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
How Can I Forgive Someone Who isn’t Sorry?
A couple of years ago, I received a request to participate in a redemption story for a young woman. She had been caught in the boys’ bathroom at her high school performing a sexual act. It got recorded and another student posted it on social media where it spread very quickly. One of my friends reached out to a few of us with an opportunity to speak truth and life into this young woman. She had obviously messed up, but having her mistake preserved and shared with hundreds of her peers would profoundly impact her life for years to come. This was an opportunity for us to put our faith into action and speak love into her life.
I was all in. What a lovely suggestion! The only problem was, I had no idea what to say.
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.
Are You Resigned to God’s Will When You Pray?
Recently, I spent the day helping a young friend whom I mentor re-decorate a room in her house. One of the last tasks we had for the day was to hang something on the wall. She brought out a picture she had painted herself. It was perfect for the spot, but it had a minor imperfection that would almost certainly go unnoticed by anyone else. She balked at using it because she said she spends a lot of time in that room and the imperfect picture would bother her every time she was in the room.
After hanging it as a placeholder, she firmly declared that she would replace it later.
How do you react to continual annoyances? You may not be hanging barely flawed pictures on a wall, but you are probably familiar with minor imperfections in an otherwise satisfactory experience or environment.
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.
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.
How Do I Love Well, No Matter What?
A few weeks ago, a friend and I had a slight miscommunication that went awry. Something she said, I interpreted very differently than what was her intent and in the moment, I snapped back at her and retreated to my own pity party. My mind and my heart knew that she would never say something to try and hurt me but I let emotions take over and I chose to allow them to rule the situation.
Have You Forgotten My Request, God?
The other day I found myself wanting an explanation from God. I know this sounds ridiculous but let me explain.
Some of my prayer requests are several years old. Healing, salvation, relationship restoration, and other long-term desires take time. I understand God knows far better than I do the perfect outcome and the best time to respond. But I also know that His flawless will may fail to match the way that makes so much sense to me. In fact, His answer might be, “no”, and I may have refused to recognize or accept that.
When the pain of unanswered prayer enters my day, I find myself asking God,” Why are you silent and still when I know You could be powerful and present?” Do you wonder the same thing sometimes?
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?
Can I Love Like Jesus?
Today it seems we live in a world that is convinced we must take drastic measures about our views and beliefs. We are pressured into thinking that agreeing with one political party, means hating the other. We're told that we must view things in black or white. We're either left or we're right. If we're not a feminist, we must be a sexist. If we're not vaccinated, we’re murderers. The list goes on and on. One thing I think we can all agree on is that our world is completely divided and becoming more filled with hate by the moment. In the midst, I'm trying desperately to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus. I wonder what he thinks as he looks down on all of us modern-day extremists who seem to believe we have all the answers, especially since he is the only one who knows if we have been consulting him for these answers that we claim to have.