Tag Archives: love

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The One Thing You Need to Know About God’s Love

“Wanna do a concert in my hometown?” my friend, Lori, asked.

It was 1988, and I’d just recorded a CD. Lori thought it would be great if I could sing at some churches in the tiny Mississippi town she’d grown up in. So she then called uncles and aunts and cousins—and friends of uncles and aunts and cousins—until we had a whole hometown tour booked!

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One of those nights, I was scheduled to sing in a coffeehouse. When we arrived, the manager warned me, “We could have a full house or nobody at all. I couldn’t afford to advertise.”

I told him I was just grateful for the opportunity. And it was true—at first.

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4 Practical Ways to Improve Any Relationship

We once had some really odd neighbors. Odd is not an insult, I promise! Sadly, “odd” really is my accurate neighborly analysis. It’s the only way to say it—and here’s why.

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Every fall, a crudely constructed cardboard sign showed up in my neighbors’ front yard. They wrote across it in black magic marker, “Love Potion #9 for Sale.” It wasn’t a joke—at least not to them. The rest of us, well, we had no idea what it was or why they were selling it!

We wondered if this potion would help someone fall in love with you, or maybe it was the perfect formula to help you get those long-lost lovin’ feelings back into your relationship.

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How to Live Loved

Today I’m welcoming my friend, Wendy Blight, to have coffee with us and share from her new Bible study on 1 John, I Am Loved: Walking in the Fullness of God’s Love. Plus, she’s giving away a copy to one of you wonderful women below! See why I love her? You will too, sister, so get ready, get set, and let’s go … let’s learn how to live loved.

In 1 John 3:16, John tells us to love one another.

Easy to say, but, oh, so hard to do.

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Yet God clearly calls us to this. Why?

Because God knows there are people in this world who’ll never walk through the doors of a church, join a neighborhood Bible study, or attend a Christian conference. But, they will encounter His people, women like you and me. And through us, they’ll experience God’s love. His beautiful, pure, unconditional love.

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Why You Can Stop and Smell the Roses This Christmas

I’ve got an old mason jar tucked away in my jewelry chest. Some of my most precious possessions are inside.

Now, if you saw it, you may think the jar is full of dried up, tired, mismatched potpourri, all different shades of faded brown and gray — not very attractive! But I’ve been intentional about what I have put in this jar for the last 30 years.

To me, this old mason jar is beautiful.

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Within the antique blue glass are the petals from the first roses Phil gave me on Valentine’s Day when we were dating. Mixed in with those are rose petals from my bridal bouquet along with petals from the roses he gave me on our first wedding anniversary. They are joined by petals from the dozen roses he brought me when our first son was born.

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Live, Love, and Soar: How to Find Joy in the Season You’re In

It’s Sunday night and for the first time in 28 years, I am wandering around my kitchen trying to figure out what to do tomorrow morning. I don’t need to wake up a child for school like I have done for the past two decades, every Monday morning.

I don’t have to check the fridge to think ahead about what I will make for breakfast tomorrow. I don’t need to pull out a lunch box and make sure it is clean and free of Friday’s sticky leftovers. I don’t need to go into a boy’s room and check on his homework or his heart.

I don’t need to go ask anyone about their schedule for the coming week so I can plan transportation or meals. I don’t need to load the dishwasher so my kitchen is not such a mess at 6:00 AM because I don’t have to get up at 6:00 AM and there are only two coffee cups in there anyway.

It was only yesterday that I held my firstborn. It was only yesterday he started kindergarten. It was only yesterday that his little brother was born. It was only yesterday that we listened to Adventures in Odyssey. It was only yesterday that I snuck a paper cup full of Goldfish and Cheez-Its onto the top bunk because he couldn’t sleep. It was only yesterday that our house was full of the pings and buzzes of Mario and Pokemon. It was only yesterday that we were at orthodontists and soccer practice and debate tournaments and orchestra concerts and parent/teacher conferences and graduations.

It was only yesterday, but yesterday now feels like a thousand years ago.

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3 Gifts God Gives You When You Feel Insecure

For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

Well, sister, that is some good news, right? Now, if I could only live it out!

I often lack confidence. Timidity sometimes gets the best of me. And, I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about. Timidity, fear, and a lack of confidence aren’t what our Father gives His daughters.