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Over a month ago, a storm blew through and knocked down our neighbor's fence. We knew he liked to hold on to things, but once the fence fell, our view drastically changed. My oasis of privacy crumbled, and suddenly I have a bird's eye view behind the scenes of someone else's life: and it's a mess. Despite living here for almost twenty years and knowing better, perky Amanda still thinks: Now that we know, how can we help?  While he and my husband worked together, tearing apart the old fence, he rejected my offer to haul the rotten wood to...

I have not been able to sleep. I just keep praying for you.  Turns out, I'm not the only one... I've read about your pleas for help, your desperate cries. I see what is coming for you from a thousand miles away--completely unable to stop it. I am devouring information from sources I trust, and I am crying out to God to be exactly what you need when you need it. I am begging His glory to blind the eyes of the enemy so you can slip away (John 8:59). I am praying 2 Chronicles 20: 17a: "You will not...

"It may look like I'm surrounded, but I'm surrounded by You."  I have bawled my eyes out singing this song over my family, my brothers, my sisters, my people who are preparing their hearts to meet Jesus in Afghanistan right this second. Tomorrow. Next week.  What if our prayers determined what surrounds them?  Do we believe in the power of prayer?  It's time. Jesus, we beg you to move. We beg you to shine! How do they feel? Are they together, singing praise at the top of their lungs. Confident their fate is sealed by the blood of the lamb?...

 Truth or Dare? Dare: "Go knock on a neighbor's door and give her a hug." Silly girl spend-the-night party games, except these girls aren't your typical silly. They were raised to be different. When they dared one to stand on her chair and sing really loud, they all sang with her. When one was dared to hug a neighbor, they started talking about how they could make gifts to go with the dare. They headed to the art studio and started creating. Then someone suggested writing notes of encouragement... Before long, a silly dare ignited world changers, and they set...

This memory from eight years ago popped into my day and could not possibly have come at a better time.  I have never been formally trained as an artist.  I have collected skills along the way.  I have taken a class here, bummed a lesson there, and primarily learned through trial and error.  Insecurity was often overcome by either getting stuck in a commitment I believed was beyond my skills and simply having to figure it out or the irresistible draw of the creative process.    The blank canvas in this picture was a daunting commission for me.  It was...