Wednesday, March 25, 2026

I didn't raelize how often ...

... I tried to secure outcomes quietly.

Until God started asking me to release them completely. 

(Please note: I did not write this. I am taking this from Walk With Me Tanya Lee on Instagram.)

I wasn't out here trying to make things happen outside of God.

If anything ... I felt like I was being very surrendered. 

But Jesus has been showing me something I couldn't see before. 

How often I was still trying to secure the ending ...  quietly.

Not out loud.

Internally.

  • In the way I think ahead just a little too far. 
  • In the way I mentally rehearse how things could play out.
  • In the way I subtly adjust what I'm doing ... just to increase the chances it works.

Nothing obvious.

Nothing anyone would ever call control.

Just small, constant movements to make sure I land okay.

And I didn't realize how much I relied on that ... until God starting asking me to release it completely

Not manage it better. 

Not be more "aware" of it. 

RELEASE it. 

Like ... don't touch it at all.

  • Don't try to secure it in your mind.
  • Don't try to improve the outcome behind the scenes. 
  • Don't try to create a soft landing just in case. 

And I'll be honest ... that's where I've felt the tension the most. 

Because it's not about stopping some big behavior. 

It's about letting go of the internal grip I didn't even know I had. 

The quiet sense of responsibility I've always carried ... to make sure things turn out okay.

And when I didn't do that ... there's a moment where my body doesn't know what to do.

  • No backup plan forming.
  • No subtle adjustment happening.
  • No mental safety net being built. 

Just ... space. 

Just ... Him. 

And I can feel how unfamiliar that is.

But I can also feel what He's doing in it.

He's not asking me to trust Him more in words. 

He's removing the part of me that was still trying to guarantee things would work.

Because if I'm still securing outcomes, even quietly ... I'm not actually letting Him be the one who holds them.

And that's the shift. 

Not louder surrender.

Real surrender.  

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Cousin Baylee went home today! We had a fantastic week with her. Love these two freshman girls. 

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Praying the Lord's Prayer

I've spent a lot of prayer time, recently, praying for specific anxieties to leave.

But what if, instead, I simply learned to pray with Jesus as my focus -- not the anxiety itself.

OUR FATHER ...

Before anything else, this is about RELATIONSHIP. 

  • Oh God, you are my Father. I belong to you.
  • I'm not alone right now!
  • You care about me -- even in this small, anxious thing. 
  • I am not alone in this moment! I have a Father God!   

IN HEAVEN ...

I mean, woah, how cool He is above the situation! He sees the WHOLE picture. He is not anxious, confused, or reactive. 

  • Oh, God, you can see what I can't see.
  • You are not worried about this at all.
  • You hold everything I am afraid of.  
What an amazing, widening perspective!

 HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME ...

3. “Hallowed be Your name…”

This part isn’t about distance—it’s about re-centering.

It means:

“God, You are God… and I am not.”

I am letting His character be the most important thing in the moment, not your fear.

  • “You are good, even if I feel unsettled.”
  • “You are steady when I’m not.”
  • “You are trustworthy.”

If your mind is spinning (“I’m being misunderstood… I’m bad… this is awkward”), this line gently shifts the focus:

from “What do people think of me?”
to “Who is God, really?”

 

 

Bridal shower

Gabe and Maryah are getting married on May 22 (my 49th birthday!) We had a bridal shower with Marya's family this past weekend. 

 

Here are Aunt Jan, Kari, cousin Lia, and the rest of the sisters: Genevieve and Ana 

  




Me with my good friend Angie (below). Her daughter, Katy, is the maid of honor (and also dating Maryah's brother, Malachi)




Cousin Baylee was here for the shower!


Friday, March 20, 2026

Truth

 


Fancy dinner with JB (& Ninja Park)

Pan seared scallops with butter saffron sauce


Crustinis with shallot jam and tenderloin

With Baylee in town, I let Abigail have a fun day on Wednesday. It’s Spring Break so there is no youth group this week. She invited her friends Reagan and Ella to join the whole gang at the trampoline park in Sevierville. Then, John made everyone a fun dinner.