It doesn't officially release until tomorrow... but if you've been here a while, you know I struggle to keep a good secret in, SO I just ordered my copy, and here I am sending an email out about it. That sounds about right. Philippians has always been one of my favorites of Paul's letters -- but this last time I read through it, it really resonated with me in a new way. Not just in a learning kind of way, but a living kind of way. I actually feel like I spent 2023 feeling like I was fighting for joy. Sometimes, I felt like I was fighting for joy against my circumstance. Other times, I felt like I was fighting for joy amidst the broken world. Anybody else? But the truth? I was fighting my flesh. I was so busy looking around that I wasn't pressing into the hope I have in heaven...which provides MORE than enough joy for right now. With millions of Americans struggling with their mental health, it's safe to say that joy could be a game changer for a lot of us. In our conversation today, we discuss the value in practicing and pursuing joy [...]

Do you hear it? Mariah's telling us all she wants for Christmas is you. Chestnuts may not be roasting, but for sure some popcorn is popping and we don't mean to be strung on the tree (do people actually do that?) - we want the handfuls of buttery popped kernels in hand for our Christmas Movie Showdown. There's a lot to watch over the next few weeks and, honestly, we don't want you to waste your time. We don't want you to just live your life around what matters most - we want you to watch what matters most. Who decides which Christmas movies have to be seen? Well, we do. (And apparently our husbands.) We're ranking our Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies, including dishonorable mentions, the best soundtracks, the classics, nostalgic and unconventional - all in ONE episode. Grab your peppermint mocha and push play!

We feel it - especially at the end of the year. Mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually - one area (or all areas) are feeling the tension of a pace we're pretty sure we can't maintain. "Just until the end of the year, and then things will slow down." How many times do we say that to ourselves? "Just until _____________, and then things will slow down." But then what happens? Something new inevitably comes along to fill that blank and we find ourselves saying it all over again. If we aren't pausing to assess where our hearts are at, then we're setting ourselves up for exhaustion, quick-to-anger, frustration and numbness. Let me say it as plainly as I can: You don’t have to increase in order for God to increase. If you think the solution to the problem is more control, more time, more to-dos, more employees...more, then you're probably positioning yourself as the savior in your circumstance. You are not the solution. Jesus is. God’s increase is in no shape, form, or fashion, dependent on your increase. I believe a large portion of stress in kingdom work is rooted in the desire of dual increase: His mission + [...]