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The Gift of Forgiveness
Today I want to share with you some of the biggest revelations God has ever given me—just how much of our suffering in this life is tied to unforgiveness and how much our willingness to forgive is actually tied to our faith. Both faith and forgiveness yield freedom. I would also like to share with…
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The Gift of the Immovable One
Anxiety plagued me for many years. It’s not that I don’t still struggle with it at times, but it doesn’t control me; it doesn’t move me. The key is to never let your anxiety become bigger than your faith. When I feel anxiety coming on, I surrender it to Jesus. I know, easier said than…
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The Gift of Hope
We are all hardwired for hope. Hope is what shapes our lives and directs our paths. We all place our hope in something, whether it be God, a philosophy, a career, a relationship, or a dream. Faith shows the reality of what we hope for. (Hebrews 11:1) Hope is what drives our faith, moving us…
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The Gift of Faith: Finding Rest in a Dark Place
What do you do when you find yourself in a dark place? In my book, “The Gift of a Dozen More” we learn that gratitude is a form of rest. Faith too is a form of rest. When we are grateful for what we have instead of dwelling on what we do not, we find…
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The Gift of a Winter Bloom
About a week before the January freeze, I walked outside to notice a beautiful bloom on my rose bush. The other parts of the plant had gone dormant, failing to thrive in the winter weather. It’s easy to bloom when the conditions are right, isn’t it? But what about when life is bleak and nothing…
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The Gift of a Songbird
During my walk the other morning, I heard the voice of a songbird somewhere in the midst of the bare trees hovering above me. I began to notice how every branch was a part of something bigger than itself—the trunk. The branches reminded me a lot of blood vessels. Blood vessels are channels that transport…
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The Gift of a Girl Who Buys Herself Flowers
Lately I’ve been incorporating more fruits and vegetables into my diet, not as a means to lose weight but as an act of worship in the form of self care. At my grocery store, the floral department sits right on the other side of the produce department, so I must pass by it if I…
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The Gift of a Newfound Faith
It all starts with faith. Faith is the glue that binds all things. Without faith in others, we can’t have healthy marriages, friendships, relationships with our Creator. Without faith in ourselves, we can never achieve our goals. Faith isn’t about knowing; that’s the hard part. We all want to know something before we put our…
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The Gift of That Vintage Sweater
Back in 2016, I owned a sweater—a vintage turtleneck I thrifted and paired with a black mini skirt, panty hose, and black suede high heel boots. I loved so many things about the sweater—it’s uniqueness, the “old world” Victorian appearance, the bright red and black contrasted with baby blue and a touch of light pink.…
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The Gift of a Daughter’s Joy
I was about five years old when my father took me out to eat at The Cracker Barrel— it was without a doubt one of my fondest father-daughter memories. After we ate, we found ourselves browsing through all the goodies in the shoppe. My eyes lit up the moment I came across a beautiful stuffed…