The days are getting longer and warmer. A little bit of "normal" is beginning to peek through the chaos of the past year.

Throughout the prior months, when things seemed at their darkest, there was a calming reassurance that maintained my heart and emotions: Jesus told us that we would have troubles in this life, but He has overcome the world (John 16:33). He told us that He came to give us life and life abundantly (John 10:10). I meditated on that message. Life. The original Greek word used in the book of John means fullness, vitality, genuine. a life vigorous and active, a life devoted to God. I had to take an honest inventory and ask myself if my life reflected what Jesus intends for His followers, what He spoke of in the Scriptures. I invite you to do the same as you flip through the pages of the Summer Issue.

A beautiful irony is that we often find LIFE where we seemingly find death. Perhaps that is by design - Divine Design. God raises beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3), He brings the dead to life (1 Samuel 2:6), and He renews and restores (Psalm 51:12). May your spirit be refreshed and vigorous with life for His glory!