Two Simple Ways to Create a Meaningful Pause this Christmas Season
How would it feel to catch your breath and have it turn into praise this Christmas season? Because a pause is exactly that ⏤ seeing minutes for what they really are ⏤ moments pregnant with opportunities to draw closer to Jesus. There are many ways to hit the pause button in December but today, I'm sharing two simple ideas that can be experienced either alone with the Lord, or with others. But...
God’s Provision ⏤ Even Before We Know We Need It // Guest Post by Edie Melson
Who would choose to write a book on grief—and how could that be God’s provision? The third book in my Soul Care series is on grieving. I signed the contract for this series of books in 2018 and the publication of the books was the order set up then. The series idea was born out of a stressful time of caregiving and loss while my dad was in the last stages of Alzheimer’s. The first two...
Creative Ways to Serve, Play and Pray this Fall (Downloadable PDF)
Searching for ways to make the most of this season? Let's set aside the TV, phones, and other devices ⏤ Fall is here! Crisp winds, punkin' patches, football, and fur-lined boots. Yes, please. Gather the family—whether that’s two or twenty—and choose a favorite activity to boost your time together, and especially with the Lord. After all, a family that serves, plays, and prays together, stays...
God is Still Speaking Through This Devotional (And How to Win a Copy!)
It's the only devotional I've read four (soon to be five) consecutive times. Priscilla Shirer's Awaken: 90 Days with the God Who Speaks welcomes my soul like an old familiar friend. It settles in smoothly but never grows weary of speaking truth and timely words of advice. Who wouldn't want to welcome this kind of friend over and over again? One benefit of reading a devotional...
Break Free from Spiritual Claustrophobia!
I'm no stranger to claustrophobia. Let's see. There's the time I almost took out an entire Boy Scout troop trying to get out of the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and the time I climbed six stories instead of taking the elevator...two weeks after a c-section. Enclosed spaces squeeze my lungs and numb every limb on my body (except those required to climb over scouts). King David...
Living an Unhurried Life in a Hurried World
Can we start a "How to Live an Unhurried Life" support group? I'd be the first to sign up. You see, I'm not writing this post from an "I got this!" point of view. I simply want to learn how to squash the word "hurry" from my life and replace it with "holy". After all, our greatest example in living an unhurried but holy life is Jesus. Just ask Martha and Mary. Now a man named Lazarus...
25 Things to Pray for This Summer
Summer delivers sunshine and sweet tea but it can also present specific prayer needs. Children are out of school, parents are working from their homes with children who are happy to be out of school (which is a whole different kind of happy!), and the hustle and bustle of summer life is cranking up. So what better time to set prayers into motion? Here are twenty-five prayer...
3 Prayerful Ways To Prepare for Unexpected Blessings
Unexpected blessings catapult our faith into high gear and steady our walk of faith. I didn't realize how much so until last week when I attended the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. As I've done over the past nine years, I showed up eager to fellowship with friends, meet new ones, and hone my craft. But this year was different. And it had nothing to do with Covid....
5 Ways Teenagers Need Us to Pray for Them
Whether they know it or not, today's teenagers face a formidable enemy. They always have. After all, it's during the teen years we form friendships, notice every pimple, start dating, and unfortunately, come face-to-face with the mean girls. But our culture has never been as anti-Christian as it is today, dismissing (even ridiculing) truth and accepting happiness as its "holy grail". ...
