See Something More

She was just an ordinary girl in an unfamiliar place. Her only figure of familiarity was her cousin, who had become her care-giver ever since her parents died. She grew up in a foreign land, far away from what was so sacred to her family. I wonder what she did everyday, what kind of life she lived. Who knows what kind of dreams she had for her future, what kind of fears she felt, what kind of hope she held onto. But everything changed the day that the king proclaimed an edict that reached every corner of his dominion. So Esther was taken to the king's palace because she was one of the many young girls that the king sought. How do you suppose Esther reacted to such an interruption? She was already an orphan living in a foreign land among an unfamiliar culture. Now, whatever hopes and dreams she cherished were probably radically turned upside down. Yet whenever we are down to nothing, God is always up to something. To Esther, it might have seemed an inconvenience, but to God, it was

The show was fantastic and the performance outstanding, so the audience rose to their feet at the strike of the last chord. Thundering applause filled the stadium, and the performers took a long, deep bow before turning around to exit the brightly lit stage. Even after the last ripple of the thick, red velvet curtain faded away, the audience remained standing and applauding, begging and beckoning the famous performers to return. The delighted crowd never seemed to tire of cheering, even after the performers were long gone. Instead of the applause slowly dissolving, the acclamation roared louder and louder until the whole room almost burst with whistles, shouts, hoots, hollers, and hurrahs. Finally, after such a persistent celebration, the gigantic red curtain gently shook, and the audience one again bursted into an even greater ovation as the performing artists returned to the stage for an encore! Have you ever been present for an encore performance? The persistent applause, the antici

My stomach tightened with excitement when the lights turned down and the audience began to murmur with anticipation. A Friday night movie might be typical for many college students, but not this one. I rarely ever go to the theater to see a movie, so this moment was a special treat. I took a deep breath, sank back into my cushioned seat, and set my eyes on the bright lights flashing across the huge screen. This time, I knew the $8.50 would be worth it. I had high expectations for the film I was about to absorb, but I had no idea how much those expectations would be exceeded. It wasn't an ordinary two hours. It wasn't an ordinary experience. And it certainly wasn't an ordinary movie. Earlier in the week, I had been opening my Bible to 1 John every day, soaking up the words and listening for how they could apply to my daily situations, choices, and relationships. If you were to flip through the pages of 1 John in my Bible, you would find these words carefully underlined in an

This past Sunday night, I was incredibly blessed to be able to attend a small group meeting where the The Truth Project will be shown throughout the course of this semester . The Truth Project , a 13-week DVD series by Dr. Del Tackett and Focus on the Family, challenges Christians to believe and live out a biblical worldview in a culture where truth has been exchanged for a lie. On this past Sunday night, one thought from the video planted its roots into my mind, and those roots have been growing and spreading ever since. Dr. Tackett said something about prayer that really sunk into my heart. Although I cannot remember the quote word for word, this is my interpretation of what he proclaimed. If we really believed in the power of prayer, we wouldn't have a hard time praying; we would have a hard time leaving our knees. I've been taught many things about prayer, but for some reason this simple statement brought light to what I previously thought I understood completely. My pray

"You did what?!" my mom exclaimed with excitement in her voice. "I signed up for Spring Sing," I repeated into the telephone. I could hear my mom smiling, and I could picture her shocked expression. "I can't believe it...but I am so excited!" My mom never expected her quiet, studious daughter to participate in such an outgoing and crazy event. Spring Sing is an annual production put on by Harding University where groups of students perform an act with singing and dancing. I have never been in a play, never sang in front of an audience, and certainly never danced. But! As a college freshman ready for adventure, new experiences, and crazy fun, I didn't even hestitate to put my name on the list. What an opportunity to try something new, take on a challenge, and step outside my comfort zone in order to make friends and have a blast! I walked onto the stage for the first rehearsal feeling excited to learn something completely new. Besides a little bit o

"He will cover you with His feathers and under His wings you will find refuge." Psalm 91:4 There is almost nothing as cute as a mother duck with her baby ducklings. Wherever the mother goes, the little row of fuzzy birds follows closely behind. She is their source of food and protection from danger; she meets their every need. They stick with her so closely because they are dependent upon her, so dependent that they rarely leave from underneath her shadow. Psalm 91 also says that "he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." How wonderful it would be to dwell so near to God, to be so dependent upon Him that you never even come away from His shadow. Lord, let us follow you so closely that we are never untouched by your shadow. Where you go, we will go. You are our source of food, protection, and satisfaction. We just want to be where you are, following you closely, getting to know you intimately as we seek to follow your foo

"I'll give you three hints to where we are going," I told my sister as we buckled up and I backed out of the driveway. "Okay!" She agreed enthusiastically. "First, we've been there before, but never just the two of us." I paused for a moment to let her think. "Also, it is a place that mom wouldn't take us when we asked her to." I added this statement with a sparkle in my eye, knowing that it would spark my little sister's curiosity. "Finally," I added with a giggle, "We will probably be the oldest people there!" She gave me this crazy look, and I could tell she was thinking, great...this is going to be embarrassing. "Don't get me wrong. You are gonna love it!" I threw in that last comment and then zipped my lips or else I would ruin the surprise. "Chuck-e-cheese? The zoo?" She made a few guesses, but I shook my head every time. After a long silence, I heard her take a quick breath and ye

The following is an exerpt from my book titled Boundless, which I am working to publish. This section is part of a devotional about brokenheartedness. When my friend skipped toward me after church one day, I could tell by the sparkle in her eyes and the giggle in her voice that she had exciting news to share. She couldn't wait to update me on the latest report concerning the young couple that had recently formed in our circle of friends. "You won't believe what I saw them do!" She exclaimed with pure and innocent delight in her eyes. "It was so sweet!" \Eager to hear about the romantic scene, I asked her to explain, but instead she moved closer to me and gently laid her head on my shoulder. She snuggled up close to me and whispered gently, "They did this!" That sweet, innocent, and tender display of affection brought a smile to my face. There is something special about the moment when a girl leans her head on the shoulder of her boyfriend for the v

In the quiet of the snowy forest, I paused to listen. The snow skis on my feet swished to a stop, and then all was silent. Bundled up in a puffy coat, hat, and mittens, the only exposed member of my body was the chilly tip of my nose. I let out a steamy breath into the cool mountain air and watched it vanish. I looked around, only to find myself peacefully secluded in a huddle of snow covered trees on the ski slope. The silence was so rare, pure, and peaceful that I could hear nothing but the tiny snowflakes falling through thin, light air. I stood in absolute amazement as the icy crystals floated down and landed on the evergreen trees, on the forest floor, and on my black mittens. When I looked down at my gloves, I noticed the many different patterns and symmetries of each snowflake that fell. The quiet intensity and majestic glory of the moment was indescribable. After a few more moments of peaceful silence, I heard a muffled laugh coming from across the hillside, so I took one last