He called her Hephzibah

  My mom picked this painting for the calendar.  She also picked the lyrics.   I don't know about you, but for me it is incredibly timely. The chaos of the flowers pairs well with the stillness of the words. The world is full of chaos.  You don't even have to watch the news to know that - just open up a social media platform.  Sometimes the chaos isn't on the news, but in our own hearts or within our homes. The chaos has hit close to home for me this past month.  It's still chaotic and honestly I'm just really tired.  Yet, we have the assurance of Jesus.  He is our reality.  The dictionary defines assurance this way: guaranteed, certain to happen, or showing self-confidence. I love that this is the calendar right now, because no matter what happens - Jesus is our firm foundation.  In the midst of chaos, He is steady.  He never wavers.  He never falters.  Jesus never gets overwhelmed.  My relationship with Jesus f...

  Make a joyful noise unto the Lord. -Psalm 100:1 Like the month of May, August's picture carries a special weight to it that none of the others do. My grandmother, my Gran, created this picture along with 12 others (13 total) to be a calendar for my grandad.  It is with his blessing, that I was able to include it in this year's calendar.  The drawing is of a Marshallese man making music with an instrument.  She and my pawpaw lived on Kwajalein, Marshall Islands for about 14 years.  My dad and uncle lived there some throughout their childhood. This month is for everyone who knew and loved my Gran.  It's for those who ache for her here on earth & those who have already joined her at heaven's gates. For: PawPaw, Dad, & Uncle Steve Mom, Aaron, Noah, & Isaiah Uncle Charles & Barbara, Aunt Pat & Robert, Uncle Wade & Robin, Uncle Doug & Janice Aunt Jane & Kenneth, Aunt Eileen & Mickey & my maternal grandmother, Nana, who ha...

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  Each year there has been a painting that hits closest to home.  This year it is July's painting that pulls on the most heart strings. I have wrestled with what to say or not say about this painting/lyrics.  Both bring all encompassing emotion - some good and some hard.  I pray reading this encourages you that God's love is deeper than anything that He allows us to go through. _____________________ There have been a handful of different times in my life where God let my heart break.  Like the "shattered into a million pieces not knowing how to take my next breath" kind of break.  They were all hard in their own ways.  Some of them I can understand the logic behind it, and some of them I can't understand at all.  Either way, God is there.  Either way, He wants us to be open with Him.  Either way, He invites us to bring it to Him.  He invites us into the wrestling match when we struggle with ...

  "...And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." - Jesus This was the very first bible verse I memorized.  I went to my first funeral when I was around 7 or 8 years old.  That is a story for another day, but it made me afraid of death. I was afraid of my family dying and I was afraid of God dying.  I was afraid of being alone.  So, I found myself clinging to Jesus' words right after the great commission in Matthew 28:  "surely I am with you always to the very end of the age." It's probably not (correction: definitely not) a coincidence that this is the verse for June.  I need this verse right now.  I need to know that Jesus isn't going anywhere.  The past few weeks have held some very scary and hard days for my family.  The Lord has us, but it has been rough.  It's been almost 30 years since I first learned this verse and yet, I find myself still afraid that He will leave.  I can so easily go back to that 7 ye...

You know that question people like to ask?  The one that goes something like, "If you could talk to anyone dead or alive who would it be?"  For our purposes, we are going to exclude people in the Bible. Who would be on your list? My mind easily flips through a number of people who have had world influence: Elizabeth Elliot, Saint Francis of Assisi, Martin Luther King Jr, William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, John Calvin etc. However, there is one person who always takes first place above all the rest:  my grandad Startup. He may not have had the worldly fame of those listed above, but for those who knew him- he certainly changed their world.  To his family: Nana, Mom, Aunt Sandy, & Uncle Rob you might say he was their world.  He impacted their world in the way only a husband and daddy can.  His life, even though it was cut short, changed and impacted the world of those around him.  He was in his 30's wh...

  "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." - Romans 5:20 Out of all the paintings I've done- this one needs the most explanation.  I decided to do this month's devotion a little differently than our typical post.   I hope you enjoy it.     Romans 5:12-21: increased G4121 1. superabound 2. to make to increase abounded G5248 1. to abound beyond measure, abound exceedingly 2. to overflow, to enjoy abundantly *I'm sorry the audio is not great. blueletterbible.org