Real Women. Real Life. Real Faith.
Failure.
The soundtrack of my life could easily be summed up as failure. It plays on repeat, as though I have selected the option in order to not forget it. Why does it seem that I never can get it quite right?
Even now, I am mentally replaying the series of events in my life that add up to my interminably long laundry list of failures. If only I had done this or if only I had handled that situation like that.
[Read more…] about 3 Ways to Make Jesus Your Fail-Safe When You Feel Like a FailureI am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.
Galatians 2:2
Whenever I felt insecure, my Grandpa Gordon would chuckle and drawl out in his endearing Rocky Mountain accent: “Well, you’re part of me, see, so you’ve gotta be good.”
You're part of Me, see, so you've gotta be good… Click To TweetGrandpa Gordon was one of the most gentle and loving men I knew. I was proud to be a part of him, and his approval empowered me. When Grandpa Gordon died, each of us 5 kids insisted that we were his favorite. We all knew that he was proud to call us his grandchildren, and he loved us unconditionally.
And so it is as children of God. In the Book of Galatians, Paul tells us that Jesus shares much more than our bloodline. As His chosen child, you share His mind, His soul, and His heart. And He loves you so much that He gave His life to call you “Mine.”
Are you feeling “less than” today? I’d encourage you to open your Bible and speak to Jesus in prayer. Learn and remember who you are as His child and let Him empower you in His love.
Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandpa. We all love you and we miss you.
Have you ever thought about what it means to have Christ in you? Join the conversation in the comments below.
When I published my very first Christian fiction novel four years ago, I had no idea what a roller-coaster ride I’d just jumped onto. Cue late-night writing binges when I felt so stoked to finally be doing what I always dreamed of, followed by days spent in bed when book sales dipped and the voices in my head started whining, “Doesn’t anybody like me?”
There were months that passed and I wondered if I should give up writing altogether and weeks spent battling the terror that comes from realizing your words are out there for anyone to read, dissect, and potentially hate.
[Read more…] about Authentically InsecureDear Sheila,
You’re fat. Lose weight.
Love,
A Friend
Well, I’m paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. I stared at the letter in disbelief as the tears started the trek down my hot cheeks.
It had arrived in the mail from an anonymous friend who’d said she’d noticed I’d put on some weight and suggested I lose a few.
[Read more…] about Lose Weight & Other Insecurities That Rob Us of God’s Promises“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
2 Corinthians 10:5
The thin mesh veil couldn’t mask my hot tears of shame. The wedding march ricocheted in my chest like a funeral dirge as Dad walked me down the aisle towards my happily ever after. As I approached my future husband, I searched his eyes for any hint of hesitation. I took his hand. Dad sat down. We turned to face the pastor ready to pledge our lives to each other in front of hundreds of people.
I didn’t believe my future husband wanted to marry me.
[Read more…] about Redefine Your Self Worth By Renewing Your Mind in JesusI found four publicly published errors before 7:00 AM. I’d literally screwed up everything for the Candid Moments launch. Luckily, I could fix them before too many people noticed.
Then I left for an errand and realized I’d forgotten to put my teeth in. Again.
Since the cognitive damage and memory impairment were worse than normal that day, I planned a simple supper: plain baked chicken, box dressing, and canned corn. And I under-cooked the chicken.
[Read more…] about 6 Promises of God for When You Feel InadequateFor weeks and months, the Coronavirus has consumed our media and the majority of our conversations.
Water cooler talk, text streams with friends, and social media have been filled with Covid-19 and how we should protect ourselves and others from its spread. But, as the news worsened and protection measures more stringent, an interesting trend began to arise: people were hoarding toilet paper.
[Read more…] about Replacing Lies With TruthMy daughter thinks she is a princess.
Actually, let me rephrase that, she knows she is a princess. I don’t say that in a way that suggests she is conceited or thinks she is better than anyone, I say that because she just knows who she is.
[Read more…] about 5 Unconditional Reasons Our Identity in Christ Is SecureA designer creates.
A designer creates things that he takes pleasure and glory in. He creates things that he loves. He creates things that take his name and his mark. He creates in essence, himself.
A designer takes the image in his heart and mind and he creates that. He doesn’t stop creating until he gets what he sees. He sees the end of the creation and works to create that. He is not satisfied until it is his mirror image.
No designer gets pleasure in creating something that is not finished or complete.
[Read more…] about 3 Important Truths You Need To Know As God’s CreationI was never very popular with boys in school. I had friends that were cheerleaders, and I had other great girlfriends, but I was never asked to the Homecoming dance or to prom. As a young teenage girl, it was crushing to think that I wasn’t thin enough or pretty enough to be asked to any of those big events.
Boys weren’t nice to me in school. They made fun of me and called me cruel names because I developed earlier than most. However, these wise words of my God-fearing grandmother have always stuck with me, “Beauty is more than skin-deep.”
Looking back at those years, though, I am grateful I wasn’t popular.
Why?
[Read more…] about True Beauty Is More Than Skin Deep
