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The Secret Power of Gratitude
It’s the holiday season. We are bundling up in scarves and mittens; buying gifts and trimming the Christmas tree. Although Christmas is almost upon us, I still keep thinking of Thanksgiving and the idea of practicing gratitude in everyday life. The holiday season is a difficult time of year for many people. So many of us have experienced loss over the years. And many are still isolated due to the pandemic. And of course, this is one of the busiest times of year, adding stress to our plates. Kind of hard to always feel grateful when all of this is a lead weight on your shoulders. If you feel…
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Shining Through the Darkness
A light will always shine brightest in the darkness. I find it amazing how one small candle or night light can illuminate an entire room. I tend to wander around my apartment at night without my glasses, and that often leads to missed steps and stubbed toes. However, a little light from my phone’s screen changes everything. Suddenly I see what’s right in front of me. I know exactly how far the edge of my bed is or if there’s a cat toy on the floor. I see things as they really are. I see the truth. That’s what happens when the light of the Gospel shines on our hearts.…
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The Promise of His Presence
Why is it that you can seem to have everything, and yet feel so empty and alone? This world promises us happiness and fulfillment in so many ways: money, relationships, jobs, new experiences–the list goes on. The Hollow Promise But what happens when that’s not enough? What about that hollow feeling? The one tugging at you, making you work until your knuckles bleed, so you can forget that it’s there. The hollowness that leaks out as tears as you lie awake in bed at night. The hollow feeling that makes people cut, starve, and lash out at others? This post isn’t pretty, but it’s real and raw. Because I’ve been…
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Chasing Worth
I was having lunch with my aunt when she told me about a memory she had of me when I was about seven years old. She said that on my 7th Easter, my cousin and I stood up in church and dedicated our lives to Jesus. My memory of this is super cloudy, and we never went to church much when I was a kid. However, I always felt that God was real, and that He was drawing me in. Fast-forward from that childhood moment to ten years later, when I was seventeen and falling apart. I had just broken up with my first boyfriend and was starving myself. I…
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Finding Your Anchor in Life’s Storms
I shall not be moved; I shall not be shaken. How many times have I repeated these familiar Bible verses in my mind, thinking that as long as I am truly rooted in God, nothing will ever rock my world. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8 NIV) But the world keeps rocking and rolling all around me, and sometimes, no matter how hard I cling to the grace of God, I find myself rolling along with it. I shake with every burst of bad news. I tighten my grip as my feet slip on unexpected…