Welcome!
Welcome family and friends! I am so honored you have chosen to visit this site and check out what God is asking me to share with you! There is an About page where you can read a short bio about me and a brief description of this site, but I would like to give a proper introduction in order to clearly express the purpose of creating this website.
I have always enjoyed writing. It’s a gift God has given to me for me to enjoy and for me to be able to express myself. This is not to say that I think my writing is a gift, but the ability to do so blesses me and gives me joy. I had never done any blogging prior to us moving to Haiti, but I decided I would begin sharing a blog with Brian so we could keep everyone back home informed and updated on our lives here. The more time I would spend writing the more enjoyment I would get from it, whether what I wrote got posted to a site or not. I knew God delighted in me gaining joy from the gift He gave me. Then one morning, while sitting on the rooftop praying, I felt God asking me to begin writing devotions. This seemed like an odd thing because I didn’t major in English, I’ve never attended seminary, I didn’t go to Bible college, and it really wasn’t until the last two years that I truly started digging into my faith and passionately pursuing God. Despite all of this, my heart jumped with excitement as I thought about this task.
But, what so often happens when God asks us to take a step of faith, I began to doubt myself and question if God ever even asked this of me. Surely, He wouldn’t ask someone so ill-equipped to take on that sort of task, right? Even if He did, I don’t have anything original to add. I bring nothing new to the table. I’m not reinventing the wheel. I have no revolutionary doctrine to offer. How would my devotional site be any different from all the other devotion sites and books out there? Whatever I had to say would be white noise amidst all the other more adequately equipped and more knowledgeable devotion writers. All of these doubts began to surface and steal the joy I had in writing. I only told Brian about this “crazy idea” I had so if I never went through with it he would be the only person who knew. But, of course, God had other plans and soon Brian had told his brother Andrew, who was quick to jump in with website suggestions and help with the technology aspect. Ok, now two people know. I still told myself God wasn’t really asking me to do this. I couldn’t do this, and who cares if Brian and Andrew are slightly disappointed?
I was frustrated. And rightly so, because God had asked something of me for His purposes and I was choosing, out of a lack of trust in Him, to say “no”. I continued to pray about it when one Sunday God gave me a scripture which would reignite the flame for this website. Jesus is speaking to His disciples in Matthew 10:27 and says,
What I tell you in the dark,
say in the light,
and what you hear whispered,
proclaim on the rooftops.
Jesus clearly wants His Name and His Truth proclaimed and He desires to use His disciples to do so. What God reveals to me in the dark parts of the morning, I am to say in the light of day. What God speaks softly to me, I am to boldly proclaim, through any means available. For me, this means creating a website with which I can use to share those things God is teaching me. It means not shying away from difficult topics He may ask me to write about. It means being faithful to continue writing even when I feel too small for the task. If even one person is encouraged, challenged by, or comes to Christ because of what they read here then it doesn’t matter if my website is “white noise” according to most people. All that matters is that I am obedient to my King and faithful to the Call.
This site is for the purposes of my God. I will write what He asks me to write. Some days the entries will be short words of encouragement or challenge. Some days the entries will be lengthier and cover more content. I am putting no limitations on what the format of this site should be. I am only praying whatever I write is pleasing to my Jesus.
What have you felt God asking you to do that you’re hesitating about?
What excuses have you come up with for why you’re not capable or why you’re the wrong person?
Friends, let’s stop putting our trust in our own abilities, let’s stop fearing failure, shoot let’s stop defining what is “failure” and what is “success”. Instead, let’s choose everyday to say “yes” to each bidding that God whispers to us. Let’s choose to live out of our faith and identity in Him rather than out of our fear and inadequacies in our humanity. God gives us gifts and abilities for us to use to bless others and worship Him. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”.
I am praying for all of you whose eyes find their way to these pages. I pray God revives that passion within you to tell others and “proclaim on the rooftops” what He has done for you. If you don’t know Jesus as your Redeemer then I pray you will fall in love with Him and discover the true gentleman and companion He is. I am excited to share in this journey with all of you. I love you and am so grateful God has asked me to stretch my faith and share it with you.
Peace and grace to you,
Courtney