He called her Hephzibah

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

For my sweet friend, Michelle.   Michelle is one of those rare individuals who is always pointing others upwards to fix their gaze upon the Lord.  She's one of those gems that make you pause and think: "okay, this lady knows Jesus intimately." You were one of my earliest "adult" friends and I am so grateful for you.  You're a blessing to so many people and I count myself blessed to call you friend.   You make me want to know Jesus more.  Thank you for sharing with us about this month's song. Written by: Michelle Lowrance “You are Beautiful Beyond Description” is a song I’ve been singing since childhood. I know all the lyrics. But that doesn’t mean I always feel the impact of the words. Sometimes when something is second nature, it can lose meaning.  Fast Forward from childhood to my late thirties, married and 2 kids later -  The kids’ bedtime routine is something that can be cherished and sweet OR exhausting and draining. I remember the night...

  I've always had a special place in my heart for this hymn.  That place grew ten fold when as a young child my youngest brother learned the lyrics and every so often I would hear him humming it to himself.  I am almost 14 years older than the youngest one in my family - he and I grew close in a way that only comes with such a large age gap.  I love my other brothers just as much- but with my "baby brother" who is now a junior in college, it just was a little bit different.  I got to make him pb&js, drive him to play dates, & pick him up from school.  I loved it then & I love that now I am getting to see him flourish in college. Thanks for making this song so special, Isaiah.  Thanks for making my world & the rest of the world a better place.  I love you! *A special thank you to my friend for graciously allowing me to share this piece of her family's story* Not long ago I was chatting with a dear friend.  She was telling me ho...