Tag Archives: daily devotional

Saddest, Darkest, Saturday

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Can you imagine the confusion? Imagine how discouraged they must have been. Imagine the grief – the one they put all of their hope is gone. Dead. All the hope of what (they thought) Jesus was supposed to be and what Jesus was supposed to do is gone. What now? Yesterday he died, tomorrow he will be resurrected – but they don’t know that. This is a dark day. Probably the worst day of their lives.

Are they replaying all the words that Jesus spoke to them? He was very explicit about what he would endure. At the time, they rebuked him for saying those things. He was supposed to conquer the world, not be crucified by it.

Were they trying to move ahead and go back to a “normal life”? What is a “normal life” anyway? All they had known for 3 years was Jesus. They gave up EVERYTHING to follow him. Did they have regrets? Were they questioning their decision to follow him now? He said he was the son of man and he called himself son of God – but if that were true, then how could he die? How could this be?

We celebrate Good Friday and we praise and worship God for Sunday, but what about Saturday? When we put ourselves in the disciples shoes, this must have been the greatest test of their faith. I can only imagine how I would have felt. Thank God Sunday is coming, just as we thank God for sending Jesus into the world to die for our sins. Without this sacrificial act, humanity truly would be hopeless.

Why Is The Bible So Confusing?

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If you’ve ever picked up the Bible and thought, “This feels like a foreign language to me,” you are not alone. Maybe you’ve tried reading it and felt confused, bored, or even a little ashamed because it just doesn’t make sense. Or maybe you long for a real relationship with God but don’t know where to start.

I completely understand – I hear this often from women I mentor. It is important to consider that the Bible was written in a completely different time and world than ours. The people who wrote it didn’t have phones, cars, or the internet. They spoke different languages, lived in different cultures, and told stories in ways that don’t always sound like our quick modern self-help books.

Sometimes the words just feel old, making a verse feel irrelevant, antiquated, or out of date. But here’s something important the Bible itself explains:

In 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT) it says, “People who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.”

In 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NLT) we read, “If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.”

If the words feel veiled or confusing right now, it might not only be the language or the history — there can be a spiritual side too. Our wounds, weights, and old ways can keep our hearts a little closed off… until we gently invite the Holy Spirit to help us see.

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to stay stuck there. The same Jesus who rose from the dead is ready to come into your life right now. If you’ve never invited Him in, or if you want to open your heart fresh today, you can simply pray something like this from your heart:

“Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God who died for me and rose again. I’m tired of carrying these wounds, weights, and old ways on my own. Please forgive me, come into my life, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Help me understand Your Word and become truly addicted to You. Amen”

The moment you invite Him, the Holy Spirit begins to lift the veil and open your eyes to the beauty of God’s Word. It’s the beginning of the most life-giving relationship you’ll ever have.

Don’t lose hope! The very same Bible that can feel foreign at first is actually the most powerful, life-giving book in the world. Read Psalm 19:7-14 (NLT) and see how God describes His Word. He says it revives us, makes us wise, brings joy, and gives insight for living. That’s powerful – and worth the pursuit.

Proverbs 30:5-6 (NLT) reminds us: “Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection. Do not add to his words, or he may rebuke you and expose you as a liar.”

Even when it feels hard to understand at first, every word is true and protective. God wants to use His Word to heal your wounds, lift your weights, and change your ways — so you can transfer all of that to the one healthy addiction that truly satisfies: Him.

You’re not defective if the Bible feels confusing right now. It simply means you’re human and you’re stepping into something divine. God didn’t give us a cold checklist — He gave us stories, songs, letters, and real-life truths so we could truly know Him. It’s a lot like beginning any new relationship. At first it feels awkward, but the more time you spend, the more comfortable it becomes — especially as the Holy Spirit softens your heart.

Here are a few gentle, practical steps you can try this week:

  • Use an easy-to-read translation like the New Living Translation (NLT). Pair it with the YouVersion Bible app and listen to the chapter read aloud — it helps the words come alive without getting stuck on hard pronunciations.
  • Don’t start at the beginning. Begin with the story of Jesus in the book of John or Mark.
  • Pray before you read: “God, I don’t understand this very well, but I want to know You. Holy Spirit, please open my eyes and my heart.”
  • Keep it short and kind to yourself — just 10 minutes a day is better than forcing more when you feel overwhelmed.
  • Don’t go it alone. Talk with friends, join a Bible study, or watch short Bible Project videos on YouTube to understand the big picture.

When my days were packed with corporate work, raising my daughters, and earning my master’s degree, I had to schedule time with God like any important appointment. That small shift changed everything for me. I realized that if I wouldn’t skip meetings or time with my girls, how much more important was my time with Him?

Read just one chapter a day, or even just a short section within those books. If you have a study Bible – read the footnotes and gain a deeper, more applicable understanding. Don’t forget to pray first. If something confuses you, that’s okay — just keep showing up anyway.

You’ve got this my friend. The Bible isn’t meant to stay confusing forever. It’s meant to become the most life-changing voice in your story — the place where you meet with God Himself and discover real freedom from the wounds, weights, and ways that have held you back.

Return to God

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28 NIV)

For almost 20 years, I have been teaching Bible studies, and for the last 10 years, mentoring incarcerated women who are seeking to know truth and rebuild their lives with the help of Jesus. When they first meet with me, they are often desperate. They tell me they have messed up their lives so badly that the only way to find true freedom is by turning their lives completely over to Jesus.

Fascinated by their conviction, I ask them, “Why? Why do you think Jesus is the answer to your problems?” The typical response is something like this: “I grew up in church, but when I got to high school, I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. My mother (or grandmother) took me to church and has always prayed for me. I now know I should have listened to them.”

Hindsight is always 20/20, isn’t it? We make choices—even ones that seem good at the time—only to find ourselves in a place we never wanted to be. This is just like the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11–32. The youngest son ends up in a pigpen one day and having to face the consequences of making a series of bad choices, decides to return home, where his father has long been awaiting his return. We turn away from God, and once we realize we’re not where we wanted to be, we can return to Him, repent, and ask Him to help us rebuild our lives.

God watches patiently as we try to run our own lives, until the day we finally see that we need Him—and have needed Him all along. He embraces us, welcomes us back into His loving arms, without condemnation for what we have done.

I love this story, and I love how the incarcerated women I mentor see themselves in this story too. Is that your story? If you think it is, God wants you to come back. He is waiting patiently for your return. So how do we actually return to God?

The Bible makes it clear that the path begins with honest repentance—a heartfelt turning away from sin and turning toward Him. As Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”

This isn’t just feeling sorry; it’s a deliberate change of direction. Start by confessing your sins to God openly—no excuses, no hiding. He promises in 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Humble yourself, pray, seek His face, and turn from whatever has pulled you away, as 2 Chronicles 7:14 assures us: God will hear from heaven, forgive, and bring healing and restoration.

Practically, this looks like daily steps of reconnection: Spend time in Scripture to hear His voice again, pray honestly (even if it starts as a simple cry for help), and surround yourself with a supportive faith community that encourages you. Worship Him, not just in songs but in a posture of surrender.

God isn’t distant or angry—He is gracious, compassionate, and slow to anger, as Joel 2:13 describes, “When we return to Him with our whole heart, He doesn’t just forgive; He restores what was lost, refreshes our spirit, and welcomes us home with joy.”

No matter how far you’ve wandered, the Father is standing by, arms open, ready to run to you. That kind of love is worth everything you have to run away from, give up, or let go of in this world.

Winter Bench, Waiting Soul

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This is the scene I walked past on my morning walk today. Something about it stopped me in my tracks. I pulled out my phone and took the picture—not because it was postcard-perfect, but because it felt strangely personal.

A single bench sits alone on a frozen pond. Empty. Silent. The river it faces is locked beneath thick ice. The temperature hovers around negative ten. Everything looks swallowed by cold—motionless, barren, waiting. The trees stand naked, stripped of leaves and fruit. No blossoms, no green, no sign of life. Yet even in their dormancy, they frame the landscape with quiet dignity. And then there’s the sun—still below the horizon, but already sending faint streaks of light across the sky. The promise of dawn. The certainty that warmth and color are coming, even if they feel far away right now.

As I stood there, the scene began to speak. I thought of people I know—people I love—who feel like that bench right now. They sit in the cold of their days, waiting for someone or something to arrive and give them purpose. They face a world outside their door that never quite delivers what they hoped it would.

They feel the constant pull—tension from every direction:

  • marketers demanding their attention and money
  • loud voices insisting they pick a side
  • responsibilities piling higher than they can carry
  • an aging parent who needs more than they have left to give
  • a job that measures their worth in output
  • a friend in crisis reaching for their shoulder, their wisdom, their strength

Their life feels like those winter trees—decorated with many branches of priority, yet producing nothing life-giving. Overwhelmed. Barren. Exhausted.

But the sun is still rising. And there is the Son. He’s always been there—sometimes placed on the back burner, sometimes almost forgotten amid the noise and weight of “real life.” Yet He remains. Steady. Patient. Offering.

When we turn toward Him—when we give Him the central place in our heart and schedule—something changes.

He doesn’t just warm the surface.
He illuminates the soul.
He renews purpose.
He gently reprioritizes what truly matters.
And somehow, mysteriously, He carries what we cannot.

Jesus Himself invites us:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

And the promise continues:

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
— Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

You don’t have to stay frozen in overwhelm.
You don’t have to wait passively for hope to show up.
You don’t have to beg the world—or the people in it—to tell you who you are or why you matter. What you need is time with Jesus.
Real, honest, unhurried time.
That’s where rest returns.
That’s where strength is renewed.
That’s where the impossible begins to feel possible again.The bench is still empty this morning.
But the light is coming. And so is He.

Thanks for reading—and for letting this quiet winter scene speak to your heart and encourage you today.

Want To Change Your Life?

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For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Each morning, I start my prayer with a simple, awe-filled, “Wow, God!” For nearly 22 years, I’ve been reading the Bible—10 of those years daily. So why, in 2025, does this habit still leave me in wonder? I’m approaching God’s Word differently now.

For the past two years, I read the Bible cover to cover. In 2023, I followed John MacArthur’s Daily Study Bible plan, reading two Old Testament chapters, a Psalm, a Proverb, and a New Testament chapter each day. In 2024, I read chronologically with The Bible Recap. These years felt like a “rapid-fire” sprint through Scripture—lots of content, but high-level and less fulfilling. It became more of a task than a deep study or connection with God.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m grateful for the experience. Reading the entire Bible showed me the incredible timeline of Scripture, the inspiring stories, and God’s sovereignty in every situation. But this year, I committed to slowing down—way down.

My 2025 plan is to read one New Testament chapter per week. Each day, I read that chapter in a different Bible version. When the version includes study notes, I dig into the footnotes and cross-references. On days without notes, I turn to commentaries by Wiersbe, McGee, and MacArthur. The result? I’ve gained a deeper understanding of Scripture and how to apply it to my life than I have in over two decades. It’s mind-blowing!

As of today, March 25, 2025, I’m only on my third day of studying Matthew chapter 7. You might think I’d be further along by now—maybe Matthew 12—but I’m not. And that’s intentional. I’m taking my time, meditating on God’s Word, and it’s coming alive in a new way. I find myself talking about it throughout the day, recalling its meaning during decisions, conversations, and moments needing discernment.

I’m not memorizing every verse, but I know where to find them when I need them. At this pace—one chapter a week—I estimate it’ll take about three and a half years to finish the New Testament. I may never reach Revelation, let alone the Old Testament, and that’s okay. This slower, deeper approach is transforming me. God is revealing Himself to me in a more intimate way.

That’s why I’m calling this journey “Do You Want to Change Your Life?” It’s changing mine. Want to join me?

The Goodness of God’s Testing

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We can find God. He’s everywhere!

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yet, Job wonders where he is. I love Job and his “humanness”. Who hasn’t wanted to find God to sit down and have a talk with him. We would ask questions like, “Why God…?”

Job also gives us the answer, “When he tests me, I will come out as pure gold.”

Hang in there. Keep the faith. Trust God even when you cannot understand what he is doing or why he is doing it. You will come through it as pure gold… refined, magnificent, invaluable, and shining brighter.

Be Careful What You Pray For!

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“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.“
Psalm 121:1-2

You may need to read my last blog post to get the whole story, but even if you don’t, I have a true life lesson that proves that the sky is the limit when you take your wants, needs, and desires to God in prayer.

I have been working a part-time job for over 18 months. I started this gig in December of 2020 with the expectation that I would only need to do it for 6 months. My goals, at that time, were (1) to get out of the house and around people during the worst of the COVID pandemic, (2) do something physical and get out of the house, and (3) survive our dark, cold, long, Wisconsin winter.
As news to me, God had a better idea. His goals were (1) I would actually enjoy working a second job (2) this would be an active mission field to reach unchurched people in my community, and (3) to address my (almost) $24,000 in credit card debt.

A few months ago I routinely sat down with my prayer journal and I expressed to God that I was tired. With both jobs combined, I was working up to 60 hours a week and I told him that I really needed a break. My current balance on my credit card (at that time) was just under $4,000. I had come so far that I could see that being credit card debt-free was within reach. But, I also asked God to expedite my debt pay off because I didn’t want to do this anymore. As I recorded these requests, I consciously remember thinking, “How are you going to do this God? I’m asking to work less or not at all, but at the same time get paid more? These prayers contradict!”

I proceeded to close my journal and I just left it right there as I do everyday and with every prayer. Part of me couldn’t help but wonder if I expected God to actually answer my prayers that day, or was it just me whining? After all, it is such a fleshly human characteristic to “want our cake and eat it too”, right?
Several weeks passed and I forgot that prayer or whining session; whichever you want to call it. Despite being tired, sheer determination and an unwavering commitment to achieve my $0 balance credit card goal kept me going. I endured more long work days, making sacrifices to my social calendar and family time, missing out on community events and completely neglecting housework. Dust bunnies can wait until my debt is paid off, I thought to myself.
But then one day God answered my prayer and not how I would have ever imagined.

I got hurt – really hurt!

I was at work and it seemed as if it were just another night, but on this particular night, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was squished by an almost 4,000 pound box. I’ll spare you the details, but after a 5 hour wait in the Emergency Room, I was treated for a sprained wrist, elbow, ankle and a large laceration on the back of my right heel. Oh-it-could-have-been-so-much-worse!
Following the accident, I was unable to work for 2 complete weeks (because I was physically unable to stand or walk for any length of time, prohibiting me from being able to perform the light duty work that they tried to give me). Two weeks to rest, ice and elevate. Did you catch that? (2 weeks!)

The other miracle was, when I did return to work, the partial disability checks paid from workman’s comp more than doubled my normal take home pay. (Doubled!)
It was about 3 weeks after the accident that it all hit me. Not only did God gave me my much needed break BUT He expedited my debt pay off – Simultaneously! Exactly as I had prayed for it.

As of today, I my balance is $227 and I am days away from being credit card debt free and close friend asked me what I plan to do to celebrate this monumental accomplishment? After giving it some thought I decided I am going to commemorate God’s goodness in not just this, but in every aspect of my life, by getting a tattoo on my ankle (after it is healed) that reads, “My debt is paid.”

Our God loves us so much. He cares deeply for us. He is able to do so much more than we can ask or imagine. Be careful what you pray for, it might hurt.

At The End Of Ourselves

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight” Proverbs 3:5-6

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The book of Acts is incredible. It’s like a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Today I read Acts 27:13-26 and couldn’t help but recognize some parallels between the storm they were facing and the storms that I face in my own life.

My Wiersbe Bible Commentary says, “Sometimes we get ourselves into storms for the same reasons: impatience, accepting expert advice that is contrary to God’s will, following the majority, and trusting ‘ideal’ conditions. ‘He that believes shall not make haste’ (Isaiah 28:16). It pays to listen to God’s Word.”

CONVICTING! I have done this – I do this still! Practicing everything but not listening and willingly obey God’s Word.

I have gotten better at this because I do find myself praying to God, “This is just too big for me or too much for me to handle, I know I have to trust YOU with this, Lord.” Admittedly, I should just say, “You got this God” and then confidently trust Him, but no, I don’t naturally do that. God and me, we arm wrestle sometimes. I give it to Him and take it back, and then give it to Him again, only to take it back. Finally I fatigue and throw my arms up and proclaim, “You win!”

It is so me to have to get to the end of myself first and THEN give it to God. I’m just being real here.

The verse within this section that glared me straight in the face is verse 20b that says, “We finally gave up all hope of being saved.” God does bring us to the end of ourselves, doesn’t He? After we have “tried” to do everything we humanly can to “fix” our circumstances, rationalize our efforts and work our way through the messes (as if our lives depended on it), instead of trusting on the Lord with all our hearts and leaning NOT on our own understanding, but in ALL our ways, to acknowledge Him first, so He can make our paths straight. [Head slap moment]

Surrendering our will, trusting in God, waiting on His timing and not doubting Him is a daily, hourly, minute by minute need [for me] so I thanked God for reminding of this today and I am confessing to all of you that just prayed and repented of all the ways that I try to control everything. Everything!

I asked God to forgive me for trying to “play God” when things aren’t as I wish they were or I “think” they should be. I invited Him to come back and be seated on the throne of my marriage, my relationship with daughters, my jobs, all the people I deeply yearn for to have a relationship with Him (but don’t seem to be “getting it”) and any other selfish things that I am unconsciously, or subconsciously, doing in my own strength. They’re not going to magically disappear I know, but it’s sure going to take the pressure off of me. I have now reprioritized it and released it; accepted and appreciating the reality that only He can do and He will!

It’s so liberating to lay my burdens at His feet and know it’s in better hands. This is where and when I find peace within myself and about all the things that make my world spin like crazy.

If you want to join me and show me that I’m not alone… let me know what it is that you need to release and let go to Him today?