The season is upon us. The season of debating. Do you go ahead and put up your Christmas decorations? Or do you wait until you have celebrated Thanksgiving?
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1 Corinthians 13, verses 4 through 7, has always fascinated me. As a child, I saw it as yet another unattainable thing in the Bible. It was something that Christians were supposed to be, but also something I could never be. It felt overwhelming. As a youth, I started to understand that these were qualities of Christ, yet they still felt beyond my grasp. As a young adult who walked away from the Lord, I no longer cared what the Bible said about anything
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What do you do when there is a tear-stained face, hair uncombed, a heart full of fear and anxious thoughts racing up and down, a time when you can’t eat, sleep or face anyone? How does the Bible tell us to face, endure and overcome suffering?
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This fall I am on the home stretch of a goal to read through the Bible in one year. I wrapped up the Old Testament during the dog days of summer, which gave me a new perspective on persistence in patience, and am finally reading the good news in the fresh air of fall. Wrapping up the Old Testament during the dog days of summer and reading the good news in the freshness fall brings. It has been a joy to read of new life and new freedom in the new season.
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I am mama to a two-month-old baby boy, and my life has seemingly dissolved into a million tiny storms that swirl around into one massive tornado I call a day. The baby needs to be held, the dishes need to be cleaned, the laundry is stacking up, the office needs to be organized, the baby’s peed all over the bed, my breastmilk is leaking through my shirt… I think you get the point. I constantly am battling a swarm of troubles that feel consuming and unending.
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When I read “love is not proud” in 1 Corinthians 13:4, my mind jumps to a quote from the beloved Jane Austen novel, Pride & Prejudice, when Mr. Darcy says “Vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride - where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will always be under regulation.”
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Have you heard that rejection is God’s protection? When we get rejected from something, I like to think God is working on our behalf for something better.
However, the blow of rejection can tear you down. The biggest rejection I have ever faced came unannounced in the word, “uncomfortable.” I received this news from a mutual friend of mine, on behalf of a guy. The dude was uncomfortable around me.
What do you do when life disappoints you? Or what about when it’s someone who lets you down? How do you handle those moments in life?
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I had just reached school, my workplace. As I walked to my room, I watched the parents say goodbye to their dear children and leave. It was the start of the school year and some of the children were a little unsettled and looked worried. I saw the expressions of the parents-they looked as if they were bursting with love for their little ones.
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Oh dear, here I was, worrying again! A phone call I had just received had made my mood spiral down. I was reacting in ways I did not like. My heart was racing, I was fearful and sad, all at once.
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It’s ironic how the words of Invictus match the attitude of a former control freak. I was never in control of my life. I’d like to sit here and tell you I knew what I was doing from day one, but that’s just not true. I’d be lying. Married by twenty-five! That’s funny. College graduate! Yeah, nope.
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This left me at a crossroads...continue to work for a place I helped build (and accomplished what I wanted) or chase after my own/personal dreams and desires. I took a giant leap of faith and stepped into a very part-time job where I get to be a part of my dream for my family. As I took that step of faith, I prayed - that God would open the door for me to pursue my dreams as a speaker and writer. Yelena did not know about that prayer - nor did she know that several years ago God had given me a promise through the verse Romans 8:28.
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What if obedience was the precursor to something God wanted to do for you later in life? Would you choose to snap to attention right away? No questions asked? Easy, right? But only if we know the why behind the ask.
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Seeking God and soaking in God’s word have been emphasized many times in the Bible. When we meditate on God’s word we carry them in our hearts and soak in their goodness and strength.
What is love and how do we know if it is lasting? I have asked myself this question throughout the course of my life. Time and time again, I have been reminded what lasting love looks like by looking in God's Word. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV, I have been able to read, see, and feel what true love looks like. It isn’t just some reading that is popular at weddings and it isn’t just some nice sounding script that looks good on a Pinterest plaque. It is a description of who God is while also being a guidebook for how we are to love.
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Are you crying out to God? Are you asking why? Why didn’t I get the job? Why didn’t I get the house? Why didn’t I get the guy? “Are you even listening, Lord? Why are you so distant? Why will you not answer my prayers?”
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Over the past year, there have been many days where I have been overwhelmed and enamored by the goodness of God and the intense joy of living fully for Him. There have been countless moments I can’t believe I get to have a front-row seat of the work He’s doing in the lives of my friends, family members and women in the city.
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Do you have anyone in your life right now that you admire? I do. I am fortunate enough to have several women in my life who are ahead of me both in years and faith that I look up to and who are full of godly wisdom. Prayerfully, there are some younger ladies in my life who look up to me in that way.
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Switching on the kettle to make my morning tea, I looked out through the window at the sky, dark with a beautiful full moon! I pull out my journal, Bible and pen- and sit on our red couch to meet with Jesus one on one!
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What is love and how do we know if it is lasting? I have asked myself this question throughout the course of my life. Time and time again, I have been reminded what lasting love looks like by looking in God's Word. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV, I have been able to read, see, and feel what true love looks like. It isn’t just some reading that is popular at weddings and it isn’t just some nice sounding script that looks good on a Pinterest plaque. It is a description of who God is while also being a guidebook for how we are to love. While the first aspect of love in 1 Corinthians is being patient, the second characteristic of love is being kind, and listed right behind these is “love does not envy”.
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