He called her Hephzibah

 Hey friends, I apologize for the delay in getting you the November devotion.  I promise it is coming soon! In the meantime, I’m excited to share that the Paint Shop has re-opened for the holiday season! Click here to visit the online store! This year’s shop includes FOUR different calendars, lots of notecards, Christmas cards, Christmas gift tags, prints, and a bookmark! Please reach out to me if you have any questions.   love, emily 

  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you.  I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.   - Isaiah 41:10 Oh friends- this is such a timely word for me, and I hope it is for you too.  I have tried over and over again to put words to what this scripture means to me.  I think my journey with this verse is still too raw and I’m still in the thick of clinging to these words on a very regular basis.  So instead of sharing my perspective, I’d like to share God’s perspective.  His is much more worthy and comforting than anything I could say anyway… Deuteronomy 3:22 Do not be afraid of them; the Lord your God himself will fight for you. Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:9   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for

  "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled & do not be afraid." - John 14:27 By the time you're reading this, it will be just under a month since my Gran entered heaven.  I've lost people before, but she is so much harder.  I didn't see her every day, but I miss her every day.  The grief runs deep and I don't know that I'll ever "get used to it."  Heck, I don't know that I want to "get used to it."   I debated what exactly I wanted to share about her, but I landed on one (of many) words of wisdom she gave me.  She gave me this wisdom in one of the darker seasons of my life.  It was also the season Jesus would give me John 14:27 and teach me about sunflowers, so I think it's appropriate. She is the same grandmother who I shared about this past  July .   When I was in high school I experienced a trauma that changed my life.  I know "trauma" ha

  "Taste & see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him." -Psalm 34:8 TASTING "Taste & see that the Lord is good..." The fruits and veggies that our earth produces, taste best when they are "in season."  One of the things I love about summer is the fresh fruits and veggies from a garden or farmers market. Bible scholar Kristi McClelland talks in her podcast Pearls about how Jewish children are introduced to the word of God.  The Rabbi will take honey from the honeycomb and go visit kindergarten classes.  The children will dip their finger in the honey and raise it to their mouth.  As they are tasting it, the Rabbi will tell them "this is what the word of God tastes like." (She tells it better than I do, so I encourage you to listen to it here .  She starts talking about the honey around minute 10). The word taste in Psalm 34:8 literally means to "taste or perceive." Like the other times it is used in the

  "But when you ask, you must believe & not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown & tossed by the wind."  - James 1:6 For my Gran & Paw Paw, The ones who demonstrate love so well & encouraged my love of all things ocean.   This painting might be my favorite one in this year's calendar.  I'm a sucker for all things ocean.  When I was a child, these precious grandparents lived on the Marshall Islands.  I wanted to be like them when I grew up, so around age three I made up my mind that I was going to be an ocean scientist.  I stuck to that throughout high school until God let me know He had something else in mind.  Even in college I waffled back and forth between my love for water with the calling to minister to children. I ended up with a teaching degree, but even today I still say still say that my first love was always the ocean.     Our verse this month comes from the letter of James in the New Testament.  It is packed ful