When we are walking alongside the Lord and seeking His will for our lives, the fruit of the Holy Spirit will be present.  One of the fruit that results is joy. Paul mentions joy early on in listing the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, […]

When we were first married, my husband and I, like many young couples, had opposite expectations for many things. When our first anniversary rolled around, he wanted to go camping but I wanted to go to Malibu. When buying items for our first Christmas, he grabbed the colored Christmas lights and I grabbed the white. […]

I wish I had learned much earlier in life that overcommitment can be a sin. Sometimes we put good before God, and we assume that something good is definitely what we are supposed to do. When we jump into a commitment headfirst without even prayerfully consulting God, we can find our plate completely full—even overflowing—and […]

I grew up in a loving home and am blessed with two parents who deeply love God and each other. My father is also a pastor. There are a myriad of reactions I get when this comes up in conversation—mostly knowing looks, sometimes sympathetic ones. I told this to one woman who turned to my […]

“You show that you are my intimate friends when you obey all that I command you. I have never called you ‘servants,’ because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you my most intimate friends, for I reveal to you everything that […]

Last week I was at home cooking dinner while a summer storm brewed outside my kitchen window. Usually I love thunderstorms, but this particular storm was so strong that it only took a few minutes before we lost power. With the lights off and the wifi down, I was forced to sit and simply be […]

Are you flourishing? If I were to describe my life on a daily basis, the word “flourishing” would most likely not make the list. Overwhelmed, busy, and tired would find their way to the top, while life-giving words like flourish, abundant, and thriving would often fall to the bottom of the list. However, Scripture clearly […]

After countless recommendations and encouragement to read Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers, I finally decided to pick it up for a summer read. This Christian novel is about a faithless prostitute who is fiercely pursued by a young Christian farmer, based on the book of Hosea in the Bible. While I love a good tear-jerking […]

Introduce yourself as if we were on a coffee date! Tell us about yourself. Would you be drinking coffee or tea? If we sat down before noon, I’d definitely have a hot cup of coffee in hand. Otherwise, hot peppermint tea is my drink of choice these days! Or Kombucha. My name is Hunter Beless. […]

I was eating only fruits, vegetables, and some whole grains. I felt amazing, had energy like never before, and was learning to appreciate the little things—like fresh strawberries on a hot day and homemade salsa with some warm baked pita bread. I loved it, and I kept thinking, “This is what God must have intended!” […]