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How God Uses Brokenness in Your Life to Touch Others
The sun rises salmon over a row of spindly pines, and I stare out the window with an ache in my abdomen. We’ve walked through our fair share of challenges throughout the past months, and I feel a little too weak – a little too broken – to do anything other than sit in this silence and ponder it all. I’m thinking about how God uses brokenness to shape us to the image of Christ when a message appears on my phone. A new friend who lives on the other side of town wants to get together for coffee. She tells me she doesn’t know much about God and that…
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The Lie You Might Believe if You’re in the Refining Fire
The yellowing leaves on the fringes of the property line remind me of an October years ago when the bottom fell out. The first full month of autumn felt like a journey into a refining fire that went on without end. First, the puppy died suddenly. Then, there was a serious health scare, followed by the loss of another precious pet dog that had been a part of the family for four years. We all stared at each other and wondered how in the world God saw fit to take them both in two short months. When we prayed it wouldn’t get worse, it did. We faced life-long diagnoses, thousands…
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Transform Your Mind by Overcoming These Toxic Mindsets
There are monarchs on the milkweed, and the sun sinks fiery white above the overgrown weed fields behind the house. “They’re not weeds,” five-year-old Caleb contends, “They’re flowers.” I smile at his words. Maybe he knows the hidden secret about how to really transform your mind when the weeds creep in. “I guess it depends on what you want to call them,” I tell the little guy. “One person’s weeds are another person’s flowers.” We walk to the spot where the fields border the yard – where the monarchs stretch their marmalade wings on the sticky milkweed leaves – and I clip a bouquet for the dining room table. A…
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Hold Your Peace: Finding Rest on Life’s Battlefield
“The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14, KJV Hold Your Peace: Finding Rest on Life’s Battlefield Autumn tends to be a full season for our family. Every year, this season nudges me to seek a deeper level of peace in life when the demands of my days feel overwhelming. This year, I’ve been shuttling the oldest to cross-country practice, storing vegetables from the garden, writing words, holding things down on the homefront, and fulfilling all the normal requirements that fill our days. Slipping away to the woods, it feels good to pause in the middle of it all. How to Hold Your…
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Finding God in Suffering: 5 Affirmations to Carry You
Some conversations remain imprinted on our minds in the precise location where they took place. Hard conversations with friends. Phone calls that change everything in the blink of an eye. Faith-filled conversations that shift paradigms in our minds and call us to learn how to be brave in new ways. Today, we’ll talk about finding God in suffering. I’ll share five affirmations that have carried me through the darkest days. Finding God in Suffering As last summer drew to a humid close, I remember precisely where we were walking when a close friend asked how I felt about an impending season of immense difficulty. Our family was on the brink of…
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15 Scriptures on Connecting With God When Life Is Full
God’s greatest desire is for a relationship with each of his children. He is a personal God, and he created us because he wants to commune with us. Today, we’ll explore a list of Scriptures on connecting with God as we aim to respond to his pursuit. I’ll also share a personal story, including six practical ways to connect with God when life is full. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God. Scriptures on Connecting With God Let’s see what the Bible has to say as we explore these Scriptures on connecting with God. Scriptures…
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Rewire Your Brain and Get Unstuck in Your Life
A menagerie of black walnuts has fallen from above and is crushed on our gravel road. I walk over the coffee-colored streaks and consider the months ahead. When the walnuts fall, summer is nearly over. Looking ahead, no part of me is ready for the long winter months to come. Just how do you rewire your brain when your future feels bleak? I cringe at the thought of long evenings inside the house, whiteouts rolling in from the west, and evening walks down this same country road with toes numb from the cold. How to Rewire Your Brain I’m mulling it over when the words of Dr. Caroline Leaf come…
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9 Powerful Prayers for Your Inner Circle
I watch our baby boy sleep on the other side of the room while rain streams down the sliding glass door. His eyelids flutter as he dreams, and I ask God to lead me as I aim to pray powerful prayers for this little one’s life. And a vital part of every person’s calling is praying for the people who are closest to us. Today, we’ll explore nine powerful prayers for our inner circles. I’ll also encourage you to find a time of day to devote exclusively to intercessory prayers by guiding you in making a prayer list. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a…
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Drowning in Life? This is for You
I feel like I’m drowning in life the day we take the kids to my parents’ pool for a reprieve. Life has been full, and my to-do list threatens to suffocate me. Caring for the needs of three young children, juggling my writing work, maintaining friendships, investing in our marriage, and making time for self-care is nothing short of exhausting. Perhaps you can relate. Maybe the demands of your days feel crushing, and you feel like you’re drowning in life, too. Today, I invite you to join me at my parents’ swimming pool, and we’ll have an honest conversation about what to do when we feel like we might just…
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Scripture for Renewal: How to Overcome Spiritual Slumps
I want my heart and my flesh to yearn for God, but there are plenty of mornings when I open my Bible with waning enthusiasm. These are the days when I need to soak in Scripture for renewal, letting God’s Word revive me. Today, we’ll explore 15 Bible verses for renewal and replenishment. I’ll also share several ways to overcome a spiritual slump. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook for spiritual replenishment. Scripture for Renewal Let’s begin by turning to God’s Word. Scripture for Renewal: 15 Verses 1. Proverbs 11:25 ESV A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be…
