Faith
-
You Are SO Loved
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I wanted to remind you (yes, YOU!) that you are so loved.
While Valentine’s marketing often focuses on romantic love, love is so much more than that!
Ultimately, we can rejoice because we know we are loved by God. (I think it’s important to pause and remind ourselves, very often, that we are LOVED by the Creator of the universe. Seriously, how incredibly amazing is that?)
Here are some reminders of how much you are loved by God.
Feel free to share these songs and verses with those you love to remind them just how valuable they are. Valentine’s day is also the perfect time to our love for family and friends!
-
Letting God Choose A Word For The Year
In the past, I have resisted choosing a word for the year because it has always seemed so arbitrary. I’ve seen other people do that, and then they seem frustrated when the random word they chose hasn’t magically panned out over the year. It almost seems like setting yourself up for failure to decide the year will be a certain thing, and then get disappointed when it isn’t. Especially if that word is a vague hope, vs. a goal you work towards.
But a few years ago, I listened to a podcast by the Ransomed Heart team about letting God choose your word/verse/theme for the year. (Here’s this year’s podcast on that topic.)
I found this perspective so refreshing and have enjoyed praying about what word and Bible verse God has for me each new year since. It has been a great practice for growing closer to God and bringing my plans and hopes for the year to Him.
-
To the Christian Who Feels Sad at Christmastime—Here’s What’s Helping Me
We’re getting real on the blog today.
I want talk about struggling with feelings of sadness around Christmas, something that can impact anyone, not only those of us with chronic illness.
In a way, this feels a bit like a taboo subject. I kind of worry about admitting to this struggle out of fear that people will think I’m not grateful for all Christmas represents (it is Jesus’ birthday after all!) or that my sadness means I somehow dislike Christmas (which certainly is not the case!)
I’ve struggled over the past several holiday seasons, and a lot of it has had to do with getting used to my limitations due to chronic illness. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, so in addition to struggling with not feeling happy, I’m also struggling with not feeling quite like myself. My love for Christmas is a part of who I am, so this sadness is yet another way my chronic illnesses impact my identity.
And I think as Christians we can sometimes feel pressure to feel or act happy 24/7, so feeling sad this time of year adds another layer of complexity—I feel guilty about it!
-
Free Philippians 4:8 Printables
I love Philippians 4:8’s reminder of where we should focus our thoughts, and created this printable based on the verse:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (NIV)
I’ve tried to memorize this verse, and I always seem to get hung up on remembering exactly which words appear in exactly which order. I think all the “whatever’s” throw me off! That, and brain fog has messed with my ability to memorize things.
So I wanted to create a printable that captured the essence of the verse. A quick glance at this printable offers a description of the kinds of thoughts that are most glorifying to God, and most beneficial for us.
-
Book Review: Defiant Joy
Today I’m reviewing a book I knew I was going to love even before I picked it up. Stasi Eldredge’s book Defiant Joy has the subtitle: Taking Joy of Hope, Beauty, and Life in a Hurting World. And I think that message is so timely and needed. There is so much brokenness and sorrow in the world, it almost seems like joy isn’t possible. But the good news is—it is! This book revels in just how much joy there is available for us in Christ.
I was fortunate enough to see a Facebook post inviting people to receive an advance reader’s copy of the book from the publisher and help spread the word about the book as part of the launch team.
What can I say, I see the words “free book” and “Stasi Eldredge” and I click!
I got my book a few weeks ago and felt like a bit of a time traveler because I got to read it early (the book came out earlier this week). Please note that I received no compensation for this review, and all opinions are my own.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small portion of sales, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for supporting my blog through your purchase!
I’m a huge fan of the Eldredge’s books (Captivating and The Sacred Romance among my favorites) as they have really helped me to grow and experience my relationship with God in new and deeper ways, so you bet I was eager to read this latest book.
I had discovered Stasi’s blog post titled Defiant Joy in 2016 and
-
Turning Ordinary Moments into Prayer Spaces
I thought up the phrase “prayer spaces” many years ago while driving home from work, and it’s been a phrase that has helped remind me to find time to turn my focus off of the hectic speed of life, and toward God.
Here’s what sparked me to think of that phrase. One of my favorite songs is hidden
-
Some Thoughts on The Value of Patience
As a blogger who is a Christian, I’ve been trying to practice asking God what He wants from my blog. I want to be willing to let God disrupt my schedule and plans because He knows what I need to be writing more than I do, and He knows what my audience needs to be reading more than I do.
If you’ve listened to the wonderful Ransomed Heart podcast, you’ll be familiar with this idea that God’s plan is often disruptive. I’ve found this perspective helpful, as well as, ahem, disruptive. This awareness has helped me to look for times when I am getting too caught up in myself and the way I think things should be done.
As far as blogging goes, this means asking God in prayer about what topics to cover next. God is like my editor who gives my blog schedule final approval. (And yes, He has swapped things around on me!) As I was thinking about my upcoming posts, I asked God, “What topic would you like me to write about next.” “Patience” was the immediate answer. So immediate that I was rather taken aback. Do I really need to work on patience that badly?!
-
A Playlist of Upbeat Christian Songs
If the approach of summer has you in the mood for making a playlist, I have some great suggestions for you!
It’s amazing how much music affects our emotions, and I’ve definitely felt the need for more upbeat music lately.
