It was 10:55 and, as I circled the church parking lot in my new college town for the third time, I realized there was no way I was going to find a place to park in time. I rarely missed a Sunday back at home, but I couldn’t figure out any solution than to leave the parking lot and drive back to my dorm. While it might not have seemed like a big deal, I felt like such a failure for not making it to church my first weekend at college.
Read MoreIs worship only found on Sunday morning between the first strum of the guitar to when the house lights are raised and the amen is said? Most of us know that worship is not confined to those minutes, but how do we reset our lifestyles to be lifestyles of worship toward God?
Read MoreI went most of college and well into my late twenties dieting (with the exception of the year I was pregnant). There was always something new to try and if results were being advertised, I was on it. However, I would start a diet, cheat (because I’d decided I deserved it due to my impressive discipline!), and then fell off the wagon because I took a mile when I only meant to give myself an inch. I would ultimately decide the diet wasn’t working for me and I’d move on to the next. Literally repeating the same cycle.
Read MoreI took the test last night. I waited all week for it. It was stupid to get my hopes up. I had my first taken away from me last year and each passing month the disappointment stabs a little deeper. I hate being disappointed, so I try not to hope too much. But this time, for whatever reason, I really thought I'd be pregnant.
Read MoreEveryone wants to be successful. In our culture, achieving success is basically the pinnacle of existence. We all have interest boards full of motivational quotes about #girlbosslife and #hustle. This idea of achievement is tied to school, work, or personal life, and we spend so much of our time chasing after this ideal. And while it is true that we have to work towards what we want in life, unless you know what success means to you personally, you’ll always be chasing after someone else’s version of success.
Read MoreFor my entire life, I’ve been fighting a battle for his love. Each time I look at my wounds, I want the pain to stop. I’ve tried and I try to keep fighting, but the battle keeps getting worse and the wounds are becoming unbearable. I’m fighting for a relationship that I may not ever have. This fight for love and affection from my earthly father has taken a mental and spiritual toll far greater than any physical impact.
Read MoreMisused opportunities and unused talents. I think that's the best way I would describe the way most of us live out our youth. And for a lot of people, our whole lives. Because we have this mindset of "one day" and "not enough."
Read MoreSeveral years ago, I picked up a copy of Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Minimalism was starting to become more popular, and I liked the idea of trying to organize my life. It didn’t take me that long into the decluttering process to realize I had so much stuff that I never use. Things that I was holding onto simply because I thought I should. It’s like I suddenly woke up and saw all the stuff that was weighing me down, and the whole idea of minimalism totally clicked for me.
Read MoreThere I was, alone once again on a Saturday night. I was twisted up in my comforter as I scrolled aimlessly through my Instagram feed. I scrolled through pictures of places, people, and, yes, couples nuzzling up to one another. But, for once, it wasn’t the couples that pricked the corners of my jealous heart, but the friends.
Read MoreIt is a question we are afraid to ask. It is something we think but do not speak. It is a terrified piece of our souls in the closets of our minds. The Question is the same for everyone, but we all have our own version--our own way of asking. It is born in the chasm that exists between us humans and God.
Read MoreMany of us have heard about the concept of Sabbath in the Christian faith. This article isn’t about telling you legalistic rules or condemning you for not Sabbathing. I am not here to argue about the validity of Sabbath after the New Testament and Jesus. I am here to encourage you about Sabbath and to point out some reasons why you may need one more than you think.
Read MoreIf you are to believe that you are a child of God - the apple of His eye - then you must believe that of others. This is where it gets a little hard. Remember what it means to be the apple of God’s eye? How He desires to protect you? How He loves, and cherishes you? How He desires to see himself in you?
Read MoreOn a recent, cold Alaska Saturday morning, I forced myself out of the comfort of my warm bed to join a group of young female warriors - women of a military community, mostly spouses of service members. Our facilitator was an art therapist. She gave those who gathered the profound luxury to consider the question "What opens your heart?" by using artwork.
Read MoreOne day, it feels like smooth sailing over calm waters: the waves gentle and quiet, the water so clear you can peer into it for miles. We make our plans and with smooth sailing, we cast away full of hope, faith and peace. But what happens when the storms start rolling in?
Read MoreWhen it comes to love, we typically give what we're given. We love with conditions. We love the people who love us, we love the people who are nice to us. We love the people who look and act like us, but what about the ones who aren't so nice to us though? The ones who don't look like us or act like us? What about people that have hurt us? Do we love them?
Read MoreI started thinking about what my piece of advice will be when it would be my turn to stand in front of my peers as a graduating senior. If I could only give one piece of advice, what would it be? If that one piece of advice was the only legacy I left behind, what would I say?
Read MoreEvery decision is an opportunity to draw nearer to God. I choose God every time, no matter what. Has it been hard? Absolutely. Will it continue to be challenging at times? Yes. God evens says so himself but the joy, strength, contentment and peace are so worth it. I can either break down walls with God’s grace and get closer to the Father or build walls up that draw me away from Him, His presence, voice and will. The choice is up to me.
Read MoreLast year, I slowly studied through the book of Matthew. It took me six months to get through the book, but I’m glad I stuck with it. As I was studying through Matthew, one of the things that struck me was how Jesus handled the disciples.
Read MoreFor so long, I let the enemy make me believe that my identity was in the fact that I was a gossiper. But that’s not true, for me or for any of us. I am not a gossiper, I am a treasured daughter of the Highest King. I have the opportunity every day from God to speak life or death into people’s lives.
Read MoreWork...the word that can either inspire excitement or dread, pleasure or frustration, confidence or doubt. I’ve been working various jobs since I was seventeen years old, but it wasn’t until this year that the Lord began to open my eyes to the reality of how He is shaping my heart towards work.
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