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Keep Moving Forward
Guest Post by Jayne Richards – How many of us have made a New Year’s Resolution or goal to lose weight this year? And how many of us have already given up? I am encouraged by this amazing woman who calls herself an old broad who runs, and I hope you are too!] My twenty-four year old daughter was digging around in one of our junk piles recently, and came upon what she thought was a treasure. It was a beautiful hardcover book entitled “Our Christmas Memories”. She very excitedly sat down to reminisce, only to discover that just the first couple of pages had been completed. It had a…
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How to Love Your Body Through the Holidays
[Guest Post by Rebekah Snyder – We tend to judge our bodies most during the holidays. It’s supposed to be a time to celebrate with family and friends, so why are we so quick to judge ourselves and weigh ourselves? Maybe it’s because we eat too much. Maybe it’s because we can’t help but enjoy those Christmas cookies or Thanksgiving turkey. No matter what happens this holiday season, I hope you are able to stay focused on how to love your body. No matter your body type. Because your body is good! Right, Rebekah?] Please don’t judge me for my skinny body. “Oh my gosh, Rebekah, you are sooo skinny!” She said…
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The Daily Struggle With Anxiety
[Guest Post by Angela McNeil – My friend has been through so much and I always appreciate when she shares parts of her story because I just know it will encourage at least one person.] Most of my childhood memories are of my sick mother working 2-3 jobs, and my dad sitting in his Lazy boy recliner. Starting at the age of 8, I picked up most of the chores around the house like cleaning and cooking, while my father sat in his recliner drinking a beer or a Jack n Coke. I remember one day my mom was in tears. My father was arrested for stealing drugs from the…
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On Suicide Prevention: You Matter
[Guest Post by Jami Witherell – I “met” Jami when I watched her episode on Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition. She inspired me to try running for the first time. Her story was so real, so honest (my kind of friend). She shared on the show about dealing with suicide. I asked if I could share her story and she said YES. You can read her original post in it’s entirety here.] I am reminded it’s much easier to pick out flaws in others than it is to accept them in myself. And realizing that is helping me–not so much forgive (that will take time), but press on into today’s post…
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Why Married Sex is the Best
[Guest Post by Aurora Vilchis – I love my friend’s heart. Not only has she has experienced both kinds of sex, but she knows which one is best and shares why. *This post was originally featured on Girls Using Their Strengths blog here).] I like sex. There, I said it. We live in a culture that leads us, as women, to believe that men are visual creatures who want to unclothe us by any means, and we just have to accept that even if we don’t want to. We have heard that women are forced to have sex and would rather be doing anything else but the act itself. I’m here…
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When God Intervenes
[Guest Post by Dabney Hedegard – Her story inspired me and I couldn’t wait to share. Through her story, God showed me how proud I had become towards my future children. If God could allow Dabney to have her first child while battling cancer, what’s my excuse? I hope you enjoy. You can purchase a copy of her new book, When God Intervenes here.] We brought Madison home after a week in the NICU. I finally learned how to cradle and dress her five-pound preemie body without feeling as if I’d break something. I couldn’t kiss and snuggle with her enough. A week and a half after Madison’s birth, she and Jason kept…
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Do You Want to Get Well?
I believe God is serious when he asks you and I the question, “Do you want to get well?” In John 5, we read the story of an invalid who had been seriously crippled for many, many, many, many years. In other words–a long time! The story goes, “Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gatea pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When…
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Forgiving My Rapist
[Guest Post by Amanda Espinoza – I can’t say thanks enough to those who are willing to share about something so deeply personal and painful. I want to personally thank Laura, the first person to share her story of rape on my blog. You can read her story here. Also, my friend Carla who shared her story of rape, and you can read her story here. If any of you are struggling on this topic I encourage you to reach out and get help. Jesus cares and He wants to help you process this painful event.] It is easy to forgive someone when they sincerely apologize and ask for that forgiveness.…
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Couples Therapy
[Guest Post by Angela McNeil – I have had the privilege of getting together with her a few times. She’s taken our family portraits, headshots of mine, and of course her daily dose of sarcasm on her Facebook status’. What I appreciate most about my friend Angela, is she’s never afraid to be honest about her past. If you have ever been in an abusive relationship, I hope you will be encouraged by her story.] You mean not all relationships are like this? When I was in High School 1993-1994 my father worked for a software company that was on the Online community craze, like AOL chat rooms and IMing.…
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Dreams Change
[Guest Post by Shannon Roy – I met her through StartMarriageRight.com an amazing site for building godly relationships. She and I have stayed in close contact ever since, and I can’t wait to meet her in person when I travel to Chicago later on this year. Also, I am excited for her and her upcoming marriage!!] A riddle for you to ponder: What is better than experiencing your greatest dream come true? Before–my answer would be a “few” dreams, but dreams change. The clouds darkened overhead the bright green fields spread out before us. Our SUV radio buzzed as we listened to the coordinates of the brewing storm. Our entourage…
