out of office

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)
 
Have you ever gone into complete panic mode because you lost your phone? Your connection to work, family, weather alerts, news, social media — suddenly gone? Only to realize you were using the flashlight on your phone to look for your missing phone? Or maybe you were talking to someone on your phone while searching for your phone?
I admit it has happened to me more than once.
We live in a world where everyone is expected to always be available. Through many of my work roles over the years, I’ve carried pagers, emergency phones, and had bosses who could call at any time to pull me into a focus room when something went wrong. For years I slept with my phone volume turned all the way up “just in case” something happened at work or with family. We become so connected to the world around us that silence can actually make us uncomfortable.
The first time I went on a vacation where there was no cell service, no Wi-Fi, no connection at all, my panic level was sky high. What if someone needed me? What if work fell apart? What if something happened?
But you know what?
When I returned to civilization four days later, nothing was permanently broken. The world was still turning, and people were still peopling.
Somewhere along the way, we started believing that rest equals laziness, but that isn’t true at all. Even Jesus stepped away sometimes. In the middle of teaching, healing, crowds, and constant demands, He told His disciples to come away to a quiet place and rest. If the Son of God made time to step away from the noise, maybe we need to as well.
God often speaks in quiet places. Not always through notifications, alarms, crowded schedules, or endless scrolling — but in stillness. In deep breaths. In sunsets. In conversations around campfires. In moments where the world grows quiet enough for us to hear Him again.
So for the next couple of days, this little Daily Bread corner will be “out of office.” Take care of yourselves, enjoy the people around you, breathe deeply, rest well… and I’ll meet you back here Monday. 💙
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

taste and see

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.
- Psalm 34:8 (NIV)
 
It’s Taco Tuesday!
I remember when I was a teenager there was a fast-food chain that advertised “Taco Twosday” — two tacos for 99 cents. For a lot of families, it became a tradition that still continues today. (And honestly, I still miss the Potato Olés from that place.)
It’s interesting how food becomes tied to comfort, tradition, and memories. Some foods immediately make us think of certain people or moments in life. My grandmother made the best coconut cream pie. My mother-in-law makes all kinds of amazing foods — some recipes passed down for generations like currant biscuits and lefse, and others that may be uniquely hers, like rhubarb custard pie and her famous bean dish.
Somewhere along the way, my own contributions to family favorites became chicken and rice and chicken parmesan. My future daughter-in-law makes a Mexican chicken dish that is absolutely delicious.
And then there are the foods that seem woven into life itself: Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey, Easter ham, birthday cakes, hot dogs at baseball games, and all the picnic foods that show up during summer gatherings.
Food has a way of bringing people together around a table to laugh, tell stories, and make more memories. God designed us for connection, and some of the sweetest moments in life happen while sharing a meal with people we love.
But while we spend time thinking about what nourishes our bodies, we also need to remember our spiritual nourishment. A good meal satisfies us for a little while, but only God can truly fill the deeper hunger in our hearts.
Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” What an invitation that is. God doesn’t just want us to know about Him from a distance. He invites us to experience His goodness personally — to sit at His table, to receive His grace, and to find comfort and satisfaction in Him.
So whether today includes tacos, leftovers, or a drive-thru meal on the way home from work, take a moment to thank God not only for daily bread, but for the spiritual nourishment only He can provide.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible
 

remember

 “…In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them… These stones are to be a memorial…”
- Joshua 4:6b,7b (NIV)
 
Memorial Day is one of those holidays that sometimes gets misunderstood. People see a Veteran and say, “thank you for your service.” And while it is always good to honor and appreciate Veterans, Memorial Day is specifically set aside to remember those who never came home. Veteran’s Day in November honors those who served. Memorial Day honors those who gave everything.
My family has deep military roots. My grandfather fought and was wounded in World War I. My Dad was stationed in Italy during World War II, and while researching family history on an ancestry site, I discovered his draft papers for Korea — something I never even knew about. I also have family members who served during Vietnam, and close friends and loved ones connected to Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and the wars that followed.
Some came home carrying nightmares and memories they could never fully escape. Some came home forever changed, only a shadow of who they once were. And some never came home at all.
That is what Memorial Day asks us to remember.
In Joshua 4, God instructed His people to build memorial stones so future generations would stop and ask, “What do these stones mean?” Those stones mattered because people forget. Time moves on. Life gets busy. But sacrifice should never be forgotten.
Memorial Day is more than backyard cookouts, mattress sales, or an extra day off work. It is a pause. A sacred reminder that freedom has always carried a cost paid for by sons, daughters, husbands, wives, parents, and friends whose families had to learn how to keep living after the knock on the door no one ever wants to receive.
Today, may we remember well. May we honor the fallen. And may we never take lightly the freedoms that came at such a high price.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible
 

I made it

Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV)
 
Life is not easy.
I could probably write for days about the things I once thought I would never survive. And I know I’m not alone in that. There are cancer survivors, domestic violence survivors, people carrying PTSD from deep trauma, people grieving losses nobody else can fully understand, and people silently fighting battles they never talk about publicly.
And the truth is, no struggle should be compared against another. Pain is personal. What crushes one person may not crush another, and nobody ever truly knows exactly what someone else is going through because every heart carries things differently.
But one thing many of us have in common is this: somehow, by the grace of God, we’re still here.
Most people who have followed my blog for a while know how much music speaks to me. Songs have a way of reaching places words alone sometimes can’t. There’s one song in particular that has become a personal anthem for me lately — “I Made It” by CAIN.
A few of the lyrics say:
“I’m coming out the other side stronger
One foot in front of the other
Hands still raising
Heart still praising
I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it
Through the storms
The hell and high water
I never left the hands of my Father
Lungs still breathing
Thank You Jesus
I made it, I made it, I made it, I made it”
Whew. That’ll preach all by itself.
Because when I look back over my life, there were moments I didn’t know how I was going to make it through. Times where I was exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious, heartbroken, or barely holding myself together. But here I am. Still breathing. Still believing. Still praising God despite everything.
That’s what Lamentations reminds us. We are not consumed because God’s mercy keeps carrying us forward. Every morning we wake up is proof that His faithfulness has not run out yet.
So if you’re struggling today, let this be your reminder: you do not have to have it all together to keep moving forward. Sometimes victory simply looks like taking the next step. Sometimes survival itself is a testimony.
And one day, you’ll look back at the storm you thought would destroy you and realize…
by the grace of God, you made it too.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

through fire

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
- Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)
 
How many times have we prayed for God to just take something away?
Take away the pain.
Take away the fear.
Take away the uncertainty.
Take away the diagnosis, the grief, the heartbreak, the struggle.
If we’re honest, most of us don’t pray to go through hard things — we pray to avoid them altogether.
Even Jesus did this in the Garden of Gethsemane before the cross, He said, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” (Luke 22:42)
There’s something comforting about knowing Jesus understood that human longing for relief. He understood anguish. He understood asking the Father for another way. Yet even in that moment, He still trusted God’s will.
When someone is dealing with unexplained pain, chronic illness, anxiety, or just one hard thing after another, it’s natural to ask God to make it stop. Sometimes we grow weary from carrying things that nobody else can fully see or understand. We pray, “Lord, please let this be over.”
But what if some things are not meant to destroy us — what if they are refining us?
Gold is purified in fire. Strength is built under pressure. Faith often grows deepest in the places where we have no choice but to depend completely on God.
That doesn’t mean suffering is easy. It doesn’t mean we have to pretend everything is fine. But it does mean the fire is not proof that God has abandoned us. Sometimes it is proof that He is still working.
Isaiah doesn’t say if we walk through the fire. It says when. The promise was never that life would be pain-free. The promise is that God will be with us in the middle of it.
And maybe — just maybe — some of the hardest roads we walk are the very roads that lead us closer to where God wants us to be.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

take off

You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.
- Job 22:28 (NKJV)
 
A friend of mine retired a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been so excited watching her step into a brand-new season of life. It also got me thinking — which is usually a dangerous thing. 😊
I started working like a lot of teenagers do: fast food, waitressing, cashiering, line cooking, prep cooking. After high school I landed a factory job, and eventually I somehow worked my way into corporate America, where I still am today.
But the workforce has changed a lot over the years. Job security feels more uncertain than ever. The first Fortune 500 company I worked for downsized multiple times. Between the two of us, Randy and I have been “reorganized” — which is a very polished corporate way of saying our jobs were eliminated — three different times. Even after moving to a larger company, we’ve still experienced being “displaced.”
It teaches you pretty quickly that sometimes the ground beneath your feet is not nearly as solid as you thought it was.
So we decided to do what a lot of people do when uncertainty creeps in — we started building something of our own. Randy earned his FAA drone license, and together we launched our little hobby-business, Surface 2 Sky Productions LLC. He records events, creates “then and now” photography, captures drone footage for events and real estate, and now we’ve even invested in a 360 photo booth for fun event videos.
And honestly? It’s exciting… but also scary.
Starting something before you know whether it will succeed feels a little like riding a motorcycle at night. Your headlight only shows part of the road ahead. You can’t see every turn, every bump, or exactly where you’ll end up. But you keep moving forward anyway, trusting the light you’ve been given for this moment.
That’s what faith often looks like.
Job 22:28 reminds us that there is power in stepping forward in faith and declaring what God has placed in our hearts. Not arrogance. Not pretending we control the future. But trusting that God can guide the path ahead even when we cannot fully see it yet.
We don’t know exactly where this journey with Surface 2 Sky will lead. Maybe it grows into something big. Maybe it simply becomes a blessing in smaller ways we can’t yet imagine. But sometimes faith means trying anyway. Planting anyway. Dreaming anyway. Moving forward anyway.
And trusting God to shine light on the road ahead one step at a time.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

seen differently

You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.
- John 8:15-16
 
Last week, I shared a very personal part of my story on social media — my lifelong battle with weight. It was vulnerable and honestly a little scary to put out there, because people can be cruel, even when they don’t realize the lasting impact of their words.
I’ve struggled with my weight since before I was even a teenager. I know what it feels like to be judged by appearance before people ever know your heart. I remember wearing an outfit my freshman year of high school that I thought was cute — soft lavender, something that made me feel confident for once. Instead, I got mocked and called “grape ape” by other students.
Those kinds of moments stick with you.
I also became very familiar with backhanded compliments like, “You have such a pretty face,” or “You’re beautiful inside.” Even when people didn’t mean harm, it reinforced the feeling that I was being measured by human standards and found lacking.
The truth is, people are often quick to judge what they can see on the outside. Jesus understood that better than anyone. In today’s verse, He reminds us that human judgment is flawed, shallow, and incomplete. God sees differently. He sees the heart. He sees worth where others see imperfections. He sees beloved children where the world sees labels.
And friend, that doesn’t apply only to weight. People judge jobs, appearances, mistakes, past failures, finances, families, personalities — all kinds of things. But God’s love has never been based on whether we fit someone else’s standards.
I think one of the hardest things to learn is that our value was never meant to come from the opinions of others. It comes from the One who created us.
So if words from your past still echo in your mind sometimes, remember this: people may define you by what they see, but God defines you by who you are to Him. And His voice matters most.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

mass destruction

 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
- 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV)
 
Saturday night, my husband and I took the grandkids to the demolition derby for the very first time. We came prepared — fair food plans already mapped out, little “Mickey Mouse” headphones packed to help with the noise, and enough excitement to fill the whole grandstand.
If you’ve ever been to a demolition derby, you know it’s organized chaos. Engines roaring. Metal crunching. Car parts flying. Drivers intentionally smashing into each other until only one vehicle is left moving. Between heats there was amateur wrestling that felt straight out of WWE, and honestly, the whole thing was loud, wild, and hilarious.
My granddaughter and I picked our favorite cars each round and cheered like crazy for them. Of course, our picks didn’t win most of the time (ok, ours did not win at all). By the end of the night, the cars that started shiny and whole were completely wrecked. Bent frames. Blown engines. Crumpled doors. Those cars will never be the same again.
On the drive home, I kept thinking about how life can feel a little like that sometimes. We get hit from all sides — disappointment, stress, grief, bad choices, heartbreak, exhaustion. Sometimes we even participate in our own destruction by carrying things we were never meant to hold onto.
The difference is this: when a demolition derby car is destroyed, it usually ends up in a scrapyard. But when we are broken, God doesn’t throw us away. He restores. He rebuilds. He heals what looks beyond repair.
Maybe today you feel dented up by life. Maybe your spirit feels crushed under the weight of everything happening around you. Friend, God is still in the business of restoration. What feels ruined to you is not ruined to Him.
And unlike those derby cars… through Him, we really can become new again.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

missing pieces

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
- Proverbs 16:9
 
I raised three boys, so pigtails and Barbie dolls were never really part of my world. My house was more noise, amphibians showing up on the counter, muddy shoes, video games, and endless amounts of food disappearing from the kitchen.
My husband used to joke that it was probably a good thing we never had girls because we wouldn’t know what to do with them anyway.
And honestly, there were moments over the years when I would see mother-daughter events or walk past tiny dresses, bows, and sparkly little girl things and feel a quiet sadness. Not overwhelming grief, just one of those little missing pieces in life I assumed I would never experience.
But God.
Years ago, when my son took a friend’s daughter to senior prom “just as friends,” her mom invited me to go prom dress shopping with them. And suddenly there I was in the middle of a frilly, laughter-filled day of dresses, shoes, accessories, excitement, and memories I never thought I would get to have.
At the time, I thought maybe God was simply letting me borrow a beautiful moment.
But God wasn’t finished yet.
Now I have this amazing woman and granddaughter in my life, and suddenly I do get to enjoy those things. I get to buy the pink froo-froo stuff. I get to enjoy the sparkles, the little girl moments, the laughter, the sweet memories I once thought would always belong to someone else.
And looking back now, I can see something important:
sometimes God fills the missing pieces in ways we never could have planned for ourselves.
Life does not always unfold according to our expectations. Some prayers are answered differently than we imagined. Some dreams arrive through side doors we never noticed before.
But God sees the quiet places in our hearts too.
He knows the things we never say out loud. The little disappointments. The silent longings. The pieces we think are permanently missing.
And somehow, in His goodness, He has a way of weaving beauty into places we thought would always stay empty.
Maybe not always the way we expected.
But often in ways that become even more meaningful.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

tiny things

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.
- Zechariah 4:10a (NLT)
 
Babies are tiny.
Tiny fingers. Tiny toes. Tiny cries in the middle of the night that somehow completely change your entire world forever.
But they don’t stay tiny for long.
Today, I want to give a happy birthday shout out to my youngest son. I hope your day is as blessed as you made mine the day you came into this world. It feels impossible sometimes how quickly the years move. One minute you are rocking a baby to sleep, and the next you are wondering where all that time went.
Life has taught me something important though: the little moments are usually the ones that matter most.
Sometimes we think only the giant milestones count. The promotions. The big celebrations. The dramatic life-changing moments. But most of life is built from small things that quietly shape our hearts over time.
A text message from the right person on a hard day.
A hug that lasts a little longer than expected.
A prayer whispered when someone is hurting.
Someone remembering your name.
Hearing the exact worship song you needed at the exact right moment.
Someone simply sitting beside you while life hurts.
Small things become holy things.
One of my favorite movie quotes comes from Steel Magnolias:
“I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”
I love that line because life is not measured only in years or accomplishments. Sometimes the most meaningful moments are brief, ordinary, and easy to overlook if we are not paying attention.
Jesus often worked through small things too — loaves and fishes, mustard seeds, simple conversations, gentle touches.
Never underestimate what God can do through one small act of love.
The little things matter more than we realize.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

quiet

The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
- 1 Kings 19:11-12 (NIV)
 
Life is loud.
Notifications constantly going off. Opinions coming from every direction. Busy schedules. Work stress. Social media scrolling. Television running in the background. People talking. Music playing. News updates. Alerts. Noise everywhere.
Sometimes I don’t think we even realize how mentally exhausted we are until we finally sit in silence.
Saturday mornings used to be one of my favorite times of the week when the kids were younger. I would curl up on the couch with a cup of coffee, a good book, and usually a cat stretched out beside me while my husband and the kids were still asleep. The house would be completely quiet, and honestly, it felt peaceful in a way that’s hard to describe.
One morning, one of the kids wandered out into the living room and asked, “Do you want me to turn on the TV?”
My response may have been a little quicker — and maybe a little sharper — than I intended:
“There doesn’t always have to be noise.”
But honestly? I still think about that moment.
Because somewhere along the way, we started filling every quiet space. We reach for our phones while standing in line. We turn on background noise the second we walk into the house. We scroll while watching television while also carrying on conversations. We are constantly surrounded by input.
Yet in this passage, God was not found in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire.
He came in a gentle whisper.
I wonder how often God is speaking softly while we are too distracted to hear Him.
Not every moment needs to be filled. Not every silence needs to be fixed. Sometimes the most holy thing we can do is sit quietly in the presence of God and simply listen.
Maybe today we all need a little less noise and a little more whisper.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

unfinished

This is the reason I am working. God’s great power is working in me.
- Colossians 1:29 (NLV)
 
I’m a planner. I like things organized, timelines laid out, and checklists neatly completed. I like knowing what comes next and feeling like everything is moving according to plan.
But life rarely cooperates with my carefully arranged schedules.
Some things take longer than we expected. Some dreams get delayed. Some healing takes years. Some lessons have to be learned more than once. And sometimes we simply run out of energy halfway through something we were sure we would finish quickly.
I actually have a cross stitch project that I started back in the 1990s that is still unfinished. At this point, I honestly do not know if I will ever go back and finish it. Somewhere along the way, life happened. Priorities shifted. Time moved on.
And you know what? That’s okay.
Because maybe that unfinished project is a reminder that all of us are still unfinished too.
We are all works in progress. None of us have perfectly figured out faith, relationships, patience, forgiveness, or trust. We are still learning. Still growing. Still stumbling and getting back up again.
The beautiful thing is that God is not intimidated by our unfinished places.
In fact, when we admit that we are unfinished, we open our hearts to the work He still wants to do in us. Pride says, “I’ve got this.” Faith says, “Lord, keep working on me.”
God’s power is still working in us even when we feel incomplete.
Maybe especially then.
So if you feel like your life is a little unfinished right now — if plans changed, progress slowed down, or things don’t look as polished as you hoped — take heart. God is still writing your story, one stitch at a time.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

mom

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
- John 19:26-27 (NIV)
 
Yesterday we celebrated Mother’s Day. Honestly, this should never be the only day we stop and acknowledge all the things moms do, but I do love that there is a special day set aside to say, “We see you. We appreciate you. We love you.”
The older I get, the more I realize I was raised by a whole tribe of mamas.
My birth mother loved me enough to give me a chance at a better life through adoption, and for that I will always be thankful. My adoptive mother fed me, clothed me, encouraged me, and did the best she knew how to do. My mother-in-law became part of the family that shaped my life into what it is today.
And then there were the other moms. The friend’s moms who stepped in during moments when I needed comfort, guidance, laughter, or simply someone to notice I wasn’t okay. The women who hugged me just as tightly as they hugged their own children. The women who loved without obligation.
When I read these verses in John, I love that even while Jesus was suffering on the cross, He was still thinking about His mother. In one of the most painful moments imaginable, He made sure she would be cared for and loved.
That says something beautiful about the heart of God.
Motherhood is not just biology. It is sacrifice, nurturing, protecting, praying, comforting, guiding, and loving. Sometimes motherhood comes through birth, sometimes through adoption, sometimes through marriage, friendship, foster care, mentorship, or simply showing up for someone when they need it most.
We celebrate all moms.
The moms who are raising babies and the moms who are raising grown children. The moms whose children are far away serving our country. The moms who carry grief because their children are no longer here. The women missing their own mothers today. The women loving children that are not biologically theirs. The spiritual moms. The bonus moms. The foster moms. The adoptive moms.
And yes, even the fur-baby mommas — we see you too. 💙
Love like that leaves fingerprints on hearts forever.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible 

grow

Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.
- Hebrews 5:12–14 (NIV)
 
I do not have a green thumb. In fact, I joke that I have killed an air fern and several plastic plants.
Gardening sounds simple enough. Plant the flowers. Water them. Let them grow.
But every time I try, I feel like a beginner.
I get excited when something starts to bloom or finally pushes through the soil. There’s something satisfying about seeing growth happen.
And then life gets busy, I forget to water the plants or I water them too much. And somehow, they still don’t survive.
It feels a little ridiculous at times — especially for a girl who grew up in Iowa, surrounded by farm towns where growing things seemed to come naturally to everyone else.
But maybe that’s exactly why gardening reminds me of faith. Spiritual maturity doesn’t mean we have everything figured out. Faith isn’t about arriving at some perfect place where we suddenly “get it right.”
It’s about growing.
There are still things to learn.
Still places God wants to shape us.
Still lessons we revisit because growth is ongoing.
Even after years of faith, there are moments when I still feel like an infant spiritually — still learning, still needing guidance, still asking God to take my hand and gently point me in the right direction.
And I’m not ashamed to admit that I need Him.
Maybe maturity isn’t about needing God less.
Maybe true maturity is realizing just how much we need Him every single day.
Because growth takes time.
And God is patient with the process.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

thoughts

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
- Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
 
Humans are creatures of habit. For me, most mornings follow familiar patterns. Monday through Friday, I usually turn on the local news while getting ready — mostly to catch the weather, but sometimes to hear what’s happening in the world.
But Sunday mornings are different. I love watching CBS Sunday Morning — the slower pace, the interesting stories, the feel-good moments, the reminders of creativity, humanity, and hope.
My husband would much rather watch Meet the Press. He listens to politics. I tend to avoid it. Politics make me cringe.
Even in the car, we alternate between his stations and mine. But Sundays are always Christian music.
And over time, I’ve realized something simple but important: everything we hear, see, and read affects us.
We may not notice it immediately, but what enters our minds eventually influences our mood, perspective, emotions, and even our sense of peace. Study after study shows how negative input impacts stress, anxiety, and emotional health — just as positive input can improve outlook, calm the mind, and shift perspective.
We don’t have to search very hard to find evidence of that, the truth is, we are constantly feeding our minds.
And what we feed grows.
When we intentionally create space for God in our lives, something changes.
Spending time in the Word before reaching for our phones. Listening to worship before the noise of the day begins. Starting with prayer instead of distraction.
Those small choices shape the atmosphere inside us.
Leaning into Him doesn’t just change our thoughts, it protects our hearts and steadies our minds.
And it reminds us that peace often begins with what we allow to take root.
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

focused

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
- Romans 8:5 (NIV)
 
There are a lot of things I love in life — my husband, my cats, music, reading, motorcycles, quiet moments, and little things that make life feel full.
But something I’ve learned over time is this: what we put in often comes back out.
Years ago, I worked in a factory where we were allowed to wear Walkmans during the day. (That sentence alone might age me a little.)
I quickly figured out that fast-paced music helped me work faster. The beat kept me moving, helped the hours pass, and gave energy to repetitive work.
But faster music didn’t always come with uplifting lyrics.
And without realizing it, what I listened to throughout the day began affecting my mood.
The same thing happens with books. Mystery novels or crime stories may be entertaining, but sometimes I notice they leave me feeling uneasy, nervous, or more on edge than before.
Even riding my motorcycle reflects my state of mind more than I once realized. Riding through heavy traffic feels different than riding an open road. One carries tension. The other feels freeing.
And while there’s something oddly fitting about hearing “Highway to Hell” on the way to a job you dislike, there came a point where I started listening to Christian radio while driving.
And honestly, there are times it completely shifts my perspective.
A worship song. A scripture shared between songs. A reminder of truth when my mind has been racing.
It changes the atmosphere inside me.
Because what fills our minds doesn’t stay there.
It shapes our thoughts, influences our emotions, affects our reactions, and slowly becomes part of the lens through which we see life.
A Spirit-focused life doesn’t happen by accident.
It grows through small daily choices — what we listen to, what we dwell on, what we allow to take root in our hearts.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

stress

Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
- Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)
 
Stress touches every life. Bills, responsibilities, health, work, relationships, uncertainty — there’s always something demanding our attention.
Stress is part of being human. There will always be responsibilities to manage, decisions to make, people to care for, and seasons that feel heavier than others. Following Jesus doesn’t remove stress from our lives. But it does change how we carry it.
We were never meant to hold the full weight of life on our own.
Sometimes stress doesn’t come from one major problem. Sometimes it comes from being the person who always says yes.
I’m a “yes” person. If someone asks me to do something, chances are I’ll say yes — whether I truly have the space for it or not. It’s just how I’m wired.
But people notice that quickly.
Before long, the calendar fills. Responsibilities stack. Commitments multiply.
And suddenly, the weight of too many yeses starts affecting everything — work, family, relationships, rest, and even the things that once brought joy.
I can look at a week and think, I finally have two nights free. Then almost instantly, something slips into that space and suddenly I’m overwhelmed again.
I’ve been told to ask for help. But sometimes asking for help comes with excuses. And if I’m honest, one of my biggest struggles is patience — sometimes it feels easier to just do it myself than wait for someone else to do it differently.
Stress has a way of convincing us that everything depends on us.
But Jesus never asked us to live clenched-fist lives.
He invites us to come to Him with what is heavy.
To stop carrying every obligation like it belongs solely on our shoulders.
To understand that saying yes to Him may sometimes require saying no to other things.
Maybe peace isn’t found in doing less.
Maybe peace begins when we stop believing we have to carry everything.
And maybe there’s wisdom in choosing fewer “have to” moments so we can make room for more “want to” moments.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible

alone

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
- John 15:5 (NIV)
 
Have you ever been in a room full of people and still felt entirely alone?
It’s a real thing — a kind of interpersonal detachment. A deep sense of isolation or disconnection, even while surrounded by others. Sometimes it feels like going through the motions, smiling when expected, participating just enough, but internally feeling unseen.
We can have plenty of acquaintances, social circles, coworkers, or even friends — yet still feel lonely because what we truly crave is meaningful connection. The kind that feels deep, safe, and nourishing.
Life becomes heavy when we try to carry it alone.
And while human connection matters, there’s another layer to loneliness that often goes unnoticed: living disconnected from God.
Life was never meant to be lived independently.
We were not designed to navigate stress, decisions, fears, disappointments, or daily life without Him. God never intended to be a distant observer. He wants to walk with us in the ordinary moments — the drive to work, the quiet mornings, the hard conversations, the small decisions, and the overwhelming seasons.
This isn’t about religion as a routine or something we simply check off a list. It’s about relationship — learning to walk with God in a way that feels real, personal, and woven into everyday life.
Not simply believing God exists. Not checking a spiritual box. But learning to invite Him into everyday life.
Because when we intentionally walk with Him, we stop carrying the full weight of life by ourselves.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible

to be honest

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
- Mark 9:24 (NIV)
 
I haven’t always been a Christ follower.
Even now, after following Him through most of my adult life — after teaching Sunday School, leading Bible studies, praying with others, and even doing some preaching — there are still moments when I honestly feel like I don’t believe.
Not because I don’t know who God is.
But because life gets heavy, uncertainty creeps in, and fear whispers that I need to be the one in control.
There are times I convince myself that if something is going to get done, I need to handle it. I need to fix it, protect it, plan it, manage it — because the only person I can truly count on is me.
And if I’m honest, that mindset is exhausting.
It sounds strong on the surface, but underneath it is fear. Fear of disappointment. Fear of waiting. Fear that letting go might leave me vulnerable.
But the truth is, I am not meant to carry everything alone.
And it’s a good thing that belief isn’t dependent on perfection.
Because if it were left entirely up to me, I would make a mess of things.
The father in Mark 9 gives one of the most honest prayers in Scripture: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.”
He didn’t pretend to have perfect faith. He brought his struggle directly to Jesus.
And Jesus didn’t reject him for it.
Sometimes faith isn’t loud certainty.
Sometimes faith is quietly admitting, Lord, I’m struggling to trust You right now.
And maybe that honesty is where deeper faith begins.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible