The Best Kind of Friend… [and God’s Purpose in Suffering.]
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The Best Kind of Friend… [and God’s Purpose in Suffering.]

The best kind of friend is a praying friend. It’s no secret 2024 has been a hard year for the Rains’ household. Little by little, I’ve pulled back the curtains in this season of life and let friends in…  I might’ve overshared a time or two. But the reality is when we share our “stuff,”…

10 Years Ago…. [Looking Back and Pressing Onward]
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10 Years Ago…. [Looking Back and Pressing Onward]

10 years ago this summer, two incredible things happened…   A New Calling… “See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:19 10 years ago this summer, at the height of the Ice Bucket…

Trusting God’s Goodness [in the Darkness]
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Trusting God’s Goodness [in the Darkness]

If We’re Being Honest Neither the church nor our broken world needs more SHINY PEOPLE who hide behind the veneer of an audible “fine.” The world needs more Christians willing to process and wrestle publicly. Because when we are honest about the world’s brokenness and our struggles within it, we underscore the futility of our…

How to Love the World… [one challenging circumstance at a time]
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How to Love the World… [one challenging circumstance at a time]

When I issued the very first LOVE challenge to myself and asked others to join, what I really desired in this world more than anything was to be one of those “rare Christians” Tozer talked about. A Christ-follower whose very presence compelled others to become “better Christians” themselves. Apart from God, none of us are…

How to Have Joy [and Be Joyful] in a Not-So-Perfect World.
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How to Have Joy [and Be Joyful] in a Not-So-Perfect World.

Joyful people see with open eyes the hard reality of human existence and at the same time are not imprisoned by it.” – Henri Nouwen  Radiating hope ✨ and Shining God’s love in a weary, not-so-perfect world is what the manger message is all about, friends.  God’s love for us does not change like the…

The PERFECT Christmas… [and the meaning of advent]
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The PERFECT Christmas… [and the meaning of advent]

Christmas is a busy time for everyone. But it also can be a stressor for many. Even if you absolutely LOVE the holiday—travel, finances, time constraints, challenging people, and difficult circumstances can overwhelm the merriest Christmas diehard. Wherever you fall on the Christmas holiday scale, the best gift you can give yourself and others this…

Surrendering Your Dreams… [and the Dream-Maker].
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Surrendering Your Dreams… [and the Dream-Maker].

Right now I’m livin’ the DREAM I dared to pray for… Does it look exactly like I thought? Uh, no. Does that make it easy? An emphatic, no. But does it ever!? So, humbly I must SURRENDER this new season of unrealized dreams-—to the Maker of my dreams, again and again. The Great Adventure In…