Authentic Hope

22/11/2024

“This time of year, we talk about Mary a lot.
But what about Mary’s mother?
Someone had to raise Mary to find favor with God.
Someone had to raise Mary to treasure purity.
Someone had to raise Mary to honor Joseph.
Someone had to raise Mary to know the voice of the Lord, even though they were living in the silent years.

Mary’s mother, we don’t know her name.
We don’t know what her life looked like.
We don’t know who she was married to, or what he was like.
All we know is, she raised the mother of Christ.
She raised a daughter, highly favored of the Lord.
She raised a daughter to fear the Lord, when the Lord was silent.
This is what we know.

Mary’s mother didn’t have an encounter with Angel, telling her to raise Mary carefully because of how the Lord was going to use her.
Mary’s mother chose to raise Mary wisely so that the Lord could use her.
Mary’s mother didn’t have an encounter with Angel, telling her to honor her husband, because Mary would need to honor Joseph when he told her to travel to Bethlehem while she was great with child, when he told her to flee Herod’s wrath (before it came to pass) in the middle of the night, Mary’s mother just honored her husband, obeyed, and submitted to him because she knew that’s what she was called to do.
Mary’s mother didn’t have an encounter with an angel, giving her a word to cling to in those dark, silent years. But she clung to the word of God that she had. She trusted his word, even during his silence.
And her home shone with divine favor, because she made choices in the dark, that affected the whole world.

Mary did you know?
She knew some, she knew what the Angel told her.
But Mary’s mother?
She had no idea.
But she chose to raise a daughter that the Lord could use.
And that choice still affects us all today.

𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦.

𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖.”

Sarah Trent

11/10/2024

We've all felt it. The disappointment of what we thought would be.

There are tears. That sinking pit feeling. Unanswered questions. And that nagging sensation that some things really aren’t fair.

But that’s when I have to reign my heart back in. Bring it back within the boundaries of truth:

God is perfectly just even when circumstances seem terribly unfair. God loves me. God has a plan. God can be trusted.

Let’s preach these truths to ourselves tonight. Let them shift our perspective… quiet our hearts… fill us with hope once again.

11/10/2024

26/09/2024

Wow! Are you?

31/08/2024

Today marks 10 years to the day that life as I knew it forever changed. My 16-year marriage shattered to betrayal, and I lost my family unit, my home, my job, and my ministries.

Ever since I surrendered to the Lord as a young person, I thrived on being joyful and spreading joy.

But my joy was gone.

I wanted to believe God could heal me, but the pain cut so deep that healing seemed impossible.

Now, 10 years later, I want to shout it for all to hear -- there is healing in Jesus! Though you may be hopeless and broken today, Jesus can and will heal you.

Today I'm sharing 10 things I've learned about healing. No matter where you are on your journey, I pray this will help you.

1. Healing takes time. They say, "Time heals all wounds." But I say, "Time + Jesus + Work heals all wounds."

2. Healing is difficult, but it's worth every agonizing step.

3. Healing doesn't require the restoration of what was lost. My marriage was not restored, but Jesus still healed my heart.

4. Forgiveness is not a one-time event. You may need to forgive 1,000+ times in your journey of healing.

5. Bitterness will destroy you. It is a chain we forge with our own hands, a prison we build around ourselves, and a poison we choose to drink. But forgiveness sets us free.

6. God's Word and prayer are powerful. Saturate your life with both, and healing will come.

7. Going to church, small groups, and Bible studies may hurt like crazy at first, but never stop going. The devil wants to isolate you. Don't let that happen.

8. Music is very influential, with power to lift you up or tear you down. Choose wisely.

9. Healing is very difficult to accomplish alone. Reach out to family, friends, and your church family. You were never meant to walk this road alone.

10. God never wastes pain. When you are healed, He will send others with the same brokenness you've experienced, and you will be able to help them like no one else can.

I know the journey of healing seems endless. I have cried until I had no more tears, screamed my pain into the blackness of the night, and slept with my Bible on the empty pillow beside me.

I have known the depths of hopelessness.

But Jesus never left me.

It took time, but He healed my heart and filled my life with joy and purpose once again.

There is always hope and healing, my friend.

Don't ever give up.

"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness." (Psalm 30:11)

"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." (Psalm 30:5)

31/08/2024

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1220168755781360/?

25/08/2024

In a world where many of us seem to be living on the edge of breaking at any moment, remember the person next to you may be struggling as well. Take a deep breath and extend kindness. It will refresh your soul and maybe theirs as well.

02/07/2024

Take that leap of faith!
True courage lies in trusting God to see
you through! And on the other side… is where you find growth !

25/06/2024

Beautiful morning in the garden….. and I didn’t even have to go in for a snack! 😋
What are you harvesting this week??

23/06/2024

Are you feeling it today?
No matter how bad things seem, take the time to recall God’s faithfulness through the years and KNOW that He IS still with you!

15/05/2024

I’m sure you have heard by now that May is 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝑨𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑴𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒉. Do you realize how closely your 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 is tied to your 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩?
What are some ways you feed your spiritual health? Share some ideas in the comments for others!
The most obvious, of course, is opening your Bible. Can you relate to the Psalms, as the writers share their honest feelings with God, whether crying out in despair or rejoicing? Or would you like to know more about the life of Jesus, laid out in the first four books of the New Testament? If you’re looking for excitement, read about the spread of the church in the book of Acts. Or maybe jump into Romans to learn about God’s grace, which is for 𝘢𝘭𝘭!
Wherever you start, God promises that his Word always produces fruit! (Isaiah 55:1) If you still just don’t know where to start, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of Jesus Calling and take the time each day to look up the verses that are on the page.
(I’ll share more avenues to connect with God in the comments. 🙂)

21/04/2024

Think about the hard stuff in your life. The enemy wants to get you wrapped up and consumed in those hard things!
YET Jesus came to bring us fullness of life! Joy and Peace can still be yours in the midst of all that life throws your way. Don’t let the enemy steal your mind!

17/03/2024

The spiritual decline within our nation grows every day. People are losing hope! 💔 They’re looking in all the wrong directions to fill a hole in their heart that only the love of Christ can fill. They’re desperate for peace, but don’t know where to find it. This is why it's crucial to engage locally with those around you and impact lives with the hope and love of Christ. How will you make a local impact this year?