I love Easter because of all that it means for believers. If Jesus had never risen from the dead, we would have no hope (see 1 Corinthians 15:14). Easter, or rather Resurrection Sunday, holds such promise for those who are trusting in Christ’s finished work on the cross. As with many things in life, though, it’s easy to get caught up in the small things around the Easter season and to feel like we haven’t adequately spent time pondering all that Jesus has done for us.

I discovered that I needed a list of Easter verses to help me keep my heart in the right place as this amazing holiday approaches. As I started researching the best Scriptures for Easter, I realized like never before just how many are applicable to this beautiful season!

Earlier this year, I celebrated my 40th birthday. Turning 40 was nothing like I imagined it would be when, years and years ago, I thought about reaching this milestone. To commemorate this new decade in life, I thought it would be fun to share some of the things I’ve learned over the past 4 decades.

When things started heating up in Afghanistan, my friend Arabah Joy asked if I would put together a post on how to pray for this precious nation. Although things in other lands often feel hopeless from this far away, there are several specific ways we can be in prayer for the precious people in foreign nations.

I had the privilege of guest posting for my friend Arabah Joy and got to share my heart about prayer. So often, we feel frustrated or hurt when it feels like God has either said no to our requests or hasn’t heard our pleas, but I’m slowly learning that it’s when God says no that He often teaches me the most impactful truths.

I really didn’t want to write another post on anything Covid-related. In fact, I’m almost to the point where I feel like plugging my ears whenever I hear anything concerning coronavirus. But recently a friend gently asked me, “what blessings have you experienced during quarantine that you wouldn’t have had otherwise?” And it got me thinking.

I may be frustrated by our shelter-in-place order, but was I missing out on the miracles just because of my frustration?

With all the turmoil that the current coronavirus outbreak is causing, my friend A reached out to me and asked if I would consider sharing my family’s experience with it. While I never would have thought to do so on my own, I felt that her suggestion was excellent. As A pointed out, nearly all of what we’re hearing on the news and in the media is story after story of grave illness and high death tolls, but my family’s situation is an amazing story of God’s healing and provision. My hope in sharing is that it will help to answer the burning question, “How should Christians respond to the coronavirus?”

Call me weird, but I love the Old Testament, particularly the “difficult” books like Numbers. Yes, they can be a bit dry reading at times, but I’ve discovered that they also often offer the greatest pearls of truth that jump out at me off the page. I have wonder if that’s because these are the types of books I least expect it from.

This past week, I was reading Numbers chapter 11, when the words seemed to leap off the page at me:

In January of this year, we got one of those calls that nobody ever wants to receive. Our beloved pastor’s wife had just suffered a massive stroke, and the outcome didn’t look good. A few minutes later, another phone call confirmed that she was now face-to-face with the Savior.

We were shocked and devastated. Aside from a semi-recent broken arm, Mrs. S had seemed in perfect health. There was no indication that she didn’t have much time left here on Earth. Her fingerprints were on everything; from teaching Children’s Church to singing with our mini choir to selflessly serving in a dozen capacities, she left behind a huge hole, as most beloved people do.

As I thought about the million and one little ways I would miss her, I began thinking of all the lessons she had effortlessly taught me during our years together.

I’ve had a lot of anxiety this week. While the reasons for it are numerous - stress, the return to our school routine after 2 weeks off, and some big looming life decisions - I knew I needed to do something to get back on top of the nervous, panicky feeling that I dislike so much.

Now, I don’t at all pretend to be an authority in overcoming anxiety. It’s something I’ve struggled with all my life, and it is almost always lurking in the back corner of my mind, ready to overwhelm me if given the opportunity.

But this week, I found 3 of the best Biblical antidotes for anxiety, and they helped me so greatly that I knew I needed to share them with you. These aren’t profound. They aren’t jaw-droppingly new. But they are straight from God’s Word, and sometimes, we just need a gentle reminder to tap into the tools that the Lord has already equipped us with.

Tomorrow is my 38th birthday, and since we have many new readers since I last wrote a “things that make me who I am” post (you can see the other ones here and here), I figured I’d go ahead and share 38 other things about me that I’ve not shared previously. This year’s list looks a bit different from previous versions since I’ve decided to share a few weightier things than I have in my previous posts.

1. It feels weird and even a little self-serving to share things about myself. But since I love reading the “about” pages of my favorite bloggers, I thought it might be good to step out of my shell a little more than normal.

2. In 2016, I wrote my first ebook, and in doing so, completed one of my bucket list items.