Break Free and Dance

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New situations can be scary, and our natural tendency is to shy away from the changes and embrace what we know. But in doing so, we miss out.

This writer pours out her heart in a letter to her precious kindergartener, encouraging her to step away from the known and dance freely. To overcome the shyness and embrace a new and scary world, drinking in the many opportunities.

As your momma who struggled with insecurities and wanting to stay in my shell I will fight for you.  I will not let you stay hidden, refusing to take chances in this world.  Yes, it will be scary but it will be so worth it.

Life Outside the Shell: {I hope you dance} A letter to my kindergartner.

Stealing Summer

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As summer winds down, this blogger reflects on the memories made with her family. She ponders how it went by all too quickly and thinks about the upcoming days filled with school and homework.

For a summer that flew with broad wings and bright eyes and a swoop I’ve not experienced yet. Each year life steps more quickly, gaining marching momentum that shows in inches grown and mature questions and feet that match up to mine.

Stealing Summer | A Lamp, a Light, and a Writer.

Counting Sheep

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It's easy to feel like you are just another member of the crowd, without anything noticeable to define you. It might seem like you're just a number to God. One of a million, not one in a million. But God doesn't see it that way. He knows you, and you are one of His children.

This blogger writes about the "sheep counting God", who deliberately seeks us out when we are lost and wandering. He doesn't give up when most of His children have found their way home. He looks for each and every one of us, counting His sheep.

We are so important to Him that He counts us, and even when He has the 99 safe and sound, He misses that one. We matter to Him. He will search deep and wide for us. Pursue us. Go after us with His love

The Sheep-Counting God | The Architect and The Artist.

Healthified Monster Cookies

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Is there such a thing as a healthy monster cookie? We probably shouldn't eat them too often but we can use healthier ingredients. This blogger shows us how:

 You will also notice that I called them "healthified"(yes I made up that word) instead of "healthy" because while they are better than normal they do still have some ingredients in them that aren't the best for you.  I do make some Chocolate Chip Almond Flour cookies that are 100% healthy but I have to say they aren't as good as these (big surprise).

Life Outside the Shell: Healthified Monster Cookies.

What's Your End Game in Blogging? - allume

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Bloggers write for many different reasons. But what about Christian bloggers? One of our primary goals should be do represent Christ in what we're doing online. This blogger reflects on her six years of writing and what is most important to her.

 We can write beautiful words all day long. We can share pinnable images, have posts go wild online because people see themselves in them, or sell a billion copies of an amazing book. And nothing is wrong with that. But if our ultimate “end game”, our ultimate goal is to make much of us and not much of Christ, than we have missed the entire point.

What's Your End Game in Blogging? - allume.

Depressed: A Mother's Struggle to Overcome Depression

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With the news of Robin Williams' untimely passing heavy on the hearts of many, conversations are taking place across social media about depression. Take the time to educate yourself. If it doesn't affect you, more than likely it affects someone in your life.

This blogger shares openly and honestly about her struggle.

All I can say for certain is that I am depressed. And I am accepting that.

I need medication. I am no longer fighting that.

Perhaps, maybe… God has allowed me to suffer with chronic depression for today, when after three years of spilling my life out into the blogosphere, I have suddenly shared with you that I battle depression. What if this burden I have carried for so long is because someone out there needed to know that they are not alone? Could it be that they needed to know that depression happens to good people, to great moms, and sometimes, we just need some help?

Depressed: A Mother's Struggle to Overcome Depression - Meet Penny.

Ending to Begin

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Endings come and new beginnings lead us down different paths. Oftentimes, the endings are unwanted or difficult to navigate, and we want nothing more than to cling to the familiar. Yet God brings about change for a reason, and He leads us to a new beginning so we can fulfill His plan for us.

This blogger writes about the fact that for something to begin, something else must end. It might not be a "happy ending", but beautiful things can come through embracing a new beginning, whether it's wanted or not.

This life of beginnings happens because we allow God to become our center. We trust our everything to the God of the Universe who then turns all endings into a life that begins again in Him every time we say “yes”!

Five Minute Friday-Begin | Passage Through Grace.

Struggling With Blogger’s Guilt

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This blogger writes about her struggles trying to balance her everyday life as a homeschool mom with writing on her blog. In this busy season of life, it can be a struggle to find that writing time. But she knows where her priorities lie:

I’ve got just one life to live. While writing and blogging is very much a part of my life, it’s not all that I do. And so today, I’m setting down the guilt I put upon myself for not blogging on some made-up schedule. I’m laying aside the burden I’ve carried around for the past two and a half months for not keeping up with an insane blogging schedule, as well as tending to the realities of my life.

 Instead, I’m asking the Lord to help me be faithful to do all He requires of me for today, and nothing more. I pray a lot of those days include writing for God.  I think they will.

Blogger’s Guilt | Tales from the Laundry Room.

Seeking True Unity

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This blogger discusses unity and how incredible our churches would be if we could be united, even across denomination lines. In heaven, we will experience this true unity in Christ, but here on earth, it's much harder to attain.

Our lives and agendas get in the way, and though we say we want unity, our actions often prove otherwise. Only when we find unity in Christ and fully seek His will can we begin to find unity with other Christians.

You can see that unity is hard work. We often struggle with wanting our own way versus God’s best for us. We need to pray that God would unite our heart so that we can live a life of unity with Him. We need to surrender to The Holy Spirit and allow Him to change our desires to unite with His desires.

Unity | A Seeking Heart.

Living Life Outside of the Shell: Finding Balance

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Those of us who are introverts are frequently admonished to "come out of our shells." Yet, as this blogger points out, we don't need to completely ditch the shell. It serves as a purpose of refuge and retreat. It's important that we take the time to refuel our spirits so that we are not stepping out of our shells in our own strength.

We don't have a physical shell but we do have a spiritual one.  And just like turtles we can't live without that shell as our protection. Our shells are our place of refuge in God. If we don't first run to Him in our quiet place where it's just us and Him, we will never be brave enough to stick our heads outside the shell.  Our shell is where we retreat and get a word from God. He downloads dreams into us in our shell. He prepares us for what is to come in our shell.  

Life Outside the Shell: Don't ditch the shell!.

Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth

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This blogger honestly shares her struggles in trying to focus her worship on God but getting easily distracted by her surroundings. Many who go out into the mission field report that the people whom they are serving understand worship in a far deeper way than we do, because they know what it is to suffer and to do without.

They are the happiest people on earth because they have the Holy Spirit flowing through them; and since they have the Holy Spirit so deeply in them, they are able to worship “in spirit and in truth” despite their un-ideal surroundings (to American standards.) They know true worship I yearn for that feeling.

I Don’t Know How To Worship | Relentless.

Finding Faith in Miscarriage and Stillbirth

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Most women have been touched by miscarriage or possibly a stillbirth at some time. We may struggle with saying the right thing to the woman who has lost her child. If it happened to us, we may find ourselves struggling with anger and doubts, carrying the grief for a long time.

This blogger gently points us to the sovereignty of God and the comfort that sustains us in our darkest hour.

Finishing Through Grief: Faith in Miscarriage & Stillborn {FMF}.

Get Even, or Give Grace?

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A desire to get even is natural when we are wronged, and it's so easy to follow our instincts and strike back, one way or the other. But through Christ, our hearts have been changed, and we can learned to change our natural responses.

This blogger writes about how Joseph, when placed in a position of power over people who had wrong him, chose to hand out grace, rather than revenge. His decision likely wasn't an easy one, but he chose to honor God by choosing grace.

They didn't deserve it, but then, isn't that what grace is--unmerited favor? Despite their mistreatment of him, Joseph showed mercy and grace...and so should we. After all, haven't we been give grace? Do we deserve it?

A Word Fitly Spoken: Get Mad, Get Even or Give Grace?.

By Grace

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This blogger writes about how being saved by grace can raise confusion among Christians. By grace, we are saved. But it's by choice that we live out our faith. We can choose to let the big questions defeat us, or we can choose to let those very same questions build our faith.

There is nothing more that I need to do besides trust in Jesus, keeping my eyes fixed on who He is and the sacrifice that He made for me. Keep my eyes fixed. On Him.

…by grace – a beautiful life | a beautiful life ministry.

On Learning to Release Our Children

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As Christian moms we love and nurture our children, taking heart God's words in Deuteronomy 6:7 to "teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

But watching them grow up, letting go and trusting God isn't easy. This blogger talks about the joy and pain of releasing our children into God's care.

Motherhood: When Releasing Our Children to God's Plan Hurts | not perfect. just ordinary..

Choose to be Beautiful

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Beautiful

Beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, but how does God view our beauty? This blogger explores the things in us that demonstrate real beauty. Beyond that, she discusses how being beautiful inside is a choice we make each day: through our actions and intentions. This post is a great piece of encouragement for someone who is feeling a little bit discouraged today.

It’s amazing how one person's words can have such a negative impact on you. You can have 10 people telling you positive things, and only 1 person telling you the negatives, but all you can do is focus on what that 1 negative person says! Even years down the track, those words can still haunt you and affect the way you live life.

But God is an awesome God and He can restore everything that has been taken from you!

I am Beautiful. (Did I really just say that?) | A Fish Out of Water.