I spent many of my adult years being taught that problems relating to mental health were signs of a lack of faith. If people believed strongly enough, they would feel better. I thought I should be able to shake it off and keep going because, well, it was all in my head.

Some sad and anxious feelings certainly are from a faith issue. Jesus says to cast our cares upon him (1 Peter 5:7). We aren’t to be anxious for tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). Are we sinning if we go against these scriptures? I will leave that up to theological debate. But I purpose that if we do fret and worry, It’s bad for our relationship with Jesus because we are damaging our faith.

I want us to start by visualizing your mind and heart similar to a house. Using this visual, I want to bring us into the space God holds in our lives. Look around. Is there room for God? Where is His placement in your life? Are you busy running around not taking time for God? Sitting in silence stonewalling Him? Do you have the music so loud that you cannot hear His conversation?

More important than anything else, though, is the landscape created by people. How many people do you know who have died this past year? Maybe you've lost family, friends, and acquaintances. Perhaps you simply know of people in your community who have passed. But we have lost a lot of people.

I love to pray. I pray for big things and small things. I prayed God would heal me of cancer, which He did, and I pray for good parking spaces when it’s raining. I pray for people I know and people I will never meet. I intercede. Intercession is standing between God and the person you are praying for, asking God to help them, heal them, or bless them. Abraham did this for Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-33). Moses did this for the Israelites when God wanted to wipe them out and start all over again with him (Exodus 32:9-10).

Even before I started high school, I knew I wanted to be part of the Cougar Marching Force (my high school’s marching band). There was so much about it that I loved; the precision moves, the uniforms, the amazing sound of a field full of instruments, the teamwork and coordinated efforts, and on and on.

When I taught high school English, I struggled to teach poetry. It's not because I dislike poetry as a whole, but it can be challenging to encourage teenagers to embrace many of the poems in the literature book. Poems can be beautiful to some and confusing to others. The author might write a poem thinking one thing, I might interpret it differently, and every student in the room might see it even another way. If nothing else, poems are good conversation starters.

Have you ever asked this question? Have you ever dared to ask? If you’re like me, I didn’t ask for a long time. I didn’t grow up in church, and I later developed a somewhat unhealthy view of God. I didn’t realize my unhealthiness until later, and it took me a while to absorb that I could ask God the hard questions. To better explain, I want to share a story with you.

Have you ever considered what you would be doing or where you would be if fear never stood in the way of your steps?

I am not talking about something outside of your gifting and flow of talents.

I think often God offers us a path that looks exciting but feels impossible, so we move a different direction. We might have something placed deeply in our hearts, but if we are told no by someone, we go a different direction.

I have seen the movie Forrest Gump about a gozillion times. In case you haven't, "gozillion" is a Forrest Gumpism. The author of the book, Winston Groom, was a very talented author the South is proud to call our own. Yes, we get proprietorial about wonderfully important parts of culture like authors and food and football. We like to claim the good things that have sprouted from Southern soil.

This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about ruts. A “rut” can be defined as a habit or pattern of behavior that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change. The word rut can be traced back to the 16th century in which carriage wheels, after following repeated tracks, have cut out a narrow track that wears down the ground.

I am often asked how I do it all. "All" meaning balancing marriage, four kids, two grandkids, a full-time job, a business that has now turned into a ministry as well, friends, and church, and still look alive. The answer is that I have to be very intentional with my time.

This past week, I was able to visit the Mobile Museum of History in Downtown Mobile. It was my first visit there, and I enjoyed taking in the stories of such a fascinating city and area. I was impressed by the selection of artifacts, some pre-historic and some from events during my lifetime. One of the first pieces we saw was a statue called “Marianne, The Goddess of Liberty.”

Sometimes we find ourselves in a spot we don’t wish to be. Perhaps there is a circumstance in your life that has caused you pain. Perhaps you’ve been enduring a prolonged trial of life. Perhaps you’ve brought something upon yourself. No matter what the reason, or how, there is always something you can do.

Remember the radio? It's still out there – on the air. Town to town and up and down the dial, it’s still there even though a lot of people don't listen to it anymore. They get their music from streaming platforms and their talk from podcasts.  I do a lot of that myself.  I really enjoy listening to my customized playlists – songs I have purchased by the single or by the album and have crafted into specialized soundtracks for my different moods and activities.

We are definitely in a time where it is easy to become consumed by all of the topics, the words and the people, like a lost kid in the middle of a chaotic crowd. If we are not careful, we can get carried away by that state of mind and lose sight of the good, the beautiful, and the peaceful. Sometimes we do not realize that we anchor ourselves in the world going as we think it should, and with that we are easily carried away by what’s happening around us. Our ship is suddenly carried away at sea, and we find ourselves being tossed by the waves in every direction.

Have you done something you consider significant, like saving someone's life? Paying their rent? Buying them a car? It doesn't always have to be something the world considers big. Maybe you encouraged a friend or a stranger. Did you brave the COVID cooties and give a hug or help someone clean up a mess? Perhaps you listened to the tickle of the Holy Spirit and stopped to pray with someone. And let's talk about that person who asked you for money on the street. Yes, it is possible that they really were not out in the cold last night, and they may actually drive a car nicer than yours. But if you gave freely and prayed honestly, you are opening a door for God to work in them. In you, too.

We are just ending a year filled with shocking events that have left many of us questioning what’s next. I think there is a certain level of thankfulness and knowledge from this year, but there are also many disappointments with how events have unfolded. Right now is the moment to determine what to speak over our “what’s next,” choosing our perspective towards 2021.

Managing expectations, stress, commitments, and loneliness. Christmas and the holidays always bring a certain amount of struggle. We look around with an expectation that the world we are in should look like that perfect Christmas card with fireplace going, lights lit to perfection, and the matching pjs. But reality is, when we look around what we see is grief, pain and struggle.

When I joined a new Bible study group in the fall of 2019, I didn’t know that I would be finding a close circle of Christian sisters.  In the past year, we have studied Paul’s letters to the Philippians, Timothy, Titus, and Colossians. We have had serious discussions about everything from Paul’s warnings of false teachers to his encouragement because Christ died for us. We have laughed and been silly, and we have tearfully shared painful prayer requests.  We have also seen prayers answered, and some of those answers have been miraculous! And some things, well, some things we are still praying about.  

How does God get through to me, I wonder? I love studying scripture. But does He expect me only to pull things from His written Word? Or does He act something out for me, demonstrating that He is in control of the situations around me? Does He watch me sit silently with my eyes closed, with no expression on my face, trusting me to soak in His Word and direction?