Journey along with me as we find freedom in our daily lives!
Finding freedom
Finding freedom is a topic near to my heart. Freedom is something I’ve always craved in order to live life my way. But I realized my way wasn’t getting me too far. Most people long to be free. So many long to have an abundant life. What if there’s a different way to gain freedom? Join me as we discuss what it means to be free and have an abundant life this month. What is freedom? What is freedom? Freedom, in the simplest terms, is the state of being free instead of imprisoned or enslaved. It is the right to act, speak, or think as one wants...
read moreThe Backside of the Mountain
Recently I met with a dear friend and we caught up. She wanted to get together and hear how life was going. This is a trust-worthy person because she is a mentor and cares with kindness. As we caught up, she kept saying this phrase which I had never heard before. She said ‘you’re on the backside of the mountain’. She explained you’ve been strategically placed in solitude in order to prepare you for His work. The backside can also be a place of transition and pruning. Yikes! Those are all the words I’ve been fighting against for the last year....
read moreGrowing into 2019
Here comes 2019! 2019 is going to be a year filled with anticipation and hope. Hope of how we’ll continue to grow during the good and the bad times, and for all the adventures ahead. However, 2018 was a year of growth for me and my family. Each area of growth has led us to hope for the good each day. We grew spiritually. Being a part of BSF each year, studying Romans and listening to Alisa Childers podcast has led to incredible growth. The amount of direction and pruning has been overwhelming, but also welcoming. We also took time to really...
read moreGiving All Year: Our Holiday Traditions
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again. Andy Williams sang it best letting everyone know there will kids jingle belling, parties for hosting and hearts will be glowing. Loved ones will be near and it will the happiest season of all. I’m going to be super honest here and say I only care for certain parts of the Christmas season. What? Yes, it’s true. Hang with me here. There’s too much pressure to get Christmas right. We stress at getting all the gifts ready, Christmas cards out the door, baking cookies, and not to mention teacher...
read moreDevotion: Many Samaritans Believe
This devotion was recently published, and I hope it brings some encouragement during this season. Today’s Reading: John 4:39-42 Many Samaritans Believe 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and...
read moreHonoring your parents
Honoring your parents is something I haven’t always done well. In fact, this post is hard for me to write this year. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, and long conversations on how to make our relationship better. My husband and I discussed several questions on the way home from visiting my family last year. As Thanksgiving approaches and we’re headed back into family time, we want to navigate this well. We want everyone to enjoy our time together and create special memories. As we discussed this topic, my husband and I had some interesting...
read moreHope in Hardship
Hope in hardship is one of the themes of my story. Hope means holding onto courage when you feel like giving up. Courage keeps up moving towards hope. How does someone keep hope during hardship? Give yourself grace. Grace is an undeserved gift. Sometimes the gift is recognizing you’re exactly where you need to be in your story. You don’t have to be as far along as someone else. Whether you’re just leaving your perpetrator or have been out of the relationship for 15 years, giving yourself grace will allow you to enjoy life. Finding and...
read moreWhat is Emotional and Psychological Abuse?
Abuse comes in many different forms leading to different consequences and reactions. Ultimately it is always about power and control. One definition of emotional abuse is: “any act including confinement, isolation, verbal assault, humiliation, intimidation, or any other treatment which may diminish the sense of identity, dignity, and self-worth.”1 The perpetrator’s hope is to undermine the self-worth and dignity of the one they are abusing. Often the emotional abuse is carefully constructed so only the victim can understand the depth of...
read moreWhat is Verbal Abuse?
Abuse comes in many different forms leading to different consequences and reactions. Abuse ultimately is always about power and control. The partners’ goal is to maintain power in the relationship and figure out how to control the other person. Verbal abuse is when a person forcefully criticizes, insults, or denounces someone else.[1] Characterized by underlying anger and hostility, it is a destructive form of communication intended to harm the self-concept of the other person and produce negative emotions.[2] While those definitions are...
read moreThe day I met a prophet
This past Sunday became an extraordinary day. On the way to my friends house, I sensed God telling me to stop and buy some homeless guys a sandwich from Subway. There were 3 homeless men hanging out on the corner of Colfax. A little annoyed I went into Subway wondering what was about to happen, not knowing this would be the day I met a prophet. Going to Subway I walked in and was greeted by a friendly kid behind the counter. Curious, I asked the Subway worker if the homeless guys had been fed. He said no and I told him I wanted to buy them a...
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