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                    www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org Have you ever thought about how important you are to those around you as a Christian woman? Because you are! God chose you, adopted you into the faith, and created you to be His child – His precious daughter. He also created and called you to be a beacon of light to a dying world for Him and to be a godly influence and impact to those He has entrusted to you in your lifespan. In a nutshell, you were created on purpose and for a purpose. And God wants to use you, sis –NOW! Right now, with so much going on in our world today, people need a Savior. In the midst of all of this growing darkness, they need a flood of light. You and I are that light on the hilltop that cannot be hid...

If I could live outside of timeLike God does To know what was, what is,And most importantly,What is to come Perhaps I wouldWorry lessLaugh morePersevere effortlesslyHope absolutelyPray without ceasing And yet here I standBound by timeWatching minute by minuteNot knowing what’s nextUnsure of tomorrow or next year Jesus existed in timelessnessHe is the Alpha and the OmegaWho was, and is, and is to come Nevertheless, He stepped into timeSpent three decadesPlus three yearsAs the third Person of the TrinityMade flesh like us Here in this wastelandOf pain and sufferingHe walked and criedHealed and taught He trusted the FatherLaughed with His disciplesAnd prayed without ceasing Jesus knew why He cameBut didn’t know the whenOf what was to comeUntil it was time, His time And so perhapsWit...

In our loneliness, we cry to God. Where are You? Can You hear me? And His language, His translation of our heart’s cry, helps us decipher our needs. But only after we recognize His voice first.  You see, it is a battle to fight for our own hearts. It is a battle to fight for the heart of the beloved, the one whom He came for. How amazing this is. How worth it. So I ask myself, how can I deny him? How can I choose to ignore His choice to love me, fight for me, by refusing to participate in the dance of love around me and in me and for me as I work, as I sleep, as I love, as I disappoint, as I let Him pick me up, again and again and again? How are you crying out to Him this day? Are you letting Him help you know what your heart needs? What is it? ...

            “As I sit here in a room filled with hundreds of other Believers, I couldn’t feel more alone. I feel invisible a sea of faces.  Somehow, I feel very unseen. How did I get here? What did I do to deserve this level of loneliness? How will I ever move forward? My life isn’t going as I planned and I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back.” These words were penned by a friend of mine several years ago.  She had written that note to herself, while sitting a church filled with almost a thousand other people.  It was during worship service and that sometimes awkward part of the service where the pastor encourages everyone to meet and greet their neighbors had just transpired.  She looked around the room and seeming...

“Congratulations, you’re pregnant!” As she heard the news from the voice on the other end of the phone line, she let out a scream of terror. What will the neighbors think? Will I be kicked out of my home? How will I support myself and my baby? What do I need to do to survive? Kay Lyn Carlson was in a crisis situation, and at 17 years old, she could only think about tomorrow, not the future. She had been taught in sex education classes as early as grade school that abortion is an option for a woman facing a pregnancy she did not plan. What a relief it seemed to be when she walked through those doors of the abortion facility and was greeted by comforting voices. It’s not a baby. It’s just a blob of tissue. It’s just a product of conception. After you go home, you’ll never have to think about...

She speaks with authorityof life breathing hardand good inside her,a declaration ofwhat is solid and true.What do you most believe?For this truth—you live it, she says.I imagine her face,flecks of gold spitting firewhen her eyes crinkleso creases framecorners of her cheeks.Her hands are open,fingers splayed like anoffering spilling over,a beautiful mess.I see goodness everywherein the shadows of nightand creased bedspreadsof sleeplessness,in red-streaked prayersand the void of no answers.Here, she finds what shehas always known:majesty bursts out ofthe most surprising,unexpected places whereshe is held, pressure uponthe tender placesyet unsoothed. -jennifer j. camp This post appeared originally at jenniferjcamp.com

EMANUEL is a documentary about the tragic shooting at EMANUEL AME Church in Charleston, SC. The documentary opens in movie theaters nationwide today, June 17th, and 19th only—the respective anniversaries of the shooting, and Dylann Roof’s first court appearance when he was forgiven one-by-one by his victims. To purchase tickets at a theater near you, visit: https://www.fathomevents.com/event/emanuel-2019. Executive produced by Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media, Viola Davis and Julius Tennons’ JuVee Productions, co-produced by Mariska Haritgay and directed by Brian Ivie (The Drop Box), EMANUEL compellingly weaves the history of race relations in Charleston, the significance and impact of Mother Emanuel Church, and the hope that someh...

Show me a Christian and you will have shown me a human prone to doubt.  Faith isn’t for the weak.  It takes a certain amount of tenacity to stand faithful to God alone while the world calls us foolish, silly, and uneducated.  It takes a level of tenacity to stand firm in faith when life, or perhaps our enemy, throws flaming arrows of difficulty at us.  Sickness, death, sorrow, financial ruin, and abuse are enough to make even the stoutest believer cry out in dismay.  Why does God allow such turmoil?  Why is life so hard? It isn’t just the harsh reality of this life that allows doubt to creep in.  Our own sin issues get in the way of believing.  Fear, insecurity, selfish ambition, greed, and pride all raise their head in defiance at faith. In fact, fa...

You speak this languageI do not say aloudand together, your handholding mine, you teach mehow to speak it back.Let that be my posture,re-turning my whole heartto you in words onlyheaven understands. —jennifer j. camp This post appeared originally at jenniferjcamp.com

                                                     www.insideoutwithcourtnaye.org No doubt, feelings are real. We’re human, so things that happen to us in life, in our hearts and minds are a reality. And sometimes it’s hard to press pass our feelings when we’re hurt, discouraged, mistreated, or just don’t feel like doing something. Well, in this week’s post, I’m going to share with you how to press beyond your feelings when you feel stuck in them, but want a way out. For starters, I would suggest going to God by letting Him know exactly how you feel. Just bear it all, sis. Cry if you have to. This whole point of this action step is to help you to be ...

The tree root is gnarled,twisted, bending andcontorting until it findswater, the source of lifein the ground.It will not stop untilit finds it.Without thinking it continuesto hunt for sustenance,the hope it will get in returnfor effort, not of the mindbut the heart, its DNA.Underground, the search isrelentless, the pushing,breaking through hard placesso even the rootsforget how they are made.That effort to change,adapt, improve, grow,is necessary tosurvival, but it does notguarantee the tree willthrive. Clouded dawn breaks through,light radiating branchesstretching toward sun.I reach and grasp and takehold of little, musclesworn from overuse.turn my face to light,knowing it can’t help butshine—as love does.And I put aside my pen,surrender my mind’s effortsto figure out how to bebetter, kin...

Conflict is always an opportunity to give God glory in the way you respond.  Conflict comes. It comes as a mom, coworker, sister, single person, senior, or teenager. It always comes. The better we get at handling conflict, the fewer opportunities Satan has to create division in our lives.  If you are battling conflict today, check out these effective steps on how to resolve conflict! The ways we treat others, even when they may seem unlovable, shines the light of Jesus to others. It gives others hope.  When conflict happens in our lives, there are several things we must do. Step 1:  Consider the “why”.  Understanding why conflict may be present helps us in considering how others may be feeling. It will make it easier for us to respond in love.  There are many ...