Devotions (Page 38)

I started reading Adrian’s book The Power of Choice this evening and it’s already been blowing my mind so much!(Quelle surprise… Adrian says smart things. Laura’s brain explodes at learning new smart things.) The insights he has shared, throughout the Introduction and first chapter alone, are really beginning to shift around the way I think about things and it was just too good not to share! [SPOILER ALERT!!] One line/point that especially struck me was when he was working through…

It’s no stretch of the imagination to say that we’re living in a bit of a storm right now. We exited last summer with hopefulness around the pandemic, only to be faced with another variant of the coronavirus and another round of restrictions. What’s God’s heart for his people during times like these? What does it mean to have faith when the pressure is on? I think during moments like this, God’s heart is that we would have peace. When…

Everything around us is changing… again. We have entered another lockdown, winter is upon us, children are at home for school, we are back to work – there is much that draws and needs our attention. Sometimes we focus so much on what is happening around us we forget to keep our eyes on Jesus. Karyne and I were talking to our eldest children (Justus & Hope) about fasting, they asked us why we are fasting? So we asked them,…

In basketball the “step back” is a move used by basketball players to create enough space between the defender and themselves in order to get their shot off without getting blocked. The step back is not only a good basketball move but a good tool for growth. The step back I’m referring to is taking a step back from a situation/circumstance/conflict/issue/person etc. Similarly, like a step back in basketball, the step back gives you enough space between the situation/circumstance/conflict/issue/person and…

Dear LifeSpring Family, Happy New Year to 2022!!! Happy because of 1 Corinthians 11:23-26: 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this; in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This…

The other day I was chatting on the phone with a good friend of mine. They’ve been feeling a little hopeless lately and realized that one of the biggest contributors to that hopelessness was not being able to trust God. Although they know in their heart-of-hearts that God is trustworthy, because there have been so many hurts and wounds in recent years, their heart has become calloused. Which is the natural response to pain or brokenness… to toughen up and…

When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13 This weekend we close the book on what has been a tumultuous 2021, and open a new chapter in 2022. In my mind, 2021 was a year full of unexpected twists and turns. Just as quickly as things settled down with the pandemic and life, things were stirred back up just as fast. There was a lot of adaptation to the…

2021 – Make Every Effort Kingdom Family – Genuine Love for God and Genuine Care of Others A warning that came in 2019 at the Family Weekend is that there is an enticing spirit that is coming against Lifespring. And although we have intentionally come up against this spirit (specifically Give in 2020 – decided to double our giving to many of our missionaries who have seen upwards of 75% drops in their donations), we recognize that the enticing spirit…

This past week I had two encounters with homeless individuals that left a mark on me. The first one was positive. I saw someone at the intersection with a sign and remembered that our church created winter care packages so I reached in the back seat of my car for the package and gave it to them. I drove off feeling good about myself. It’s really amazing how Lifespring has responded to a need and that we can be the…

John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit.” This past Wednesday, we had our last prayer meeting and intercession for 2021. It’s amazing to see how the prayer ministry has grown at Life-Spring, even during the pandemic. We often divide into smaller breakout rooms during intercession, and last…

Although they may seem like an unlikely pairing, I’ve learned some really valuable lessons from the combination of neuroscience and the nativity. As our brain develops, especially in critical developmental stages such as childhood and early adolescence, it begins to create loads of different connections. Neurons fire off synapses like billions of teeny tiny fireworks in your brain! Even after the brain has developed, your brain has the capacity to literally begin to change shape and to rework itself, based…

On September 12, 2021 a group from GAIN Canada came and spoke about raising funds for water wells around the world. They flashed a slide that went by quite quickly, but a slide that God highlighted to me and disturbed me for weeks. The following information was on that slide: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 785 million people live without clean water…That’s nearly 1 in 9 people worldwide Nearly 1 million people die / year due to lack…