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Rooted and Established in Love Printables + Mini Devotional
I’m excited to share my new Rooted and Established in Love printables with you right in time for Valentine’s Day! I had a lot of fun creating these whimsical tree designs (they make me think of something Suessical) inspired by Ephesians 3.
I hope you enjoy these printables all year round too—after all, we can use the reminder that we are loved every day of the year, not just on certain holidays! These verses from Ephesians are so powerful, and my hope is these printables will help us aspire to love well and remember that the strength to do so comes directly from our mighty God!
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Fruits of the Spirit Printables + Mini Devotional
I’m excited to share my free Fruits of the Spirit printables with you today! This subway art based on Galatians 5:22-23 is a great tool for Bible verse memorization and meditation on God’s Word. I’m also sharing a mini devotional on spiritual growth and ways to further study this wonderful verse:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NASB)
I love the phrase “fruits of the Spirit” from scripture, and as someone who loves to garden, I always look forward to harvest time. As we continue into harvest season this year, there is so much rich truth in this verse to unpack! Here’s what I think this verse has to teach us.
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Longing for Light: An Example of Mythology Pointing to Jesus
Ever since I was little, I’ve loved reading mythology. The epic stories, heroic deeds, and imaginative worlds captured my imagination and solidified my love for fantasy books. But even better is when you can tell there is a beautiful truth underlying myths. I want to explore an example of mythology pointing to Jesus and how every human heart longs for light to vanquish darkness—a timeless theme of good overcoming evil.
I love when mythology points out a universal theme. In dark times, we ache for the arrival of dawn.
This seems especially relevant right now, as we’re all longing for a little more light in the world. Things have been pretty dark lately, what with the pandemic, racial injustice, divisiveness and more. So where can we turn as we’re looking for light?
Tricky Characters and Myths about Light
The examples from mythology I want to look at all tell the story of rebel gods stealing fire or light to bring it down to earth.
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The Story Behind My New Blog Name: Starlight through the Storm
Ta-da! You may have noticed that my blog has a new logo as well as a new name! I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes look at the inspiration behind both. I hope this will give you more insight into what you’ll find on my blog, as well as help you know a little more about the person who runs it.
I’ve literally been trying to pick a name before I even started blogging—over two years ago! (Yep, my blog had its anniversary in March and I kinda let it slip by. Oops!) I’m sure glad I didn’t wait until I had the “perfect” name picked before I started my blogging journey. (I think you should dive into blogging even if you don’t feel 100% ready.)
From poems to PR pieces, the titles have always been a challenge for me. So I’ve been brainstorming (for, ahem, years)…how to choose a blog name that sums up living with chronic illness, and not just surviving but thriving? I wanted to choose a name that sounded specific enough but was also broad enough that it would allow me to talk about all the things that bring me joy when my health turns life upside down—such as my faith, my love of words (and books!) and creativity.
Here’s the story behind coming up with a name for this blog, and why it’s special to me.
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Reflections on Faith: Invited to the Throne Room
Do you ever just get struck by something about God that leaves you full of amazement and love for Him? I had one of those moments recently and wanted to share it.
I was listening to a podcast (this one, which I recommend) that is based on the book of Esther. After hearing the speaker read a few verses, I had to push pause because I was thinking about the throne room Esther was preparing to enter, and how much it contrasted to another throne room in the Bible.
Here’s a summary of the verses: Esther the queen is Jewish, but nobody, not even the king, knows it. She learns about a plot to kill her people, so she takes on what she sees as her God-given duty to save them. The problem? She has to go talk to the king, and he’s in the throne room. If you haven’t been invited there, the king could sentence you to death for even coming in—unless he extends his scepter to you as a sign that he’ll spare your life (Esther 4:10-12).
After listening to these verses, A LOT of thoughts were going through my mind.
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Reflections on Easter – A Collection of Quotes
As Good Friday and Easter weekend approach, I wanted to share some quotes about Jesus’ resurrection that have stood out to me lately.
I hope these beautiful reminders of the meaning of Easter encourage you today!
This post contains affiliate links.
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”
—1 Peter 1:18-21 NIV -
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!
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My Favorite Nonfiction Books From 2018
The nonfiction books I read this year are a bit of a strange mashup—historical figures, devotionals, and…design inspiration. Despite the odd mix, I think you’ll really enjoy these books.
Any time I recommend a nonfiction book, you know I liked it a lot, because I actually finished it instead of turning to my first love: fiction!
I hope you find some great inspiration and learn something new from these books.
