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“So don’t throw away your confidence, which has great reward. For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised…But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.”     Hebrews 10:35-36 and 39 CSB I’ve been silent for…

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces…

“The struggle is real,” is our snide mantra over laughable “struggles” like not having coffee in the morning. But real struggles do exist. Depression turns just getting out of bed into a war. The struggle for parents to love, guide, discipline, and direct children who want their own way. The battle to overcome addiction. Physical…

2018. A year of breaking. God broke my comfortable world. He called me to teach high school seniors (a leadership class), enroll my kids in the school where I work, and step back into nursing by becoming a school nurse. Nothing felt comfortable. Nothing normal. In the midst of all the change my brokenness became…

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope… Romans 5:3-4 ESV Character produces hope… I always thought imagination produced hope. Imagination that figures out a way through a difficult situation. Or an imagination that dreams big dreams. But God tells us character…

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake…

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted     and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 ESV Looking back I can see it plainly. I was depressed and desperately clinging to my faith. No one from the outside could see it. They knew I injured my foot. They knew my house had to have all the…

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 ESV “UGH!” I groaned as I stepped off the scale. I was “trying” to eat healthier and watch my caloric intake. My…

 “…And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  Joshua…

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!     Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 ESV Most revivals and spiritual awakenings began with a small group of people praying and fasting. People broken over their sin, who hungered for God to revive, to breathe life into dry bones. And fasting…

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.  1 John 5:4 ESV Sometimes I wonder if John really gets it. I mean there are days when my faith is strong and I feel and see the victory that comes from my…

 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.Now if I do what I do not want to…

In high school I wrote poetry that I rarely showed anyone. The few times I let someone read the words I scratched out on notebook paper, I shook like a leaf. Scared I would be judged, sure my words were not good enough. Some days my inner editor keeps me from tapping out words. Especially…

I’m working on creating an e-book. Which topic appeals to you the most? — Angela Mackey (@Rethinkingme) October 19, 2017

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 ESV Jochebed was a slave – a slave under Pharaoh. This Pharaoh noticed that the Hebrews – Jochebed’s people – were becoming too numerous. So he ordered that all Hebrew…

Today I almost cried as I read a book aloud to my kids. The scene wasn’t poignant. No one lay dying nor was anyone confessing unrequited love. Still the darkness pressed in around my heart. The heaviness of life, friends fighting cancer, the ton of feathers falling on my shoulders, and my ongoing battle to…

It still hurts and I can’t explain it away. There are these babies who crawled into my heart, but died in my womb. And a part of my heart still beats for them 13 years later. Even thought I only held them in my body a short time, I began the process of planning their…

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 ESV “God, I don’t understand why Sandra has a beautiful green leaf and I am stuck in this hard shell,” Lucille prayed. “We were seeds…

 I [Jesus]  have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.   John 16:33 ESV Life’s challenges. Physical injury. Plumbing leak. Saying good-bye to some really dear friends. Transition in my husband’s office. At times emotions…

“You have such a good attitude about your foot,” said a friend as we discussed my crutches. She had no idea my struggle only the day before. I stood on one foot in front of my bathroom mirror as I attempted to apply eye-liner with my crutches tucked under my armpits . “Everything is harder…

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.  Psalm 16:5 ESV A portion, a meal, sustenance, what fills our bellies, and nourishes our bones. This psalmist says that he chooses the LORD to feast upon, to sustain him through all his days. I wonder, what is my chosen portion? What…

Today we remember. We remember those who gave their lives for our country. We remember men and women who volunteered or were drafted to serve. People who gave their lives in service of their country. How can we as a country say thank you to those who gave their lives? To their family left incomplete? We…

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,     and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him,     and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes;     fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh     and refreshment to your…

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;     fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,     over the man who carries out evil devices! Psalm 37:7 ESV My gaze was drawn to them like a moth to flame and my heart flipped longingly – jealously. They were runners simply going…

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,     but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall,     but we rise and stand upright. Psalm 20:7-8 ESV Trusting in God’s victory over death and this dark world doesn’t mean that we don’t get dirty from time to time.  Since God’s…

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:15 ESV There is a nagging tape that runs in my head.  If people knew the depths of evil inside you…if they knew what you struggle with, the…

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 ESV Tears stung my eyes and anger burned in my chest. I felt wronged and hurt. The hurt gave birth to anger and frustration. All I wanted to do was lash out. My mind reeled with what to say…

The women who had come with him [Jesus] from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Luke 23:55-56 ESV In the four gospels the only mention of the day between Jesus’ death and resurrection is found in…

 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.  Genesis 32:30-31 ESV In my mind victory looks like a basketball team jumping up and down after the last second…

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:25 ESV No one likes to wait, but many things in life take time. Sometimes we have to wait for test results, the call back from an interview, or a response to a text. Other times God has us…

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV When life sucker punches me, my first reaction is to drop everything and tend to the throbbing place. I don’t feel like “adulting” because my soul is aching. All I want to do is find a…

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 ESV My husband…

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 ESV Stupid, Angela, that was just plain stupid. You know better than that. Why can’t you get it right? I accidentally left a block of cheese out all night and it was hard and nasty the next morning. I had…

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us… Ephesians 3:20 ESV I prayed for a miracle. One that would shock the medical professionals and offer me an opportunity to share the gospel with a few folks. That the baby I…

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29 ESV My throat stung as my ears rang from the words that just flew out of my mouth. Then my cheeks flamed hot…

You [the LORD] keep him in perfect peace     whose mind is stayed on you,     because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 ESV A mind stayed on the LORD is what it takes to trust and live in peace. But often I let my heart boss around my mind. It tells me that I feel left-out,…

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6 ESV…

Growing up I was afraid of the dark. I forced my parents to leave the hall light on outside my bedroom so I could settle down and sleep. And if I ever woke up in the middle of the night my eyes would long for light. We lived on the corner of a busy street and…

When I am afraid,     I put my trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise,     in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.     What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:3-4 ESV It’s like a black hole that crawls inside my soul. This illogical fear short circuits my brain as my heartbeat runs wild. The…

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Matthew 5:11-12 ESV Foolish. Many folks look at those who believe in God and think…

I held a pen in my right-hand as I read the small gray card. It stated, “Any time, Any where, Any way, I will follow God.” At the bottom was a single line awaiting my signature to seal a contract to follow God where ever He would lead. It was a physical reminder of what it meant…

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,”  Ephesians 4:15 ESV All of us are drowning in sin. Whether we are drowning in ten feet of sin or 1,000 feet, we are all in need of a Savior. The truth is that humans are…

Some news shakes us and seems to tip the Earth off its axis. News like: You have cancer. Your business is in trouble. Your best friend is moving away. Your mom died. News that changes the direction of our lives, slaps us in the face, and wakes us from living on auto-pilot. While the sting of the slap…

Often life feels like a wrestling match. A grind it out, clinging, pushing, flipping, never-letting-go battle that only ends in sleep and then begins the next day. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places….

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments…” John 14:15 ESV When madly in love a man will bend over backwards to do what pleases his woman. He will write poetry, buy flowers, and even watch NCAA basketball for a whole day even though basketball is not his thing (thanks honey!). In fact when…

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17 ESV Taking care of the less than, the widow, the orphan, the have-nots has always been part of the DNA of God’s people. Part of God’s moral law included not reaping the edges of their…

“Greed hides itself from the victim. The money god’s modus operandi includes blindness to your own heart.” Timothy Keller, Counterfeit Gods (Dutton, 2009), p. 52 Greed: a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (as money) than is needed. A selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed… So when I selfishly want eat more…

Know, therefore, that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place, you…

When my circumstances seem dry and I feel brittle I always have an excuse for disobedience: I erupted at my husband (There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts Proverbs 12:18a ESV), but I hadn’t slept well the night before and I had a really bad headache. I snapped at my kids (Be angry…

Have you ever felt a tug at your heart and were sure God wanted you to do something outside of your comfort zone? Maybe ask that visibly upset person at the grocery store if you could pray for her or ask your hairdresser to go to church with you. And maybe like me you decided…

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”  Jim Elliot Competitive. You can call me that. I don’t like to lose. But winning in God’s kingdom is very different from winning on a basketball court. In God’s Kingdom: …the last will be first, and the first…

I don’t want to! My mind only spoke what my heart had been whispering to me all day. You are too tired. You need a break. You just feel off. You want to get back in bed. Why is life so hard? And I allowed my heart grumble all day long. No wonder making dinner seemed like…

You make known to me the path of life;     in your presence there is fullness of joy;     at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 ESV Nothing can shake God’s joy, no one can steal it, nothing can tarnish the fullness of God’s joy. So why do we feel joyless? Too often I convince myself that joy…

“25 was holding my player that’s why 14 got the open lay-up,” I grumbled as the referee ran past. I coach a team of third and fourth graders in the Upward program at my church. The referee was a 14-year-old volunteer, but that didn’t matter at the moment. My team was wronged! In retrospect my…

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 Doesn’t this make you tremble, even a little? I’m not perfect. I know that and I can’t do it. I can’t be perfect even when I try. But Angela, there is forgiveness…Jesus lived the perfect life and died the death you deserved and so…

“You’re blushing,” my oldest’s observation served to deepen the color of my cheeks. I felt embarrassed, which is not a habit of mine, and my cheeks warmed up as my heart rate increased. Interestingly enough I will blush when I’m unsure of my role, when I feel embarrassed about a social situation, but I rarely…

Lent day 5 is today, for the introduction click here, Day 1 here, Day 2 here, Day 3 here, Day 4 here, and the bonus one here. There is a longing known to all humans. We try all sorts of things to fill it: Sex, relationships, drugs, music, good deeds, work, art, success, kids, marriage,…

If you are like me and you hear Lent lasts 40 days and then you start counting on the calendar…wait there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent) and Easter Sunday… WHAT GIVES? Because seriously I like chocolate or whatever it is I decided to fast from during Lent and uh, it…

The thing about asking God to search you is that inevitably something will be found.   We spend time in God’s Word, we ask Him to show us our sin, and we repent. We tell God thank You for showing us that nasty stuff and washing us clean. Then we get off our knees and like a dog…

Lent day 3…Here are links to day 1, day 2, and the introduction. The heart is deceitful above all things,     and desperately sick;     who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 ESV Isn’t it interesting that we don’t really know our own hearts? How many times have I wondered why I felt a certain way or why…

Welcome to Lent Devotional day 2. You can check out my very brief description of Lent here and the day 1 devotional here. Who will not fear, O Lord,     and glorify your name? For you alone are holy.     All nations will come     and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 14:6 ESV God…

Welcome to Day one of my 40 days of Lent devotions. If you are interested in what Lent is all about check it out here. Have you ever stood next to a seven-foot tall basketball player? Or just a very tall person? If you are that very tall person, have you ever stood next to…

Growing up I didn’t understand Lent… A friend or two would mention giving up something for Lent. Then there was eating fish on Friday and I was completely lost. How does “giving something up for Lent” and eating fish on Friday get you closer to God? But God is the God of seasons and festivals….

My friend Lindsey Bell is sharing her heart and part of her new book Unbeaten over here today. I pray her words touch your hearts and encourage you today. When God Doesn’t Fix Your Problem By Lindsey Bell What if God doesn’t fix your problem?
 Of course, I hope He does. I hope He heals your…

“And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’” Acts 26:14 (ESV) def goad: a spiked stick used for driving cattle. There are times in my life that…

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 (ESV) Sometimes hope burns and scars a weary soul like acid. I knew God was able, but He wasn’t doing what He was able to do for me. For every wonderful God praising miracle there are many who…

“…my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” Galatians 4:19 (ESV) Childbirth is no joke. Carol Burnett said, “Giving birth is like taking your lower lip and forcing it over you head.” She is funny, but pretty accurate. To endure natural childbirth women train…

You really blew it. My inner diatribe kept poking at the stained place in my soul. Your words may have hurt more than helped. Others may hear about how hurtful your words were. And you want God to increase your speaking ministry? How can God use the likes of you? Unfortunately I deal with this type of…