Today's team journal was written by our Social Media Manager, Kelly Gwin.

“We walk by faith, not by sight.”

What does it look like for you to walk by faith in your life right now? The Lord has been training me in this area for some time now, and staying true to my own form, it's taken me until very recently to realize that. I know I’m supposed to trust God and not lean on my own understanding (Prov. 3:5-6), but when circumstances in life are truly proving to make zero sense to me, that knowledge suddenly becomes very difficult to walk out. A trial that seems to have no end in sight, a new depth of intimacy with God that I’ve been longing for, but that comes with uncertainty and perhaps criticism, and new insights from His Word that all point me to one thing: faith.

We've been praying the Lord’s prayer together as a church community for the past few months, and I’ve been using that model in my own prayer time and expanding on the various elements with the Lord as I pray through all the things in my heart and life. And seemingly when I get to “your kingdom come” all these things begin to well up and spill out. I’m asking for the Lord’s return, but I’ve been asking for so much more. I’m asking for the fullness of His kingdom in my life, in my marriage, in my home, and my church community. I’m asking for His kingdom to come in my parenting as I walk through intense difficulty with a child who I know was made for His glory, but has me daily on my knees in defeat. I want ALL of what it means to belong to the God of the universe, the God of the Bible. I’m continually reading stories of extraordinary things that happen in the lives of Biblical characters and realizing I'm lacking. Where are these extraordinary things in my life? I know He’s the same God. I know He’s got the same desires, the same power, the same willingness that He had then. So what’s missing? Faith.

So, in my life right now walking by faith and not by sight means leaning into the strange and uncomfortable things that I see in God’s Word

Now let me clarify that, in Christ, I am missing nothing. In Christ, there is no lack. What God is doing now is showing me more of who He is, and the way He sometimes does this is just different than the way we had planned. Can I get an “amen?” If I want to hear His voice and obey to the uttermost the way Ezekiel did, the way Abraham and Moses did, the way the early church disciples did - hearing very specifically from God and moving forward with action in confidence that they heard their Father’s voice - that requires faith. If I believe in a God of miracles and want to walk in the Holy Spirit who imparts gifts that are meant to be in operation, that requires faith. If I am going to faithfully continue to believe that God is good and has a glorious plan for my daily struggles in parenting, and all the sin that abounds in it, that requires faith.

So, in my life right now walking by faith and not by sight means leaning into the strange and uncomfortable things that I see in God’s Word, but not in many churches. It means having confidence that if I’m His sheep, then I do hear His voice and I can obey with confidence. I can trust the Holy Spirit and His Word to guide me without fear of the results. Walking by faith means trusting in a God that’s beyond my understanding when I feel like I just can't make it another day as the mother of a child I love so dearly. It means letting go of absolutely everything the world expects of me and clinging only to Jesus, because He’s proven Himself trustworthy. I would love to end by sharing a personal paraphrase of Hebrews chapter 12 that God prompted me to write this morning (of course) as a letter from Him to me, and maybe from Him to you.

“You have my Word to see that by faith all these people walked in obedience and didn’t even receive the promise that I was later faithful to give. You have the benefit of seeing my faithfulness because of them. You can see that I keep my promises, and that my word is true.

Because of this, throw off your sin and run by faith the path I’ve set before YOU. Looking to me, the One who gave you this faith in the first place, and who is sanctifying you. I have taken the weight of shame and condemnation off of you on the cross so that you can do this without growing weary. You will not have to endure what I endured for you. This is discipline; loving training in holiness. Because you are my daughter, and I desire LIFE for you. I’m doing all things for your good. So that you will be with Me and be like Me. So that you will be strengthened and healed. Strive for peace and holiness with those I’ve put in your life. Make sure that you are pouring out the grace that I’ve poured out onto you, not allowing room for bitterness. Because you belong to Me - the One who’s already covered it all so you can walk by faith that these promises are secure in me. Don’t turn from Me. Don't resist Me. Listen to Me and trust Me. There are consequences if you don’t. Either way, I have seen to it that you will receive my unshakeable kingdom and that you will stand unshaken in it. So be grateful and worship me with fear and awe, in light of who I am. I am your God. God Almighty.”

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Kelly Gwin wants to live in a world where deep heart-talks happen at the top of every hour (you know, ones where everyone cries), gardens thrive without effort, and all the walls are white. When she's not discipling her 3 young girls and trying to keep her coffee hot, you can find her serving and living life with her Faith Christian Fellowship Dayton family, listening to some sort of podcast, or being "social" on behalf of DWITW.

Her favorite Scriptures are: Psalm 86:8 and Romans 5:8.

Today’s team journal is written by our Bible Study Director, Lauren Steckling.

I am a planner. Maybe not to the extent of my mom, but I feel ‘in control’ when I have all the details worked out and my time is scheduled. I make to-do lists, packing lists, errand lists...even when my daughter was a baby, I went crazy to have her feeding, napping, and even pooping recorded so I would know her schedule. We are leaving on a short trip soon, and for the last week I have had lists of lists, just so that we don’t forget anything!

In reality, things don’t always go to plan.

This week, God is teaching me (probably for the hundredth time) that I am not the one in control. In reality, things don’t always go to plan. An unexpected trip to the Emergency Room with my grandparents kept me from keeping my 3:30 appointment for an oil change. And a later night at house church had me doing laundry instead of going to bed, and then we had a toddler who woke up two hours earlier than normal which threw the entire day’s schedule upside down.

Now mind you, having a plan and a schedule is not a bad thing. In fact, I would say in a lot of cases it’s wise to have a plan, but the issue is more of how I react when that plan doesn’t happen the way I think it should. I have to admit that I’m not always the most flexible person. I would say most planner type personalities struggle with being flexible. My family used to quote an old stage play Lost in Yonkers when things didn’t happen the way I thought they should -- “That’s not how I had it pictured!” -- we would say. They said this because I tended to have a picture in my head of how something should be, and anything other than that, to me, was wrong. I was reading this morning in my DWITW 365 reading plan Psalm 139 when the Lord spoke to me about this very issue.

As my cranky toddler was played with my “Bible pens” instead of sleeping and our half-packed bags lay next to me, God was telling me to lay all my plans down at his feet. He spoke to me using the first 6 verses which says:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

He knows my heart - my desire to be in control, my sin, my frustration when “the plan” goes to pot, and even my anxiety over it all. But praise the Lord that He is ultimately the one in control so I don’t have to be! And His plans are far better than my own. I could point to countless stories in my life where things didn’t happen the way I wanted them to. In every single one of those situations, it is clear that God had other plans for me and that His plan was SO MUCH BETTER than what I could have even imagined. Some of my best friends, best memories, and even my daughter were the result of God taking over, and making his plans preeminent over mine.

His plans are far better than mine and that He is worthy to be trusted.

This has been a struggle of mine for as long as I can remember. “That’s not how I had it pictured!” was easily one of the most quoted phrases in my house growing up (and trust me, we’re a family of quoters), but praise God that He doesn’t give up on us when we don’t get something the first, or even the hundredth, time. He continues to remind me that His ways are greater than my ways. His plans are far better than mine and that He is worthy to be trusted. So although it’s hard to let my plans go, I will choose to start today with open hands knowing God will do amazing things in my weakness, and I hope you are able to do the same!

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Lauren Steckling wants to live in a world where donuts have no calories, weekends last longer, and everyone would feel the grace and peace that comes knowing their Savior Jesus. When she's not taking care of her toddler, you can find her sewing, baking, or with her nose in a good book.

Her favorite Scripture is Isaiah 41:10, ESV: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Today’s team journal was written by our Administrative Director, Christina Von Moll.

Toward the end of 2017, my husband and I began praying about the next step in his career. We decided that the time was right for him to go back to school and get his Ph.D. Initially, I felt peace and was able to let myself be overjoyed and proud. I knew that the Lord had already gone before us so as to prepare a foundation of faith. And He had also given us an amazing support network of loving friends and family to help us through this next season of raising tiny ones and navigating higher level education at the same time. Plus, the Lord had just brought me through a season of shattering idols (you can listen to that testimony here), and during that season He opened my eyes to the gracious and loving community He had placed right in front of me. He has graciously continued to grow my affection for my local church and my city - Dayton has become home and my church has become family. I was in a good place. My family was in a good place. Life was in a good place.

Then, the Ph.D. curveball came. My husband and I then had to decide between two schools - one of which was about 2500 miles away from everything we knew and loved, and the other which was much nearer to home. Should we leave or should we stay? Our hearts were torn between two amazingly great choices.

It was in the process of deciding that the Lord met us and led us to be fully surrendered to Him, trusting in His leading. The process gave us a more in-depth knowledge of our loving Father. From the first moment we, as a family, decided to go full steam ahead into the Ph.D. program, I must have flip-flopped about 400 times between feelings of anxiety and excitement. Then throw in a potential cross-country move and newborn baby into the mix, and suffice it to say that “trust in the Lord” was not where my heart was leaning.

Our eyes were opened, and instead of seeing potential trials we saw endless opportunities for grace, love, and glory.

But God, in His goodness, led me through that season by showing me that peace and wisdom could be found by seeking first His Kingdom. The key in this season was to allow His Word to dwell in me richly. As I approached the Word with fresh eyes and an expectancy to know the Lord in a deeper way, I began to see that He is trustworthy, He is totally FOR us, and no matter what we decided to do, He would be glorified.

I cannot even begin to describe the peace that came over me in the moment that the Holy Spirit made that truth click in my heart and mind. If we left our support network for a new city far away from everything we had known, He would be glorified. And if we stayed to face the uncertainty of funding and various other unknowns, He would still be glorified. If we left, He would provide. If we stayed, He would provide - even if not in the ways we imagined. A deep relief rested in my soul with this understanding. This relief, or peace, came from choosing to trust God - even in the unknown. We also experienced freedom which came from being surrendered to His will. We simply wanted Christ to be glorified in us. Our eyes were opened, and instead of seeing potential trials we saw endless opportunities for grace, love, and glory. We trusted that our God was big and that He would move on our behalf, establishing our steps. When we finally made the choice to stay, with our eyes fixed on Him (Heb. 12:1-2) and our hearts set to give Him glory in it all (1 Cor. 10:31), our path was made straight.

In life, we face choices every day. Some have a definite right answer, and some don’t. Whether big or small, when we face these non-moral choices with a trust in God and full assurance that He will take our choice and turn it for our good and His glory (Rom. 8:28). Ultimately, we know that we can trust in the One who made the way, and lean not on our own understanding of what the “way” should be (Proverbs 3:5-6). As we will be reminded of in our Summer Study on Hosea, this is where we will truly find peace.

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Christina Von Moll wants to live in a world where coffee breaks are mandatory and kids actually sleep through the night. When she's not wrangling her two tiny children, you can find her binge-watching seasons of "The Office" or curled up with a good book and a cup of coffee.

Her favorite Scripture is 1 John 3:1-2, ESV.

Today's team journal was written by our Team Lead, Natalie Herr.

““For the Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.””

— Psalm 84:11

God does not withhold good things from us.
God does not withhold good things from me.
God does not withhold good things from those who are seeking Him.
With God, we have all we need.

In the past week, I’ve written all four of those phrases in the margins of my Bible. The repetition of my own reactions to Scripture caught my eye. When did I start believing the lie that God is withholding things from me?

Like any gal who’s been schooled a bit in Bible study, my first thought was to look up the original meaning of the Hebrew word for “withhold” used in Psalm 84:11. The Hebrew word is mana’ (not to be confused with the word manna (referring to bread), which coincidently, God did not withhold!) which means to hold back, keep from, refrain or deny.

When I look at my relatively easy, white American life - my ‘used to be dead but now alive’ life - how can I say that God has held anything back from me? How can I say that He’s denied anything good from me? What is it that I think He is actually keeping from me?

I’m not sure how to answer that question just yet, but I’m led back again to this truth: everything I have is from the Lord. EVERY. THING. Every single thing. It’s all been given to me. God didn’t keep me back from my mother’s womb in 1986. He didn’t keep me back from growing up and learning and living. He didn’t withhold my husband or my four children or my home or my community. And He, FOR SURE, did not keep his Son from me. He gave me the ultimate gift in Jesus that I didn’t even know I needed. Ironically, I didn’t know I needed Him partly because of all the other gifts that He gave to me were clouding my view of the Giver and my need for a Redeemer.

I think of the passage in Luke 11 where Jesus is talking about dads; how they’d never give their kid a scorpion instead of an egg, or a serpent instead of a fish. If good human dads give their kids good gifts, then how much more does our good God? How can I say He’s been keeping anything good from me? Jesus says to simply ask and that God, in turn, would be delighted to give me anything that aligns with His will for my life.

“Oh fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”
- Psalm 34:9

God is all powerful, and He definitely has the power to withhold things. There is evidence of that all over Scripture and all over our lives. But if we believe God’s Word, we have to believe that the things He has kept away from us have been for our good and for our protection. Perhaps, if we spent more time looking at the gift of God himself instead of our lack of “good” things, we would see that this is absolutely true.

So yes, God is storing up good things. But He doesn’t keep them away from those who seek Him. He doesn’t deny good from us when we ask. He doesn’t have a heavenly storehouse of wonderful things that we can’t have. Because of Jesus, there’s no sign on any door in heaven that says, “Natalie can NOT come in.”

In response to all of this, I hear God asking me to STOP spending time thinking about things I don’t have or far-off dreams that are not yet realized. Instead I hear Him saying, “Enjoy what I have given you RIGHT NOW. Today. Enjoy ME. Seek ME.” I hear Him calling me to reflect Him by not withholding good things from others when it is within my power to do so (Proverbs 3:27). I hear Him telling me to name my desires and see if they honor Him; and when they do, to ask Him boldly for those good gifts, and then to get ready to watch Him work.

This is what I know with certainty: When my heart is aligned with His heart and when I am walking in His ways, I can ask Him for anything and believe that He will deliver.

He does not withhold good things from us.
He does not withhold good things from me.

I will repeat that refrain from now until eternity.

Lord, help me to believe what I know is true: that you don’t withhold good things from your kids and that everything I have here and now is very good. Grow gratefulness in me, stir up awe and wonder and fear of you deep down in my soul. Set my gaze squarely on you, and help me believe that you love me like a good dad. Help me notice the good things that you are giving me all day, every day. I want to bless Your Name always - not just when You give, but also when You take away (Job 1:21). You didn’t hold back from Your hungry Israelites and You, oh God, won’t hold back from me (Neh 9:20). Show me how to reflect Your nature in this way - by not withholding good from the people within my influence. Let Your generosity flow through me to others around me. Let it be so, in Jesus’ name! 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.

Today’s team journal was written by our Finance Director, Kaitlyn Carl. 

““I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.””

— Romans 12:1

I had always considered myself a pretty selfless person. In high school and college, I remember largely putting the needs of others before my own, sometimes even to my detriment. I even thought highly of myself for thinking so little of myself. Funny how sin can twist even a seemingly right action and mindset and turn it into ugly, life-sucking pride.

Then, I got married. And, oh, how my selfish nature started to truly reveal itself. Now, three kids later, I often feel that I don’t have a self-less bone in my body. Often, I would rather lay in bed than get up and tend to the crying baby; I would rather sit and read a book than play tea party for the 400th time; I would rather order takeout than spend time to make dinner. And the list goes on and on.

“The problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps crawling off the altar.”
- D.L. Moody

In many ways, I’ve fallen prey to the warning from the very next verse in Romans 12:2a: “Do not be conformed to this world…” I’ve bought into the lie that my life is about me. But it’s just that: a lie. As a believer, I’m called to reflect my Savior, and Jesus did not come to this world as a tiny baby because He was thinking about Himself. Paul reminds us in Philippians that “...though He was in the form of God, [He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but He emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phi. 2:6-8). And why did Jesus die this death on a cross? It certainly wasn’t for Himself. It was for me and for you. So, how can I sit here and live a single second of my life for myself?

If Jesus willingly emptied Himself and humbled Himself for my sake, how much more should I empty myself and humble myself for the sake of my Lord? Jesus presented His body as a real sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12); I’m called to present my body as a living sacrifice. To do that, I’ve got to tear down the idol of “me.” And that is hard and painful. I’ve been building up this idol my whole life, and it’s strong, large, and well-established. It’s like the house of bricks in the story of The Three Little Pigs -- it’s going to take a lot more than just huffing and puffing to blow this idol down.

Praise God that He is the foreman of this demolition project! He is stronger, bigger, and more established than my self-made idol because He is the One who is not made but always was and is (Psalm 90:2). And God’s orders’ hold more magnitude than that of the Big Bad Wolf, for by the power of His words and His breath He created the world and gave life to Adam (Genesis 1:1-2:7).

But I, I have to let Him work. I have to willingly allow His chisel to chip away at the hard edges of my heart. I have to open myself to be confronted with (and then address) my sins, to give up what I want and embrace what He requires and desires for my life. I have to stop living for the glory of “me” and start living for the glory of God. I know I won’t do it perfectly; I’ll have to continually be drawn back to this place of sacrifice. But you know what? God knows that. And that’s why He sent Jesus. Because He didn’t crawl off of His sacrificial table. And because He didn’t, I can keep crawling back onto mine.

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
-Romans 11:36

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Kaitlyn Carl wants to live in a world where kids always sleep in on the weekends and houses clean themselves. When she's not volunteering in some sort of ministry capacity or taking care of her family, you can find her reading or sleeping.

Her favorite Scripture at the moment is Romans 8:35, 37-39, ESV: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Today's team journal was written by our Social Media Manager, Kelly Gwin.

You know, the song by Cory Asbury? (If not, check it out on YouTube here.)

It's possible that many of you have had this anthem blaring in your car speakers since it came out in January, and while its proven to be slightly controversial, it has been the declaration of my heart, and recent theme song of my life. The word “reckless” has negative connotations if we’re going to get technical, but this word seems to capture the ferocious intensity of the love of God that has recently been revealed to me in a whole new way. This is a unique love that only comes from a good and perfect Father. A Father who is willing to go farther than we could ever imagine to come after His own.

A few weeks ago, (via circumstances obviously ordained by God) I was blindsided by sin from my past that I had completely forgotten about. Yes, forgotten sin. A hidden mountain of events and deeds (mine and others’) came down unexpectedly and felt as if it were pressing me down into the depths of the sea; it was dark and heavy. I was confronted with memories of things that I had pushed down deep. Things I would promptly shake out of my mind whenever they tried to float to the surface. I knew they were there, but they had found their home in a secret hole in my heart, far away from the light of day, and in some subconscious way I had reckoned them untouched by the blood of Jesus. This lie resulted in a long struggle with worthlessness, fear, trust issues, and condemnation that was only piling up with every new failure and weakness in my life. I believed the Gospel. I loved Jesus. But this secret collection of sin I kept almost subconsciously from the Lord was keeping me in bondage. An accuser in the back of my mind kept saying, “He didn’t pay for THOSE things.”

“He sent from on high, he took me;
 he drew me out of many waters.
 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
 for they were too mighty for me.
 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
 but the Lord was my support.
 He brought me out into a broad place;
 he rescued me, because he delighted in me.”
 - Psalm 18:16-19 ESV

Sometimes grace and mercy looks like pain and process. My heavenly Father carefully and intentionally prepared my heart for this season. He knew it would hurt. He knew I would need to bring these things to people I love dearly, so that we could come into greater unity and understanding of barriers and struggles that, beforehand were perplexing and unexplainable. But the lyrics of the song ring true to those who have been through a process like this, “There's no shadow you won’t light up, mountain you won’t climb up, You're coming after me.”

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- 1 John 1:19 ESV

God knew it would hurt. He knew it was worth it. He went down into the deepest depths of my past, and brought to the surface the ugly things that I didn't want to acknowledge, and showed me the truth - His truth. He lead me to the cross, and showed me that those secret sins were there -  not on my back, but on the back of my Savior. He willingly shed His blood for every single one. Attempting to hide from them was only robbing me of experiencing the fullness of His love for me. He bought me - all of me. He knew exactly what He was purchasing, and He doesn’t regret it. He is not ashamed to be called my God.

So, I held onto His hand, and let Him take me to places I didn’t want to go, which included confiding in my husband and in my community. I was received with grace and understanding, and found that holding back was only serving to keep me from experiencing the fullness of love in those contexts as well. This “holding back” was not done intentionally, but I do admit that I had convinced myself that things that happened before my life in Christ didn’t matter to Him, or to others. I clung to the truth that I’m a new creation and moved on. While accepting my new identity is vital to abundant life, I realize now that it’s only when we are willing to get low, in the muck and mire of our sin, that the Gospel is magnified in our lives the way that it should be. As the song lyrics say:

There's no shadow You won't light up
 Mountain You won't climb up
 Coming after me
 There's no wall You won't kick down
 Lie You won't tear down
 Coming after me

So I’ve learned to confront my sin and failures head on, past and present, no matter how deep or vile, and sing the song of my Father’s love for me. This is freedom. Fully known and fully loved. Dark shadows being lit up by the grace and mercy of a God who wants me to know the depths of His love. I carry the truth of the Gospel in my heart each day as I continue to grow, mature, fail, and fall. I am now living aware of the glorious fact that EVERY one of my sins is covered by the blood of Christ. Therefore, I am not heaping new condemnation onto myself when I fail. That is not possible for a child of God. I am reminded that when we sin, we are just seeing more and more things that He died for. “It is finished.” The mountain is gone. I mourn and grieve and repent, but then I rejoice and walk in “the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of God.”

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 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 8:1-4 ESV

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Kelly Gwin wants to live in a world where deep heart-talks happen at the top of every hour (you know, ones where everyone cries), gardens thrive without effort, and all the walls are white. When she's not discipling her 3 young girls and trying to keep her coffee hot, you can find her serving and living life with her Faith Christian Fellowship Dayton family, listening to some sort of podcast, or being "social" on behalf of DWITW.

Her favorite Scriptures are: Psalm 86:8 and Romans 5:8.

Today’s team journal was written by our Content Director, Jillian Vincent.

I’ve been swallowed in a book this past week, and for once I don’t mean I’m reading a book. This time I mean I am writing a book.

I’ve been afraid to come out and share that I’m writing a book, because I want some sense of my dignity preserved if it comes to nothing. The “what if’s” have been my all-too familiar friend: What if I’m not good enough? What if it fails and then I have to tell people that I failed? The thing is I’m so scared to be bad at something, and I’m especially embarrassed to be bad at that something I’m doing in public. I mean come on, I’ve taken the title of Content Director, have I not? Aren’t I supposed to be leading by example in producing beautiful content? Talk about pressure!

So, in response to this pressure, each day, I’ve prayed that God would help me to be faithful to what He has called me to write, and I understand now more than ever that writing is worship when done unto the Lord. In Colossians 3:23-24, Paul directs us with these words: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Therefore, I’ve asked God to help me write for an audience of one, and not to allow any voices or outcome, real or imagined, keep me from worshipping Him with my writing. So, day by day, God is consecrating my words as worship unto Him and making my writing process a holy one.

David’s public worship started with private worship.

In our DWITW 365 reading plan, we will come to a story about King David and his wife, Michal, recorded in 2 Samuel 6:16-22 and 1 Chronicles 13-15. When the ark of the Lord comes into the city of David, he and “all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets” (1 Chronicles 13:8).  The Scriptures record that David specifically was leaping and dancing before the Lord. He holds nothing back, and unashamedly praises God.  The Scriptures record that Michal despised David in her heart because of the unabashed nature of his worship. The abundant disdain from Michal’s heart overflowed to her mouth (Luke 6:45), as she scolded her husband, the king of Israel.

What was David’s response to her?

“It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes.” 2 Samuel 6:21-22b

David basically says: Dignity be damned. The Lord is worthy!

May I lead in just this way! May I be  willing to openly, unashamedly worship God in every word and deed because He is worthy to be praised! So yes, I am writing a book! It’s about Jesus and it is my loud, uncensored, unedited, unpracticed, unprofessional, UNDIGNIFIED offering of worship to the Lord!

Scripture gives us the lyrics of the song David sung that day:

“Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place. Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.” 1 Chronicles 16:23-29

Whatever form your worship takes, let us lead by example and give the Lord the worship due His name..

May we fear the Lord over our gods of self, our good name, and the good opinion of our friends, family, and yes, even spouses! May we bring Him our offerings of worship! May we ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name in everything He calls us to do today, whether it is writing a book, meeting with your boss, or cleaning your fridge!

It doesn’t matter so much what we do as how we do it. Whatever form your worship takes, let us lead by example and give the Lord the worship due His name. Let’s worship the Lord in broad daylight! I’m trying to learn from David a habit of bold worship and learn from Michal’s mistake not to squelch the worship of others. In my life, I’m my own worst Michal. I squelch my own worship with inward shame, grappling with ugly predictions about what others may think of my bold worship.

So, I will leave you with this word of encouragement if you are feeling more like Michal than David. Has your passion maybe fizzled a bit? Maybe your worship is a little ho-hum or is hiding behind your pride? Just as Michal’s disdain overflowed from her heart, David’s worship overflowed from his. Earlier in his song, David’s lyrics declared “Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice! Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:9-11)

David’s public worship started with private worship. So, sisters, if you are afraid or ashamed to worship God out in the open, start by worshipping and seeking God in your own heart. When you see His glory and His character, you just won’t be able to help yourself. You will have to worship. You won’t be able to contain it, nor will you want to! The veil covering your worship, and God’s glory, will be removed.

“”But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.””

— 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

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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.

Today’s team journal is written by our Bible Study Director, Lauren Steckling.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I prayed that I would be a good mom -- that I would be able to love, nurture, and care for my baby well and raise her to be strong and healthy. I prayed that I would be equipped enough not to fail her. I prayed these things because I knew I was lacking. I knew my weaknesses and my selfish tendencies. I knew I was prone to frustration and when that frustration came, I might say or do things that could be hurtful to her. I knew I would fail, and that awareness of my need drew me to my knees.

As that baby girl is growing now into full-blown toddlerhood, I am remembering those early, uncertain prayers from pregnancy as I encounter  a new wave of uncertainties overcome me. These tantrums and defiant fits are now where I am being  tested. I think: Will I be a good mom through the difficult? Will I handle this season  with patience and love and show my daughter grace? I can feel anxiety and insecurity start to crawl through my body like a looming storm cloud. But just as it starts to draw closer, I remember all He has done in me since those first prayers, and I can have peace.

God reminds me of who He is as a Father -- my Father, my daughter’s Father -- and what a good Father He really is. He will never fail me. He has reminded me over and over lately of His goodness. Not only in the way He loves, provides and blesses me, but how He corrects me, refines me, SANCTIFIES me so that I can come before Him, broken as I am, and He will accept me as holy through the blood of His Son. That process is never easy, in fact, it’s usually painful, but it “produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11).

God reminds me of who He is as a Father -- my Father, my daughter’s Father -- and what a good Father He really is.

I know that God could have given up on me a long time ago - a Christian kid who knew all the terms and accepted Christ before I could spell His name. I was lost in the technicalities and was too prideful to realize His Word, and my relationship with Him, wasn’t about me. He is too good to leave us where we are though, and I thank God He didn’t leave me there. He stripped me down, broke me, and put me in a place where I had no choice but to fall before Him on my knees.

I believe God gave me our daughter to re-introduce Himself to me. I had a pretty easy pregnancy and a relatively uneventful birth, but postpartum is where Jesus and I have gotten close. It was in those long, never-ending, sleepless nights that I cried to Him. It was in the moments of heightened emotions and desperation for someone to tell me they understood what I was going though, that I could hear Him whispering to me: I am El Roi - the God who sees you (Gen. 16:13-14), El Shama- the God who hears you (Psalm 17:6), and Jehovah-Jireh - the God who provides (Gen. 22:14). Those names have become my comfort. They were my prayers when all my words were gone - “You are the God who Sees me. You are the God who Hears me. You are the God who will provide”.

I drew closer to the Lord than I ever had before. I began to understand what it meant to need Jesus - Him and ONLY Him. He highlighted my need for Him more than I had ever realized before. Growing up in a strong, Christian home with few trials, sure, I knew I “needed God”, but now, I needed Him. And He was there. I communed with Him for months in my brokenness and desperation. I dwelled in who He was in my life - my El Roi, my El Shama - and then He would show Himself as my Jehovah Jireh. He first provided what I needed, but didn’t know I needed- Himself. He could have left me there and I would have had reason to thank and praise Him for the rest of my days. But He is a good, good Father, so then He provided what I asked for - community and other women who could tell me they understood.

The lyrics of “King of My Heart” by Bethel Worship have been on repeat in my heart lately. As the song says, I know God is ‘the mountain where I run’ to for shelter, ‘the fountain I drink from’ to for refreshment, and ‘the shadow where I hide’ for rest -- He is GOOD.

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Lauren Steckling wants to live in a world where donuts have no calories, weekends last longer, and everyone would feel the grace and peace that comes knowing their Savior Jesus. When she's not taking care of her toddler, you can find her sewing, baking, or with her nose in a good book.

Her favorite Scripture is Isaiah 41:10, ESV: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Today’s team journal is written by our Design Director, Mindy Braun.

I always have said, “Want to know your heart? Have a kid”. After two kids, I thought my heart and the ugly sin within were pretty much revealed. I was wrong.

At the end of January 2018, my family became approved to host kids in our home through Safe Families. The very next day we welcomed two toddlers into our home - one almost two and the other almost three. Needless to say, it’s been a long 5 weeks of exhaustion, and in the middle of it, all 4 kids in my house had strep throat. It feels like I’ve been running on fumes and I’ll never catch up.

Through these last 5 weeks, though, the Lord has used this season to reveal deeper parts of my sinful heart. I’ve seen anger, frustration, impatience, harshness, selfishness, and a whole slew of other negative emotions well-up and overflow into my actions. Seeing these things in myself has brought on inner turmoil. I’ve seen myself get quickly agitated or easily angered, and have become too quick to speak, just wanting to crawl back into bed to be left alone. I’ve been struggling with the guilt and frustration. I thought, I’m supposed to be opening my home and my heart with grace and unconditional love. I’m supposed to be Jesus to them and I’m failing miserably.

I feel like everyday I’m saying to my husband and to myself: “I don’t know what to do about this....” I don’t know how to change behaviors. I don’t know how to prevent meltdowns. Or, how to simply find enough energy to get through the day. And ultimately, I didn’t know how to change my own heart.

The Lord has quickly stepped into these wandering thoughts and has inserted Himself. These last few days, I’ve heard a still, small voice - a voice that I had quieted and ignored before - and it’s simply saying “Seek Me.”

These last few days, I’ve heard a still, small voice . . . and it’s simply saying “Seek Me.”

Instead of wallowing in my own frustrations and self-discouragements, what I needed to be seeking was the Lord and His truths. I remembered that I needed to be looking to him to change my heart (Psalm 51:10) - to give me a heart of compassion, understanding, and unconditional love. He will be my strength (Psalm 46:1, 54:4), and He will to give me the endurance to keep on doing His good work (Psalm 57:2). I need to be in His Word daily, not just skimming it to check my box for the day, but I need to entrench myself in it. I need to be mediating on His words day and night. I need to be communicating with Him in prayer - to bring my struggles to Him, instead of dealing with them my own through meaningless means like Netflix and chocolate hearts.

Christ calls us to lean upon Him in times of joy and in times of trouble (Prov. 3:5). So, when Satan is using our weaknesses against us, we are not to go to numbing out, but we are to actively and fervently go before the Lord with awe. The Lord wants to hear from us and He is willing to listen (Psalm 116:9). Now, after having been reminded of this, I am finding my response to be the same as Paul’s in 2 Cor. 12:9-10: “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (NLT).

When we feel weak; when we feel like failures; when we feel like we cannot go on; the Lord can be our strength, our success, and He will help us endure. He is for us and is our Helper in our time of need (Psalm 56:9, 54:4). He is faithful to His Word and He will empower us to do His good works (Psalm 118:1). My prayer for you in this understanding is that of Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT):

“Now may the God of peace—
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
may he equip you with all you need
for doing his will.
May he produce in you
through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.”

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Mindy wants to live in a world where laundry cleans itself, it's 78 degrees every day, and where grace abounds. When she's not working alongside her husband, you can find her serving with DWITW and Safe Families Greater Dayton, caring for her two kiddos, and enjoying time outside.

Her favorite Scriptures are Romans 5:18-21, Colossians 2:7, and 2 Peter 3:9.

See Mindy and her husband's work at www.wearethebrauns.com and learn more about Safe Families at www.safe-families.org.

Our team journal was written for you today by our Administrative Director, Christina Von Moll.

I sat next to my husband and listened to him pour out his frustrations of the day. He had spent the better part of his eight hour shift wrestling with one problem. This isn’t the first time I’ve lent an ear to this dilemma. He had been struggling to find the solution to this problem for weeks on end. Every day going into his office and spending hours writing algorithms to solve ONE problem. As I listen to his steady drawl, he said quite simply and without much flourish, “Maybe the problem has no solution.” My husband and I are similar in a lot of ways and we differ in a lot of ways. Where my husband is slow and steady, I tend to rush and stumble often. While he can work on a single problem for weeks, if the solution doesn’t come to me within the first hour I huff in frustration, give up, and move on.

Towards the end of 2017 I began praying about where the Lord would lead me in the new year. Some pretty impactful decisions lingered over our family and I was in desperate need for a direct answer. I needed to hear a YES or NO; I wanted wisdom and discernment. “Give me a word, Lord. Lead me this year in the way I should go!” He did lead me. Right to Matthew 6.

‘Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”’

Matthew 6:31-34

Seek first the kingdom. Do not be anxious. My plea back to the Lord, “That’s all well and good but how?!” Here he led me to Colossians 3:16.

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

— Colossians 3:16

Dwell richly. I wish I could say I was satisfied with that answer, after all it was wisdom straight from the Word of God, but I was not content. I didn’t have the time to seek the Kingdom first. What did dwelling richly even mean in the midst of my problem. I was frustrated. I exclaimed in my heart the words I had taken right from my husband, “maybe the problem has no solution!” Then in a moment of quiet reflection I heard that still small voice, “I AM.” There it was. The answer. Seek first his Kingdom, let his word dwell richly because no matter the problem, the Great I AM was the solution.

He wanted depth.
He wanted to dwell richly in me.

As I continued to reflect on this revelation in prayer I found my heart slowly backsliding into anxiety. Here’s the thing, I thought I had been seeking the Kingdom, I thought his Word was dwelling in me. I read my Bible, I went to all the studies, read all the books, listen to all the podcasts. I consumed all the things in the pursuit of the Kingdom. In my grasp for more knowledge, I forsook wisdom and thus became a fool. I was in shallow waters, letting his truth skim the surface because I had forgotten to go to his Word for the purpose of knowing Him. He wanted depth. He wanted to dwell richly in me. I was once again letting my relationship with the Lord be defined by my circumstances.

I was losing my grasp on the true answer by rushing into the practical. I was desperate for knowledge so I could make my own answer. In doing this, I was not letting the Word dwell richly. I was quenching the transformation that was offered to me from renewing my mind. I was too focused on getting more and more knowledge to have the right answer to this life problem. I was not seeking his Kingdom; I was seeking my own.

I was a prime example of missing the point. Sisters, don’t be afraid to let your time studying the Word be slow, giving it the opportunity to abide in you and enrich your heart. Growth in wisdom is a process that will span our entire Christian lives. Don’t strive for all the things with an expectation that you will have all the wisdom, and in doing so forget that the Lord is the one who gives wisdom. It isn’t about the YES or NO. It is about I AM.

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Christina wants to live in a world where coffee breaks are mandatory and kids actually sleep through the night. When she's not wrangling her two tiny children, you can find her binge-watching seasons of "The Office" or curled up with a good book and a cup of coffee.

Her favorite Scripture is 1 John 3:1-2, ESV.