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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Forgiveness is Letting Go
[Guest Post by Suzie Eller – We met through a mutual friend of ours and found out we both wrote books on forgiveness. It is my pleasure to introduce you to my new friend Suzie. To win a copy of her book, simply leave a comment below!!!] My granddaughter Elle didn’t walk for nearly eighteen months. She held on to the wall, the coffee table, or someone’s hand. The moment that she had nothing to hang onto, she fell to her diapered bottom with a plop and cried in frustration. Just moments before she had experienced freedom. It was limited, but it worked for her, at least until her safety…
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Church is
[Guest Post by Laura – When we were first introduced, her story startled me. Not only has she experienced the joy of serving God and the church overseas, but overwhelming heartbreak. If you want to read her previous guest post on anxiety, rape, and kidnapping please click here. I’m encouraged to learn that she is now safe in Ireland and still serving God. Let’s praise God with Laura today!] Church is the body of Christ–it’s about His people. Currently I’m serving in my third country, which means it’s also the third time I’ve been involved in a church in a foreign country. Each church has looked different, yet each church…
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A Barren Wife
[Guest Post by Jessica Quinn – I had the pleasure of being introduced to her through Tyndale House Publishers. She is an amazing godly woman with a husband and a thriving PR career. I can’t wait for you to read her story about being a barren wife. And I have to wonder–if any of you can relate? Be encouraged today by her story!] Cinderella is my favorite princess. I think it has something to do with the fact that she rose up from feeling unwanted and unseen to meet her prince charming, and then went on to live happily ever after. That is the answer, right? Meet prince charming and…
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Forgive a Murderer
[Guest Post by Laurie Coombs – I met my new sweet friend through our mutual friend Sarah Francis Martin. Her story on forgiveness rocked my world. Could I forgive a murderer and not only that but–without ruining her story–please keep reading!] What do you do when your world comes crashing down upon you? What do you do when tragedy strikes? When relationships fail? When trust has been broken? When your cheated on, lied to, abandoned, and just downright sinned against? I can tell you this much. Everything inside you will want to hold onto the anger you feel. You’ll be drawn toward bitterness. Yet, even though you may be just…
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Forgiveness: The F Word
[Guest Post by Nicole Reyes – I can’t wait for you to hear her later this month as one of the speakers for Quarter Life Conference. She is an advocate for the local church, and I can’t wait for you to hear why. In the mean time, read her powerful story about forgiveness.] Forgiveness, also known as the F word, can be a hard pill to swallow. Archbishop Desmond Tutu knows what he’s talking about. He said, “Without forgiveness, there’s no future.” Many of you are thinking… “Well, you don’t know the pain I’ve been through.” I don’t know your past pain, but I do know what’s even worse than…
