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Photo Credit: Canva www.courtnayerichard.com As we go about life, along the way, we have dreams, hopes, visions, and things that we believe God is calling us to do. We sit back and think, ponder, and envision what life could be like if we began walking in what we’ve dreamed, hoped for, seen, or believed. It’s fun and tough to imagine at the same time, especially if they haven’t happened yet. Today, I am praying and believing God that whoever sets their eyes upon this post that The Best is Yet to Come. Yep! I am praying and believing that for you and for me. I don’t believe it’s by chance that you either clicked onto this post, opened it up from an email, or seen it on social media. I believe God has you on His heart and mind, and He wants you to know that He knows exactly wh...

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness”  (Romans 8:24-26, ESV). My husband, Paul, and I recently celebrated twelve years of marriage. Although I enjoy reflecting and focusing on all the wonderful and joyous memories together over these last twelve years, it can be said that our faith has been tested under waves of chaos and storms and under the weight and pressures of life. It would be amazing to have a life full of happy times only, but it’s in the fire, the trials, and the storms of life that we are truly strengthened. We can choose to rise above the chaos or allow hopelessness and de...

(Photo Credit: 123RF) www.courtnayerichard.com Whenever you’re reading this post, I believe it will be timely. I’m praying on it! As a Christian woman, are you looking to grow in your personal life? How about growing spiritually? Do you have personal goals? How about spiritual goals? Let’s talk about how to grow in both areas in 2022. If you were to do a self-examination, where would you like to grow personally? Is it in your finances? How about your health? Would you like to be slimmer and trimmer? I know I would and that is actually one of my personal goals. Let’s go a little bit deeper. Would you like to be a better woman, mother, wife, daughter, employee, ministry or business leader? Do you feel like you need to cultivate your gifts and talents this year? If so, which one(s)? What weak...

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) Immanuel is Your holy name.I marvel at the way You came.God with us in helpless infant form,Only a mother’s love to keep You warm. Expectations of Your coming were high:A King to conquer, not a babe to cry.The words of prophecy long misreadForetold Your kingdom in our hearts instead. You took on flesh not to defeat mere menWith armies of hundreds marching again.It was the power of death You would slayUpon the cross on that prophesied day. But first You were born to bear our cross,To face temptation, sorrow, and loss.Yet never to sin—as we often do—And become our Shepherd faithful and true. Your birth we joyfully celebrateA...

(Photo Credit: 123RF) www.courtnayerichard.com As women, we are very relational. Companionship is a part of our divine makeup. And I love it! For me personally, I love a good fellowship with my friends. I love coffee chats and weekend getaways to just kick back and retreat. Because just like any relationship, we need to faithfully cultivate it. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term cultivate actually means to grow, foster, and care for. In Hebrew, it means to nurture, cherish, and breed. So if we’re looking to keep and begin new friendships, we’re going to need to know how to… Grow in our friendships Foster (nurture) our friendships Care for our friendships Cherish our friendships Breed (i.e., produce) good friendships Good friendships are so sweet, Sis! I like what P...

It was Christmas Day and my first Christmas alone. Well, I guess I wasn’t alone. I had my 11-month old with me. It was the darkest of days. I woke up to the inevitable – no money, no family, and a baby who toddled around, not knowing the difference. I cried for most of the day. I eventually went to a friend’s home for a couple of hours, but I ultimately ended the day on the sofa in tears, alone. Perhaps one of the biggest struggles for any single parent is loneliness. It is easy to compare families who are shopping together on weekends or strolling their precious toddler on a bright Sunday afternoon. It is easy to imagine our lives much differently than they are, hence feeding into the loneliness that endlessly lingers. Loneliness is dangerous. It can assuredly lead to compromise. How many...

There might not be anything wrong. You might be okay—holding tragedy in one hand and hope in another. What if how you are—emotionally and spiritually—is not a state that can accurately be measured? What if, when a dear friend asks you, “How is your heart?” you can bumble around for a bit, do your best to share how you feel and what you think, and be okay with it? What if it is perfectly fine to not have the answers to your questions all figured out? Almost a decade ago, on my previous blog, I wrote a 30-day series of posts that focused on the idea of forgetting myself. The irony wasn’t (and isn’t) lost on me—writing personal reflective essays on the value of one’s focus on God rather than on the self. I did this for the secondary purpose of trying to kill, once and for all, the false self’...

Why Your Offense Matters? I started this article on offense a few months ago, and it has sat on my computer since that time. I was so proud of myself that I had accomplished such vast spiritual maturity that I could write on this topic in the past tense versus the present. I would likely have a hard time even remembering when someone may have offended me in the past (pause while I pat myself on the back).  Much to my dismay, it took about thirty seconds to begin writing incident after incident where someone had offended me and even less time for my blood to boil about how dare they do or say such things to me!  The reality of it is many of us deal with offense on a regular basis, but we simp...

I sit in an empty house, an outdoor teak table pulled inside, a temporary place to sit and prop up my computer. A place that is in a state of becoming, a place of dreaming, a place undeserved but accepted with shaking hands. We found this new home in mid-October, a home less than a mile from the little 100 year-old bungalow where we’ve lived for the past 15 years. It is a house I’d noticed for more than a decade on my early morning runs, when the sky was still pink—and on walks with our dog or when running errands downtown. It is a block away from our old condo, the first home we owned and lived in with our three then tiny kids. A house inspired by its original English-style cottage built in 1934, with a garden out front that looked like magic and with leaded front windows that shone when ...

It was Thanksgiving Day. My husband Matt and I were at my in-laws, busying ourselves with laughter, food prep, and good conversation. Finally, the time came to eat. All the smells that had been tempting us for hours were about to be enjoyed. The food was set out buffet-style in the kitchen, and we lined up one by one, each person grabbing a plate and creating mountains of mashed potatoes and turkey. I took a plate and held it out for Matt, but he wasn’t looking, he was on his phone. I rolled my eyes, thinking he was playing a game or checking NFL scores. But no, he had a missed call from our adoption caseworker. Confused, we snuck off to another room to call her back and heard the most unbelievable news I ever heard. We had been chosen by a birth mother. Eighteen months before that our ado...

Scripture writing plans are incredibly simple, yet incredibly effective for helping us read, interpret and absorb the Word of God. Rather than simply letting our eyes pass over a verse and perhaps miss its full meaning, writing Scripture down helps us absorb each word and really think through what the passage before us is saying. Each day in December you’ll have the opportunity to write down a verse. We suggest using a journal where you can add any additional mediations or prayers that the verse brings to mind. Click here to download the December Scripture Writing Guide! Photo credit: Crosscards.comDesign credit: iBelieve.com/Bethany Pyle Join Our Telegram Group : Salvation & Prosperity  

In the 15th century, European settlers began taking the land of Native Americans here in the U.S. It was three centuries before Native Americans finally gained specific rights and freedoms in our country that gave them the freedom to fully function as native tribes. In the 18th century, slavery among African Americans peaked at four million. Four million people in our country were desperate to have their freedom. In 1848, the first Women’s Rights Convention was held in New York. Women were desperate for the freedom to vote. Today, there are 27 million people worldwide that are considered modern-day slaves and suffering unspeakable sexual abuse through human trafficking. Freedom has always been a hot topic through the years – something that people have desperately sought out and fought...