Editor’s note: Kate Merrick, her husband Britt, and their family faced a life-changing cancer diagnosis, long and painful treatments, and the death of their daughter Daisy. In the midst of the suffering, they chose to be present with God and with each other and find the beauty in the pain. * Pivotal moments pave the way for pivotal choices. And Daisy’s death was one more pivotal moment in our crazy flow. I not only changed my email address and stayed off social media but went completely dark on the blog as well. It appeared that going off the grid was not only to be for our overseas health emergency, but…

Paintings and People It was July 21. My forty-eighth birthday. I was in one of the hardest parts of this season of suffering. The season of dust. I wasn’t able to do the typical “Hey, since this is my birthday, let me just do a little planning… a little dreaming” thing. Nope. The future felt impossibly scary. I could only face the future in teaspoons of time. Not weeks and months and certainly not a whole year. When there is an undoing of your life, there is an unknowing of every next millisecond. Every next breath. The peaceful predictability of what you thought would be your life is suddenly replaced…

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:5 You can lose it all… only to discover that you haven’t. God has been there all along. God has not promised a life without storms, but He has promised to be there when you face them. ~ Max Welcome to week four of the Anxious for Nothing Online Bible Study with Max Lucado! Have you ever been in a storm so bad that you think you’ll die from it? I’ve been there. I remember the moment of wondering how I could continue functioning and enduring with a heart so broken and not actually…

Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest! Even now my Witness is in Heaven; my Advocate is on high. My Intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man He pleads with God as one pleads for a friend. – Job 16:18-21 * Job looks up through a fog of grief and pain and sees something in a flash of spiritual insight. He cries out, “Even now my Witness is in Heaven; my Advocate is on high. My Intercessor is my friend… on behalf of a man He pleads with God as one pleads for a friend.” I love those two words — “even…

Group Time Leader read Kat’s message to group: It’s no accident that your attention is here for the moment. Cast aside those nagging fears that you won’t give this study the time it deserves, and you should just quit while you’re ahead. Reject the notion that this can wait. Because now is always the right time to reconnect with God. Plus, He’s been patiently waiting to embrace you. Let His unconditional love override the normal apprehensions that accompany starting something new. Embrace this fresh start with gusto. God has carved out this space just for you. With that in mind, welcome to Bible study! Start with Prayer (2 minutes) Before you…

Nashville, TN (July 12, 2019) Internationally recognized worship band Planetshakers has released the single “Rain Your Glory Down” today (July 12) available now at all digital and streaming outlets globally. Leading the song live today at Planetshakers Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, the band recorded the song during the annual conference held in April this year at Melbourne Arena in Melbourne, AU. Watch the video here: “‘Rain Your Glory Down’ is a song written with the desire for a personal encounter with God’s glory,” reveals Planetshakers Church Sr. Pastor and worship leader Sam Evans, who leads the song. “In His glory there is all we need, and so a release of…

Los Angeles, CA (July 12, 2019) Following the announcement of the signing to DREAM Worship, Oklahoma City worship band, Royal Company is proud to release the debut of their track, “Faithful Is Your Love.” A downtempo, powerful worship track with beautiful synthetic sounds and encouraging lyrics. Along with the release of the single, the group is performing it at the Nazarene Youth Conference in front of 9000 in Phoenix, AZ today. The group shares their heart behind the message of the song. “Faithful Is Your Love is a reminder that, no matter where we are or what we face in life, God always shows up, and it is a declaration…