A Note from Gretchen

Every day we make plans and fill our agendas with meetings, projects, and things that need to get done, but life rarely goes according to plan. What if we gave the Holy Spirit our planners each day and welcomed him into the planning, the scheduling, and the changes? 

God is in control of every second on the clock. Inside every clock there are countless pieces hidden from the eye, and every part plays a vital role in making the hands go around in perfect motion. In the same way, every piece of your life and your day is spinning in perfect motion for the glory of God. This includes the unplanned and sometimes unwelcome. 

Remember that no matter what happens with our days, if the Holy Spirit is within us, we can:

• Obey in faith even when we don’t feel like it (Ez. 36:27). 
• Put our sin to death (Rom. 6:12–14).
• Serve others rather than seek to be served (Rom. 7:4).
• Change and grow in Christlikeness (Rom. 8:26–30).
• Bear good fruit (Gal. 5:22–23).
• Speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15).
• Count others more significant than ourselves (Phil. 2:3).
• Learn contentment in all circumstances (Phil. 4:11).
• Set our minds on things above (Col. 3:1–4).

God is doing a work bigger than we could imagine with our planners and with our days. May we rely on the Holy Spirit as God works each piece of our days for our good and his glory. 

Walking by the Spirit,

Gretchen
Founder 

A Word of Encouragement

Here is a God who is not essentially lonely, but who has been loving for all eternity as the Father has loved the Son in the Spirit. Loving others is not a strange or novel thing for this God at all; it is at the root of who he is. —Michael Reeves in Delighting in the Trinity

Fill Your Ears with Truth

Podcasts, Bible teaching, and worship songs we’re loving lately

I recently had the chance to chat with Christian Neuenswander and Samantha Miller at the Going There in Conversations with Christian Women podcast. I loved our frank conversation about meeting standards as a mother and how the gospel frees us from the world’s stressful standards to fruitful motherhood in Christ. We discussed marriage and motherhood, looking at our children as projects, learning to identify the lies we’re telling ourselves, and even life with fainting goats. —Maggie, Content Director

“Remember Me” by Andrew Peterson

“Goodness of God / O Praise the Name” by Mass Anthem 

And don’t miss our new Life in the Spirit playlist, a compilation of all the songs from the Worship God in Truth sections of our new Life in the Spirit Workbook.

Read-a-Mentor Recommendations

Books, articles, and emails we’re loving lately

Paul Miller’s A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships magnifies the love of God. As Miller ponders the details of Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and the rest, he aptly applies the many facets of hesed love to the difficulties of persevering in love in our present relationships. Many of his insights burrowed into my heart and came back at opportune moments to bear the fruit of sacrificial love, especially this one: ”Like Jesus, we must embrace the death that the Father has put in front of us. The path to resurrection is through dying, not fighting.” —Lauren, Theology and Content Editor

A Resource We Recommend