Tag: Christian Living

When Life Feels Full (and Still Worth Writing About)

November 12th, 2025

I don’t know if it’s just me, but this season feels extra full. Between family, my oldest son’s upcoming wedding (9 days! 😳), the holidays, and all the writing projects that have been stacking up, I’ve found it harder and harder to sit down and write here — in this space that started it all.

When I began blogging, it wasn’t for likes or algorithms; (still isn’t) it was a way of processing what God was teaching me in real time. Some of those raw reflections eventually became the foundation for Untethered: 30 Days of Pressing on in Hope & Obedience — a devotional born out of old blog posts and journal entries that carried me through one of the most refining seasons of my life.

Untethered isn’t long or complicated — it’s simple short devotionals, honest, and rooted in the same kind of conversations I have with God when life feels messy. But since its release on Amazon, my writing time has shifted. I’m still learning how to balance being a writer and a blogger — how to keep writing for publication without losing the heartbeat of why I started writing in the first place.

And honestly? That tension has been good for my soul. Because slowing down to write here reminds me that I don’t have to produce — I just have to be faithful.

A Season of Stillness (and Surrender)

In the middle of that busyness, I felt God nudging me to return to the basics — to the quiet practice of slowing down and listening again. Out of that came Stillness with the Savior, a 24-day guided Scripture journal through the book of Luke.

Every December, our family reads one chapter of Luke each day from December 1–24, walking through the story of Jesus’ birth and life leading up to Christmas. It’s become one of my favorite traditions — a way to remind ourselves that Christmas isn’t about the rush, but about Emmanuel — God with us. From birth to resurrection.

Stillness with the Savior grew out of that rhythm. It’s a space to pause, reflect, and put ink to paper as we internalize the truths of Scripture. While we use it during the Christmas season, the reflections are truly evergreen — perfect for any time you need to slow down and realign your heart with His.

🕯️ Get your copy of Stillness with the Savior:

Paperback Edition Kindle Edition

Why I Keep Showing Up Here

Even when it’s hard to find time, I keep coming back to this little corner of the internet — because it’s where so much of what I write begins. This blog is my reminder that the process matters just as much as the product.

If you’ve been juggling your own projects, commitments, and chaos, take this as a gentle nudge: you don’t have to do it all. Just stay tethered to the One who called you in the first place.

He’ll handle the timing.

You just keep showing up.

✨ Read more:

📖 Untethered: 30 Days of Pressing on in Hope & Obedience — a devotional to help you hold fast when life feels uncertain.

🕯️ Stillness with the Savior (Paperback) |

Stillness with the Savior (Kindle) — a 24-day guided Scripture journal through Luke, perfect for December or any season your soul needs stillness.
Do Our Words Really Matter?

September 23rd, 2025

Short answer: YES.

Scripture makes it clear—what we say holds weight. Romans 10:9–10 tells us that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Our salvation itself is connected to both belief and confession. Words matter.

Jesus also emphasized this truth in Matthew 12:35 when He warned the Pharisees about blasphemy, (36) “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.” That’s sobering. Careless words aren’t harmless—they reveal the heart and have eternal consequences.

And think about His warning in Matthew 18:6: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” For a long time, I thought He was talking strictly about children. But context makes it just as reasonable that He was speaking about anyone young in the faith. That makes me pause. My words can either encourage or discourage, point people to Christ or turn them away.

This hits especially close in today’s climate. With political debates, cultural battles, and everyday frustrations, it’s easy to let passion get the best of us. I’ve caught myself more than once speaking too quickly or too sharply. And while I may feel “justified” in the moment, the bigger question is: did I represent Christ well?

As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “we are ambassadors for Christ.” That means when people hear me speak—or read my posts online—they’re not just hearing Raychel. They’re also forming an impression of the Christ I claim to follow. That’s a heavy responsibility, but also a powerful opportunity.

Do our words really matter? Absolutely.

They matter to God.

They matter to those listening.

And they matter for the testimony of Christ.

Additional Scriptures on the Power of Words

Here are just a few reminders from God’s Word:

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” — Psalm 34:13

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” — Proverbs 18:21

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” — Ephesians 4:29

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak,

slow to anger.” — James 1:19

“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” — Psalm 141:3

A Call to Action

Think about your words today. Are they pointing people toward Christ, or away from Him? Before you speak—or post—ask yourself: Does this reflect Jesus well? Words can build or break, bless or curse. Choose to use yours to shine His light.

A Prayer

Lord, set a guard over my mouth and keep watch over the door of my lips. Help me to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Let my words bring grace to those who hear and reflect the heart of Christ in every conversation. Amen.
Know Your Enemy

July 27th, 2025

By Raychel Shaw

I hate realizing I’ve gotten out of the habit of regular study—and then seeing that I’m spiraling because of it. How’s that for transparency and personal confession?

That’s where I’m at right now. I know my thought patterns haven’t been in alignment with God’s Word. And here’s how I know: anytime I start viewing a person—or group of people—as the enemy, regardless of what they did or how they acted, I’ve taken a wrong turn.

Because the enemy isn’t flesh and blood.

Ephesians 6:12

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Study the Enemy’s Strategy

I’ve read (or more accurately, listened to) more military leadership and history books than I can count. And there’s one consistent thread in all of them: they study their enemy.

Surveillance. Intelligence. Patterns. Motivation.

They study past outcomes to prepare for what lies ahead.

And Scripture does the same for us.

The enemy is clearly identified and exposed in the light of God’s Word. If we want to stand firm—if we want to push forward into the light with our families, friends, teammates, coworkers, and everyone we encounter—we’d do well to study his methods.

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”

Satan’s playbook isn’t creative. He lies to steal our joy in Christ. He works to destroy relationships. He sows seeds of mistrust, bitterness, and division.

His endgame?

To sever our trust in God and convince us to doubt His promises.

The War Has Already Been Won

But we have a choice.

I, for one, refuse to aim at the wrong enemy. I refuse to participate in his mission through unforgiveness, accusation, or distraction. He may win some skirmishes here and there, but I’ve read the end of the story:

Revelation 12:10

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night.”

He doesn’t win the war.

So I’m putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–20), and with the power of the Holy Spirit, I’m not giving him an inch of ground I can defend. I’m digging in—because:

John 15:13

“Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.”

When Worship Becomes Warfare

Last night, my entire family and I attended the Summer Worship Nights concert with Phil Wickham, Brandon Lake, and Josiah Queen.

And when Phil sang “Battle Belongs”—a song that’s become the anthem of my last six months—I stood with my hands lifted and tears streaming down my face.

“So when I fight, I’ll fight on my knees

With my hands lifted high

Oh God, the battle belongs to You.”

– Phil Wickham, “Battle Belongs”

In that moment, I was reminded:

I don’t have to fight this battle alone. I never have.

Worship is warfare.

And when we kneel in surrender, heaven stands in victory.

Tag: Christian Living

When Life Feels Full (and Still Worth Writing About)

Do Our Words Really Matter?

Know Your Enemy