Broken & Hopeful

10/30/2026

The obsession with hurry and busy-ness in our culture is obvious. When you ask someone how they are doing, often the reply is “busy” as if that is an answer. And if someone is not maxed out with schedules and makes time for rest, the judgement is that they are lazy or just can’t handle it. I have noticed, though, that no matter how hard I work or how much effort I put in, my list is never done. I might complete the to-do’s for one day, but there are a bunch more tomorrow. I must choose to rest, or my schedule will rule me.

We sometimes confuse productivity with God’s plan for us in this life. The saying used to be that cleanliness was next to godliness, but I’m pretty sure the current mindset is that productivity is next to godliness. Yet I don’t see that in Scripture. In fact, God chooses rest for us, not increased effort. I love that Jesus often goes away to pray, or just hangs out with people. He wasn’t in a hurry, and had more time for relationships than for productivity. This is why, I think, He calls Martha to leave her chores and come sit with Him like Mary. Not because He thought doing things was bad, but it wasn’t as important as resting in relationship.

Over and over again, Jesus reminds me that to sit with Him and rest is really the primary goal. Knowing God is eternal life (John 17:3) and when the relationship is the focus, we can experience rest. When I can rest with Him, I actually end up having more energy and more time for everything else.

10/25/2026

10/22/2026

Waiting, waiting, waiting.
Waiting for the waiting to end.
Waiting for the prayer to be answered.
Waiting for God to do something to bring relief.
But in the frustration of waiting,
Sometimes we forget to notice the meantime.
For in the meantime, God brings enough for today.
In the meantime, we see His strength in our weakness. We get so focused on the desired outcome
We forget how much He does in the journey.
And though we pray for change,
We can also recognize His being enough for today.
Jesus is our manna for this moment and the next.
His Life within brings strength and patience;
Hope, peace and light in the midst of darkness.
I am called to believe He will be enough.
And when I recognize His Life within,
Circumstances may not look different right away,
But my outlook will completely shift
As I walk in hope and Life through any valley of shadow.
Sometimes we are stuck in the hallway,
Wanting the door to open so badly.
But God reminds us He is with us,
Filling even our bleak hallway with the sweetness of His Life.

10/20/2026

New podcast episode now available! Regret: The Obsession that Poisons is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, or check out the link in profile for our podcast page.

10/17/2026

We often look at prayer as twisting God’s arm to do what we want. We add up numbers, thinking that the more people you have doing the praying, the more likely He is to be swayed by the amount of people and do what you are asking. And in even more terrible news, sometimes we blame whoever was praying for a lack of faith if they don’t get the thing they were praying for in the way they wanted. I don’t find this true to Scripture, and really painful for many people.

I think that prayer is an invitation into a conversation with the Trinity, a chance to move from my own perspective to God’s. Prayer becomes a place for me to align my heart with His, for me to recognize the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. For Jesus, prayer was a place of continued conversation with the Father as He only wanted to do what the Father empowered Him to do. It was not transactional, but relational.

We must stop making prayer out to be rubbing a lamp to have a genie pop out and grant us our wishes, but rather a deep communion with the Lover of our soul. Can we pray for what we want? Of course! But that’s not the main objective. Instead, we want praying to move our hearts to want what our Father wants, and to see with His perspective. In this way, prayer is always effective, for we always move into deeper connection and vulnerability as we share our hearts with the One who loves us deeply and forever.

10/09/2026

If your week looks anything like mine, you are running a little ragged. Yours might feel better or worse, but regardless there are so many days that I wake up telling God how I don’t have what I need for today at all. I don’t know how to do it. I can’t possibly have the strength or time to do it. I don’t even want to do it.

Sometimes the way ahead feels completely impossible. The mountain in front of you looks insurmountable. The feelings around you threaten to drown you, and you are convinced that there is no other way but to live in anxiety and constant hypervigilance.

I will tell you what God has been telling me. Not because I understand it completely, but because it is most comforting when you are facing a life that seems impossible.

He tells me, “I’m holding your hand. Just walk with me.”

It’s so simple. And really, I want a plan, a way made clear, something a little more direct and where I could move into controlling what’s next. He only gives me Himself though, His presence walking with me and holding my hand. It’s like a child—if you are crossing the street, you grab their hand in order to know they are right by your side as you lead them across.

I often think I need more control or knowledge about the situation, when really what I need is His presence. As I acknowledge His constant presence, His never leaving me, His steady love for me, I can breathe a sigh of relief. I still don’t know where we are going or how we are going to get there, but I can just walk with Him, hand-in-hand.

The really cool thing is that it doesn’t matter what the problem is. You might look at your situation and try to say that only more knowledge or control will fix your problem. I would kindly disagree. Whatever the circumstance in your life, you can hold His hand and let Him walk you through.

Read the rest of the post here: https://www.brokenandhopeful.com/blog/he-holds-my-hand

10/01/2026

I forget a lot of things especially when I’m afraid. I suppose a lot of us do. We revert back to running and hiding under the bed covers, trusting in them to save us from our fear. We forget who our God is, and what He has promised. I have been reading a lot about the people of Israel in the Old Testament, and I am reminded of my own forgetfulness as I see them witness incredible miracles and then turn away from God within days.

I fear darkness, and forget that Jesus is the Light of the world. I fear evil and forget that Jesus took away the power of evil forces through His death and resurrection. I fear Satan and demons, and forget that they are not more powerful than God. I fear pain, and forget that Jesus walks through pain and death with me. I fear being alone, and forget that I am never abandoned or forsaken by my Shepherd. I fear messing up, and forget that God doesn’t love me because I finally got it all right, but rather empowers me to do anything He calls me to. I fear curses spoken over me, and forget that the Cursebreaker Himself canceled all curses and they have power no more. I fear sickness and physical issues, and forget that the Healer heals us in all sorts of ways and it may not look like I expected. I fear loss and grief, and forget that my constant companion is a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and has no impatience for my emotion.

Let’s not keep giving power to all sorts of things in our lives while making our God out to be too small to handle them. He is not moody and inconsistent, where we have to make our prayers with just the “right” words and do the right dance or sacrifice to make Him happy or get what we want. He is mysterious, and there are many things He allows I cannot explain or understand. But that doesn’t mean they are more powerful than Him. Instead, He is demonstrating first-hand how He brings beauty from ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.