Have you heard of the app Marco Polo? Now, I'm not one to tout the benefits of technology. In fact, if you polled those closest to me, you would discover I have a nostalgic longing to return to the days of dirt roads, equine-powered transportation, and communication via paper and pen. Picture a creaking rocking chair on a wrap-around porch overlooking an expansive pasture where the words gigabyte and telephone would sound like alien gobbledegook if anyone dared to mutter them

Are you being driven or led this week? What does the voice sound like that is compelling you to move forward? How would you characterize it? Quiet or Loud? Polite or Forceful? Stress-relieving or stress-inducing? Calm or frantic? Loving or Shaming? Direct or confusing and scattered? Peaceful or Insatiable? How you answer that question gives you great insight into what or who is behind your motivation. God is a still, quiet voice; the world screams and tells us to MOVE! Jesus

Quick confession: last week I encouraged you to choose joy in the midst of your trial. Can I just tell you last night I did not do such a great job? I straight up got irate with God because he let the dogs next door bark into oblivion for a full hour in the middle of the night. I don't know about y'all, but mess with my sleep and you are risking your life. By the end of the hour, I was googling ways to report my neighbors, envisioning a high noon style face-off while question

On my prayer walk yesterday morning (which I always post on my Instagram stories), we started talking about what it truly means to rejoice when we suffer. Honestly, most of the time when I hear that sentiment, I want to barf. And an angry barf, you know? Nobody wants to be told to rejoice when they're in hell. It's ridiculous! But as I mentioned on Insta, I've got some deeply loved people in my life suffering, so I'm forced to think about one of God's biggest encouragements/c