seek and Savor podcast which equips us to lift our eyes on a daily basis.
I’m Mama to four amazing young adults and Nana to six darling grands with two more on the way.
My sweet husband got to meet his Savior at the age of 47 after a year long battle with brain cancer. We miss him every day.
Life for me, felt like it was ending but God was doing a new thing.
I don’t know where life finds you today beloved, but God, He is all about doing a new thing in us and it begins when we fix our gaze on Him instead of our circumstances.
Life may be filled with hard things dear one, but we were made to do hard and holy things and in the process we become vessels of beauty, fit for the KING.
“My presence will go with you and I will give you rest. ” Exodus 33:14
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Email me using the form below and I’ll respond soon. I’m also available for speaking events for women of all ages and stages. For a list of topics, please visit my Speaking Page.
10 years ago we spent our spring break at the beach. Alan’s body had just been buried but I knew he was fully ALIVE. 2 years after that I penned words sharing what the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart that day. The truth of them is still breathing life into me today.I find myself growing in the fertile soil of them. I pray they will breath life into you as well, no matter where your heart is challenged in believing today.
“Yesterday as I worshipped I felt Christ brushing past the rubble in my broken heart. In some ways the pain of Alan’s absence can feel fresh all over again. It’s on those days I’m made aware again of how life doesn’t look like I thought it would. The shock has gone. The flashbacks of painful days are fewer and fewer. Yet, I often found myself kneeling in a graveyard of broken dreams, unable to find a vision for the future. As I would walk about seeing others grow old together, I would wonder what that would have looked like and sometimes the new dreams God was giving me felt too BIG or far away. But God…
I felt the Spirit whisper to my heart, ‘The graveyard is the perfect place beloved. I am not daunted by death. No, I conquered it. In fact, you must know something… I Still Move Stones.’ Cue the tears friends. He still moves stones!
Have you ever heard more beautiful words? I can hardly think of any.
Mark 16:4 says, “ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.” That great big stone that covered the tomb where they lay our Lord’s body had been moved. He came to conquer death. Then He tells us in Romans 8: 11, “ The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in you.” At work in us? How is that possible? He is in the business of moving stones. The resurrected one wants to resurrect our hearts. He wants to conquer death on our behalf . Not just once when our earthly flesh fades, but every day! He longs to take the stones of brokenness, sin , heartache and death from our hearts. He wants to move the rubble out of our paths so we can LIVE resurrected lives. Because He lives, we can too.❤️#seekandsavorpodcast #christinus #liftupyoureyes #sundayiscoming...
For me, finding the path to being able to rejoice began with “lifting up my eyes.” I was only months out from two very big griefs that had struck our family, and I was struggling to just breathe. I was wondering if life would ever hold joy again and if I still had purpose on this earth. Exiting the park after a long walk, I started climbing the sidewalk that would lead me home and I heard in my Spirit, “ lift up your eyes.” This has become a life journey! One I wished I had begun long ago. If you find yourself fighting to keep your circumstances from dragging you down don’t miss this week’s brand new episode of the Seek and Savor podcast. I believe you will take something valuable with you. ❤️ Link in my bio....
Did you see the freshly bloomed blossoms on the same branch as a dead leaf barely hanging on? (Last image) We serve a God who brings life from death. We can trust His timing and His ways. I believe Autumn invites us to surrender all the things to Him. And in the surrender we find Comfort and Joy, the very thing so many are looking for in the (Christmas) season to come. Look what happens when we Lift Up Our Eyes beloved. #liftupyoureyes #seekandsavorpodcast #hopefortheweary #rejoicealways...
We live in a fallen world, people sin, and hurt abounds. But God…. It is the place I am learning to live in. Yes, these things are true. My leg still hurts from an injury back in February and my car broke down on the way to church. But also, a friend painted my kitchen cabinets cream and my son repaired my deck. I find myself savoring more of God’s word, I read books to my grands in silly voices and I get to have conversations about Jesus everyday.
I am standing in faith waiting on God for many things… You are too right? But God. He Still lives and His promises are true. He is not man that He should lie. ❤️ Dear friends, if your heart tends to linger over what has not yet been made whole maybe like me you need the reminder of who God is and what he has done so that gratitude can revive your heart. Don’t miss today’s new episode of the Seek and Savor podcast on this topic. (Link in bio.) Many things may be true, the hard and the beautiful but gratitude can revive your heart. ❤️ #givethanksforlife #thehardandbeautifuljourney #graceupongrace #alwaysrejoice...
Lifting up our eyes to our faithful Father changes everything, especially us. Find more encouragement on my Seek and Savor podcast. 💕#seekandsavorpodcast #liftupyoureyes #rejoicealways #lifeafterloss...
So often fear makes us want to turn around and go the other way.
Or we think we must hurry ahead to achieve all the things we want to. Staying steady, our hand in his hand is often hard. The enemy comes in and tells us that uncomfortable is not the place we want to be. He says “in control” is better.
But, oh beloved what joy is found in surrender.
“For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and tells you: Do not fear, I will help you. Isaiah 41:13
Maybe you need this reminder. The sheep hear His voice. That phrase has been resounding in my heart lately. It made sense that the first episode of the Seek and Savor podcast Season 7 should be this. So, I made space to lean in and SEEk Him on this. I am so excited to share it with you.
Friends, If Jesus could do nothing by himself, then surely I cannot, we cannot.
When we quiet our hearts to hear His still small voice we can better partner with Him in the work He is already doing around us.
We can feel His peaceful presence even in the midst of many questions.
Join us at the link in my bio for 10 minutes that will calm your soul and bring the light of His presence.
He is the Living Word. ❤️ #seekandsavorpodcast #hopeinthedark #trusting #goodshepherd...
Who can stand in the middle of a battlefield and find peace beloved?
Peace isn’t found in the cease-fire. You CAN find it while the battle still rages when you allow God’s spirit to sift through your life and simplify things.
In the sifting some things have to go while others stay. But space is made to hear His voice and there is peace in His presence. This is your invitation to join me as we quiet our hearts together over on the Seek and Savor podcast. Let’s simplify our lives by listening to His voice. ❤️ The link to listen is in my bio. #simplelifestyle #peaceofmind❤️ #resteasy...
I’ve been asking the Lord for more. I’m realizing I need Him more than I’ve reached for Him in the past. What I mean by that is, of course we need Him to save us, friends. But, He didn’t just sacrifice His life for ours and stop there.
Psalm 139 says He is intimately acquainted with all our ways.
When my husband went to heaven and the fog of constant grief started lifting, I began to see how very much alone I was..
Who would help me make all the decisions I was used to making with a partner? The ones, we take for granted like; What’s for dinner? What color should we paint the house? Is it time to replace the water heater or should we wait? And the bigger ones like how should I handle a conflict with my child or is it time to sell the house? It only took a few weeks before I had decision fatigue.😰 Then one day out of frustration, I said, Lord, since he’s not here, I need you to do all these things….And you know what? He did. As I waited on Him, he answered. I began asking him to be everything: my counselor, my friend, my physician, everything. So, it was no surprise to me after one particularly stressful week, I came across this verse in my reading.
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statues of the Lord are trustworthy making wise the simple.” Ps. 19: 7(NKJV)
There He was again, giving me the perfect prescription for a dry, weary soul crying out for direction.
What do you need the Lord to do for you beloved?
Ask and he will answer. Seek and you will find.
Tag a friend who needs to remember that He wants to be our Everything! #liftupyoureyes #seekandsavorpodcast #heiswithus...
In this “instant society” we live in it is so tempting to ask for things like hope, joy and peace in a grocery list type of way. I ask. He delivers. And please don’t require me to wait. Instead, it is more about relationship. Like Jacob wrestling the angel of the Lord it is in the process of wrestling through life while holding onto the Lord that good stuff is produced. Ps. 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Take 10 minutes and listen to the rest of this episode, “Finding the Good,” on the Seek and Savor podcast. Something sweet happens when we realize there is purpose even in the hard and God wants to use it for our good! 💕...
Many of us have been asleep. We literally are moving from one day to the next, our schedules filled from morning til night with things for us to do.
We try to make our lives here as comfortable as they can be.
But God’s word says, to be on your guard, instead of asleep to stay alert and clearheaded. He calls us to prepare our minds for action and exercise self-control.
The enemy of our souls would have us remain asleep. He would have us believe that the action we might take surely can’t make a difference, so why try.
We have a choice whose voice we heed beloved.
Join us for today’s episode of the Seek and Savor podcast, “It’s time to wake up.”
This is one you might want to save/share. Find it at the link in my bio. You are here… today…. for such a time as this. ❤️ #wakeupnow #liftupyoureyes #seekandsavorpodcast #christianpodcast...
