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      “Mom, do you remember that time you called me the devil?” my son said over dinner one night. He was home visiting, and we were enjoying a rare dinner with the entire family. We were laughing and sharing old stories of times gone by. Between mouthfuls of potato salad and barbecue chicken, my young adults were laughing about all the things they had “gotten away with” as teenagers. The question seemed to come from out of nowhere, although I laughed it off, it secretly stung a bit as I remembered an argument we had had some six years prior. In retrospect, it was a small incident at school, but at the time, it seemed much bigger, and I lost my temper. In the heat of the moment, this exhausted mom screamed hurtful things at my then-teenage son. I instantly regrette...

I got away from my little city and drove through even smaller towns to reach the wilderness and find camp. I retreated into the forest shade to find quiet that soothed my mind from the intensity of creating summer fun for four young children. As I prayed and prepared to teach workshops to women, coming from all parts of the Pacific North West, I looked out upon the lake which boasted a giant inflatable slide, kayaks, and paddleboards. I envisioned the fun my kids could have here, and the ways they might encounter God in this sacred space that whispers shalom. Many of my friends experienced camp as teens. In the church, I’ve heard the term “camp high” tossed around as though it were an experience universally shared in high school. I remember the people I knew at that age, my ...

We can be awfully hard on ourselves sometimes. We may not even realize our struggle to accept God’s grace. We can look on back at that girl of our past and feel so sad for her. Or angry. Is that me? Did that really happen? Did I really make that choice? Listening for God’s words in our hearts can sometimes feel just so hard. It can be overwhelming to experience, even in little tastes, just how much God loves us. We hear about Him never leaving us, how He walks with us during the most difficult experiences of our lives (Psalm 147:3, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 23). He has been with us in our mess. And He loves us more than we can understand. Yet, when we see ourselves as more broken than loved, more of a mess-up than a daughter of be...

(Photo Credit: Canva) www.courtnayerichard.com Hey there! I am so glad that you clicked onto this post. Get ready to sit back, buckle up, and enjoy this encouraging ride. Are you ready? I hope you said or thought, “Of course! That’s why I clicked on, Courtnaye. Let’s go!” I love it! Okay, well then, my response to that thought or statement would be, “I’m with you, Sister!” Because guess what? It’s time for you to stay focused on your own lane as you step out to do what God is calling you to do. Now, let’s dive in a little more. Think about when you’re driving your car or truck, you’ve got to stay focused on your lane, right? Either that or you could risk veering over without much attention and getting hurt (or hurting others in the...

The most popular video on my YouTube channel is called “God’s Promise for a Broken Heart.” I created that video as part of a Bible study series through the book of Psalms, not knowing that it would resonate with so many people. No matter how different we are, chances are if you have a heart, at one point in your life, it has or will be broken. Maybe someone you loved betrayed you. Maybe you were rejected. Maybe you lost love in one way or another. Either way, when your heart is broken, it often feels like it can never be repaired. The pain, hurt and anguish may be so deep you’re tempted to think you’ll never be happy again and you will be forced to make it through the rest of your life with this heavy burden of carrying your heart around in a million pieces. I can tell you that althou...

READ – But he was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5 ESV). I was a bit of a tomboy when I was a child, and I had scars on my legs to prove it. As I became more familiar with fashion and stockings became a relic of the past, I shied away from wearing skirts because the scars on my legs were so ugly. To my eye, they ruined an outfit. How I prayed for those scars to fade. I never saw the beauty in those scars, only what I thought was disfigurement. But without those scars, I wouldn’t have learned how to climb trees; I may have never attempted to run, I would have stayed safely inside. How boring! Those scars were necessary for my growth. They we...

If I could go back 25 years, and talk to the naïve 14-year-old who was setting foot into the big leagues of high school, I would tell that smart, athletic, ambitious, excited little girl to stop trying to be normal. I’d tell her that normal is just a word we use for comfortable. I don’t think she would understand, but I’d tell her this story… In late February 2019, I left a doctor’s appointment with my oldest son. We had been to several appointments with various specialists and meetings with his pediatrician leading up to this appointment. That day we left a pediatric neurologist’s office with an anti-seizure medication prescription in hand, and my mind was flooded with questions. What side effects? Would there be any? Was medication best? Would medication even work? They said it might not...

On the morning of my birthday, the studio is still. The best time of day. When not one sentence is spoken by another. Thoughts are my own. And I shepherd them carefully, respecting their shyness. They tiptoe around a bit, hiding from me like children playing a game, circling up and peeking at me from around the couch, and then the bookcases, and then even the electric guitar propped up by a stool, muted but ready to sing. No sudden movements. Just a settling. A patient knowing that they will come when they feel safe but seen, acknowledged but unforced or rushed. I decide I like them, and they trust me a bit more with themselves. What are you thinking, feeling, dear one? A question with many answers. And I am familiar with this reality more than any other: doubting any answer I give—not jus...

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 July 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 July Scripture Writing Guide! Join Our Telegram Group : Salvation & Prosperity  

Father’s Day isn’t always filled with wrestling matches of giggling children in the middle of the living room floor or foot massages and homemade cards for gentle and loving dads. Father’s Day can be a hard day for many. It can be filled with disappointment and pain. It can be hard to sit through a church service honoring dads, when you’ve lost your own or your children don’t have one. Loss can be hard on a holiday, but for a single mom, Father’s Day can be especially painful. There are many who grieve the loss of their fathers or grandfathers on Father’ Day. Maybe you are a single mom who yearns for an absentee father to be present in his child’s life and for empty promises to finally be fulfilled. Or maybe you yearn for an active godly male role model who would invest in your son or daug...

 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 NIV. When I was young I wish I’d knownThat I was loved for myself alone That mother’s frown was not disdainBut stemmed instead from her own great pain If I had known when I was youngHow to avoid a sharp-witted tongue To trust in truth and not the liesProffered as love by beguiling guys If only I . . . . But it’s too lateTo change the past and alter my fate What I didn’t know I can claim nowGod’s perfect grace redeemed me somehow While I might wish I’d known beforeToday I rest in His love evermore Linda L. Kruschke is the author of My Name Is Beloved, winner of the Un...

Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food (1 Kings 17:4). My mom always said I was scornful. It wasn’t “have it your way at our house”; whatever she made for dinner is what we ate. I always despised discernible fat on meat – if I could see it, I wasn’t eating it. Growing up there was a cut of beef called salt beef that was popular for a while. It was flavorful but lined with fat. Then there was okra – it was slimy and I never enjoyed it. If it looked gross to me, I turned my face up, picked around it, and only ate what I found palatable. So I can’t imagine being fed by ravens like Elijah was. After Elijah announced to King Ahab that there would be a famine he was further instructed by God to...