21. confidence When we are surrounded by war, we can have peace. When enemies rise up against us, we don’t have to be afraid. When it seems like we’re in a losing fight, we don’t have to give in to despair. How is this possible? Not through confidence in ourselves, because we are weak and…
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The Life Playlist (Part 2)
11. growth We all want growth. Let me rephrase that. We all want the end result of growth. However, the process of growth is usually slow and painful, and none of us wants to have to wait and go through pain to grow. Unfortunately, growth isn’t a quick and easy thing. The growth God wants…
The Life Playlist (Part 1)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” —…
7 Books about Spiritual Growth
If you’re looking to dig deeply into the topic of what spiritual growth is and how it happens, these books are a great place to start. Each one has impacted my own walk of faith by giving a fresh perspective on what spiritual growth looks like. This book is not about relief; it is about…
Grace in the Wilderness (Part 2)
Squinting at the sunlight, I stared out the window, wishing the throbbing ache in my temples would go away. I sighed and turned over, burying my face in a pillow as hot tears leaked from the corners of my eyes. Nausea from the pregnancy had kept me in bed the past few days, and I…
Grace in the Wilderness (Part 1)
(inspired by Hagar’s story in Genesis 16:1-14) It would have been easy to slip away, and to this day I’m sure I would have given up the fight—if someone hadn’t reached out to me in my moment of despair in the desert. I will never forget what happened that day. The scenes are etched in…
6 Songs about the Wonder of Grace
“A Friend Called Grace” (Phillips, Craig & Dean) — This soulful song with gospel vibes retells the well-known and much-loved story of the woman caught in adultery, then shows how her story is the story of us all. Condemnation is our enemy, but grace is our friend. Grace lifts us from the dust and restores…
I’m Not the Author of My Story
I once heard songwriter Tony Wood say in an interview, “I’m not writing my own story.” That simple yet profound statement and the matter-of-fact way he said it stuck with me. We all need to be reminded of that truth from time to time, especially when unexpected plot twists come into our story. Accepting that…
The Dance of Grace
What enters your mind when you hear the word graceful? For me, it’s an image of a dancer: a skilled ballerina in a delicate rose-tinted gown twirling and spinning and pirouetting along a smoothly polished cream-colored tile floor, dipping and swaying to soft piano notes, never tripping, falling, or missing a step. Her frame is…