I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Worship—Even Here

(from Episode 18 of the I Choose Today podcast) I’ve had Isaiah 43:1–2 highlighted in my Bible for years. You’ve probably seen them before too—verses that speak to God’s presence in the hard places. “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” They’re the kind of verses you cling to when life gets hard. But recently, it wasn’t the verses I had highlighted that stopped me. It was verse 4. “Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.” I had to just sit with that. This isn’t surface-level love. This is sacrificial love. Personal love. The kind of love that says, “I see you. I choose you. I gave everything for you.” There have been seasons where I couldn’t grasp that kind of love. Seasons when shame clouded my vision,

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I Choose Today to Be a Mirror

My hope and prayer is that my actions reflect God’s goodness to those who see me. I desire to represent God to those in my sphere of influence—even to those I interact with at the store, at the coffee shop, or those I pass along the street. I want them to see my face reflecting God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—through my countenance, in my smile, and through my eyes. How do I do this? How can I know and reflect Jesus? John 1:1 tells us how: “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is the Word. Knowing Jesus is knowing the Word of God! How awesome is that? Like any relationship, it grows with time and intentionality. When I first met my husband, we spent all our free time together, getting to know each other—our likes, dislikes, tendencies, mannerisms, and personalities. As the years have passed, we’ve continued to make intentional time for one another, investing in what matters to each other, and growing together. Lasting relationships, like marriage, take time, intentionality, commitment, and love. And as the Church, we are the bride of Christ. That means we

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I Choose Today to See the Story of Relationship

Podcast Episode 16 Recently, during my quiet time, the Holy Spirit gave me an ah-ha moment that I couldn’t shake. It was simple but profound: the entire Bible—from beginning to end—is a story of relationship. Not just truth. Not just rules. But a love story. A pursuit. A God who wants to walk with us. If you’ve studied storytelling, you know every good story has an arc. There’s intention, conflict, a turning point, and a resolution. And the Bible follows that arc perfectly: God created us for relationship. Sin broke it. God pursued us through covenant. He sent Jesus to restore what was lost. And one day, we’ll walk with Him again—face to face. God says it so clearly in Exodus 6:7: “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.” This has always been His heart. But somewhere along the way, that message gets buried. Instead of intimacy, many hear: “Follow the rules.” “Serve more.” “Believe harder.” “Do better.” And all of that can drown out God’s invitation to simply be with Him. This truth stirred something deep in me. I feel like I’m carrying a message that could shift how we see God,

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I Choose Today to Slow Down and Catch Up with God

After a whirlwind of travel and a full calendar, I’m reminded again of the quiet invitation to slow down—and how that slowing down isn’t falling behind. It’s often the very way we catch up with God. There’s a saying I’ve heard before, one that always nudges something in my spirit: “We need to slow down to catch up with God.” At first, it sounds backward. Isn’t God always ahead of us? Isn’t He leading the charge, the One we’re trying to keep up with? But when I sit with it, I realize it’s not about movement—it’s about presence. It’s about posture. It’s about relationship. God isn’t in a rush. He’s not pacing with anxiety or scrambling with impatience. He moves with purpose. With peace. With perfect timing. And sometimes, in order to truly walk with Him—we have to slow down, breathe deep, and let Him lead. We don’t talk much about the waiting years of Jesus. We celebrate His birth, jump to His miracles, and rest in His resurrection. But tucked in between the manger and the ministry was a long, quiet stretch of obscurity. Thirty years of waiting. Thirty years of being fully God, yet living in a humble

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I Choose Today to Keep God Center

In the vastness of the universe, there is an order and purpose that holds everything together—a design that keeps planets in orbit and stars in place. Imagine if everything in existence revolved around one fixed point, a single source of strength and purpose. When God is at the center of our lives, He becomes that fixed point—the foundation around which everything else finds its balance and meaning. He’s not just a part of our lives; He is the heart of it all. He directs our steps, shapes our priorities, and brings peace to the chaos. Living with God at the center means aligning our lives around His wisdom, love, and guidance. It means letting Him be the steady axis that keeps everything else in its proper place. There’s a phrase we often hear in the church: “We live in a fallen world.” It’s a reminder that we live among broken systems, human pride, and people doing what’s right in their own eyes. I recently heard someone say the universe was designed to revolve around one center—that’s what gives it order. The problem is, ever since sin entered the world, everyone wants to be the center of their own universe. We

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