The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman. - Elisabeth Elliot

Cone one, come all!

🎄 THE HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE AT THE FARM 🎄 Not sure how many of you know about my little side hustle, but I love repurposing beautiful clothing and giving great pieces a second life! This fall, I’m opening a charming little Holiday Boutique right here on the farm for October through December. Think beautiful clothes, bargain prices, a little country charm, and something warm to sip while you shop. 🍂☕️ ✨ Everything is $50 or less! ✨ High-quality, like-new clothing ✨ A variety of sizes and styles ✨ Unique finds at a fraction of the original price ✨ Refreshments served while you shop ✨ And plenty of farm charm to make your visit special Opens October 15, 2026 Closes December 19, 2026 🗓 Thursday-Saturday ⏰ 10:00 AM–5:00 PM 📍 11281 Garman Road Spencerville, IN 46788 Come out to the country, slow down for a little while, enjoy the farm, have a refreshment, and find something beautiful to take home. Bring a friend, your daughter, your mom—or make it a girls’ afternoon. ❤️ Come shop with me! 🍁 October • Thanksgiving • Christmas 🎄 New treasures throughout the holiday season! 💰💰💰NO SALES TAX!

Don’t hate me because my life is living proof of His great love- Rejoice, because you, like me, have no hope outside of Christ, the Living God. God uses broken people for His glory and our shame. I was and still am a broken people- redeemed by His unfailing grace.

Friend, today I challenge you right in the midst of your adversity. God can transform everything in an instant. For better or worse. When we least expect it, challenges arise. Are you struggling to hold on to hope? Are you struggling to trust that a God who loves you would allow your life to be shaken and even remove people from it? Dear One, I am here to remind you today, in this moment, that though change feels like it’s breaking your heart, God is actually restoring your very life. He has the right to remove all that He knows will harm us. He loves you. He cares for you. He doesn’t have to ask permission to redesign our lives because He is our Creator and Sustainer, the very One who wrote all our days before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). Because of His steadfast love towards us, we can trust that He does all things for our good. It isn’t God’s default to suddenly just change everything, but His attributes that reveal His character and His Word that we cling to when we don’t understand the why. This we can know for certain: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

I purchased my first home in April of 1998. I was thirty one years old, a single mom raising three children. I certainly couldn’t see then where God would take my life. I was simply trying to be faithful with what was in my hands. In March of 2022, at fifty five, I purchased my second home in full. By then, I had already lived in that home for nineteen years. This year marks twenty three years that I have called it home. Then God enlarged the borders. We added a twenty four acre farm with a 1,700 square foot home and barn. Later, I bought my husband @rcsprouljr a log cabin and had it brought to the farm. Today, we have three homes, twenty four acres, a barn, and lake frontage. No debt. And as I sit here approaching sixty, I am overwhelmed. Not by what I own. By what God has done. I have walked through hell and high water. There have been seasons when I couldn’t see around the next corner. Seasons of loss. Seasons of rebuilding. Seasons when all I could do was put one foot in front of the other and trust God for tomorrow. And He sustained me. Not just once. For decades. Looking back, I can see how God took what was in my hand and multiplied it. Little by little. Year after year. Season after season. What began with a thirty one year old single mother buying her first house for her children became something I never could have imagined. But the greatest blessing isn’t the houses. It isn’t the farm. It isn’t the land or the lake. It isn’t being debt free. The greatest blessing is knowing the God who provided it all. He has taught me dependence when I had little and dependence when I had much. He has taught me that everything belongs to Him and that I am simply a steward of whatever He places in my hands. “The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1 Now another season is approaching. I will turn sixty in early November. We have talked about selling. Relocating. Traveling. Simplifying. We don’t know exactly what the next chapter will look like. RC’s heart and what he is physically able to do will be part of those decisions. But this I know: The God who carried me at thirty one is the same God carrying me toward sixty. The God who provided when I had little is the same God I trust with everything He has given us today. If He asks me to hold it, I will hold it. If He asks me to use it, I will use it. If He asks me to release it, I want to release it with open hands. Because none of this was ever really mine. It was His. His provision. His mercy. His sustaining grace. His multiplication. His faithfulness. Almost thirty years of watching God take what was in my hand and do exceedingly more than I could have imagined. To God alone be the glory. Great is Thy faithfulness.

The Disciplined Life How do you define a disciplined life? It begins with surrender. A heart that willingly lays down old ways of thinking, unproductive choices, sinful habits, and stubborn mindsets. Discipline is not merely about self-control. It is about yielding ourselves to the transforming work of God. As we surrender, our lives begin to reflect the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). This is not manufactured behavior. It is the evidence of the Holy Spirit at work within us. When God grows fruit, He also prunes. Pruning is rarely comfortable, but it is always purposeful. He cuts away what hinders so that we might bear even more fruit. God is not interested in shallow appearances or a life of spiritual routine. He is forming a faithfulness that endures through every season. Today I pray for those walking a broken road. Lord, bless those whose lives have been shattered. Draw near to those longing for wholeness. May they desire Jesus more than their addictions, more than their idols, more than the familiar mindsets that keep them bound. Give them the courage to surrender every corner of their hearts to You. Surrender is voluntary, yet it is a deeply invasive work of grace. Christ lovingly enters every room of our hearts, redeeming, restoring, and making all things new. The road to wholeness in our home has now been unfolding for ten years. Looking back, I can honestly say the journey has been beautiful. Not because it has been easy, but because Jesus has been faithful every step of the way. He is still in the business of making broken things whole. We are living epistles @rcsprouljr.

Clean Up in Aisle Nine There are two kinds of people in this world: those who make messes, and those who clean them up. Some people dislike disorder. They simply cannot walk past a mess without picking it up. Others seem to leave a trail of brokenness wherever they go. They stir up strife, wound relationships, create chaos, and then walk away while someone else bears the weight of putting things back together. The world applauds those who create the drama. Yet, it’s God who honors those who clean it up. Scripture repeatedly calls us to be peacemakers, restorers, reconcilers, and burden bearers. We are told to forgive, to overlook offenses when possible, to restore those caught in sin with gentleness, and to repay evil with good. None of that is glamorous. It is the work of rolling up our sleeves when everyone else has walked away. Sometimes cleaning up the mess means mopping a literal floor. Sometimes it means restoring a broken relationship. Sometimes it means apologizing for your part even when someone else caused most of the damage. Sometimes it means praying for the one who wounded you instead of rehearsing their offenses. Jesus was the ultimate Cleaner of messes. He stepped into the wreckage our sin created and took upon Himself what belonged to us. He didn’t create the mess, yet He bore the cost of making us clean. So when you find yourself once again in “Aisle Nine,” cleaning up what someone else left behind, don’t despise the assignment. There is dignity in being the one God can trust with restoration. The world may never notice the one holding the mop, but heaven does. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. (Matthew 5:9) Friend, be the person who leaves every room, every relationship, every church, and every home a little cleaner than you found it. The kingdom of God has always advanced through servants willing to do the unseen work.

Homesick for Heaven There are moments when your heart aches for a place you can’t return to. At 59, I still carry a homesickness that never fully goes away. Homesick for my parents. Homesick for relationships that broke and never found their way back. Sometimes I’m homesick for yesterday, for seasons now gone, for familiar voices, for people I loved, and for the life that once was. And more than anything, I get homesick for Jesus. There is a longing that nothing in this world can fully satisfy. Even in the midst of God’s goodness, there remains an ache for the place where everything will finally be made right. Perhaps that homesickness is a reminder that we were never created to find our permanent home here. We were made for another country, another Kingdom, another Home. Until then, we cherish the memories God has given us, grieve what has been lost, hold tightly to the people still beside us, and lift our eyes toward eternity. Every ache of homesickness whispers the same truth: this world is not our home. One day, faith will become sight, every tear will be wiped away, and we will finally be home with Christ. As Scripture reminds us, “Our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20), and there we will find the eternal home our hearts have always longed for.

Are you more afraid of the people you see or the God you don’t see?

The Theology of an Apron Finding eternal significance in the ordinary work of homemaking. The world measures significance by titles, salaries, influence, and applause. God, however, has always measured significance by faithfulness. His economy has never been built upon fame but upon obedience in the ordinary. Long before a woman ever steps onto a stage, writes a book, teaches a Bible study, or influences the masses, she has already preached a theology with an apron tied around her waist. Every meal lovingly prepared, every floor swept, every tear wiped away, every prayer whispered over sleeping children, and every act of unseen service proclaims what she believes about God. Our doctrine is not merely spoken from our lips. It is lived with our hands. If Satan cannot keep a woman from loving Christ, he will often attempt to convince her that the work God has entrusted to her is too ordinary to matter. He whispers that fulfillment lies somewhere beyond the walls of her home, that significance is found in recognition rather than faithfulness, and that the rhythms of homemaking are somehow less valuable than public accomplishment. Nothing could be further from the truth. The kingdom of God has always been built not only in pulpits and palaces, but around kitchen tables, beside cradles, through laundry baskets, and behind well worn front doors. Some of the greatest acts of worship have never taken place beneath stained glass windows, but over simmering soup, folded laundry, handwritten notes, open Bibles, and children gathered around a family table. Heaven delights in the quiet sacrifices the world rarely notices. An apron is far more than a piece of fabric. It is a quiet declaration that love willingly serves, sacrifices, nurtures, and builds what the world cannot see. It represents a heart that understands greatness is not found in being served, but in serving others for the glory of Christ. History remembers kings, presidents, generals, entrepreneurs, and celebrities. Yet heaven also records the faithful woman who quietly shaped generations without ever seeking recognition. She may never have had a platform, but she raised disciples. She may never have been applauded by the crowds, but she was known by God. The homemaker who understands her calling is not simply managing a house. She is cultivating a sanctuary. She is discipling souls. She is establishing order where chaos longs to reign. She is preserving a legacy of faith for generations she may never live to see. She is stewarding a kingdom assignment entrusted to her by God Himself. The apron, then, is not a symbol of limitation. It is a symbol of holy purpose. Worn with joy, humility, and conviction, it becomes one of the most profound theological garments a woman will ever wear.

Friend, have you been in a season of testing? Like winter, it can feel bleak, isolated, and cold. Yet it is often in those very seasons that God does some of His finest work in the lives of His children. I remember seeing a powerful meme in 2013 that lifted my spirit. Its message has stayed with me ever since: “God did not bring you this far to abandon you.” That simple truth has carried me through many difficult days. God is not only in control, He has also written every one of our days before a single one came to be (Psalm 139:16). Nothing has surprised Him. Nothing has escaped His notice. Even when life is painful, He remains steadfast in His purposes. Do not let the pain of your journey overwhelm you. Let it remind you that the Author of your story has never left His throne. Though we will experience sorrow, betrayal, disappointment, and seasons of deep grief, we can rest in the certainty that God is always accomplishing His perfect will. He is working all things together for His glory and for the good of those who love Him. I often think about families in Scripture. The books of Kings remind us that the heart of a family is never as simple as we wish it were. Many godly kings had children who rejected the Lord, while some wicked kings had children who humbled themselves before Him. Every heart stands accountable before God. Parents answer for how they shepherd their children, and children answer for how they honor or dishonor their parents. God alone searches the heart and judges with perfect righteousness. When I ask, “Why?” I am reminded that the answer ultimately rests in God’s wisdom, goodness, and glory. There are mysteries we cannot untangle this side of heaven, but there is a God we can trust completely. As followers of Christ, we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Yet we do not fight for victory, we fight from victory. Christ has overcome the world. He is with us in every trial, every disappointment, and every unanswered question. So whatever season you find yourself in today, do not lose heart. Whether someone has abandoned you, misunderstood you, betrayed you, or turned against you, the Lord remains faithful. He is refining your faith, sanctifying your heart, and exposing what is genuine. Not one tear has been wasted. Not one trial has been meaningless. Hold tightly to this promise: God did not bring you this far to abandon you. “Being confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”Philippians 1:6

One fine day you’re going to look back and realize that growing old together was never long enough. I look back over a decade that somehow feels like fifty years. We have lived such a full life. My husband @rcsprouljr is a giver- a giver of his time, his wisdom, his gifts, and his talents. Yet his favorite place, his secret place, is in my arms. God has given us the beauty and depth of a love that has grown through every season. He has given us a friendship that runs deep, laughter that leaves our bellies aching, and a home filled with wit, joy, and countless memories. Though I am living fully in the present, I also find myself visiting the past, remembering the goodness of God in our lives. What an extraordinary story He has written. I think of our sons, whom He entrusted to us to raise. I think of this old home whose walls whisper stories from long before he ever arrived, and now carry the stories of the decade we have shared within them. Our home is filled with grace, calm and peace. The older I grow, the more I recognize that time itself is one of God’s sweetest gifts. Every day we untie another ribbon. Every morning begins the same way- with waking, a tender touch, prayer, God’s Word, and the shared hope of finishing the day back in our sanctuary together by early evening. Not many wives spend nearly every day of their marriage with their husband at home. We have rarely been apart except for hospital stays or an occasional speaking engagement. Nearly ten years together, day after day, twenty-four hours at a time. What a precious gift from God. When we married, I knew R.C. had already endured more health crises than most people experience in a lifetime. We found ourselves in the emergency room during our honeymoon. I remember sitting there documenting his medical history, his medications, and everything a wife should know about her husband. I received the fast-track version. Looking back, I am especially grateful for the medical background God gave me. It has been an invaluable gift to our family. This morning I woke before my sleeping prince. The sound of his breathing brought me comfort. The warmth of his presence beside me filled me with peace. I love writing about him because I love watching what God has done in and through his life. I love that he continues to pursue becoming the man God has called him to be, all the way to his final breath. For now, on this side of heaven, I am still beside him. My prayer is simple. I hope the Lord grants us decades more together. And if not, may Christ return soon. Because I cannot imagine a world without him in mine. He is my king. A gift from the King of Kings. “The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; yes, I have a good inheritance.” Psalm 16:6

Release your grip on what you’re trying so hard to control. Have faith in His name. Did you know that even the wind and the waves obey Him? (Luke 8:22–25) Sing praises to God. Extol Him in the midst of your circumstances. Let your heart declare, “It is well with my soul because of who You are. Through it all, my gaze is fixed on You. The mountain looming before me will be cast into the depths of the sea.” Then let go. The only person we can truly govern is ourselves. We cannot dictate the choices of others or force anyone to change. As difficult as that can be, our hope has never been in people, it has always been in Christ. Perhaps you’ve been grieving what is, while longing for what is not. Friend, don’t spend your days trying to reshape what only God can redeem. This may be your moment to step out of the boat and face the storm, not in your own strength, but with your eyes fixed on Jesus. The waves may still rage, but the One who commands them is with you. Trust Him. He has never failed His own. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10