Overcoming Trials
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Cast All Your Burdens on God: 4 Practical Ways
Do you want to learn to cast all your burdens on the Lord? I invite you to join me in the woods, and we’ll talk about practical ways to cast our cares on Jesus. Cast All Your Burdens on God: 4 Insights The forest is silent this morning. Shrouded in a fresh cloak of frozen ivory, every fallen log and standing hemlock dozes beneath the weight of winter’s breath. Suddenly, a rustle behind me catches my attention. I turn, startled, expecting a deer or coyote. The forest sleeps. I hear it again and realize the noise is coming from somewhere closer than I first realized. Looking at the ground just…
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God Uses Broken People—and He Wants to Use You
Have you ever wondered if your mistakes disqualify you from serving God? Today, I warmly invite you to travel back in time with me, and I’ll bear witness to the fact that God uses broken people—and he wants to use you. God Uses Broken People My early twenties were tumultuous. I was angry with God and decided to live for myself instead of living for him. After a few tough years, I realized I wasn’t cultivating the life I wanted for myself. I returned to God with a humble heart and asked him to help me put my life back together. Slowly, God began the restorative work of healing my…
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Let God Set You Free: My New Online Devotional
Two months ago, 12-year-old Bekah and I took a leap of faith and published our coauthored mother-daughter devotional, Girl to Girl: 60 Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith. We’d like to thank you for all of your support. The book is doing better than we ever expected, and my daily prayer is that God uses it to bring mothers and daughters closer together and draws women of all ages deeper into his unconditional love. Thank you for helping us spread the word, writing Amazon reviews, and buying our book! I’m amazed by the outpouring of support from the writing community, our hometown, our church community, and the global…
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How to Overcome the Storms of Life
Not long ago, we awakened to a world encased in a silver sheen of ice. Crystal droplets, frozen in time, hung from the railing of the deck like daggers waiting to fall. The wind howled, and frozen shards flew from the jostled branches of the poplar tree. The scene prompted me to consider how to overcome the storms of life. How to Overcome the Storms of Life The storm raged all day, and when I came home from getting groceries in the evening, our daughter, Bekah, was outside attempting to feed our three pet beagles. Our beagles are hunting dogs, and they are happiest living in a well-insulated kennel in…
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Scriptures to Speak Over Your Child: 8 Powerful Verses
Not long ago, one of our children was struggling with a challenging school year. As I aimed to help him navigate the difficult transition, I felt led to begin speaking biblical declarations over his life. Today, we’ll look at 8 powerful Scriptures to speak over your child as declarations. These declarations changed the trajectory of our child’s school year. I pray that they will bless your child as well. 8 Scriptures to Speak Over Your Child Speaking God’s Word as declarations over our children can lead forces in the heavenly realm to move. I encourage you to do more than simply read these verses; instead, speak these Scriptures out loud…
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A Prayer for Strength and Healing When Life Hurts
The Queen Anne’s Lace stands in full bloom—sprinkling the fields with flourishes of ivory. Admiring it from the window, I utter a silent prayer for strength and healing. Not long ago, I slipped into the woods on a balmy evening. As I gazed into the murky creek water, I assessed the state of my soul and realized I was wrestling with uncertainty. The creek bottom exhaled the pungent scent of decaying earth, and I immediately sensed an invitation: Anyone can declare trust in God when life’s going well, but it takes faith to declare our trust when life feels uncertain. A Powerful Prayer for Strength and Healing: “Lord, I trust…
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8 Hope-Filled Bible Verses About the Storms of Life
We all face storms in life. If you feel like your ship is about to sink, let’s dig into God’s Word together as we uncover eight hope-filled Bible verses about the storms of life. Bible Verses About the Storms of Life The summer I lived in Alaska, we took a ferry through the fjords near Seward. A cloud of mist shrouded the bay like a crumpled quilt as our small vessel inched closer to a mammoth glacier. Without warning, a chunk of ice the size of a small house broke free from the ancient ice field and crashed into the cobalt sea. Our tiny boat rocked and bobbed like a…
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How to Give Thanks to God in Tough Times
Not long ago, I sat down with an older, wiser woman, and we had an honest conversation about our lives. We talked about how to give thanks to God in tough times, and she shared her wisdom and experience. No matter what you’re facing today, if you can learn to cultivate gratitude in difficult seasons, God will use it to lift your head. Here are a few things my friend offered to me as we sorted this out. I pray they encourage you to keep looking for God’s gifts in your life as well. How to Give Thanks to God in Tough Times 1. Every day, take a moment to…
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How to Put Your Hope in Jesus When Life Is Hard
The wind that ripped and tore all day finally calms, and I slip into the valley to walk in the silence. I’m here because I need to remind myself to put my hope in Jesus instead of putting my hope in climbing out of the valley of discomfort. Have you ever faced a valley so deep you wondered how you would possibly climb out of the darkness? Maybe the death of a precious loved one left you reeling with pain. Perhaps your marriage fell apart, your dream died, or you faced a devastating diagnosis. If you’re anything like me, you wanted to put your hope in Jesus, but, mostly, you…
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A Powerful Prayer for Healing Your Hardest Memories
Like a quiet sea at dawn, an orchid ocean of clouds hovers above the northern skyline. Even the oaks stand in awe—their lush summer canopies outstretched in reverence. I look to the heavens and utter a powerful prayer for healing as I think of a friend who’s been dealing with the sting of hard memories. Does any part of your past “sting” when it comes to mind? A stinging memory is sharp. It pricks you and deflates you—like a bee sting or a needle to a balloon. A stinging memory just might take the wind out of your sails or lead you into the pit for a few hours, a…