Cathe Laurie

The happiest of Father’s Day to our man! We love and appreciate you so much

At first glance, it looks as though we are simply walking side by side. And in many ways, we are. We share life, laughter, burdens, and joys together.

But Scripture gives fathers and mothers, husbands and wives distinct callings.

From the beginning, God created us male and female, each bearing His image and each entrusted with different responsibilities. In Genesis, the man is called to cultivate, guard, and keep. The woman is created as a suitable helper—a strength beside him, not because she is lesser, but because together they reflect something of God’s design.

Paul echoes this in Ephesians, where husbands are called to love sacrificially, as Christ loved the church, and wives are invited to respond with trust and respect. The commands are different because the callings are different.

So while Brittni and I walk beside Jonathan and Greg, we do not carry the same assignments. We gladly stand with and behind these men who have been called to protect, provide, shepherd, and lead our families spiritually.
We have been blessed to be loved by husbands who take seriously the weight and privilege of that calling—to be our pastors, our protectors, and the fathers of our families.
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” — Genesis 2:24
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” — Ephesians 5:25

Different roles. Equal worth. One purpose.

Grateful this Father’s Day for these men we are honored to walk with—and to follow as they follow Christ.

It’s easy to get comfortable in our groups. It’s easy to only invite those we know “fit in.” It’s easy to maintain our little bubble. But are we searching for the lost? Are we finding those who are struggling? Are we offering invitations to those who are different from us?

Invite someone to church. Offer a helping hand. Cook someone a meal. Seek people out in the darker places of the world.

Make the lost one the whole itinerary, just as Jesus would do.

Continue my midweek devotional at https://hubs.la/Q04l5ZX40

Some surprises feel like little gifts from heaven.

We came across this in a quiet countryside, but it immediately caught my attention. The three rounded buds at the ends looked exactly like the cross pendant my mom gave me—the one I wore on my wedding day.

I found myself wondering about its story.

As it turns out, those three buds have long been associated with the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We often picture Jesus suffering alone, bearing the weight of our sin and sorrow. And He did. Yet Scripture reminds us that the Father was not distant or indifferent. “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

And the Holy Spirit was not absent from that moment either. Hebrews tells us that Christ offered Himself “through the eternal Spirit” (Hebrews 9:14).

Standing there, looking at that weathered cross, my thoughts drifted to Calvary. Not as a theological concept to be analyzed, but as a love story to be felt. The more I thought about it, the more moved I became…

The cross was not simply the place where Jesus demonstrated His love. It was the place where the deeply mysterious love of God was revealed.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—working together in perfect love to rescue us.

Maybe that’s why this old hymn came to mind:
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen!

It's our choice to accept or reject God's invitation to the kingdom of God. The Lord has extended an invitation to all of us. All of us. There’s a seat for everyone, but it’s our choice to accept or reject it.

I’ll tell you, the world will try to tell you that you have more important things to do. It will offer you an abundant array of distractions. Accepting Christ and living for Him may seem like the least of your priorities.
But friends, let me tell you . . . this is the only invitation that truly matters.

Continue my midweek devotional at https://hubs.la/Q04j_WMt0