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I would love to sit down and spend one-on-one time with each of you -- to hear about what makes each of you, uniquely you! I would also like to hear your heart and what weighs on it.
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I talk a lot about how to persevere in hope and find the holy in the hard of these earthly lives. One way that God equips us to hold tight and live at rest in Him is through other believers uniting to love, encourage, and hold one another accountable in humility and grace. We can't do this well if we aren't connected in some way. While I may not know each of you personally, I pray over everyone on this email list. I love when readers reach out to me, building relationships otherwise never known, so feel free to email back!
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One of the greatest sorrows I feel in our culture today is the pervasive attempts of our enemy to destroy the image of God's Church. Abusive leaders, unfaithful marriages, a lack of awareness about real issues of race and injustice, and other hurts to people seeking genuine community and worship are real. These things aren't meant to be swept under the rug but brought into the light for the purpose of restoration and healing.
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But make no mistake...Satan is out to destroy what God has ordained and called good. As Christ-followers, we have to keep our cynicism from stealing our view of beauty in God's design because of what fallen men/women do. God tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus, the source of everything holy. Through looking on the glory of Christ and the truths of Scripture, we grow our affections for the things God loves.
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How do we build our affections? We behold what we desire to become. We sing about what is right and true. We surround ourselves with the things and people of God.
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Let's look on the beauty of Scripture, Church, salvation, community, the character of God, and His creation...and then reflect that beauty back to the world around us. This should be our story as God's people. Read this article for ways to look on the good gifts of grace we receive as believers.
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When all we see is the ugly sin around us, we have our eyes on the wrong things. With Christ, our eyes can see past the fog to the light -- His light. It's such a beautiful view! If we truly lived it out in front of the world, it would draw men to wonder at its awe.
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Giving God glory is always the goal of our lives.
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Let's pray this passage over one another and seek to glorify God together today:
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"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."
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And all God's people say, Amen. :)
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Encouraging Read:
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Ben Stuart's Rest and War teaches us how to walk elegantly through the battlefield of life. He gives strategic ways to fight well with the right things.
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Encouraging Music:
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I love prayers and songs taken from Scripture. This song, New Song, by The Dodds is beautiful, and I hope you will give a listen. We can persevere and fight from a place of rest, because we are new in Christ. He gives us a new name, identity, position, song, purpose, and potential!
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Free Download!
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Click here to download your copy of this printable on Holding Tight to Hope When You are Tempted to Lose Heart!
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Encouraging Podcast:
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In this episode, Jen Wilkin encourages women to be bold and courageous as defenders of the faith, fighting back as the Hebrew midwives did in Exodus when they saved baby Moses. They were shrewd as serpents yet innocent as doves. Listen here for her teaching at TGC.
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Moments of Grace:
- My kids sitting with me at church, worshipping together.
- A new, sweet friendship forming.
- Attending the For King and Country concert with my husband and singing/dancing together.
- Feeling God's closeness calm my fears in real time.
- No back pain for a couple of weeks. Thank you, Lord!
- Every one of you! I pray for you and hope I am serving you well as a sister in Christ.
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Mother's Day is coming soon, Sunday, May 8th! Books make great gifts and the price on both Kindle and paperback has been lowered on Amazon. Click here to purchase or read more.
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On the Blog:
- Read the story behind my book, Consider, here!
- A Devotion on Forgiveness.
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Encouraging Good Work in the World:
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If you missed any previous newsletters and want to check them out, you can go to the member archive and view past issues. If you find anything here that you think would encourage someone else, please consider sharing and inviting them to subscribe. If you read an article on the blog you want to share, just click the social media icons on the right-hand corner! This is a great way to support me and hopefully help others!
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A final note of encouragement:
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"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
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If you need prayer, please send me a message, and I will be more than happy to intercede on your behalf.
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