Lisa Rowell's Blog

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ” - Matthew 11:29

You’re probably already familiar with this verse. And you’re also probably familiar with the stress and striving associated with the daily grind of work…however you define work in this season of your life -- working inside the home, outside the home, parenting, volunteering, around the ranch, etc.

Yes, this verse is about REST but it's the kind of rest Jesus offer...

Philippians 4:5 includes one of my favorite sentences in the Bible: The Lord is near.

It can be easy to rush over short sentences in Scripture like that one. Yet, oftentimes, those short sentences provide a foundational truth to the sentences around it. In this case, the full reading of Philippians 4:4-7 reads:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petiti...

“We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” - Proverbs 16:9

 When my children were little, I thought about Jesus’ mom quite often. I imagined Mary as a young mother, like myself, holding her tiny baby in her arms and leaning down to smell that new-baby smell. When I nursed my oldest, I wondered if Mary, too, held her baby’s gaze until He became full and drowsy with milk. Did she love hugging a warm sleepy toddler-age Jesus goodnight just as much as I did my own? I like to think th...

Lord, turn your face towards me.

In the morning. In the evening. And in every moment in between.

I invite you to go before me. 

No! I need you to go before me. 

Stir within me a daily revival so I constantly proclaim YOU are my God. 

Don’t let me out of Your sight.

Meet with me. Draw me close. Ground my roots deep in Your word. 

Your guidance, your grace, your favor, your peace, your rest.

Your blessings, Lord, oh how I need all of You. All of the time.

Show me Your glory. Teach me to lead my children li...

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? - Mark 4:37-40

Jesus rested. But culture teaches us to focus on the storm.

Jesus r...

The LORD invites His children into a creative collaboration with Him. It started when God asked Adam to name all of the animals:

“Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.” (Genesis 2:19)

God didn’t need Adam to name the animals. Yet, He chose to ask Adam for his words. God doesn’t need us either to fulfill His purpos...

Let me guess: You feel burned out. In the US, I would be right 76 percent of the time. That's how many people admit to feeling burned out. One way to combat burnout is to take time to physically rest. Jesus took naps! But, what about when you can't stop and physically rest? What about when God tells you to keep going? How can you be at rest even then?

Take a look:

Watch the video above and then identify areas in your life where you experience burnout, maybe it's your job, finances,...

What would your life look like if you were just as intentional about the rest the Lord invites you to take as you were about the work He calls you to do?

Think about it. Work doesn’t just happen. We write To Do lists to help us stay focused on the tasks at hand. We schedule meetings to plan, discuss, brainstorm, and check in on our work and the work of others. We place deadlines on tasks and set measurable goals to indicate success. We approach our work with a purpose, with deliberate actions, wi...

Move faster. Do more. Work on the weekends. Fill up your schedule. Say YES when asked to fit something else on your plate. That’s how you will achieve success. That’s how you know you are worthy. That’s how you know other people need you. That’s how you know you won’t disappoint the people who depend on you. Push. Push Push.

Maybe. But at what cost? Maybe. If you agree with how the world defines you.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus was known for a lot of things, being in a hurry wasn’t one of t...

When we invite the Lord into our busyness or to be more accurate when we recognize His presence is already there with us, we receive His rest and peace. He gives us breathing space when we thought we had none, regardless of our booked calendars and overflowing To Do lists.

Well, it’s not an actual club with a free secret decoder ring, but you will receive a digital download of my 4-Day Devotional, Simplifying Rest, as a free gift. It’s a sneak peak of my 28-day devot...