Philippians 1: 6 … being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

So much has happened since my last post. The Lord will need to let me know where to start. I have been back from Uganda since the 14th, and as my husband John says, I’ve been on “couch duty” several of these days. We’ve had snow events, inauguration day, and more during my days of reverse culture shock.

With head cold type symptoms since our final flight to Syracuse late last Tuesday evening, it’s been difficult to start anything. Of course, physical things came to a head- looking like thrush in my mouth- during the holiday weekend. Then we were snowed in yesterday, so I finally got to the doctor for diagnosis and medicine today.

Coming home two weeks into our church’s 21-day January fast, I wasn’t sure how to join them, but God knew! We fasted our regular diet and living conditions while in Uganda, then I’ve been having smoothies for breakfast, only eating two meals a day, because of my sore mouth since I returned. The reason for fasting is to buffet your soul to let your spirit rise up. That mission is accomplished!

This is the book I’m currently working on. Carlie really puts forward a good explanation of the basis of fear, beginning with Genesis 3. Eve had an identity crisis. We need to understand our identity in Christ. Through the 10 spies, she shows how we fear because we think we’re responsible for taking the land the Lord has for us.  No matter how many mighty acts God performs, we fear because we forget He is able. Through examples from the Bible and personal experiences from her husband Ashley, other friends, and her own life, I recommend this book as a primer for living a life free of deception and fear which come from the enemy

I’m deciding what to use for my devotions again this year. I knew I didn’t want to start while I was busy on our trip, which is why I started Carlie’s book. Yesterday, I was watching a friend on LinkedIn (sorry, I can’t find her videos I watched or think of her name). She’s a biblical scholar and was talking about how to read the Bible. She recommends using The Daily Bible, and it sounded like a good place to start for 2025. I found the Daily Bible in large print on Amazon, and they tell me my delivery will arrive on January 29th, so I look forward to working my days around the daily readings through January 2026.

What are you using for your own devotions this year? Read any good books lately? Let’s start a conversation.

I will share about my actual mission trip in my next post. I pray that your year is starting well and that the Lord’s favor shines brightly for you.