Blog
Search for Posts by Keywords:
Search for Posts by Topics:
TOPICS
- Abandonment 3
- Abundant Life 7
- Abuse 1
- Acceptance 7
- Addiction & Recovery 8
- Adult Teen Challenge STL 1
- Affirmation 1
- Alyssa Adkins 13
- Anxiety 6
- Approval 2
- Authenticity 2
- Barbara Lee 1
- Barbie 1
- Beauty 1
- Bible 1
- Bible Study 1
- Bitterness 1
- Book Heartbreak to Strength 1
- Boundaries 1
- Change 3
- Chosen 2
- Christ 1
- Christ-centered women 1
- Christianity 7
- Clarity 1
- Comfort 1
- Condemnation 1
- Confidence 1
- Conflict 3
- Confusion 4
- Contentment 2
- Control 4
- Conviction 2
- Country 1
- Criticism 1
- Culture 1
- Daily Living 7
- Dana Wrinkle 24
- Dawn Spicer 22
- Death 1
- Depth Podcast 1
- Discernment 2
- Discontent 1
- Disfuntion 1
- Division 2
- Doom 1
- Doubt 8
- Emotional Angst 2
- Endurance 3
- Eternity 1
Search for Posts by Emotions:
EMOTIONS
- "Kisses from Katie" 1
- Abandoned 1
- Acceptance 7
- Access 1
- Addiction 1
- Affirmation 3
- Afraid 1
- Alone 1
- Amazima Ministries 1
- Anger 9
- Anxiety 9
- Anxious 2
- Apathy 2
- Apprehension 2
- Approval 2
- Ashamed 3
- Betrayal 5
- Betryal 1
- Bitterness 3
- Boldness 1
- Brokenness 3
- Busy 1
- Choices 1
- Chosen 1
- Christmas 1
- Clean Slate 1
- Compassion 1
- Confidence 1
- Conflict 8
- Confusion 22
- Control 1
- Courage 1
- Coveting 1
- Dana Wrinkle 3
- Deception 2
- Denial 1
- Depleted 2
- Depth Growing Through Heartbreak to Strength 1
- Depth Podcast 1
- Despair 9
- Desperation 19
- Detachment 1
- Determined 1
- Disappointment 15
- Discernment 4
- Disconnection 2
- Discontentment 16
- Discord 1
- Discouragement 3
- Discovering God 1
Should I Stop Striving?
Years ago, I remembered thinking, One day, I won't be tempted to sin anymore. One day, I will fully trust God with all my son's health issues. One day, I'll stop searching for approval from others. One day, I won't struggle with God anymore.
Why Am I an Emotional Wreck?
Have you ever considered trusting God with your emotions even though your circumstances are unlikely to change?
I wish I could say that stuck in crippling emotion, I sit cross-legged, with my eyes closed and my palms up, trustingly laying my feelings at the feet of Jesus. Maybe I could even add some scented candles to the scene, creating a peaceful setting that I report smells like lavender. Unfortunately, that’s a work of fiction that exists only in my mind. Instead, my narrative is filled with turmoil, restlessness, and frustration. I become pre-occupied. My mind distractedly focuses on my problem, and my brow goes into a prolonged furrowed state. Lavender is nowhere to be found.
How Can I Find a Blessing in My Pain?
Are you going through something right now that feels hard and painful? Whether it’s a divorce, the rebellion of a child, an injustice that threatens your future, or a different stressful situation, life isn’t short of difficulties that disrupt our peace and threaten our contentment. On top of the ups and downs in each of our lives, society has dealt with a pandemic, supply shortages, inflation, and the war in Ukraine. It’s not surprising that many people say their mental health is challenged. Combining a personal hardship with our societal challenges is enough to steal our hope and rob us of any remaining optimism for the future. When our lives are interrupted by unpleasant circumstances, we just want it all to stop and life to return to “normal”. My normal was disrupted the other day
What does God have to do with it?
I am aware of the dangerous ground I tread on today by addressing such a divided matter, and I want to be clear that I'm not here to judge or shame anyone. I also won't ever pretend to understand someone else's story. So today, I only write to share an incredibly personal part of mine with you that I've never shared publicly before. There are parts I'm not proud of, but it's a testimony filled with truth and the hope of Jesus, and I hope and pray it will help someone else along the way.
Is God Trustworthy?
The thorns get our attention because we feel their pain. Loneliness, isolation, stress, anxiety, and desperately desired but unanswered prayers poke us every minute of every day, reminding us there must be something better than this!
We must surrender our own way to fix things and remind ourselves that God’s will is better than what we think is the best way.
How can I be sure that I’ll make it to Heaven?
God's grace is so mysterious because we often feel like we don't deserve it, and we're exactly right. We don't. But He gave it freely anyway. Grace is absolutely scandalous! How could a seasoned criminal skeet by with a free pass? How could the adulterous woman be given a second shot? How could God look upon me as I was drowning in a sea of drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity and decide that I was worthy of His love?
Can I Surrender to God's Plan When God's Plan Is Not My Own?
These battles have shattered my heart repeatedly, but each time, God has been there to put the broken pieces back together more beautifully than they were ever arranged before. He has used these moments to reveal Himself to me in such intimate ways. Our entire family has learned firsthand that tremendous pain can build tremendous faith- and to us, that's been worth every moment of the fight.
From Fear to Faith
I’m Alyssa and I’m an alcoholic. On July 16, 2015, I took my last drink. I didn’t know if it would be my last drink. I’d tried to have a last drink many times before, only days later to chase it with another first drink. But, I WANTED it to be…