a grateful heart

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)
 
Did y'all notice that it's summertime?
This past Sunday was both Father's Day and the Summer Solstice, the official start of summer. Just like that, the season of vacations, family gatherings, motorcycle rides, ballgames, camping trips, church events, and community activities is upon us.
Not that my calendar needed any help filling up.
Who am I kidding? My calendar is always full.
But you know what? That makes me happy.
When I finally fall into bed exhausted at the end of the day, I'm usually tired for a good reason. It means I spent time with people I love. It means I was part of something bigger than myself. It means there were memories made, conversations shared, and moments that mattered.
Now, don't get me wrong. I stress about things. A lot.
Especially when I'm the one responsible for all the details. The planning, organizing, coordinating, setup, execution, and cleanup. Sometimes I think I spend more time making lists than actually doing the thing that's on the list.
But if I'm being honest, I'm kind of good at it.
And even when it feels overwhelming, I wouldn't trade it.
I suppose I could choose a different path. I could be angry about the demands on my time. I could refuse to volunteer. I could avoid commitments. I could seclude myself from the world and spend all my time with my cats.
As appealing as that sounds on some days, where's the fun in that?
God created us for relationships. He created us for community. He created us to share life with family, friends, neighbors, church members, coworkers, and even the occasional stranger who becomes a friend.
The busy schedules, the events, the gatherings, the phone calls, the road trips, the dinners, the celebrations, and even the responsibilities that come with them are reminders that we are blessed with people to love and people who love us.
And that is something worth being thankful for.
At the end of the week, I can look back and be thankful for the God who makes the impossible possible, for the faith that has grown over the years, for the privilege of prayer, and for the people He has placed in my life. Gratitude doesn't mean life is perfect. It means recognizing God's goodness in the middle of real life.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

community

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
- Hebrews 10:24-25
 
I am going to totally age myself here, but do you remember the old Life cereal commercial? The one where the kids are trying to get someone else to taste it because, according to them, "he won't eat it, he hates everything!" Then the little boy takes a bite, then another, and suddenly everyone is shouting, "He likes it! Hey Mikey!"
Of course, every kid in America immediately needed a box of Life cereal. At least that's how it seemed.
Growing up, Saturday mornings were sacred. We'd sit in the living room in our pajamas with a bowl of cereal and watch cartoons for hours. Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, and all the other classics. And let's not forget the commercials. Every toy, game, and gadget was presented as the coolest thing on the planet. Kids everywhere begged their parents for whatever had been advertised between cartoons.
Fast forward to adulthood, and not much has changed. Advertising still influences what we buy, where we eat, what we watch, and even what we believe about products and companies. Good advertising can make a product a household name. Bad advertising can sink a company.
For the record, not all advertising works on me. In fact, some commercials have the exact opposite effect. If your marketing strategy depends on cute pets or children who have nothing to do with the service you're providing, I'm probably tuning out. Call me old-fashioned, but I'd rather hear why your business is great than be convinced by a barking dog or an adorable kid reading a script.
But that got me thinking. What if our faith in God was based on advertising?
In some ways, it already is.
How did you first hear about God? Was it because your family took you to church every Sunday? Was it a friend who invited you to a service or Bible study? Maybe you drove past a church and saw a sign for an event that caught your attention. Maybe someone shared their testimony. Maybe you saw a group of bikers gathered in a parking lot with their heads bowed in prayer and wondered what that was all about.
Most of us didn't come to faith in a vacuum. God used people to point us toward Him.
That's why community matters.
Community is the group of people you call when life falls apart. They're the ones who celebrate your victories, pray through your struggles, and show up when you need a helping hand. Community is who you run to when you need support, and it's who you run to when they need support.
As Christians, we're called to do life together. We're meant to encourage one another, help one another, pray for one another, and sometimes simply sit beside one another when words aren't enough.
The world tells us to be independent and handle everything ourselves. God tells us to carry each other's burdens.
Every day, in every season, and for every purpose, God places people in our lives and calls us to care for one another.
That's the kind of advertising I can get behind.
When people see love, kindness, compassion, generosity, and faith lived out in a community of believers, they're seeing a glimpse of Jesus.
And that's something worth sharing.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

how can i pray for you?

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.
- Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
 
Have you ever noticed that when someone shares heartbreaking news or posts about a difficult situation on social media, one of the first responses is often, "I'm praying for you"?
I think that's a beautiful thing. In a world that can sometimes feel divided and disconnected, it's encouraging to know that people still want to lift one another up in prayer.
But here's the million-dollar question: Are we really praying for them, or have those words become a habit we type without much thought?
A friend once told me that whenever she tells someone she's praying for them, she immediately stops what she's doing and prays right then and there. I admire that. It's a wonderful practice. At the same time, life isn't always conducive to dropping everything in the moment.
Years ago, I started keeping a prayer list. I wrote down names, situations, concerns, and requests. Over time, I filled a lot of pages. Every day during my quiet time with God, I would read through those names and needs. I even added praises when prayers were answered so I could remember God's faithfulness.
Was it the perfect way to pray? I don't know.
Was it enough? I don't know that either.
What I do know is this: God hears every prayer.
The prayers whispered through tears.
The prayers spoken from hospital rooms.
The prayers offered during long drives.
The prayers prayed by exhausted parents, worried grandparents, hurting friends, and faithful believers.
Sometimes God's answers are exactly what we hoped for. Sometimes His answers look very different from what we expected. Sometimes the answer takes longer than we would like. But there has never been a prayer that God didn't hear.
Prayer isn't about finding the perfect words. It's about bringing our hearts before a loving Father who cares about every detail of our lives.
So today, instead of simply saying, "I'm praying for you," let's make sure we actually do it.
And while we're at it, maybe we should ask one simple question more often:
How can I pray for you?
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

faith that grows

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
- Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
 
Faith is a funny thing. For some people, it seems like they have known Jesus for as long as they can remember. For others, faith grows over time, one step at a time.
I fall into that second category.
I didn't grow up in the faith. I went to church occasionally and attended Sunday school and Vacation Bible School at different churches. I remember spending time in Baptist, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches growing up. Through grade school and part of high school, I was active with the youth group at a Presbyterian church. Looking back, I learned a lot about God, but I can't honestly say I knew Him personally or had a relationship with Jesus.
That began to change in my twenties when a wonderful friend invited me to her church. There, I started learning what it meant to be a child of God. The Pentecostal church laid an important foundation in my faith journey and helped me begin to understand that God wasn't distant—He wanted a relationship with me.
But if I'm being honest, the people who have had the biggest impact on shaping my faith are my in-laws.
Over the years, I've watched them live out their faith every day. Not just Mom and Dad, but their children, siblings, and parents as well. They showed me that following Jesus isn't something you do only on Sunday mornings. It's how you treat people, how you handle hardships, how you serve others, and how you trust God when life doesn't make sense.
And life hasn't always made sense.
I've been through some things that should have broken me. I've survived situations I probably shouldn't have survived. There were times when I couldn't see the road ahead and didn't understand why God allowed certain things to happen. But through it all, my faith continued to grow.
Not because I had all the answers, but because I learned to trust the One who does.
Faith isn't about having a perfect past or knowing everything there is to know about God. It's about taking the next step, trusting Him a little more today than you did yesterday, and allowing Him to work in your life through His Word and through the people He places around you.
And for that, I am incredibly grateful.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

I Know a Guy

Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'
- Matthew 19:26 (NIV)
 
I was at a rally recently and saw a T-shirt that made me smile. It simply said, "I can't, but I know a Guy." Underneath was a cross.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized how true that is.
We all have dreams, goals, and aspirations. Some are attainable, and some may remain dreams. As much as I love music, I know I'm probably never going to be a top-ten recording artist or a famous songwriter. I love cats and would love to find every cat a loving home, but opening my own cat café adoption center is probably not in the cards either.
But then there are the things I never expected.
I once aspired to be a writer. I didn't become a bestselling author, but here I am writing these daily posts, and I am continually humbled when someone tells me that a devotion touched them exactly when they needed it.
I never imagined myself riding a motorcycle. Yet today, some of my favorite memories and closest friendships have come through life on two wheels.
After raising three boys, I thought I had missed out on all the hair bows, painted nails, pretty dresses, and "girl days." Then God blessed me with the sweetest granddaughter—and her amazing momma—and suddenly I get to enjoy all those things after all.
Maybe that's part of what Jesus meant when He said that with God all things are possible. It doesn't always mean we get exactly what we imagined. Sometimes it means God opens doors we never thought to knock on. Sometimes He fulfills a desire in a completely different way than we expected. Sometimes He takes a dream that seemed impossible and turns it into a reality we never saw coming.
When we reach the end of what we can do, we can remember: we know a Guy.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible
 

business trips

If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear His voice behind you saying, “Here is the road. Follow it.”
- Isaiah 30:21 (GNT)
 
On the road again.
Business trips are exciting, stressful, exhausting, educational, and full of opportunities to meet people and build connections that hopefully turn into future business. Starting a business is definitely not for the faint of heart.
Honestly, I have never really considered myself a “people person,” so stepping into this kind of work stretches me outside my comfort zone quite a bit.
I have tried business ventures before — the kinds where companies promise to “set you up for success.” Things seemed to go well… until they didn’t. Eventually I found myself spending more than I was making and wondering what went wrong.
But this feels different.
This time I am more invested. More hopeful. More willing to step out in faith.
Surface 2 Sky Productions started as just an idea, but God often does His best work when we are willing to move from the “surface” level into something bigger than we ever imagined.
Sometimes faith looks like saying yes when things still feel uncertain.
It looks like long drives and longer nights. It looks like learning as you go, meeting new people, and trusting God with the next mile instead of demanding to see the whole map ahead of time.
Over the next week we will be working events, building community connections, and chasing a dream together. And honestly, one of my favorite parts is simply getting to do it beside my handsome and amazing husband.
I do not know exactly where this road will lead, but I know Who is leading us.
And that makes all the difference.
See you on the 22nd, friends.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

detours

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.
- Psalm 37:23 (NLT)
 
Recalculating.
That is such a cringey word when you are traveling. Maybe there is a detour, a missed turn, or a road you thought you knew suddenly is not the road you are supposed to take anymore.
Our GPS can get pretty agitated when we do not follow her route exactly. And then there are the new roads the GPS does not even acknowledge, so the screen just shows you wandering off-road through the wilderness.
Sometimes detours are fun. You see things you would have missed on your normal route. Other times, detours are just annoying. They slow us down, change our plans, and make us wonder why we could not just keep going the way we intended.
But there is often a reason for a detour. It may be traffic, construction, danger ahead, or something we cannot see from where we are.
Life works that way too.
Sometimes God reroutes us because He sees farther down the road than we do. What feels like an interruption may actually be protection. What feels like a delay may be direction. What feels like the wrong road may be the very path God uses to lead us somewhere beautiful.
Take a minute and think about an unexpected detour in your life. Where did it lead you?
My favorite detour was the one that led me to my husband.
God is not confused by our missed turns, changed plans, or unexpected roads. He delights in every detail of our lives, and He knows exactly how to guide us home.
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible