enLIVEn Devotionals

Abiding in Jesus - Overflowing His Spirit

Redeemed Ruins

I am a practicing Christian; a work in progress. I attend church, go to Bible studies, pray, tithe and talk about God and His impact on my life. I don’t pretend to have it all figured out, but I do acknowledge that I am on the right path. Life is wonderful, but my thoughts sometimes drift to my past self. I don’t think about her much because she abused drugs and disregarded her sexual boundaries. I wonder if she will ever have a part in my current life – the life I have managed to scrape up from her ruins and have allowed God to make beautiful. Will she embarrass and shame me again, or ... Read the Post

Writer's Cramp

A few months ago, a writers' group for my church formed. I was asked to help spread the word and encourage the women of faith to contribute devotionals to be included in a daily devotional booklet. Several women in our prayer group and Hometeam groups started writing and they gave me several devotionals to pass on to the editors. I also had been asked to write, but I have to admit that after reading some of the devotionals my friends had written, I was a bit intimidated. I sometimes wonder how God can speak through me or use me…especially in this way. I’m not a writer, and I often wonder ... Read the Post

You are Beautiful

Sometimes I become so busy and self-absorbed that I forget the beauty of the people I care about. I forget the beauty and respect that I have for my husband. I miss the beauty and strength that I see in my sister. I overlook the beauty and the joy I feel for my son. And I see through the beauty and wisdom of my friend. Worst of all, I close my eyes to the beauty and majesty that exists in God. But I am reminded. I am reminded by a song on the radio, the words of a believer and the glory of the sun-touched bay that God is beautiful. He is beautiful and He has created everything in this world ... Read the Post

Belly Laughs

I sat on my couch reading until a loud “bang” caught my attention. I peered over the back of the couch into the entryway. My 2-year-old son, Caleb, was teaching his 3-year-old friend, Gracie, the new trick his older cousins taught him the night before: run full speed into the door with arms in face-blocking position and palms facing out. With a controlled bounce off the door, Caleb would fall backwards on his bottom and then laugh uncontrollably at his blunder. Gracie caught on rather quickly. I sat and watched the two toddlers take turns running into the door, hitting it with a loud bang ... Read the Post

I Matter

As a young girl, I took note of the differences between my siblings and me. We are a very good mixture, and we all look very different. We are a mixture of Caucasian and Mexican. My sister turned out to look like Penélope Cruz. My brother is 6 feet tall and a cutie. I am barely 5 feet tall -- "The girl with the great personality!" My sister, Maria, and I have a great relationship, even though we are complete opposites. As I said before, she was the beauty and I the athlete -- "with a great personality." She had no idea that I wanted to be like her. I wanted people to accept me and say to me ... Read the Post