Tag: encouragement
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Does Our Grief Matter?
You have kept count of my tossing, put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Psalm 56:8 Have you shed silent tears this week? Or perhaps your grief was messy and loud—a full on “ugly-cry.” Or maybe your grief has been too deep for tears, but rather has been a hidden,…
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Are Your Words Sweet To the Soul?
Proverbs 16:24: Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. This week I was the recipient of gracious words. And friends, they were indeed sweet to my soul. I was feeling tired and busy and just a tiny bit invisible. But a beautiful woman sat with me,…
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God is Bigger Than My Overwhelm
“The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the water of the sea into a heap; he puts the depths into storehouses. Let the whole earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. …
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A God Who Can Do MORE
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. . .” Ephesians 3:20 In a world that tells us to be bigger, bolder, and flashier, the ideas of “small” and “simple” may seem outdated and irrelevant. But I…
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Praise in the Pain?
“The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21b, NKJV). My heart ached. My eyes were tear-swollen. It felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I honestly wasn’t sure there was any sort of happy ending in my future. But still I whispered the words, “Blessed…
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Burdened By Prayer?
“I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul” (Psalm 131:1b-2a). As the owner of a small, simple soul I feel all the feels. This is both a blessing and a burden. Images, sounds, and emotions get lodged in my head…
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Will You Follow?
Matthew 4:19: And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” As the owner of a small, simple soul, I often write of how God is able to use us right where we are, in the hundred tiny details of our everyday lives. But as the owner of a…
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Darkness
True confession: my small, simple soul enjoys writing poetry. So here are some small, simple words–inspired by scripture–that I hope will also inspire your soul. (Is it okay that this is a little different? Let me know what you think!) Do not fear the dark, my friend. Your Father cares for you even there, especially…
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I Long to Hear “Well Done.”
Matthew 10:2-4: “The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” When…
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Rest from Expectations
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) Life is…