Read your Bible. Build a body that can carry the weight and a spirit that refuses to break.

This is one of the most common questions I get. Most people jump into: 📅 Bible in a year plans 📖 Read three chapters a day challenges 🧩 Random books with no context And then wonder why they burn out. Here’s the simple answer 👇🏾 Start with Jesus. Not rules first. Not laws first. Not pressure first. Relationship first. When you start with the life of Jesus: ✨ everything else begins to make sense 🧠 the Old Testament has context 🔗 the story actually connects That’s why I always recommend starting in the New Testament and moving outward from there. If you want help with this, I built a story focused Bible reading plan inside Bible Buddy that: ➡️ starts with Jesus and the early church ↩️ then moves back through the Old Testament with context 🧩 helps you see how everything connects 👉 Use the Bible Buddy Reading Plan HERE and just keep going. I also posted a short video below explaining why this works if you want more detail.

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For most of my life, I thought St. Patrick’s Day was just an Irish pride holiday. 🍀 Wear green 🍺 Drink 🎉 Party Basically an excuse to turn up and call it culture. I never once thought it had anything to do with Christianity. I was honestly surprised to learn that it actually does. St. Patrick was a real person. His real name was Patricius, which is the Latin version of the name Patrick. He was born in Britain in the late 300s AD, when Britain was still under Roman rule. When he was about 16 years old, Irish pirates attacked his village, captured him, and took him to Ireland as a slave. Patrick spent about six years there. Not as a leader. Not as a teacher. As a slave. He worked in the fields, watching animals, often completely alone. During those years, his faith became real. Patrick later wrote that he prayed constantly, sometimes close to 100 times a day. Hardship pushed him toward God in a way comfort never did. After six years, Patrick escaped. He traveled roughly 200 miles to reach a ship and made his way back home. But here is something important. Patrick did not immediately go back to Ireland. He spent many years learning and growing in the Christian faith. 🧠 He studied 🏫 He was trained ⛪ He eventually became a bishop This was not quick. This took decades. Nearly 40 years passed. Then Patrick made the decision that defines his story. He chose to return to Ireland. The place where he had been enslaved. The land tied to his pain. Not for revenge. But to preach the gospel. He spent the rest of his life teaching about Jesus, repentance, and new life in Christ. Patrick taught about the Trinity. ☝️ One God ✝️ Three persons Tradition says he used the shamrock, a three leaf clover, to explain this truth. That is why the shamrock became an important symbol in Irish history. Legend also says Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. Many people understood that as a picture of driving out evil. Patrick helped bring Christianity to Ireland. That is what St. Patrick’s Day was originally meant to honor.

Hey Hope Fam, Before we step into this new week, I want to start by praying over all of us together. Dear Heavenly Father, We come before You grateful for another week You’ve given us. Thank You for waking us up, for sustaining us, and for being present even when life feels heavy or uncertain. As we step into this week, we ask You to go before us. Cover our minds with clarity, our hearts with peace, and our steps with wisdom. Help us walk with purpose, patience, and trust in You. Lord, I want to specifically lift up our Hope Nation family and their households. Protect our families, our health, our jobs, and our homes. For our members in the U.S. who are facing winter storms today, we ask for Your protection. Keep them safe on the roads, guard their homes, and give them peace in the middle of uncertainty. Give us strength for what’s ahead, discernment in our decisions, and rest where we’ve been worn down. Remind us that we don’t walk into this week alone. We place this week, and every member of Hope Nation, into Your hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏾 If you have any prayer requests, needs, or things you’d like covered this week, drop them below 👇🏾 You can be specific, or you can simply say “please pray for me.” This is a place of support, not judgment. I’ll be praying over every request.