Three Strands Ministries

01/30/2026

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Some mornings call for “slow”…
…for simply noticing…
…for celebrating the small and the mundane.

For knowing that God is at work even when we cannot see or sense it.

And for leaving the overwhelming, heavy, and hard things for a bit in God’s capable hands.

Rest in the Lord, my weary one.
Breathe in God’s Love.

With you in it,
Kristen

01/27/2026

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How does one navigate life when one unexpected and uninvited thing after another presents itself?

These days feel raw and hard.

I am not listening to the news as I drive in my car. Not for right now.

My soul craves quiet music, candles in the morning, walks in the brisk winter weather and when I begin to feel overwhelmed by what has come my way, I simply breathe.

A breath prayer I’m turning to these days:

I breathe in your peace…
I breathe out stress…
(or anxiety, or fear or anger or whatever is threatening to overwhelm me in the moment)

I cling to the only sure thing in this world:
Jesus Christ

And I look for the glimmers of light. ✨
They remind me of Jesus being the light in the darkness.

Friends, in whatever you hold, or whatever comes uninvited, I am with you, breathing in His peace today.
💗

01/25/2026

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My heart is broken. 💔💔💔
And I am angry.
To watch the immoral and unnecessary violence and murder of innocent civilians is too much. And to see leaders blatantly lie about it. Atrocious.

This morning I sit in the silence with my candles lit, feeling the heaviness of it.

From Psalm 11 with slight edits:

“For look, the wicked aim their guns,
they set their bullets in the chambers
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.

When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?

The Lord…observes the sons of men;
his eyes examine them.
The Lord examines the righteous,
but the wicked and those who love violence
his soul hates.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

01/13/2026

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“Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever….

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge…”

Ps.73:23-26, 28

Sometimes grief just strips away everything else. And I’m left with my only desire and my only refuge: God.

01/06/2026

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Anyone else?

Perhaps due to a misunderstanding with a partner, or a friend.
Perhaps just being yourself in a harsh and judgmental world.
Perhaps missing loved ones who are far away.

Henri Nouwen was very familiar with the ache of loneliness. His words bring solace to me as I recognize the pain of my own loneliness.

And we see the promises of Jesus:

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you…I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”

What an incredible statement.

God is closer than we realize.
We are not left alone.

May the tender love of Jesus provide for all who feel the sting of loneliness today.

In it with you,

Kristen

01/06/2026

12/30/2025

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The angels’ song is still ringing in my heart, and the refrains of O Holy Night echo in my mind.

My favourite Nativity puzzle 🧩 has been disassembled for another year.

At the cusp of another new year, the candle 🕯️ is lit, the pages of the new year lie blank…

What will this new year hold?
How will God meet you in these coming months?
What will the puzzle pieces of life look like by the end of 2026?

It’s ok if you don’t know, if the plan eludes you, or if the bar seems too high.
It’s ok if you have arrived tired, uncertain, or sad.

One question to hold in your heart these days:

• what does my heart truly long for?

God is within the deep longings.
The Spirit is at work in those tender places.

You are deeply loved, no matter where you find yourself at the beginning of this new year.

💕

12/23/2025

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The fourth candle in Advent is Love.

It was love that motivated the King of kings to empty themself of everything, taking the very nature of a servant, in the likeness of a human being in order to join us here in the mess and the chaos of life on earth…

… as a tiny, dependent, vulnerable baby.

If you have some time over the next few days, I invite you to place yourself in your imagination beside the rough feeding trough containing the incarnate God. Spend some time there just being with the newborn Jesus.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God… This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1Jn.4:7,9,10

Be well, dearly loved one!

🕯️🕯️🕯️🕯️

12/15/2025

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Sometimes, even in seasons of darkness, grief and pain, joy can suddenly sneak up and surprise us.

Take, for example, the “snow diamonds” that someone called my attention to.
Or the cute little snow people on front lawns.

Moments arrive where your attention is drawn to something and your heart experiences a sudden lift, a moment of delight.

Glimmers of joy… even in seasons of pain.

Keep your eyes peeled for small things that bring delight. Remind yourself that it is ok to feel joy despite the circumstances. And quietly thank God for that small “joy shot”.

Drop a comment below ⬇️ about what brought some joy or delight to your day…

With you, seeking joy in the hard,

Kristen

12/14/2025

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On the third Sunday of Advent we light the candle of joy.

For some of us, joy feels hard to access right now. We sing the songs, we smile at the right times, but inside we feel grief or emptiness, loneliness or the weight of our heavy heart.

You are not alone in these emotions.
Jesus sees the struggles, the weight that you carry, the tears that run down your face in quiet moments.

If joy feels hard to access, sit with “what is”. Name it. “God, I feel…”

Moments of joy may steal in at times, but we cannot manufacture it.
We cannot will it into being.
And so we wait.
We wait for the days when joy will once again, be present.

But for the moment, be kind to your bruised and tender places. Jesus is close.

And friend? You are so loved.
💜💜💜