I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Venture Beyond the Familiar

I live outside the greater DC area. It is a small, tucked away place where it is quiet, peaceful, stunningly beautiful, and dare I say, magical. It is tempting to stay here in my bubble of bliss, of utopia, and never go out of my area again. But moving around so much has taught my husband and myself to get out and explore the area and see what it has to offer. Even though we love where we live, we enjoy seeing the different cultures, people, food, and beauty in other areas around us. But there are people in our area who don’t explore and are content to stay in their bubble of bliss. This became apparent when I took a friend to the airport in DC. She grew up in my area, but rarely leaves it to explore the city. I took her to places she had never seen before, places I frequent. She was surprised by how easily I navigated my way without even a GPS. We went to a fun diner and had a wonderful meal in a neighborhood she had never experienced. It was fun to show her the city she spent her life near but

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I Choose Today to Let God Uproot the Weeds

Peeling back an onion is often used as an analogy for uncovering deeper truths, layer by layer. But I believe a better picture of this process is found in the artichoke. You see, an artichoke isn’t actually a vegetable—it’s the flower bud of a thistle, or in other words, a weed. Yes, a weed! And yet, inside this weed is something valuable. The artichoke consists of three protective layers, all designed to shield its heart. The thorns are the first line of defense. Sharp and uninviting, they keep anything from getting too close. They serve one purpose: to protect. Then come the bracts, the thick, impenetrable leaves that offer additional protection. But here’s the thing—when you peel back a bract, a small piece of the heart comes with it. The deeper you go, the more of the heart is exposed. And finally, there’s the choke. A tangled mass of hair-like fibers, the choke is the messiest and most time-consuming barrier to remove. But once it’s gone, all that remains is the heart—tender, valuable, and no longer hidden beneath layers of self-protection. We do the same thing in our own lives. We develop layers of self-protection, even thorns, to keep others

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I Choose Today to Practice

The other day I was watching the show Amazing Race. The participants were challenged to learn a dance from another culture and then perform it in front of judges who would determine whether or not they got all the steps and nuances correct. They would pick an instructor to teach them what they needed to know. But it wasn’t until they went out to preform the dance, did they understand where they needed to practice some more. Watching their instructors was not enough, they needed to practice and refine their skills to succeed. This reminds me of what Paul says in Philippians 4:9, where he encourages us to put into practice what we’ve learned in our faith. “Keep putting into practice all you have learned and received from me-everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Just like the contestants on The Amazing Race, we can’t just watch others live out their faith—we have to step out and do it ourselves. We can read the Bible, listen to sermons, and learn from great teachers, but at some point, we have to apply what we’ve learned. And just like those contestants,

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I Choose Today to Refuel

Anyone who has ever driven a car knows the tension of watching the fuel gauge dip lower and wondering, Do I have enough to make it? Maybe you’ve even miscalculated, convinced you could push just a little farther—only to end up stranded, waiting for help. Looking back, the reason for not stopping to refuel often boils down to I didn’t have time. But that logic quickly falls apart when we realize that running out of fuel actually cost us more time, energy, and stress than simply stopping would have. The same is true in our spiritual lives. If we don’t take time to refuel, we risk running on empty—pushing ourselves until we are drained, anxious, or worse, unable to move forward in what God has for us. Even though I study God’s Word, listen to sermons, podcasts, and teachings to equip me for writing and speaking, I can’t rely on those things alone. If I don’t take intentional time to personally refuel with God—to be filled with His Spirit, wisdom, and power—I’ll find myself depleted, running on fumes, and unable to fully step into what He’s calling me to. Even Jesus, while fully God, operated in complete dependence on the

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I Choose Today to Build in Faith

A little while back, a pastor friend of mine wrote a sermon about the faith of Noah. He pointed out that Noah is listed in the “Hall of Fame” of Faith: “It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before.” — Hebrews 11:7a (NLT) Noah had great faith because he obeyed God—building something that had never been seen, built, or even imagined—simply because God said to. Noah obeyed and built the ark. What’s remarkable is that the ark’s design stood out from every other ancient boat. Unlike boats meant for navigation, the ark was built for survival, not direction—it had no rudder, no sails, no way to steer. It didn’t need them, because God was in control of its course. We don’t need to steer when God is leading. At that time, rain had never even fallen (Genesis 2:5-6 suggests the earth was watered by mist). Yet, Noah obeyed. He built a massive ship for a phenomenon he had never seen, purely on faith in what God spoke to him. Even when we don’t understand, obedience is our part—God

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