Spreading the Joy of the Lord Even in Seasons of Suffering, Trusting God through Our Storms, and Other Resources
/
Your monthly round up of resources to help you connect with God, make a difference, and live with joy.
Read More
You Are the Salt of the Earth: What to Remember When You Feel Like You’re Not Good Enough or That You Don’t Matter
/
You are the salt of the earth, and if you are abiding in Jesus and following the leadership of the Holy Spirit to the best of your ability, you can’t not make a difference in the world…
Read MoreOne Thing You Might Need to Do if You're Feeling Stressed
/
As purposeful women, we have goals and dreams we’re doing our best to steward, and this is good. But God doesn’t want us to get burnt out. He understands the toll tough seasons can take, and like the stressed moose who are drawn to the easier walking paths, it could be that He is inviting you to take it easy for a bit…
Read MoreFeeling Unmotivated? This Could Be the Underlying Reason Why
/
Are you feeling demotivated or discouraged, particularly when it comes to setting goals, planning, or dreaming, and you’re just not sure how to get your zest for life back?
If so, it could be that there is unfinished business—perhaps unresolved grief, a damaged relationship, or a disappointed dream—that needs attention…
Could Jesus Be Inviting You Into a Slower Pace of Life?
/
All my life, I’ve felt the need to hurry. But now I find Jesus giving me the same invitation He gave Alan Fadling: Slow down.
So I’m doing my best to unhurry my life and my heart. I’m learning to accept my slower-paced nature and to walk with my Shepherd beside quiet—not frenzied—waters. I’m learning to find rest in the rhythms of the One Who never hurries His sheep.
When You Don’t Feel God’s Love: 5 Practices for Going Deeper in Your Relationship With God
/
“I don’t feel God’s love.”
Have you ever said or thought these words?
If so, you’re not alone. Many times I’ve struggled with the disconnect between knowing that God loves me and actually feeling His love.
It might be tempting to brush aside the discomfort of this disconnect and get on with the responsibilities of life. “After all,” some say, “love is an action, not a feeling.” But if you look closely at the love displayed in the Bible, it’s clear that it’s not just rote responsibility—it’s also passionate emotion...
Read MoreSpiritual Practices to Help You Connect With God, What the Bible Says About Art, and Other Resources
/
Your monthly round up of resources to help you connect with God, make a difference, and live with joy.
Read MoreDiscovering What God Is Calling You To in the New Year, a Fresh Perspetive on To-Do Lists, and Other Resources
/
Your monthly round up of resources to help you connect with God, make a difference, and live with joy.
Read MoreCelebrating the Wonder, Mystery, and Beauty of Our Creator's Birth This Christmas
/
A few years ago, my church’s worship pastor, who was in charge of composing an arrangement for our Christmas Eve service, asked if I would be interested in writing something to accompany the music.
As I prayed about this opportunity, I felt as if God dropped an idea into my mind…
Read MoreWhat to Remember When You're Worried by Your Waiting
/
In a season of waiting on some specific promises from God, I felt frustrated and confused by His timing. I wavered between wishing things would happen faster and worrying they would never happen at all…
Read MoreChristmas Devotionals, an Ermine, and Learning About the Holy Spirit
/
Your monthly round up of resources to help you connect with God, make a difference, and live with joy.
Read MoreWhen It's Easier to Count Your Problems Than Your Blessings
/
When problems march through my life like participants in a holiday parade, it’s tempting to focus on all that’s going wrong. But it’s times like these, more than ever, that I know I need to be vigilant in fixing my mind on the One Who provides for all my needs…
Read MoreWhen Times Get Tough and You’re Not Sure How to Keep Going, Remember This
/
When the end of the year rolled around, I contemplated what persistence had looked like for me over the previous months. As I did, I realized a truth that may seem obvious, but I had never thought much about before: Persistence isn’t pretty…
Read MoreWhen 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…
How Our Emotions Help Us Move Forward in Faith and Purpose
/
Our culture often distrusts emotions—we tend to look down on people who are “emotional” or who base decisions on how they feel. Being guided by logic is touted as the more responsible and realistic way to move through life.
But, as we seek to grow closer to God and move forward in our purpose, what if our emotions are just as important as our minds?
Read MoreThe 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...
Read MoreDo You Need to Lay Something Down?
/
The last couple of months have been crazy busy, and in my desire to get all the things done that I’ve needed to get done (and soak up as much summer sun as I can while I’m at it) I’ve found myself neglecting the practices that make me feel most refreshed and rested (like reading and quiet time at home), as well as some of the projects God has called me to do…
Facing an Obstacle That Looks Impossible to Overcome?
/
Has God given you a mission but you're not sure how you'll accomplish certain aspects of what He's calling you to do?
Today, I'm sharing a devotion I wrote for The Joyful Life that I hope will encourage you as you pursue all God has in store for you—no matter how impossible it seems…
Read MoreHow Do I Know if My Desire Is From God? 5 Questions to Help You Decide
/
Rather than impulses to be resisted, our dreams and desires are often signals God uses to lead us into His purpose and callings for our lives. However, while our desires often do point us in the right direction, not everything we want is necessarily God's will. So how can we tell if a desire is truly from Him?
To help answer that question, today I'm sharing an article I wrote for The Joyful Life Magazine. In it, I reveal five questions I’ve found helpful to ask when I’m trying to determine whether what I want lines up with what God wants…
Feel Too Busy to Take a Break?
/
Have you ever felt that you were so busy you couldn’t take a break? I found myself in that place not long ago.
I’d started a new project—something I felt God had prompted me to do—but as the project progressed, it seemed to consume more and more of my time. When I discovered feelings of resentment creeping in regarding my work, I knew something needed to change…
