Welcome to PRN – Pause, Renew, Next, a blog/podcast that encourages soul care. The blog can be used as a devotional, and the podcast seeks to share stories of faith. I hope it serves to challenge, renew, and inspire you. Let’s spend time reflecting, resting, and being renewed, so that we are better prepared to do that next thing.
Pause
What makes music profound and interesting to listen to? The rests. It helps us appreciate what has been played and anticipate what is coming.
The same is true in life. A pause is what gives us time to reflect, meditate, and rest. Without pauses, life becomes chaotic and overwhelming.
I hope the Pause section of this blog serves as an encouragement to pause in your day: a place to set aside a few minutes and come away renewed and encouraged.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 NIV
Renew
Renew: to replace, to re-establish, to give fresh life or strength
Our culture is full of information, tips, and self-help tools, but how often do we meditate on any of that information and allow it to really permeate our thought-lives? Honestly, not often.
What if we took that knowledge and worked it down into the soil of our souls, allowing it to take root and grow? What if we soaked it in, allowing our thoughts to realign and our perspectives to shift? That doesn’t happen naturally. It takes work and time… mostly time.
In each blog post on this site, there is an exercise that will encourage you to dwell and meditate before moving on with your day.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2 NIV
Next
The Dead Sea is stagnant because water flows in, but there is no exit route. Too much of a good thing with no outlet leads to lethargy. So, although dwelling and meditating are excellent practices, without a way to work them out, no change may ever be seen. Knowledge without action remains purely thought rather than behavior.
The Next section of each blog post has a challenge to help take the information discussed from simply a thought or feeling to an action step. So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get on with it!
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:17 NIV
Blog
Almost There
Advent brings with it the anticipation of a celebration. The word “advent” means: “the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.” I did not grow up in a church that celebrated Advent or lit candles, so I am later in coming around to the traditions surrounding it. For those of you who may also …
Valleys of Sorrow, Rivers of Joy: An Interview with Gina Carr, Part 2
In the second part of my conversation with Gina Carr, she continues her story of returning from Mozambique and beginning to put down roots in a new town. She explains how, due to caring for an ailing parent, she lacked the capacity to look for friends but how the Lord provided the community they needed. …
Continue reading “Valleys of Sorrow, Rivers of Joy: An Interview with Gina Carr, Part 2”
Burning Timber
For decades, a beautiful white pine has stood guard next to our home. It has withstood storms, snow, wind, and even a tornado. This summer however, we noticed a strange sound emerging from within its trunk and limbs. The distinct sounds of chewing could be heard from yards away, yet as closely as we looked, …