I was thrilled when my friend, Rosilind Jukic who blogs over at A Little R and R asked me to review Made by Design, A Biblical Perspective of Women in Ministry and Leadership written by F. Dean Hackett, PhD. If you know Rosilind as a gifted writer who challenges you to walk with God, you will come away blessed when you read this book that her father wrote. But who is Dr. Hackett? Dr. Hackett is the Senior pastor at LIVING FAITH CHURCH, HERMISTON, OREGON. He also writes for his blog at Foundational. He studied Marriage and Family Counseling at IMI Bible College and Seminary Whenever … [Read more...]
3 Lessons I Learned from My Husband
The three lessons that I learned from my husband were hard lessons because God spoke to my heart. It wasn't like he was intentionally teaching me something but more like I thought "I" was right until I saw the lesson that God had for me. It was an ouch-moment if there is such a thing. Sometimes marriage is so hard. I love my husband dearly and would never know what to do without him. He is my best friend but yet, for some reason, we are opposites at times. He doesn't understand me and more often than I care to admit, I don't understand him. He doesn't understand why I put on … [Read more...]
When You Think There is No Time to Pray
Your day starts off with the baby screaming and there is simply no time to pray. The question isn’t when to pray or how long to pray. I know that you want to pray. Very much so. When you think there is no time to pray, how do you find the time? I am a mom with seven children. I burned the candle at both ends for many years and in fact, I often still do. I would work into the evenings preparing for homeschool the next day and wake up around 5am to nurse a baby and start my day. There isn’t a free moment when you have been up during the night and then wake to a toddler or nursing baby … [Read more...]
5 Reasons to Workout Every Day
Do you workout consistently or only once in a while? Although most of us struggle with staying in shape, it is important to include movement into our routine every day. We are to be doing everything with all our might, strength, and to the glory of God. Here are the reasons to workout, that I found to be important in my life. I did happen to be sort-of-athletic but that kind-of-dissipates as we age and our body changes. When I was in high school and college, I had a love/hate relationship with running. I could easily have been on the track team but my parents thought our family supper time … [Read more...]
How To Handle Interruptions in Your Quiet Time Routine
Interruptions can break your routine and it is difficult to handle them with grace, especially when it happens during your Quiet Time! I have not handled routine breakers with grace much of the time but I have learned enough to share some tips. Interruptions are Routine Breakers! If you have been reading my blog for long, you might know that I raised seven children. A large family caused me to develop a routine. I did say routine and not schedule. I always found it impossible to be on a schedule! Everything was 'good' until there was an interruption and then my day, let alone my … [Read more...]
June Bible Reading Challenge With Scripture Printable
Summertime is here and it's time to dig into God's Word with your June Bible Reading Challenge. There is even a Scripture Printable and a Journaling Page to go along with this month's reading plan that you will just love! Besides, it's totally FREE! Fitting Prayerfulness into Your Summer School is out for the summer and the schedule is gone. Life is more relaxed with a summer Quiet Time Routine to take its place. I want to challenge you this summer to do the 30 Days of Prayerfulness so you learn to be an intense warrior-woman. This challenge is easy to fit into your day because … [Read more...]
5 Powerful Reasons for Praying Scripture
You might have seen encouragement for praying Scriptures as a way to turn prayerlessness into prayerfulness. It is powerful when a woman becomes a warrior in prayer in her closet be it literally a closet or binder where she records her requests and prayers. Today I am excited to delve into prayer again as I continually ask my Lord, "Teach me to pray!" This is the journey I want to be on as I include praying the Scriptures in my prayer-time with the Lord each day. I want to grow, not in the words or wordiness that I choose but in the motivations of my heart. My words aren't always … [Read more...]
5 Motivating Reasons to Grab onto God in Prayfulness
Are you moving towards prayerfulness as you grab onto God? The best way is to just start praying frequently throughout your day and say, "Lord, teach me to pray!" I shared my honest struggle with prayerlessness the other day and assumed that you have a similar dilemma in your prayer-life. It seems like the disciples struggled in the same way too. Not that there is any excuse for a lack of enough prayer in your life (mine especially) because when we get a 'D' in prayer, we should just start praying again. Grab onto God with Persistence Is it your prayer that you will pray more and with … [Read more...]
Lord, Teach Me to Get Beyond Prayerlessness
I struggle with prayer and sometimes my efforts border on prayerlessness. My desire is to pray fervently but I desperately need the Lord to teach me to get beyond my feeble attempts. When life throws a curveball at me, I want to be ready to pour out my heart to the Lord for the situation in my life or that of others. I don't want to be grappling for words and find emptiness because I didn't daily walk closely with God. I spend time in God's Word daily and yes, I do pray. But I want to go deeper with God because He is my supreme treasure. I need the Lord to teach me to go beyond … [Read more...]
How To Use the Beautiful Jesus Journaling Workbook
I am excited to share about the beautiful Jesus Journaling Workbook that you can use with any Bible study! Whether you are following a study through your church, on the internet or doing your own study this resource was made with you in mind! It comes with beautiful worksheets that can be used with the passage or verses of your choice. You can even print it off over and over again as you start a new Bible study for your Quiet Time. Most of the time, Quiet Time workbooks go along with a particular study and there is a real need for a workbook that will work for your exact … [Read more...]
5 Strategies to Finding True Freedom in Jesus
It was always a feeling of freedom when I drove to the store without any kids in tow. I can assure you that it was a rare occasion! That's just a free feeling. I might be worshiping God but that is not being free in Christ Jesus. What does the word FREEDOM mean? The web dictionary sums it up by saying that FREE means: enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery. That is the problem with thinking we have freedom. You might think you can do just about anything you want. One of the things that the Bible warns about is putting something evil before our … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Curb Food Cravings and Go Deeper with God
How can food cravings keep you from going deeper with God, you might be asking?! This is not about dieting or how to eat healthier. Not at all. I am all for eating healthy and I know the value of keeping active and exercising. This isn't about how important it is to eat better or workout. This is about how food cravings can actually keep you from going deeper with God. I struggle with the urge to snack on things while I work on my laptop. Healthy-ish things, you know. Greek yogurt. Luna bar after Luna bar. Never soda or coffee for me. It makes no difference because it's all … [Read more...]
5 Ways to Go Deeper with God Through Bible Journaling
Journaling as part of your Quiet Time is an awesome way to go deeper with God. It can be a tool to help you experience a closer relationship with Jesus. I am challenging you to Go Deeper with God using the 30-Day Bible Reading & Writing Challenge and this mini-series that I hope and pray will wholeheartedly bless you!! Sharing about Bible journaling is one of the things I love to talk about most. I have been recording my Quiet Time journey for at least fifteen years now. I am clueless about why I never started one sooner because I have been totally hooked. I have used 3-ring binders, … [Read more...]
How to Go Deeper with God through Adversity
Why do you think God allows adversity to come into your life? You might feel devastated like Job, struggling with an impossible situation that has come into your life. God wants you to go deeper with Him instead of allowing bitterness to sneak into your heart. No one can escape adversity in this life. Adversity is something we all face to one degree or another. It doesn't matter if you are Queen Elizabeth of England or the poorest person who lives in a shack in Haiti. We all face problems. Queen Esther faced losing her only relative, Mordicai, and her Jewish people. Instead of hiding from … [Read more...]
5 Strategies to Go Deeper with God + Video
If you are like me, you have desired to go deeper with God but just don't know how. Today I am sharing 5 strategies to encourage you to go deeper with God. First things first. In order to go deeper with God, you have to have a personal relationship with God. Do you know Jesus as your personal Savior? Have you come to the place in your life where you have acknowledged that you are a sinner, totally deserving nothing better than death itself? Have you looked to the cross where Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died for your sins and accepted Him as your personal Savior? … [Read more...]