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12 Blessings of Trusting God in Uncertain Times
I’m cleaning out the basket above the fridge when I discover a tattered calendar. Opening it, I flip through the empty pages. I remember the year vividly. It was a year marked by pain and suffering. Illness kept the calendar blank for months. At the time, I was blind to the blessings of trusting God in our circumstances. Surprisingly, I realize I’m smiling as I reflect on the year. I recall the tears, the sorrow, and the prayers that seemed to go unanswered for months. At the time, those unanswered prayers didn’t feel like something to smile about. The Blessings of Trusting God Most likely, you have a few unanswered…
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How to Stop Worrying and Trust God in Tough Times
I’ve been a worrier for as long as I can remember. Throughout the past decade, I’ve been on a journey of learning how to stop worrying and trust God with the parts of my life that are important to me. Maybe you can relate. It’s not easy to keep from falling apart when it looks like your world might come crashing down at any given moment. Maybe you lost your job, the relationship finally fell apart, or the wayward child still hasn’t come home. It’s not easy to figure out how to stop worrying and trust God. Perhaps you prayed and pleaded for God to bring a dream to pass. …
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4 Practical Ways to Overcome Fear With Faith
Welcome to our second post in the Set Free series. Today, we’ll talk about how to overcome fear with faith. This series offers a taste of what you’ll find in my paperback book, Lean Into Grace. And now, let’s talk about rising above our greatest fears. How to Overcome Fear With Faith Through the frosted windowpane, the world is colored by shapes. An angular patch of green breathes life into the dull surroundings where the neighbor has tended to her plot of earth. The C-shaped stretch of curving country road delineates the wild from the tame. I get lost in the scene and feel like I’ve stepped out of the latest…
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How to Be Transformed by Grace—and Why Willpower Doesn’t Work
I sit beneath the snowy hemlocks and search the forest for any hint of movement. God breathes in shades of grey today—smoky clouds rolling overhead while translucent ice encompasses the frozen world. I’ve come to the woods because I’m feeling stuck, and I need to connect with the Creator so that I might be transformed by grace. Today, I feel stuck in the grip of a habit I can’t seem to break. I feel defeated and wonder if I’ll ever find victory over this besetting sin. I’ve been mustering all the willpower I can gather; however, much to my dismay, willpower seems to be failing me. I spent the first…
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Lean Into Grace and Experience God’s Healing and Freedom
What do you do when your life lacks the healing, freedom, and joy you long for—when you feel stuck and don’t know where to turn? In these moments, God invites us to lean into grace as he works in our lives to accomplish what we cannot do in our human strength. I have exciting news to share with you today! After years of hard work, intensive editing, and much prayer, I’d like to introduce you to my new book, Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free. Here’s a quick description of what you’ll find within the pages of this raw and…
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Transform Your Life With These 5 Prayers for the New Year
The wind howls all day—rattling the windowpanes and nearly bending the old poplar to its breaking point. We watch through ice-glazed glass while the Christmas lights blaze white on the mantle. I have no idea that stepping into the white world is about to help me begin praying focused prayers for the New Year. “You’re not thinking of taking your daily walk today, are you, Mom?” a little voice prods. “Are you worried about me?” I ask, turning from the window where the snow is swirling in small whirlwinds across the yard. “You shouldn’t go out in this,” our young son declares protectively. “The TV said it’s 40-below zero with…
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A Free 2024 New Year Devotional to Help You Grow With God
Do you want to start 2024 by renewing your commitment to spend time with God? Like me, maybe you enjoy reading from an Advent devotional throughout December, but you hit a wall when the devotional ends. You feel a bit lost and aren’t sure what’s next. I have fantastic news. I have a free 2024 New Year devotional for you. Mornings With Jesus will help you connect with Jesus every morning for the next 31 days! Why I Wrote This New Year Devotional I spent years reading my Bible and practicing a morning devotional routine without regularly encountering God in the process. My devotional time felt more like homework than…
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7 Characteristics of a Transformed Life
Are you searching for evidence that God is working in your life? Today, we’ll look at 7 characteristics of a transformed life. I invite you to join me as God transformed me through a challenging situation. Then, we’ll take a closer look at what it means to be transformed by God. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God and be transformed. 7 Characteristics of a Transformed Life The clock reads half-past two, and the moon hangs high in the inky black of a December night. I’m lost in deep sleep, and I have no idea…
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When Christmas Is Hard: 5 Insights to Give You Hope
Snow falls heavily like flour through a sifter, and I’m alone with only my thoughts and the hushed whisper of flakes gathering on frozen earth. As I sit beneath the hemlocks, I’m reminded of a season years ago when our family was suffering at Christmas. It can be challenging to know where to turn when Christmas is hard instead of celebratory. When Christmas Is Hard Our difficult Christmas came after a year filled with illness, disappointment, and deep grief. We’d just watched a lifelong dream go up in smoke, and we weren’t sure where to turn next. We were grieving, and we were having a hard time embracing the Christmas…
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Keep Christ in Christmas: 9 Ways to Keep Jesus Central
“Who wants to go on an adventure?” I ask the kids as we drive through farm country on a frigid Saturday afternoon. As the darkness of impending winter presses tighter, we could all use the reminder that the Light of the world has come. We could use the reminder to keep Christ in Christmas when the festivities threaten to draw our attention away from him. Keep Christ in Christmas Two hours later, we bundle in mittens, heavy winter coats, stocking caps, and heavy boots. Perspiration beads on my forehead as I slide the final mitten over the little one’s fingers. Managing to pile out the door on the cusp of…
