One of the most challenging parts of being a Christian is witnessing to someone who is blatantly or even proudly living in sin. Whether you know them personally or have a perception based on their appearance, we might conclude how the conversation could go before even speaking a word. You may have already been there with that person, and that door seems to be nailed shut for them forever.

Jesus was no stranger to situations like this. While he was in Jericho, Jesus knew the chief tax collector Zacchaeus was despised by the community. Back in that day, one didn’t get to be a chief tax collector by being gracious and giving – no, Zacchaeus was the worst of the worst!

Jesus, knowing his heart could have just ignored him, deeming him a lost cause. He could have engaged him publicly in front of the crowd. No, Jesus paused under the tree Zacchaeus was watching him from and invites himself over for dinner! The story tells us that Zacchaeus ultimately has a heart change over dinner, giving himself to God and promising to right his wrongs.

We don’t have a transcript of their conversation leading up to this moment, but knowing Jesus, his very presence and willingness to listen caused Zacchaeus to want something more. Jesus gave his time and saw him as a child of God in need of grace. He provided a bit of light into someone else’s dark.

I recently came across a sentiment that put it this way: “Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Grace is one of those words you hear often inside the walls of the church, but that you don’t hear too often in the real world. Sometimes you’ll hear it as a synonym for something precise or elegant, like dancers moving with grace. Or you’ll hear it used in pitiful situations, like when a girl lets a boy down gracefully. You’ll even hear it used as a synonym for something beautiful, like a bride’s wedding dress that drapes gracefully.

The Church’s mission is to help the world grapple with the true meaning of grace. For all the ways our fallen world is still capable of recognizing grace in the things that move us, in moments of mercy, and when beholding something beautiful - grace is not fully understood apart from the cross of Christ. The word grace literally means “gift,” and for all the gifts ever given, none surpasses the gift of God’s own self for our redemption. If grace is a gift, then it can’t just be something to witness, but something to receive. And there can be no gift without a giver. No grace without personal sacrifice.

When everyone is cheering at the crucifixion, it’s the thief who comes to Jesus’ defense. He said that he deserved his punishment, that Jesus was innocent, and he asked Jesus to remember him when he entered into his kingdom. And Jesus says to the thief, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

In that moment, Jesus’ crucifixion became more than just a spectacle - it was the first time Jesus got to personally deliver the greatest gift the world has ever known: grace.

These two things can both be true at once- The most important place to live for Jesus is at home and the hardest place to live for Jesus is at home. The people who know you best and see your life unvarnished are those who live with you. For those of us who call ourselves Christians, our Oikos (immediate world)develops their idea of what faith means and whether Christianity is legit in large part by watching us.

Now, lest that last paragraph feels like too much pressure, know this: You don’t have to be as perfect as God. You must pursue God. Let your kids, your spouse, your siblings, your cousins see someone who desires to know and live like Jesus and is chasing that goal.

What would that look like? Probably hundreds of things, but let me give you just three, built around the word RUN:

Repent. The ability to say we are sorry is one of the most impactful human habits and harder to live out than we think. It takes humility, and when we live humbly we make a world of difference in our personal world.

Upgrade your Habits. Pursue this quietly. You don’t need to flaunt that you read your Bible or pray daily. You won’t have to point out that you serve others around the house. They will see it.

Never Stop Growing. Being imperfect is not an excuse for being disinterested in becoming more like Jesus. Eventually your family will be saying to one another “Dad is less angry all the time.” “Mom is more generous than ever before.” “My sister is not just chasing every boy that looks cute.”

Home is the incubator of genuine faith. Don’t expect your family to love Jesus if they only see him at church. Let them see him right in the middle of their home.

Ryan and I have a quiet home… it isn’t yet filled with children running around, constant flow of dishes, the laundry machine going 90 to nothin’.

What it does have though is a lot of laughter, a lot of tears and the occasional argument mixed into a life filled with joy. We began the journey of “building” this home 5 years ago and since then we have learned something invaluable…

We needed the wisdom of God to help build the foundation of our “home”. One of the ways we do that is through studying the Immerse Bible together! Being intentional about the time we spend together with the Lord really makes a difference in our understanding of God and each other. Whether that is reading the Bible, doing a small devotional, worshiping together, or praying over a meal. It all helps build sacred spaces throughout our home.

Through all of this we get to dig into the attributes of God, who He is and what He has done. It reminds us in the darkest of times what He will do.

And it has made every room in our home a sacred space. Every room is filled with memories and joy… like rare and beautiful treasures.

This year’s World Series is right around the corner, and one of my favorite baseball-isms is “ABC baseball.” This term (as explained to me by my husband years back when he indoctrinated me into the world of baseball) refers to mastering the simple fundamentals of the game that lead to big results. Rather than relying on home runs, an “ABC baseball” team focuses on the basics: getting on base, running the bases well, and executing the little things players learn in Little League. Home runs may be more exciting, but a team that consistently masters the fundamentals will win more games.

The same is true in our homes. In a world fueled by comparison, it’s easy to focus on looking like a great family–while neglecting the basics of loving each other well. Of course, it’s great to show up to the game and cheer loudly. But what does your speech sound like on the car ride home when no one else is listening? How do you respond when you’re frustrated, tired, or inconvenienced? The moments that shape our families most aren’t always the big, visible ones. Often, they’re the small, everyday interactions no one else sees.

Galatians 5 gives us a picture of the fundamentals: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These qualities might not earn us much recognition or make for impressive social media posts, but they are the building blocks of a life that reflects Jesus. So, as we invest in our families, let’s not get so caught up in hitting home runs that we forget to practice the basics. Let’s pursue the kind of love that shows up in our everyday words, attitudes, and actions.

Sit ups, planks and burpees - they’re your absolute favorite part of a workout, right? Maybe for some of you super humans it is, but I tend to save these dreaded sets for the very end of my work out. On the days I’m really not feeling them, I’ll tell myself I’m running out of time or that I’ll do extra core sets next time (spoiler alert, I don’t).

Our core is the foundation for almost every move we make. A strong core lends to good balance and spine stability, and a reduced risk of injuries. If it’s arguably one of the most important things to strengthen, why do I avoid it?

Well, because it’s hard. It can hurt – the burn means you’re working, but it doesn’t make it more enjoyable. Repetitive movements can feel boring and it’s also one of the hardest areas to see a visible payoff.

Just like our abs, our home is at the core of everything we do. Every other part of our life flows out of it. A chaotic morning can set the tone for the day, and disagreements can sit with us long after they’re over. Busy schedules can result in rushed conversations and missed moments. It’s the place we are the most comfortable, but it’s also where things can get the messiest. And if we aren’t careful, we can push the hard, important things off to another time or a different season.

Lord, our homes are sacred spaces, little churches with big impact. Help us serve one another unto you and to not skip over the challenging things. Help us strengthen our core so your glory can shine within and beyond our walls!

I once heard it said that we harshly judge others by their actions, but we gracefully judge ourselves by our intentions. Does that sound true for you? It certainly did for me the first time I heard it. We need wake-up-calls from time to time that the scales we are using aren’t always well-balanced.

One of the easiest places to fall into this self-defeating cycle is in our home. I didn’t do the laundry because I was tired from a long day at work… but why didn’t she do the dishes? We tell our kids not to fight over their toys, and then we fight about money. I could go on, but I think you get the picture – we judge ourselves by our intentions, and others by their actions. This almost always makes us look better than we really are.

Romans 12:3 tells us that we shouldn’t think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Paul tells us to check the scales we are using, to use sober judgement with ourselves, to remember that Jesus has already stacked the scales of grace in our favor… so that we don’t refuse others the grace that we are entitling ourselves to.

It was the battle of two mountains. For years Samaritans had claimed that Mount Gerazim was the holy place where worship should happen. Meanwhile, the Jewish people argued that further south in Jerusalem was the true temple. The issue was so hotly contested that the woman at Jacob’s well wanted an answer to the debate from Jesus. Jesus gave her so much more than what she was asking for.

Every time John uses the term “the time” or “the hour” in his writings, he is referring to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus is telling her that as a result of his death, there is new freedom and access to God in worship like never before. We can rightly worship anywhere and anytime. Worship is not a Jewish thing or a Samaritan thing- it is a heart thing for anyone and everyone.

Not only will our heart be the center of our worship, but a right heart will be crucial for the worship to be genuine. It is more than going through the motions. We must come with a genuine heart that sees God for who he is and glorifies him rightly. So anyone can worship God anytime and anywhere, but not just any old way. He is deserving of something that comes from the depth of our spirits to our unseen holy God.

Have you worshipped yet today? Although you cannot see God with your eyes, have you stopped to let your spirit see him for who he truly is and communed with him today?

The Real Life Worship and Tech Team have a verse… it is on our wall in the greenroom, the reference is displayed on our team shirt sleeve… it goes like this:

This verse does a couple of things. It reminds us of who God is, what he has done for us and our response to the costly gift of salvation.

We worship a God who is worthy of nothing less than our adoration. A God who took on hell and death, defeated it and stands in victory forever! A God who meets us in our mess, calls us FRIEND.

So how could we not praise him? How could we give anything less than all we are, even the very breath in our lungs, in worship?

My prayer for us today:

God we thank you. We thank you for your strength and your song… that lifts us up in a world that is so dark. God, that your LIGHT has become our salvation… We lift your name from wherever we are in this moment and cry holy holy holy to you LORD for the gift of the cross and the righteousness of your hand. And God give us breath in our lungs… for where there is breath in our lungs your praises will ring. Amen.

Have you ever started noticing something, and then suddenly you see it everywhere? Like when you buy a car you’re convinced is completely unique to you, and then all of a sudden, you see that exact car everywhere. You didn’t start seeing more of them, you just started noticing what had been there all along.

There are patterns like that all throughout Scripture. And once you start noticing them, you can’t unsee them. One of those patterns is revelation and response. It’s a simple pattern: God reveals himself, and his people respond. Most often, that response takes the form of confession, worship, or praise.

Think about Moses and the burning bush. God reveals himself to Moses in a miraculous and unmistakable way, and Moses responds by taking off his sandals and hiding his face because he recognizes he is standing on holy ground.

Or think about Isaiah. He receives a vision of God: “I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne…” And his response? “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips…” God reveals himself, and Isaiah responds.

There is a lot we can learn from the patterns of biblical worship, but here’s the main thing: Worship begins with recognizing who God is. It’s easy to come into worship focused primarily on ourselves—our needs, our problems, our circumstances. But what if instead we asked, “God, what do you want to reveal to me about who you are.

Because when we see God for who he really is, it changes our response.

Don’t rush past the revelation to get to the response. Slow down, see who God is, and let what you see shape the way you worship. Worship is our response to the revelation of who God is.

I remember the first time we attended Real Life. My husband and I were coming from Methodist and Catholic backgrounds, and I must admit, the worship experience was a bit of a shock to us. Now we wouldn’t have it any other way, eager to get to Church on Sunday morning to raise our own hands in praise and feel the Holy Spirit within that space! It’s amazing isn’t it?!

Our communal worship at Real Life is an absolute highlight of the week, but it must not stop there. Worship is simply acknowledging how MAGNIFICENT our God is. It can be a devoted time of prayer, jamming out to Christian music in the dropoff line or pausing to notice the magnificent landscape of changing leaves.

But it's also quietly recognizing the blessing of a meal as you wash the dishes after. It's noticing a heart change in your child, a friend, your spouse and whispering, “thank you God”. It's obediently stepping out in faith with a Hallelujah on your lips because you don’t see any way this thing will happen apart from him.

Worship is saying – I see you here, I see you in this.

And if you feel at a loss on words, let the words of the Psalms speak for you:

It’s bow season, and I have been spending much of my free time out in the woods. Not everyone is a hunter, I know, but hunting is mostly just sitting outside by yourself – so if you occasionally enjoy a quiet moment alone, this is for you, too.

My favorite time of day to hunt is the morning. I like to slip into my blind or climb my tree an hour or more before sunrise – and the moment I settle in and turn off my flashlight, it is DARK! But the sunrise is even more beautiful after your eyes had already adjusted to the dark.

Not only is it dark, but at first, it is QUIET! You don’t really realize how quiet it is until the first bird starts singing, or the first squirrel awake starts hopping around in the leaves. There is something special about being awake to watch the rest of the world wake up.

When Jesus spoke these words about the stones crying out in praise, he set the scene of the triumphal entry, just days before his crucifixion. Knowing where this road leads, Jesus rides to his death in Jerusalem, heralding God’s great victory.

I don’t know what darkness you are facing… but the sun will rise, again. I don’t know if praise comes easy at the moment or not… but if you won’t praise him, the rocks will.

Two days or a year. Israel stayed put as long as the cloud stayed, and moved the hour it lifted. No five-year plan. A whole nation staking its survival on a sign of God's presence, because that's what the cloud was. Not weather. Him.

That's the meaning we miss when we read it as wandering the desert. Every decision flowed from one question: is He still here, or is He moving? They didn't move because the supplies ran low. They didn't stay because it was comfortable. The presence of God was the entire strategy.

To be honest, staying took as much faith as going. When the cloud sat for a year, a year of your life passed in the same camp, and the only reason you could name was "He hasn't moved yet." That's faithfulness: not speed, not progress you can measure, but responsiveness. Nobody ran ahead. They watched, and they matched His pace.

What if we lived that way? Not just trusting Him with the big things or the little things, but all of the things, the timing most of all. Some seasons He says stay: lay down the itch to move, the envy of everyone else's cloud, and pitch your tent where you are. Other seasons the cloud lifts, and what He told you to lay down last year is what He tells you to pick up today.

Watch the cloud, not the news. Stay when He says stay. Move when He says move. That's the whole journey, one day at a time.

What has God entrusted you with today?

I remember growing up in a home where trust was everything. This may seem silly, but when I FINALLY got a phone… The first two things my parents told me were…

1. I needed to put a case and a screen protector on it.

2. I needed to try my best to not lose it or drop it…

See, my parents were trying to instill a “stewardship” mindset at the ripe age of 14. They knew that if I could be trusted with this little… breakable… expensive thing…. Maybe I could be trusted with more later on down the road.

I totally dropped that phone without a case on it and watched this nice little dent pop up and a crack form across the screen!

But this verse reminds us today that when we do well with the little we will do well with the “much”.

Remember that when we steward little things well, more will come our way… and who gets the glory? God does. He always will.

There is a wordless video used for child dedication classes. It shows the passing of time from the moment a child is expected to be born all the way till they are 18 and out of the house. Scenes of cribs fading away to toddler beds. Elementary drawings turning into high school paintings. All the way to an empty room. It’s not meant to bum you out. It’s meant to remind us that every phase and season God places in our hands is temporary. So don’t miss it.

What I mean is that every season we are in comes with unique and usually challenging assignments. The sleepless toddler nights. The cold shoulder teenager years. The be becoming a parent to your parent season. And it’s easy to fall into the traps - these subtle heavy mindsets we fall into because we are tired or overwhelmed. And they steal away our joy, our energy, and our focus.

We have to take a step back.

Everything we are handed has immense potential when handed over to God. God wants to help us show up in the right way In The phase we are in.

That verse we read reminds us that every season is just that, a season that will come to an end. So make the most of the season you’re in by allowing God to be at the center of it.

My family is playing a game of ‘what’s that vegetable in our garden?’ A random vine appeared and started to grow round squash looking things. Our first guess was pumpkins, but over time the fruit has elongated and looks more like spaghetti squash.

We’ll know soon enough the answer to this mystery, but it’s interesting to note that we haven’t planted pumpkins in 3 years and haven’t planted spaghetti squash even longer than that. This vine was grown out of a seed that was dropped in a prior season, lay dormant for some time and was later tilled closer to the surface to sprout under the right conditions. And what I’ve come to notice about “wild” plants like this, is their strength and resilience – they are deeply rooted in the soil and more accustomed to weather fluctuations than their transplant neighbors.

Have you ever had to put something on the back burner? Have you felt God pull you away from something you were so passionate about - maybe even a ministry you were called to? Feelings of confusion, uncertainty, and even heartache pulled at you as you desperately wondered why.

Then just when you have made peace with its absence, you feel a stirring in your heart to come back to it. But this time it’s different – this time you were strengthened in the valley and have come out with renewed purpose and vitality. Kind of like this little squash plant, things were just on hold until the right conditions came along, and now you and the kingdom are all the better for it.

Wherever we find ourselves in this walk, let us have faith in his timing.

I'm going to be a little vulnerable today. So, here goes….Have you ever felt unworthy? Unprepared? Unequipped? I did, a lot. Especially when it came to serving God.

Honestly, my past hasn't been the best example of living for Christ or showing Jesus to those around me. I lived chasing a happiness that was created by the world. Praise God, for He has changed my life! I didn't always see that and for a long time I kept the “who I was” bigger than “who He is” and “who He made me to be.” This is the lie that came from the same whispers of doubt that we all hear sometimes.

Listen up…This is a lie! I was letting the doubts of my flesh scream louder than Jesus in my heart.

When we get caught up in a mindset of comparison, doubt, fear or anxiety. We often talk ourselves out of a situation or conversation where Jesus needs us to show his love. Jesus had to equip my heart and fill it with His love before I could show Him to others. I had to throw down my own insecurities and self-doubt at His feet, before I could serve Him.

What do you need to throw down or set at His feet before we can truly let our hearts be filled with His love? His love flows from me today and I am filled with the peace that only He provides.

I will serve Him, because He has equipped me.

I have a thing for breakfast sandwiches. I make one for myself (and often others) at least 4 or 5 times per week. My son used to say, “Dad, I eat eggs because I have to have the protein, you eat eggs because you love them!” And I do- so much so that many mornings when I am at the gym my inspiration to work hard is the knowledge that my reward looks like two eggs, two wheat toast, two bacon and a slice of cheddar cheese! For some reason- it just satisfies my body.

Meanwhile, Jesus satisfies my soul. In the morning, the knowledge that as I sit in my chair in the corner, the God of the universe is already active in planning, guiding, and watching over my day is too much for words. Now I don’t feel his closeness every day, but I always know he is there, no matter what I feel. So I give him the firstfruits of my day. He gets me- before the gym and before the egg sandwich.

I don’t know what time it is when you are reading this (I hope it is in the morning.) Today, God wants to satisfy you with his unfailing love. Whatever you are looking forward to today, God is even better than that. Your Heavenly Father enjoys you- so go ahead and enjoy him!

The God of the universe wants to dwell with us every second of every day.

From the morning to the evening and everywhere in between.

It is so absurd if you think about it… our lives are like blips on a map and yet God cares for every second of it. The same God who shut mouths of lions, who rained down fire on a soaked altar, who parted seas and who sent his son to die… That same God cares for your time and my time. He longs to spend it with us.

Do you notice the line in this psalm about “his temple”? If you are tracking what I am tracking… This is talking about us! Let’s put this idea of being a “sacred space” and the idea of seeking and dwelling with him in the same thought process every single day.

So today let’s start with this…

Lord, thank you for the time you have so graciously given me. You have created me as a sacred space and therefore my time is sacred. The time I spend with you is sacred. So let every moment of my day, no matter what I am going through, reflect that kind of love. Develop my heart to dwell with you in the hours, minutes and seconds that I have. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Jesus’ most famous sermon comes to us from Matthew 5–7, where he talks about everything from prayer and fasting to giving, forgiveness, and worry. After reminding his listeners not to worry about material things because God is our provider, Jesus concludes that section with these words:“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” — Matthew 6:33

In other words, get your priorities straight, and everything else will find its proper place. This reminds me of one of my favorite illustrations about managing our time and priorities: the “big rocks” analogy. It goes something like this: Imagine you have a pile of different sized rocks and a jar, and your challenge is to fit them all inside. If you start with the small rocks, you’ll eventually run out of room before you can fit in the big ones. But if you start with the big rocks and then work your way down to the smaller ones, everything fits. The smaller rocks simply find their place in the spaces around the larger ones.

It’s a simple analogy, but it makes an important point: the smaller things in life will always find a way to take up space. If we let them, they can easily crowd out the things that matter most. But when we put the big things first—time with God, time with family, rest, and the things that fill our souls and give us life—the smaller things can find their rightful place around them. That’s essentially what Jesus is inviting us to do. Seek first what matters most, and trust God with the rest.

So as you look at the week ahead, ask yourself: What are your “big rocks”? Are they getting your first and best attention, or are they being crowded out by the little rocks?

When I was in my early 20s, working my way through college and figuring out what my career might be, I locked onto hustle culture. I subscribed to the fervent belief that if you weren’t rising, grinding and working your tail off at every aspect of life, you were failing. I’d say with great pride that I thrived on stress and said yes to many obligations and opportunities with little thought on how I would pull them all off.

I thought I was batting a thousand, surviving on multiple cups of coffee and a color-coded planner. Here’s the thing though, I was a distant daughter to Christ in that season of my life and looking back on it, I realize it was because I was chasing anything but God.

I worshiped success.

I worshiped my pride.

I worshiped the grind.

Moses laid it out clearly when he shared God’s command that You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3. Boy was I breaking that one!

Life in and of itself is busy. It's meant to be lived fully and productively. But if we aren’t seeking God first in every part of our calendar, we can easily find ourselves glorifying the wrong things. It could be long hours chasing overtime or a weekend too full of activities to make it to church.

Invite God into your calendar. Ask him - Is this a good opportunity? What will the costs be? Will it distract me from you? What are you calling me to?

Because here’s the thing, the devil can’t take you out, but if he can get you busy and distracted, he’s got something he can meddle with.

Several years ago, Tori and I decided to practice the Sabbath. To rest from all paid and unpaid work for a literal 24-hour day every week. At first, we were terrible at it (sometimes we still are!) – but it has gotten much easier with practice.

On the Sabbath, we devote an entire day to delight in God. We enjoy the good things he’s given to us. We neglect the dishes and take long naps instead. We spend time with our kids. We eat good food. We play games. We read. We go for walks. We sing and dance in the living room. We laugh a lot. We trust that God can run the world without us for a day.

Most of the time, when I share our Sabbath experience with folks, their knee-jerk reaction is, “Wow, that sounds great, but I just don’t have the time!” And as understandable as that feeling is, I feel the need to press back against it…

Love takes time, and time is the only thing hurried people don’t have. What if for just one day a week, we stopped asking God to hurry up, and we accepted his invitation to slow down? The Sabbath is nothing less than taking the time to love and be loved by God - a gift of God that you can’t afford to refuse.

We misunderstand work when we only view it as a bad means to a good end. We’re on the clock so we can afford life when we are off the clock. We suck it up Monday to Friday so we can live it up on the weekend. We keep our shoulder to the wheel for years dreaming of days when our only care is not missing our tea time or our tee time. When we think that way we consign a massive amount of our lives to some sort of meaningless grind.

Paul told the Corinthians that “whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (I Corinthians 10:31) The next time you are pulling out for work, consider that God has very intentionally sent you there as a temple in the midst of that place.

If you really believe that, how will that change the meaning behind a conversation you will have with a client? How will that impact a major decision that will require bravery and integrity? Will it change how you look at your time clock, your task list, or your cubicle partner? See your temporary job through eternal eyes. Wow, what an important day lies before you!

Our workspace is a sacred space when we are in it. And the work we are doing, the Lord has prepared us to do. The skills that the Lord has given you are carefully, intricately designed specifically for you. And every skill set and capability is a piece of the picture, designed to do kingdom work and connect the disconnected.

I know that building a good spreadsheet doesn’t always feel like kingdom work… but what if we treated it like it was because you were working next to someone who needed the light of Christ in their life? Folding shirts in a retail store is not glamorous, but what if we treated this skill set like it mattered because the next lady that walked up to the display was someone who needed to be ministered to?

God gives us skill sets for a reason. Let’s look at this text from Exodus 31:1-5. It says this, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts."

You and I are “filled with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.” God is appointing us in our offices, our job fields, our OIKOS to do the skillful work of kingdom building.

It is more than just a folded shirt or an excel spreadsheet. You are interacting with people all day who need to come to know Christ in your workplace.

Have you heard the phrase “bloom where you are planted”? Do one search on Pinterest for “inspirational sayings” and I promise it’ll show up eventually. We like this saying (not just because it looks good in watercolor), but because there’s a nugget of truth in it: grow right where you are.

Many of us spend a lot of time wishing away where we are. If we could just get that promotion, get that raise, change our circumstances, or move on to something new, then everything would be better. Sometimes we go looking for something new not because God is leading us there, but simply because we’re bored with what we have.

That’s a little like what God tells his people through Jeremiah. The Israelites are staring down a reality they never wanted: exile in Babylon. And God’s message isn’t, “Find a way out.” It’s, essentially, dig in. Build houses. Plant gardens. Raise families. Seek the good of the city where you find yourself. In other words, live faithfully here.

As we seek to make everywhere we are a sacred space, what if God is inviting you to “dig in” right where you are? Maybe it’s your workplace, your neighborhood, your school, or even a difficult season of life. Instead of constantly daydreaming about escape, what would it look like to ask, “How can I bring the presence of God into this place?” You may not have chosen where you are right now, but you can choose to faithfully grow where God has planted you.