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You are a Vineyard Waiting to Happen
[This is an excerpt from Bobbie Houston’s (of Hillsong notoriety) beautiful book Stay The Path. I received a copy of this book from the publisher. I loved Stay The Path, and highly recommend it, especially if you are in ministry. It is truly beautifully written. I chose this section of the book because I thought it could apply to so many of us, and was so true!] You are a Vineyard Waiting to Happen You are a vineyard with endless vines within your sphere. If you are facing challenges within the “vineyard of marriage,” an ocean of good people exist who can speak into your life and give you solid biblical…
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Infertility – Joy In The Darkness
[Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Naima Johnston Bush. Wow. This is an amazing story on infertility, and Naima has also blessed us with a song today! Thank you, Naima, for having the courage to share your story to spur others forward!] I’ve been blessed to work with students and the Lord, in his infinite wisdom has given me a mother’s heart. There are my college kids from the years I worked in higher education, who lovingly called me Momma, the kids from the youth group where I served as an adult leader who now have kids of their own. I’m so proud and honored to have played a…
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Some Spring To-Do’s
This spring, I am in the US spending time with my family. (It’s just me and little O for this trip). We are here to be in another wedding and for my brother’s graduation at the end of May. Living in Italy is a great opportunity and at times a lot of fun, but there’s just nothing like being at home in the states. There’s things I can do here that I just can’t overseas. Like, obviously, throw a birthday party for O with all of our family. This brings me to my first spring to-do I wanted to share: 1.Plan the best Thomas the Tank Engine party I can!…
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The Proverbs 31 Superwoman
The Proverbs 31 Superwoman [Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Remi Roy — the second in her series of devotionals on people in the Bible! Please do check out the first, Priscilla and the Art of Focus. This one is a bit more general as it focuses on the Proverbs 31 Superwoman. You know her! Read on for Remi’s thoughts.] Have you ever read Proverbs 31 and thought “What is she? Superwoman?” I’m guilty too. When we read about the Proverbs 31 woman (or the Proverbs 31 Superwoman) and compare her life and the things she accomplishes to our own struggles and fumblings, we just might get…
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A Blessing in the Burdens
A Blessing in the Burdens [Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Winslow E. Dixon and the second post in A Very Diva Christmas. I tried to make all of the posts flow well in the series. Since Alisha Ritchie’s opening guest post dealt with Mary’s response to her pregnancy, I thought Winslow’s take on how Joseph also dealt with the news would be a good follow-up.] And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of…
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Prayer for the Distracted
Prayer for the Distracted [Editor’s Note: This is the latest in a series of guest posts on prayer by Kelly O’Dell Stanley! Check out the previous prayers for the… Overwhelmed, Weary Parent, Unfocused, Comparer.] Dear Lord, I’m so glad that I can come to You at any time. But I wish I could focus more, that I wouldn’t start my prayer and already be distracted before the end of the sentence. I hope that it doesn’t indicate a lack of interest in You. You know my heart, better than I do, but I think my intentions are good. I just can’t still my brain enough to stay on one thought for very long. And…
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Prayer for the Comparer
Prayer for the Comparer [Editor’s Note: This is the latest installment in a series of devotionals by Kelly O’Dell Stanley. Check out Prayer for the Unfocused, Prayer for the Weary Parent and Prayer for the Overwhelmed by following the links!] I confess my tendency to look at what someone else has with judgment, envy, longing. I fight feelings of jealousy when I see people who seem to have it all together—happy marriages, successful children, thriving careers, financial abundance. Wherever I look, I find myself feeling like I cannot measure up. I’m just not good enough. But instead of getting down on myself, I turn my disappointment towards others. I find myself feeling…
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Prayer for the Unfocused
PRAYER FOR THE UNFOCUSED [editor’s note: This is part of a series of guest posts by the lovely Kelly O’Dell Stanley. See her previous posts, Prayer for the Weary Parent and Prayer for the Overwhelmed by following the links!] Dear Lord, I’m so glad you are rock-steady, because I feel like I ricochet from one place to the next, faster than I can catch my breath. But it’s not just my activities—my mind, Lord, spins and whirs. So many distractions, so many thoughts, so many ideas, so much to do. I want to pray. I want to focus on you, to prioritize the things that matter and let everything else…
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Our Next Adventure
I have known about this next adventure in my life for almost a year now. But I didn’t share it because it just never felt real or like it was actually going to happen. It seemed just too good to be true. We are a military family, so we expect a lot of moving. My husband’s orders in San Diego, California are coming to an end. Since San Diego is a big military town with a lot of opportunities, we were hoping to get orders to stay longer. In January, we began looking at orders. There weren’t a lot of options for San Diego. Brandon was able to put down orders…
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He's Here!
This is just a short post to let you know that my son, Oliver, was born! My due date was May 11th, but he arrived May 17th! It was definitely not the labor and delivery experience I had expected. I was induced, but the little guy was in too much stress to go forward with labor. So, I ended up with a C-Section. The thing is, as soon as I got to the hospital to be induced, they figured out Oliver was in distress. If I didn’t have that induction date, I wouldn’t have known! The doctor wanted to try to get him out as soon as we could, but the medication…
