I was puzzled over this very different state of being, when the Lord brought the word “incrEASE'“—emphasized just so—to my mind. He helped me see that the team and leader I was working with were all very glad to be serving together which in turn, created an atmosphere of joy and peace that made what we were doing easier for us and for others.

There was a rabbi who found himself wandering the empty streets of a Russian city early one morning. His rambling walk reflected the state of his heart and mind—many questions, few answers. In some despair, paying little attention to his surroundings, he strolled upon a Russian military compound off limits to civilians.

The morning before our first ONE Human Journey Experience was to begin, I kept getting a picture of a school of fish. This was partially because I was in a condo on the beach that had several pictures of schooling fish. God kept highlighting those to me, and I remembered the way those types of fish swim together. They often look like an object undulating and morphing from one thing into another.

As I was reading scripture before Christmas, I sensed God highlighting the Song of Mary, also called the Magnificat, in the first chapter of Luke. I was reading the Tree of Life Version of the Bible, a translation that honors our Hebrew roots, and Mary is referred to as Miriam, her Hebrew name.

As a kid at Christmas, nothing was more exciting to me than cooking something yummy up in the kitchen with my mom!

The best was the almond flavored shortbread cookies we’d make. (If only my mom had let me eat the whole bowl of cookie dough!) Life seemed magical when Christmas rolled around and I got to be part of the magic of baking with my sweet mom.

If I’m honest and let the kid inside of me speak up, I feel the exact same way this Christmas season, but not about Christmas cookies.

I am thrilled to announce the first of two new training tracks unique to ONE.

ONE is launching the Connection Prayer Training, Coaching, & Certification Track.

Learn to lead people intuitively through Connection Prayer, learn to coach people in integrating connection prayer into their everyday lives, and get certified as a Connection Prayer Facilitator and/or Coach.

Jesus is faster than you are.

You might think it takes a lot of time to hear God, but the opposite is true. He’s speaking all the time and you can hear from Him right now.

Let’s practice! In just a moment you’re going to ask Jesus a question. It’s crucial to be honest about the very FIRST thing that comes to your mind after you ask. Hold onto it somehow. Express it out loud or write it down. But don’t dismiss it.

I love this word “lovingkindness”. I think what I really like is that it combines what can be an abstract term (love) with a concrete one (kindness). When one talks about love, one is usually giving voice to positive feelings towards someone. That’s great, but I like the connection of this ethereal feeling with the down-to-earth realness of kindness.

I wasn't really sure why I wanted to try my hand at it again after so many years. I love to cook and bake and share what I make, and now I have the time, so maybe that is reason enough. A few simple ingredients combined together multiply into something so delicious and satisfying. Full disclosure: in this process I have also produced a few flops, but at least the birds got a meal!

Let me first say that we humans are made for connection. We are made for relationship. Many of us spend at least a little time cultivating some form of connection - with God, our significant other, our children and friends. I think the majority of us recognize that relationships need attention, intention and forgiveness in order to thrive.

Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Matthew 6:26 I recently woke up with the song “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” on my mind. The two lines at the end kept playing over and over: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

Every Wednesday at ONE, we offer “drop in” prayer and Communion during the noon hour. At least we did until a certain virus came on the scene. Many of you have availed yourselves of this sacred, set-apart time to worship the Lord, receive prayer, and take communion - and we are so glad you have! But until we are able to gather again, whether at ONE or at your church, I’d like to invite you to consider continuing all of these practices at home with your family or even by yourself.

The power of ONE! My time at ONE provided a life-changing breakthrough in a difficult personal relationship. I struggled with extreme judgement towards someone despite many attempts to forgive. Even though my judgement was actually supported by those who knew my situation, I knew that if I were to stay in the relationship, I had to lay the judgement down and never pick it up again. This made perfect sense in my head – just give it all to Jesus, right? I knew the right thing to do, I just couldn’t seem to do it.

By now you’re familiar with the lists. All the cancellations and postponements. School…Weddings…Funerals...Graduation…Proms…Fiesta…Sports…Travel…Nursing home visits. Along with routines and normalcy.

Life has changed pretty dramatically and that is unsettling for some of us. Being unsettled translates into fear and fear sets off a whole slew of alarms. Imagine fear running through your brain circuitry like a prankster in a hallway, pulling all the fire alarms.

I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed recently and asked Jesus, "Would you show me a picture that represents what you’re doing right now that would encourage my heart?" Then in my mind’s eye, I received a picture of His arms wrapped around a basket full of hearts. Something about this image instantly put me at ease. My heart was among them. Included were my family members, my friends. Even the hearts of individuals I didn’t know personally, but whose burdens I carried in prayer. Shared between us all was this space. Nestled together, held collectively by Jesus.