Blog

Search for Posts by Keywords:

Search for Posts by Topics:

Search for Posts by Emotions:

Mackenzie Broyles 10/9/23 Mackenzie Broyles 10/9/23

When your Oreos are double stuffed with forgiveness

Forgiveness: Everyone wants it, yet we all struggle to give it.

I'll admit, in the past few years, this subject has taken me on a rollercoaster ride. As a Christian, I desire intimacy with God. So, I want to be obedient and forgive those who hurt me. But in all my humanness, this can be easy to forget.

Mackenzie Broyles 4/17/23 Mackenzie Broyles 4/17/23

When Wedding Vows Go Up In Smoke

While most newlywed fights start over silly matters like him leaving his underwear on the floor or her burning dinner, our marriage started with us learning to manage a blended family, having a child together who had severe medical issues, and Justin was traveling often for his job. As we tried to juggle it all, we both realized that, to make matters worse, each of us had brought a lot of prior baggage to our relationship. The fights were frequent, and resentment ran rampant. Now this was happening, and I worried we wouldn’t survive it.

Dawn Spicer 11/13/22 Dawn Spicer 11/13/22

Will She Ever Talk To Me Again?

I was standing in the same place that I do every Sunday morning at church as I welcome people, answer questions, and help wherever necessary. I glanced over my shoulder and there she was; an old friend that I had not spoken to in over eight years. As I watched her get closer and closer, everything about our last interaction came rushing back to my mind. This was someone who had been struck by the shrapnel of my reckless words, and bad decisions. All those years ago, hateful talk had been exchanged and promises were declared that we would never speak again.

Mackenzie Broyles 6/13/22 Mackenzie Broyles 6/13/22

Boundaries, Toxic Relationships, and Forgiveness- How Should Christians Respond?

We have all dealt with a difficult person at one point or another, but what are Christians to do with abusive and toxic relationships? What do we do with people who continually hurt or misuse us? How should we handle someone who tries to pull us into unbiblical behavior or keep us from becoming the person God desires us to be?

Mackenzie Broyles 5/9/22 Mackenzie Broyles 5/9/22

How will I respond to God's forgiveness?

I attend a large church in O'fallon, Illinois, that frequently hosts big conferences and events. Recently, our church housed a Matthew West concert in our worship center. My family and I met some friends there that night, and to ensure that our large group of 12 could all sit together, we decided to scope out the upper side loft of the church.

Mackenzie Broyles 4/4/22 Mackenzie Broyles 4/4/22

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?

Mackenzie Broyles 1/2/22 Mackenzie Broyles 1/2/22

From Shame to Grace

Hi there, friend! I’m Mackenzie. I couldn’t be more excited for you to come alongside me on this journey. My hope is that we will grow in our faith together as we learn to walk more intimately with Jesus. I used to have this idea of what Christianity looked like. I guess I thought that we were supposed to arrive at our intended destinations while here on earth. I assumed that all true Christians had this faith thing completely figured out. And for a long time, I thought, I’m not like those people. I just don’t get it the way they do. I secretly hoped that one day I would arrive where they were. But today, I’m here to tell you that I’ve been trekking this Christian path out for a while now, and so far, the only place I have “arrived” is at the feet of Jesus.