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How to Give God Control: 5 Scriptures on Surrendering to God
As morning broke, I recently left my usual chair and walked outside to the deck. The world was teeming with energy and life. Songbirds surrounded me as I opened my Bible in search of Scriptures on surrendering to God and slowing my pace. I needed this encouragement because summer break has come. Our oldest children will be home for the next two months. As much as I love these days together, I also fight the urge to rush from one task to the next. In the summertime, I struggle to keep up with the dishes, the laundry, and the constant requests for snacks and entertainment. I feel like I can’t…
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A Glimpse Into Our Family Road Trip to the Rockies
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take a family road trip across the country? Maybe you’ve considered the idea, but it doesn’t seem practical. Last summer, alongside our three children (ages 12, 8, and 4), my husband and I traveled thousands of miles, climbed mountains, shivered in our sleeping bags, and cooked over campfires. We used our tailgate as a table, dealt with deflated air mattresses, and bathed in the middle of the woods. Our time on the road was exhausting, amazing, and everything in between. As I reflected on our trip, I also sensed that God was showing me that many of the same mindsets…
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20 Words of Affirmation for Every Child
I want to build my kids up with the words I speak. Meanwhile, I’ve learned that I need to be intentional in this pursuit. It’s easy to get pulled into the rhythms of our busy lives and neglect opportunities to affirm our kids. If this resonates with you, here are 20 words of affirmation for every child. May these words encourage you to be intentional in your parenting and in your speech. 20 Words of Affirmation for Every Child Author Toni Morrison once asked, “When your child walks in the room, does your face light up?” These words come to my mind often. I think of these words in the…
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10 Ways to Connect With God When He Seems Distant
Most mornings, I gaze at our bird feeder as I sit by the window to connect with God. Today, we awoke to an empty birdfeeder—scant sunflower seeds, black as coal, scattered beneath their plexiglass home. I watched as goldfinches and house sparrows searched the bottom of the feeder for seeds. They all flitted off disappointed, determined to search for sustenance elsewhere. As I considered the disheartened birds, I read the prophet Jeremiah’s words about God’s people: “They have abandoned (rejected) Me, The fountain of living water, And they have carved out their own cisterns, Broken cisterns That cannot hold water” (Jeremiah 2:13, AMP). The empty feeder and the ancient words…
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How to Stand Firm in the Lord When Life Gets You Down
The old sycamore leans over the creek with a trunk worn white by the weather. Resisting the pull of its own weight, it seems to keep watch over the valley where the water runs clear over silt and stones. As I rest against it on a warm evening, it seems like a metaphor for how to stand firm in the Lord. Just as the sycamore resists the earth’s gravitational pull downward, we are called to stand against the forces that aim to pull us down. How to Stand Firm in the Lord The Apostle Paul wrote that our struggles are not against flesh and blood but against authorities and rulers…
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How to Have the Joy of the Lord—No Matter What You’re Facing
I jogged through the vernal forest this morning. The tiny leaves offered a partial canopy overhead—not the deep emerald of summer, but the just-born chartreuse leaflets of springtime. The experience washed over me like a reminder of how to have the joy of the Lord embedded in my heart. Cold rain pattered on the forest floor and beaded on my forehead, and I considered the joy I find in a green forest on a rainy day. I also started thinking about cultivating rhythms for joy in my life, and I was reminded of a blog post I wrote a few years ago. After returning home, I found these words and…
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God’s Power in Us: Power Perfected in Weakness
Thirteen years ago, I became a mom, and life as I had known it changed forever. Today, I invite you to join me in the hospital room at the beginning of my motherhood journey, and we’ll talk about experiencing God’s power in us when we feel weak. God’s Power in Us Outside the hospital window, an apricot glow arises from behind the unclothed tree line. Dawn is coming. Today is my first full day as a mother, and I’m weary. I slept less than an hour last night and cannot move after yesterday’s emergency C-section. Now, more than ever, I need God’s power to carry me in my weakness. If…
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Christian Books for Mothers and Daughters to Read Together
Several years ago, our then-11-year-old daughter, Bekah, saw a mother-daughter devotional written by an older mother-daughter pair sitting on our kitchen table. I had no way of knowing that the question she asked next would lead us to write two Christian books for mothers and daughters to read together. “We should write a mother-daughter devotional!” she declared. “That sounds great, babe. Brainstorm some ideas, and we’ll get started,” I suggested. I suspected Bekah would write a few devotions and lose interest. 2 Unique Christian Books for Mothers and Daughters Much to my surprise, Bekah did not lose interest! Instead, we worked together to write 60 devotions for moms and daughters…
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6 Encouraging Prayers for Hopeless Situations
I recently went to the woods to talk to God about a situation that felt hopeless. Perhaps you’re facing some challenging circumstances, too. You are in the right place. Today, we’ll unpack six prayers for hopeless situations as we press into our true Source of hope. We are never without hope when we learn where our unchanging hope is found. This week, I invite you to join me in my favorite place: the woods. Prayers for Hopeless Situations As I walked through the forest recently, I realized I was falling into a behavior that has defined my response to hopeless situations for years: Trying to fix what felt broken. Most…
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Prayers for Broken Hearts: 5 Prayers for Comfort and Healing
It’s not easy to know how to pray for a broken heart. Whether you are hurting or you want to pray for a loved one who is suffering, today we’ll explore five comforting prayers for broken hearts. My hope is that these prayers will offer healing and hope to those who are hurting today. I invite you to join me in one of my favorite places, our backyard fire ring, and we’ll talk about how to pray for hurting hearts. 5 Comforting Prayers for Broken Hearts Four charred logs rest haphazardly on the ashes. Wisps of smoke arise from the center of the heap. As I hunker down for a…
