I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Hope in the Stump: Remnant Series – Part 3

There’s something sobering about the image of a stump. A tree once full of life—cut down. Only the base remains. Silent. Lifeless. Forgotten. Have you ever felt like that? Like everything familiar has been stripped away? Like all that’s left of a dream, a relationship, or a season is a flat, broken remnant of what once was? In Isaiah 6:13, the Lord speaks of Israel being cut down in judgment, saying, “As a terebinth or oak leaves a stump when it is cut down, so the holy seed will be the stump in the land.” It’s easy to read that and feel the heaviness. But tucked into that verse is a flicker of hope: The stump isn’t dead. There’s a seed still alive within it. It may not look like much—but with God, it’s enough. Throughout Scripture, God has a history of bringing life from unlikely places. Sarah’s womb, declared barren. Ruth’s life, marked by loss. David’s forgotten lineage. Jesus’ death and resurrection. Again and again, God begins in places the world calls finished. The stump may look like the end—but with God, it’s the beginning. Isaiah 11:1 says, “Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot—yes,

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Even in the Silence, He Is There (As featured on (in)courage)

The world didn’t stop. It kept turning, kept moving forward, as though nothing had changed. But for me, everything had. I remember stepping outside that tragic morning, my heart shattered beyond words. My neighbor stood in his yard, watering his flowers, exclaiming about what a beautiful June day it was. I could barely comprehend his words. How could anything be beautiful in this moment? My voice came out flat, almost detached from the reality crashing around me:“Well, my son just died, so I don’t know how beautiful a day it is.” Grief has a way of making everything around you feel distant, like you’re watching life from behind a thick pane of glass. You see it, but you’re not part of it. You exist in a different space—one that is heavy with sorrow and filled with deafening silence. Had God forgotten me? I had always believed in His presence, but grief has a way of testing even the deepest faith. If God was with me, why did I feel so alone? Why did my prayers seem to go unanswered? And how was I even supposed to pray in this kind of pain? What does one say to the Almighty when

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I Choose Today to Be Anchored in the Middle

The Ordinary – Part 5 This morning, during my quiet time, one word kept surfacing and pulling at my heart: The middle. It kept circling—gently, quietly, but persistently. Like the Lord was inviting me to lean in and listen. So I did. And this is what came out: What happens in the middle? In the middle of an asked and answered prayer. In the middle of a crisis. In the middle of the ordinary. In the middle of healing. Forgiving. Trusting. Believing. Growing. Being still. Surviving. Thriving. Crying. Mourning. Trauma. Tragedy. Sickness. Uncertainty. Loneliness. Hoping. Waiting. The middle isn’t usually where we want to be. We love beginnings—the excitement, the spark, the newness. We long for endings—the relief, the closure, the breakthrough. But the middle? The middle feels slow. Unsettling. Foggy. Often painful. And sometimes… silent. But here’s what I’m learning: The middle is where most of life happens. It’s where our faith gets stretched. Where our roots grow deep. Where transformation begins to unfold—not in an instant, but in the unseen, ordinary, day-by-day steps. And I think that’s why so many people get lost in the middle. Because without an anchor, without hope, it’s easy to drift. Easy to

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I Choose Today to Open the Door to More

One of my favorite things is to have a meal with family and friends. For a long time, I had wanted a big round table—one where everyone could visit easily, rather than being limited to just the people sitting near them at a rectangle table. A few years ago, I finally got my table and have put it to good use! For our Bible Study group, we share a meal together each week before we have our study. We sit around our large round table, relaxed, sharing stories, sharing our desires, hopes, and sometimes our pain. We bond over each other’s experiences; we laugh together, cry together, dream together. We open up our hearts to each other and give a glimpse of ourselves. Sharing a meal with them is an intimate time of connection around this large round table. One of my favorite times of my week. Have you ever had that experience with your family and/or friends? Does it bring a smile to your face and joy in your heart like it does mine? Now, imagine that same warmth, that same connection—but with Jesus Himself. Jesus wants this type of opportunity with you too. He said it Himself in

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I Choose Today Walk Through Grief With God’s Comfort and Wisdom

Grief is always associated with trauma in some way that can be triggered at any time. Recently I was on a call with a couple of ladies and we were discussing a senseless act of violence that just occurred. One of the ladies revealed that this event triggered her to relive a traumatic experience she had 30 years ago, due to senseless violence, in that same town. She explained how she felt the same feelings of trauma and grief she felt all those years ago. Through our conversation, she realized she had the tools of wisdom and knowledge now to navigate this difficult time. She knows where her strength comes from: the Lord (Isaiah 41:10). She has learned that she is not a prisoner of her trauma, the feelings of fear that accompany her experiences. It is only through walking the valley of grief (Psalms 23:4) does she now have the tools to overcome this trauma, this grief. She is stronger, even in moments like this one, where the feelings come back like a tidal wave of emotions. Hearing her story reminded me of my own journey with grief, which has taught me similar lessons about God’s presence and strength.

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