Have you ever had a God moment where you truly felt just how small and powerless you are in the light of how almighty and sovereign He is?

Very recently, Sam and I have had friends from our church spending the summer in Washington for some medical treatments a couple hours drive from where we live. Since I’ve been couch-bound with our newborn, Lily, for the last month, we were chomping at the bit to get out of the house and go somewhere, and we decided a day trip to get some lunch with them was perfect.

On July 11, 2024, Lily Anne Wente was born at 11:29 a.m. She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz and measures 21.5 inches long.

Exactly one year ago, my little family found itself in a moment of crisis. Sam’s job came to an end at the church in North Carolina. For months, he was scouring job boards looking for a new pastoral job while delivering pizzas to help supplement our income. Church job searches are a long, drawn out process, and most require you to appear at the church and guest preach so the congregation can meet you, your family, and get an idea of how you would shepherd the church.

I am learning that with every major milestone in life, there is one common denominator: thank you cards. And after the birth of my daughter, Piper, we’ve gotten so many gifts from so many people that it’s hard to keep track anymore. So much so, that I decided to finally buckle down and take care of sending out thank you cards off of a very inconsistent list Sam and I started putting together once the packages started coming in from everywhere. As I was going through a list of people at least an arms length long, something extremely obvious occurred to me. Thank you notes are considered a nice touch, if not a common courtesy. If you get a gift big or small, you thank that person for it and a thank you note sends a specific message of deep gratitude.

This is what I call my life verse. I believe God gives everyone who asks a scripture to hold onto through all the storms life has to throw at us. This precious one is mine. What is yours? For me, Proverbs 3:5-6 is my constant reminder to hope in God. He called me and saved me and is faithful to finish what He began in my life. My faith in Christ is the substance of what I hope for. It encourages me to remember that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

For as long as I could remember, I have always asked a million questions. I question everything and everyone. I want to know who, what, when, why, where and how at all times. It’s interesting, though; I find that with God all I ask is how and why. I never ask who he wants me to talk to. Where he wants me to go, or when he wants me to go there. When God puts me in a situation– especially one that I don’t want to be in– I pray, “Why Lord, and how are you going to get me out of this?”

Sure, James. Easier said than done. That’s always what I think when I hear the above verses. The fact of the matter is, no one wants to talk about suffering much less go through it. And let’s face it: it’s always going to be easy for people who have never walked through your same test to tell you to delight in the fact that you’re being tested. It’s always going to be our first, knee-jerk reaction to say, “Well, it’s easy for you to say, because you’re not living with this trainwreck of a situation.”

I have struggled with my strong personality that can at times be prickly like this pineapple. When I gave my life to the Lord, I knew I needed to change. Big changes happened in the beginning. Old habits just fell off– smoking, bad language, drinking in excess. Other things changed slowly; I developed new habits. I started to listen to different music. I started reading my Bible, praying more, attending small groups, making new friends, etc. Who I was– my personality– remained.

If you’ve ever seen a picture of Cape Town, chances are you’ve noticed Table Mountain, a gigantic, flat-topped mountain that provides the backdrop to hands-down my favorite city on the planet. Back in 2015, I was living, going to school, and serving on a missions trip in the mother city, when my mom and grandma surprised me with a 10-day visit. By that time, I had been there for months, and I had climbed other mountains, but I hadn’t yet gone to the summit of one of the seven natural wonders of this world.

God left us with a mission. In our key verse, we see that He left Paul with the same mission: to be His hands and feet on this earth– to spread the truth of the gospel across the nations so that every ear would hear the wondrous name of Jesus. Our call and Paul’s call are one and the same. If we continue to experience God and draw close to Him, our compassion for others and confidence to tell them about Jesus should continuously grow.

I remember stepping out to center stage in my high school auditorium, lights in my eyes, and every chair empty but three. I was a bright-eyed freshman who wanted nothing more than to make the student-run spring musical. I thought it was a big deal because, unlike the faculty-supervised winter musical, not everyone that auditioned made it. Only the best made that coveted cast list, and I had been practicing for days to make sure that my name was on it, no matter the part.

I’ve always been the girl that cries at weddings. I even get choked up while watching sappy bridal shows like Say Yes to the Dress. So imagine my elation when I was asked to be a bridesmaid and invited to join a dress appointment for a close family member earlier this year. I’ll keep details short because the wedding is in September, but the moment that she put on the dress she knew she’d get married in, the atmosphere in the room changed.