(Repost) The Heart of Palm Sunday

Pausing to Celebrate

I haven’t been posting as frequently as I desired, but I’m sharing the latest from my world and what I’m celebrating.

How Are You Leaning?

I was pleasantly surprised when some of you asked about my word for this year. I write, and it is always encouraging when people interact with my me. My word for 2025 is “plumb line.” I knew a deeper recalibration was happening and necessary in my walk with Jesus. As I prayed and pondered it, […]

Update: Day 348 of 2024

I’ve meant to write an update on The Bible Recap (TBR) for months. I am still keeping up with the plan and enjoying it very much. It is a chronological Bible plan to complete the Bible in one year. I access the plan through The Bible App but check out https://www.thebiblerecap.com/start to learn more. The […]

Tending the Garden of Our Heart More in 2024

Happy New Year! It is the first day of 2024, which can bring various feelings, depending on the previous year and your emotional state. I’m recovering from a cold that passed through our kids and, despite my best attempts at immune-boosting supplements, rudely interrupted my weekend. A slower pace after the busyness of Christmas and […]

Goal #1: Boast In Jesus & Grow In Knowledge

I don’t watch the news, but plenty of negative reports flood social media about all the bad in the world —what the enemy is doing. The world’s cries flaunt death, turmoil, chaos, wars, and rumors of wars ad nauseam. It is far too easy for even Christians to get caught up in the current negativity […]

Vision: More Than a Blog, Building A Faith Community

It has been in my heart to share my hopes for building a community of believers in Jesus to encourage each other to go deeper and after ‘the more’ of God so we can better serve our families, churches, and spheres of influence. I am a member of a beautiful, life-giving, Christ-honoring home church (North […]

Resuming With Refined Focus

I have felt the nudge to resume writing, but only recently gained some needed revelation and insight about its focus. I encourage you to read my revised Welcome to learn more. I’ve had particular messages burning in my heart as I have walked through my share of tests and trials, as I’m sure you have. […]

The Reality of Spiritual Warfare

I’m convinced now more than ever that Christians need accurate theology and biblical understanding for this unique historical time. We need to clearly understand the worth of Jesus and give our full yes to following Him no matter the cost, like true disciples. Claiming the name of Christ is an act of war in the […]

Reflections On Reaching A Breaking Point

Everyone has a breaking point, which is good and necessary for maturity in Christ. I know because I have been broken, shattered beyond what I thought was repairable. Something happened when I realized I was in a process beyond my control. I surrendered to Jesus in a new way, yielded because I had come to […]

Tips For Remodeling Your Interior World

Way back in high school, I remember when they took the roof off of our house and added three bedrooms and a bathroom. The framing of this new level went up before our eyes, and it was so exciting to see so much progress so quickly. Then the windows went in, and the siding went […]

How Needy Are You?

I was listening to the newest album released by Jesus Culture entitled Why Not Right Now? and was stirred by an interlude by Corey Russell. He shared that God honors hunger and that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled (Matthew 5:6). In Matthew 5:3, it states, “Blessed are the poor in […]

Do You Need To Slow Down?

This morning I was reflecting on how quickly life flies by. It led me to remember a quote from Ferris Buehler’s Day Off. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Ferris Buehler It’s too easy to get caught up in the busyness and […]

How Hungry Are You?

The older I get, the more I cherish quality food. When I was young, I rarely enjoyed eating and only ate because my body required it. I was too busy playing soccer or softball. When I became a Christian at age 18, during the fall of my first year of college, I quickly discovered spiritual […]

MLK: Carrying on His Quest for Truth and Justice

Our church, North Jersey Vineyard, has a beautiful tradition of having Pastor Charles recite one of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s sermons in character for our sermon. Rev. King preached the scriptures and the gospel of the Kingdom of God unapologetically when it was not easy but necessary. It was so powerful to hear his […]

Bearing Fruit from the Past Three Years

It doesn’t require a prophetic gift to discern all of the problems and evil in our world. Now, more than ever, it is clear that we are not living in neutral territory. This raging war is of biblical proportions: between good and evil, light and darkness. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, […]

My Response to Living in an Unraveling World

I have allowed the craziness to push me closer to Jesus and understanding who He is and the Kingdom of God that He reigns and invites us to reign with Him. I can’t be passive or casual with faith in these times. I must be rooted deeply in the Word of God so the circumstances […]

A Tale of Meatballs

The doorbell rang in the hustle and bustle of returning home and in a race to make a quick dinner to ease my teenagers’ hunger. It was October 31, so we assumed there were kids dressed up in costumes seeking candy at the door. Surprisingly, a neighbor dropped off money for our son, who had […]

Locking Eyes with Momma Cardinal

As a newlywed, I was captivated by the nurturing of a mother bird raising her young right outside our first humble apartment. We even rescued two baby birds on separate occasions, a starling, and a sparrow, when discovered on the driveway with no nest in sight until they were mature enough to be released back […]

What Puzzles Taught Me About Kingdom Living

Wisdom says that we must have rest and play to offset all the hard work and stress from our daily lives. This has been increasingly important as stress levels have exponentially increased due to the pandemic and other stressful world events. We all must find a few ways to relax and fill our “emotional tanks” […]

A HIGHER PERSPECTIVE

A few weeks ago, the kids and I met up with a longtime friend and her kids for a hike. We decided to try a different route than we were used to, leading to a challenging rock climbing adventure. As usual, the kids motored ahead quickly and determinedly while I frequently stopped to catch my […]

Learning To Savor

My husband is an excellent cook who has layers of flavoring combined with gorgeous aesthetics when serving a meal. The beauty of his creations is pleasing in every way. Everyone loves to eat his cooking since it offers an experience to all the participants. Even an untrained palate can appreciate the taste and quality of […]

Embracing the New

Check out the blog’s updated format and a recent challenge I have been working through.

Will You Push Past What’s Comfortable?

Church this morning was extra powerful when we sang “Champion” and pastor asked us to really think about what we were singing and if we truly believed it. Then he encouraged us to sing it again and press in with all we had. The atmosphere began to shift and lighten. Finally, he pushed us to […]

Drink Deeply and Experience for Yourself

Life is always an adventure with twists and turns, unexpected challenges, and blessings. Chores and responsibilities cause minutes to fly, turning hours into days, days into weeks, and weeks into months until everything halts. And halt it did. Sudden fatigue and heading to bed early led to not feeling well and, ultimately, a covid positive […]

A Humble Tree and Resounding Joy

My heart is bubbling with joy to share a very meaningful story and a testimony of God’s goodness and grace. It began many years ago, in June when our oldest was four, and our son was one. We found out that I was pregnant with our 3rd child. Our daughter was excited to be a […]

Has Advent Come Early?

Our family, like so many, is embracing Christmas early. Christmas music and movies have been blasting hope, joy, and love into our home since mid-October. Advent, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for God’s intervention, has been inaugurated despite the month at the top of the calendar. 2020 has provided the opportunity to engage […]

Remembering 9/11/01 and a Call to All Christians

The events of 9/11/01 united our country and affected all who were alive during that time in significant ways. This anniversary is different after the last 6 months when our world once again changed in traumatic ways. It’s time for Christians to unite and fight the REAL battle.

Four Years Ago…….

I was just surprised to see WordPress acknowledge my fourth anniversary today. I vaguely remember when I felt A Secret Spring ‘drop into my spirit’ while meditating on Song of Songs. I knew it was the name of my blog and the conception of something new for me. However, I could have never known the […]

Giving My Fresh ‘Yes’

My absence from blogging over the past few months was necessary to process everything happening worldwide since May. I needed to stay focused on Jesus through prayerful journaling and reflection. I don’t know about you, but I have realized that my previous understanding of the Lordship of Jesus Christ was shallow. These last few months […]

The Deeper Invitation of Shelter in Place

It’s not very often that a show your family has been watching ends, and everyone looks at each other with surprise and disappointment that it is over! However, this has consistently been our experience as my family and I enjoyed all eight episodes of The Chosen. WHAT IS THE CHOSEN? “The Chosen is the first-ever-multi-season […]

The Message God Wants You to Hear

This is a unique time in history and I believe the Lord is gathering His children like never before. Please take time to hear the message He wants you to hear and believe.

Opportunities for Growth Living in Quarantine

I believe He has been uniquely preparing each of us for this time.

Worship Your Way into the Weekend…..

Here’s one of the newly releasesd songs I have had on repeat and why.

Provision: One Day at a Time

This past weekend we celebrated my grandmother’s 100th birthday! What a milestone! She is the mother of 4, grandmother of 9 and great-grandmother of 4. She has modeled a life of prayer and service and is deeply loved by all who know her. Already in a reflection mode, I retrieved some scrapbooks from the attic […]

The Song That Became My Lifeline

On Sunday, February 11, 2018, I wasn’t feeling very well emotionally and it became very clear that something was seriously wrong. My husband and I were scared, so I asked him to put on the Sunday evening service at Bethel Church that was just beginning. I let the music wash over me in an attempt […]

The Company You Keep During a Season of Hardship Matters

Even though the Lord may allow you to go through a season of hardship and difficulty, He Himself will be there with you. He will not hide Himself from you, for your eyes will constantly see Him as your Teacher. Isaiah 30:20 (TPT) I don’t like hardship and difficulty. I really don’t. However, if I’m […]