08/12/2022
08/12/2022
As we come to celebrate another Labor Day, let's step back for a moment and consider what Scripture has to say about the rhythm of work and rest.
08/11/2022
When we start editing the gospel for fear of offense we lose everything. Without the gospel we have no message, no mission, and no church.
01/29/2021
Before beginning a Bible reading plan, here are some tips I’ve found helpful along the way. You will struggle, you will miss days, but the point is to keep going. Start today. You can always start today!
01/22/2021
Saying “no” is easy.
To kids who want their third bowl of ice cream, to teens who want to skip school, and to solicitors who want to sell you candy, saying “no” is easy.
But when it comes to marriage, it isn’t easy to discern when to say “no.” Life gets messy and complicated. Over time, once healthy boundaries begin to fade into blurred lines and marriages start to feel the strain. I’m reminded of a quote by Henry Cloud, author of Boundaries in Marriage, who wrote, “You get what you tolerate.”
So, let me ask you this. What are you tolerating?
If I may, I’d like to say that marriage is not about tolerating our spouses at all. God designed the marriage union for so much more. Toleration has more to do with things that are out of our control, such as hundred-degree weather without air conditioning or mosquitos at our backyard barbecue. We don’t tolerate our spouses. We love them, appreciate them, and nurture them. And one of the specific ways we do that is by saying “no” to things that cause distance or division.
Consider these 5 things you can say “no” to in order to better your marriage.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Jtasphoto
01/21/2021
A strong undercurrent of division has made its way into our nation, widening the gap between Americans, tearing Brothers and Sisters in Christ apart.
01/20/2021
This week it happened again. One thing after another stole my attention. I allowed unwanted distraction to disrupt my days, fretting over situations out of my control. Distractions turned to frustrations, and soon I was living in survival mode instead of living with peace and confidence.
Distraction is a tactic of the enemy, who loves to interfere with the lives of faith-filled women. Keeping us busy and focused on other things, so we lose focus on what matters most.
We have responsibilities that demand our time and energy. Those responsibilities can overwhelm us and lead to exhaustion if we forget to keep our focus on Jesus, “the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) When we’re buried under the weight of life’s difficulties, distraction seems to come at us from every direction. In those times we need to refocus our hearts and minds on Christ.
We know God called us to love and care for our people. Our families, friends, and neighbors. We also want to keep connected to Him through prayer and worship. So how do we stay focused as women of God with all the things going on in our lives and in the world around us?
God’s Word offers comfort and encouragement to bring Him back into focus and bring us out of survival mode. Here are 6 scriptures for when we lose focus. Each of these verses will strengthen us and provide renewed peace in the midst of life’s demands.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Arkira
01/19/2021
God invites all moms and dads to kneel before Him with our hopes for our sons and daughters. These are 6 powerful prayers for our children’s faith.
01/18/2021
The world often can be callous and cynical when it comes to bright-eyed dreamers.
It will seek to shadow or dampen spirits, but the beautiful truth about life is it really is not up to the world’s judgments how a life will go. It is not the world’s to define, to determine, or to deflate.
Rather, it is more so God’s Will for your life, and your willingness to go after your dreams. Believe that the God Who splits seas and defies death most certainly can help your dreams come to fruition--and loves you enough to want to.
Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Joshua Mcknight
01/15/2021
How to know God's will for a situation can be difficult for a believer. These five ways will teach us to know God’s will and live in the fullness of joy with him.
01/14/2021
On the other hand, there are many Americans who aren’t in immediate need of their relief check funds, as they’ve continued working as normal through the quarantine. And while the extra money could be put towards a car, student loans, or even a much-needed vacation, it could also be donated to support others in need.
01/12/2021
“Mommy,” my 5-year-old asked, “will today be a no-work day so that you can spend the whole day with me?” I get questions like this frequently.
I’m a mom of two who juggles a freelance workload as well as a part-time job at my local church. My kindergartener, who was accustomed to my whole world revolving around her and her older brother, is beginning to adjust to my new work schedule.
Freelancing and working in ministry often means that I tuck away for a few odd hours during the day to “get work done” all the while multi-tasking and managing the needs of our household. After a particularly busy week, my daughter will demand my attention. When she does this I can easily find myself riddled with “Mom Guilt.”
I feel remorse for not being able to give her more of my full and undivided attention.
As I learn to balance and prioritize family alongside my workload and household demands I’ve developed a few strategies to tackle “Mom Guilt” head-on. If you’ve been struggling in this department as well, take a deep breath and then begin to incorporate these 5 steps into your parenting.
They will likely reduce your “Mom Guilt” if not remove it altogether.
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01/12/2021
You remember vividly the day your first child came into the world. Then it was 2 a.m. feedings and surviving the ginormous responsibility of keeping a little human alive.
Now that little human is taller than you and has basically turned into a cat. He only comes out of his room when he’s hungry, and the idea of hugging him is akin to playing Russian Roulette--will he hiss at you, or will he hug you back.
Don’t worry, all parents face challenging times when it comes to the fundamentals of parenting a teen. Not quite sure what I’m talking about? Check out Trey Kennedy’s impersonation of middle schoolers--there’s five videos because parents relate!
Now that I’ve survived raising one teenager who is a fully functioning adult in her last year of college, I’m in the trenches with a tween and teen. And let me tell you, it’s not easy. There’s hormones, moodiness, attitudes, sprawling legs and arms, turbulent times, pimples, texts, memes I will never understand, body odor, and the task of keeping the eye on the prize, fully functioning adults raised up in the way that they should go.
It causes me to drop to my knees on a daily basis and rely on my friends who are going through the same challenges with their own teens. This has given me so much insight on how to parent my teens, and in the process, I’ve discovered some tips that you might find useful.
01/11/2021
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” (Ephesians 5:25 NIV).
Falling in love is easy. Staying in love is hard work. It takes deliberate effort to follow through on the vows we make on our wedding day. No matter how well prepared we think we are for marriage, we aren’t—not until we begin to walk those vows out. Whether you’ve said, “I do,” recently or you’ve been together for decades, you can count on one thing—your lives will be full of for better or for worse.
So how can you keep your marriage strong in the better and build it back up in the worse? Love your wife more than yourself. Push your needs aside and instead of asking what she can do for you, ask, “What can I do for her?” The list I’m offering next is only meant as a springboard to answer that question. God knows your wife and your marriage. He put you together, and He wants you to stay together. Ask Him to reveal her heart, then pay attention to what He shows you.
01/08/2021
Many of us have struggled at some point with what we think about our body. There are times when focusing on our body is crucial to our physical well-being, such as when our general health demands it or when we seek to lower our risk of developing certain diseases.
However, wanting to maintain a healthy appearance is different from your overall body image.
Body image refers to your predominant thoughts and feelings about your body and how physically attractive you consider yourself to be. This includes what you think about your weight, height, or any other of your physical features, as well as how comfortable you are in your own skin.
According to the National Eating Disorder Association, your body image can be affected by a range of factors including what you actually see in the mirror, what you misperceive as your reflection, and what those around you—including those on social media—have you believe about your body verses their carefully edited pictures of “perfection.”
People with a positive body image have an accurate perception of how their physical features look and acknowledge that their physical appearance doesn’t determine their value as a person.
In contrast, people with a negative body image (also called a distorted body image) have an unrealistic view of their body that causes them to feel shame, anxiety, or self-consciousness. Research shows that people with a consistently negative body image are at a higher risk of developing certain conditions such as depression and eating disorders.
You begin forming your perceptions of your body in early childhood and, statistically, females are more likely to develop body image issues than males. Importantly, if left unaddressed, body image issues can last a lifetime.
This is why it’s essential that you develop and maintain a healthy view of your body, not only for your own well-being but for the well-being of any little ones learning how to feel about their bodies by what you say about yours.
As with anything else that matters, the Bible has a lot to say about our bodies. Here are 5 Bible verses to meditate on to retrain your mind about your body.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/AntonioGuillem
01/07/2021
The best way to identify a generational curse is to find the origin. Parents who behave a certain way may have witnessed such behaviors in their own parents. Without awareness, the cycle will likely continue. Another important detail when pinpointing a generational curse is to discern whether multiple people struggle with the same problem.
01/06/2021
What comfort to know we are never left alone. He is with us always. God gives us the ability to have new beginnings in each moment. Hope is found in Him. Find comfort in these prayers for new beginnings in life.
01/05/2021
What exactly is survival mode? Survival mode is the short-term, mode you enter when your fight-or-flight response is triggered. It can be triggered by various things, lack of sleep, anxiety, trauma, loss, or changes in our life like having a baby. Both big and small changes impact us differently, and we may find ourselves acting, saying, and doing things we never thought we would.
01/04/2021
Everyone’s journey that leads up to saying “I do” is different. Some of us meet and marry young, others experience relationship losses that eventually lead us to the one we commit to, and others spend much of their lives single before deciding to marry.
Though each story may be different, there are some things anyone who is hoping to marry can do to ready their hearts for a relationship that was designed to last a lifetime.
Marriage is a gift but it also holds up a mirror to your own character in a way that can be challenging. Being ready to lay down some of yourself to better love another is an important part of readying your heart for marriage.
The Bible does have a lot to say about preparing for marriage. Although we won't include every Bible verse below, we'll include a sampling of what Scripture says about this:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7: "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Ephesians 5:23-33: "For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish."
Here are 10 ways you can prepare yourself now for marriage:
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/JLco - Julia Amaral
01/01/2021
This activity has been scientifically proven to reduce stress levels, and yet it is often associated with New Age practices and eastern religions. This is why Christians often ask the question, is meditation a sin?
12/31/2020
There is a stark difference between following the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. These differences are critical and need to be addressed because they will impact your relationship with God and how you engage other people.
12/30/2020
What if I told you the real reasons you worry have more to do with your relationship with God than the people and situations you’re worried about? The reasons you worry probably aren’t the reasons you’re thinking, but as soon as you know them, you may be able to convince yourself to stop.
12/29/2020
The challenges we face during this pandemic do make being a good neighbor more difficult. But it’s in times of trial that our faith can shine through the darkness more brightly than ever.
12/28/2020
We give thanks to God because giving thanks to God leads to the miracles of God and that is our focus in the New Year. So how do we practice gratitude in the New Year while we are standing in the ashes of what once was?
12/25/2020
Our hope is not in open-mindedness or a new way of thinking. And our hope is not in a forthcoming vaccine. Our hope lies in what only Christ and His coming to earth brought to us.
12/25/2020
I have mentioned before that just as a woman desires to feel loved, men equally desire to feel respected. Respect, in all forms, speaks volumes to men and often results in them feeling worthy of their wife’s affections.
As you can imagine, talking about this with my husband stirred up some really important conversations between the two of us, and I’m really glad that it did! Sometimes, we can be so blinded to our own shortcomings that we have to take the time to ask our spouses to boldly and lovingly share them with us.
12/24/2020
Perhaps the greatest present you can give others and yourself is to simply be fully present.
12/23/2020
Instead of building her confidence on something she could lose, or have taken, Mary built her confidence on God.
12/22/2020
Adults become stressed and overwhelmed leading into Christmas--it makes for a lot of hustle and bustle and fewer moments enjoying your family. While I have not cracked the code on thriving in December, there some things we can do to be more present and less stressed.
12/21/2020
What does the Bible say about mental health? The Bible does not speak of mental health in the same way that we do today, but the concept of mental health is integral to all of Scripture.
12/18/2020
One of the most profound pieces of advice my grandfather shared with me when I first got married was to never start doing something you aren’t willing to do for a lifetime. I think he offered this up in jest, but as the years have started to add up in my own marriage I can see how much truth there is in this simple statement.
Change is hard! Once we form a pattern of behavior either positive or negative it can be really challenging to break away from that pattern.
For many women we have some “go-to” patterns that many of us struggle with that can be unhealthy for our marriages.
Keep in mind, every relationship is unique. This list is not to try to push anyone into a box but rather a tool to help you consider some common traps our marriages can fall into.
I know from personal experience that it is easy to be blind to your own negative coping strategies. We first have to wake up to the ways our automatic responses are hurting us before being able to grow and change!
Here are 10 things that wives should stop doing in their marriages.
12/17/2020
Several families on my street put up their Christmas lights before Thanksgiving. I’m sure it’s because they’re trying to give others a little cheer—and it does make me smile as I drive past.
Because this year has been so unusual and stress-filled, we’re ready to embrace the Christmas season with gusto. However, we may need to curb our normal spending habits due to less income. Or we might just want to be more intentional about our celebration.
Making it simple appeals for many reasons, but doesn’t make it less festive or meaningful! Consider these 8 ways to fully enjoy your Christmas this year:
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Grinvalds
12/16/2020
God created everything for a purpose, and that didn’t get lost on grandparents. Let’s explore five reasons God created grandparents.
12/14/2020
Look deeper beyond just the familiar story of Christmas and see that these verses are practically relevant for us even thousands of years later.
12/14/2020
How do we effectively say no to workaholism? For that, we’ll look to the example of Jesus.
12/11/2020
How do we know we’ve done a sin of omission? What is the true difference between a sin of omission and commission, and is either worse than the other one?
12/10/2020
1 Peter 5:8 tells us that our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We know the enemy wants our children; he wants to pull them away from us, from their faith, and from the one true God. We also know that Satan is crafty, and he tries to pull our children away in a variety of ways: by temptation, distractions, deception, etc.
Thankfully, we serve a God that invites us to pray, to talk with Him about the longings of our hearts. He has also given us His Word, full of wisdom and promises that can guide us in our prayers.
When we pray to God, asking for our children to be protected from Satan, we should remember that we aren’t praying to a distant, indifferent entity. No! We’re praying to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We’re praying to the I AM, who loves our children more than we do and who cherishes their souls more than we can even comprehend!
As you pray through the following 10 scriptures, pray expectantly. Pray with confidence. Pray with boldness as you approach His throne on behalf of your children.
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12/09/2020
This is a season of uncertainty. We are in the middle of a global crisis. Your kids are surely feeling the anxiety that seems to hit from every side. Take some time today to think through how you as a parent might offer empathy, strengthen your connection, manage your own stress, and keep Christ central so that your home becomes a safe place of calm for your kids.
12/08/2020
Do you ever use your moods to control your husband’s response? For example: Have you ever responded curtly with, “Nope. It’s fine. I don’t care” – when it actually isn’t fine and you do care?
12/07/2020
Complex pain and complicated topics, like racial reconciliation, require more than quick fixes. But they also demand that we refuse to ignore the issue.
12/04/2020
Let’s face it. Life is crazy and our schedules are full.
Even if—some might say especially if—we’re retired from our careers, many of us have more to do “than we can say grace over.” But we can’t let all that activity keep us from fulfilling one of our most important responsibilities.
Our grandkids need us to intercede on their behalf. We live in perilous times. Throughout history this has almost always been the case, but the year 2020 tightened the screws on our anxiety levels. Potential for disaster lies just beyond the next flip of the calendar page.
However, even if life was all honey and no bees, it wouldn’t change the truth. Grandparents can—and should—pray powerful prayers for our precious grandchildren.
The Bible gives clear instruction that we ought always to pray in Luke 18:1. It also provides direction for our prayers—helping us know what to pray. We’ll identify 5 themes here.
Beyond general themes, Scripture also provides guidance on what to say, offering many examples of people who prayed—complete with their actual words—and who received marvelous results from a merciful, kind Heavenly Father.
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12/03/2020
One of the most intense concerns a mother has for her children, apart from her concerns for their physical safety, is her concern for their spiritual condition.
12/02/2020
Giving in ways that push you outside of focusing on yourself can renew your Christmas Spirit.
11/30/2020
It's just a fact of life that failing in small and big ways is what many of us do best. Here's a story that's a powerful reminder: God doesn’t give up on you or me, even if we fail Him repeatedly.
11/27/2020
Whenever you give thanks to God, despite the most difficult circumstances, the enemy loses a big battle in your life.
11/25/2020
Your home can become holy ground as you share your faith with your children and grandchildren. What is the best way to do that?
11/24/2020
For a lot of us, the safest option to see our family this year is Zoom Thanksgiving. Despite the shift in plans, memories and long-standing traditions do not need to be canceled, in fact many will perhaps be even more sentimental than in years past, and perhaps a few new ones will emerge.
11/23/2020
Whatever God has given you and wherever He placed you, may you choose holiness and faithfulness over selfish gain and satisfaction. It's in the pursuit of God’s heart and God's will that you will find eternal joy.
11/20/2020
It’s not easy, often doesn’t include an earthly award, but God calls us to this. Let’s dissect this concept of integrity—doing the right thing and doing so with conviction.
11/18/2020
As you look to God first as your Heavenly Husband (Isaiah 54:5), your earthly husband can’t help but notice Christ-like character in you…the essence of true beauty. And when you pursue you pursue your husband, you are affirming to him that he is worth the pursuit.
11/17/2020
Did you know that one of the kid’s most popular apps gives complete strangers access to chat with them online?
Were you aware that another often used app introduces your child to soft porn?
And what if someone told you that “kid” profiles on streaming media apps are only as kid-proof as your child’s ignorance?
One might not consider the dangers of such apps like Fortnite, Snapchat, and Netflix, but beware, they are worth considering. At the time this article is written, there are 78.3 million Fornite users, 186 million Snapchat users, and 151 million Netflix subscribers.
The odds your children will remain unaffected by these and other apps, are highly unlikely.
It’s not a new conversation, this “be careful what your kids download” subject. But often, parents request a list of the most dangerous apps so they can easily safeguard their child.
Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as a Top 10, and even the “safe” apps can become dangerous. So as parents, we need to be vigilant. As someone who has worked in the wireless industry for seventeen years, I recommend three important parental filters:
1. Know your child--do they communicate openly with you, or are they private?
2.You own the phone (or tablet)--just because it’s “theirs” doesn’t mean it’s off-limits. Have you set the expectation that you can look through their phone any time?
3. Just because it’s “Kid Safe”, doesn’t mean it is--have you researched the app?
Your electronic devices can be fabulous additions to your family’s options for entertainment and education. But a major error many parents make is trusting someone else—namely the app developer—to rate the potential harm for your child.
But, as a mom, not just someone who works in the industry, I’ve found that some of the safer apps are also important to not disregard.
It’s time to learn about some potential dangers lurking in your child’s bedroom that would rival any boogeyman.
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11/16/2020
The doctrine of the Triunity of One God is a mystery to be embraced. However, the Trinity is the logic of God, not the calculation of man. Therefore, we will see it but never see through it, to fully comprehend the mystery. If we did, it wouldn't be a mystery, would it?
11/13/2020
Relating in uncertainty can impact our sense of our self-worth. How do we help children know their self-worth when they’re developing in distance learning and digital play dates?
11/11/2020
Fear is a powerful force. Its impact often pierces the deepest parts of us, quickly dysregulating our sense of safety, security, and state of calm. The truth is, we cannot escape the reality of fear in our world today. From the ongoing uncertainty of a global pandemic, the division of racial injustice, the polarization of America’s political powers, and the impact of unexpected personal losses, this year has been infused with panic in various forms. Yet during such highly anxious times, God’s word seems to present us with a contradictory invitation to “not be afraid.”
Looking into Scripture, we find that this courageous exhortation, found throughout the Old and New Testament, is always in response to situations where fear is present. Yet, somewhere along the way, we have interpreted such scriptures to assume that we should never experience the feeling of fear and in doing so, we lack faith. Thus, the measurement of our spiritual maturity has become bound to the unbiblical notion that, to feel afraid means I lack faith.
My pastor recently shared a pointed truth on this same topic saying, “To deny the presence of fear is not spiritual maturity - it is simply lying to yourself (Gospel Community Church, 2020).”
It is with this understanding we see how Scripture invites us to acknowledge the reality of fear while not allowing its presence to discourage us from faith. One of my favorite definitions of courage describes it as "the ability to persevere through all emotions." I love this perspective because it does not neglect our emotional experiences but empowers us to be present with distress while not allowing it to dictate our response.
So, therefore courage fueled by faith is not the absence of fear but the ability to withstand it. If we are to develop this internal state of strength, we must take time to face our fears, redirect our focus, and rest on the foundation of our faith.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/tuaindeed
11/10/2020
The sins of racism and prejudice are rampant in our world. The heartbreaking reality is that our struggle to overcome bias stretches back to the beginning of human history. Even the first family felt the painful effects of hate and unchecked bias. In Genesis 4 we read that Cain killed Abel because he allowed hate or bias against his brother to grow in his heart to the point that he murdered his own flesh and blood.
A huge part of what it means to be a Christ-follower is being someone who desires God’s "will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
John 8:32 says, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” God’s mission is to reveal truth to us so that we may be set free. God loves every person and God does not want his fearfully and wonderfully made creations to be bound up by sin.
It is in church and within the safe spaces of our small groups where we can begin to do the hard work of examining and challenging our own hidden biases, racist tendencies. It's here, in vulnerable interaction, we discover what reconciliation can look like for our lives and in our communities.
Romans 12:10 charges believers to “love each other with genuine affection” and “outdo one another in showing honor.” Christ-followers can step up and set an example for our communities with our words and actions on how to honor and love others well.
How, though, do we start these sometimes uncomfortable conversations regarding race relations? What does it look like to repent for the ways our racial biases have hurt others? How can we begin to experience the freedom that Jesus promises?
Let’s explore great small group resources and questions that can help jumpstart conversations around this important topic.
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11/09/2020
Here’s a question for you to consider: Has there been any point in your life, where you felt alone? I mean truly alone; as in, you experienced a disconnection from God, others, and even from yourself.
No matter how much you prayed, you felt like God did not deliver you from your sorrow. When you called out to family or friends for support, they didn’t understand, or worse, they criticized you.
In their eyes, you were to blame for all of your suffering.
If only you knew what to do, but sadly you didn’t. And neither did they. And to you, God wasn’t answering. There was seemingly no way out.
Many troubles in life can leave us in a state of despair, and one of those likely culprits is the feeling of loss.
Death, divorce, breakups, a ruined friendship. Each of these is indicative of loss. The feeling is not limited to relationships, however, property can be lost, as well as confidence, security, or physical mobility.
As despair creeps in, we can easily find ourselves succumbing to fear that looks inescapable. But looks can be deceiving.
One of the saddest, and yet, victorious stories of the Bible occurs in the Book of Job. Here we have a devout believer who not only has strong faith, but has a large family and vast earthly wealth (Job 1:1-3). He was all-around blessed. With his seasons of prosperity though, came a season of severe loss that devasted everything he had.
At the hands of the devil, Job lost almost everything: relationships, children, property. He was even stricken with sickness. Somehow, in some way, Job was sustained through all his trouble.
The reason? He trusted God.
If you are going through a season of loss that seems to overwhelm you, take heart. Here’s what the Book of Job reveals about trust during loss.
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11/06/2020
A common suggestion in the world is to avoid the topics of religion and politics, yet Jesus called His followers to go forth and spread the Gospel. Where then does this leave followers of Christ, especially in the workplace?
It can be tempting to want to keep work-life and personal-life separate. Should we close our mouths and stay silent to abide by the status quo and to not rock the boat, or should we loudly proclaim? What is the best way to be professional, but above all else do as Jesus called for?
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11/05/2020
Every few months I trotted my daughter to the doctor for a well-baby checkup. As a nervous new mother, I appreciated having a healthcare professional evaluate my baby’s health.
She listened to my concerns; peered into my baby’s eyes, ears, nose, and throat; and listened to her heart. After she measured her height and weight, she asked me questions about her eating and sleeping habits. Then she made helpful suggestions.
Regular physical checkups are important if we value a healthy body, and regular relationship checkups are important if we value a healthy marriage.
If you’d like to evaluate the health of your marriage (without having to step on a scale or say "ahhh"), consider these 5 signs of a healthy marriage.
11/04/2020
Instead of burying your hope in unmet expectations, seasons of disappointment, and questions that go unanswered, bury hopelessness. Instead of burying your devotion, bury your doubt and disappointment. Shovel the dirt on top of that grave, dust off your hands, and walk away. It’s worth it.
11/03/2020
Nothing made me feel more defensive and icky, though, than realizing I had to reckon with white privilege. It was my classmate's story, which triggered my come-to-Jesus moment on this.
11/02/2020
The pregnancy test came back positive, in my exhilaration and excitement all I wanted to do was share the good news with one of my dear friends.
I called her up, but as soon as I heard her voice on the other line I knew that something was wrong. Rather than blurting out my exciting news I asked what was going on. She had just miscarried, again. I could hear the anguish in her voice, the brokenness and devastation. My news could wait.
Although I am no stranger to suffering, I’ve had to learn how I can show up for others who are suffering. You might think that if you’ve suffered you automatically understand how to walk with those who are suffering, as it turns out, no.
In those days after receiving my friends news showing up for her meant dog sitting while her husband took her to the hospital. During that time my husband and I helped provide meals. We prayed and wept with our friends.
Ultimately, showing up well for my friend meant being there and allowing “there” to last as long as my friend needed it to.
Today, if you have a person in your life who is walking through a time of suffering I want to encourage you to show up in real and tangible ways. Keep in mind, one person’s suffering may not look like the suffering of someone else. My friend was suffering not just the loss of a baby but also the loss of a dream.
I’ve had friends suffer the loss of a job, a spouse, a child, a home, and yes even a beloved pet. As we grieve, whatever it might be that we are grieving, it helps to grieve in community. God built us to desire and need community.
So, today, as you walk alongside your friend, here are some helpful suggestions on how to show up well.
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