The Necessity of Feeding on God's Word and How To Do That in the Little Years

Photo by Pierre-Alain Picard on Unsplash

There were times in my life where time alone was plenteous. Because I was single (and waiting patiently for my future husband to arrive on the timeline) I had so very much time available to me in my twenties when I was not studying at college or working a plethora of part time jobs to pay the bills. As an introvert, my time was not filled up with a lot of social activity, there was some, especially when it came to church ministry and serving the youth and young adults at my parent’s church plant. In those times, I was busy… driving kids to the bi-weekly community worship service in another town, planning Bible study, leading the youth music team and one of the adult music teams, practicing for our hilarious Christmas drama at church, and gathering for youth events, or just meeting up with young people for coffee. But in general, life was quiet; I had no cell phone and the internet was at my parent’s house where you could only access it if no one else was on the phone, and then, you had to dial up to connect. Those who remember that stage of the internet will recall the all too familiar tones emitting from the computer speakers as it laboriously attempted to connect to the world wide web, and the painstaking patience required to wait for it!

Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

Sometimes I would pack up my journal, Bible, a book, and drive to a cozy coffee shop for an evening of writing and reflection while being serenaded by the instrumental jazz on the stereo playing overhead. Sometimes, I would venture down the ravine behind my parents house for some time alone amidst the woods, the sound of birdsong, the calming rhythm of the creek flowing ever on down towards the Fraser River from Whonnock Mountain where we lived. The views from my parents’ mountain sanctuary helped me get perspective on life. Lots of walks. Lots of thoughts. A quiet afternoon climbing over massive logs and dipping my feet in the Kanaka Creek while sunlight streamed through gathered trees watching over me like Tolkien’s faithful Ents, provided a perfect scene to spend time alone with the Lord Jesus and pour out my heart to Him, seek Him (even though I didn’t spend too long on that log that warm summer day when I realized all the berries were eaten half way up the surrounding bushes, and the thought of running into bear or cougar or coyote snapped me back into the reality of the wild… but still, it was awesome… except when I dislocated my knee going back up the ravine… but still, it was awesome.)

Photo by John Thomas on Unsplash

When the blessing of children arrived, those quiet times alone with the Lord became fewer and far between. The journaling stopped altogether as my energy was sapped much quicker and naps were an afternoon necessity! There were times when I would look up and say, “Lord, I miss you,” not that He was gone, but that my time alone with Him was now just different. While I absolutely loved being in this new season of motherhood, I had to find new rhythms of devotion, and the Lord gently led me into creative ways to “practice His presence”.

I wasn’t able to drink from the firehose of God’s Word in the same way I had before, and so it was a new season of learning by trial and error, how I was going to be in God’s Word. There were many ups and downs, many dry times, and as always with any new thing, it was a learning curve, and I had to learn to give myself grace. Over time, I found things that worked for me and didn’t work for me.

Hiking in St Louis, Missouri, 2015

2 Simple and Practical Ways to Get Into God’s Word:

1. Listen to the Bible on audiobook or stream online: We have access to so many ways to get into God’s Word in our current era, besides picking up the Bible and turning the pages. Ten years ago, my four babies were between the ages of 0 and 6 years old. We were starting some homeschooling and busy with crafting and snacks and play doh and snacks and getting everyone’s shoes and coats on to go to the community playground outside and snacks and changing diapers for two and potty training and… snacks! Life was gloriously full (and still is)! But I had little ones up at night, with sicknesses making its round through all four kids and sometimes little ones waking with bad dreams and needing consoling, or others waking up before the sun rose. So my capacity was quite limited. I wanted to wake up early and spend time alone with the Lord pouring over Scripture, but that did not happen in those years. In those years, the online version of the Bible I use was not streaming chapter to chapter. You could only play one chapter at a time, run back to the computer and click on the next chapter to hear it aloud. So I thought to myself, “What is the longest chapter in the Bible? I will just play that so I don’t have to run from the kitchen every few minutes… Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible. I would put it on in the background while the kids and I were spending our mornings in the kitchen playing, cooking, drawing, learning, and eating snacks! That was one way to get the Word in my ears, and theirs! Now, technology has improved and you can play through any book of the Bible in one click, and even use apps on your phone. Even now that my kids are tweens and teens, I still listen to the audio Bible when I’m wanting to catch up on my Bible reading plan as I rush out the door to get everyone where they need to go.

2. Scripture Music is another great way to get the Word in your hearts and in your kids’ hearts and carry it with you throughout the day. There are so many songwriters out there doing this now, you could pick your favorite and easily memorize scripture and even the catechisms through song! I still play Scripture songs around the home to fill the environment of my home, and my mind with Truth and beautiful music, especially if its a particularly stressful day, or if I’m feeling maxed out, and want to help remind myself and my family of God’s ways and words. Music can set the tone of the home.

Reminders on Perspective:

In the early church days, the New Testament was yet to be written, and eventually those documents would be circulated hand to hand as people traveled to teach and encourage the young churches that were being organized. Letters that were shared were read aloud to gatherings of Christians. They didn’t have copies of these documents in their homes to wake up to in the morning and meditate on with a cup of steaming hot espresso. They did not have the beloved music of Chopin or Mozart or Yo Yo Ma to listen to on a streaming device or a record player. The adults probably woke up before the sunrise, to start the cooking fires and warm up the house, prepare the grains and proteins for cooking, take care of the children and animals, and start the day’s work of survival. Every day is a work of survival. Maybe they had saved enough water from the day before for an early morning tea or another ancient drink of herbs and spices.

But likely, believers would gather once a week or several times a week for the reading of God’s Word, for the work of the church, and to be taught the Scriptures. Maybe they would memorize large portions to pass to others and recite those. Likely, any meditation on Scripture was what they had memorized from church gatherings and repeated at home. Many Jewish Christians also had the Old Testament, and many portions, or all of the Pentateuch, memorized as a part of their lifestyle and education. But most importantly, the Word of God was now written on their hearts and they lived and breathed with God’s Spirit indwelling them. This revolutionized the world. The peace and presence of Immanuel, God with us, was now a daily reality and as living temples, they carried the presence of God with them wherever they went, the aroma of Christ.

So, if you cannot be consistent in daily Scripture reading, there is no shame. Jesus doesn’t shame you. There is no shame on this train. But also, we need to stay on this train.

God says that those who meditate on His Word day and night are happy, are blessed (Psalm 1:1-2). God says where your treasure is there will your heart be also (Matthew 6:21). God says to not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed (Romans 12:1-2) and your heart and mind can be transformed and formed, literal neuropathways are formed when you read God’s Word and He transforms your thinking and thought life through these means when you saturate yourself in God’s Word.

So there is no shame (Romans 8:1) if you do not have capacity to live up to your ideals of Bible reading and frequent deep study of God’s Word, but on the other hand, He shows you the better way… Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, (Luke 10:42) spending time with the Word made flesh, soaking in every moment of hearing Him speak and filling her soul with Truth… that will not be taken away from you, and it is the better way to pursue.

Ice Cream Birthday Cake

Photo by American Heritage Chocolate on Unsplash

Just before my husband turned 40 this month, and everything in our house started breaking and falling apart, I had organized some fun things to ring in this new decade for him! One thing was an ice cream cake! Our family loves ice cream, so very much. But looking up the cost, I was determined to just make my own and save the money. With help from an online recipe, a couple of tweaks, and my mom’s chocolate trifle recipe, this homemade ice cream cake is going down in the annals of the Harris Family Chronicles, or at least onto a recipe card for my recipe box. Its easy, its not quick, and its cost-effective!

First, you need to bake the cake portion and cool it, so its good to give yourself time for that. Here’s my mom’s Chocolate Trifle recipe:

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup baker’s cocoa
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt

This recipe makes 2 round cake pan size chocolate cakes. Use just one for the ice cream cake and wrap the other in plastic wrap and freeze for another occasion!

Directions:
-put all ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix for 3 mins.
-pour the batter into two round cake pans
-bake @ 350 F for approx. 25 mins (consider your elevation and oven temps)
-let the cake cool

Once the cake round is cooled, you can follow the steps on the photo posted (back and front of my recipe card) and build your ice cream cake! I gotta run and pick up my kiddos!

Enjoy!

The Gathering Light of His Fire

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My phone had been receiving notifications that a severe winter storm was on its way to our corner of the Northwest. The signs were obvious: below freezing temperatures, frozen water in a bucket at church in the furnace room, people’s pipes breaking, the gathering of firewood (and long-burning logs), defrosting the truck for twenty minutes in the mornings, pets hesitant to go outside, and charred dumpsters in the heart of the city, the remains of desperate attempts for heat by those without homes.

A few weeks ago, our heating system broke in our house, and we knew that a hefty repair was in our future. It was still mild enough outside that we just put a few logs in the fireplace and we were sufficiently warmed in the evenings, gathering in our family room “bear den”. But the temperatures soon grew more frigid outside and our house got extremely cold. Thankfully, a gas fireplace in the basement helped to keep temps between 58-61 degrees Fahrenheit.

We’ve been baking a lot and leaving the oven door open to cool and maximize our use of the heat produced, and enjoying the baked goods produced from the heat! We increased our creativity in gathering fuel to burn including our two crispy Christmas trees from the forest, old school workbooks, extra wooden shingles we found in a box in our shed (from the previous owner), and dried apple branches from our tree, besides the costly grocery store firewood. A friend dropped off several large tree stumps for our sons to chop, and we are well supplied to keep the home fires burning!

When the temperatures dropped this past weekend, and frost began to accumulate on the inside of our windows, we bought a couple more hot water bottles for sleeping, an electric heating pad, doubled up on socks, and began to wear our winter coats and scarves around the house. The new heating unit arrived on the first day of the winter storm and workers faithfully stayed all day until midnight working. Amidst the falling of snow, our home was being restored, and we are once again enjoying the gift of a warm home!

One thing I’ve noticed is that our whole family gathers in our little family room and kitchen where its the warmest, where they read, play video games, study for their final exams, drink tea (and coffee), and generally entertain each other with the tools of logic they have eloquently gained this past year!

I love listening to my dad’s stories of growing up on the dairy farm in southern British Columbia. There were some winters that were so cold, that in the night, they’d go to sleep in their upstairs room and set out a cup of water. Over night, it would freeze solid. But they stayed warm enough in their house and in the morning, their mom would start up the wood stove in the basement. There was a hole cut into the floor where the heat would rise from the basement to the main level of the house… alas, central heating! And everyone would gather around the heat and light, and there, life was enjoyed, stories were shared, prayers were prayed, and knowing my aunts and uncles I’m sure many songs were sung… together.

That’s what heat and light do, they gather us in to safety, to survival, to life. The light chases the darkness away. The heat repels the deathly cold. Heat and light invite us to live, and not in isolation, but together. This is what the Word of God does.

God’s Word is a light to our path to help us see Reality, what is real and true. God’s Word gathers people together to feed our sin-sick souls, to nourish and give us strength for the daily friction of living in a broken world. We have the opportunity and responsibility, as born-again Christians, to share God’s Word with others, to bring others to the feast of God’s Word, the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, so that they too can gather with us around the life-giving warmth and light of Christ’s love, a fire that is never extinguished, but gives light and life to all who draw near.

I was reminded of this life-giving fire this past Sunday during the sermon. My husband is preaching through the book of the Acts of the Apostles. God came in the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit sent from King Jesus ten days after Jesus ascended bodily into Heaven and sat down on His throne to rule the nations and remake the world. As His people scattered among many nations pilgrimaged and gathered at the temple for the Feast of Pentecost, a harvest feast, the Holy Spirit descended and came upon the people like little flames of fire.

The tongues of fire were symbolic of the temple sacrificial system, but instead of offering the required animals on the altar, God’s people were becoming “living sacrifices” set on fire by the Holy Spirit, and being purified by the refining fire of the Holy Spirit. The people of God are now the living temple of His Spirit and we are the living sacrifices, but the provision and all the work is God’s work alone. And this is what people are drawn to, the light which comes not from us, but from God, the Creator and Giver of Light, the One who keeps the Light shining and the One to whom every knee will bow on earth and in Heaven. All nations will come to this Light and the world is being transformed by Jesus. He is the One who calls the City on a Hill into being and the light is going forth into all the world.

Light has a source and people are drawn to the source to gather and live. Jesus alone is the Light and those who come to him are filled with His Light to be reflectors of that Light which will transform the world.

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”

has shone in our hearts

to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

And the Word Came with Power

In 1962, two young women left their homes in America to answer God’s call to translate His Word into the language of the Balangao people in the Philippines. Joanne Shetler shares her story of this experience in her book, And the Word Came with Power. This is one of my favorite stories about God’s Word, the Bible, being taken to the farthest corners of the world so that others, and the whole world, can know the love and saving work of Jesus, to be reconciled to the Father and adopted as a child of God. This is the message the world needs to hear. Jesus is the Word made flesh and He comes with power to save.

This is why we need to be dwelling richly in God’s Word, and also why we need to continue to support the work of Bible translation until all hear this good news in their heart languages.

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:10-17 ESV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 ESV

Do you know the power of the Word of God in your life? You won’t know it unless you actually spend time in it. When you purpose to daily let your life be formed by the Word of God, you are letting the Architect frame the rooms of your soul, training your will to submit to God’s set apart ways, His goodness and truth. This brings fruit in your life, others’ lives, and ultimately blesses the world.

One practical way you can know God more is by following a Bible reading plan. For years, I longed to have a morning routine that included consistent and structured Bible reading and meditation. But it wasn’t until 6 years ago, that I found a reading guide that worked for me. It just clicked. The Bible reading plan that has worked for me these past 6 years is called Seeing Jesus Together (formerly called Community Bible Reading). It takes the reader through the entire Bible: every year you read through the entire New Testament; the Old Testament is read through in a cycle of 3 years. I have been using this method for 6 years now and have read through the New Testament 6 times and the Old Testament twice in those past 6 years. The structure is simple:

• Monday-Friday: read 1 OT chapter and 1 NT chapter

• Saturday: reading 1 Psalm

• Sunday: no reading because we are at church and enjoy the many Scripture readings included in our liturgy and the preaching of God’s Word (sermons are preached book by book through the entirety of the Bible).

I want to write more about this but for right now, I want to send you over to the Seeing Jesus Together site so you can get started on reading the Bible. More on this soon!

May the Word of God come with power in your life this year and always.

A Little Night Music in December - Phos Hilaron

Phos Hilaron
O gracious Light
pure brightness of the
everliving Father in heaven
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!

Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light
we sing thy praises, O God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

You are worthy at all times
to be praised by happy voices
O Son of God, O Giver of Life
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

The darkening days grow colder and wetter. We wear sweaters and slippers and blankets knitted by the great-grandmas. We keep the duraflame logs going in the fireplace and gather in our little bear den together in the evenings. December is upon us and yesterday we celebrated St Nicholas’ feast day, when we remember the pastor from Myra who loved Jesus with his whole heart and poured out that love and generosity by giving to those in need and being a gatekeeper and defender of Biblical teaching. What a fun day to celebrate!

I want to wish you a Happy New Year! Wait, you say, its not even Christmas yet! Well, let me explain. This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, and in the liturgical Christian calendar, Sunday was the first day of a New Christian Year! The Church calendar begins in the darkest time of the northern hemisphere, and it begins with Advent. Advent is the first season of the new Christian year, a season of waiting and watchfulness, a season of hope and anticipation, expectation that the Light is coming.

We remember the first coming, the Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God, and we wait with joyful hope and comfort for His second coming one day, when He will return as He said, and He will dwell forever with the Church, His Bride, and all things will be made new on Earth and in Heaven. The Consummation of all things will be accomplished, and we will feast as the temple of living stones with Jesus, the Bridegroom. I hope that these selections of music and meditations will be like a little digital gift from me to you. Thank you so much for popping on here every once in a while this year and reading. I am thankful for every passerby, who might stop and read and ponder for a little while here. I hope these words are seeds the Lord uses to bring Truth into your life, His goodness to fill your days, and to point you to His Word to light your path and surround you and fill you with His holy love. It is only His Word that matters. So that is my prayer that my words point your gaze to His Word, the living Word that brings light and life!

As music is played in our home daily and hourly, (I like to put on Chopin for our dog when we leave the house), it is obvious that music is like food for the soul. I need gentle music in my life. Soft, soothing, nourishing melodies and harmonies, truthful light-filled words that comfort my soul from the darkness of this world. Psalm 119:130-132 says, “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.”

In our church, my husband preaches through every book in the Bible. There is not a passage of God’s Word that is ignored (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Every Sunday, we gather as a church to hear the Scriptures read and taught, skillful teaching of a learned theologian. The unfolding of God’s Word gives light. Jesus, the Word made flesh, came to bring us Light. It mattered that much to Him, to be made one of us. On us a light has shone. (Matthew 4:12-17) May the beauty of this seasonal music usher you into a hope and light-filled new calendar year, as soon the light will grow physically in the northern hemisphere. As the Kingdom of God advances throughout the world, the now and the not yet, the redeeming of God’s creation is happening. He is reaching into the lives of lost people to bring them into His fold of grace. May these songs bring this great hope to flourish in your hearts.

May Jesus’ words in this scripture reading be our joy!

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:17-19 ESV

Until all is accomplished! What a beautiful hope to dwell on every day He gives us breath.

Music

Arise & Look to the Skies by Craig Harris

Hark What Music Fills the Sky by Craig Harris

Once in Royal David’s City by Voces8

In the Bleak Mid-Winter by John Van Deusen

Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson

Brightest & Best by Keith & Kristen Getty & Ricky Skaggs

Christmas by Sandra McCracken

The Bells of Dublin by The Chieftains

A Celtic Family Christmas by Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy

Meditations

On the Incarnation by St Athanasius of Alexandria

From the Cradle to the Cross by The Keeping Company

Heaven and Nature Sing by Hannah Anderson

Sacred Seasons: A Family Guide to Center Your Year Around Jesus by Danielle Hitchen

The Art of Advent: A Painting a Day from Advent to Epiphany by Jane Williams

“The Savior is working mightily among men, every day He is invisibly persuading numbers of people all over the world, both within and beyond the Greek-speaking world, to accept His faith and be obedient to His teaching. Can anyone, in face of this, still doubt that He has risen and lives, or rather that He is Himself the Life? Does a dead man prick the consciences of men, so that they throw all the traditions of their fathers to the winds
and bow down before the teaching of Christ?”

― St. Athanasius, On The Incarnation

“I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”
Psalm 146:2

A Little Night Music in November - A Feast of Your Faithfulness

A photo I took while hiking in the Wenatchee National Forest this Fall on our church women’s retreat.

Good morning on this foggy November day. It has been a full month in our corner of the world. Frost clings to the grass in the morning as we wake up groggy-eyed and prepare for the day as we take glimpses out the window of the sun ascending behind dense clouds that blanket our valley. I am sneaking this little post into November before the month slips away into memory. I hope these songs lift your gaze to the one and only true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of the ancient Scriptures. If you have not read these ancient Scriptures yet, I invite you to read the entire book of the Old & New Testaments. Read with openness and curiosity. Read with the skill of understanding and exegesis. Read with a desire to wrestle with these words and wonder. Wonder why a small group of followers of this person from Nazareth turned into a worldwide movement that has lasted 2,023 years and covers the globe. Wonder about who this Person of history was, is, and will always be.

This month I’m sharing recordings by a wonderful singer songwriter. These recordings combine both her music and her testimony during a very difficult season of her life. God has given her new songs born out of suffering, light out of darkness, diamonds in the dust of despair, pain redeemed, a harvest of beauty, goodness, and truth.

When we share about our weaknesses and struggles in life and the goodness that Jesus has brought out of it, God is glorified. The fragile façade of our perceived goodness and strength mercifully crumbles out of sight. Refined in the furnace of Truth, we are given new eyes to see Christ for who He truly is.

Bethany Barnard released these songs in 2021. In 2022, she released a follow up album of brief explanations of these songs to give the listener more insight into her story. I hope you will be refreshed and encouraged from listening to her music, and through these tracks as she discusses her heart… “behind the songs.”

Bethany Barnard on Apple Music, Youtube, and bethanybarnard.com.

A Little Night Music in October - Belovedness

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:11

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:1-8

Photo by Nico Frey on Unsplash

When news of the world is too painful to read, when family members pass away, when broken lives rage and wickedness is rampant, I find comfort in worshipping the Lord. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace…” (by Helen Lemmel, inspired by missionary Lilas Trotter.)

I’m reminded of my 12th grade year, full of much sadness and confusion as a mental illness had slowly taken over my life. I continued to attend school as best I could manage and keep my grades up so I could graduate. I think it was during this year that the Lord gave me an image in my mind of a great white wing, His pinions of protection, and I was curled up peacefully and safely in His care. When confusion and fear swirled around me, I would go there in my mind to this place of safety.

The image comes from Psalm 91, which I had printed out and taped on the inside of my school locker years before. I carry this image with me in my heart and it comforts me even today.

He will cover you with his pinions,
 and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

Its in the refuge of His love that we can sing and praise and worship. Its under his wings where we can turn our eyes upon him and look full in His wonderful face.

The song I want to share this month is one that speaks of God’s great love which I believe with my whole heart. Whatever pain you have gone through in life, healing comes through worshipping Christ. You are beloved and you need to believe that.

I pray this song is a powerful testimony of God’s love for you, His beautiful creation of you in His image, and His fierce love to rescue you, to lay down his life for you, to stoop down, take your hand, and raise you up. It doesn’t matter if you are seen by the world when the eyes of Love are fixed on you, His beloved one.

“Its time to own your belovedness…”

Belovedness by Sarah Kroger, The London Sessions (Live)

I captured this photo in British Columbia recently, beauty in fall leaves, light, color, and shadows