“Ms. Eve, I wish I had learned the truth about spiritual warfare a long time ago.” These were the words of my friend, Kayla, as we enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation in a local park. Welcome to the fifth and final chapter of Standing in The Gap. If you would like to catch up, feel free to check out part four here. As I agreed with my friend, the nagging voice that liked to tempt my insecurity crept into my mind and said, “See, you didn’t teach her all she needed to know.”

Welcome to part four of my walk with a sister through a spiritual battle. If you would like to catch up, click here for part three. If you look up the word spiritual warfare, you will read words like evil spirits, demons, possession, oppression, and strongholds. Why is it always so scary? Why do we focus on the black spirits and ghosts of our lives; when the reality is that in every battle there are always two sides. And the truth is that the other side wins! Yep, Jesus ha

Have you ever wondered about Heaven? I do, quite often in fact. I have visions of Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father: Jesus looking at His children lovingly. And yes, I have visions of singing among the angels as we give our God praise. Heaven must be glorious! I once had a student ask me my thoughts on the subject. She asked if we would sing for eternity. “But isn’t that boring, Ms. Eve?” she wondered. I chuckled, “No, never boring to me, I could sing for etern

As the sun rises my heart grows heavy. Every morning I awake with a song on my heart, what is so different about today? Heartbreak, despair, am I one step away from depression? Uncertainty clouds this broken heart. For a heavy heart, moving through the day can often feel like walking through quicksand with concrete shoes. Place one foot in front of the other, never give up, right? How often instead do we wake up wanting to place the covers over our head and call in sick?

A girl lies in her bed at night crying. Every night it’s the same thing, “God why doesn’t anyone love me?” “Why did you create me if I am so unlovable?” The Father, in His quiet way, places His loving arms around the girl so that His Hand is in perfect position to capture her tears as He shares how precious she is to Him (Jeremiah 31:3.) He places them in His bottle (Psalm 56:8) preparing for the day that He will wipe every tear from her eyes (Revelation 7:17). A man lies

December brings in winter and the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. As the turkey finds it's way into the refrigerator for leftovers, many of us begin to feel the stress and anxiety of the holidays. Decorations may serve as reminders of the parties and buying of presents which fringe into our calendars. Some of us may feel the emotions revolving around loss and loneliness. As children, this season would bring in the wonder of Nativity Scenes, Hay rides, and time o

Do you remember Summer Camp? The smell of fresh mud and dirty socks? Do you remember the friends you made and the memories forever imprinted in your mind? Do you remember the decisions made which forever changed the trajectory of your life? Last week I had an amazing opportunity to serve at NTS Camp with our High School and Middle School Students. Making the decision to go to Summer Camp vs a Summer Vacation is one which many leaders make every year. My heart is so full when

We live in an amazing time of immediate gratification. Information and data at our fingertips. Information which must be filtered and understood. We may find ourselves taking in information, making rash decisions / judgements based on popular opinion or even cultural bias. With this ability comes a great responsibility. Not only must we filter what comes in, we must filter what goes out. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) tells us “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you d

Oh how many times I have said this: Lord, I am ready to quit. I confess to you all that there is a spirit inside of me that is just ready to throw in the towel when things get beyond me. Whether in work, play, relationships or Church, I have given in on more occasions than I would like to admit. How many of us do this? We are in a world too accustomed to throwing things away when they don’t meet our expectations, walking away when things get hard. It’s too easy to walk awa

What if you could make someone laugh right now, would you? What if you could give someone grace right now, could you? What if you had the opportunity to smile at a stranger, would you? What if you had to ask for grace and forgiveness, could you? In our world of immediate gratification and instant access we can sometimes get lost in the distraction of technology. Our world can seemingly be so large that others can sometimes appear on the outside. In the days of Jesus, He and

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree.
We are his portion and he is our prize, drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes
If grace is an ocean we're all sinking . . . I remember the first time I heard the song "How He Loves" by John Mark McMillan. I was in Church at 12Stone, the lights were dimmed, every seat was taken, Hands all over the room were lifted up and the Words "If Grace is an ocean we're all sinking" was shared. . . . Voices all over the roo

I find the stages of life interesting. Do you ever sit back and consider each stage and why you react to things the way you do? Do you ever find it interesting that every generation suffers through the same tendencies of control in the name of independence and/or the need to reach out and seek love and acceptance? Just in different situations? I grew up in a financially poor family, but one full of hugs. My dad was a very hard working individual, working 6 and sometimes 7

I've waited a while to post this, but I am so thankful for the blessing I have been given in my sisters! We don't get to choose our family, but God always has such a plan for us in the choosing of those who we get to spend our life's journey. And if we are smart, we nurture these relationships, because they are what carry us for the long haul :) This morning I read a beautiful teaching from Justin Lathrop It's called "Connecting with People" - and I think it so relates to a