By: Hannah Deaton The first dessert I ever made from scratch was peanut butter pie from my mom’s brown rooster cookbook. This is one of those family cookbooks with the cover falling off and the pages stained from sticky, ingredient covered fingers (a cookbook you can trust). To make this pie you must first prepare … Continue reading On Peanut Butter Pie & Hope
I always find it hard to stay close to the Lord during seasons where I’m out of routine. If there was ever a routine-less time, it’s COVID-19 and summertime. As believers, we must guard our hearts, time, and attention by PLANNING ahead. How do we connect with God well during these seasons? 1. Read God’s … Continue reading Staying connected with God in a routine-less world
I’ve struggled with fear and anxiety since I was young. In fact, the word “peace” is what drew me to the Lord and taught me to trust Him most intimately. The events of 2020 have been anything *but* peaceful, and I’ve caught myself in the cycle of anxious thoughts more times than I would like … Continue reading How to be a Peace Planner
In preparation for this post, I asked several friends what they think it means to be authentic. Here’s what I kept seeing over and over: Authenticity means being “open,” “honest,” “genuine,” “real with your emotions,” “having actions that match words.” But I learned a new definition of AUTHENTICITY recently that takes these ideas to a … Continue reading What does it mean to be authentic?
Why do we pray? No, really? Here's what I've discovered. Many of us pray because we need something. Some of us pray because we're angry or desperate. Others pray it because we think it will make us feel better or because we feel "guilty" and know we need to. While these reasons aren't "wrong," I … Continue reading 7 Ways to Deepen your Prayer Life
When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:19 This is what the Lord says to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people: “Do not call conspiracy everything this people calls a conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread … Continue reading Verses for Times of Crisis
Written to my future husband on February 15, 2012. “Dear Future Husband, Valentine’s Day has now passed. I can’t wait until the first one I spend with you. I miss you more and more each day as I wait for the moment the Lord brings you into my life. It will be so nice to … Continue reading In the Waiting: Three Journal Entries to My Future Husband
We are all close with the people we live with--maybe sometimes too close ;). Those treasured people know all our flaws, imperfections, annoyances and failures. God knows all of them too. But oftentimes, we think we can "hide" who we are from Him. We turn on music and the TV to drown out the insecure … Continue reading When God Seems Silent: Part 3
Have you ever people-watched? It can be very enlightening AND entertaining. If you stay silent long enough, you'll notice a lot about a person--how they interact, what they value, where they invest their time. In fact, nonverbal communication often tells us more about a person than verbal. In the same way, silence helps us get … Continue reading When God Seems Silent: Part 2
I never would have guessed a plane ride would launch me into a significant time of growth in my spiritual life. With the deafening sounds of jet engines in my ears, I certainly wouldn't have expected that growth to come from something quite the opposite--silence. A few years ago, I left right after my college … Continue reading When God Seems Silent: Part 1
