Monthly Archives: April 2020

Release What’s Holding You Back?

Leave a reply
balloons released into the sky
Photo credit: Thomas Peham

I got my first one-star review on one of my books this past week. It was on Goodreads. Thankfully, there were no words with it, just the rating. In the past, that would have crippled me from moving forward. It did bring me down for a little bit, but then I remembered that it doesn’t matter in the long run.

The key to keeping your fears and shortcomings from holding you back from accomplishing what God wants you to do is to turn those shortcomings over to God. Paul understood something about this.

A Shortcoming to Stay Humble

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! II Corinthians 12:7 MSG

God gave Paul the gift of having an incredible vision of what Heaven was like. It would have been easy for Paul to get a big head and preach about his vision rather than about Jesus. Paul tells us that God gave Him a handicap to keep that from happening.

We’re not sure what that handicap was exactly. We just know that Paul said it kept him constantly aware of his limitations and his dependence on God.

Removing the handicap

At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. II Corinthians 12:8,9 MSG

Paul says he didn’t see the handicap as a gift at first. He prayed three times, asking God to take away his handicap. God chooses not to and instead gives him words of encouragement. God tells him, “I’ll give you grace and my strength to endure.” God tells him that His strength works best in weakness. Listen to Paul’s response.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. II Corinthians 12:10 MSG

Somehow, Paul found a way to appreciate the shortcoming God had given him. He began to see that his handicap consistently threw him at the feet of Jesus. Then Jesus would give him the strength to accomplish his mission.

What Holds Me Back?

What kept me back for the longest time was two things- my perfectionism and fear of people’s opinions. Let’s just say, being an author and a blogger is the perfect culmination of those two fears! The hardest thing I do each week is click publish on my blog post and push send on my email blast.

A book that I highly recommend if you struggle with pleasing people is Nothing to Prove by Jennie Allen.

I can either let those fears and struggles stop me from moving forward to do what I know God wants me to do, or I can pray and ask God for the words to say and the courage to be able to say it.

Then I push publish and put my post out there. I upload my book to Amazon and surrender the outcome to God.

What’s Holding You Back?

Do you have something that you struggle with and it’s been holding you back over the years? Could it be that the very thing you think is holding you back is the ticket to you moving forward? God is simply waiting for you to release that weakness to Him, so His strength can fill you.

What are the common things that keep us back from feeling like we can be useful to God? The following comes to mind: other people’s opinions, our weight, finances, our looks, personality, a disability, a child with special needs, mental health, instability, anger, our job, feeling unlovable. There are so many things that keep us back from believing God can use us.

Change How You See Your Shortcomings

Maybe it’s time to start seeing that thing that is holding you back as a blessing. That weakness or thing you don’t like about yourself is the very reason that you will continually return to God for His strength and help. Then, filled with God’s strength and power, you can move forward to accomplish what He has for you.

It’s time to release that attitude, thought, fear, or shortcoming. You’ve spent too many years compensating for it and trying in your own strength to make it work. It’s time to see that handicap as a blessing. Let it drive you to your knees. Once you’re there, call out to God for his help and strength. Then rise up and get busy doing what you know God wants you to do.

Start that Dream

Go start that business. Write that book you’ve been pondering for years. Turn that hobby into a business. Start that degree. Sign up for the art class. Set up a shop and begin selling on Etsy. Start a blog. Find a way to get that nonprofit going. Get started with your podcast. Start freelance writing. Get your first customers for your photography business. Stop letting your fears and shortcomings hold you back. Release it and move forward! For more ideas and inspiration, read Start Pursuing Your Dream and Dreaming Big Dreams.

Finding the Good Happening in Front of Our Eyes

Leave a reply

My Trip to the Grocery Store

Finding the good in life right now seems difficult, but it can be done. So funny story for you… I went to my grocery store this week. When I got there, I had to wait in line. When it was finally my turn to go in, I needed to grab a shopping cart. The employee in charge of telling us when we could go into the store was standing directly in front of the carts. I looked inside the store and saw there were no carts except for the ones my buddy was standing in front of. So I moved towards the carts and asked, through my mask of course, “Can I grab one of these carts?” He literally jumped away from me and fell against a trash can to get away from me, like I had leprosy. Then he told me demeaningly, “Yes, but you’re supposed to stay six feet away.” I really wanted to just stand next to him and go, “BOO!”

I walked inside my store and saw that in addition to only letting a few people into the store at a time, they now have one-way aisles and security officers running the line for checkout. I think maybe it’s a little overkill, but that’s just me.

God’s Goodness

Things are so crazy right now, and if we’re not careful, we can find our place on the crazy train. We can get so focused on all the negativity around us and get discouraged and frustrated. We have to remember that God’s goodness endures continually, even in the midst of difficult times.

 Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Psalm 52:1 KJV

Finding the Good

I’m reading The Brave Learner by Julie Bogart. I read a sentence in her book today that caught my attention. “It’s as if we’re designed to notice what’s missing rather than being delighted by all the good happening in front of our eyes.” I thought about this in reference to Coronavirus. This epidemic has caused even the most positive people to become discouraged and frustrated. So I spent a few minutes and made myself find the “good happening in front of my eyes.” Here’s what I came up with:

  1. We’ve had more family nights.
  2. I’ve had more time to write.
  3. My kids have spent more time playing together outside.
  4. We’ve been on the receiving end of generosity during this time.
  5. We’ve been able to give to others during this time.
  6. This time has brought us a renewed appreciation for our family and friends.

Just thinking through each of these put a smile on my face and gave me encouragement to keep pushing through.

two sisters hugging
Maggie and Macey
game night as a family
Family Game Night
girl with sunglasses playing game
Because playing with sunglasses is so much better!

Finding the Sweetness Worksheet

Take just a few minutes today to look for the good happening around you. It will encourage your heart just like it did mine. I have created a worksheet for you to be able to download to find the good right now in your own life. You can download that free worksheet HERE.

If this post was an encouragement to you, check out my post: Can You Really Find Hope in a Crisis?

craft pictures

12 Ways to Make Easter Special at Home this Year

Leave a reply

Easter looks different this year. It isn’t what any of us planned on, but it’s what we are stuck with. So how can we make the best of it? How can we make Easter special for our family, while stuck at home? Here are 12 ideas.

1. Stick with Tradition.

We can help our kids find joy by doing what we normally do every year. Decorate eggs, have an Easter egg hunt in your yard, make a special lunch, whatever it is your family does every year.

2. Start a New Tradition.

Easter basket
Easter basket we made

This year, since we couldn’t do our Easter egg hunt at church, we decided to take Easter to our church families. We made twenty baskets, loaded our family into the van, and drove around delivering Easter baskets to our church families. We had such a good time, this may become a yearly tradition.

3. FaceTime Family or Friends for an Easter Egg Hunt

Do an egg hunt in your backyard, but FaceTime family members or friends to watch so they can be a part of it. Or change it up for fun. Let your kids hide some eggs and see if their Grandparents or another family member or friend can “find” them by watching from the phone.

4. Make an Easter Candy Trail

Every year, we make candy trails for our kids to follow to find their Easter basket. We make four trails of candy. Each child follows their trail, picking up the candy as they go. At the end of their trail, they find their Easter basket.

5. Easter Basket Ideas for Kids

This is what we are putting in our kids’ baskets this year. It’s different every year. This is all stuff I got from Dollar Tree, except for the books.

  • Flip flops
  • Sunglasses
  • Candy
  • Notepad or journal
  • Egg-shaped sidewalk chalk
  • Stamps
  • Football for Malachi
  • Hula Hoops for the girls (those obviously don’t fit in their baskets)
  • Books: I ordered a book from Amazon for Madison and Malachi and princess sticker books for Macey and Maggie

You can also create a Kids’ Devotional Basket for your kids. We did this two years ago for Easter.

6. Make an Easter Basket for Your Spouse

Parents usually get overlooked at Easter. This year, do something different. Make an Easter basket for your spouse. This is what I am putting in Matt’s Easter basket this year.

  • Snickers eggs
  • Beef jerky
  • Pair of sunglasses
  • A container of Mentos gum
  • A book I ordered on Amazon
  • Other ideas: coffee, summer sausage, a block of cheese, hot sauce, coffee mug or travel mug, pens

7. Easter Crafts

crafts from the dollar store
Easter Crafts from Dollar Tree

Dollar tree has lots of great kits this year for Easter. I snagged egg decorating kits and paint kits. Another easy idea is to get sponges from the dollar store and cut them into the shape of eggs. Kids can use these to sponge paint eggs on paper.

8. Listen to an Audiobook

picture of kids painting
Our kids painting and listening to an audiobook

While my kids painted and decorated eggs, they listened to The Tales of Beatrix Potter. I bought the audio version on Amazon. The first tale is Peter Rabbit. My kids had fun listening while painting, and it kept them from fighting with each other instead.

9. Watch an Easter Movie as a Family

Some families watch The Passion of the Christ; others watch Peter Rabbit. You choose what works for your family. A movie night is always special, especially when you add popcorn.

10. Make a Special Meal

Whether it’s brunch, lunch, or dinner, plan a special meal on Easter. Set a nice table. You can do that with a colored table cloth, Easter paper plates, napkins, and cups. Or put out your fine china- whatever works for you. Make something delicious that will bring the entire family together.

  • Cheesy hashbrown casserole. This is the recipe I use except I don’t put in the cornflakes and I use onion powder instead of chopped onions.
  • Coffee Cake. This is the recipe my mom has used for years and passed on to me. Now I make it all the time for my family.
  • Cinnamon rolls. Feeling really ambitious? Try this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. They take a little bit of time, but they are worth it. I make these each year at Christmas.
  • Make a ham and use this yummy ham glaze. I’ve used this glaze in years past.
  • Melt some chocolate chips and dip strawberries and bananas. My kids love doing this!

11. Listen to Worship Music

Even though we can’t be at church, we can still worship together as a family. Spend time listening to uplifting worship songs as a family sometime this weekend. Here are some of our favorite Easter songs.

12. Do an Easter Devotional Together

easter devotional picured
Matt’s Easter Devotional

My husband, Matt, has written a 30-Day Easter devotional, called Six Days to Sunday. Each day’s reading starts with a fun Easter story and ends with a detailed look at the Easter story. This book is perfect for reading with your kids. You can buy and download the kindle version and have it available right away.

Remember What’s Most Important

Hopefully, this list of ideas will get you started thinking about what you can do to make Easter special. Just remember, making Easter special for your family isn’t about all the stuff you do, it’s about spending quality time together as a family and celebrating Jesus’ love and sacrifice for us. If you remember those two things, your Easter will be perfect.

Being Okay, When Everything is Not Okay

Leave a reply
hand doing the okay sign
photo credit: pixabay

Being okay when everything is not okay sounds impossible. We live in a world where we are taught to look after number one, take care of myself, let others know what I’m feeling, be honest about how I really feel, and so on. So how in the world do we respond to the crisis we are stuck in?

Joseph’s Circumstances

During my morning time, I have been reading in the book of Genesis. I read a verse about Joseph this week that really stood out and started me thinking about this concept of being okay even though everything around us is far from okay.

As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him… Genesis 39:2 MSG

This verse teaches us a really interesting concept. You can be in the midst of a bad situation and things are not okay, but you can be okay. The circumstances around you can be really bad. Joseph was in a bad situation. His brothers sold him as a slave. He has been hired by a man named Potiphar. Now he lives in this man’s house, overseeing the other slaves.

Does Joseph want to be in Egypt? No, of course not. He would rather be home, but this is the situation he is stuck in now. Though he is in the midst of a trial or a bad situation, things are well with him. He knows God is still with him and hasn’t forgotten him.

The head jailer put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners—he ended up managing the whole operation. The head jailer gave Joseph free rein, never even checked on him, because God was with him; whatever he did God made sure it worked out for the best. Genesis 39:23 MSG

Joseph ends up in prison for something he didn’t do. Even then, in the midst of terrible circumstances, God is still with him.

The Story Behind “It Is Well With My Soul”

It’s hard for us to wrap our minds around this idea. How is it possible to be in the midst of a difficult circumstance and say things are okay?

I can’t read a verse like this and not think about the story behind the beloved hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul,” by Horatio Spafford. Horatio and his wife Anna lived in the 1800s. They had four girls together. After surviving the Chicago Fire, they decided to take a break and vacation in Europe. Horatio needed to finish up some work, so he sent his wife and four young daughters across the ocean ahead of him. The ship Anna and the girls were on was struck by another vessel and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. Anna survived but their four daughters did not.

Horatio received a telegram from his wife saying, “Saved alone. What shall I do?” After receiving that message, Horatio boarded a ship to go get his wife and bring her home. The captain of the ship called Horatio up to the deck when they passed over the spot where the ship had gone down. Horatio stood at the deck and looked down. It was during those moments that he penned the words to the beloved hymn, “It is Well with My Soul.”

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well, it is well, with my soul

It Is well
With my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

I can’t imagine what he must have felt as he stood on the deck of that ship. We can see from his words that God’s grace was with him even in the midst of horrible circumstances. Everything was terribly, terribly wrong, but Horatio could say, “It is well with me.” That’s the best picture we have of understanding God’s peace.

4 Things We Can Do Today for Encouragement

So do we just paste a smile on our face and act like everything is okay, even though it’s not right now? No, but here are some things we can do.

  1. Choose to believe that God has everything in control. We have to make the decision in our hearts to trust God and not panic. He is still in control. We have the choice to trust God today or to live in fear.
  2. Don’t focus on the negativity all around us. Don’t read all the negative posts about coronavirus on Facebook. Maybe skip the news and press conferences for a few days. Constantly feeding ourselves with information about something we can do nothing about doesn’t help bring peace.
  3. Find something positive to focus on during this time. Read a good book, listen to encouraging music, watch an uplifting movie as a family, start a new Bible study, take an online class, facetime with friends and family, send a note of encouragement to someone, try a new recipe, whatever brings life to you.
  4. My last and best tip is to spend time with God each morning. If you want to stay grounded during this time, develop a morning time routine of prayer, Bible reading, and journaling. If you want help getting a morning routine started, read My Best Tips for an Effective Morning Time.

Four Songs to Encourage Your Heart Today

I love music. Uplifting music is one of the greatest ways to bring peace and encouragement into our daily lives. These four songs have been a great source of encouragement to me during these past few weeks.

Alive and Breathing by Matt Maher

I Know by Big Daddy Weave

The Glorious Unfolding by Steven Curtis Chapman

Sovereign Over Us by Michael W. Smith

Additional Resources

If this has been an encouragement to you, I have several other resources available that will be a help and encouragement during this time.

  1. Alleviate Your Anxiety Devotional. My husband and I created a 10-Day Crisis Devotional. You can’t stop the rain, but you can keep it from falling on your head. Find your way through the anxiety. Focus your thoughts away from worry. Fuel your spirit with hope. You can get this free download HERE.
  2. Journaling Prompts Worksheet One of the best things we can do when going through a difficult season of life is to process our thoughts through journaling. This download includes a journaling worksheet and 12 verses to claim. You can get your free download HERE.
  3. The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life This is a book I have written and is available on Amazon. What do you do when you feel that God is no longer blessing you? How do you reconcile faith in a God who can meet your needs but doesn’t? The answer isn’t as simple as we try to make it. The Hidden Pain forces us to move past Christian clichés and shallow faith to embrace an unwavering confidence in a God who rarely does what we expect Him to. You can grab your copy HERE.
  4. The Faithfully Stepping Journal. Establishing a good morning time routine is key to making it through difficult times. I use this journal as part of my morning time routine every day. This six-month journal uses an easy format to help you grow in your relationship with God using journaling, bible reading, and prayer time. There are three covers to choose from. You can order one HERE.
  5. Fantasy Fiction Series. Maybe you just need an escape from reality for a little bit. A good book is the perfect escape! My fantasy series might be just the escape you are looking for. You can find those books HERE.