By Jessica Breazeale Kids enjoying cornhole I stood in Wesson Park and watched something beautiful happen on Saturday. The sky didn't cooperate. The weather had every reason to keep folks home. But instead, our community showed up anyway, and that, right there, told me everything I need to know about the kind of town I get to call home. We gathered to celebrate America's 250th birthday, and there was just something absolutely fitting about doing it in the rain. Nothing worth

By Jessica Breazeale Pitcher Plant I first learned of this predatory plant when one was for sale at the Garden Club booth during Wesson Founder’s Day several years ago. I was so intrigued that I’d never heard of this plant and that it could look so otherworldly. This is a carnivorous plant that attracts small bugs, luring them in with its sweet fragrance, sugary nectar, and bright colors. Once the small insects get inside, they can’t get out because of the plant’s sticky subs

By Jessica Breazeale So picture this: it's about seventeen years ago, and I'm making the rounds as a Life Skills teacher in the public schools of north Alabama. I check in at a middle school that wasn't on my regular schedule, and the sweet office worker does what office workers do — she announces over the intercom: "If you'd like to meet with Mrs. Breazeale, please report to room 101." A student shows up at my door. But she's not excited. She's not even neutral. She is perpl

By Jessica Breazeale Nobody told the sailcat catfish what it was supposed to look like. It didn't get a memo. It didn't have a choice. It just is what it is — a common, unremarkable fish pulled from the Gulf of Mexico and the coastal waters of Central and South America. Fishermen have been catching them for centuries without thinking twice. The topsail catfish, also known as the sea catfish or sailcat has carried a quiet reputation along Gulf Coast communities for a long time

By Jessica Breazeale What motivates you? If it’s money, let me give you a hint. You’ll never have enough. If it’s fame, let me give you another hint. You’ll never be famous enough. If it’s your family, let me ask you this. Do they get the best of you or the worst of you? If you died tomorrow, would your life have meant something to someone who needed it to? Are you building something that outlasts you, or just filling time? Are you living by your convictions, or just your com

By Jessica Breazeale I have no idea why I was dreaming about this, but here we are.This morning I woke up with one thing on my mind: be a salmon. Now, if you know me at all, you know how strange that is. I am not a fisherwoman. You cannot pay me to take a fish off a hook. My fish are pets — I feed them, nurture them, watch them grow, and the only scenario where I’m eating one of my “pets” is a full-blown apocalypse. So for a salmon dream to shake me awake with a message? That

By: Jessica Breazeale Need closure? Write your own ending and move on to a newer, cooler book. No one cares what you need. We live in a selfish society. Find your own peace. God is writing a story. Don’t steal the pen. Remember it’s HIS story. Don’t make yourself the main character. Your manifesto is for you. They won’t care. Write it anyway for you. If they have your very best interest at heart, you have a rare, beautiful thing. Or consider that you have seriously mi

By: Jessica Breazeale Haven’t gotten an apology? Consider this. They’re not sorry. People are often unreasonable & selfish, forgive them anyway. Some animals bite. People who are hurting do, too. People who don’t like God’s will often attempt to become jigsaw puzzle masters. Stand up tall. Don’t let anyone make you shrink back. Look them in the eyes. That’s the least you can do. Pray for them often. That’s the most you can do. Attempt several times to have a he

By Jessica Breazeale Is your fence meant to keep people in or keep people out? I guess it’s normal to want to feel safe and secure, so putting up a fence isn’t too crazy, by any means. Have you ever been too trusting, maybe because you have such a big heart, and discernment isn’t your spiritual gift, and you had to learn the hard way? Maybe some form of protection is not the worst idea, but at what cost does that protection come? Do we miss out on potential relationships that

By: Jessica Breazeale Walker's Painting: Not a monster, a man kneeling to pray. One year at Goat Camp, I learned a lesson in a way I will never forget. For those of you who don’t know, our family hosts a free kids camp twice a year—every October and April—with sports, activities, dinner, and guest speakers. It’s a fun way to share the gospel with kids and teens of all ages. This was one of our first GOAT Camps, and we had an activity where kids could paint on a canvas. The in

By: Jessica Breazeale Have you ever wanted to give someone an invaluable gift—one that goes far beyond ANYTHING you could EVER wrap up? I’m talking about the kind of gift that helps you all the days of your life. Let me explain… Have you ever given someone a priceless gift… and they didn’t want it? Yeah. That happened to me last week. I love going for walks in the spring and fall when the weather is juuuuust right. Spring is my favorite—the smell of honeysuckle, the sound

By: Kim Whittington and Jessica Breazeale Yes, it’s that time of the year! You may think I’m talking about NBA playoffs, the Masters Golf Tournament, MLB, or any of those letters that require some sort of ball. But I’m talking about everyone’s favorite pastime…T-Ball! Who doesn’t love T-Ball? You might as well admit to not loving America or apple pie, too. T-Ball is the highlight of baseball season! Before, after, and often during the games that you are at the field require

By: Jessica Breazeale When you think of art, what comes to mind? Painting, Sculpture, Literature, Architecture, Music…. When thinking of the best art, I think of the Mona Lisa or anything by Leonardo Da Vinci. I am not credentialed to teach art by any means. I just really appreciate it. What comes to mind when God thinks of his best art? Aristotle’s quote in his work called Poetics in 4th century BC (the earliest surviving work of Greek dramatic theory and the first t

By Jessica Breazeale Have you ever walked into a room and felt like you didn’t fit in—maybe at work, a social event, or even at church? As we get older, we care less about “fitting in”, but it still matters – somewhat. It matters because that sense of belonging shapes how we feel. I like to reframe “fitting in” by redefining it. Fitting in, to me, means being a missing puzzle piece, but sometimes I ask myself: Am I really the puzzle piece needed here to complete the puzzle?

By Jessica Breazeale Have you ever found yourself standing at the base of a mountain, feeling like the journey ahead is insurmountable? Or maybe you’ve looked at a steep slope and thought, “This could be a thrilling ride down.” It all depends on perspective . Let’s start with the mountain. For some, it’s a treacherous climb—a series of obstacles demanding strength, gear, and perseverance. Yet, from a different vantage, that same mountain could look like a joyful slope, full o

By Jessica Breazeale I know a miraculous cure, ladies and gentlemen…for whatever ails ya. I’d like to share with you a miraculous cure-all…and guess what? This cure is absolutely free! You heard it right, folks. It is a cure for anything and everything, and it costs you nothing . What is this miraculous, elusive thing that I’m talking about? Walking. This is the perfect time of the year for this miracle drug, because soon it’ll be too hot to enjoy. It’s the perfect temp

By Jessica Breazeale (My personal list of amazement) 1. Ants I know what you’re thinking, “Yeah, yeah…we’ve heard this a million times. Ants are incredible but I tend to disagree because they bite, they make you itch, they are a nuisance…” and I totally get it. I hear ya. I really do! But, ants are some seriously brilliant architects and engineers and do not concern themselves with the red tape. They work together to accomplish the task and complete the job. Prepare to

By Jessica Breazeale On average, around 236,000 people die every year from drowning globally, according to the CDC. People are literally drowning in ponds, lakes, oceans, and swimming pools, and it’s the 3 rd leading cause of unintentional death worldwide. That averages out to about 650 deaths per day worldwide. In the United States, it’s about 12 per day. Over 90% of drowning deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, with children under the age of five at highest ri

By Jessica Breazeale Do you take more than you give or give more than you take ? Humanity seems to have lost care and compassion (collectively and individually). We’ve learned survival mode all too well and at a great cost. It seems like we are all trying to “survive” and society has bought into the lie that it’s “survival”. Somehow, somewhere in society, we have bought into the lie that we are the center of the universe. Humanity seems to care very little about how our

By Jessica Breazeale God has eyelids? Psalm 11:4 says in a poetic metaphor that “His eyelids test the sons of men,” and that has me wondering if it’s maybe not a metaphor. What if God really did have eyelids? It’s possible. We are made in the image of God. Is God so astronomically gigantic, and we are super itty-bitty versions of Him? We’ll never know. Things that make ya go hmmm… There are planets and stars known to be “lonely”. The loneliest star is often considered