Receive

his past summer, most mornings I waited and watched as the sun made its slow ascent over the hill behind our farm, streaming light through the enormous Douglas firs of our forest and illuminating my little corner of the world with its warmth. Sunrise and Coffee became part of the liturgy of my summer days.  One of the common graces God gives to all His creation is the dependable daily rising and setting of the sun. In every corner of the world, no matter the time of year, it is known which minute of the day these commonplace events will occur. Darkness and light are daily reminders of God’s faithfulness to us.  On Tuesday, September 8th, Oregonians awoke to our state ablaze. Fires had raged all night, and on this morning it seemed the sun would not rise. By 9 am we were still in ...

Scripture writing plans are incredibly simple, yet incredibly effective for helping us read, interpret and absorb the Word of God. Rather than simply letting our eyes pass over a verse and perhaps miss its full meaning, writing Scripture down helps us absorb each word and really think through what the passage before us is saying. Each day in November you’ll have the opportunity to write down a verse. We suggest using a journal where you can add any additional mediations or prayers that the verse brings to mind. Click here to download the November Scripture Writing Guide! Join Our Telegram Group : Salvation & Prosperity  

It can start with a simple yes. A willingness. A bend of the head. Or knee. It definitely starts with a melting. A softening. It starts with loosening the grip. A slow fall. A slipping into waves. A recognition that the depths are near but not discovered. An allowance of yes and yes and yes. Let it all happen. Let what needs to fold out–out of you–as you are folded open, be wide wide wide. I am not superstitious. But careful. When there is a journey. A message to read. A relaxing into water crashing, crashing me under. Where I need to be. Where I belong. (I want to belong.) And I look at my sin. Feel it and not feel it. Observe it from afar, like a scientist, an observer. And then move around in it, let it sit on top of me, smother me for a bit, and then feel my lungs expand as it is lifte...

Volunteers are a critical piece of the body of Christ and most ministries, communities, and nonprofits. And while we know that Jesus was the perfect example of servanthood and the ultimate model for our behavior as Christians, it is also important that we honor our volunteers in our churches.  Volunteers take time from their busy schedules to serve in your ministry, organization, or church because they are passionate about your cause. They want to see single moms encouraged. They want to feed the homeless. They want to honor the Lord with their talents and skills. While most do not do it for any type of recognition, it is always important to honor those who are sacrificing their time away from family and friends. It is important that they know you value them and that their w...

The air took on an apocalyptic crimson hue due to the wildfires ravaging entire towns.  Just thirty minutes from my home the fires were raging and blanketing the air with smoke, so the decision to seek out cleaner air was made. Our home is outside of the evacuation zone, but the hazardous air and coughing from our youngest children brought on a feeling I had never encountered. I cannot imagine the terror of those who faced the flames themselves, as I had the time to logically piece together a plan with my husband. With a baby and two school-age children, I set off at dusk, readying myself for the three hours across the mountains to my parents’ home. The mountain pass bordered three counties with active evacuations and dipped into the corner of a level 2 “be ready to leave immediately”...

I have the teenagers go downtown to grab a sandwich, and I sit in the house alone for a whole half hour, liberated of earbuds that I sometimes use to manage the bursts of cacophony when they’re here. I light a candle, the last bit of “Illinois,” a scent curiously determined by a company called “Homesick,” my bare feet up on the couch. I am set now. This is a moment of decision–a decision processed in front of you, with these words, and not shared only after distillation. I know what I want to say, and I am in the process, with you, in discovering it. Here is the day in my life where I write, or endeavor to write, without self-consciousness. Without guardedness. Without second-guessing. What if I wrote, I wonder, from a place of feeling enough and good, free and wild? What if, instead of th...

What are the signs of tween depression, and what strategies help fight it? How can parents best support their children as school is impacted by COVID-19? What messages does your daughter need to hear from you concerning body image and social media? For my latest “Chaos to Calm” episode, I was honored to connect with Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Lynn Cowell, who is a speaker and author, and Michelle Nietert, who runs a counseling center out of Dallas, Texas. Both women are co-authors of a new devotional for tween girls (entitled Loved and Cherished) and are passionate about tween issues and faith. They answer the questions above along with many others, including: How is parenting like packing a suitcase? (Thanks, Lynn!)   Watch the episode here To ...

www.courtnayerichard.com Guess what? God has a plan for your life. That’s right. He’s got a plan for you. So don’t look to the left or right of you. Stay focused and keep your eyes on all the God has called and entrusted to you. When you and I focus on our own individual walk with God, our family, our ministry work, and our responsibilities at home and work, we’re running ourrace, and we want to run it to the finish line, well. At the end of the day – this life, we want to hear well done thou good and faithful servant. We want to have lived a life that was pleasing unto the Father. We want to have done God’s will, while loving Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, while also loving our neighbors as ourselves (see Matthew 22:37-40). We want to have lived a life pour...

Trauma – it catches you by surprise, in bizarre fashion with unexpected costs. Trauma often sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it doesn’t have to be. There’s nothing you can do to prevent trauma; accidents happen, things go wrong, elbows are slammed into faces, and no plan of yours could have prevented this. Yes, an elbow was slammed into my husband’s face while playing a pickup game of soccer. Sometimes to stay fit, these things happen. I’ve had sufficient casualties as a runner, so I can empathize. But what was this guy’s elbow made of? He did some serious damage to my husband’s mouth. I could have panicked, and I almost did, but we prayed together about the situation after assessing our options. A very heartfelt prayer was uttered,...

I love to travel. I love seeing new places and coming home packed with memories to savor. But often I don’t sleep well on trips, even when we stay in the best hotels. Whether our days are full of sightseeing, hiking, and shopping, or sleeping late and laying by the pool, I never fully let down. Add to that this summer’s concern about the Coronavirus and it’s hard to feel very relaxed anywhere except home where we have more control over who we spend time with and how clean our surroundings are. Even under our current restrictions, home feels good. I sleep better in our bed than any other and everything here is familiar and cozy. I have my books and favorite chair, coffee mugs, and snuggly blankets, yard, and kitchen. I can be myself here.  Maybe that’s why Psalm 91 means so much to me....

Benefits of Bible Trivia Questions The aim of the bible trivia questions is to have fun and challenge participants to know, study, and apply the Word of God to their hearts and lives. Competition is a way to motivate members of a Bible study group.  Group and team study immensely improve friendships, fellowship, discipleship, and accountability among members, the church, and the community in general.  The Bible Trivia Questions in Youth ministry is not only competition focus but as good as the realistic, actual, and helpfulness in life ministry improvement that is the result of knowing and applying the Living Word of God. “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” Psalm 119:9 “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You...

Here in America, we are very blessed to be able to not only freely read the Word of God, but many Christians in this country personally own several Bibles, especially if they have been a believer for many years.  I received my first Bible as a gift when I became a member of my church in high school, which just so happened to be a Bible specifically designed for teens. Sadly, I did not dive into the Word of God much in high school or college, but it remained on my shelf nonetheless. It wasn’t until I graduated college that the Lord began to stir a hunger in my heart for reading the Bible.  My second Bible was also a gift; this time from my future husband. In fact, he gave me that Bible on Christmas morning and by nightfall, I received another special gift from him- asking me to be...