Becoming Analise

Romans 12:1-2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God , to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God , which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind , that by testing you may discern what is the will of God , what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Each night before bed, Riley Grace takes us through an extremely long bedtime routine. It seems that every week, we are adding something new to the routine! Here’s the rundown after bath time: -        Choose 3 books for story time -        Read 3 books in Mama and Daddy’s bed -        Cuddle with Mama and Daddy (She makes us both lie down. She sits in the middle of us and rubs our backs at the same time because that’s what her teachers do at school for nap time!) -        Potty one la...

It was a normal Friday night at the Cochran house. We had just finished supper, bath time, and story time with Riley Grace. Patrick was grading papers for his classes, and I was putting Riley Grace to bed. After Riley Grace was snuggled in her bed with about fifty stuffed animals and goodnight kisses (along with fifty “last things” she had to tell me before I finally left the room), it was time for me to soak in my bubble bath (my Friday night ritual after a long work week). J I walked through the kitchen to the bathroom when I noticed the laundry closet was open. I peeked in to see that Patrick had washed some clothes. This is no big deal. He washes clothes often. But something about the laundry that night made me tear up. (And, yes, I do tear up easily, but not usually over laundry!) Before I made it to the bubble bath, I stopped to sit next to Patrick on the couch. I just sat there and gazed at him until he looked up from his work to question why I was staring at him with a go...

Our church is currently studying the book of Daniel. Our pastor is bringing to light some amazing points about how Daniel served the Lord wholeheartedly while God’s people were living in captivity in Babylon. Among a pagan culture, God was glorified through the obedience of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It’s amazing to see the parallels to our own culture, as we are living among a culture that is increasingly pagan while we as Christ-followers are trying to be obedient in living out our Christian faith. It’s not easy to pursue holiness amidst a culture that celebrates immorality and denies God at every turn. When living in a materialistic, self-centered, culture filled with immorality, it’s a struggle to focus on the eternal things of God’s kingdom rather than temporal things that will fade away. This morning, our message was regarding anxiety, specifically anxiety about the future and the events that we cannot control. Our pastor explained the events that Daniel experi...