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What Is Gastroparesis? Plus 7 Helpful Tips For Living Well!
My husband worked hard to prepare a fantastic meal for us. It smelled great and I was looking forward to enjoying it. We sat down. Prayed together. And began to dig in. The food was just as amazing as it smelled. I smiled at my husband and thanked him for the food. Then continued eating a couple more bites . . . and that is when it happened. Again. I set my fork down and my husband looked at me worriedly. “What’s wrong?” he asked. I assured him the food was fine, but that I was full. And he looked at me quizzically and said, “But you only had a couple…
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7 Reasons Why Our Prayers Are Not Answered and What to Do About It
Some days it’s difficult for me to hold onto my faith and continue to pray . . . while living with a chronic illness that won’t go away. After years of praying and praying for healing . . . and hearing nothing, it sometimes feels like God isn’t answering my prayers. But is that really true? Are there prayers that God will not answer? Or is He just not answering my prayers the way I want Him to? One of the hardest things to face in life is when our prayers go unanswered, and the situation gets worse. In those moments, when our hearts are broken, and the tears won’t stop flowing…
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9 Powerful Lessons to Learn from Blind Bartimaeus
“Lord, I want to walk!” The tears welled up as I watched a couple walking down the beach, holding hands as their playful dog ran along the shore. “I want to stand without feeling dizzy. And I want to walk without feeling faint.” After over 10 years of dealing with a chronic illness, I just want God to fix it. So, I can enjoy a normal life. And yet, so far He hasn’t. When facing painful circumstances, we can find ourselves in a dark place. Pulling back from God. Questioning our faith. We may even find ourselves hesitating to pray. Because after years of praying the same thing over and…
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30 of the Best Bible Study Tips & Tricks!
There’s a difference between reading the Bible and studying the Bible. If we just read the Bible, we may never really understand it. Or know how to correctly apply it. We’ll find ourselves just reading about . . . rather than getting to know the One who wrote it. Which is a tragedy. Reading the Bible is good. But if all we ever do is just read it, it’s like only ever looking at the surface of the ocean. We’ll miss the beauty, wonder, and majesty that comes from diving beneath the surface and going deeper. God doesn’t want us just to read His Word. He wants us to study it. So,…
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Help for Migraines: 5 Painless Tips for Migraine Relief
Migraines can cause a lot of problems. They can make everyday life difficult. And they can affect a person’s employment, relationships, and overall well-being. They can mean missing out on special events, parties, and other fun activities. They can even lead to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and more. This is why it’s so important to look for ways to find help for migraines What can trigger a migraine? When we know what triggers our migraines, we can find ways to avoid these things. However, migraine triggers can vary drastically from person to person. It might take some time to figure out what your specific triggers are. Read…
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Closer to Christ: 12 Dynamic Bible Study Methods
Studying the Bible can feel a bit intimidating. After all, it’s a huge book with lots of pages. There are strange words and unfamiliar concepts. It was written in a time and culture very different from our own. And yet, studying the Bible is an important part of our walk with Christ. So, how do we go about studying the Bible when we feel so poorly equipped? When we feel overwhelmed and are unsure of where or even how to start? The first thing we need to do is take a deep breath and remember that God is willing to help us with this. And the second thing we need…
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How to Study the Bible Effectively in 5 Simple Steps
MORE. It felt like the word jumped off the page and hit me in the face. My spiritual director had just asked if there was anything I’d written down that I thought God wanted me to focus on. And there it was. The word MORE. As I thought about what this word meant, I realized God was calling me to MORE in my relationship with Him. While I’d been a Christian for many years, I hadn’t really gone deeper. Now, God was making me painfully aware that knowing a lot ABOUT Him . . . is not the same as KNOWING Him personally and intimately. God was inviting me to…
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10 Amazing Ways God Speaks to Us Today!
Have you ever wondered how we can hear God speak? I’ve often read stories in the Old Testament and have been a little bit jealous that God spoke audibly to people like Moses and Elijah. I feel like it would be so much easier if I could hear God just as easily as I can hear my husband or my kids. Wouldn’t you agree? And yet the truth I am discovering is that God is always speaking to us. It’s just that I’m often too busy to listen. Or too distracted to pay attention. But as I slow down and spend time with Him, I’m finding it becomes a lot…
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How to Pray A Prayer for Migraines
I can hear my kids giggling with their dad in the living room. And yet here I am lying in bed in pain. The lights are off. My fan is on. And I’m praying that somehow sleep will come quickly so I can find relief. The pain of a migraine can be debilitating. It robs me of time with my family. It steals my joy and peace. But it also teaches me some things. Like how to lean on Jesus through the pain. How the Holy Spirit can bring me comfort through a Bible verse I’ve memorized, bringing it to mind at the perfect time. And how to go deeper…
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Living with Migraines . . . How to Find Hope in the Pain
I could hear everyone laughing and talking. They seemed to be having a great time. Gathered around the table enjoying a yummy Easter dinner. And there I was. Lying in the dark on the couch in pain. Because of a migraine. The frustration of it all made me want to cry. But I fought back the tears knowing they’d only make the pain worse. All I could do was lay there and suffer through the pain, nausea, and dizziness. While everyone else was having fun. And I couldn’t help but think, “Migraines are ruining my life.” What Is It Like Living with Migraines? A migraine is a neurological condition that…
