life. faithful.

Cancelled. Banned. Censored. Deleted. Silenced. It's something I never imagined I would see in the United States, but it seems to have happened in an instant. Instead of promoting discussion and civil discourse, our government is working to silence anyone who dares speak against the accepted narrative.No matter your stance on anything else facing our nation, the fact that opposing views are being completely suppressed should infuriate you. Lies don't have to be silenced. The truth is much stronger than the lies, and even if truth is whispered while lies are shouted from the rooftops the truth will always win out in the end. I can't remember a time in history when those in power tried to silence lies. Instead, corrupt governments work hard to suppress the inconvenient truth that calls out their hypocrisy, their ineptitude, or their evil intentions.  “Now I will tell you the answer to my question. It is this. The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. We are not intere

 I know I should trust You. I know Your promises are true. I know You are ultimately in control of everything happening in this world. Sometimes, though, it's just so hard. Even though I know it never works out when I do, there's still a part of me that wants to try to control all the things. I look at the world around me and see it spinning out of control in a way I never would have imagined seeing just a few years ago. My nature is to try to reach out and stabilize everything I can, to attempt to keep "me and mine" from being thrown off-kilter. I start thinking that if I can just do enough, plan enough, and prepare enough, I'll be able to hold things in place for the people I love. It's not like I don't know better. I've watched some of my best laid plans go up in smoke. I've tried desperately to cling to things and had them slip through my fingers. I've begged and pleaded for You to just do things the way I expect only to sit back in disbel

 The whole world is watching what is unfolding in Afghanistan right now--the chaos and heartbreak has caught so many of us off guard. With the Taliban taking complete control, the people are facing an unimaginable future. The reports coming out of the country are almost surreal, and definitely impossible for most of us in the United States to understand. What has hit me as the most spectacular, though, are the reports we are hearing from the followers of Christ who are in Afghanistan. They are fleeing their homes and trying to protect their families, but at the same time they are saying they plan to meet Jesus face to face within the next couple of weeks. Planning to meet Jesus. God, give them strength. Give them peace. Give them mercy. And give us a small fraction of their faith. 9  When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the heavenly altar the souls of those murdered for holding fast to the word of God and their testimony. 10  They cried out in a great, singular voice. Mar

 Michael,  17 years. It seems like such a long time, and it means I'm getting way too close to the point where I've lived more of my life without you than with you. In some ways, it seems like that will mark 2 different lifetimes--the one I lived with you and the one I've lived since you. I still miss you all the time. Sometimes, the missing you part is normal. It's just a little thought that I would love to be able to tell you something or ask your advice. Other times, it's painful enough that it takes my breath away. I wish you were here to know all your nieces and nephews--there are a lot of them now. I would love to see that crooked grin of yours while you pestered them like you always did me. I imagine you would make sure they all knew how to throw a punch, too. I would love to hear your take on all the chaotic stories that come out of my life on the farm. I have a feeling you would laugh as much as Pop does. The two of you have always been good at making me se

 I saw a post the other day that repeated something I've seen a lot. Basically, it was along the lines of, "I don't go to church because the people there are hypocrites." So many people use the excuse that the pews are filled with imperfect people as the reason they don't gather together on Sunday morning. They talk about people who share verses and say they are praying for people but then mess up in some way, and somehow the fact that those people are at church is used as the reason they don't go themselves. I go to church with a bunch of imperfect people.  They mess up--most of them daily in some way, if I'm being honest. They get cranky and have days when they are just plain grumpy. They skip the Sunday morning service sometimes. They get mad. They say things they shouldn't. They get impatient. They make mistakes, and sometimes they even make conscious choices to do something they shouldn't. I'm incredibly thankful for that, because it means