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Seeking the Savior in the Stress – Week 3 – Lower Your Stress Level by Re-framing Life with Gospel Informed Expectations

March 6, 2018
| 14 Comments
| Categories: Stress

According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress can be linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide. And more than 75 percent of all physician office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

That sounds really disheartening, but let me give you some encouragement!

Not all stress has to be endured. While we do have stressors in our lives that are out of our control, we also have plenty that is well within our control. Self-induced stress might be the easiest kind…

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Seeking the Savior in the Stress – Week 2 – Destroying Damaging Thinking Patterns with Jesus

February 26, 2018
| 9 Comments
| Categories: Stress, Thinking

I have dream that one day all of our thinking patterns that are damaging to ourselves, our loved ones, our relationship with the world around us and to God will be obliterated!
Thankfully, I know that this will happen!
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” -Revelation 21:4
Andrew Peterson’s song, “After the Last Tear,” reminds me of all that I look forward to when sin, sickness,…

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Seeking the Savior in the Stress Series – Week 1 -Praying Over Ingrained Responses to Life Stressors

February 19, 2018
| 17 Comments
| Categories: Stress

“Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart.” -Psalm 26:2

“Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from you.” Psalm 38:9

Do you, like me, ever feel “programmed” to respond to life circumstances in a certain way?

While we must take responsibility for our response to life, in a way we have been “programmed”, to some extent, by our past experiences, circumstances and life choices.

Please don’t hear that as me saying we have an excuse for how we act. I am…

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What is STRETCH my F A I T H?

February 2, 2018
| 2 Comments
| Categories: Stretch my faith

Friends, I am so excited to share with you that I’ve finally begun creating and sharing STRETCH my F A I T H videos! Some of you may be wondering what it is, so I want to try to answer that question in this post. I had some technical difficulties this past week, so I took a break from my series on turning from fear to courage and trust, and I’m focusing in on answering some questions. I’ll post the last part in the fear to courage and trust series this coming…

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A New Creation Reminder for Your New Year + How to Get Free Access to My First Stretch My F A I T H Therapeutic Stretch Video

January 2, 2018
| 12 Comments
| Categories: Encouragement, Uncategorized

As I begin a new year, I am reminded that I don’t need a new year to be the new me.

From the moment I gave my life to Christ and accepted His for me, I have been given a new identity.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”                         – -2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

I love the new year! It’s a great to be…

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For When You Feel Weak

October 13, 2017
| 1 Comment
| Categories: Contentment, Spiritual Growth

My family and I waited for our food during a rare lunch date in the middle of the week. Feelings of failure overcame me.  Like being in battle, one blow after another hit me this past week. Parenting blows. Each one magnified, perhaps, by the reality that I’m in a state of upheaval as my family prepares to move out the house we’ve been in for over a decade.

My husband said, “You need God’s Word.”

My reply, “I also need to look at reality.”

My son, coming into the booth at…

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When You’re Weary of the World’s Lack of Kindness

August 19, 2017
| 14 Comments
| Categories: Encouragement, Grace, Ministry and Serving, Spiritual Growth

SMH

Are you familiar with this acronym for “Shaking My Head”?  “SMH” is an Internet abbreviation trend used for shaking your head to express disappointment.

I don’t often shake my head at people I’m disappointed in. Well…wait…maybe I do that to my kids when they disobey me! I’ve probably used the acronym for it a few times while texting or on social media. Perhaps more often than these, I might have an internal posture of “SMH”.

This past week I was made aware that I had that internal “SMH” posture going.

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The Turquoise Table book Winners!

July 31, 2017
| 1 Comment
| Categories: Encouragement, Ministry and Serving

This past week, I held a random drawing for two newsletter subscribers to win a copy of The Turquoise Table by Kristin Schell.

Congratulations to Madeleine and Kathy!

I must admit, I don’t own a turquoise table!  I’m also in the midst of moving and rehabbing and I’m a mess!  I do have a bit of turquoise on my front porch so I’m claiming that as my space to remind me to welcome people into my life.

I’m also trying to think of my blog as my turquoise table. Much of want I…

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Announcement: A Giveaway And A Request For Help!!

July 22, 2017
| No Comments
| Categories: Encouragement, Ministry and Serving

“Being present and listening is the foundation to hospitality.” -Kristin Schell

“Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.” -Henri Nouwen

“Are you consumed with a busy life but unsure how to slow down? Do you desire connection within your community and think, “Absolutely, but I don’t have time for that” or “I can’t create that”? What if there was another way through it all, a…

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When You Dread the Week Ahead

April 1, 2017
| 17 Comments
| Categories: Encouragement, Uncategorized

psalm 139_4I woke from a solid sleep, spring at my doorstep, and birds sweetly singing a morning lullaby to me. Yet the first words that came out of my mouth were, “I don’t want to have another…” I stopped myself before finishing the sentence but it was already out there. My husband asked what I was going to say. I decided to be honest and admitted that I was going to say the word “week”.

I don’t like that I was going to say that. I’m pretty embarrassed that it…

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