Life – BeanSpired Editions

An empty mug sits on a rough wooden tabletop.

When Our Best Isn’t Enough

November 22, 2022February 1, 2023 Megan Bean

The end of our capability doesn't have to be the end of our story. In fact, by the grace and power of God, it can be a beginning.

A white plastic basket sits on the ground in the aisle a barn. The basket has two rectangular compartments and a handle running along the divider between them. Its compartments are filled with various brightly-colored brushes and tools used to groom horses. The floor of the barn aisle is covered with rather dirty rubber mats. Shade and morning sunlight streak the ground. Under a board fence in the background are the plants and dirt of a paddock.

Donkey Devos, God, Life

Waiting for Perfection

June 13, 2022February 1, 2023 Megan Bean

If God wants our sanctification so badly, why doesn't He just skim off our old selves and slip on the new in an instant? Why make us endure the wait?

A single set of footprints cross the damp sand of a beach, parallel to the line of the water. The sand is strewn with seashells and sticks. To the left, gray-blue seawater is rippling onto the beach.

Life, Relationships, Tough Times

When Obedience Comes First

May 20, 2022February 1, 2023 Megan Bean

Sometimes action has to precede emotion. Sometimes we have to trust the power of obedience to shape us, instead of trying to get ourselves in shape to obey.

Old fallen maple leaves cover the ground, almost completely obscuring the grass. The leaves are dry and brown, with pale undersides.

God, Life

Coming Unburied

February 25, 2022February 1, 2023 Megan Bean

What do you do with the stuff that can't and won't stay buried, yet is still undeniably not what you wanted in your life?

The face of a dark brown donkey stares into the camera. He wears a forest-green halter with gold-colored hardware. His face, neck, and shoulder fill most of the picture. Beyond him to the left is a metal barn wall. A light gray donkey photobombs in the lower left corner of the image.

Donkey Devos, Life

Back to the Present

September 29, 2021June 2, 2022 Megan Bean

Our walk with God requires a similar presence of mind. In order to stick with Him through a world of temptations and uncertainty, we need to keep our focus on Him and where He is guiding us.

A gray donkey wearing a red halter looks over its shoulder at the camera. A person in a power wheelchair sits in front of the donkey, at the back of the photo.

Donkey Devos, Gospel, Life

A Turn for the Better

August 26, 2021June 2, 2022 Megan Bean

By the grace of God repentance is possible. So how do we start?

A furry brown and black donkey eats pelleted feed out of a bright blue pan on the ground.

Donkey Devos, God, Life

What It Takes to ‘Taste and See’

June 21, 2021June 2, 2022 Megan Bean

A life following Jesus isn't an easy life. But it's the best possible life we could ever live. And it takes us to the best place we could ever be: the heart of God, the very definition of goodness. You’d think we’d rush to taste that goodness. What kind of healthy human doesn’t want to experience inner peace, to be truly and faithfully loved, to live with a sense that they and their lives matter? Yet we hold back....afraid the sweetness holds poison. Convinced the fruit we’ve been told is scrumptious will turn out sour or bland. Suspicious that the goodness is all taste and no nourishment for our famished souls.

Gospel, Life

Looking to the Son

October 27, 2020June 2, 2022 Megan Bean

This is more than positive thinking. It's even more than counting our blessings. It isn't just admiring good things; it’s looking through the goodness to its Source. And it's committing to seeking that Source with our entire selves, all our lives, no matter what we go through.

God, Life

God’s Belongings

July 24, 2020June 2, 2022 Megan Bean

What does a life owned by God look like?

Life

Faith That Works

June 30, 2020June 2, 2022 Megan Bean

The Christian life is so much more than that one decision followed by a waiting game until eternity gets here. Faith is so much more an idea, a ticket we tote around until we get to Heaven’s gate and present it for admittance.