• Devotionals,  Faith

    Daily Devotional Tips for 2014

    The New Year is almost here! I wanted to share some daily devotional tips and Bible reading tips to give you a jump start to 2014, starting with 10 Tips to Renew Your Devotional Life. 1. BE A FOLLOWER. Disciple simply means follower. It’s not a spiritual term. QUESTION: You follow people on Twitter and Facebook, so why not be mindful to follow God FIRST? BIBLICAL EXAMPLE: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33, NIV). 2. DISCIPLINE TAKES TIME. Over the years I’ve discovered what works for me. Daily eVerses + Yearly devotionals + One Year Bible…

  • Health & Body

    Mental Health Boot Camp

    [Guest Post by Anonymous – My heart goes out to people who feel like they have to hide their story. Obviously it’s a good thing to protect your child(ren) or family, but I hope this person’s courage will help you find true healing in Christ.] As a mom with a physical chronic condition I am familiar with the complexities of having a demanding disease. I have long admitted that although I could see how God has worked through my physical ailment, I still did not understand mental illness. It was a world I had not been a participant of, a language I did not speak. And then my young sons’s struggles…

  • Faith,  Health & Body

    Clinical Depression: From Curse to Blessing

    [Guest Post by Celine Diaz – I always appreciate it when when people are brave enough to come forward and share their story. Here’s Celine’s story. Be encouraged.] I could hardly recognize myself. I had gone from a spirited 19 year old, passionate and ambitious, on fire with life and always progressing, to a paralyzed, immobile wraith, numb to joy, and suddenly so fearful and exhausted that I lapsed into inactivity. I hid from my loved ones, locking myself up in shame, afraid of dragging others down with my low mood. I was like a flower that had been cut from its roots: devoid of vibrancy and life, now wilted,…

  • Health & Body

    Life, life, and more life

    [Guest Post by Wendy van Eyck – When my good friend from South Africa told me that she published her first book–Life, life, and more life–AND is giving it away for free at ilovedevotionals.com, I asked her to share with us. Enjoy and be encouraged.] How God found me in my darkest time I was 21 when I realized that I did not want to kill myself anymore. After months of struggling with depression the darkness was beginning to lift. For months my soul had been in a place where light didn’t penetrate and I couldn’t see hope. When I was growing up–blowing bubbles, climbing jungle gyms and jumping on…

  • Health & Body

    Mental Illness Does Not Define You

    Over the years I have learned a very important lesson that mental illness does not define me. It does not define you either. Yes! There are days, weeks, months, and even years when it doesn’t feel that way–but it’s true. Pastor Rick Warren said in a recent sermon, “Your [mental] illness is not your identity, your chemistry is not your character.” That quote means even more when you realize he has lived it. His son Matthew recently took his life. He was only 27 and struggled with mental illness his whole life. I highly recommend that you watch the video sermon in its entirety here. I wanted to share the 6…

  • Health & Body

    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…

  • Devotionals

    Host a Small Group on Forgiveness

    I recently recorded Chapter Videos to go along with my new book “Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me” for those of you who want to host a small group on forgiveness. They go along with the Discussion Questions at the back of the book (pages 175-178). You can cover each chapter a week for seven weeks or space it out as you desire. Since forgiveness isn’t a fluffy topic, but weighty and often times difficult–hear me when I say this–feel free to go at your own pace. Without further ado, here is the first Chapter Video, and the rest can be viewed at http://www.forgivingme.com. Ch: 1 Video & Chapter Discussion from Renee…

  • Faith,  Health & Body

    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…

  • Devotionals

    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…

  • 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.…