enLIVEn Devotionals

Abiding in Jesus - Overflowing His Spirit

Forgiving Perfect

About a year ago, I discovered something about my grandmother that I could not believe. She had done something in her past that had affected my family, especially my mother. As children, we grow up thinking that our grandparents are these perfect people. They love each other, they play with us and they never tell us to eat all our vegetables. Grandparents are the “fun” parents. I remember thinking that my grandma was probably the sweetest lady in the whole world. She was so loving and caring. But, about a year ago, my views of her changed. I began to realize that things were not necessarily ... Read the Post

My Girl Scout Leader

My old Girl Scout leader, Kathy, was in her final season of life. For years she’d nurtured young girls like me, instilling important lessons about life while teaching us to find joy in simple things, like building a campfire, tying knots, baking cookies and watching birds. At her knee I learned how to transform a bar of soap or two small medicine cups into a beautiful ornament for my mother. She was also a longtime, devoted member of the little church I grew up in. She taught Sunday school, baked sweets for Vacation Bible School, and sent words of encouragement to members and missionaries ... Read the Post

Godly Women Drink Coffee

Recently, I attended a very special prayer breakfast. I was invited to pray with some of the most precious women of God while we shared a cup of coffee. Now I’m not a coffee drinker, so I was at a bit of a loss. All of the prayer warriors had mugs of a sweet smelling Hawaiian brew, so I decided to give it a try. If this is what godly women did, I must participate! We eventually moved to the living room, stood in a circle, held hands and began praying. Their hearts opened up and spilled out praises and petitions before the Lord, and I was humbled. These were truly rare gems that God was ... Read the Post

Grandness of God

On a recent trip with my girlfriend I found myself in utter awe of the buildings in New York City. I couldn't understand why I was so amazed by them. They have no life. Man built them. Why did they make my heart stop just to look at them? I decided that maybe it was because I knew how much work was put into building them. This was especially true of the cathedrals. When I looked at the beauty of these cathedrals, I was overwhelmed by the sheer grandness of them. If I were a young girl again, I would have wanted to live in them. Now I can be content with simply gazing up at them or ... Read the Post

God's Box

Unpacking recently after a move, I was delighted to find a box that a friend had given me a few years ago. It is a beautiful box. It is small, white, and covered with beautiful lace. The top has lace and a silk ribbon decorated with pearls. I thought she had made it especially for me until she announced that it was “God’s Box.” Seeing the puzzled look on my face, she proceeded to explain. “This box is God’s Box and any time you are worried about something or if you have something you want to give to God, just write it on a small slip of paper and put it in God’s Box. There is just one Rule: ... Read the Post