Tag: faith

Moving Out, Moving On, Moving Up Part 5

December 5, 2021

Sometimes we just need to remember what really matters.

In the midst of waiting, confusion, confession, and learning to surrender it all, an unexpected reminder brings us to our knees in humble recognition of the main thing.

Jesus.

Last night, Brendan took our friend and me to see The Chosen Christmas movie. It was a good thing I had a pile of tissue in my purse. The two words that circled my mind during our time in the theater and long after were brilliant and anointed.

Not only is this a top-rate production from every aspect, but it also sent chills through us the entire time.

The music, from old classic Christmas hymns to what will be a couple of new favorites, was superbly done. Children and strings added another layer to the musical treat.

Interviews with the musicians gave us a glimpse into the reality of every day life framed with the message of Christmas.

Each season, we talk about the Christmas story, but never in my life have I ever seen anything like this portrayal. The Bible came alive.

And as if that wasn’t enough—truly, it would have been—in between the magnificent musical numbers and interviews were dramatic monologues given by some of the Chosen actors who spelled out God’s loving plan for the salvation of his children from the beginning of time through today.

It was an evening of awe, worship, and the stunned shaking of our heads at the incredible message handed to us in the most beautiful package.

I’m still marveling at the truth and simplicity of it all as well as the God-given inspiration, talent, and resources that made it happen.

We can’t wait to see it again. And again.

The most important part is that I was reminded of the magnitude of God and his love for us. That we have no way of comprehending his intricate plans for our good. And overall, nothing really matters except for having the most intimate relationship with Jesus who came to us as a baby to be crucified so that through his resurrection, we could be living eternally with our God.

In light of that, our current journey takes on a new meaning.

God has miracles for us. His plans, if we choose to accept them, lead us into great things that will open up the way for others to come to know him. And through it all, he draws us closer to him where we get glimpses of his heart of love for all of us.

What a tremendous reminder.

Today, everything looks different. And so does this Christmas season.

To be continued…

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/The-Chosen-Christmas

Moving Out, Moving On, Moving Up Part 3

December 3, 2021

Today God showed up again.

He always does exactly when I need him to.

The morning started beautifully in worship, prayer, and reading the Bible. We received a response to an inquiry on a rental place with the same words we’ve heard over and over.

“I already have numerous applications on that one, but I have another one available in two or three months. When do you need to move in?”

“Yesterday. LOL” I texted back.

But, no worries. God knows. This is no surprise to him. Carry on.

We worked on hours of compliance requirements for our business. Prayed some more, and then went to go get a box of my books out of storage since someone wanted to purchase my new series.

No problem I thought.

I was wrong. Big problem.

Simply being at the storage unit, seeing the mess of our remaining belongings, and searching for the elusive box triggered those frantic days of moving three and a half months ago. The uncertainty and exhaustion, the sorrow, grief and confusion. It all came rushing back.

I paced the hall while Brendan replaced the things he’d moved to search for my books. And then I remembered that the last time I was at the storage unit, that overwhelming day of despair, was also the day God did a miracle. He healed my broken foot.

It happened like this:

Brendan and I had the final load to put into the unit. The clock was ticking and time running out. The truck needed to be returned in five minutes, and we still had the largest piece of furniture to unload. Our bed frame is a solid wood, canopy bed with four-inch square posts attached to a substantial headboard. Our very strong son and Brendan could just manage it, but our son was at school so that left Brendan and me alone to navigate this extremely heavy piece.

I’ve mentioned my limitations. Something like rheumatoid arthritis has rendered the joints in my hands and wrists barely moveable – I can’t even drive – so lifting and maneuvering the bed with Brendan seemed impossible.

Somehow, we managed to figure out a way to position it on our dolly. It was a great plan.

Except for the fact that we didn’t realize the space it would rest on the dolly had precisely the same opening as the post. We slid it over, dropped it in place and it slipped through all the way to the ground.

On top of my foot.

Excruciating barely describes the pain that shot through my leg. I screamed. Brendan probably swore – I’m pretty sure I did. I knew my foot was broken. Fumbling to get it off my foot first, and then out of the way, we both cried.

But we had no options except to push forward and get the thing moved.

Gritting my teeth and praying for help, we muscled it into an open space. We watched a massive lump develop on my foot, but I told Brendan to go take the truck back. I would continue to move things the best I could.

He left reluctantly. I limped, dragging my broken foot as I loaded the cart to take things up to the second floor. Trip after trip, I cried and prayed, stating that Jesus is my healer and I would not let this injury be the final word of a terrible day.

That same incredible, Jesus-example friend I mentioned in a previous post, picked Brendan up from the truck rental place and brought him back to storage to get me. Our son arrived to help Brendan.

I decided not to go to ER, even though our friend insisted I probably should. I had faith that God was healing it.

“Let’s just wait and ice my foot,” I said to my friend.

Within an hour, the swelling receded, and I could move my toes again. Soon after that, I could put weight on it. A purple bruise spread across my foot, but faded quickly to yellow over the next few days.

I realize that without an x-ray, there’s no medical proof that my foot was broken and healed. But the evidence based on the weight of the bed, the pain and immobility, and the way the bruise spread and dissipated so quickly, indicated a miracle to us.

Today, I needed that reminder at our storage unit.

And as if that wasn’t enough, when we went to pick up our mail afterwards, we opened a letter from our previous mortgage company to find a check. A refund. Really?

God paid our house off, gave us money, and now was sending us another unexpected check?

Tonight, as I write this, I’m freshly reminded of the goodness of God. Even in the telling, there is a refreshing revelation that he has our back. He sees our pain. God knows exactly what we need when we need it.

I might think I need a home, but what I really need is that sweet grace of Jesus.

To be continued…

Moving Out, Moving On, Moving Up Part 2

December 2, 2021

On the day we were to move out of the vacation rental, I booked an extended stay hotel for a few days. (For previous post click here.) Within hours, friends called to offer for us to stay with them for a month. Their one-bedroom apartment unit and extra bedroom/bath worked well for us. Four days later, we moved in, grateful for this next leg of our journey. Even then though, I confess to having a melt-down. In exhaustion, even while standing in the kitchen area of our new, temporary lodging with a beautiful view I cried.

“Be grateful,” I admonished myself.

“The holidays are coming, and I don’t have a home.” I whined.

Weeks later, God allowed us a wonderful trip to stay with our oldest daughter and her family who were visiting North Carolina. We also made an unexpected connection with some old friends who had moved there. It eased my grief about holidays and not being in a home with family. God knew exactly what I needed.

Our one month turned into two with this wonderful couple. Because of a project they were developing, our stay actually ended up being helpful for them. Only God knew how perfectly the situation would benefit us all!

On Monday, our stay there came to an end.

During the past two months, one night while I made dinner, I felt God say to start looking again. Brendan concurred. We were led to a property that we believe we will purchase at some point in the near future. We went to look at it and fell in love with the potential, even though it doesn’t make sense. But we know God told us not to worry about whether it makes sense or not. He said to trust him, and he will give us this territory to impact the surrounding community. We started praying over the area, and continue to wait for God’s timing and resources.

Then in a dream a couple weeks later, I saw us looking at warehouses and office buildings. I woke up with the strong sense to look for an office. Maybe we would end up living there? I searched commercial property and one particular place caught my attention. It would be perfect for our business team. When we went to look at it, we immediately sensed that it was to be the location of our office. It’s bigger than we need, but the impression we had was that we were building for the future, not only the present. We would need the space to grow into. And God indicated that we will impact all the offices that fill the neighborhood. We’re still waiting for the owner to make a decision on our rental offer.

But still no living situation. It all makes no sense. But God’s peace has been undeniable.

So we packed up, loaded our cars, and didn’t know where we were going to go. We ended up at our church for a leader’s training and worship night. Our faith got a boost in that incredible environment. Our son had a place to stay, and we ended up at a hotel for the night.

Now we are at a friend’s house.

We all believe God’s saying for us to be here right now as we formulate business plans. Plans that are God directed and run. And while it makes perfect sense in the realm of the Kingdom, it makes no earthly sense.

But here’s the deal.

I woke up in the middle of the night and realized how peaceful I felt. In a hotel room with our belongings stuffed into our car and no solid place to call home, my heart was settled. I realized how much God had changed me over the past few months. The incredible things he’s working in each of us and our marriage as we journey through this “homeless” adventure are undeniable and valuable.

When I surrendered looking, I gave up my need to figure things out. Eventually, I let go of what I wanted and decided I wanted God’s will more. I choose to believe that no matter how messy and senseless our circumstances may appear, God’s plan is good. He is in control.

People need to know that. They need Jesus. And if our journey can further that in any way, that is what we want more than anything.

We don’t know where we’re going. We continue to wait and look as God leads. We’ve approached a few places as possibilities. Only God knows where the perfect fit is for us.

I’ve decided that it’s okay if I don’t know. He does. That’s all that matters.

In the meantime, we’re revamping our business. I’m writing new books. We’re discovering those areas God wants to grow us in, and we’re waiting expectantly and patiently for him to lead us. We’re speaking his promises and visions for us in faith.

That is where our strength is renewed.  That’s what God promises.

“Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

To be continued…

Want to See a Miracle?

November 27, 2021

So do I.

And the truth is, I’ve seen God do incredible, unbelievable things – miraculous things.

But here’s another truth: They don’t always look like what we expect, the way we expect, or in the timing we expect.

Here are a few examples:

  • When my husband (then fiance) and I were applying to get him a visa to come to California to marry me, he had to file a cleared police report. He turned in the paperwork and was told it would take a number of weeks to process. We didn’t have weeks. Our wedding was planned according to when we felt God said to wed, and each step of the visa acquisition was specifically timed. We prayed. Brendan called a couple of week later. They lost his paperwork. That was NOT what we expected or wanted to hear. BUT…because they lost it, they put a rush on redoing it and getting it pushed through – faster than it would have originally been done. Miracle.
  • Brendan took the kids and flew to Sydney to turn in the final paperwork and pick up his visas. On their website, it stated that he could pick them them that same day if he waited for them after turning in his documents. When he arrived, however, they told him they would mail them in six weeks. Except he was booked to fly out for our wedding in only a few days. The kind gentleman entered Brendan’s information, even while insisting that there was no way it would be approved that quickly. A few seconds later, it was approved. Brendan’s visas were in hand. When he called to give me the good news, it was 5 a.m. my time. We realized that no one but God could have made it go through.
  • A couple of years ago, I asked God to give us the house we’d recently purchased free and clear, wiping out the debt after Brendan lost his job and I was unable to work due to physical limitations. It was a stretch to believe God would do that, but I kept praying while we also worked with the mortgage company to modify our loan. After six months, we were given a deferred payment, and then Covid hit. We made those payments, but when it came time to get a new payment, the mortgage company didn’t respond to our many attempts to settle it. In the meantime, one of the HOAs in our community decided to sue us for back payments. We spent six months negotiating with them to try and pay them off, but they kept refusing our offers. Even on the day before they were going to auction the property, we spent the entire day, cash in hand at the court and the HOA’s lawyer’s office trying to make the payment while they stalled and then raised the price more than $2,000.00 putting it far out of our reach. We left as the court closed, stunned and not understanding what had just happened. Our house was auctioned the next morning. BUT…in Florida, when a property is sold at auction, any outstanding debt becomes the responsibility of the new buyer (who knew??), and the money paid to purchase the property (after the debt is paid) goes to the owner (that would be us.) Again, we had no idea. In the end, we lived in our home for 2 1/2 years, paying the equivalent of about 6 months payments (due to unforeseen circumstances, not our negligence), the debt was completely wiped out, and we ended up with an unexpected chunk of money. Not at all what, when or how we expected, but God answered my prayers. Miracle.

And those are just a few.

I’m not going to say they have been without heartache. Mostly because at the time, we struggle to trust when circumstances don’t look like anything good can happen. I’ve grieved over losing our house and having to quickly pack and move at a horrible time in the market. But even now, as we wait for what God has next, we’ve learned to trust more, take riskier steps, pray bolder prayers. We want to see God do miraculous things. Not just for us, but because every time we share the miracle, it encourages someone else.

That money we ended up with?

We’ve been able to be generous with some situations that have blessed others. Yay, God!

Miracles aren’t just for us, they are to show people that God is real and almighty and desires good for us.

But as Chris Sonksen says in his book, indispensable church,

“The hard truth is that most of us will never see a miracle because we’ll never do anything that requires one.”

So, where have you seen a miracle? Or where is God urging you to step out in faith, trusting him for one? Has he called you to give, write, speak, start a business? Where have you pushed aside that nudging to make a difference in you family, your church, your city?

I’m thrilled with the things God has done in our lives and the lives of others who boldly step out in faith to bring God’s kingdom into our physical world. I can’t wait to see what he has coming next. But I do know that whatever he has, it’s because he loves us and wants us to know it.

Open your eyes and get ready to see a miracle.

If you’d like to read about the many miracles God did that brought me and my Aussie husband together, you can read our story in The Miracle of Us: Confessions of an Online Dater.

Full or Empty Cup?

August 1, 2020

close up of coffee cup on table
Photo by Chevanon Photography on Pexels.com

An empty cup can be filled, but a full cup can’t hold what God wants to pour into us.

What are we full of?

Fear, hurt, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, anxiety, dread, depression, anger?

OR

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faith, hope?

Do we fill our cup each day with “what if’s” that breed fear?

OR

Are we filled with excitement, dreams, possibilities and “God will”?

Jesus said that for all of us who are heavily burdened to come to him and trade whatever is weighing us down for his life of love, joy, peace, and hope. Laying everything down at his feet, we can let him handle our concerns and let him lead us by still waters.

Sometimes we find it hard to empty ourselves.

Pride, fear, shame, and disappointment can cause us to not trust God. We feel the need to control. But every step of faith that gives God more control yields relief and a lesser weight on us. Then we are free to let God determine our journey.

And his ways are far better than what we think we need or want.

He blows my mind with the healing, blessings, fulfilling ways my life expands and gets to touch others. His word says he gives us the desires of our hearts. I testify to the truth of that!

So today, are you empty or full? What is your cup full of?

Keep Stepping

October 31, 2019

20160223_082728I wonder how farmers feel when they first plant seeds and then wait for the results?

A harvest takes an entire season of plowing, planting, watering, cultivating, weeding, tending and, well…waiting. An entire season. Not a few days or weeks. Even though some plants sprout quickly, (thank you beans in kindergarten classrooms!), they still require nurturing before we get to enjoy the fruit (or veggie) of our labor.

From what I understand, growing seasons for vineyards and orchards take years before the first fruit appears. And then pruning is the only way to increase the growth. When we had an apple tree in our backyard, I had to cut off the branches each year so the tree would produce the following season.

This is a lesson for me today.

In building our lives, letting God transform us or building a dream, a business, a family or anything of significance, time is required. Often, it’s easy to grow impatient when we don’t see results within the time frame we expect or hope for.

Today I’m telling myself,

“Don’t be discouraged when your steps don’t lead to “leap” results immediately.

Keep stepping.

Cumulative effort is solid and most effective.

God is in the steps.

Leap out in faith, but walk in diligent trust and obedience.”

Maybe that helps you today too?

My Story’s Not Finished Yet

August 20, 2018

Having just completed my next book, Dangerous Ground, I’m extremely aware of what goes into writing a novel.

Usually the beginning is the easiest.

An idea grabs me, and my creative instincts take over, spinning a new tale with ever-evolving characters. It’s fun to get to know the players and see what they will do as the story unfolds. I also typically have a general idea of what the goal is, and therefore, what the ending will be.

But then, there’s the middle.

Ask any author, and they will tell you the dreaded middle is where we aren’t sure how it will all fit together, and whether the ending will actually play out, This is when we question our ability and desire to be a writer in the first place.

Recently, one of our pastors shared a message about having faith for the middle.

God often gives us a vision of what is to come in the future. He tells us where to start, and as we say yes to him, we’re launched into something we know will be great.

But then, the middle comes.

We don’t see the point, we’ve lost sight of the goal and we’re tired. And maybe confused. Things don’t look like we expected. As a matter of fact, they may even seem to be moving backwards.

Our pastor made some really great points about how to keep our hearts and minds in the right place when we’re in that middle space.

  • Don’t allow our feelings to determine our faith.
  • Don’t put our faith in things or circumstances.
  • Trust that God has a greater purpose while we’re in the middle.

I could relate to the idea of God working in the middle. That’s the messiest part. That’s the place where I fall in love with Jesus because I have to press close to him to get through. (You can watch his entire message here.)

Like in writing a book, the middle is where all the action is. It’s where the characters fall in love or start to see a solution to the crime. And that’s where we perfect the story.

In the middle, the story’s not finished yet.

Maybe you are in the middle of a story in your life. I know I am. It may feel like it will never end or certainly never end satisfactorily. But with God, there is always a good ending. Don’t give up while he’s writing the middle of your story.

I made it through the middle of Dangerous Ground, and while it didn’t exactly turn out the way I expected, I think it ended up being better.

Here’s a sneak peak of the cover. Thank you, CulpritMedia Group!

Look for it on Amazon in time for your Labor Day weekend reading!

Why Getting Help is So Important

August 1, 2017

DSC_0024I wish everyone would stop hiding and seek help for their issues.

There. I’ve said it.

I’m not as hardhearted as that may sound. It’s voiced from a place of compassionate frustration because I know the freedom available. I’m living it. The women in the small groups I lead experience it. My heart breaks in pain to watch people continue to struggle because of denial, minimizing and fear.

I get it.

It’s painful and scary and hard work. I’ve been there. It feels like you’re going to fall apart and lose yourself. There’s a gap between the broken place you are at and the healed place you’re going to so it takes a leap of faith to let go of one to grab the other, and that leap feels as if you will plummet to your emotional death.

BUT if we can take one little step at a time, like Indiana Jones walking over the precipice with invisible steps (you know the scene I’m talking about?), God will put a step right out in front of us to keep going. A lamp to our feet and light to our path deal.

A blogger friend, Sarah, who I met a few years ago has struggled big time with some debilitating issues in her life. But I’m so happy to offer a post of hers (with permission of course) here today from her new blog. One that is dedicated to helping others learn to care for themselves.

Because she has taken leaps of faith to persevere and allow God to heal, grow and deliver her, she is now able to share what she’s learned. I’m so proud of her.

She addresses this situation very well in the following post:

REAL TALK

Alright, I’m just going to dive right in with the blunt honesty part.  Here we go.

You can’t help yourself unless you accept that you need help.

It’s that simple.

If you aren’t able to acknowledge that something needs addressing then you can forget about making any progress in that area.  Ignoring a problem won’t make it go away, and usually, it only perpetuates the situation.  There’s nothing weak about admitting you need help.  And there’s nothing out there saying that if you do need help with something that you need to broadcast it to the whole world. But that being said, it’s so integral to talk someone about what you’re going through, be it a counselor, friend or family member.

People need people.

There is absolutely no reason to be going through anything alone. I have discovered that the more I talk about my story, and my struggles with depression and anxiety and a host of other things, that I connect with people more. Chances are, whoever you’re sharing with can relate to you in one way or another. I live for the “me too!’s”. The more you share and choose to be vulnerable with others, the more courage it gives others to share and be vulnerable too. And suddenly the work you’re doing on yourself transcends you and sets off a wave of healing that engulfs those around you. How’s that for motivation? Sharing your story openly could be what it takes to give someone else that final push to seek help for whatever is going on in their life that they never felt they could talk about before.

I can’t stress it enough how much my friends and community have helped me with my mental health and processing trauma. If I didn’t have them I don’t know if I’d be here right now, to be honest. I’ll probably write an entire post on my community later, they are phenomenal.

There is no shame in acknowledging something is off or not working for you in your life and saying it out loud.  Start with admitting it to yourself.  When you’re ready, talk to a close person you trust like a friend or counselor, and if you think you need a psychiatrist then ask your family doctor to refer you to one.  It can’t hurt, and in Canada it’s free.

If you are waiting for permission to put your mental health first and foremost above everything else, then wait no longer, here it is:

PERMISSION!

It’s your responsibility to take care of your mental health.
There’s nothing selfish about it and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.
And you’re worth it.  You deserve to be healthy.

Remember that.

You are not alone!

Catch more of Sarah’s blog here : Sarah’s Guide to Self Care

And if you haven’t seen or don’t remember Indy. Here you go:

Does Your Life Add Up?

February 26, 2017

patented by Brendan Bennet
Brendan’s Math Tool he created and patented

My husband, Brendan, loves math. The complicated, algorithm kind with variables that stumps me like a foreign language of the Greek variety.

But the math in today’s post is something I can get a handle on!

In 2 Peter 1:5-8, we learn that our life can move forward by adding (or allowing God to add) the following qualities to our life one by one. Each one leads to the next and ends up with LOVE – the ultimate goal for all of us!

The best part is that these qualities are actually some of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. In other words, when we accept Jesus in our lives, his spirit lives in us and gives us these qualities as we allow him to grow our lives for the better.

Phew! That’s like someone doing your math homework for you.

We start with FAITH.

Simply believing that God is who he says he is and will do what he says.

To FAITH we add GOODNESS.

Definition: moral excellence, virtue, kindness, generosity. God is good. He makes me good. I can bring good to others. That’s good!

To GOODNESS we add KNOWLEDGE.

It’s interesting that goodness comes before knowledge. Sometimes I think we think that our knowledge is what matters most, but here God puts goodness first. It’s more important to be good than smart. The Bible says “knowledge puffs up” – meaning it make us think better of ourselves than we should.

But we aren’t to ignore knowledge, we’re to add it!

Especially when it comes to knowing God. And the more we know about the world, his creation, his words (the Bible), the more we know him.

To KNOWLEDGE we add SELF-CONTROL.

What good is virtue (goodness) and knowledge if we can’t use self-control in exhibiting them? In part, that means that I am disciplined in my thoughts and actions and willing to do things for others when it isn’t convenient or easy.

To SELF-CONTROL add PERSEVERANCE.

Okay, so now things are getting a little tougher. Can I continue to move ahead in these things even when it’s hard? When I struggle to have faith, want to have my own way or don’t want to be “good”? That takes perseverance.

To PERSEVERANCE we’re going to add GODLINESS.

Well, I’m certainly not going to be able to be like God if I’m not willing or able to have the other qualities first. But I love that God has us building up to this. He doesn’t expect us to be like him in character before we have faith or goodness or understanding or self-control.

After GODLINESS, we add BROTHERLY KINDNESS.

As God adds to our life, we are able to get outside ourselves and look to others. He loves us, we grow in that love, learning to love him and ourselves which makes us able to share that love with other people.

Finally, we add LOVE.

This is God’s love, agape love – the unconditional kind that doesn’t ever expect anything in return, that’s willing to set aside my desires or rights for the good of someone else. Now what would our current world look like if we were all able to love like that?

As we allow each of these qualities to be added to our lives, we become better people, we bless others and we become more productive and effective.

This is math that adds up! Even I can figure it out. 😉

How about you? Do you see some qualities you’d like to add to your life?

What is Faith?

February 5, 2017

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

DSC_0016Isn’t it great to know that God looks more at our willingness to have faith and be faithful than he does at whether we keep his laws?

Of course, as we grow in faith, we will also desire to live rightly with God and others. But in Hebrews 11, God gives us a list of folks who made mistakes and bad choices but God praised them for their faith in him.

Even though they blew it in other ways.

Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife.

Moses killed a man and disobeyed God.

David took another man’s wife and murdered her husband.

Noah got drunk and exposed himself.

Job lost everything and questioned God.

Rahab was a prostitute.

And those are only the big names we know about.

But God commended them for their faith even in spite of their sinful, human tendencies. And look at all the things they and their predecessors accomplished by faith:

  • Pleased God (vs.5)
  • Obeyed and went unknown places (vs.8)
  • Worshiped in weakness (vs.21)
  • Weren’t afraid of a king’s edict or anger (vs.23 & 27)
  • Persevered (vs.27)
  • Did something that seemed foolish, but saved their lives (vs.28)
  • Conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained promises, saw lions’ mouths shut (vs. 34)
  • Escaped flames and sword, saw their weakness turn to strength (vs.35)
  • Became powerful in battle, routed foreign armies (vs.35)
  • Saw the dead raised, withstood torture, flogging, insults and prison (vs.37)
  • Were able to trust God even when stoned, cut in two, persecuted , mistreated and killed (vs.39)

Wow. Living a life of faith means living in greatness.

In spite of our sin, our opposition or circumstances. And in the end, we spend eternity with a loving God and fellow believers.

The best part is we don’t have to conjure up faith on our own. It is a gift freely given by God when we ask. Good news: even our asking exhibits faith.

Are you ready to move ahead in faith today?