welcome home

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household
- Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)
 
There are two words that always catch my attention when I travel: “Welcome home.”
The funny thing is, I'm usually nowhere near my house when I hear them. I've heard “welcome home” at vacation resorts. I've heard it at campgrounds. I've heard it when arriving at CMA events and rallies. And every time, it makes me happy, because sometimes that campground in Oklahoma is home, sometimes the facility on Iron Mountain in Mena, Arkansas is home and there are even times when that vacation resort is home. Not because that's where my house is or because my belongings are there or that's the address on my driver's license.
It's home because I've been there before. I know the place. I know the people. There are memories there. There are people I'm excited to see—and people who are excited to see me. Somewhere along the way, those people stopped being strangers. They became family.
Maybe that's why I love the words Paul uses in Ephesians 2:19 so much, “Members of His household.”
Not visitors., not strangers standing awkwardly at the door, not guests who need to behave themselves because they're in somebody else's house. Family.
Think about the difference between being a guest in someone's house and being family. A guest waits to be invited in. A guest might wonder where they're supposed to sit. A guest asks before opening the refrigerator. A guest worries about overstaying their welcome. Family walks through the door and hears: “Welcome home.”
And God says that is who we are. Through Christ, we aren't outsiders trying to get close enough to God. We aren't visitors hoping He'll let us stay a little longer. We don't have to wonder whether there's room for us at the table.
We belong to His household. I think sometimes we forget that. We approach God like guests. We try to clean ourselves up before we come in. We worry that we've messed up too many times. We wonder whether we've been away too long. We look around at everyone else and think maybe they belong here more than we do.
But that's not what Scripture says. It says we are no longer strangers. We are His people. We are His family. We are home.
And maybe that's also why there are places on this earth that can feel like home even when our house is hundreds of miles away. God gives us glimpses of what belonging feels like through the people He puts around us.
Someday, we'll hear the greatest “Welcome home” of all. But until then, we don't have to stand outside wondering whether we belong. The door is open. There's a place for us. We're family.
Welcome home.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

labor day

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, He said to them, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.
- Mark 6:31 (NIV)
 
Labor Day has meant different things to me at different stages of my life. As a child, it was the last camping trip of the summer. We'd have one final weekend, then the camper would be cleaned out, packed up and parked until May. Summer was officially over. As a young adult with kids, Labor Day meant something completely different: three days! The kids didn't have school, we didn't have work, and everybody could sleep in. That extra Monday felt like a gift.
But somewhere along the way, something changed.
Now I see a three-day weekend and think, Look at everything I can get done! Clean out the closets. Sort clothes for donation. Drop them off. Do the laundry. Buy the groceries. Run the errands. Finish the spreadsheet. Take care of the things I've been putting off so everything is ready when I go back to work on Tuesday.
Apparently, I've gotten very good at the labor part of Labor Day.
And I don't think I'm alone.
We're very good at giving ourselves permission to rest only after we've earned it. After the laundry is finished. After the groceries are bought. After the donation pile is gone. After the spreadsheet is done. After everybody else is taken care of. Then I'll sit down.
Except there will always be one more thing.
That's what catches my attention about today's verse. Jesus' disciples were busy. People were coming and going. There were needs everywhere. Scripture even tells us they hadn't had time to eat.
And Jesus didn't say, “Finish taking care of everybody, and then you can rest.”
He said, “Come with Me… and get some rest.”
The work wasn't finished, the people hadn't stopped needing them. Jesus simply knew that His disciples needed rest too.
God didn't create rest because He ran out of things to do. Rest is part of the rhythm He established for us. And maybe that's something I need to remember on a holiday literally created to give us a break from our labor. Rest isn't laziness. It isn't wasted time. And it isn't a reward we receive when we've finally checked everything off the list. Because our value to God has never been measured by our productivity.
So today, enjoy your Labor Day. Have the cookout. Take the motorcycle ride. Sit on the porch. Take the nap. Spend time with the people you love. The laundry can wait. The garage can wait. That last thing on the list can probably wait too.Because there will always be one more thing.
But today, Jesus' invitation is still the same:
“Come with Me… and get some rest.”
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible

temporary storms

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
- Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)
 
Memorial Day weekend in 2024 started like so many other three-day weekends—camping, lake time and family gatherings. The weather was beautiful, and everyone was enjoying the holiday. Then, in the early hours of Sunday morning, everything changed. A storm began brewing, and multiple tornadoes tore through Northwest Arkansas. People were caught completely off guard. Two of my kids were heading home after late shifts, driving through the storms while tornadoes were on the ground.
When the sun came up, we saw the devastation. Friends had lost homes and vehicles, and some had lost something much harder to replace—their sense of safety.
In the years since, communities have worked together to rebuild. Houses can be repaired. Trees can be replanted. Debris can be cleared. But for some people, the nightmares remain. So when we say the storm is temporary, we're not pretending storms don't hurt. We're not slapping “God is good” over someone's pain and expecting those words to magically make everything okay. We're remembering that we don't measure God's faithfulness by today's weather.
The storms in our lives won't always look like tornadoes. They may come as illness, grief, financial trouble, broken relationships, fear or uncertainty. Whatever your storm looks like, don't give up. The same God who was with you before the clouds gathered is with you in the middle of the storm—and He will still be there when the skies begin to clear.
The storm is temporary. God is not.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

hummingbirds

What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
- Matthew 10:29–31 (NLT)
 
Birds are really cool, and they're fun to watch. From the glorious bald eagles soaring across Northwest Arkansas's Beaver Lake, to the sparrows gathering at my father-in-law's feeders in Iowa, to the tiny hummingbirds that grace my own yard—God's creativity is everywhere.
Can you imagine something that weighs roughly as much as a penny migrating hundreds, even thousands, of miles? Hummingbirds show up at our feeders, hover like tiny helicopters, and argue with each other because apparently being adorable doesn't prevent you from being a jerk. Hummingbirds are incredibly territorial! Then, somehow, they know when it's time to leave and begin their migration.
And God designed that. The wings. The instincts. The migration. That ridiculous little metabolism. Every detail.
Sometimes we look at the enormity of God—the One who created galaxies—and wonder whether something happening in our tiny little life could possibly matter to Him. But the God who designed the hummingbird down to its tiniest detail didn't create us carelessly either. He knows the color of our eyes. He knows the thoughts running through our heads and the condition of our hearts. He knows our fears, our hurts, our hopes and the things we haven't told anyone else.
And still, He loves us.
If our mighty God sees and cares about the smallest creatures of His creation, you can be certain He sees you, too.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

compassion

The righteous care for the needs of their animals.
- Proverbs 12:10a (NIV)
 
For those of you who know me, the announcement that three of my cats are celebrating birthdays this week will come as no surprise. For those who don't know me, let me just say—I have a very intense passion for cats. Latte, Boots and Mouse all have birthdays this week. It's fitting that my three youngest celebrate together, although you couldn't find three more different personalities if you tried!
I don't remember a time in my life when I didn't have cats, and thanks to my wonderful husband, I've spent several years of my adult life working with animal rescues. Through local rescues, I've had nearly 200 kitties pass through my home. Some left permanent paw prints on my heart. Others... weren't nearly as interested in loving me as I was in loving them.
Rescues call spring and summer “kitten season,” when kittens seem to appear everywhere. It's supposed to slow down as fall approaches, but rescue people know kitten season has an annoying habit of ignoring the calendar.
And the need never completely ends.
It's easy to say we care. But sometimes caring means spaying or neutering our pets. Fostering. Donating food or $5 to a rescue. Sharing an adoption post. Helping catch a stray. Or simply noticing a creature that needs help.
Proverbs reminds us that caring for animals isn't separate from our faith. God entrusted His creation to our care.
Compassion isn't just something we feel.
It's something we do.
One last note: If caring for animals is on your heart and you'd like to donate to a local rescue but aren't sure where to start, please reach out to me privately. I'd be happy to point you toward a rescue where your donation—whether it's money, food, supplies, or simply your time—can make a difference. 🐾
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

change

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
 
It's September 1! Except Arkansas apparently did not receive the memo that September is supposed to mean FALL. The calendar says September while the thermometer says, "Absolutely not". But seasons change—eventually—whether we're ready for them or not.
We see that even more clearly when we look at our own lives. One minute we're little kids without a care in the world except maybe whether we're getting cookies after dinner. Then we're teenagers, and suddenly life revolves around having the latest fashion, passing the next test, fitting in, or figuring out who we're going to become.
Before we know it, that season ends too. We're adults. Our focus shifts to jobs, families, bills and responsibilities. Eventually another season arrives, and we're thinking about retirement and what we want our golden years to look like.
Not every season is wonderful. We walk through seasons of loss, illness, uncertainty and loneliness. But there are also seasons overflowing with joy and laughter, when everything seems to happen at exactly the right time.
Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a season for everything.
Whatever season you're in today, don't become so comfortable that you believe it will last forever—or so discouraged that you fear it will.
Seasons change.
God doesn't.
The beautiful thing is that the God who was with us in the last season is already waiting for us in the next one.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

caught off guard

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
- Psalm 46:1 (NLT)
 
The world as we know it can change in a second. Last week, the world lost an icon when Dolly Parton passed away after a brief battle with cancer. Dolly was never shy about her faith in God, who she was, or where she came from. Even after becoming one of the most recognizable people in the world, she never seemed to forget that little girl from the mountains of Tennessee. Knowing how openly Dolly spoke about her faith, I can imagine her receiving that diagnosis and thinking, “Well, OK, Lord. How are You going to use me in this?”
We may never know that answer. But we do know how God used her life. Her legacy reaches far beyond music—from childhood literacy and education to medical research and healthcare, disaster relief, community assistance, and conservation.
None of us knows what tomorrow will bring. Sometimes we can see the storm clouds gathering. Other times we're standing there wondering, Where in the world did THAT come from? A diagnosis. A phone call. A bill. A relationship problem. A literal or figurative storm.
We may be caught off guard. God never is.
Psalm 46 doesn't promise that trouble won't come. It tells us where to go when it does.
God is our refuge, God is our strength, and He is always ready to help.
We don't have to understand the storm to trust the One who wasn't surprised by it.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible