• Boards with snow at the edge of it and an evergreen tree with Christmas ornaments and lights in the background.
    Spiritual Growth

    What Christmas Is REALLY All About  

    Christmastime can be busy, chaotic, and downright stressful. This is why we need to remember what Christmas is REALLY all about. So, we can find joy, peace, and rest. Even in a season of busyness.    Because when we remember the reason for the season, we realize what a gift Christmas really is.    What is the purpose of Christmas? The purpose of Christmas is to remind us of truths we tend to forget. Because life can get so busy and stressful sometimes that we need the opportunity that Christmas gives us to take a step back and reflect.   To remember what is important.   And to spend time in the Presence…

  • Prayer

    23 of the BEST Christian Prayer Journals to Enhance Your Quiet Time with God

    One of the most effective coping strategies for dealing with health issues is spending more time in prayer. And prayer journals are great for encouraging us to grow in this area of our spiritual lives.   Prayer journals help us stay accountable and spend regular time journaling out our thoughts to God.   They are also great for keeping track of precious memories and answered prayers. Then later we can read over these things to remind ourselves of how much God has done in our life, and how much we have grown over the years.   The following prayer journals are some of the most amazing Christian prayer journals we have found. They…

  • A woman smiling while looking down and holding her arm across her chest as two women on each side of her put one hand on each of her shoulders to pray for her.
    Prayer

    How to Pray for Healing for Someone Else: Plus 7 Helpful Prayers!

    One of the hardest things in life is watching someone we love suffer. Especially when they’re suffering from health issues. It can make you feel helpless because you don’t know what to do.   You can’t fix it. You can’t make it go away. You can’t even take their place.   But there is something you can do. You can pray.   While it seems like a simple thing to do. Prayer is the most powerful thing you can offer to do for anybody. Because you aren’t just praying and speaking words out loud. You are bringing them before the Lord who adores them.   The One who is in charge of Heaven’s armies.…

  • A woman holding her hands to her head looking upset while sitting on a couch with a glass of water on a coffe table.
    Prayer

    16 Comforting Prayers for Hard Times 

    We all could use prayers for hard times in life. Because those are the moments we’re feeling weak, and can struggle to find the words to speak.   In those tough times, it can be helpful to read through prayers. To use them to begin our time with God. Like a kind of launching pad for coming before Him.  The following prayers can help to get the conversation started. They can help you begin to pour out your heart before God. So, you can find His comfort and peace even in the middle of difficult things.   Because no matter what you’re facing, He loves you. He is with you. And He…

  • A woman holding fairy lights up above her head and by her face.
    Spiritual Growth

    How to Shine for Jesus: 23 Simple & Practical Ways to Share Your Faith 

    It can be hard to know how to shine for Jesus, especially in today’s culture. Because this world can be a very dark place. People can be hostile toward our faith. And sometimes we may simply find it hard to share because we don’t know what to do.   And yet, as Christians, we know we’re supposed to shine for Jesus, share our faith, and tell people about the hope we have.   This is why it can be helpful to learn some simple and practical ways to share our faith. What does it mean to shine for Jesus? Shining for Jesus means doing what you can to let your faith show so…

  • A woman praying with her elbows on a table.
    Prayer

    13 Prayers for Clarity When You Don’t Know What to Do 

    There are times in all of our lives when we simply don’t know what to do. Whether we are struggling through a difficult time of need, facing a very tough decision or simply seeking God’s guidance for our life. God loves us. More than we could possibly imagine. So, He cares about the decisions we have to make.   Both the big ones that scare us. And the little ones that worry us.   It’s in these times that we need to seek His infinite knowledge and wisdom to guide us and give us a sense of clarity.   Because His ways are higher than our ways. And His thoughts are higher than…

  • A woman walking on a path through the forest while reading a book.
    Spiritual Growth

    7 Key Steps in Learning How to Walk with God (When you can’t walk.) 

    Before I was diagnosed with a chronic illness that limited my physical capabilities, one of my favorite activities was going on a walk with a good friend.   There’s nothing better than being outside, getting some exercise, and sharing the journey with someone you love by your side.   Another great thing about walking with someone is the opportunity it brings for great conversations.   You can share your struggles, hopes, and dreams, or even about something you notice as the two of you travel along.   It’s one of the things I miss most about my former life . . . when I was healthy.   But even though, I can’t enjoy a walk…

  • An open Bible with a coffee cup and flowers next to it.
    Bible Verses

    27 Astounding Verses on God’s Forgiveness 

    Every time I hear the song, “Amazing Grace” my eyes tear up. Because I know what it’s like to be lost.   To be completely blinded by the darkness of my sin.   To be so ashamed of the things I have done, I would rather go out to draw water at noon . . . than face the condemning stares of those around me. (Read the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4.)  I know what it’s like to hit rock bottom.   And yet, at the bottom I discovered The Rock of Ages. His undeserved mercy rocked my world. His amazing grace swept me off my feet.…

  • A woman smiling with her eyes closed and her arms wrapped around herself.
    Spiritual Growth

    How To FEEL Forgiven by God

    We all have chapters we would rather not have read out loud. But some of us have ones we wish we could rip out and shred to pieces.   I am one of those people.  The guilt over those chapters of my life makes my cheeks burn with shame while the pain of regret causes my heart to ache.   But God did not send His Son to die on the cross so we could live forever burdened by the guilt of what we have done.   Jesus came to set us free completely.   While many of us know we have been forgiven . . . sometimes it can be a struggle to…

  • A woman with her fingers interlocked in prayer.
    Prayer

    How Does God Answer Prayer? 

    How does God answer prayer? We may find ourselves asking this question for many different reasons. Maybe it feels like our prayers are being met with silence. Maybe it feels like we received an answer and yet God seems to be taking His time delivering on it. Or maybe we’re feeling confused because what we prayed for and what we’re seeing happening in our lives . . . are quite contradictory.   There are many ways God can answer our prayers. He is a loving Father who loves to give good gifts to us. And He is a creative God who loves to do things we wouldn’t expect.   But He…