What I Didn’t Say on Mother’s Day
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I wanted to write something for you on Mother’s Day, but I wasn’t sure what to say…but this morning, three days after Mother’s Day, these are the words that settled in my soul…
You Might Be Afraid to Leave Because of What You Could Lose…But What Is It Costing You to Stay?
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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…
When You’re Afraid to Get Your Hopes Up
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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…
Read MoreOne Place I Always Experience God
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It took me a while, but eventually, I came to realize that simply sitting in God’s presence, experiencing Him, my spirit wordlessly communing with His, is just as important and powerful as hearing from God…
Read MoreThe Unstoppable Power of God’s Word
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I know that even though it looks and feels like winter will never end, spring can’t not come. Whether the snow is here for another three weeks or six, at some point, the heat of the sun will overcome those icy crystals and grass and flowers will appear once again…It’s the same with God’s Word. It can’t not produce results. Just like snow that can’t withstand the heat of the sun, no problem can withstand God’s Word; His Word will produce fruit in our lives…
Read MoreWill God Really Do What He Said?
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Like the disciples who hadn’t yet seen Jesus after His resurrection but heard reports that He was alive, we sometimes question if what we’ve heard about Him is true. We read the promises and hear reports of His amazing works in the lives of others, but still we wonder: Will God really come through?
Read MoreWhen You Feel That You’re Not Qualified
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“…Your worth and eligibility for God’s work are not dependent on degrees or demographics. And if the only thing holding you back from moving toward that thing God is stirring in your heart is feeling “less than” due to lack of a college education or belonging to a specific age bracket, I hope you dismiss those feelings, take a deep breath, and push forward…
Read MoreFor When Your Efforts Feel Futile
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Sometimes, the goals and dreams God has given us can feel the way my plant looked: scraggly, unfruitful—even dead. We might wonder if it’s time to let them go and move on to something else. We might wonder if we heard God wrong…
Read MoreWhen You’re Waiting on God’s Promise
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Maybe God spoke a promise to you but so much time has passed that you’ve started to wonder if it will ever come to pass. I so, I want to share something with you that I hope will encourage you…
Read MoreWhat Did People Use to Say About You?
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I’m so thankful that, as He did for Elizabeth, God took my once present-and-painful problems and turned them into my “used tos.” And He’s still doing it! He is at work today in midst of the things I currently struggle with—the things I trust I will also someday think of as my used tos…
Read MoreHe Came to Give His Body and Blood: Remembering the Reason for Advent
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On that first triumphant Christmas night, angels sang and shepherds rejoiced because the perfect sacrifice needed to make us righteous before God had arrived on planet Earth…
Read MoreUnlocking Peace That Passes Understanding
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Sometimes I think it can feel like being thankful is something we’re “supposed to do,” as if it’s an obligation or a duty. But the reality is, it’s a gift to us because it’s a conduit for joy and peace…
Read MoreDo It Afraid: Courageously Moving Forward in God’s Plan
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If you’re struggling with fears related to an action you need to take, I encourage you to do it afraid. Remember: Fear is designed to hold you back from God’s best for you. It wants to keep you small and stop you from achieving your goals. But the truth is, fear can’t stop you from doing anything…
Read MoreGet Your Life Back by John Eldredge + When Making Others Happy Is Making You Miserable by Karen Ehman Giveaway!
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I’m giving away a 2-book bundle that includes one copy of Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad by John Eldredge and one copy of When Making Others Happy Is Making You Miserable: How to Break the Pattern of People Pleasing and Confidently Live Your Life by Karen Ehman!
Read MoreIt's Okay to Cry: Cultivating Compassion for Our Hearts During Seasons of Grief
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When it comes to sadness, our culture may say stuff it. Our family may shrug it off. Our church may minimize it. But whether we’re crying in an airport, a grocery store, or a sanctuary, Jesus will never turn away from our sorrowing hearts. He knows the fragility of our human form. He understands the wear and tear, the tension and the trauma of living on this fallen Earth. Our tears are His treasures…
Read MoreAn Essential Practice for a Fruitful Christian Life
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Recently, I’ve felt God asking me to cut back on certain activities, and, to be honest, letting go has been hard. But those previously pruned and bounteous berries remind me of an important truth: Pruning is an essential part of bearing excellent fruit…
Read MoreUnless You Become Like a Child: A Key to Growing Deeper in God and Living Out Your Callings, Plus a Prayer for a Childlike Heart
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One kingdom key to enjoying a deeper relationship with God and succeeding in the good work He’s called us to do is having a childlike heart—one of curiosity, playfulness, and willingness to learn and dream…
Read MoreThe Meaning of El Shaddai, a Name That Reveals More About God’s Care for You Than You Might Realize
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…I felt God speaking to me clearly and personally. My nutritional status was no surprise to Him—and it didn’t worry Him as it did me because He is my All-Sufficient One, the One Who nourishes me and supplies my every need. No problem or deficiency is too big for Him to overcome…
Read MoreWhat Does It Mean to Bear Fruit? 4 Types of Fruit Found in the Bible
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As Christians, we often hear and talk about bearing fruit. But this concept, though lovely, is sometimes a little vague, and you might wonder, What exactly does it mean to bear fruit?
To help answer this question, I'm sharing an article I wrote for iBelieve.com that goes over four types of fruit found in the Bible and some tangible ways they can be expressed in our lives…
Why Letting Go Is So Important
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Every month for the past 40 months, I’ve written “devotions due” on the 15th of my calendar—a reminder to submit my two monthly devotions to The Joyful Life Devotion Team.
But at the beginning of this year, I felt God prompting me to step down from this particular team.
I wrestled with this decision because I enjoyed being a part of this group of writers; I love the friendships I’ve formed there and the publishing opportunities I’ve been given. I also worried that I was mishearing God. Being on this team was a good thing, and letting go of it didn’t really make sense. What if I’m wrong and I release something I’m meant to maintain? I wondered…
