hen we read God's Word, we're not alone. The Holy Spirit is with us and leading us, making this truth come to life to us in new and exciting ways. The Bible is the only book which reads us as we read it. I love this reflection of Psalm 121 from my good friend, Amy Lively, as it illustrates this so beautifully.  God led her to read this psalm while resting on a height, and deep insight gushed forth. Insight for her life, but also for ours, because God is cool like that. I hope this reflection is as timely for you as it has been for me. Amy Lively is an author and speaker who teaches God’s Word as a “how-to” manual for loving him and loving others. Her most recent book, Can I Borrow a Cup of Hope? How to Find Faith for Hard Times in 1 Peter, shows how God transforms pain and suffering into hope and purpose. She is also the author of How to Love Your Neighbor Without Being Weird. Amy is a student at Asbury Theological Seminary, a business owner, community organizer, and active church member and small group leader. She has been married to David for 35 years! They have one grown daughter and divide their time between Colorado and Florida. Visit her online at www.amylively.com. C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

Have you ever been in the water, on a boat or even a boogie board or a tube, and though you started in one spot, you looked up (maybe woke up) and realized you were somewhere else? Drifting is a reality for our spiritual lives too if we are not intentional to cultivate faithfulness. My friend, Karolyne Roberts is sharing her reflection of Psalm 119 with us today to help us reflect on what our summer is revealing in our hearts and how we can continue walking with God and closer to Him even when routines change. In her own words, Karolyne Roberts is a bestselling author and speaker who is blazing the trail for change-makers and transformational leaders around the globe. Through her YouTube channel, she impacts and inspires over 438,000 subscribers worldwide. Karolyne and her husband, Kal Roberts, are cofounders of Miss Eternity (misseternity.com). Karolyne’s women’s ministry, Dear Daddy (deardaddy.com), was created for women to embrace their God-given identity as daughters of the King and grow in intimacy with the Father. Karolyne is also the founder and CEO of the Writers Retreat (writersretreat.com), where she helps believers use their voice and writing to make an impact for the kingdom.C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

How's that Summer Bucket List going so far? Knocking a few things off? Maybe realizing we were a bit ambitious at the start of Summer, like when we put "go for a hike" on the list. We might be thinking: we meant "go for a walk." Not sure how "hike" got there. Whether hiking mountains is our "thing" or not, my friend, Lauren Vander Linden is sharing her reflection of Psalm 107 with us to remind us the spiritual ascent is one we all need to make, again and again. As we do, we'll find God's love is steady, gently leading us up one step at a time. Lauren Vander Linden is passionate about making complex issues simple using God’s word. She is a former worship pastor and current speaker and business leader at a Fortune 250. She and her husband, Travis, call Des Moines, Iowa home, but they also love to travel. On their adventures, you can catch her husband looking at the views and Lauren incessantly looking around to avoid dangerous wildlife. You can find more writings about faith, travel, and lifestyle on her blog or on Instagram or Youtube.C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

Dancing invites joy and smiling, and as my friend, Kathy Izard, points out in her reflection of Psalm 100, dancing also invites gratitude. These "holy spirited steps" as she says are welcomed by God. Kathy Izard is an award-winning author and speaker who has published five inspirational books—three for adults and two for children. You can learn about her books here. Kathy’s work has been featured on NPR and the Today Show inspiring people to be change-makers in their communities. Learn more www.kathyizard.com C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

There's no better way to beat the Summer heat than with a splash. But, sometimes we get more than a splash. We get a wave or waves of chaos. My good friend, Valerie Ellis, is sharing her reflection of Psalm 93 with us today and reminding us of the stark contrast between chaos and Christ and the invitation that awaits us in these inconvenient and overwhelming waters. Valerie Ellis loves helping kids and parents connect with God and each other in the everyday moments. She is an author, speaker, and founder of Our Everyday Parables, a multi-author online resource with book reviews and ideas for families pursuing faith and compassion. A certified teacher with countless hours in ministry, Valerie writes books that serve kids at the intersection of faith and fun. Her latest book is Wild Faith Devotional for Kids: 52 Amazing Animals That Point to One Great God. Connect with Valerie online at valerieellis.com and oureverydayparables.com or on Instagram at @iamvalerieellis.C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

What does it mean to "live by faith"? If you're like me, there have been moments when I think I'm living by faith but later realize I was blinded to see my attempts to strategize, analyze, and "fix" a situation for the lack of trust, lack of faith, it really is. When this "strategizing" is based on my emotions and perspective rather than my trust and dependence on God, I'm not living by faith; I'm living by my own strength.Relying on our know-how and limited understanding while also trying to be a follower of Christ is a common picture of a divided heart. And, we're not the first to struggle in this way. King David prayed for God to give him an undivided heart in Psalm 86. My friend, Mary Thionnet, too, has known this struggle, specifically as a mother, and she's sharing her reflection to help challenge us to fix our eyes on Jesus rather than trying to fix the situations before us.Mary Thionnet serves the Pastor of Kids Ministries for Crossings Community Church at the OKC location. She and her husband, Jeff, have four young adult children. Together they enjoy traveling to Washington, hiking, and spending time outside.Today, we're talking about:When there is nothing "lovely" or "right" about the situation before me, I can choose to focus on how God is praiseworthy. Trusting in God’s sovereignty over this situation is how I can live by faith today.What do I need to fully release to God today?C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

Maybe this Summer, foreign is exactly what you need. But no bags need to be packed. Not a single one. No airline reservations need to be made. You see, praise in times of plenty, that's easy. It's natural. But praise in want, it's never easy. It's unnatural. Foreign may be an even better word. It feels strange, unfamiliar, unsettling. That's because it is. Praise and rejoicing in things go well is proof of citizenship on earth, meaning everyone is capable of this. Praise and rejoicing, gratitude and proclaiming God's greatness and goodness, when things don't go as well as we hoped or expect - it's proof of citizenship in heaven. Only those filled with the power of the Holy Spirit are equipped to do such an unearthly thing.Today, Sarah Freymuth is sharing her reflection of Psalm 79 with us and helping us remember to proclaim God's praise, and live as foreigners of this earth, in those times when we feel the rug has slid out from under us.Sarah Freymuth describes herself as a writer and dreamer who finds God's goodness in the everyday, upside-down, and in-between moments that make this life real, relatable and beautiful. Professionally, Sarah serves as the content and storytelling manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a global sports ministry, where she gets to tell the story of what God is doing around the world through coaches and athletes – guiding them in going deeper in their faith. She also writes for different places, sharing about God's goodness where it isn't easily seen.You can find her living a simple Midwest life with her husband, visiting Lake Michigan and Washington Island as often as life allows.C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

My good friend, Sarah Philpott, shares her reflection of Psalm 72 with us today and the gentle redirection meant for all us - who are we worshipping? In whom or what have we put our hope?Sarah Philpott, PhD lives on a cattle farm in the south. She is the mother of four young children and wife to one hard workin’ farmer (who has been her sweetheart since high school). Sarah is the award-winning author of Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss. She's also the author of the brand new board book: Wake, Up Little Seed; Moo, Moo Nap, Nap; and The Growing Season: A Year of Down-on-the-Farm Devotions.C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

I want us to embrace a moment of nothingness, as hard as it may be for us. Keep the TV off, put the phone away. If not for a whole summer, how about today? How about for five minutes? For, it's only when we're bored that we start to ask ourselves the question: "What sounds fun?"We need more fun! This life is a gift and God intends for us to enjoy it. To have fun. If our days have become so busy and demanding that it requires get to a place of boredom before we ask ourselves, "What sounds fun?" then boredom it is! Almighty God, grant us boredom so that we might enjoy this gift and reflect more on the gifts and promises You've so generously given us.Today, we start our sixth summer in the Psalms together (feel free to review posts and episodes from summers past), and we're opening to Psalm 65 to remind ourselves more of our abundantly generous God.C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠

As we begin our Summer in the Psalms series this Summer, we're getting to hear from my friend, Cole Feix, as he helps us understand the Psalms as "the nervous system of the Bible."Cole Feix is the Pastor of Carlton Landing Community Church in Oklahoma, the founder of So We Speak Media, and a director of the Library Co. He has a PhD from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is an adjunct professor at Oklahoma Baptist University. He lives in southeast Oklahoma with his wife and three daughters. C A N D A C E  C O F E Rauthor + speaker ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠instagram⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠youtube⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠facebook⁠