Stephanie Massicotte

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV). I spent a solid 20 minutes trying to explain the concept of God's grace to someone who was terrified that if they made a mistake, God might smite them somehow. This had been a longstanding fear of theirs. But unfortunately, after I talked in circles for a while, my friend's face just showed confusion and mixed feelings rather[...]

"The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving, and the sound of singing." Isaiah 51:3 (NIV). The first glimpses of warmer weather and sunshine are so encouraging after a heavy and long Canadian winter! It makes us want to dust off the cobwebs and air out the house after being cooped up inside for so long. On a larger scale, after two years o[...]

Faith is often compared to a seed. Like a seed, full of promise, is planted in the dark soil without light, Jesus tells us that news about the Kingdom is planted in our hearts. The seed first develops roots underground, then it can start breaking through and stretching its leaves above the surface and into the light. In the parable of the sower, Jesus tells us the story of a farmer sowing seeds. “Some [seed] fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was sh[...]

"He answered, 'The Scriptures say: Bread alone will not satisfy, but true life is found in every word that constantly goes forth from God's mouth.'" Matthew 4:4 TPT I am not a gardener. At least not a good one. Despite all my efforts (and I try a lot), all my plants end up dying fairly quickly (I'm grateful that a misguided friend of mine who asked me to look after her plants for a few months won't be reading this blog!). Unfortunately, I am a bit of a serial plant killer. But fortunately for us, God is no[...]

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me, and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me, and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 MSG  Unfortunately, as a mental health worker, I can attest to the fact that cases of anxiety and depression have doubled worl[...]

“Let everyone give all their praise and thanks to the Lord! Here’s why – he’s better than anyone could ever imagine. Yes, he’s always loving and kind, and his faithful love never ends. (…) How he satisfies the souls of thirsty ones and fills the hungry with goodness!” Psalms 107:1 & 9 TPT. We’re pretty good at pursuing. We pursue relationships, careers, youth, health, the “it” crowds, popularity, wealth, success, long life, and the list goes on. All of these things seem to promise won[...]

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. (…) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:2 and 6 NIV  “I want to wash away the pollution in your heart that you don’t even realize is there.” That was the whisper I felt early on a Sunday morning in church. I didn’t[...]

The fear of rejection is pretty universal. Who hasn’t been hurt by rejection at some point or another? In our fallen and broken human nature, we can reject one another and be rejected. Unfortunately, rejection is alive and well in our world, and the wounds inflicted by rejection can be seen everywhere. But the fear of being rejected can be a paralyzing trap, and it’s a very efficient tool used by the enemy. It can keep us from stepping out, keep us from following where God leads us, and even keep us from[...]

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9 NIV I read this interesting quote the other day that said: “We don’t just need more of Jesus, Jesus needs more of us.” Although I do like the classic prayer request for “more of Jesus,” this quote reminds us to ask ourselves, “does Jesus really have all of me?” We all go through seasons wher[...]

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV. Graciousness has to be one of my all-time favourite attributes of God. It’s usually defined as “undeserved favour,” and just like it says in Ephesians 2:4-5, it flows out of God’s rich mercy. Grace is one of the cornerstones of our relationship with God, and it enables us to receive what we could never de[...]