Content from 2026
The Tree Hugger
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” – Isaiah 43:19. (NIV) I’ll admit it. I’m a tree hugger. Not in the chaining-myself-to-a-redwood sense, but in the stop-and-admire-a-beautiful-oak kind of way. For years, several large trees lined part of my neighborhood walking route. They provided shade on hot summer mornings and homes for countless birds and squirrels. Their towering branches draped with…
Breakfast With a Prayer Partner
Every other month, our United Methodist Women in Faith meet for a Prayer Breakfast. It’s become one of our favorite parts of church life. There’s coffee, good food, and the kind of laughter that comes when friends gather around a table. But the heart of the morning never changes. One of our activities is to ask one question and formulate a blog post based on the answers. The most recent question was a good one: “If you could have breakfast…
The Choice to Fine-Tune Your Priorities
Have you ever wanted to transform a demanding situation into something easier to cope with? There is a way. You must intentionally choose, and it is a choice, to focus your priorities on the relationship you have with God and the calling He has placed upon your life. Let me share some meaningful ways you can fine-tune your priorities away from the many distractions you face every day. First of all, make God’s Word a priority. God has given us…
Lucky’s Refuge
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown Trauma had left the black dog on high alert. Someone pushed him out of a truck, dumping him like trash at the Coastal Georgia marina development where I worked. They sped away, dust swirling, without a backward glance. He trembled at the river’s edge, where the dark, sticky pluff mud lay exposed at low tide, filling the air with its tangy marsh smell. Gray showed in his muzzle. He moved…
Count Your Blessings: The Abundance of God’s Love
The Bible contains numerous accounts of how God blesses His followers. Understanding these blessings is pivotal to deepening one’s faith and relationship with our Creator. Here are six ways the Bible describes these blessings and why they remain connected to Christians today. God’s provision is a central promise in Christianity, asserting that God compassionately meets His children’s needs in every aspect of their lives. This divine assurance applies to physical sustenance and spiritual support, including guidance, wisdom, and strength. We…
Toby’s Timing
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown A distress call shattered the calm of a work meeting with my daughter, Meredith, and our business partner, Jessica. A neighbor’s threat to harm a stray cat on her porch prompted Jessica’s mom to call and plead for help. The words, “stomp a cat to death,” hung in the air. I knew we had to act. Before I could think twice, I blurted out, “We’ll take him.” As the words…
The One Who Watches Over Us
God’s protection is a recurring biblical theme that applies to our lives. His presence should bring comfort, reminding us that God is ever-present, guarding, guiding, and watching over our lives. In today’s hectic world, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. We encounter challenges and uncertainties at every turn. In times like these, finding comfort and reassurance is crucial, and there is no better source of solace than the unwavering protection of God. The Lord watches over you – the Lord…
A Ripple of Fear
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown I’d arrived late for my walk after a Savannah doctor appointment. The summer sun still had hours before sinking in the sky. But arriving so late, with no one else around, unsettled me. I texted my friend Joyce, “I’m at Bryant Commons.” She’d started the safety habit by teasing, “If there’s a crime, we’ll know where to start.” She’d let me know if she’d arrived at a realtor listing alone.…
Hope?
What do you hope for? Do you hope things get better? Do you hope things change? Do you hope someone calls? Do you hope your prayers are answered? Hope is grounded in God and His promises. So, what is hope really? True biblical hope is not mere wishful thinking—it is a confident expectation. It means knowing with certainty that God will fulfill His Word. “God is not a man, that He should lie … Has He said, and will He…
Overcoming Analysis Paralysis
Navigating life’s crossroads can often be intimidating. The uncertainties and risks of choosing the right path can lead to “analysis paralysis,” where deciding seems impossible. However, maintaining a biblical perspective can provide unique insights and confidence as we navigate critical times. The Bible is a treasure trove of wisdom and guidance regarding decision-making. James 3:17-18 depicts this biblical principle well. “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, always gentle,…
When You Find Yourself Down Under
The Unlikely Messenger: A Slice of Life with Debra Brown In 1997, my husband Allen, our young daughter Meredith, and I traded our usual summer beach vacation for a Memorial Day getaway to a ski resort in the Utah mountains. It had been a challenging year, and we needed a change of scenery. I’d envisioned hiking, shopping, and cool mountain air, not snow. But frigid air welcomed us, and snow blanketed the ground. We hadn’t packed for it, so we…
Your Forgiveness
“Your forgiveness is like sweet, sweet honey on my lips. Like the sound of a symphony to my ears. Like holy water on my skin, hey!” This is the chorus to the song Holy Water by Franni Cain and We The Kingdom. This song highlights that feeling when we accept Jesus, and we allow His sacrifice to wash over us, that lightness it brings to our hearts, and the peace we experience. And this is the first step we take…