wordspread

Last night at work, I told my coworker I was determined to finish everything on time... because my shift ended at 7:30am, and I was scheduled to play violin at church at 8:15am. "It might be a little tight!" I said. I needed to drive home (a 15-minute drive), shower, change, grab my violin, eat something, and drive to church (a 10-minute drive). If I clocked out at 7:30, that didn't leave me with many spare minutes. Classic Megan style. This coworker made it very clear that she didn't go to church. Though she had been raised in a southern baptist home and gone to church three times each week as a child, she said it wasn't her "thing" anymore. She said she felt like she "probably should" go to church, but she didn't. Another coworker agreed with her, and as I continued in my work at a nearby computer, the two of them continued to chat. Her next sentence shocked me a bit: "Eventually you grow up and realize it's all a hoopla," ...

We all get hungry. But, what for? And, can you control what you're hungry for? Hungry for donuts? Hungry for coffee and chocolate? Hungry for salads? Hungry for time to scroll instagram? Hungry for time in God's word? Hungry for "alone" time? Hungry for experiences? Hungry for "more" of something? First, hunger isn't inherently bad. In fact, it is an amazing indicator of what your body needs or desires. We all get hungry... and these appetites of ours tell us a lot about how we're doing physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Our goal should be to hunger for the things of God... but, what do we do when we're not hungry for those things? How do we fight unruly appetites? _________________ "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." ~ Matthew 5:6 _________________ While the world says that "cravings happen," and to "treat yourself" when your appetite goes wild, I'm he...

We all have different job titles. But really, we all have the same job: Glorifying God in the work that he's called us to do, right where we are, right when we're there. ___________ "The Christian gospel decidedly furnishes us with the resources for more inspired, realistic, satisfying, and faithful work today."  - Timothy Keller, Every Good Endeavor ___________ Work. Is. Not. Easy. I'd love to say that working the 7pm-7:30am night shift is "my thing," that I'm thriving in my current job, and that I love every part of it. Unfortunately, that's not a reality. Can you relate to struggling to go to work with joy and willingness? Counting down the hours until you get to go home and rest? *wordy sentence alert* In the past four months I've had to do a lot of work outside of work to be able to go to work with a joyful, willing heart.  Don't get me wrong here... I do love being a nurse, and there are parts of my job that I absolutely love. But, ...

What are you motivated by? Take a minute to actually think about that. Are your actions motivated by a desire to get something for yourself? A hope that you'll be rewarded? Or, are your actions motivated by true compassion for others?  There's a big difference. __________________ If your motives don't stem out of complete love for others, out of complete compassion, you're just making noise.  __________________ 1 Corinthians 13 says that if we aren't motivated by love, we are just like a "noisy gong" or "clanging cymbal." When you're just making noise, you're distracting. Annoying. Bothersome. Loud. Even if you're doing something "good," I would argue that it really doesn't even matter if your motives aren't right.  Ouch.  Today, my prayer is to be wholly motivated by the Holy Spirit, whose fruit is love, and whose desire is for all to one day be made whole, healthy, and well. May the word of our gracious God give us...

I love pottery. Don't you!?  A skilled potter uses clay: an unformed, dull-looking lump of nothingness, and molds it into something not only beautiful, but also useful. You may have heard that God is the "potter" and that you're the "clay," but have you ever really thought about what this means?? __________________ You are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. - Isaiah 64:8 __________________ The potter shapes the vessel, holding it in his hands while the shaping takes place. The potter stains the vessel, giving it a unique appearance. The potter pushes and pulls the clay, using tools to create texture and designs in the clay. Sometimes, the potter even has to smash the lump of clay completely to simply start over with the whole project. Yet, the whole time, the clay is in the potter's hand.  With that, here's today's encouragement: We're all like lumps of clay. Dull, unformed, and ugly. Huh. T...

At one point in last night's Super Bowl game (sometimes lovingly referred to as the "stupid bowl" in our household ...), there was a touchdown "scored," but it was "recalled" shortly after the fact, due to a penalty on the play.  *this was the one and only play I actually watched after working a 12-hr shift at the hospital* The football players believed they had scored, and so naturally, they celebrated. However, their celebration didn't reflect the truth of the play. The reality of the situation was that they needed to replay the down - the touchdown was invalid.  I've had quite a few moments in my life where I thought  something was true, and my feelings reflected that thing I thought to be true. However, I was wrong in many of these instances, and therefore, my feelings were also wrong. So, here's a  bold reminder for your day: If you are believing a lie, your feelings are fake. __________________ "If your beliefs don't reflect...

The concept of time is odd. Have you ever thought about how RIGHT NOW, in this exact moment, is where time touches eternity?  *Joke break* Joe: "Hey Mom, what time is it?" Mom: "3:00 O'Clock" Joe: "Ugh." Mom: "What's the matter?" Joe: "I've been asking that question all day, and everyone gives me a different answer!!" A different answer. All. Day. Long. Can you imagine!? Funny stuff. Yet, there is a seriousness to the concept of time. It isn't just something to laugh at, but to take seriously. Because, your minutes matter. Oh, also, if I ever run out of time jokes and puns, I'll always have daylight savings jokes to fall back on.  Okay... puns aside. I hope those added some giggles to your day. So easily, we waste our time. So quickly, the seconds tick by. Before we know it, it has been a moment. Minutes. An hour. A day. A year. A decade. And yet, the clock continues. Seconds make up minutes. Minutes make up hours. H...