the intentional life.

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  • A Particle of Praise

    The Bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed will move mountains (Matthew 17:20). But what if the circumstances and challenges of life leave you so weary, so exhausted, that your faith is no longer the size of a mustard seed, but is more atom-like? This is when, even through your tears and the exhaustion, you can still give God a particle of praise.

    What, you ask, is a particle of praise?

    1. Lift up your eyes to the hills from whence cometh your help. (Psalm 121:1)
    2. Cry out with a loud voice or a whisper: Oh God.
    3. Bow down, lay down, or rest in the hands of God.

    I am here today as a witness that sometimes you reach a point where you have done all that you can do. You’ve prayed, you’ve cried, you have screamed, you have fallen to the floor in a heartbreaking pain that no medicine can fix. I pray for your strength to give God a particle of praise and continue to hold on to the hem of His garment.

  • Tulips

    Tulips

    It starts with tulips! Simple and elegant, seasonal and steadfast in their return. For two years, I wanted to visit the tulip gardens in Holland, Michigan. Due to scheduling conflicts and life, I put off the trip to see my favorite flowers bloom en masse. This year was different; as soon as spring came, I looked up when the tulips would be in bloom, booked a hotel, put my work down, and took the drive to Michigan. The views were amazing! To see thousands of flowers at their peak did something to my spirit that is hard to explain.

     It was as if every flower was a mini-hug for my soul.

    Seeing the tulips at their prime reminded me to be fully present. When we are not thinking about or worried about what might happen, we can be fully present in the moment, our hearts and nervous systems calm, and we are at our best. 

    I am looking forward to seeing the tulips again next year and continuing to keep my scheduled nature dates to take in the beautiful creation we are allowed to live in every day. 

    What will you do this week to nourish your soul?