enLIVEn Devotionals

Abiding in Jesus - Overflowing His Spirit

Fifteen Minutes Before the Storm

One day as I was sitting on my couch reading through my Christian Woman magazine, I kept thinking in my head about all the beautiful women I know, and how I would love to look like each and every one of them. They all seem to have it so put together all the time, and my life always seems so hectic. I sat there thinking and cherishing the fifteen minutes I had to myself because the kids and just gone to bed and my husband had just left for work. You know those first fifteen minutes of the calm right before the storm of laundry and dishes and all the other things we moms/wives have do before ... Read the Post

Five Minute Pity Party

People just love pity parties. They are so fun and jam-packed with complaining, whining, and lots of comparing. However, we have to be in a special mood to partake in such a party. I try to make my appearance rare to these parties, but occasionally I find myself being pulled into them. I at least try to limit my stay for only five minutes. Granted there are times when I want to stay longer, but I try really hard to stick with the five minute rule. What do these parties have that are so intriguing? They are full of “I want,” “I don’t have,” “Why” and “That is so not fair!” I have to admit ... Read the Post

Generation to Generation

Recently I attended a women’s event at the church I grew up in. I was surrounded by women that had impacted my life and influenced my decision for Christ. It’s been many years since I shared a time of spiritual growth with these ladies and yet, it was as if no time had passed at all. These women invested in me. They taught me the principles of God’s word, not just in Sunday School classes, but through their daily lives. I watched one trust God for provision when her husband became unemployed for many months. I watched one cling to the Comforter in the loss of her teenage son. I watched one ... Read the Post

Gentle Spirit

"If you spill that juice you will get NOTHING else to drink for the rest of the day," I bark at my two year old. He smiles and proceeds to tip the glass. Time seems to stand still as I watch this sticky liquid roll over the table, down its legs and splash onto the floor and nearby walls. "That is it! NO MORE DRINKS FOR YOU TODAY," I yell with my trademark scrunched eyebrows and clenched jaw. His chocolate-brown eyes meet mine, and his bottom lip begins to tremble as he runs off with heartfelt sobs. This time something finally clicks in my sleep-deprived brain. God lovingly convicts me of ... Read the Post

Forced Resolve

As I was walking toward the building, I prayed for a freak natural disaster to occur, like a tornado or maybe an earthquake. When nothing happened and each step took me closer to the entrance, I prayed desperately that a madman would start shooting out of one of the classroom windows; though, of course, not harming anyone. No madman appeared, so I prayed to God and asked that He send a whale to swallow me whole. I wanted to be like Jonah hiding in a water-logged belly rather than obediently walking up the steps of the English building. I was twenty-five about to teach my first college ... Read the Post