Return to God

Come Home. Be Restored. Choose Life.

the road back

Letting Go of Control When Control Was How I Survived

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Letting Go of Control

Letting Go of Control When Control Was How I Survived

Control has always been my safety.

That didn’t start as an adult. It started when I was very young. And when I say young, I mean young. I learned early that if something was going to get handled, I was probably the one who had to handle it. If a problem was going to be fixed, I was the one who had to fix it. There wasn’t anyone I could fully trust to step in and take care of things for me. [Read more…] about Letting Go of Control When Control Was How I Survived

Biblical Rest: Understanding Rest That Isn’t Escape

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Biblical Rest

Biblical Rest:

Understanding Rest That Isn’t Escape

Lately, I’ve been thinking about rest. Not rest as a concept, but rest as it actually shows up in everyday life. I’ve noticed that a lot of what we call rest isn’t really rest at all. It’s an escape. It’s a distraction. It’s avoidance. And while those things might give temporary relief, they don’t actually restore the soul. [Read more…] about Biblical Rest: Understanding Rest That Isn’t Escape

Worship Through Writing: Sabbath and the Spirit of the Law

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Worship Through Writing

Worship Through Writing

Sabbath and the Spirit of the Law

I was asked a question recently that made me stop and think.

Why are you writing on the Sabbath?
Shouldn’t you be resting instead of working?

It wasn’t a hostile question. It was sincere. But it assumed something I don’t actually believe. It is assumed that writing, for me, is work in the way Scripture warns against. [Read more…] about Worship Through Writing: Sabbath and the Spirit of the Law

Knowing Jesus Personally: The Lesson of Judas

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Knowing Jesus Personally

Knowing Jesus Personally

The Lesson of Judas

I was thinking today about Judas.

Judas walked with Jesus. He wasn’t on the outside. He wasn’t a distant observer. He was one of the twelve. He was sent out with the others. Scripture tells us that he preached, healed, and exercised authority just like the rest of them. He saw the miracles up close. He watched the sick healed. He saw the dead raised. He heard every teaching firsthand.

And yet, in the end, Judas betrayed Jesus. He failed in knowing Jesus.

[Read more…] about Knowing Jesus Personally: The Lesson of Judas

Loving Without Return: Are We Willing to Love Like Jesus?

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Surrender to God When Fear Is LoudLoving without return

Loving Without Return: Are We Willing to Love Like Jesus?

God loves us unconditionally. That’s easy to say, but it’s harder to really sit with what that means.

It means that even if we don’t love Him, He still loves us. Even if we ignore Him, mock Him, or never give Him a second thought, His love doesn’t shut off. Scripture says it plainly.

“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). [Read more…] about Loving Without Return: Are We Willing to Love Like Jesus?

Putting My Hope in God Instead of the Provision

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putting my hope in God

Putting My Hope in God Instead of the Provision

I woke up around two in the morning in a full panic.

Not just worry. Panic. My chest was tight. My thoughts were racing. Bad dreams that don’t really stop when I wake up. My mind goes straight to the same place every time. I don’t have what I need yet to get back and forth to work until my first paycheck comes. If I can’t get to work, I lose the job. If I lose the job, I can’t pay rent. If I can’t pay rent, everything falls apart. [Read more…] about Putting My Hope in God Instead of the Provision