• Devotionals

    How to Move On With Your Life

    One of the toughest questions to answer is how to move on with your life. Why? Because it’s both personal and painful. Unfortunately, it’s a question no one else can answer but you. I’ll never forget a few years back when I sat in my church’s counseling office. I had booked an appointment last minute because my life at that time was in major crisis mode. I never knew when I was going to have a panic attack or how long it would last. But, I remember her vividly. The lady whom I didn’t like or care for much. She was just someone who could see me at the last minute.…

  • Devotionals

    Baby Steps of Forgiveness

    [Guest Post by Catherine Hawkins – I always appreciate guest post authors who become regular readers and submit again. I always love watching a new friend grow, who is both willing and unashamed to share. May we learn to be as brave as Catherine!] A woman from church once told me, when I was small and easily wounded, that “Christ has forgiven so much; we have no right not to forgive others.” That weighed on me a long time, because no matter how hard I tried, forgiveness was elusive. I remembered slight after slight, and they seemed to build on each other until it seemed I was a walking wound.…

  • Devotionals

    How I Dropped Negative Self Talk

    [Guest Post by Brett Wilson – Funny thing–she writes on a topic that most women can agree with. Without spilling it before she does, I’ll just say READ IT NOW!!!!] Sitting across the coffee table–it’s hard to remember when it all began. The negative self-talk. If I really think back, it probably began somewhere in my ballet dancing years. Which is a scary thought, because I essentially became a ballerina before I could even walk. All throughout elementary, middle and high school, I was a member of a small, Virginian ballet company. For some reason–I’d like to equate it to the mild S-curve of my spine caused by scolliosis–I could…

  • Faith

    Called To Church Video

    [Guest Post by Caleb Breakey – I am so excited to introduce to you a very powerful voice to the 20 & 30-somethings community. He wrote a book for Harvest House (also my publisher, yay) and it’s entitled Called to Stay. You can pre order your copy here. He was also a speaker from the most recent Quarter Life Conference, and just HAD to repost his video below. If you have left the church, please know that you are not alone!] Whether you’ve left the church in a quest for more God–you’re not alone. People are tired and hurting and only see one direction: the exit. What they fail to…

  • Devotionals

    Forgiving Myself

    [Guest Post by Kristyn Ramsey – I always appreciate getting to know new people, stories, and faces–especially when they talk about one of my favorite subjects: forgiving myself. Please welcome Kristyn.] Struggling to forgive myself doesn’t come easy for a mistake I made. My mom used to tell me my whole life that I never met a stranger in the 24 years on planet earth. And if you meet me, that’s one of the truest statements about me. I can carry on a conversation with anyone, and that is usually to my benefit. Trips to other places were made easier because I made friends wherever I found myself. I made…

  • Devotionals

    Forgiving My Molester

    [Guest Post by Sarah Miller – When I met Sarah and got to know her I always knew she had a sweet spirit, so when she submitted this piece to me I was shocked to learn about the broken pieces of her past. It just goes to show you of God’s forgiving power and how, no matter what we’ve been through, we can overcome.] If there is one thing in my life that I know a lot about, it is anger. I grew up very angry because of a horrible incident that happened when I was six years old. But even the horrible things in life can teach you valuable…

  • Faith

    Persecuted Church Video

    Every Wednesday this month, I will be reposting selected videos from Quarter Life Conference. I’m so excited to be able to continue the conversation on the topic of church. As an American Christian, I believe it’s way too easy to be apathetic (lazy) about my faith compared to my brothers and sisters sufferings around the world for theirs. Moreover, I am excited to report that the second Quarter Life Conference exceeded 500 video views, which was more than our first conference! The purpose of reposting a few of the videos is to highlight a few of the stories you shouldn’t miss. Please let me introduce you to my new friends Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh…

  • Devotionals

    My Scarlet Letter

    [Guest Post by Kathy Moore – I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Kathy for a few years, and now that we live close to each other she’s become a close friend. I hope you’ll love her redemption from divorce story as much as I’ve enjoyed watching it in real life!] Let’s get real—It’s been an intense three years. It seems that hit (sometimes literally) after hit keep coming. Thankfully it hasn’t been constant and there have been more figurative hits than literal, but the fact remains, it’s been a tough three years since my husband and I got divorced. This is just a fact, nothing more. I have crumbled a…

  • Faith

    Mind Blowing Forgiveness

    Did you know Adam and Eve weren’t the first ones to ask forgiveness from God? Say what? I’m so conditioned to the story of Adam and Eve from my Sunday school days that I might have missed this little nugget if it weren’t for my husband, Marc. We were in our weekly small group Bible Study when he humbly pointed out this fact found in Genesis 3 about Adam and Eve. I was floored. Yes, Adam and Eve were the first ones to eat the apple, sin, and forced out of the garden for good–yet instead of telling God they had sinned and/or asking for His forgiveness, Adam blamed Eve and…

  • Faith,  Relationships

    My Bucket List

    I like to celebrate things. In fact, it’s no secret that I celebrate just about everything! Yesterday I wrote on Facebook, “Praising God for an amazing and way-too-exciting birthday month. Can’t believe I’m about to admit this, but I’m so glad it’s over so I can go back into my writing cave AKA my office and write stuff to encourage others, including myself!!!” With that said, I can’t wait to celebrate a few things this July!  (1) I started working out exactly one year ago today. July 2nd means a lot to me because I overcame the fear of exercising while taking anxiety meds (it just feels differently). I used…