by sherricrandall | Apr 18, 2025 | General
The other day I walked past a chain link fence in downtown Nashville adorned with prayer ribbons gently moving in the breeze. In the midst of honky-tonk music, traffic, and tourists, these silent wishes stopped me in my tracks.
We rush through our days making noise, chasing goals, scrolling feeds—while prayers like these form the quiet backdrop of our humanity. Whispered hopes, silent gratitude, desperate pleas—they’re happening all around us, even when we can’t hear them.
In our loudest moments, these threads of connection remind us what matters most. The noise fades, but our prayers remain, tying us together across time and circumstance.
What’s your quiet prayer today?
by sherricrandall | Apr 12, 2025 | General
I love the changing of the seasons and springtime provides such beautiful metaphors for life…
In the heart of every person lies a cycle much like the seasons, where winters of doubt and hardship inevitably yield to the springtime of possibility. The cherry blossoms that explode into pink clouds after months of bare branches remind me that our moments of greatest beauty often follow periods of apparent emptiness, teaching us that patience is not merely waiting but the invisible work of renewal happening beneath the surface.
Are you ready for spring?
by sherricrandall | Feb 21, 2025 | General
I recently spent 10 days in Africa, Kenya to be precise. It truly was an amazing experience. As I have reflected on my time there , I keep returning to the unbelievable thought of how joyful the people are. I witnessed real hardship. Families living without electricity and running water. A shortage of food and medical care. Lack of schooling opportunities and unsafe living conditions due to crime and shelter inadequacy. So how can people be so joyful when I just told you all they have to overcome to survive each day?
I believe one of our MomCo leaders gave me insight to answer that question. Her name is Favour and she is an incredible woman. She lives in Zambia and her heart for Jesus and young moms is truly inspiring to me. I have had the pleasure of spending time with Favour several times now over the last few years and each time I leave her presence inspired. On our first day together I asked her how she was doing and she answered, “ I am doing well, by the grace of God.” When asked if she had a good night sleep or if she was learning a lot at the leadership summit she would answer, “Yes, by the grace of God.” Favour has a deep faith in God and truly lives out her faith even in her genuine responses to ordinary questions. She lives every day by the grace of God. Reality is if you are reading this, you are alive, by the grace of God.
I also learned a lot from the African culture which I think helped me to understand their joy despite their circumstances. Here are a few things I observed…
- Strong Community – Many African cultures emphasize communal living and close-knit relationships. This helps provide emotional support and a sense of belonging.
- Resilience and Optimism – Despite the many challenges, I watched the African women show up and work hard to provide for their families each and every day.
- Deep Rooted Culture – Music, dance, storytelling and festivals are central to many of the countries in Africa. These activities create shared moments of happiness.
- Connection to Nature – Many Africans live in close harmony with nature. I think this creates a sense of peace and appreciation for life.
- Faith is Important – Faith plays a significant role in many African societies. Having faith in Jesus and the promise of eternal life provides comfort, purpose and a positive outlook.
I am even more convinced that happiness comes from our circumstances and JOY comes from the Lord!
by sherricrandall | Oct 10, 2024 | General
This past week is one of my favorite weeks of every year… MOMCON! The organization that I work for ( The MomCo ) hosts a huge conference every year for moms. Yes, you read that correctly. It is a unique setting that caters to placing high value on motherhood and Jesus. It is amazing and thousands of women attend every year. Everyday is jammed packed with inspiration from gifted main stage speakers, worship music, workshops, networking and just plain fun.
After one of the workshops that I taught, a sweet lady came up to me and said, “ I wish I could be the same woman I am at home as I am here at MOMCON.” I asked her to clarify for me what she meant by that statement. She went on to tell me that at the conference she was open to learning new things. She was actually slowing down and enjoying her food, she was listening intently to what others were saying and she was relaxed and found herself laughing, singing and dancing. She said she was so uptight at home, always worried she wasn’t doing everything right, that she was robbing herself and her kids from having fun, from learning, from laughing, from experiencing joy. She cried when she thanked me and told me she wasn’t going to waste this mountain top experience.
I have thought a lot about this mom since I got back home. I wonder how she is doing. Is she making those changes she so desperately wants to make or has she slid back into the daily worries and grind of her mothering routine?
Many of us who are Christians, have experienced that mountain top moment when we attend a conference, a camp. or a special Sunday morning. It is a time when we really encounter God in a deep way. These moments are amazing and provide us with spiritual growth. I would caution us to not just seek the spiritual high or think we only can encounter God in those types of moments or settings. We experience God in the valleys or difficult times in our lives too. But, if we are being really honest, most of our days are not the highest of highs or thankfully the lowest of lows. Most days fall into the category of mundane, a wake up and do it all over again type of day. Guess what, God is in those days too. Sometimes we just need to make the effort to look for him.
So now what? We are home, back to our daily lives. Normalcy is about to kick in. The best mountain top experiences will be the ones that can propel us forward and help us find renewal. I think MOMCON can be a catalyst for this type of transformation. Here are a few ways to process your experience…
- If you took notes, review them. What really spoke to you?
- Revisit how you felt. What was it that made this experience so meaningful for you?
- Ask yourself this question… What from this experience could you incorporate in your everyday life so that you can more frequently encounter God?
I pray for those of you who attended MOMCON. I pray that because of your time spent there you are freed to live with a deeper love for God and a stronger connection for the loved ones in your life and those you will encounter in random places. All is orchestrated by God, let’s be open to receiving all he has in store for us!
by sherricrandall | Jul 12, 2024 | General
She sits at a welcome desk in the hallway of a dimly lit medical building. It is an older building, sort of a hodgepodge of confusing hallways linking together X-ray departments, oncology units, and physical therapy departments. Most people entering this building are there because they are injured or sick.
My first time to enter this building was two days post a total hip replacement and to say I felt out of sorts is an understatement. I shuffled my steps with the aid of a walker and my already bad sense of direction was heightened by the fog of pain medicine. I looked down the hall and the entry door to the physical therapy clinic felt like an impossible destination. Soon a very kind lady was at my side asking me and my husband if we needed assistance and encouraging me with the idea that it will only get better from here. She ended her encouragement with these words, “ I promise to be praying for you and I sure hope you start to feel better sugar.” When was the last time someone called you sugar?
Since that day I have been greeted over a dozen times with the same sweet smile and some form of encouragement. I have learned her name is Mary. Mary has big hair, big eyelashes, a stellar big white smile all on top of a very petite stature. I have witnessed first hand that her heart is the biggest of all. There isn’t a time I have walked into this building when she has not greeted me personally. At the same time, I have seen her assisting patients in wheelchairs, giving directions to lost patients and always with a big smile on her face. This past week as I came into the building I didn’t see her at first but then I looked over at a couch nestled in the entryway and there sitting with a couple was Mary. She was praying with them and they were all crying. I slipped past the door and into my physical therapy session not wanting to disturb this sacred moment.
On my way out, I stopped to tell her what an amazing lady she is. She was so humble in receiving my compliments and she told me her goal each day was to create an environment that helps people know they’re not alone – even in the most painful moments of their lives. Mary serves as an inspiration to me and I am sure so many others who have experienced her kindness and love.
My encounters with Mary have me asking myself how can I better show up in the lives of others to encourage and share the love of Jesus? How can you?
by sherricrandall | Jun 12, 2024 | General
If you knew that you would not fail, what would be some of the things you would try to do? That question was recently asked of me when I spoke at a local MomCo group. I have to confess, I told them they could ask me anything and yet I was surprised by the depth of this question and I only had a minute to think about it and respond. I will tell you my answer in just a minute but first let me tell you what I have been thinking about since that question was asked…
How often in my life did I not try something because of the fear of failure or was worried about what someone else would think. Sadly, more times than I felt ok with admitting. What was I afraid of? What would it matter if I really failed?
Then I thought about the times when I was brave and tried something new or had a big idea and it didn’t go so well and you know what? I actually am thankful for those failures because I learned so much each time. It made me stronger, it actually made me more determined to try again and honestly, when the idea did work, it made the success of it all that much sweeter and satisfying.
I worry that in recent years we have been telling each other that it’s not ok to fail. Social media influences have helped fuel the idea that you have to be perfect and your ideas have to be perfect before you even try. If we are being super honest, we know that is not true. As a matter of fact, we all have failed at something and 100% of us will fail again in the future. That is a commonality that all of us share.
Since the question posed is intended to get us thinking, I hope you can reflect back on a time when you failed and what you learned from that experience. I also hope this question fuels you to think bigger, think better about the possibility that your fear of failure is holding you back from doing some pretty spectacular and satisfying things in this world.
So back to the original question, what would be some of the things you would try to do if you knew you couldn’t fail? I answered I would write a book and publish it. I would learn multiple languages and I would open a beautiful floral shop. I would secure scientists who could cure cancer and eradicate hunger and poverty. Once I allowed my brain to think big, it was actually a great exercise to challenge myself on not being afraid to think big and try. Yes, we can fail but what if we succeed? That gives us all something to think about and that is my challenge to you – answer the question and then start trying. Also remember, it’s ok if you fail. That failure might just be what prompts you to succeed beyond your wildest dreams.
