Going Home for the Holidays When Home Doesn’t Have the Same Faith or Structure You’re Used To The holidays come with so many emotions—excitement,...
Navigating the Holidays When Your Rhythm Isn’t Theirs
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LO Library Topic:
Life Advice
Invite Jesus In—and Actually Sit With Him
Invite Jesus In—and Actually Sit With Him We say all the time that we’re waiting to feel the Lord, waiting for a moment when His presence feels...
Purpose in Every Season
Happy fall, friends! We are in my favorite month and my favorite season. I just love October! The crisp mornings. The cozy outfits. The colorful...
When You’re Not Sure Who You Are
Have you forgotten whose you are in pursuit of who you want to be? Have you ever struggled to introduce yourself at a dinner party with new...
Trading Fear for Faith
Do you remember the first time you ran and hid? The first time you felt a genuine sense of fear, the first time your guard went up, the first time...
The Power of Sisterhood in Christ
I get to lead young adult girls in a weekly bible study and right now we are going through the book of Ephesians, such a powerful book that reveals...
Am I Wondering or Wandering?
I was journaling recently about being stuck in what can only be described as a strange season. I call this season my “season of in-between.” It is...
Has the Bible Been Changed? Can We Trust It?
When I was in high school, Instagram barely existed. I lived in San Antonio, went to a public school, and spent weekends at youth group. Now I live...
Hold On, Let Me Overthink This
Decisions are like crossroads. They can send you left, right, or straight. They can change who you marry, where you live, what career you have, how...
How to Discern When to Persevere and When to Quit
Several years ago, as I was mulling over a decision that had been weighing heavily on me, I stumbled across these words in the book of Matthew...
I Met Him at the Well
I was stuck in toxic cycles most of my life. I went guy to guy to guy trying to find someone to fill the whole in my heart that later I learned only...
When You’re Weary
When You’re Weary “God, help me. Please. Help me.” Sound familiar? Maybe you’ve had one of those moments; maybe you’re in one right now. You don’t...
The Power of Your Yes and No
Do you struggle with FOMO, the fear of missing out? We trivialize it and make jokes about it with its cutesy acronym, but let’s just call it what it...
Rebrand
Have you ever had the urge to “rebrand” your life? Or is that just me? Quite frequently, I get super inspired by all the ever-changing aesthetics...
Don’t Outgrow The Gospel
This blog is adapted from a sermon I gave at my Preaching I class at Dallas Theological Seminary, Spring 2025. Have you ever been assigned a book...
My Go Season
When we start taking obedient steps, one of the first hang-ups we encounter is the temptation to take God’s plan and minimize it to fit our...
What Sets Godly Friendships Apart
This is excerpted from The Way of Wisdom Bible study by Jen Wilkin, Ruth Chou Simons, Kelly Minter, Adrienne Camp, Elizabeth Woodson, and Courtney...
Building Friendships
DAY 1: FRIENDSHIP: WHAT'S THE POINT? As human beings, we are wired for connection. No matter what season of life we find ourselves in: college...
Trusting God When the Road Looks Risky
There’s something about the word adventure that tugs at our hearts. It sounds exciting, spontaneous, and free. But behind every great adventure is...
Do I Need a Social Media Reset?
I should go off social media forever. But I’ll miss out on so much, and I want to keep in touch with friends. I need to be on it for work and to...
Am I doing this God thing right?
Have you ever wondered if you’re doing this God thing right? That you don’t know how to go deeper with God? Or felt stagnant in your relationship...
Be Real: Love Is Honest
Honest and Humble We do this: we get honest with God and ourselves, which leads to humility, and we confess. What do I mean by honesty? While...
Community Is Created, Not Found
Community is created, not found No one really tells you it’s up to you to create community. I quickly realized this after I moved and spent my first...
Miracles Happen in the Mundane
In the Beatitudes, Jesus shared eight life-changing ways of life. “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” “Blessed are those who mourn,” etc. The...
Moonflowers
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew...
The Church That Broke Me and The God Who Found Me
Note from Team LO: We are SO excited to bring you this month's blog from our LO sister member, Brookelyn Hinton! Enjoy today's post from Brookelyn....
Overcoming Insecurity
Breaking Free from the Overwhelming Cycle of Insecurity You’re standing in front of the mirror, staring at your reflection. Maybe it's the dark...
A Savior Who Stoops
Not too long ago, I had the undeserved privilege of hosting Max Lucado for our Back Porch Theology podcast. I was so excited to get to sit across...
Rich in What Matters
It was a Tuesday morning, nine o’clock. My back rested against the recliner chair, as I was too exhausted to feed the seven-month-old balanced on my...
Is God Good?
Who is God? What is the character of God? Wow. The questions that have ran through my mind as I tried to figure out what I should share about His...
Waiting: Shifting Our Perspective
Think about a diamond. What comes to mind? A precious jewel? The most beautiful of all stones? An engagement ring? A representation of love? ...
Dream Redeemer
*I just want to preface by saying that I know there are much bigger problems in the world than the issues I’ve experienced as a college athlete and...
LIE: You’re Not Ready Yet
Nearly four years after I shared my testimony for the first time, I received a message on Instagram that said, “We heard your story at your church,...
Diffuse Doubt by Defining It
Let me tell you about one Sunday morning in 2017. I was standing on the front row of our church service, singing a worship song, minutes away from...
Finding Joy in the Journey
To tell you this story about finding joy, I must give you a little background. I am a mother of two, and one of my children, my daughter, has a...
Small Habits, Big Impact
Our daily decisions and habits are more impactful than we give them credit for. Our habits can lead us closer to the Lord or farther from the Lord....
Your Father’s House
Heaven. It’s your glorious unending. Your forever home. The place your faith becomes sight. I’m so grateful we’re spending the next six weeks in...
Bloom Where You’re Planted
My friends joke that I have a “black thumb,” which is their kind way of saying plants come to my home to die. I’m guilty and will admit I’m that...
Lessons From Exodus
I have been reading through Exodus lately and in the past, I have struggled as I read about the Israelites grumbling and complaining. Like you were...
He Satisfies All Things
I’m officially in the “are you dating anyone yet” era. I was recently back home and ran into one of my old school teachers while at a local coffee...
Faithfulness Over Fame
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. —Matthew 6:33 I have chosen the way of...
Fully Devoted: Giving Christ Your All
Have you ever been in a relationship or friendship where you felt like it was all one sided? Either you feel like you are making all the effort to...
Freedom From Your Past
Happy Tuesday, friend! We're excited to share Part 1 of our newest workshop in the LO Sister App, Goodbye Hiding, Hello Freedom, with you here on...
Your Story Has A Villain
Every year, I give something up on January 1 for the duration of the year. In an effort to not be mastered by anything, I have found it is a helpful...
What Are You Anchored In?
Rejection is no stranger to the human soul. As a mother, I’ve recently seen this in my own son— starting at just eight years old—when he wasn’t...
Friendship with the Lord and the Flourishing that Follows
“Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring...
God Didn’t Choose Her
I want to dream big, but every time I begin to dream, I also begin to think of other women that are more qualified to fulfill that dream. At that...
Hope That Never Fades
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE <3 Fireworks! Balloons! Ball drop! Midnight! It’s 2025! After the excitement of New Year’s Eve winds down, there is...
The God Who Draws Near
Christmas is the answer to the deepest longings of our hearts, longings that have been carried since Eden. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us....
Name Your Fears and Embrace the Extraordinary
Remember the television show Fear Factor, where people confronted a few of their deepest fears? The show was canceled, but our fears don’t get...
Perfectly Imperfect
I dropped into my chair at the head of the table with a barely suppressed sigh of relief. The candlelight shone on the faces of beloved friends and...
The One Thing
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.” Has there ever been a time in your life where you feel...
A Liturgy For Election Day
Whatever the outcome of this election, let our citizenship and our hope be rooted first in your heavenly kingdom.
The Danger of Compromise
Recently, we posted a message that I shared at Liberty University this past winter on YouTube, but I felt that I wanted to share it here on the blog...
Be Excited for the Unknown
Is living in the unknown scary, exciting, or a mixture of both? In today’s world, we are constantly told we need a plan of where we want our lives...
A Good Jealousy
“Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. Do...
Follower
FOLLOWER DEFINITION: Someone that follows the opinions or teachings of another and imitates the other. As someone who grew up in a time when social...
His Pursuit Always Has Purpose
I remember one of the first children’s Christian hymns I ever learned in Sunday school. Maybe you know it, too. It goes like this: Jesus loves me,...
When Planning Takes A Detour
Plan plural noun: Plans noun: an intention or decision about what one is going to do verb: decide on and arrange in advance I know majority of us...
Why (and How) I Got Social Media Sober
Pull up a chair, friend. This might get worse before it gets better. Let’s be honest for a sec. How are you feeling about this online world? This...
Yahweh-Shalom
Hey friend! We are so excited to share that one of our very own LO Sister App members, Logan Dalton, is on the blog today! To find out more about...
You Don’t Have to Hide in Shame
Not that long ago, my life looked anything but godly. I spent my college years like a walking stereotype: the semi-goody-two-shoes Christian girl...
Truth to Overcoming Anxiety
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Now, you might look at our verse and think to yourself, Ya think I haven’t...
Ringing Reminders to Pray
The traditional function of a town’s central bell tower was to encourage residents to practice the presence of God. In AD 604 Pope Sabinian...
Finding Good Mom Friends Is Hard
We’re Not Supposed to Have Twenty “Besties” The truth is, with the demands of household and children and husbands, we’re unlikely to have the margin...
Optimizing a Season of Lost Purpose
It's that time of year again, when school finals roll around, maybe your grade goes south or you do a little better than expected but second...
An Offering Of Everything
There are so many amazing stories of faith from Genesis to Revelation, but one of my personal favorites is found in Mark 12:41-44 (also referenced...
Name What’s Hard
As a clinician and as a human, I’ve learned that my own flurry of conflicting thoughts is a sign that I need to gently slow down the pace of my...
Life Is Funny Until It’s Not
Just One Thing Folks often ask me, “How did you endure so much grief? How did you climb out of the dark?” My scientific answer is, “Medicine...
The Joy of the In-Between
DAY 6 "He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."...
A Simple Life Worth Living
We pulled into the drive of our new home and I have to be honest in saying that it was a bit shocking. It’s cute but much smaller than the house we...
To the Sister Who Wants to Say YES
To: The sister who wants to say YES, but fear is whispering in her ear. “Start a Bible study in your home…Oh, I’m not sure my house is big enough.”...
When It Feels Too Heavy to Carry
“Detergent and creamer. Detergent and creamer.” I reminded myself. Not that this was something I was trying to remember and recall - it was actually...
The Hidden Years
When I was in my 20s, I almost opened a tiny art gallery and gift shop once to showcase my work in an empty loft space made available to me. It felt...
Jesus Weeps with You
John 11:32-35 “When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would...
Ignoring the Limits God Created for Us
Fourteen years ago, I suffered heat stroke in sight of the finish line of a community race I’d been training to win. It was eighty degrees, with...
The Battle is Not Yours to Hold
The battle is not yours to hold. Are you in the middle of the battle of your life? Maybe it’s a health battle and you just received some life...
I Want God More Than Control
Back when we had permed hair and were twentysomething vibrant, we used to talk about how we hoped God would never send us as missionaries to Africa....
The Power of Parenting with Empathy
It is so important to let kids know that we value their feelings. This improves their sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Dr. Fay clearly remembers...
3 Things to Know Before Marriage
If you’re like us, at some point in your life, you wish you could go back in time and have a re-do at something you completely flopped in with your...
In His Time
I don’t know about you but I am definitely one of the most impatient people ever. I’m the one who leaves for a class 30 minutes early because I...
His Ways Are Better
“One of the scariest realities in life is that if you insist, God will let you do it your way.” - Louie Giglio I convinced God that my plan was...
A Good Sting Is A Good Thing
Oh how easily I attempt to avoid the "sting" of conviction for my own complacency and comfort. I think in our world of constant distraction, it's...
Don’t Stop Believing
Have you stopped believing that God could do it? Well, you’re certainly not alone. I recently just moved out of my dream apartment and I am still in...
Can’t Stop the Feeling
Let me ask you a question: Have you ever had a disproportionate emotional response to a situation that should not have affected you in such a...
WAKE UP!
Note from Team LO: We are SO excited to bring you this month's post from our LO sister member, Grace Novak! If you want to be a part of this...
The Usefulness of Lament
Adapted from Let Go of Unmet Expectations, Overcome Anxiety, and Discover Intimacy with God by Lauren and Michael McAfee Lament. This word may be an...
Overcoming Fear of the Future
Every turn of the new year can bring thoughts of the future. 2024 is going to be a year of so much change in my life, and I'm sure in many of your...
Arise and Shine
When you think about Christmas, what are some of the things you think of first? I am taking a guess here, but odds are you think about Jesus,...
What If You Don’t Feel Content?
The idea of contentment gets thrown around a lot in Christian circles. If I’m honest, sometimes I get squirmy with the word contentment. Maybe it’s...
What is the Reason for the Season?
This phrase bounces around the Christian culture this time of year. It’s the question nearly every Christmas movie silently asks as it depicts the...
Back to the Basics
“I have learned to hold all things loosely, so God will not have to pry them out of my hands.” - Corrie Ten Boom Materialism. Something I would...
A Shift in Perspective
Fear and discouragement inevitably knock on the door to my dreams. When I answer now, I politely welcome them in, acknowledge their presence, and...
The Power of “Even If”
If you are anything like me, it’s easy to worry about anything and everything! Sometimes it can be the simplest things in life, like worrying if I...
Purpose > Insecurity
Have you ever doubted or questioned the calling, purpose, or instruction God has given you? Have you ever felt crippled by insecurity, uncertainty,...
His Strength in Our Weakness
Note from Team LO: We are SO excited to bring you this month's post from our LO sister member, Lacie Berry! If you want to be a part of this...
Extending an Invite This Season
If we were sitting together right now, you would see me admiring the cheap Christmas decorations I just bought from 5 Below to decorate my apartment...
Your Circumstances Don’t Dictate Your Future
“God, what am I supposed to do?” I prayed through tears as I rocked my newborn. Fresh off the heels of a divorce, I was devastated and desperate to...
Prayer: The Opportunity to Call a Friend
My son's eyes grew wide as he fixed them on an ambulance parked outside the coffee shop where we sat. His five-year-old mind, rich with imagination,...
Growing Pains, Growing Gains
My mom often reminds me of all the times I was younger and would wake up crying in the middle of the night because of how bad my legs hurt. Nine...