Transformation
Encouragement on how life's trials and struggles can lead to the transformation that will shape your heart to be more like Christ, bring greater joy, and usher in the fulfillment you crave.
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Keys to Spiritual Growth: 4 Ways to Develop Spiritual Maturity
Last spring, the week after we bought a new furnace, I walked into the laundry room to discover a sudsy, wet floor. The washing machine had broken, too. Of course. As I stared at the soapy water, I had no idea that God was going to use the situation to remind me of several life-changing keys to spiritual growth. Keys to Spiritual Growth As I moved boxes and began sopping up the water with beach towels, I calculated the cost of a new washing machine and thought, When it rains, it pours. Later that evening, as I lay in bed and reviewed the events of the day, I remembered the…
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How to Have More Joy in the Lord—Even When Life is Tough
We are at the creek again today—hoping to imbibe the scarce rays of golden sunlight peering at us from behind the wooded knolls. I long to live with deep roots of joy in the Lord, but the winter months are often challenging. We’re on the cusp of springtime now. Nevertheless, the winter months have worn on me. Maybe you can relate. You might not have to fight for joy in the wintertime, but perhaps you’re navigating a difficult season in your life. Today, we’ll talk about how to have more joy in the Lord when life is challenging. No matter what your challenge looks like, I pray these words offer…
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A Life-Changing Book for Your Women’s Small Group
Are you searching for a book for your women’s small group? I have wonderful news. You can download my new book, Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free, for free on Kindle Unlimited. I’ll explain how the program works shortly. First, let me tell you about this book. Most of us have been taught that willpower is the key to transformation; however, we’re frustrated because self-effort has failed us in many realms of our lives. We wonder why we can’t find victory over fear, worry, insecurity, and shame. We feel stuck in destructive habits like overeating and losing our patience. Meanwhile, God…
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How to Be Transformed by Grace—and Why Willpower Doesn’t Work
I sit beneath the snowy hemlocks and search the forest for any hint of movement. God breathes in shades of grey today—smoky clouds rolling overhead while translucent ice encompasses the frozen world. I’ve come to the woods because I’m feeling stuck, and I need to connect with the Creator so that I might be transformed by grace. Today, I feel stuck in the grip of a habit I can’t seem to break. I feel defeated and wonder if I’ll ever find victory over this besetting sin. I’ve been mustering all the willpower I can gather; however, much to my dismay, willpower seems to be failing me. I spent the first…
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Join the Launch Team for My New Book, Lean Into Grace
I have exciting news to share with you today! After years of hard work, intensive editing, and much prayer, I’m preparing to release a new paperback book at the end of this month! It’s called Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free. I’d love your support in helping me launch this book into the world. If you are interested in joining my launch team, I’ll send you a free PDF file of the book in exchange for your support. I won’t ask much, only that you consider writing an Amazon review if you enjoy the book. I’ll also invite you to join…
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8 Bible Verses About Change and Transition
The cobalt skies have faded to grey, and aside from a few crumpled leaves, the poplar tree beside our house has shed her summer foliage. Most of the leaves are scattered on the deck in shades of burnt sienna, and I don’t have the heart to sweep them away just yet. I’ve never been great at handling change. I pull out my Bible in search of a few encouraging Bible verses about change and transition in life. Today, I want to hold on to lingering twilight, campfires in the yard, and supper on the deck. Everything within me wants to hold onto barefoot water fights and footraces around a flourishing…
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Learning to Be Still With God When Life Is Full
With each passing day, the vibrance of autumn is lost to the sleepy beige of winter. On a cloudy evening, I mourn the loss as I sit in the woods and inhale the pungent scent of fallen leaves. Pulling out my Bible, I flip to a familiar Psalm. It reads, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). I’ve been learning to be still with God for decades and have yet to master the practice. My mind has been racing again lately, and silencing my thoughts today feels next to impossible. Instead of being critical of my racing mind, I am kind to myself today. I lean against…
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How to Embrace Yourself Just the Way You Are
If you want to learn how to embrace yourself the way you are, you are in the right place today. I invite you to join me in the woods, and we’ll talk about the parts of our lives that make us feel unique. How to Embrace Yourself Just the Way You Are The bluebells have returned. Emerging from rocky soil as if breaking into the light took no effort at all, they hang their huddled heads—embarrassed by their brilliance. It seems they’re not unlike most of us: bashful about the precise attributes that make us remarkably unique in this world. Some part of me wants to tell the bluebells, “Your…
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Permission to Be Where You Are
I didn’t think I needed to read a book called Growing Slow. If you’ve been reading my words for any amount of time, you know how often I write about slowing down and cultivating rhythms of rest. I thought I was an expert at slowing down. But then I picked up Jennifer Dukes Lee’s book, and her words stopped me in my tracks: “We need permission to be where we are.” I wonder if you need this too: Permission to be where you are. Permission to Be Where You Are “Yes,” I whispered out loud the instant my eyes scanned the words. I do need permission to be here—right here,…
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How to Have Compassion for Yourself
Do you want to know how to have compassion for yourself in trying times? I invite you to join me as I deal with my troubling emotions and we’ll talk about self-compassion and how to practice it. How to Have Compassion for Yourself Tufts of fog hover beneath an apricot sky as storm clouds roll eastward on the wings of dusk. I sit by the window and focus on breathing slowly. As my lungs expand and contract, my body relaxes. “Be kind to yourself,” I whisper for the thousandth time. I’ve spent most of my life being ridiculously hard on myself. When I was younger, I built my life around…