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How to Draw Near to God: 3 Simple Tips
My family bought me Gerber daisies for Mother’s Day last year. The coral blossoms stood like beacons of hope on a dining room table cluttered with puzzles, markers, and an array of toys that seemed to have no rhyme or reason. This morning, I sat at that table with hard questions about how to draw near to God in the middle of my messy life. The disorganized table was the perfect metaphor for life that spring: piles of chaos with hope for new beginnings rising out of the mess. Sometimes this is what we all need most: a reminder that from the chaos, God will bring something new and vibrant…
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A Free Small Group Bible Study Book for Women
Are you searching for a free small group Bible study book for your women’s group? I have wonderful news. You can download my new book, Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free, for free on Kindle Unlimited. I’ll explain how the program works shortly. First, let me tell you about this book. Most of us have been taught that willpower is the key to transformation; however, we’re frustrated because self-effort has failed us in many realms of our lives. We wonder why we can’t find victory over fear, worry, insecurity, and shame. We feel stuck in destructive habits like overeating and losing…
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What to Do When God is Silent in Your Life
Today, I invite you to pause and imagine a discouraged woman who has lost any sense of God’s presence in her life. God is silent in her life; meanwhile, the world around her expects her to be a spiritual leader, mentor, and example. Here are her words: “As for myself, Father, I have nothing to say for the darkness is so dark, the pain is so painful. Sometimes the grip of pain is so great that I can hear my own voice call out—My God, help me. When I help my Sisters draw very close to Jesus—when I teach them to love Him with a deep, devoted, personal love, I…
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10 Things God Wants You to Know
There are sailboats on the water today, and I know this season won’t last much longer. I remember where I was last season at this time: suffering quietly in what felt like a never-ending valley of despair. Maybe you’ve been here, too. Perhaps you know how it feels to wonder about the things God wants you to know when life is hard, when you can’t hear his voice. Sometimes the quiet valleys of suffering are the most difficult of all. They’re the valleys no one sees, the ones no one understands, or even worse, the ones you’re just expected to endure. Regardless of whether you’re sailing beneath sunny skies or…
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What to Do When You Hit a Spiritual Slump
Are you stuck in a spiritual slump? Read these words from my recent post at Women Wielding the Word: I remember reading the words on a sun-splattered spring dawn, and I could not honestly say I related. The words went like this: “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (Psalm 84:2 NIV). I want both my heart and my flesh to literally yearn – to hunger – for God, but there are plenty of mornings when I open my Bible with waning enthusiasm. A wise mentor once compared daily Bible reading to a daily bowl…
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Struggling to Draw Near to God? This Is for You…
The wildflower fields are speckled with the vibrant freckles of black-eyed susans. I stare at the gold flecks and struggle to quiet my racing mind. I’m tired of mindlessly skimming through the Bible and failing to draw near to God in the quiet moments of my morning. I’m pondering a new approach when my 4-year-old shuffles into the room. He takes hold of my hand and pulls me outside to the deck. He points to the fields and says, “Daddy’s out there with the dogs.” I don’t believe him until I hear the howl of our beagle rolling over the wildflowers. It’s Saturday, and I’m glad Darrell is out of…
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3 Reasons You Might Have “Misheard” God’s Voice
I vividly remember staring into the forested landscape and wondering how I’d missed it. I’d been planning and preparing and seeking God’s voice for months. When life took a turn in an unexpected direction, it was blatantly clear that the whisper I thought was God’s voice was not his voice at all. Most of us will “miss it” at some point. We will believe we’re hearing from God, step out in faith, and end up slamming into closed doors. Perhaps you’ve been here, too. It might be regarding a job, a relationship, or a risky venture that everyone says is crazy. Most likely, you did all of the right things. …
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Time With God: Devotional Time Tips for Life’s Busy Seasons
The morning opens wide and foretells the season’s change. I wonder how we keep turning from one season to the next with ever-increasing urgency. Life has been busy and full lately. I’m desperate for some quiet devotional time with God, but I hardly know how to make it happen. I’m watching a V-shaped line of geese flap overhead when I hear my little boy pitter down the steps. He comes into the room and rubs his eyes. His short brown hair stands on end in a playful salute. I’m sure God smiles at sleepy children. “Get me cuppy, Mom,” he demands, and I extend grace about the manners since he’s…
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5 Inspiring Quotes to Help You Live Your Best Life
I sit on the deck as the ironweed bows its royal head in the late-summer breeze. I could list my favorite memories from the summer, but it seems fitting to close this season by reflecting on the words others have spoken into my life. These five inspiring quotes to help you live your best life have challenged me to rethink the rhythms of my days, the ways I seek God, and my priorities. These words remind me to keep watching and listening for God’s hand in every corner of my life. I pray these words will challenge you to slow down and let God speak into your quiet places, busy…
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Passion for God: 8 Ways to Fan the Flame
A thin band of sunlight slips through the window and illuminates a dried bouquet of thistle across the room. Lately, my passion for God seems to be wilting like the dried bouquet. I remember the day we gathered the thistle. It was warm for November, and the threat of the impending months of darkness and snow weighed on me. We went to the fields and gathered thistle, horsetails, and milkweed. We hoped that bringing life inside might somehow lengthen the months when the weather would stop us from wandering through fields of wildflowers. Months later, I gaze at the bouquet as worship music plays. I silently ask God to give…
