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…

Wearing God’s Love… [a not-so-easy how-to]
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Wearing God’s Love… [a not-so-easy how-to]

Wearing Love LOVE will be the most important thing we wear as believers and Christ followers. And the nature of that love will be visible to a watching world through acts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. This is why Paul stated in his letter to the church at Colossae we are to “put…

How to BE LOVE in a [Not-So-Perfect] Barbie World…
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How to BE LOVE in a [Not-So-Perfect] Barbie World…

I snapped this photo of a wayward, perfectly pink Barbie shoe as I walked into my Bible study in Nashville—four summers ago. And I’ve kept it on my phone, all this time?! What can I say, it spoke to me. I guess because I’m still a Barbie girl at heart. As a young girl, Barbie…

Understanding Evil and Sharing God’s love… [in the wake of the Murdaugh Murders]
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Understanding Evil and Sharing God’s love… [in the wake of the Murdaugh Murders]

So much of the Alex Murdaugh case reminds me of my own days of chasing justice. When you come up against pure evil, it becomes life-changing. You truly grasp the reality that evil walks amongst us. And the enemy of our souls is indeed present on this earth and hard at work to destroy us….