The first time I went to my accountant to do my taxes, he said, “Congratulations! You qualify for the poverty tax credit.” “What is that?” I asked....
A New Beginning
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LO Library Topic:
LO Library
Three Practices to Build Resilience
Dr. Rick Hanson, professor of psychology at University of California, Berkley, argues that resilience training for your brain is like muscle...
Prioritizing Intimacy with God
There is so much God is willing to receive from us that He does not require from us. He designed us to live in intimate communion with Him, but He...
Have You Wrestled With God?
Note from Team LO: We are SO excited to bring you this month's post from our LO sister member, Jasmine Singh! If you want to be a part of this...
When Heaven Seems Silent
What do you do when heaven seems silent and your prayers continue to go unanswered? When it seems like everyone else’s prayers are being answered...
3 Lessons Taken from Thailand
A few weeks ago, I had the greatest opportunity to go on my first missions trip to Thailand. I will never be the same after what the Lord has...
The Motherhood Myth of Mary Poppins
My boys were five, three, and a baby when I walked into my mother-in-law’s kitchen. There was Anna, up early, making a big breakfast, chatting with...
The Heart of God For You
We spend a lot of our energy convincing others of the love of God. In fact, for the most part, we seem to be convinced of it for others— fully...
Discipline of Celebration
Good morning friend, I hope as you sip your morning coffee and read through this page or two you are lifted up by the truth that celebration is a...
Embrace Your Brokenness
Which woman in the Bible do you most identify with? If I’m being totally honest—which I am because we’re friends here, and that’s what friends do—I...
Finding Freedom from What’s Holding You Back
Have you ever found yourself in a place where you didn’t think it was possible for you to get any more confused? It makes you feel stuck, doesn’t...
Embodied Trust
To be human is to suffer. As we will eventually see, the question is not if we each suffer. It is, rather, To what degree are we aware of it? and...
Sharing Jesus Through Servanthood
Servanthood shapes our lives in a vast number of ways. We serve others when we help meet their physical needs. We serve others when we teach them or...
PRAYER: Where Do I Begin?
PRAYER: What? Why? + Where do I begin? Don’t know what to say when you go to pray? I get it. I’ve been there too. But really, it’s as simple as can...
Freedom in Christ
I’ve been doing my best to walk closely with the Lord for about ten years now. After identifying as a Christian for most of my life and being a...
Faithful. Fearless. Fierce.
God will always go before you, stand behind you, and walk beside you. Before we even dive into this word on my heart today, let’s hold captive to...
Jesus, Are You There?
There I was, sitting in the middle of my one bedroom apartment completely overwhelmed. My heart was racing, the tears were flowing and I had never...
You Are Not Behind
If You Feel Behind, Read This… It was a typical Tuesday-night get-together with three of my closest friends. Every week, we meet to we catch up on...
Fear is a Liar
At one of the charity auction events for which I had donated a painting, Clark and I won a bid on a trip. Our four children were still young at the...
GOOD NEWS
Let’s start with a quick poll: raise your hand if you’ve ever felt overwhelmed or frustrated about something that should’ve been easy and ended up...
The Six Phases of Faith
As a pastor, I’m most often asked this question: “Why is this happening to me? I don’t understand it. I thought I was pursuing God’s dream, but now...
Lie Detection
Have you ever heard someone say you should wait thirty minutes after a meal to go swimming? Or that shaving your hair makes it grow back thicker?...
Don’t You Believe It’s Going to Be Good?
DON’T YOU BELIEVE IT’S GOING TO BE GOOD? This was the question I felt like the Lord was asking me a couple of months ago. I was on the phone with...
Step Away From the Phone
Hi, my name is Amy, and I am a phone-a-holic. I’m in recovery, of course, but I’m still an addict. I likely always will be. There’s the withdrawal,...
A Content Heart Starts in Singleness
For the majority of college, I was single. And I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t always patient during singleness. I was the one in the...
Baptized on a Monday
Advice we can all learn from
A Sickness With No Name
Advice we can all learn from
Our Best Relationship Advice
Advice we can all learn from
Healthy Healing: Body Image
Advice we can all learn from
Sin Girls Don’t Talk About
Advice we can all learn from
A Heart For Redemption
Nothing ever satisfies until we realize we’re beautiful on the inside.
Stewarding Your Money Well
Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.
5 Things I Wish My Younger Self Knew
Advice we can all learn from
Burden for the Lost
Maybe God was letting me hurt with Him.
10 Bible Verses on Forgiveness
We have been forgiven, so let’s be forgiving people!
Love. Relationship. Redemption.
God defined love once and for all.
My Adoption Story
Read about God’s faithfulness through this incredible adoption story.
Spectacle or Sacred
Jesus doesn’t want your love to be a spectacle. He wants it to be sacred.
Identity
Don’t believe the lies of the world. We are CHOSEN, ROYAL, and HOLY in His sight.
Love Intentionally
There are principles and truths from God’s Word that will keep us from so much of the unnecessary pain that can come from our culture’s casual, and often flippant idea of what dating, relationships and love should be.
Miscalculation
When disappointment is lived out in our lives, however, it becomes our nemesis and a paralyzer.
When I Can’t He Can by Danielle Busby
Faith transforms the heart. It will give you the ability to prosper when you are faced with all of life’s “cants.”
Don’t Play the Field
So here’s a new game plan. Instead of focusing and fixating on finding “the right one,” channel your energy into being “the right one”. As Matthew wrote, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
When Good Goes Bad by Ashley TerKeurst Hodges
Where there is impossible pain, God always offers incredible power. We must stay close to Him and trust Him.
Simple Sisterhood
All it takes to be a sister is you open up your life, lay yourself aside and bring Jesus to the ones He has placed around you.
God Doesn’t Make Mistakes
It was an awakening of scripture, a vibrant reminder of all the truest things about me and about God, things I had known my whole life but that came to my mind in the moment I needed them most with more clarity and purpose than ever before.
Letting Go of Control
We can’t just cover up our sins or shortcomings by using His love as an excuse. His love is our lifeline. It’s our grace. When we continue to fall short, and we don’t spend the time to figure out what’s missing or what’s wrong, we get stuck.
Thank You for Monday Mornings
When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can’t help but to be in a position of thanksgiving and praise. We see a shift in our mindset, and the trials turn into lessons.
Beautifully Intentional
You need to accept that no matter how many days you perfectly complete that checklist it’s never going to fulfill the desire inside to feel beautiful. You have to dive into what the Lord says about you.
There Is No Such Thing as the One
The Bible’s message to us on this issue is clear – don’t try to find the one, work on yourself to become the one. Because how we live today, and what we believe today, will certainly affect our tomorrow.
Love Has No Language Barriers
We’ve always said, love has no language barrier and it’s true.
God’s Beauty
All these things have worked together to create an arbitrary definition of beauty. But God’s definition of beauty is resolute.
Comfortable with Uncomfortable
When you stop leaning into the comfort of this world and start craving discomfort, God will be able to use you in big ways.
The Grateful Road
When you choose to be grateful, you find your voice because only YOU can express gratitude for what others have done for you. Its empowering to be able to explain how someone has impacted your life.
Loving the Skin You’re In
I am also seeing that beauty truly is in accepting the scars, in character, in the humility of freely being you, and in loving others well.
When Fear Meets Faith
Sometimes, trusting is being scared out of your mind, terrified of what may or may not happen, but taking God’s reached out hand anyways— allowing Him to guide you through the unknowns.
A Passionate Pursuit
I have noticed that the word passion has a new meaning in my life. It is a passion that is pure, and it is the very thing that fuels me to press past the feelings that rise up and make me fear the future.