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10 Biblical Affirmations for Kids of All Ages
Not long ago, our family shared a moment that reminded me of the importance of speaking biblical affirmations over our kids. Join us in the backyard, and we’ll talk about teaching our kids to stand on their identities in Christ. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for three devotional books to affirm your children’s identities in Christ. Biblical Affirmations for Your Kids I wasn’t thinking about developing our daughter’s identity in Christ when it happened. It was a balmy August evening, and rays of sinking sun shone white on the lawn as we finished dinner on the deck. My husband Darrell offered to take the kids…
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Hope for Your Hidden Pain and Unspoken Struggles
Our kids looked adorable together, and someone said something about taking a photo. It was after the comment about how they’ll look nice together at prom someday that his eyes filled with embarrassed tears. He buried his face in his mom’s hip and wiped them away on the hem of her shirt. The moment got me thinking about our hidden pain in life. I understood the little guy’s struggle. I hid my tears throughout most of my childhood too. No one ever made fun of me for crying. I simply thought I needed to appear strong. All the time. The Truth About Hidden Pain We all have struggles and weaknesses.…
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How to Ignite Your Faith When You Feel Spiritually Stagnant
We’re driving through farm country when I hear my little boy singing with the radio in the backseat, “I gotta get that fire, fire back in my bones.” He’s three, and he’s not easy to understand, but I hear him loud and clear. His words get me thinking. I want to be a woman of fiery faith. Maybe you want to learn how to ignite your faith in a dry season, too. You are in the right place. The idea of fiery faith lingers in my mind for days after our moment in the car. I consider it as I sit by the sliding glass door in the early morning…
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5 Tools for the Days When Your Quiet Time With Jesus Is Boring
We’re sitting on my couch when my friend asks a question that no one has ever asked me: “Is your daily quiet time with Jesus bringing you into life-giving encounters with him?” I stare blankly at my friend while the wrens chatter outside the window. Then, I tell her the gut-honest truth: Most days, I’m just checking “quiet time with Jesus” off a list of things to accomplish for the day. It’s one more task on a never-ending list. I wonder if you can relate. Perhaps you want to connect with God in the quiet moments of your days, but you’re distracted, restless, and quite possibly even bored. If you’re like…
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15 Scriptures on Controlling Anger: With Tips
Not long ago, I decided I was done yelling at my kids. Ten minutes after I made my commitment, someone dumped a whole box of Lucky Charms on the kitchen floor in an attempt to pick out the marshmallows. If you can relate—if you want to learn how to stop yelling at your kids and feel like you’re failing— you’re in the right place. We’ll explore 15 Scriptures on controlling anger. Then, we’ll apply these truths to our lives in practical ways. I also invite you to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you surrender to God in angry moments. Scriptures on…
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Be the Real You: 10 Bible Verses About Authenticity
Do you ever feel like you won’t fit in if you decide to be the real you? Today, we’ll explore 10 Bible verses about authenticity. I’ll also share a story of a time when God taught me the power of being vulnerable and authentic. Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you embrace yourself as God made you. Let’s start by turning to God’s Word. 10 Bible Verses About Authenticity God designs us each uniquely, and when we hide our true selves, we deprive the world of God’s gift. Here’s what the Bible says about being authentic. Bible Verses About…
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15 Attitudes That Cultivate Biblical Hospitality
Ten years ago, I was just learning what it meant to offer biblical hospitality. My husband and I lived in a little home at least a dozen miles from anything worthy of being called a town. Mostly, we kept company with the deer and coyotes that walked through our front yard on cool autumn nights. I’d been investing in the life of a younger woman for a few months, and I finally invited her to our modest little home to chat. As the evening wore on, I wanted to hear more about her life, about the struggles that had shaped her and the truths that defined her. I asked deep…
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How to Renew Your Mind (With Kelly Balarie)
Do you want to learn how to renew your mind? According to God’s Word, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. God’s primary tool for this process is his written Word. How to Renew Your Mind We can also follow the wise words of those who have gone before us. Today, we’ll look at practical suggestions on how to renew your mind as we take a look inside a powerful new book. How to Renew Your Mind As our bangs plastic toys into one another like there’s a war happening in his bedroom naptime, I watch sun glance through smudged windowpanes and read these familiar words:…
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18 Bible Verses About Heaven and Eternal Life
While perusing the local library with a friend, she suddenly grabbed my arm and tearfully asked, “Am I going to heaven? I’m so scared that I won’t make it in.” She’d recently lost a loved one and had been thinking about heaven. In response to her question, we found a Bible on the shelf, moved to a table, and studied God’s Word for Bible verses about heaven and eternal life. By the time we left the library that day, she had confidence that she would spend eternity with God in heaven. You might have these same questions. Or maybe you lost a loved one and have been wondering what happens…
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5 Powerful Truths About Trusting God in the Valley
I weave through a mantle of green rose bushes, wood nettle, and poison oak. It’s growing darker here in the valley behind our house. I’m sure our children are racing across the backyard in the evening sunlight, but it feels like night in the valley. As I walk, I consider what trusting God in the valley really looks like. Trusting God in the Valley As the valley walls block out the sun’s last rays, I recall a valley we faced when winter’s arms still stretched white over these hills. I rest on a fallen sycamore and watch trout jump as they eat the flies rising from black water. Looking back,…
