Summer in the Psalms – Week Six – Psalm 100 I have a love hate relationship with the start of the school year. I love the excitement of new beginnings, regularly seeing friends again, and the anticipation of all the adventures the year ahead holds. But simultaneously I dread the challenges of creating new routines … Continue reading How to Find Joy in Every Situation
Author: Kim Smith
Where to Find True Rest and Security
Summer in the Psalms – Week Five – Psalm 91:1-4 I was wide awake at three in the morning. My mind was tossing and turning, growing anxious about everything from the tasks that filled my lengthy to-do list to some recent unresolved health challenges. I tried deep breathing, getting a drink of water and even … Continue reading Where to Find True Rest and Security
Only God Satisfies – How to Find Joy in Your Everyday Circumstances
Summer in the Psalms Week Four: Psalm 63:1-8 I went on a mission trip with my youth group to the Dominican Republic when I was 16. We worked with a local church to host a vacation Bible school for the village children and rebuilt homes that had fallen into sever disrepair. By the end of … Continue reading Only God Satisfies – How to Find Joy in Your Everyday Circumstances
How to Navigate Uncertainty – Summer in the Psalms: Week Three Psalm 42
This past year brought about a lot of uncertainty in my once seemingly steady and stable life. Changes in work situations lead to the possibility of cross-country moves, school adjustments, church searches, and many other uncertainties. There were days in the thick of the unknown that felt dark, unsearchable, and riddled with anxiety. All the … Continue reading How to Navigate Uncertainty – Summer in the Psalms: Week Three Psalm 42
How to Face Troubles and Hardship – Summer in the Psalms: Week Two Psalm 25
Trouble and hardship find us all. No one escapes trials and challenges. Rarely does even one day go by without facing a difficult situation or anxious circumstance. Put more bluntly, life is hard. In Psalm 25 we see an excellent example of how dire circumstances in the life of a believer can produce a person … Continue reading How to Face Troubles and Hardship – Summer in the Psalms: Week Two Psalm 25
Summer in the Psalms: Week One Psalm 1
Summers schedules are chaotic, and emotions run from the highs of vacation days to the anxiety of keeping kids engaged. Thankfully, the Bible addresses the full range of human emotions and experiences, and it draws our attention away from our circumstances back to God. This summer I invite you to join me in reading the … Continue reading Summer in the Psalms: Week One Psalm 1
How to Find True Self Worth
Trusting Jesus with What You Accomplish and What You Don't Sometime productivity looks like taking a walk and laughing with your kids I’ve always placed a high value on how much I was able to produce: silently congratulating myself for meeting every deadline, going the extra mile, or finding the best price on that highly … Continue reading How to Find True Self Worth
How to Trust God with the Unknown
Whatever winding path I may be on, I know He is with me every step of the way. (Photo taken in Big Sur, CA on my 40th Birthday Trip in Jan. 2024) I’ve come to realize I thrive when there is a plan, a schedule to follow that lets me know who needs to be … Continue reading How to Trust God with the Unknown
How to Hold Life with an Open Hand
After my sophomore year of college I spent a summer in Ocean City, New Jersey with about 100 other college students who were pursing God with all their hearts. Our days were full of studying the Word, sharing our faith, working summer jobs, and a good bit of shenanigans. Jon and me ice skating at … Continue reading How to Hold Life with an Open Hand
Where to find Joy and How to Keep it
Something you may or may not know about me; I’m a Christmas baby. My first visit to see Santa with my two older sisters. Bright and early on the coldest Christmas ever recorded in Pittsburgh history, my dad and his neighbor pushed the family car up our icy hill just to make it to the … Continue reading Where to find Joy and How to Keep it