I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Focus on Life

As I was praying over a friend’s medical prognosis, I was reminded of a simple visual saying: A hummingbird and a vulture fly over the same desert. One searches for life, the other for death. Both find exactly what they’re looking for. I’ve mentioned this analogy before in relation to the words we speak, how our words can either bring life or death depending on what we choose to say. But this time, the Lord brought it to mind in a different way, not about our words, but about our thoughts. You see, when we look at the world around us, wars, division, brokenness, and even personal crises like medical diagnoses, it’s easy to focus on the negative. It’s easy to see the chaos and begin to expect more chaos. It’s a natural road to travel, and before long, we find ourselves scanning everything for what might go wrong. Like the vulture, we begin searching for death. But what if we chose to look for life instead? Because if we look for life, we will find it. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words to His disciples as He prepared them for the difficult road ahead: “I have told you all this

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I Choose Today to Believe God Still Revives What Looks Dead

Have you ever experienced the death of a dream… a relationship… a job… a family… your innocence? In our own strength, we are powerless to resurrect what’s been lost. But I have hope-filled news for you today, I know Someone who does have the power to resurrect the dead. His name is Jesus. There is a historical account in Scripture of Lazarus, one of Jesus’ close friends. Lazarus became sick and died rather quickly. His sisters had sent for Jesus, hoping He would come and heal him, but Jesus didn’t arrive before Lazarus passed. And then four days after his death, Jesus finally showed up. To Martha and Mary, it must have felt like all hope was gone. But with Jesus, being “too late” is still right on time for the impossible. Because healing may have passed, but resurrection had not. In John’s Gospel, we see Jesus respond to Martha with these powerful words: “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’” (John 11:25–26, NLT) “Do you believe this, Martha?”

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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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