Journey to Restoration is the personal website for Jodi Kozan where she shares recommended resources, speaker information, blogging and contact information.
Latest Blog Posts
No wonder I’m drawn to palm trees! It’s not just the vacay vibe my Minnesota/ Saskatchewan prairie girl craves, it’s much deeper than that. In my faith tradition, palm leaves symbolize victory (along with peace/ wholeness & eternal life.) I waved them in Sunday school on Palm Sunday as a little girl without knowing fully what it meant- but it was fun to jump around and have fun!
2024? Like it or not, we are here. I say, out with the old and in with the new! What do I mean by that? It’s not just new years resolutions that we more often than not fail to keep . No. I am digging more into the root meaning of the scripture found in Isaiah 43:19.
They say art is both objective and subjective. Objectively, you can look at a piece of art and state the facts: The objects in it, the colours, texture or medium used to create the art. Subjectively, one can read into an art piece given the emotions it evokes or in my case, the prophetic insight it conveys deep within.
The war in Isreal is heartbreaking.🇮🇱🙏 With all that’s going on in the world, the pain, the suffering, the wars, divisions…There is a verse in the Bible that has stood out to me these past few years as a reminder of the gift of lament.
“. . . Teach your daughters how to wail; teach one another a lament.” — Jeremiah 9:20
If I hadn’t learned the biblical gift of lament yet, my soul would be tormented by the devastation. The images. The what ifs. The cognitive dissonance with what should be to what is.
Ever since I walked down the aisle to say my vows to Tim before family and friends in 1990, I have wondered why we do the things we do in weddings? I knew some had a deeper meaning, and some are simply fun traditions or cultural preferences. So in light of the recent weddings in our household the last few years, attending some and now officiating weddings, I was inspired to do a bit of research on the topic!
I visited the “Unfinished Church” when in Bermuda last month. 🇧🇲 I felt a deep connection to both the history and symbolism represented in this space. This includes the unfinished me, and the imperfect church which are both a work in progress. Reflecting on Jesus’ words when He said “It is Finished”, It takes courage and humility to receive that by faith knowing full well the restoration of all things is yet to come.
I know first hand, the injustice of human trafficking and sexual exploitation impacts us all whether we know it or not. If you are led to see this movie, I do pray it will encourage your heart to grow in courage to stand up to the face of evil with hope and determination regardless the dark issues we face in this world. This is not an “entertaining movie” per say, but to me though, it’s a must see 🙏. It’s a beautifully depicted film that “exposes the worthless deeds of evil”…
I grew up reciting the Lord’s prayer which starts out “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by Thy Name…”.
What is His name? Is “God” a name or is it a title embodying His character, nature and missional focus as the Bible references Him as the “I Am” (Yahweh) in the Exodus story, (Exodus 3:14-15). Likewise, the Bible depicts God’s character in various names which unpacks His nature in a variety of ways.
The theme for the upcoming Women’s Journey of Faith is “Grace Filled Dance”. A curious theme. Bold. Creative. Celebratory. If you are in the Saskatoon area, I invite you to join me at the “Grace Filled Dance” conference on April 28th-29th 2023 held this year at Circle Drive Alliance Church. I look forward to seeing Lori Hartshorn again as our emcee and hear from Clara once again as keynote and others who are gracing the WJOF stage this year. Tickets are available at Kennedy’s Parable or through WJOF (click the link below) Hope to see many of you there!
I was invited to speak on the topic of “Releasing Perfectionism” at my local church moms group this week. It challenged me to dig deeper into the topic and I have grown in clarity as a result. In finding my identity as a daughter of God, I realized that God is perfecting me through Christ, not my own striving.