As the holidays have wrapped up and the new year is off to a fresh start, there’s a phrase from the Christmas story still lingering in my heart and mind. It’s a promise I hadn’t caught before and it’s a promise not just for Christmas or the New Year but for everyday of the year.… Continue reading 6 Steps to Peace
Author: Leslie Shuler
Shame’s Remedy
The word advent means the arrival of something long awaited. Advent for a Christ-follower is a celebration of remembrance of Christ’s arrival on Christmas morning after such long anticipation of a Messiah. One way to awaken excitement over the true meaning of Christmas is to look back at the many passages of scripture in the… Continue reading Shame’s Remedy
Soil of Surrender
A calling begins with a stirring in our hearts. A sense, almost like the way one can feel when the weather is about to change, that our season of life is about to change. It’s followed by a burden. Often God raises our awareness for a group of lost sheep that the Shepherd, who is… Continue reading Soil of Surrender
What Voice are You Listening to?
Have you ever read a quote that changed your life? A quote that communicates a truth in such a way that like a jackhammer it crumbles your walled-up thinking so that light can shine into the darkness? A quote that’s worded in just the right way that it gets your attention, wakes you up, shakes… Continue reading What Voice are You Listening to?
The First to Know
When our first babies are born we think of who to tell first and it’s usually the most important people to us, our parents, siblings, and best friends. We tell those who will rejoice with us and will get the significance of this moment. God tells the shepherds first. God was telling those who would… Continue reading The First to Know
Purpose in Pain
I hate to admit this, but I’m not sure I’ve outgrown pouting. Pouting, that thing we did when we were little where we hid in the corner, sullen and frustrated that things didn’t go our way. Four months ago, I twisted my knee playing volleyball with our youth group at church camp, and I was… Continue reading Purpose in Pain
Finding the Right Path
You come to an age in life when you don’t want to waste time going down the wrong path. You don’t want to get a few years down the road and realize that this wasn’t what you expected or that you are in a place, you don’t feel cut out for. You come to a… Continue reading Finding the Right Path
Letting Go of Control
In our marriage, it is never really a good idea for me to drive and my husband to ride shotgun. When I drive, my husband gets uptight and is afraid I’m going to hitch onto the bumper in front of me (his words, not mine). He rides the passenger seat on-edge, shouting “watch out” every… Continue reading Letting Go of Control
The Door of Opportunity
Have you ever felt like you’ve knocked on every door of opportunity and still the right door has not seemed to open? You’ve tried your best, but often failed at all the keys to success the world has thrown your way. Our world sends the message that the doors of opportunity will only open for… Continue reading The Door of Opportunity
Processing Problems
Have you ever gone on a rant to the Lord, telling Him how he should have done it or what He should have allowed? Or maybe how He should intervene, how He should fix it and make it right? Have you ever felt left to deal with the confusion of nothing going the way you… Continue reading Processing Problems
What’s on the inside?
I always like to take a moment when I wake up on my birthday to ask God what this year is going to be about, what He’d like to teach me or would like me to focus on. This year when I woke up on my birthday and began to pray I quickly sensed God… Continue reading What’s on the inside?
“Do I Matter?” A Search for Significance
“Sometimes when the bell rings and the halls fill with students, I wonder do I even matter, does anyone even see me?” shared my youth student. We can often feel like an insignificant number lost in a large crowd of people. I remember being her age and asking the same question, and in all honesty… Continue reading “Do I Matter?” A Search for Significance
Our Stories have Written us into the People we are Today.
My single super hero mom full of endless energy and strength had never taken anything so hard, and I had watched her take my father’s hot-tempered, unfaithful and irrational verbal abuse for almost 15 years. She had persevered with such grace as she gave daily care to my grandmother in her last months of cancer.… Continue reading Our Stories have Written us into the People we are Today.
Search for Peace
The advent season is a time to slow the rush of life and to reflect on our greatest gift, the gift of our Messiah. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting… Continue reading Search for Peace
Passionate Patience
I am one of those people that try to fit way too many things into any given block of time. Always believing to a fault that everything will run smoothly, according to plan, the quickest and most thorough way it could happen so that everything I want to get done will be accomplished. Only to… Continue reading Passionate Patience
The Discomfort of Change Can Bring the Maturity of Peace
Tis the season of Back to School stress!! In the frenzy of emptying our bank account and filling our shopping carts with binders, folders, notebooks, glue, pencils and pens not to mention the shopping demands of the new back to school attire shoes, back packs and clothes for each of our children and you have… Continue reading The Discomfort of Change Can Bring the Maturity of Peace
The Truth About Serving
I had the honor and the privilege of working alongside our youth group for Serve Springfield this week. Serve Springfield is a collaboration of 15 local youth groups to go out and serve the city of Springfield. During the days they are doing projects for organizations such as the Victory Mission, Convoy of Hope, Pregnancy… Continue reading The Truth About Serving
Camp out in Positivity
Unfortunately, a scene that’s played out one too many times in my home is that I walk in after being gone from the day and I see the trash wrappers left out, then I see the snack boxes left out and the cabinet doors left open. I see the dirty dishes over flooding my sink… Continue reading Camp out in Positivity
Feeling Inadequate?
Empty. Dry. Out of gas. Ever been there? Ever been there spiritually speaking? Where you just don’t feel like you have anything of much worth to offer others? A few weeks ago I was at this empty cup place. When I get to this place I begin to look towards the next break. If I… Continue reading Feeling Inadequate?
4 Things to Keep You Deeply Rooted
Tis the time of year that every gardener begins to think about what to plant, where to plant and how to nourish the soil so that it will best feed the plant. All nature of things are fed to the compost, coffee grounds saved, manure secured, egg shells kept all in an attempt to create… Continue reading 4 Things to Keep You Deeply Rooted
What Calms Me
“The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph 3:17) Our fears are quieted in the Father’s love. All our anxieties, stresses and worries are hushed by His love.… Continue reading What Calms Me
The Path to Peace
My New Year’s resolution is nothing others will see on the outside of me. Meaning I won’t have a smaller waistline, or a diminishing number on the scale, I won’t make more money, or have more organization or cleanliness, but I will have more peace. My resolution is a detox of the mind not the… Continue reading The Path to Peace
Comparison Breeds Loneliness
We were created in the image of God. From the beginning of time it has been God the Father, Jesus Christ His son, and the Holy Spirit. They have had perfect intimacy and community from the beginning of time. We were created to share in their family. We were created with a need for the… Continue reading Comparison Breeds Loneliness