Simply Trusting

Thank you for stopping by for this fourth advent devotional for this year. This week's writing is a bit more personal, but I hope that it will bless and encourage you. Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; let ev’ry heart prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love. -Isaac Watts- 2021 has been an extremely challenging year. In many ways, the “wonders of His love” felt less visible than in other seasons. In addition to all of the complications and changes in life due to Covid, I picked up my life in mid-June and left my dear heart home of Kandern, Germany to return to the US. I felt confirmed and supported in the decision, but it was still a difficult move. As I sorted through suitcases and emotions, I realized that I had a deep fear of being forgotten. It seemed logical enough - I have forgotten or lost touch with many people from v

Hello friends, My semester ended last week, and I took some much-needed time to rest and recharge this weekend. As much as I wanted to post this earlier, the extra time gave me a chance to rest and reflect. Thanks for your patience, and for visiting!      This year, I helped my parents search for new Christmas decorations for their front yard. There were a lot of different options, but the ones that caught my eye were the big plastic cutouts spelling the word “joy”. This word can be seen everywhere this time of year. It seems to be used synonymously with “happiness.” In fact, Merriam-Webster defines it as a “feeling of great happiness,” and “a source or cause of great happiness.” But are they actually the same, and if not, how are they different? I believe that the difference is found at the source. Happiness comes in response to favorable circumstances or events. I feel happy when I hear from a friend, or when playing with my nephew. Joy is not rooted in circumstances. In John 4, Jes

  Welcome back! Whether you’re back for round two, or are visiting for the first time, I am honored by your visit. This week I have been reflecting on the way peace and light are related. Plus, this week includes a Christmas carol that was written by a German speaker - you know I had to! I hope that the reflections for this week offer some encouragement.  Advent Week 2: Peace - All is calm, all is bright with extravagant light! “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2 One thing that I have grown to love about the Advent season is the abundance of light. All I have to do is walk into my front yard and look up the street to see the presence of light. It’s everywhere - in the trees, on houses, in more colors and shades than I ever imagined could exist. The houses with the warm white lights trimming the frame, candles casting a gentle glow from the window are lovely and inviting, with a classy gree

Advent Week 1: Hope Hope is not easy to write about, but as we begin this season of Advent, it has been helpful to me to reflect why hope is difficult. I hope that my reflections encourage you in some small way.  I have always been a do-it-myself kind of person. If someone needs to step up and take action, I will feel compelled to do it. If a better grade can be achieved, I’ll figure out what I could have done to get it. If a system or program could be more efficient, I’ll find a better way. The last two years have been very frustrating for me. It seems as though grief, loss, pain and so many other things, are rampant. The other day I saw an instagram post that encouraged readers to do “whatever felt right, because nothing matters anymore.” Yikes. It resonates, though. I wish that a word, deed or action could do away with the problems racking the world. And yet, I find myself wondering if these problems - pain, heartache, grief and loss - had been lurking beneath the surface, until the

What does it mean to you to prepare? In some seasons of my life, I have been the textbook example of procrastination. As I get older, however, this is something I am working hard to change. I have learned, sometimes the hard way, that in order to be able to give all that is being asked in a given situation, I need to come to the table prepared. Prepared to listen, to speak, to act, to learn, and so much more. What intentional steps do you take to prepare your heart for worship? Are you aware of the way that your heart and mind adjust to allow you to fully participate? Advent is a season of preparation. For you dear friend, the four weeks leading up to Christmas may be the busiest days of the year. My hope is that by pausing together to think, reflect and worship during the coming weeks, we can take back this ground, and prepare our hearts to more fully celebrate the coming of the One Who has done everything for you and me. Last year, the discipline of reflection and encouragement was i

  Dear friends and family, I owe you all an apology - It has been much longer that I had hoped since I last wrote. I have been pondering for weeks what I should write. Since Christmas, our students have experienced four different types of learning environments. They started in January by attending classes virtually from their dorms. A 10 day quarantine to ensure no one had Covid-19 turned into three weeks of isolation because the number of infected cases in our state were so high. They then transitioned to attending classes virtually, but this time on campus. If you had walked onto our campus at that time, you would have seen that each dorm had an assigned zone where the students could spread out, attend classes, and work on homework. This was not an ideal situation, but it worked for a time. For about one month, our students were able to attend classes in person. As our student body returned to campus, the reunions were emotional to watch. Many had not seen each other in person since