Our team journal was written for you today by our Team Lead, Natalie Herr.

At the end of 2017, I asked God to give me a word for 2018. Now, I’m not typically a “word-of-the-year” person, but I decided to go where the Spirit was leading. When I asked, God responded with the word shalom.

“Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility and can be used idiomatically to mean both hello and goodbye.”

— Wikipedia

Shalom is an ancient Hebrew word. It’s most often translated to our English word peace, but it carries a much richer meaning than one word can hold. Shalom is wholeness. It’s oneness. It’s completeness. And boy, do I long for it.

Let me back up a bit. God has been teaching me a lot about myself in the past few months. With the help of the Word (and the Enneagram, let’s be real), I’ve discovered that I am not great at handling negative feelings. I don’t like sorrow, grief, or lament. I’m uncomfortable sitting in sadness. Joy and hope - that’s my wheelhouse. I’m an optimist through and through. I always thought that was a good quality to have - like somehow I was doing the Christian life “better” because I was so quick to return to my hope in Christ - but what I’ve found is that it’s actually NOT Christ-like to ignore my negative feelings.

Now, I’m not saying I don’t get sad (I do) or I don’t cry (I definitely do), but I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t know why it’s happening and I want it to be over it as soon as possible. I think things like: Why stay there in sadness when I can run straight to the truth and hold on for dear life? Why extend the grief when I can jump right to the promise? Why hang out in the middle of the story when I know the happy ending?

This problem I have with sadness became glaringly obvious as I read through Job in our DWITW 365 plan. If I’m completely honest, I was slogging through those middle chapters. I was wishing Job would stop repeating himself and the friends would get with it and God would just SHOW UP ALREADY. I know the end of the story. I know our faithful, Redeemer God. Come on with it, Lord!

I needed to sit and read the words of Job’s friends

But, God. Our good God designed the book of Job for short-sighted people just like me who need to do some walking in darkness before they see the light. I needed to sit and read the words of Job’s friends. I needed to realize that “DUH! I AM THE FRIENDS.” I am the person who struggles to be compassionate and rushes to the truth. I am the person who can’t always weep with those who weep. I am the person who has wounded others in their times of grief with my untimely words.

God asks me to love Him with my whole heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:30). He wants me all-in. He wants me whole; complete; resting in SHALOM. And what I’ve come to realize is that I have not been loving God with my whole heart - I’ve been loving Him with just the happy half of my heart. Jesus came and died so that I could have life to the full (John 10:10) - abundance, wholeness, shalom - but I’m missing out on all that fullness if I am avoiding the pain. Pain is part of the human experience. Jesus felt more pain than I ever will. He wept, he grieved, he suffered. And what does that tell me? It tells me that it’s a privilege to suffer because it aligns me with Christ. When I walk with him through suffering, I connect with Him in a different way. I understand more deeply what it means to be human. I become ‘acquainted with grief’ (Isaiah 53:3), as He was. If Jesus needed to be acquainted with grief, then so do I.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

And what good is it for me to be acquainted with grief? (This is the constant question in my mind when I am escaping my pain). In my grief, I am met with God’s perfect comfort. Paul tells me that the comfort I get from God is meant to be given away to others when they are suffering (2 Cor. 1:4). It’s not just about me. There is a deep, God-reflecting comfort that isn’t possible for me to give if I haven’t worked through suffering myself. If I avoid my pain and refuse God’s comfort, I can’t give adequate comfort to others.

Two roads lie before me now: a short escape route and a long road to shalom. I’ve taken the short road enough times to know that it’s not a path of growth. It’s a path of avoidance and it doesn’t get me where I ultimately want to go. The road to shalom looks dark and twisty and full of danger, but that’s the road I’m choosing to walk down this time, hand-in-hand with my Jesus. He’s walked the path before me and will catch me when I fall. He is my peace (Eph. 2:14) and He will use my trials and suffering to make me complete (James 1:2-4). I don’t have to be afraid. He will also join me in my holy longing for restoration, and for perfect joy and peace. There’s room for hope and expectant joy on the journey, too.

Lord, forgive me for the years I’ve spent running away from pain, escaping from the hard feelings, avoiding sorrow. Show me the purpose in the pain. Show me what it looks like to embrace pain and lean into grief when it comes my way. Remind me that sad feelings are okay and help me to stick with them for a little while. When the trials come, comfort me in a way that only You can, and teach me how I can comfort others in the same way. Grow me in compassion and protect me from hurting others with insensitive words. Redeem the years that the locusts have eaten, Lord! Create in me a clean heart, a heart of flesh, a fearless heart that is not afraid to feel pain. Take me down the road to shalom and teach me what wholeness looks like. I long for the day when tears are no more, but until then, show me how to honor You with my feelings. Amen

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Natalie Herr is the founder and team leader of Dayton Women in the Word. She is a servant of God, a wife, a mom of four and a God-sized dreamer. She loves teaching and equipping women with God's Word.

Our team journal was written for you today by our Content Director, Jillian Vincent.

I’m doing it again. Scrolling Wayfair for a bigger dining room table. Peeking at listings online for minivans and SUVs. Considering buying bunk beds for my boys to make room for more kids to find a safe place in our home through Safe Families. I’m making room. It was one of my goals for 2018. I want to create space for more, expectant that God will use our home for safety, refuge, fellowship, feasting, and belonging. I have a vision that God has more purpose for this little blue house with maroon shutters, and our little family inside of it. He intends to use this space, and I’m preparing for the sojourners that God will bring our way.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about sanctification, the change God initiates in us, the way God makes room for Himself inside of us once we belong to Him. I’ve been thinking of that as I make room for others in my home, that maybe He is making room for more holiness in my heart. In Leviticus, as we will soon discover in #dwitw365, the Lord lays out His specific plans for His people’s holiness, and how they can purify themselves. This purification has a purpose, and that purpose is so that the people could dwell with him. Did you know that many of the food sacrifices God instructs His people to make and offer to Him, that they are also instructed to eat the rest? It is a divine meal between God and His people hosted by God Himself (Deut 14:22-29). He prepared a place and provided the meat for His people, purifying them so they could be in his presence and eat with Him at His table (Psalm 23:5-6)!

“For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.”

— Leviticus 11:44

Yes, I made many a goal for my household this new year. And most of them have to do with hosting others around my still non-existent, large, round, dark, wooden, dream table. But I never once thought to ask the question, “What is God’s goal for me?”? Holiness. God’s goal for me is holiness. Why? Because He wants me with Him, at His table. Because He loves me and made room for me. He has made a home in my heart. He wants abundant life for me, a life where there is no Godless space. Because God is holy, and I belong to him, I must be holy. And when I am with Him, I am compelled to be like Him.

The Bible is clear on the how of holy. As we abide in Him, He does the work of making us holy, directing us back to Him and creating the fruit in our lives. (John 15) So I’ve been asking myself these questions as I abide with Him: What space am I holding back from Him? Where in my life is a Godless place because I have not made room for Him? What have I not consecrated to the Lord? And some scarier questions: What am I making room for instead? What have I welcomed that is not of the Lord? What gods have feasted at my table? What other gods have slept in my turned down beds? Or, used my wifi password? Or, eaten my French toast for breakfast?

“He must increase and I must decrease.”

— John 3:30

And I know it is really the Holy Spirit inquiring about my choice of house guests. Yes, He is here. And He won’t allow any other god to shack up here. Including my old sinful self. She’s got to go. There simply isn’t room. He is the only God worthy of every space in my life, my heart, my breath and my very being. I am in Christ, which means I am hosting Holiness. Why? Because my heart is a dwelling place for Jesus Christ himself, the spotless lamb. When the Lord looks at me, He sees Holiness, because He sees Christ. That old Jillian? That old self? She’s gone. She’s been crucified with Christ. And now, I’m alive again because it is Christ who lives in me! Holiness himself. And I not only host Holiness, I host power -- the power of the Holy Spirit -- and I need to make room for Him.

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
- Romans 8:2-4

If Jesus Christ walked into my little blue house right now, I would shove all the markers and play-doh and leftover crusty spaghetti noodles off my table to create a clean space for Him to sit. I would place Him at the head of my table and I would make sure all the friends He brought with Him were equally welcome.

Well, the Holy Spirit HAS shown up, and He has brought some friends. A lot of friends. A Holy Spirit soiree of sorts right to my doorstep. But the thing is, this is no temporary stay. I am not God’s “airbnb.” And you! Sister, YOU ARE NOT GOD’S HOSTEL. WE are his forever home. It is not, “Make yourself at home!” It is “Welcome Home!” WE are his dwelling place. We are his temple. He has moved in! Unpacked his bags! But He has not put up his feet. No, He is making us His Home.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

— Galatians 5:22-23

And no, we didn’t come cleaned up by any housekeeping service, all the nooks and crannies in our lives were not spiffed up for Him before He arrived. But GOD! He himself, tender to us, because He has lived this human life and has known intimately its nastiest places, came to renew and restore everything. He is making all things new. Without condemnation towards our brokenness, He is redesigning, until every tile of backsplash and wooden floorboard has his signature touch.

So what does that mean for my life right now? Simply this: I’m sitting down to eat with the Lord at His table. I’m exposing my unfinished parts to Him, and I’m listening when He convicts me of trying to kick Him out of His own house! (It happens a lot.) I’m loosening my idolatrous thoughts of a better designer or a better design, because He is revealing His ultimate glorious one to me! And, sister? There is no comparison. God’s design is always better. And finally, I’ve stopped fashioning a guest room for him, because I’ve given him the keys entirely.

Lord, help me to host holiness, knowing it is you who does the work, and rejoice that though you are a come-as-you-are God, you don’t leave this house foreclosed. As I prepare my home for guests, would you prepare my heart for holiness? Leave no room untouched, and help me keep in step with your Spirit as you fashion a glorious temple for yourself.

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Jillian Vincent loves Jesus. She's a wife, mother of two boys and a Dayton enthusiast. Jillian currently is a stay at home mama and spends nap times writing and discipling other women. She would (almost) die for an avocado, a cup of coffee made by her husband, a novel that makes her cry, and a bouquet of sunflowers. 

Our team journal was written for you today by our Social Media Manager, Kelly Gwin.

“What is happening!?”

This is the question I kept asking myself as I began to struggle.

For a long time I was in a season where I felt like I was flourishing -- God had done something new and amazing, and I KNEW that I was done being defeated by my circumstances. But... they’re called “seasons” for a reason, and God is good to never leave us where we are. Even if it’s in a “good” place. No, He desires that we bear fruit for Him, and that can only happen if the branch is regularly pruned -- which is a bummer, because we are the branches, and pruning HURTS! He always wants more for us. John 15:2 says,“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit,” and it was my turn.

New, more difficult circumstances arose for our family, and my old sinful habits started to come right back with them. This new way of life felt unfair and burdensome. Anger and bitterness began to creep in, and I began to feel that abundance slipping away. This showed me that my joy, my peace, my LIFE, must not be coming purely from the Vine because I had none of those things. My circumstances became more difficult, and so did my attitude. Jesus came to bring life in abundance (John 10:10), and let me tell you, I was NOT experiencing that abundance. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

— John 15:5

Every inconvenience took over my emotions, and every challenge overcame me. God had brought me out of sinful habits before, and I felt  desperate for Him to rescue me again! I was listening to my word, and seeing my actions, and wondering what in the world had happened! “Where did the abundance go? What happened to the fruit!?” I thought. 

I knew I was totally hopeless without my Savior, but I just found myself sulking in that place. I would say, “God, I can’t do this. I need you to change me. This is too much for me to handle. You’ve done it before, just do it again!” I was practically writhing in anger at the fact that I was having to deal with challenges. I want everything to be easy and convenient. I want to be like Christ without suffering with Him. I want to be holy without the process of refining. I was feeling sorry for myself, sitting in my anger, focusing on the negative. I was speaking death, acting out of my flesh, and seeking my own comfort. I cried out to God constantly, but something very intentional was going on. As I processed with Him in prayer throughout this time, and sought His wisdom in the Scriptures, He helped me to see what was happening. I didn’t want to be pruned, but He showed me that it was time, and it was needed.

And I’m not out of it yet. God has begun to take me through that painful, but necessary process in order that this crooked little branch might bear more fruit, and find LIFE in the Vine. It's been a difficult season full of friction, and cutting, and that feeling of death happening in my flesh as I fight all these little daily battles. And fight is the key word here. I’ve experienced triumph, and catastrophic failure. It's been painful and violent, as pruning is, but I’ve seen His faithfulness in seasons like these a number of times before. I know there is a purpose and a good plan that will result in glory for Him and joy for me, real joy.

I’m continually being encouraged by Him as He confirms His intentions and comforts me with His Word every day. Romans 6 says I’m dead to sin, and alive to God. It says I have the power of the resurrection living in me because of the Holy Spirit. Deuteronomy 30 says this is not too hard for me! I have the ability to choose life over death, and when I do my whole family is blessed! Deeper still into Romans chapter 8, He’s teaching me to SET my mind on the things of the Spirit which IS life and peace! He’s reminding me that, yes, I am sinful and can do nothing without Him (John 15:5) , BUT I’M NOT WITHOUT HIM! 

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

— John 10:10

I needed a season to really see the magnitude of my sin. I needed to FEEL my need for Him, but I’ve gotten lost in that, and I forgot that I am a daughter of the KING! I need to be transformed by the renewing of my MIND! (Romans 12:2) My thoughts have been holding ME captive instead of the other way around! (2 Cor. 10:5) I have been carrying burdens that do not belong to me! I CAN obey! I CAN change! I CAN overcome, because of Christ! He came that we may have LIFE and have it ABUNDANTLY (John 10:10)! 

My circumstances haven’t changed, but God, in His goodness, is bringing me into a new season where my circumstances and weaknesses are not going to steal the joy that He died for me to have. I’m trusting the Lord’s good and gracious hand in the pruning. I know God does not intend to leave even a fruit-bearing branch how it is, but He is always after a more abundant harvest for His people. He will “give the increase” when I reach the end of this, and let me tell you, I feel it coming. I’m learning to WALK in accordance with the truth that He is dwelling in me, and will keep sin from having dominion over my life. (Romans 6:14)

Are you in that season right now? Are you seeing a pattern of sin and death in your daily life, when God has made it so clear that He wants to give LIFE!? Don’t waste your struggles. Know that God is very intentional and has a good plan for all of it. Every challenge is an opportunity to practice walking in the Spirit, and He is right there, inside you, to help you. I will tell you right now that even as I write that I can feel the friction in my flesh. I don’t want difficult. But man, I do want to be like Him. So I’m in surrender-mode now, friends. I’m saying, “Cut away, Lord.” Because I want ALL that He has for me. I want the fruit. I want all that abundance, and I know it’s waiting for me when the season changes.

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Kelly is a worship leader, treasurer, and all-around multi-tasker at her church, while raising three little girls with her husband. Laughing, time with other women, and a completed to-do list are some of her favorite things outside of her passion for the work and Word of God. If you ask her when Christmas starts, she'll tell you it's before Thanksgiving

Today's team journal is written by our Event Coordinator and beloved sister, Sami Hudgins.

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This weekend, we moved… and I’m exhausted. In the span of 3 days, we painted our kitchen, dining room, family room, office, and mudroom, and moved all of our stuff from one house to the other.  It was laborious, yet rewarding work. Now, I’m sitting in a home cluttered with boxes and miscellaneous items I almost forgot we had. I'm trying to focus in the midst of chaos.

This is the first home that my husband and I have owned. We have taken on the project of building it together, and are eager to make it a place that has our special touch and where we gather with people that we love. Moving into this home is the first of many changes happening to us this summer. Jack is transitioning jobs, I will be starting graduate school, and we will be settling into a new house church family.

It seems that the Lord has us in a season of rebuilding.

As we approached this season, I felt the Lord preparing me to choose Him above all else. He was constantly reminding me that He is the only one and driving me to step away from idols and distractions. In the short time that we have lived here, I’ve been tempted to make even this home an idol: to take ownership and control over it and to make it into what I envision it to be. I am tempted to build this house without first considering what the Lord’s plans are for these walls. I am starting to realize that it is not just this home I am building right now. I'm beginning to question what life I am building.

We are constantly faced with the choice of building up our own lives to the world’s standards or allowing God to use our lives to build up His kingdom.  God has been using the process of preparing this home to reveal where in my heart I am building up my own kingdom over His. So today I sit in the midst of chaos, setting my eyes on Him. I’m asking that He would teach me to build up His kingdom and correct me where I am trying to build up my own.   

This is God's Kingdom.

“The God of the heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.” Nehemiah 2:20 (ESV)

Here, Nehemiah is speaking about the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. Servants of the Lord will come from near and far to rebuild the city, and yet their work earns them no right or claim in the city. It is the Lord that will make me prosper. My heart longs to glorify God and build up His kingdom by serving Him well, without expectation of earning a right or claim.

My husband and I found ourselves on the empty living room floor the first night we had the keys to our new home, surrendering it to the Lord. We asked Him to take it from our hands. Since that moment, I’ve been tempted to leave that posture of surrender; I’ve wanted to rise up claim and success as a new homemaker. I’ve wanted to take it back for my own pleasure and glory. I do this so often with the things that I surrender to the Lord; I give them over to Him and then catch myself trying to take them back. But He reminds me that He has this world in His hands, He is on the throne, and He is working all things for His good. I can fight against that, or I can surrender all of the things to join Him in this goodness.   

The Kingdom of God cannot be shaken.

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus shared his inheritance with us, “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” for us! (1 Peter 1:4 ESV). 

Jesus earned us the right to an inheritance in the kingdom of God, which is everlasting. This is contrasted with everything that we might claim in this world, which is ever-fading. Sisters, Peter encourages us this way in 1 Peter 3: let us not put our time into external adorning, but let our adorning be the of the inner heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit! We can choose to spend time on our own images, on making our homes flawless, on trying out a new diet or exercise plan, on building up our careers.  These are all deemed good and acceptable by the world, but they are all fading away. In years to come, my skin will be wrinkly, my eyes might have circles, my hair will be gray, my career will come to an end.  Our homes will be invaded by mice, infested by mold, and broken down by time (these are a few real-life examples that the DWITW Leadership team experienced in their homes this week!)  We could spend all of our time, day in and day out, trying to build up our own lives; but we could also choose to spend our time learning to live as image bearers of Christ.  

Lord, make us women that pursue heart change over outward adorning; humble us before you, and make us women that will build up your kingdom and not our own!

Stand in awe of the Kingdom of God.

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.” Hebrews 12:28 (ESV).

I have a tendency to dismiss the true magnificence of God’s kingdom; I don’t often stop to stand in awe and wonder at what the Lord has created. My heart is not often overwhelmed with thanksgiving for the gift that He has given to us. No, instead I am captured by the things of this world, the things that cannot compare to what is waiting for us.  My pursuit of worldly passions belittles the gift given to us by grace.

Lord, forgive me! Today, I choose to stop and worship you for all that you have done.

The Kingdom of God dwells among us.

“Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” Luke 17:20 (ESV)

We strive to put all things perfectly in place, driven by what we can see before us. The building of God's kingdom is often less appealing that the building of our own lives. Our finite minds crave the satisfaction of visual completion.  The kingdom of God cannot be observed, but it is dwelling deep within us.  So how can we participate in the building up of this kingdom? Paul claims in 2 Timothy 4 that he fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. He is a prime example of what it means to build up the kingdom of God. In this letter, he reveals that he did so by keeping his eyes set on the truth of the Word, by keeping his eyes set on Jesus. In whatever season we are in, may we relentlessly build and behold the kingdom of God, which is indeed among us. 

Lord, make me a woman that pursues you over all the things of this world; make me a woman that wakes up looking to you alone. Help me not to spend my energy and time pursuing the things that will suit my own passions, but to use it in building your kingdom. Help me in my moments of unbelief, help me to know that though this kingdom cannot be seen, it is true that it is among us. Stop me in my business so that I might stand in awe of its magnificence.  All glory be to God. 

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Samantha "Sami" Hudgins serves as the Event Coordinator for Dayton Women in the Word. She is an Air Force wife and fur-baby-mama to Charlie. Her heart longs for women to join together to seek and find truth in God's Word. 

This week's Team Journal is written by our Team Lead and beloved sister, Natalie Herr.

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“She who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives.”

— 1 Timothy 5:6

It's 4:45 on a Thursday afternoon. The toddler is in the playroom fussing, the baby could wake up any minute, the 5-year-old is alone in the kitchen doing who-knows-what and the 7-year-old is tapping his pencil and humming at the same time. In the time it's taken to type this sentence, the toddler has moved on from her fit and found a harmonica (SEND HELP). It's 4:49 on a Thursday afternoon and I can barely hear myself think. 

This season of life is all over the place for me. Some days, it's chaotic and confusing. Some days, it's joyful and life-giving. Most days, it's all of those things and everything in between (including total exhaustion). I know God is with me and I hear him speaking, but his voice is often muffled by all the other noises swirling around me. He's pouring into me, He's teaching me, He's showing me things in bits and pieces. But my failing human mind struggles to put the pieces together into something coherent. I can't seem to get past all the noise. I have a sense of where He is leading me, but I can't put my finger on it with full confidence.

Things are cloudy. Disconnected. Out of focus. But I know He is at work. Here are some of the bits and pieces of truth I've been finding in the fog. 

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He is at work, showing me my need for self-discipline.

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That scripture right up there, 1 Timothy 5:6, just jumped out from the page last week and bit me. My flesh wanted only to ask, "Am I self-indulgent?" But immediately, the Spirit answered that with a resounding "You're a human, so YES." The question became: "Where am I self-indulgent? Where am I a dead woman walking?" Other words for indulgent include overly generous, permissive, lenient, tolerant, liberal; none of which I want to be with my natural, sinful self. I don't want to indulge my flesh! Paul warns us against that business in Galatians 5. The flesh is a mess. I want to be be walking ALIVE with the Spirit! So I've got to take off any self-indulgent passions I see in my life, and that requires self-discipline. 

This is where I say, "How, God? How can I start any new disciplines now when everything seems so crazy?" Well, God knows what I need. Maybe some order and discipline in my spiritual life will yield similar fruit in my home.

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He is at work, teaching me about mortification.

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Have you guys heard of this thing called "mortifying" our sin? Killing it? Hating it? Taking it off and putting it away? Fighting against it with vigor? My guess is you have. Like I said before, if I want to be rid of the sins and indulgences in my life, then I need self-discipline. But what will fuel that self-discipline? What will my motivation be? I think I've got to see the ugliness of my sin and hate it enough to want it gone. As John Owen says in The Mortification of Sin, "be killing sin or it will be killing you." YIKES.

Earlier this week, I texted a friend on this topic. I was weary with the weight of self-discipline; hating how hard the work of mortification felt. I told her that taking off the old self felt like peeling off a wet suit; and that putting on the new self felt like buttoning up a wedding dress with one million buttons. The wedding seems very far away.

Killing sin is work. Hard work. But it is work I don't take on alone and I don't do it in my own power. It is the Spirit in me doing the work. It is the Spirit in me that decides not to say that rude comment to my husband or indulge in that extra snack I don't need. It is the Spirit in me doing it all. 

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He is at work, showing me more of himself.

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So I'm over here wrestling with the self-discipline thing, feeling like there are a million areas of my life to bring into order. I've got no idea where to start or how to start or what I'm supposed to be doing. What few coherent thoughts I have are quickly interrupted by baby cries or children's needs or my own need for sleep. 

But, God! He sees me. He knows I can only handle the bits and pieces right now. He gives me little tiny gifts in Scripture to keep me afloat. He focuses my eyes back on himself. And He gives me this little gem in 2 Timothy:

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God...for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

— 2 Timothy 1: 6-7

I've got the spirit of self-control in me already? SAY WHAT?! Because God's Spirit lives in me, I have divine access to discipline and self-control. I can make wise choices. I can do what God is calling me to do. I won't reach perfection anytime soon, but I can make progress. I can walk in righteousness. I can choose to be a vessel of honor, set apart as holy and useful to God, ready for every good work (2 Tim. 2:20-21). Because of the Spirit in me, the character traits that I am called to in Scripture are possible for me, even if they seem out of reach at times (I'm looking at you, patience.)

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He is at work; giving me grace.

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In the course of writing this post, I've failed multiple times in my battle against sin. I've given in. I've wondered if I can really change. I've wondered if I should even be writing these bits and pieces down for others to read. But the Lord is near. He is here in my failure. He deals exclusively with sinners; my mistakes are not surprising to him. (Neither are yours.)

I feel weak and ill-equipped, but I know he is at work. 

I can walk through these foggy days with the Spirit, trusting him to lead me and help me and equip me. I can believe that some day soon, my mind will clear up and he'll put all the bits and pieces together. I can fail and not despair because I get new mercies every day. And I can enjoy the small moments and tiny truths. He is at work.

Lord, this prayer is for all the scattered minds. All the weary hearts. All the foggy souls. Help us, Father, to take off the old self and put on the new. Show us our sin, help us to hate it, encourage us to fight against it and flee far from it. Help us to live out our calling; help us when the dying-to-ourselves part of following you feels extra painful. Help us when we feel confused and we don't see the way. Help us to pick up self-control and love and kindness and compassion and patience and all-the-good-things even when they feel really heavy. Strengthen our hands so that the lifting and putting on of the good things gets easier the more we practice. You are everything and you are at work. We need you every hour. Come back soon.

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Natalie Herr is the founder and team leader of Dayton Women in the Word. She is a servant of God, a wife, and a mom of four. She loves teaching and equipping women with God's Word. And she could really use a nap.

Todays team journal was written by our DWITW social media manager and beloved sister, Kelly Gwin.

“Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herds in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”

— Habakkuk 3:17-18

There I was, on my knees in a desperate ball of tears in the middle of my living room crying out to God while my kids watched in a dramatic mix of confusion and concern as they watched their mom totally lose it….again. I wish I could say that only happened once, but this was a scene that was becoming more and more frequent as I desperately tried to hold my life together with my own incapable hands. These past months have been a wild ride in the Gwin household. New business, new baby, needy children, ministry, and staying alive had me all kinds of crazy, and my family was feeling it. I was feeling it.

I’ve always been a bit of a control freak. My father is southern born and military bred. Expectations were high, failure was not an option, and “quit” was not in our vocabulary. I will say, there are many aspects to my tendencies that have served myself and others well, but control and independence have been HUGE idols of mine, and a central issue in my relationship with the Lord.

I had been praying about what to do with my situation. I knew I couldn’t keep doing life this way. My kids were OUT OF CONTROL, I was a busy and absent mom even though I was working from home, stress levels were through the roof for everyone, and something had to give. I knew whatever that meant, it was going to be difficult for me.

“O Lord how long will I cry for help, and you will not hear?”

— Habakkuk 1:2

I have been studying Habakkuk, and saw myself right up there on that watch post with him, “O Lord how long will I cry for help, and you will not hear?” (Habakkuk 1:2) I would cry out, complain, lament, and ask for help, strength, and clarity. The Lord was answering me, and I knew it, but it was not the answer I wanted to hear. Surely, he was not asking me to let go. He would never tell me I needed to cut something out of my life. He should just give me strength to succeed in all the things! And so the back-and-forth dialogue would continue. “Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy One?” (Habakkuk 1:12) I was in stubborn disobedience as I continued to try to “logic” my way out of having to jump off of this proverbial cliff. That lasted a short while, but the Holy Spirit was practically screaming, “LET. GO.” It was time to give up my business.

Why do we ever question our Creator? We know He’s sovereign. We know he’s good. We know his plan is always better than ours, yet we cling to the edge like we’re in danger.“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For his maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!” (Habakkuk 2:18) God used this verse to bring me to full surrender. Control, finances, approval, pride. I was holding on tight, but each day in my alone time with him I would take one more tiny step toward obedience until, by his grace, I was able to jump.

“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For his maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!”

— Habakkuk 2:18

Yes, I felt like I was free falling, but he has proved himself faithful already. He doesn’t have to, but he continues to confirm to me in countless ways that he is in this. That his ways are higher than mine. That his plans for me are better than mine. That he loves me enough to take things away from me. Even when it hurts. I have testimony after testimony in motherhood, family, finance, and more of what he has done in the past few weeks. I’ve found so much freedom in his grace through this. I really don't have to worry. This is a lesson I have learned before, and will undoubtedly have to learn over, and over again, but each time I end up with abundant blessing and greater faith in my Father.

So here I am, a little Habakkuk. Thankful that I can come to my God with my real and raw heart. Presumptuous as I may be, I will cry out for help and deliverance, knowing that by the end of the conversation he will always bring me to a place where I cast down my idols, and stand on a higher mount singing a new song: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herds in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

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Kelly is a worship leader, treasurer, and all-around multi-tasker at her church, all while raising three little girls with her husband. Laughing, time with other women, and a completed to-do list are some of her favorite things outside of her passion for the work and Word of God. If you ask her when Christmas starts, she'll tell you it's before Thanksgiving.

Our team journal today was written by the DWITW Administrator, Tech/Design Guru, and our beloved sister, Mindy Braun.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

— John 13:34-35

I've always called myself a dreamer. Someone who never stops thinking about what's next and the big ideas I have for my life. I like to be a part of change and want to be involved with anything and everything that is making a difference. I want to say yes to it all and have a fear of missing out or not making as much impact as I could. Let me tell you, it's exhausting. 

A little while ago we released a podcast episode with Kathe Bricker. I had the honor of being a co-host with Jillian in that interview. I will never forget Kathe talking about her "no give": The one thing she can't give up and will always say yes to. 

This week my husband and I are on a work retreat. We run a photography business out of our home, and for the first time we are setting time aside for 2 days to completely, 100% focus on it. No kids. No laundry that needs folded and dinners that need cooked and t-ball practices to get to. We are discussing everything from our personal aspirations to our pricing to who sends the emails. We just spent the last 3 hours talking about the biggest part of it all: our whys. Why do we do what we do? Why do we want to make changes? It didn't just stick with our business - it came home and got personal. Why do we live where we do? Why would we want to move? Why did we join a church plant? Why do we want to serve in this way? Our answer always came back to the same thing. 

To love people. 

That is and should be the beat of our hearts. The Word of God is full of commands and instructions on loving one another. We even just covered this on day six of our Beyond Titus 2 study. 

“We are all called to the work of making disciples: the only qualification is loving people and following Jesus.”

— DWITW, Beyond Titus 2

The Christian faith is that simple. Love God above all and love others like He does. Sounds so simple, but because of our human, sinful nature, it's not. This retreat is not simple. Sharing our homes is not simple. Speaking with soft, kind words to our disobedient kids is not simple. Loving people who are not you is never easy. But God has given us the Holy Spirit to walk us through it: He is our guide. He will equip us well and perfectly. We can also look to Jesus as a living example, ask for forgiveness when we stumble, and keep on walking this life in His light.

So this week, God is asking me to ask this question: Why am I doing the things I do? What dreams do I have and what are their purposes? I'm tired of being exhausted, feeling like I'm not doing anything well. I've said yes to too many things. So now I'm learning to let go of things, things that are honestly good. God is calling me to focus on Him and carrying out the simplest commandment: love Him, and then love people. I'm refocusing on loving my husband, my kids, my clients, the church and my city. 

Loving people. I cannot give that up. 

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Mindy is an Ohio-born-and-raised, small town girl who has grown to love the city of Dayton. Her family resides in East Dayton.  While she's not being mama to her two kids, she and her husband run a photography business out of their home. Mindy has a love for deep friendships, truffle fries, sleeping in, the outdoors, serving the Church, and ice cream after bedtime.

Today's team journal was written by our sister and DWITW treasurer, Kaitlyn Carl.

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.”

— Ephesians 6:16

Two Pharisees, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, had the distinct privilege of burying the Lord Jesus after His death on the cross. They buried Him like a king, using seventy-five pounds of spices to cover His body before they wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in a never-before-used tomb (John 19:38-42). What an amazing opportunity these men had to honor our Lord in His death! And they risked much in doing so. Both men were members of the Jewish high council: rich men of high status and great repute among the Jews. By stepping forward to bury Jesus, they risked losing all of that. They also defiled themselves by touching a dead body, foregoing their ability to participate in the Passover feast that the Jews were celebrating that night. They would have to celebrate one month later (Numbers 9:5-12). What dedication to our Lord is shown in this truly sacrificial act of love. 

But these men didn't start here.

Joseph of Arimathea is described in John 19 as a secret disciple of Jesus, for he feared the Jews. 

Nicodemus had previously approached Jesus under the cover of night, alone, so as not to be seen speaking with Him (John 3:1-2). 

While these two men ministered tenderly to the Lord in His death, they missed the opportunity to have regular, face-to-face interaction with the living, breathing, flesh-and-blood God incarnate! And for what? To retain their status among the Jewish elite? To hold on to their abundant earthly riches? 

“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in [Jesus], but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God”

— John 12:42-43

Ouch. Can anyone else relate to that? I certainly can.

I can think of many times in my life, including recently, when I've had a chance to speak truth or be a witness for Christ, but I kept my mouth shut. It just didn't seem like the right time. Or I was worried about how the other person would react. Or about the affect it would have on our relationship. What would they think of me? How would it make me look? 

As I've thought on this passage for the last week, I've been struck by one thing in particular: these worries and fears that kept Joseph and Nicodemus and me from being a bold disciple of Christ rather than a secret one are so temporal.

Sure, I maintain status in the eyes of the watching world, but I lose the chance to potentially bring another sister into fellowship with her Heavenly Father. 

True, I may keep in tact a relationship that I value, but do I really value it that much if I'd rather risk her soul than create a potentially awkward moment between us?

I'm convinced that fear of man over fear of God is one of the greatest tools of the enemy against the spreading of Christ's church. Satan uses our own feelings of inadequacy so that we don't feel well enough equipped to speak the Gospel in truth to our fellow man, fearing not having the right answers or not knowing how to speak, and thus never open our mouths to proclaim Christ. Satan uses our deep desire to be accepted to quiet our tongues for fear of losing status with a friend. Satan uses our want of praise and status to shut us up because we fear ridicule. But dear sisters, we must recognize these thoughts for what they are: lies of the enemy. Because the root of them all is fear. 

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord...but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.”

— II Timothy 1:7-8

Immobilizing fear of this kind that prevents us from acknowledging Jesus Christ is not from God. Let's recognize it as such and put those lies to death. 

For we are not inadequate to share Jesus with others. Luke 12:11-12 tells us to not be anxious about how we will defend ourselves or what we should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach us what to say in that very moment. What greater Helper when we are in need of words than the One who inspired each and every writer of the Holy Bible as they penned our Biblical cannon??

We don't need to fear a loss of status among men: "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first" (Matthew 19:29-30). And in addition to the last being first in the Kingdom of God, as followers of Jesus, we have the greatest status of all: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs - heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided that we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:16-17). Fellow. heirs. with. Christ. I have the same status as Christ Jesus in the eyes of God - who cares what man thinks of me?

And ridicule? Well, it actually seems to indicate that we're on the right track:

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on [Jesus’] account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

— Matthew 5:11-12

These fears and lies of the enemy restrained Joseph of Arimathea's and Nicodemus' open worship of Jesus when He walked on this earth. It took the death of the One they refused to stand up for to embolden them to step forward and publicly acknowledge and care of Jesus. So I find myself wondering, what will it take for me to step forward? For you to step forward? Who do I fear: man or God? Where is my hope: here on this temporal earth, or in eternity with my Savior? 

O Lord, grant us great faith in all circumstances, that with it we may extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). Move in us, Holy Spirit, to speak and to act and to boldly proclaim the Gospel as often as we may. Embolden us to be out-in-the-open followers of Jesus, going and making disciples for Him (Matthew 28:19). I pray that each one of us would know the height and depth and length and breadth of Your love for us and that our hope would rest there and not in the things of this world (Ephesians 3:18-19). Help us combat the lies of Satan with the sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word, O God (Ephesians 6:17b). May we be women of the Word that we may tell the Word to the world without fear and with integrity, clarity, and boldness (Philippians 1:14). In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.  

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Kaitlyn is a wife of 5 1/2 years and a mama to two precious girls. She is a worship leader at her church and a group leader with Bible Study Fellowship. Kaitlyn is passionate about sharing life with others.  She loves brunch/lunch/coffee/play dates, over-sized sweatshirts, coloring books, and having to double recipes because her table is surrounded by people.

Today's team journal is written by the DWITW blog and podcast coordinator, Jillian Vincent.

“He said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

— John 19:30b

We can’t be trusted with fragile things.

I’ve been cleaning up broken glass for three days straight. The first casualty was my coffee pot, may it rest in peace. I let my two-year-old do the dishes, which was my first mistake. (Because he asked and was I really going to say no to that?) Alas, it did not end well. I think there is still some coffee pot lingering in my garbage disposal. Yesterday, I was rushing and dropped my bowl, splashing yogurt granola parfait all over my living room. Today, I dropped a mason jar while emptying the dishwasher, spraying shards all over my counter, in my tupperware and silverware drawers, and onto the floor. Each time, I’ve been shocked at my own helpless clumsiness, and the sudden fragility of my every day life. The dangerous disruptions have me snatching up my toddler, donning tennis shoes and hand-vacuuming the corners and crevices for minuscule, invisible leftovers.

Recently, I’ve been studying the book of Isaiah. Isaiah’s audience, God's wayward people, are hopelessly dropping the glass ball. Isaiah calls out their habitual sins and describes the just judgment coming for those who follow that path. They, like me, can’t help but drop the precious gifts God gives them. Their hands can not be trusted.

Yet, over and over again in Isaiah, God speaks of a solid, unbreakable hope. There would be a Messiah. He would be broken for us, breaking sin and death forever.

“He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken. ”

— Isaiah 25:8

Leading up to Easter, I’ve been pondering three words: “It is finished.”

With shaky hands, I try to death-grip my relationships, my roles and even the state of this fallen world. Everything seems so fragile! I’m frightened of my capability to shatter all that God has given me, as if a “Whoopsie Daisy” could fracture God’s plans.

If you asked me if I trust that God has the victory, I would say a resounding, “YES!” But my life doesn’t practically speak of a victory won.

It is not an “It is finished” kind of life.

You know how I know? I’m treating the roles and tasks and relationships God has given me as if they are parfait bowls, coffee pots, and mason jars. Like some comedic act, I’m flailing dishes in the air. I catch a dish and immediately throw it back up again because another is in clear gravitational jeopardy. I don’t have enough hands to carry my own stuff, let alone to carry my children, my husband or this ministry. And lately it seems God is giving me more to juggle. I'm living as if it all still depends on me, after all this time of knowing this good news: it doesn't. My to-do list reflects my desire to be an "Energizer Bunny" for the kingdom, and often my heart slips into anxious hustle. It is no secret that the Savior of the world is not me, and it certainly is not one of The Three Stooges.

In all the juggling, it doesn’t occur to me that I can set it all down. I’m afraid to let go, because what if everything breaks?

I forget. Everything was already broken, so He broke himself! We no longer bear the responsibility and the impossibility of keeping everything whole or cleaning up the mess when everything shatters. He is unclenching my hands from all the dishes and the brooms. I am learning, like Mary, to sit at Jesus' feet. I am learning, like Peter walking on the water, to keep my eyes on Jesus. God himself is whispering the gospel to me. He is gently lifting my chin so I might look at the cross and gaze upon Jesus Christ himself.

Sisters, can you grasp it as I’m beginning to?

God’s Kingdom is not a coffee pot, Amen? It doesn't need bubble wrap! There is nothing precarious about what God has done for us. 

It. Is. Finished.

Over. Complete. Doneso.

“I have said these things to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

— John 16:33

What if I took Him at His Word? What if I trusted God that it was done already?

I would live in peace. I would not take the burden of guilt back on myself that He paid for in full.  I would repent and move on. I would rejoice, awe-filled, because (in the words of my toddler) my sin and this world's can be “all gone.” I would live in expectancy for how God will complete what He has started. I would worship Him for every victory I see displayed on earth now and not fret for the times the victory is hidden and the battle feels far from over. I would not take my eyes from the Savior, who, in becoming broken, made the victory unbreakable.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts you.”

— Isaiah 26:3

It is finished.

It isn’t a question. It’s a statement. It’s an exclamation! It’s a victory cry!

Praise the Lord! The victory does not lay in my clumsy hands, but in his nail-pierced ones.

And because He loves me, He is using my shaky hands. But it ultimately does not depend on me. So I can lift my hands to worship Him! It is finished!

Lord, thank you for finishing it! My hands and heart can’t even grasp the mystery of it, the freedom of it. I confess I’ve been grasping on to my own feeble attempts to do the work that has already been done perfectly by you! I’m sorry when I don’t trust you, your unbelievable work on the cross, and your death-defying declaration. I’m craving an “It is finished” attitude, an “It is finished” kind of day, and an “It is finished” kind of life. And I trust you are already doing it, and in fact, that it has already been done. Amen

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Jillian is a lover and follower of Jesus. She's a wife, mother of two boys and a Dayton enthusiast. Jillian currently is a stay at home mama and spends nap times writing and discipling other women. She would (almost) die for an avocado, a cup of coffee made by her husband, a novel that makes her cry, and a bouquet of sunflowers. 

Today's team journal is written by our Event Coordinator, Sami Hudgins.

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched…And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched … And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”

— Mark 9:42-47

“Am I your ONE and only? Is anything else placed above ME in your heart?”

This is the question that echoed in my head after recently hearing Mark 9:42-47 read aloud by my pastor. As he went through his sermon, he clarified that we are not called to literally cut off our own hands, but we are indeed called to deliberately flee from temptation, and to pursue righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11).  Sitting in that pew, I found myself (yet again) asking God to reveal the sin that entangles me, and He answered with that simple question: “What do you place above me in your heart?”

In response, I found myself just as Peter did, pleading with Jesus after denying him so many times: “Lord, you know I LOVE you.”

He has convicted me of denying Him for my own glory.

I have an ideal image of myself, and I have made a habit of pursuing it daily, disregarding the consequences. In attempt to amplify my own worth, I’ve turned down His will and carried out my own agenda instead. I’ve denied the Lord by striving to make myself known in this world.  My heart longs to be a woman of God, but part of me thought I could be that and so much more. The truth is, I'm always striving to be my best person, but if I’m being honest, I've put this striving to achieve my ideal image above my call bring glory to his name. As a result, my work, however good or productive, becomes sinful.

I confess to you that my attitude toward God has often been conditional and on my own terms. I've been willing to go to where he sends me as long as it fits into my own schedule and routine. I confess that I have denied the Lord. 

Oh, but Lord! You know I love you.

In Mark 9, we are called to make radical changes against the sin in our lives. I am learning, yet again, to go against the grain of the world, turn away from old habits, and be made new in Christ. Peter warns us against such sin; he tells us that we must be sober-minded in order to guard ourselves from the devil, who seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). God is teaching me how to be sober-minded. He continually whispers in my ear, “my daughter, there is only One.”

There is only one hope.

There are days that I find myself hoping in the most temporary of things. I put my hope in relationships with people that will surely ebb and flow. I put my hope in my latest hobby and project, for which my passion will surely fade. I put my hope in a young and fit body, which will surely start sagging sooner than I would prefer. I put my hope in the latest and greatest health strategy, which will surely be disproved by next year. I put my hope in new organization tools, which will surely fail to keep my life in order for longer than three consecutive days.  There is only one hope, it is the hope that Jesus promised: the kingdom of God will never fade, will never fail and will forever be. “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” (Psalm 145:13 NIV) My striving distracts me from the one and only hope that will endure forever. 

There is only one mission.

Do you have a power walk? I do. My striving steps become even longer when I have set my mind to my work.  To say the very least, Jesus did amazing work here on Earth. He completed missions that I would never even dream of attempting, things no power walk of mine could accomplish. Yet, as I read through scripture, I don’t get the feeling that Jesus had a power walk. He didn’t puff his chest out and walk daringly to revive the girl who had already taken her last breath; but instead, he walked slowly and humbly, allowing the Father to guide Him with every step. Jesus was willing to bring God glory in whatever way he was called, even if it required a diversion from the path he had initially set out to take.  Jesus accomplished many things in his short time here on Earth, but he lived for only one mission: to glorify the Father. This mission was reflected in everything He did, from his daily encounters to his dying on the cross. We, too are instructed to live out one mission! Philippians 1:27 (HCS) says, “Just one thing: live you life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” There is only one mission- to proclaim the name of God.  There is no mission worth striving to accomplish if it not bringing glory to God’s name.

There is only one way.

Look around. We are constantly nudged by this world to go in one direction or another.  If you were to spend just ten minutes on the Internet, you might feel the urge to start a new house project, begin a certain diet, or set a new life goal.  In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” He did not say, “I am one of the ways.” In my attempt to go above and beyond, I have strayed from the one and only path.  We must be sober-minded, responding only to the Lord’s voice, following only His guidance. We must take radical action against the diversions offered to us in this world so that our direction might be clear.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

— James 4:7-8

I am learning how to submit to God in new ways.  I am walking away from life as I have known it, looking to Him as I live in this world but resist the temptation to be a part of it. I am drawing near to Him, and He is purifying my desires to reflect more of Him: the one and only.

I pray boldly for God to destroy the name I have built up in my striving. Will you join me in that prayer? Lord, help us to flee from sin so that your name may be made great.  Make us women who will speak of nothing but your greatness. Your name is the only name that must be made great.

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Samantha "Sami" Hudgins serves as the Event Coordinator for Dayton Women in the Word. She is an Air Force wife and fur-baby-mama to Charlie. Her heart longs for women to join together to seek and find truth in God's Word.