Author: Sindy Hankins

Reading: Luke 1:25-29 God's interactions and blessings seem to cause disruptions in everyday life. A needy infant to be born to an old couple likely living a slow and peaceful life (full of uninterrupted sleep!). A mysterious pregnancy to one who is engaged, causing friction between her and her betrothed. Hardly what Mary expected prior… Continue reading Advent Day 5: A Literal Co-Laboring →

Reading: Luke 1:20-24 What strikes me brilliantly as I think of the things I read is the sheer ordinariness of the lives people are leading when God reaches in and speaks. How He weaves His divinity in with our humanity: how Jesus is the culmination of this divinity-humanity combo. People go about their work, their… Continue reading Advent Day 4: Divinity Woven into Humanity →

Reading: Luke 1:15-19 Key Takeaway: Identity, faith. Faith that what God says is true and that we are who God says we are; we will do what God lays out for us to do. My notes/observations: The angel speaks identity & proclaims anointing over this child to come, this answer to Zechariah and Elizabeth's prayers.… Continue reading Advent Day 3: Faith in What God Speaks and Assigns →

Reading: Luke 1:10-14 Key Takeaway: Even when we give up hope and stop praying for something, Father God perseveres and blesses at the right time. My notes/observations on the passage: A crowd gathered at the appointed time of sacrifice to worship. We need to gather together to pray and worship. An angel appeared suddenly, standing… Continue reading Advent Day 2: Abba Always Hopes, Always Perseveres →

Reading: Luke 1:5-9 Key Takeaway: Our prayers and worship are a sweet, fragrant offering to God, and we are so fortunate to be able to be in His presence without restriction. My notes/observations of the passage: In these times, God's people - the Jewish people - were under Roman rule. Zechariah & Elizabeth were both… Continue reading Advent Day 1: Our Hearts, the Altar – Our Prayers, The Sacrifice →

There's often an ache in my neck and shoulders, tension that sometimes extends into pain. I'm sure part of it is due to extended hours in front of a computer with lazy ergonomics. But at a deeper level, I feel I'm being weighed down by my yoke of performance in trying to meet my own… Continue reading Pleasant Rest, Easy to Bear →

"Church is not under attack. Christians are under a microscope. Are we who we say we are?" - Shannan Martin Is the Church, the global family of Christians, truly offering a different sort of lifestyle, or simply offering the lifestyle of the world with different messaging? If the Church is not under attack, why do… Continue reading Church: Are We Who We Say We Are? →

Start a business. Love my family. Hang out with friends. Write a letter. Solve all the problems of the world. Plant a garden. Take up a hobby that doesn't involve Netflix and a bag of chips. Listen for the voice of God. Listen to the person talking to me. Exercise, sleep, eat my vegetables. All… Continue reading First: Make Space →

Today begins week 7 of quarantine. I feel...good. Today feels hopeful, like I've been running through fog and clarity is emerging. When it all started, I felt so stripped down - on leave from work, no makeup, no real pants, no social obligations or responsibilities. I just needed to take care of myself, my family,… Continue reading Quarantine, Week 7: Simpler Times, Clarity of Soul →

Courage in my twenties looked like picking up and moving on. Uprooting from everything I had known to set out in the wilderness inside and outside of me. It was a courage of action and faith. It brought me from California to Tennessee and through many iterations of myself. People cheered for me and looked… Continue reading Different Forms of Courage →