life beyond the well…

Category Archives: Church


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Catching Up: Life Changes – He Doesn’t

Slow blinking, because it’s hard to believe that this year I turned 40! I suppose that would mean that I am officially an adult?

A lot has changed with me in the past five years. And a lot is still the same. Ethan is no longer a baby–he started 2nd grade this year, but he’s forever my baby. I finished my dissertation and officially became Dr. Erin Almond. We welcomed a baby boy in December 2021 (who is now about to be TWO years old #timeslowdown). My father passed away unexpectedly in February 2021. My mother-in-law passed away unexpectedly in March 2022. Preacherman and I both have different jobs with the same employers, and we’re still blessed to lead Higher Definition Church (now planted in the Arlington area of Jacksonville). Oh, and there was an entire global pandemic!

And so while a lot has changed, I’ll say this- God is the same. His faithfulness through these last few years has been beyond what I can imagine. There were days that felt really tough, and there were days that were full of joy – and in both, God is/was good.

It can be easy to deposit a, “God is good” when you feel that to be true. Similarly, it can be easy to slide into feelings that allow you to doubt God’s goodness when you feel that you’re going through hell and high water. The truth of the matter is that God is still good, still faithful, and still true to His word regardless of the circumstances happening in us and around us.

Navigating the last few years forced me to lean into the fact that every circumstance in my life is an opportunity to see and experience the goodness of God. It helped me to reframe my perspective and begin to operate more from a place of gratitude.

If you find yourself struggling to “feel” the goodness of God, know that you’re not alone. When life happens (or when life be lifing), it can be hard to feel or see His goodness- and yet it is there. My challenge for you is to try to name your blessings (or as the hymn says, “count your blessings, name them one by one”). And if you can’t name them, just expressing gratitude to God, a simple, “Lord, I thank you” is a good start.

Friends, I’m happy to be back in this space. I’m praying for you; that you know that His goodness and mercy follows you, that His mercies are new every morning, that He is for you, that He is good, and that every bit of your life testify to His goodness.

Until next time- be encouraged! Peace and blessings!


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Covered.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. –1 Peter 4:8

I don’t wear it often, but I refuse to give it away. You see, with our Florida winters, there’s only a short window of time where it’s cold enough to warrant a heavy overcoat. But between the few weeks of a year where I find myself reaching for my heavy coats and the possibility of returning home to NC (traveling to any place warmer than Florida) when it’s winter, I believe it’s reason enough for me to keep them.

I probably SHOULD give it away.  It doesn’t fit as well as it used to, and I have more than one overcoat. But beyond commonsense reasoning, I keep this overcoat because she gave it to me; and while it physically covers me, it’s a reminder of how God will cover you–and will send people into your life to do the same.

When I was in graduate school, the Lord sent me to a church not far from campus. The pastor was young and engaging, and as a result; the demographics of the church were changing to include many college and graduate students. Though there were some pain points as I grew to learn and understand the church and it’s members, my time there was one of significant personal growth.  I will always cherish the time I spent there, and the people that I met.

She is one of the people that I met. Tall in stature, beautiful and elegant, incredibly smart, wonderfully transparent.  She shared wisdom with me, but also her life- mistakes and missteps, lessons that she’s learned, what she would do again if she could, and what she might never do again.  She shared herself.  We’ve lived hundreds of miles apart for almost 10 years now, but I still consider her to be one of the best gifts that God gave me.

When we met, I was a functional hot mess. I knew how to do school, but I was still figuring out how to do life (as an adult, living away from my family for the first time). And at a point where I was struggling to manage all the things, she swooped in and covered me. With love, she corrected me and covered me as I walked through a very difficult time of my life.  I am better because of her.

And so, I struggle to part with the coat because it’s more than a coat- it’s a physical representation of how God sent someone to my life to help cover me with love, grace, and mercy as I grew into who He called me to be. Though there are miles and years between then and now, I am so grateful that God loved me enough to send me her way AND that she was willing to invest her time, talent, treasure, and testimony into me.

I pray that I recognize the opportunity to do as she did for me, that I share my time, talent, treasure, and testimony with someone who needs it and that I lovingly cover them with grace and mercy to help them overcome their situations. To God be the glory.

Until next time…

Be encouraged! Peace and Blessings.