Hearing Pastors Say This Created So Much Fear in My Relationship With God

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Hearing Pastors Say This Created So Much Fear in My Relationship With God

Have you ever heard a Christian leader/speaker say something like, “The last thing I wanted was to be a missionary (or pastor, etc.), so of course that’s what God called me to…” Then smile wryly and declare that “God sure has a funny sense of humor!”?

I heard this multiple times when I was growing up, and it always sounded to me as if they were saying God was going to call me to do something I wouldn’t like (like go to Africa)…

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Leonardo da Vinci and God Both Created Their Masterpieces This Way

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Leonardo da Vinci and God Both Created Their Masterpieces This Way

…Whenever I think of da Vinci and his hand painting, I can’t help but think of Ephesians 2:10, which says that “we are God’s masterpiece” (NLT).

Just as da Vinci personally and carefully formed the Mona Lisa with his fingers, so God tenderly and intentionally molded and formed you into His great masterpiece…

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I Was a Mess—Until I Realized This...

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I Was a Mess—Until I Realized This...

...There was actually a good reason for my distress: I was trying to fit into a role I wasn’t meant for. Once I recognized this reality and adjusted course, the emotional storm inside settled down.

Since then, I’ve learned that as uncomfortable as it is, anxiety is a signal worth paying attention to. 

Sometimes it signals an underlying medical condition, an unhealthy work environment, or unresolved emotional wounds or trauma...

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When You Can’t Stop Thinking About Your Mistakes

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When You Can’t Stop Thinking About Your Mistakes

...You can be sure that next time, I’m going to make sure my lighting is better and my earrings match. But I’m also doing my best to break up with the idea that perfection is what gives my work power. Because it’s not by might and self-striving but by God's Spirit that the work He’s given me to do will be accomplished...

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What Makes Your Heart Sing? What a Robin Can Teach Us About Our Callings

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What Makes Your Heart Sing? What a Robin Can Teach Us About Our Callings

Imagine a robin who decided her beak was better used for digging holes than making music—what a waste it would be! What a loss of a gift that reveals God’s glory and brings joy to so many!

It might be a silly example, but we often neglect our gifts in a similar way. We decide it doesn’t matter what we want—as long as we’re doing something “practical” or “productive…”

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You Might Be Afraid to Leave Because of What You Could Lose…But What Is It Costing You to Stay?

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You Might Be Afraid to Leave Because of What You Could Lose…But What Is It Costing You to Stay?

I had put a lot into growing and developing my career and leaving it would come at a loss.

But my career was also costing me: It was draining my joy and sapping my energy, which impacted my marriage and held me back from following God’s call to write…

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When You’re Afraid to Get Your Hopes Up

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When You’re Afraid to Get Your Hopes Up

Unbelief whispers that if we don’t expect too much, we won’t be disappointed. But what it doesn’t tell us is that if we don’t expect anything, we reduce the likelihood that we’ll receive anything. In other words, by choosing not have an expectant outlook, we often miss out on good things…

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When What You Want Is Exactly What You Need

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When What You Want Is Exactly What You Need

When you want nothing more than to take an afternoon nap, maybe it’s because that’s exactly what your body needs to strengthen itself and carry on.⁠
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When your job is sucking your soul dry and you want to make a change, maybe it’s because your job is a poor fit for your gifts and personality and a career change is exactly what your soul needs to flourish.⁠..

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This One Change Can Unlock More Joy In Your Life

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This One Change Can Unlock More Joy In Your Life

What originally seemed like a novel idea now seems obvious—of course doing more things that bring me joy will increase my joy. But if boosting our joy could be as simple as doing things that bring us joy, why don’t we already do those things more?

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When Your Path Feels Erratic: Trusting the Mysterious, Wild Leading of the Holy Spirit

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When Your Path Feels Erratic: Trusting the Mysterious, Wild Leading of the Holy Spirit

Don’t worry if your course isn’t conventional or doesn’t make complete sense. God knows exactly what you need for the next leg of the journey, and the experiences that come with today’s twists and turns just might provide the tools you need to navigate tomorrow’s temptations, challenges, and opportunities…

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Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Encouragement for When Your Dreams Hit a Detour

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Slow and Steady Wins the Race: Encouragement for When Your Dreams Hit a Detour

Through the example of the tortoise, I felt God encouraging me that when it comes to my personal race, particularly the part of my race that pertains to book publishing, being the fastest is not what matters most. What counts is faithful perseverance…

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All Things Beautiful in His Time: Hope in Seasons of Waiting

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All Things Beautiful in His Time: Hope in Seasons of Waiting

The Bible says that God makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). So if it’s not beautiful, it’s not the end. Your time is coming. Hold on to the hope we have in Jesus, the Author and Perfector of Our Faith, the One Who shed His precious blood to bring us shalom…

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When You Worry About How God Will Provide for What He’s Called You to Do, Remember the Ravens.

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When You Worry About How God Will Provide for What He’s Called You to Do, Remember the Ravens.

My home lies under a flight path used by a group of local ravens. In the mornings, they fly south over my house, heading toward the city, where they scavenge for food. Come evening, they return north to roost.

One day, I was watching the ravens fly by, and the word "provision" came into my mind. I was a little surprised since this was not a word I normally associated with ravens…

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The First Thing to Do When Your Friend Is Sad

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The First Thing to Do When Your Friend Is Sad

I had just finished having a particularly difficult, tear-filled conversation with a friend who was struggling when I opened my phone and listened to a voice message from a different friend. In it, she shared some heart-wrenching events that had just occurred in her family.⁠..

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Are You Feeling The Pressure Of Making It All Happen?

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Are You Feeling The Pressure Of Making It All Happen?

…We too have a Good Shepherd—Jesus who is diligently tending to the needs of His flock. Despite this beautiful reality, too often I take it upon myself to meet my needs. I feel like it’s up to me to provide for myself and solve my own problems. I feel that I must take care of myself…

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My Easter Prayer For You: That You Will Understand How Incredibly Great God’s Power Is To Help Those Who Believe

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My Easter Prayer For You: That You Will Understand How Incredibly Great God’s Power Is To Help Those Who Believe

Many times in my journey of pursuing my purpose, my dreams, and my goals, I’ve struggled with a feeling of powerlessness. I’ve felt the frustration of knowing I needed something—be that skill, wisdom, connections, or financial resources—and feeling unable to attain what I knew I needed.

But regardless of how I might feel in any given moment, the truth is, the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside me…

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What Does The Coronavirus Have To Do With Christmas?

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What Does The Coronavirus Have To Do With Christmas?

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…🎶

Okay, maybe not where you are, but here in Fairbanks we’ve been getting tons of snow over the last several weeks—and there’s more in the forecast.

A few weeks ago, all the fresh snow was putting me in the Christmas spirit…

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