I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Train for the Race

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” When I was raising my daughter, this verse was foundational for me. Like so many parents, I was intentional about training her in the things of God: integrity, respect, love, kindness, honor, and work ethic. But as I think back now, I realize Scripture doesn’t just call us to train our children, it calls us to train ourselves as well. The Bible speaks in more than fifty places about training, discipline, and instruction. Training takes intentionality. It takes work. When I was training to walk half marathons — 13.1 miles — it was sixteen weeks of methodical preparation, starting small and slowly building endurance. To cross that finish line, I logged nearly 300 miles of walking. It took discipline, long and lonely roads, sore muscles, and many moments when I wanted to quit. But every time I crossed that finish line, it was worth it. Lately, I’ve been thinking about my spiritual training the same way. It takes discipline, showing up, studying God’s Word, letting Him teach, correct, and strengthen me. It’s breaking down bad habits

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I Choose Today to Let God Heal Every Part of Me

Have you ever been in pain or in a painful situation that just felt inescapable? You prayed for God to take the pain away or to take you out of the situation, but it didn’t seem to happen quickly…or maybe at all? If that’s you, I want to give you this reminder: God is always at work, even in the healing. A couple of years ago, I injured my knee from overuse. At first, it was manageable, so I ignored it. But over time, the pain grew worse. Then one day, my knee gave out completely—I could barely stand. I finally went to the doctor, tried physical therapy, did everything I was supposed to do, but nothing seemed to help. One night I woke up in intense pain—not just in my knee, but in my other knee, my hip, and my foot. Lying there, I cried out to the Lord: “What am I doing wrong? I’m doing all the right things, but the pain just keeps spreading!” And in that quiet moment, I sensed the Spirit whisper: “Sometimes coming out of a painful situation means healing all that was affected, not just the knee.” That truth hit me deeply. While

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I Choose Today to Shout My Worship

There’s a kind of worship that doesn’t whisper. It doesn’t politely nod in agreement or sit silently in the pew. It doesn’t wait for the perfect conditions or for everything in life to make sense. This kind of worship rises from the depths of our soul and shouts. In Hebrew, the word Shabach means “to shout, to commend, to triumph in praise.” It’s loud. It’s bold. And it’s rooted in faith—especially the kind that declares God’s goodness before the breakthrough. When I first encountered this concept, I had to ask myself: When was the last time I shouted my worship—not from hype, but from holy hope? Shabach praise isn’t about volume for the sake of noise. It’s about proclaiming truth in defiance of despair. It’s the kind of praise that echoes from prison cells like Paul and Silas. It’s the voice that refuses to stay silent even when the night feels long. God doesn’t need our volume. But sometimes, we do. Sometimes our hearts need to hear the sound of our own voice declaring that He is faithful, He is near, and He is not done. And sometimes, the people around us need to hear it too—because our shout becomes

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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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