The past year has been a doozy! Just like it has for most people, this year has forced me to slow down and to trust God for his purposes in my life. God has taught me to rely on him more and listen with greater intention to his voice in my life. It has been a challenging year but one full of great lessons. A book for women I wrote several years ago was published and released for purchase on March 22, 2020. As you might remember, March of 2020 was the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and every part of life came to a halt. My much-awaited book release was during a pandemic! That meant no book party, no speaking at retreats and studies, and very little chance to share what I had learned while writing my book. It was, to say the least discouraging.

I had to take a deep breath and remind myself to trust God for his timing. It wasn’t easy. But here I am looking at 2020 in the rearview mirror and can see all that I have learned about trust. I have certainly learned to be more creative about my ministry to others. I had to mentor and counsel women on Zoom and phone calls. I learned to teach a study on Zoom, and I began to blog more about what God was teaching me. God reminded me that I might not be able to teach in person, but I can safely write blogs at home. This past month, my daughter, Rebekah, and I started a podcast to share what we are learning and how we see God move in our lives. Our prayer is that people all over the world might be encouraged by what they hear. We have had several listeners from overseas, including Lebanon and Europe. I am not sure I would have ever considered podcasting and blogging regularly except for COVID-19. God has reminded me once again that he always opens a door when he closes another. Even Covid-19 cannot stop his word from being proclaimed. The truth I have learned this past year is, if we are willing to be used to further his great name, he will use us!