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A craftsman starts with a vision.  With it, he applies his skills, turning that vision into a reality. He works with diligent patience, creating a unique product; and hopefully, it's a product of which he's proud.  On Saturday, my boyfriend and I watched a blacksmith working at an anvil. As odd as that may sound, it was really quite amazing to see a rod of iron skillfully transformed into a piece of art. In and out of the fire, carefully handled, yet beat with a hammer. In the blacksmith's mind, that rod of iron had a purpose. It had potential for beauty, and that craftsman worked hard to make it into what he wanted it to become.  Watching this reminded me of Jeremiah 18, where Jeremiah was told to go and watch the potter do his daily work - and that God would reveal more of Himself through the simple act of observing a craftsman in his element. (You can read more about that story from Jeremiah 18 in my post about  pottery !) Also, after feeling encouraged to read Is...

Our family is going through a season of change. I'm off of work for the week, enjoying a little time at home in Minnesota with my family. My older sister, brother-in-law, and nephew left to start medical school in Missouri early this morning. My 19-year-old brother is preparing to move to Virginia for school next month, and I head back to Michigan next week. There are little pieces of my heart all over the place, and it's a time full of so many mixed emotions! Thankfully, each emotion we experience is an invitation to enter into and experience another piece of God's heart.  We serve a God who not only created emotion, but who is also emotional. He wants us to come to him (not run from him) when we feel new emotions. John 3:16 - God loves Exodus 34:14 - God is jealous Psalm 37:13 - God laughs John 11:35 - God cries Psalm 38:1 - God gets angry  Numbers 11:1 - God feels disappointment Matthew 14:14 - God feels compassion Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 - There's a time for every emoti...

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...