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When it's Easier to Declare Defeat
[Guest Post by Mara Rose – I am so encouraged by her story because someday if my husband and I decide to have kids I will have to go off my medications, and that will not be easy. I love what she says that God still performs medical miracles. Believe it! Be encouraged today my friends.] Sometimes it’s easier to declare defeat prior to trying, rather than to try and fail later. There are so many things that we can worry about in life. And our worries can be amplified when we decide to have children. This past summer, my husband and I decided that we felt ready to start a…
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When Your World Comes Crashing Down
[Guest Post by Rochelle Frazier – I met her through the Top 10 Blogs for Christian Women post I compiled. She was nominated for the list, and when I looked at her blog–I knew I had to have her share! For anyone who has seen their picture perfect like come crashing down, this is for you today. Be encouraged! You are not alone.] Is it possible to arrive at the place where you stop asking, “Is there more? Should I be more?” Is it possible that your restless heart could actually find rest right where you are? Satisfied? I dare to say “Yes!” I don’t have the story of overcoming an…
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How to Motivate Your Son to Follow Christ
[Guest Post by Rhonda Stoppe – Whenever I meet a fellow Harvest House author I am excited to connect and have him or her share their story on Devotional Diva. If you are a mom of a boy or boys, you will appreciate this how-to!] How can I motivate my son to want to follow Christ? Moms ask me all the time, How can I get my son to want to follow Christ? My answer? You cannot coerce, manipulate, or even reward your son enough to make him want to live in full abandon to Christ. You can however, live in a manner that makes following Christ irresistible! Your son–as…
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Why Not Celebrate?
[Guest Post by Heather Von St. James – When Cameron, Heather’s husband, reached out to me asking if he could help share his wife’s story — I was inspired. I wish all husbands were excited to celebrate life with their wives. Today, if you are struggling with life — why not celebrate? Don’t wait for tragedy to strike! Celebrate today.] Fear – we’ve all faced a form of it at some point in our lives. I’ve learned that your fears don’t define the person you are, but rather how you deal with them. Humor is the way that my husband Cameron and I handled one of the most terrifying and…
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Does it Hurt to Hope?
[Guest Post by Kelli McIntosh – When she asked to share about her son Kyle with special needs and why she’s not losing hope, I realized that I haven’t had anyone else share about that topic yet. If you struggle with being a mom or feel like losing hope–you are not alone!] With the intention of taking my mind off of everything, I settled on the couch for a few minutes to read my current novel. But as soon as I read what one of the characters in my book was thinking, I found myself lost in thought about Kyle. I realized that the book was not going to take my…
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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…
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Panic Attacks: My Fight Against Fear
[Guest Post by Dr. Gail Bones – We met through our mutual friend and mentor Pam Farrel. I appreciate Gail for her heart of integrating ministry between older women and younger women. Also, this is an excerpt from her new book that JUST RELEASED this month on Living Cross Wise. Hope you are encouraged!!] I’d just put my baby down for a nap when a tsunami of irrational dread and fear swept over me. A feeling of impending doom, accompanied by a terrifying sense of unreality took hold, and my heart began to pound. As the room spun, a suffocating panic gripped me. My mind raced to find an explanation…
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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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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…
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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…
