Ann Voskamp's Blog, page 2

From Invisible To Invited: Receiving God’s Love When You Feel Like You Don’t Belong

Most of us know the feeling of standing in a crowd and asking ourselves, Do I belong here? I appreciate Oghosa Iyamu’s vulnerability in sharing that she has had seasons in her personal life and ministry when she has not only felt unwelcomed but invisible. But as Oghosa reminds us, God’s welcome transcends our circumstances and perceived limitations, bringing us back again and again to a profound, impartial love. It’s a privilege to have Oghosa join us on the porch today…

Guest Post by Oghosa Iyamu

“Again, Oghosa, try that again.”

I can still hear her voice whispering in my ear.

My Title I teacher gently guided me to take one more shot at reading the words on the page.

Yet, frustration—not a desire to try again—welled up inside me.

When you’ve spent years feeling the shame of being in the lowest reading group, struggling with dyslexia, and pulled out of class to work on what others seemed to learn so easily, you start to wonder,

Does God really love me like He loves other kids?

You begin to question whether your struggles disqualify you from the plans and promises you hear about in the Bible (Romans 8:28, Philippians 1:6).

Though you might not recognize it, your fears both frame and reflect how you think about God. 

I learned this early, growing up in the projects of Jackson, Mississippi, where fear was an ever-present reality. Does God care? Could He really be trusted? It felt as though my doubts had already begun to answer those questions for me.

I still sometimes feel like a child grappling to read, not because I am still learning in school, but because I am still learning how to receive God’s love, even as I stare at my present lack.

Like that ten-year-old girl who felt like a failure, I wrestle with questions like:

“If we ever feel like we don’t belong or that we’re only partially loved, we need only look at the table Jesus chose to sit at. “

Does God love me as much as He loves other people who seem to have it all? Does God see me here in this struggle? If God is good, why hasn’t He answered my prayers?

Often our greatest enemies aren’t around us but within us: fears, doubts, and unhealed wounds. Yet, as David the psalmist said of God: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies” (Psalm 23:5).

David is proclaiming the character of God as a generous Host, One who provides and protects, not just after all the battles are over, but right in the middle of them, as David himself experienced. He is also reminding us that God’s welcome extends to each one of us (Psalm 23:5a), even those of us with complicated pasts, hidden scars, and well-worn masks. 

This theme of radical welcome is beautifully lived out throughout the New Testament, perhaps most poignantly at the table where Jesus shared a meal with His disciples the night before His death.

If you and I were to peek into that first-century Jewish meal—into the room where Jesus shared His Last Supper—we’d likely witness it taking place on a mat, or low table with everyone reclining on cushions (Matthew 26:20). And we might be surprised who was sitting at Jesus’s table.

“This table reflects His desire that His foes might one day become His friends, that each one of us might draw near and taste of His goodness. It speaks of the possibility of transformation. It celebrates the hope of sitting in communion with Him and also with one another, including those we find hardest to love.“

Around this table was a mix of misfits, tax collectors, fishermen, doubters, and even a betrayer. Some were steadfast in their devotion, while others wrestled with unbelief and wavering faith. This intimate gathering offers a striking picture of God’s impartial welcome into His kingdom: The flawed, the wealthy, the poor, the haves, and the have-nots all are invited into the presence of the One who offers redemption.

But God not only welcomes us to His table, He lovingly sets it. 

At this meal, Jesus, God the Son, is the generous Host offering fellowship that is both personal and communal. He sits down next to the undeserving and the untrusting. And He sees each one.

Jesus demonstrated the fullness of His love through the breaking of His body like bread and the pouring out of His blood like wine. His actions offer a constant and potent reminder: If we ever feel like we don’t belong or that we’re only partially loved, we need only look at the table Jesus chose to sit at. 

Because this moment wasn’t limited to those seated around the table that night. God’s invitation reaches far beyond the disciples. At this Last Supper, Jesus showed His disciples that loving one another means sacrificing without condition, as He had done and would do: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34–35).

God sets a table in the presence of enemies not to shame or taunt, but to reveal the abundant mercy at the heart of His kingdom (Romans 5:10, Ephesians 2:4-9). 

This table reflects His desire that His foes might one day become His friends, that each one of us might draw near and taste of His goodness. It speaks of the possibility of transformation. It celebrates the hope of sitting in communion with Him and also with one another, including those we find hardest to love.

God’s love has nothing to do with us being “worthy.” It’s offered to all who would receive it.

That includes you…and me. 

I didn’t know it then, sitting across from my Title I teacher, fumbling through another sentence, that I was holding an invitation to sit at God’s table and to see myself the way God sees me.

This welcome is in front of you today as well.

“You simply need to come—in the middle of your questions, your inadequacies, your still-working-on-it places—and take your seat.“

It is a welcome that says you don’t have to earn your place or prove your stay.

You simply need to come—in the middle of your questions, your inadequacies, your still-working-on-it places—and take your seat.

God isn’t waiting for you to pray the perfect words or have unshaken faith. He’s inviting you to receive what He has already prepared.

His table is set.

His arms are open.

And His love is welcoming you.

Come to the table. 

Oghosa Iyamu is a Bible teacher and writer with over twelve years of ministry experience serving on staff at churches and working in Christian publishing. She holds a Master of Divinity from Southwestern and is passionate about helping others see the beauty of God’s Word through its historical and theological depth.

Her debut Bible study, Forever Welcomed: A Study on God’s Impartial Love for All, traces the theme of God’s gracious and undeserving welcome from Genesis to Revelation. It’s a six-week journey that invites readers to explore God’s heart for every tribe, tongue, and story, and to live as people formed by His hospitality.

Find more from Oghosa at oghosaiyamu.com or on Instagram @oghosaiiyamu.

{Our humble thanks to Moody Publishers for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {08.30.2025}

Happy, happy, happy weekend!

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…

Smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything —

and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))! 

Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

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Photo by hello aesthe

Photo by Sarolta Balog-Major 

Photo by hello aesthe

Photo by Sarolta Balog-Major 

Photo by Sonya Pix

Fall is just around the corner, and what better way to welcome it than with cozy books and a warm cup of coffee?

Heart Vitamins for you this week:“God Moves in Unlikely Places”Don’t miss this! “The Sword Of The Spirit” – with David Platt This is a must listen!

“You’re already seen as Beloved.” You need to listen to thisReading is therapeutic in so many ways Maybe sneak a few pages in?SOUL LEARNING 101 this week:“The Gospel-Shaped Life”So soul-encouraging Transformation Church TUNE IN: WATCH HERE“The Inconvenient Kingdom”- with Kate LIFECHANGING READ“We’re allergic to pain and suffering.”  YESSSSS! The best!Soundtracks for your Weekend!“worthy is your Name” You need to listen to this“How Great Thou Art” On repeat! “Who am I” This is so beautiful! “Holy Forever” ON repeat!! And Some Summer Recipes for your Weekend!Who doesn’t love Tacos A MUST TRY THIS WEEK!! Looks so yummy! Add this to the meal plan?The best Muffins THESE ARE A MUST! Honey Cinnamon Latte SO SO GOOD!! Creative Bits for you this week: Absolutely stunning! So so cool! Have an old pair of jeans? We have to try this! So so fun! Wanna make? How cute is this?! This week’s project? Wanna Doable plan to SAVOR Last Summer Days Before Fall (Easy 14 Point Plan)

Only a few more weeks technically, according to the calendar and the solar equinox, left of summer now.

I can struggle with fall, as all of summer dies away — and there’s all these harbingers of the long winter coming. 

So even as kids head back to school and pumpkins ripen, I’m all here for the string of days left of sweet corn and swimming suits and bare toes and zinnia bouquets and light like falling on faces we love and all the days are adding up to make years.

DON’T LEAVE THE INTERNET BEFORE YOU READ THISEncouragement for the Mothers this weekend:“When Peace Feels Impossible” with
Ruth Chou SimonsA conversation you want to hear!Your Life Doesn’t Look Like You Expected? You’re Not AloneMaybe you need this listen today. This!!! Feel kinda familiar? Such an encouragement Click here to watchReady to smile this weekend?!!Ture Friendship! This is the BEST! How fun is this! So cute! This is wild!! Incredible!! This is so cute! So beautiful! Thoughts to Really Ponder “How to Read More Books” with Gavin Ortlund I found this so movingCover Story: Steven Curtis ChapmanReally, so thinking about thisSomething to make this week- a daily grace soak Wow! A Must Try! The Creative Common Life We Crave—Timothy Jones A must read! What we’re Listening to on the Farm this week“New Thing Coming” – Elevation Worship on the book stack at the farm

Hope and healing are possible! Whether you’re in a dark valley or walking with someone through theirs, millions of people have chosen the Life Recovery Bible. It’s packed with practical notes, helps, and themes that are fully integrated with the twelve-step program and point you back to your Creator, who alone is the source of freedom, hope, and victory. It’s available in the NLT, KJV, Spanish NTV, and Spanish RVR60. Courageously take important next steps toward a new life and a hope-filled future with the Life Recovery Bible, which provides a powerful foundation for recovery with spiritual care, practical wisdom, and the life-changing Word of God.

This is a book you don’t want to pass by. 

The reality of this book is we don’t live alone. Pick up this book if you’re lonely, if you’re feeling heartbroken, or if you’re walking a hard road. You do not have to do it alone. I highly recommend! 

“We weren’t meant to carry the weight of our pain alone,” says Toni. “This book is my invitation to anyone who’s felt stuck, ashamed, or too broken to be seen—you are not alone, and your healing is possible.”

With reflection questions, practical advice, and spiritual encouragement, Don’t Try This Alone is both a roadmap and a lifeline for anyone ready to embrace the hard but holy work of healing in community.

“While the pain is never worth it, God also doesn’t waste pain,” encourages Toni. “He uses it to refine us and draw us closer to Him and His people.”

So exciting!! Friends, ‘Living the Word: Gratitude Honors God’ is available to stream beginning Tuesday, August 26 on Pure Flix Premium.Learn more about Pure Flix hereFriends! We are Thrilled!

Crazy exciting news!

Share God’s Love in All the Languages! Come and be “Loved to Life” Now ON SALE 30% off

Pick up  Loved to Life: A 40-Day VISUAL Pilgrimage with Jesus, that will:

give you enlightening insights to calm your real worriesground your identity in who you really are, regardless of failuresspeak to your deepest doubts in a profoundly steading wayand walk you in fresh, intimate ways with Jesus, Love Himself, that will grow your soul into real LIFEP.S. And WOW! Both our JOURNALs are Over 40% off!!! $13 for the Best Little Gratitude Journal & Sacred Prayer! Download yours free when you join our email family Something fun to end our week: Can we tap into fall?

Maybe enjoy the weekend by making a cozy meal and settling down with a good cup of coffee…

That’s all for this weekend, friends.

Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.

Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again

Share Whatever Is Good. 

Did you know the God of Withness, wants to be with you?

I absolutely love this woman and her heart! Following Jesus together and being in community together for the past four years has been so life-giving and restorative for me! As a single mama of two, working in ministry, Toni Collier knows what it feels like to need to be seen, to need to be found as she fights for the bravery to ask for help. I have closely watched Toni share some of the most painful parts of her story, and have even held them with her, all for the glory of teaching you that hiding is the kryptonite to healing and what will save us all is accepting that we need God—and His people too. Lean into the farm’s table today—we’ll meet you there.

Guest Post by Toni Collier

I remember the moment my son, Sammie, learned how to play peekaboo.

It was precious.

I had set him down on his changing table and was trying to peel his little pajama top over his head.

It was a tight squeeze, let me just say that. 

I could tell he was getting irritated by how slowly the too-­tight dinosaur top was coming off, so I started playing peekaboo with it to distract him. He loved it. 

He giggled and showed off his two little pearly whites and pink gums as I went back and forth between squeezing the shirt off and surprising him with a peekaboo in between. 

It became his favorite game. Soon it morphed into hide-­and-seek. I can still hear him and his “sissy,” my daughter, Dylan, running around the house playing together. 

One time I was sitting on our living room couch watching them play hide-­and-­see. Sammie could barely get any words out between the cackles he belted out every time Dylan found him.

He was only two years old, so those hiding spots were easy to find. Sammie would hide next to the couch, not behind it, and Dylan would pretend she didn’t see him for a while, calling out, “Where’s Sammie?” until she crept around the corner and yelled, “I got you!”

And there went those little cackles again. 

I think I loved the innocence of him believing he was hiding but being seen all along. And, I just wonder how many times we’ve found ourselves believing that we’re doing a great job at hiding, when all along everything can be seen.

We’ve tried to get good at hiding our pain, but God sees. Our close people—­they see. When we were younger our parents saw. 

But, here’s the truth; hiding is the kryptonite to healing.

And, in order to start healing, we have to stop hiding. It’s not working anyway.

Whether we like it or not, our stuff always eventually surfaces. We are always eventually found, which is actually the thing we deeply want anyway. 

I think about how in Genesis 3 God went looking for Adam and Eve as they hid in shame from the unwanted hide-and-seek game sin pulled the two of them into. Genesis 3:9-11 says, “The Lord God called to Adam, “Why are you hiding?” And Adam replied, “I heard you coming and didn’t want you to see me naked. So I hid.’ “Who told you you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten fruit from the tree I warned you about?” 

“Hiding is the kryptonite to healing, and being found out is not a punishment; it’s an invitation to a better way of healing. “

I can’t imagine what our Heavenly Father felt when He realized Adam and Eve did the very thing He asked them not to do. Like any loving parent, I’m sure there was disappointment, sorrow, and even worry about the danger their decision put them in. And then there was correction and even consequences. Then there was comfort.

God clothed them, because loving parents still comfort their children. Even when they’ve done something wrong, even when they tried to hide it.

Friend, hiding never works.

Hiding makes things worse.

Hiding is the kryptonite to healing, and being found out is not a punishment; it’s an invitation to a better way of healing.

God reveals only to heal. He wants your pain to come into the light so that it can be divinely touched by Him and tenderly held by His people.

Revealing your pain is not a punishment, it’s care.

It’s the God of the universe coming to find you because hiding is lonely. The whole goal of hide-and-seek is to keep anyone from finding you, and that’s just not a game we can play with our hurting hearts. We need to be found; we need to be seen.

I think about how Psalm 34:18 promises that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” I don’t know about you, but I want closeness when I am hurting.

The problem is, there’s something that threatens that closeness: avoidance. Avoiding the awkwardness of telling someone you’re hurting or embarrassed or feeling betrayed is a sure way to not heal from your hurt, embarrassment, and betrayal.

So no more hiding, okay?

No more shrinking back from your healing journey and allowing the enemy of your soul to short-circuit the hope that is coming your way.

Come on, lean into this.

“Bask in your worthiness, daughter of God, and watch the floodgates of healing open up for you. “

No more hiding.

It’s time to get brave, it’s time to heal out loud. It’s time to begin again, look up again, and let the light hit your face as it was destined to.

Let people in, find the people that will come, choose to humbly be held accountable for the mistakes and numbing in your healing journey.

Bask in your worthiness, daughter of God, and watch the floodgates of healing open up for you.

Let God, your people, and me in this moment be the ones to say, “I’ve got you!” We are not letting you go.

The darkness won’t last.

The light is on the way.

I promise.

This is a book you don’t want to pass by.

The reality of this book is we don’t live alone. Pick up this book if you’re lonely, if you’re feeling heartbroken, or if you’re walking a hard road. You do not have to do it alone. I highly recommend!

“We weren’t meant to carry the weight of our pain alone,” says Toni. “This book is my invitation to anyone who’s felt stuck, ashamed, or too broken to be seen—you are not alone, and your healing is possible.”

With reflection questions, practical advice, and spiritual encouragement, Don’t Try This Alone is both a roadmap and a lifeline for anyone ready to embrace the hard but holy work of healing in community.

“While the pain is never worth it, God also doesn’t waste pain,” encourages Toni. “He uses it to refine us and draw us closer to Him and His people.”

Toni Collier is the founder of a global women’s organization called Broken Crayons Still Color and helps women process through brokenness and get to healing and hope. Toni is a speaker, host of the Still Coloring podcast, and author of several books: Don’t Try This Alone (releasing August 19, 2025), Brave Enough to be Broken, and a children’s book, Broken Crayons Still Color. Toni has had the opportunity to proudly stand on stages for North Point Community Church, Chick-fil-A, IF:Gathering, Orange Conference, There{4} Teen Gathering, and MomCon, and she is a regular guest on TBN’s TV program for women, “Better Together.” She also serves on the board of Africa New Life and is a teaching pastor at Renovation Church. 

Toni kills illusions. She confronts the hard things. She believes the best way to meet life’s challenges is head-on. And, in this digital age of anxiety, Toni is teaching people all over the globe that you can be broken and still worthy, or feel unqualified and still be called to do great things. Toni wants to help you find a way through the brokenness in your life so that you can live the most colorful life possible.

{Our humble thanks to Thomas Nelson for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

If You Want Just to Be a Bit More Free?

Stacy Edwards is a trucker’s daughter, a pastor’s wife, and a mom to five beautiful daughters. Since her teens, Stacy has had an insatiable love of Scripture that she credits solely to the grace of God. To know her is to know an ordinary woman in love with an extraordinary Savior. It’s a joy to welcome Stacy to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Stacy Edwards

I grew up in an extended family in which alcoholism was rampant on both sides.

I saw it with my own eyes, personally felt its effects, heard stories of relatives’ struggles, and as a result, gave alcohol a wide berth throughout my life.

There were no parties in high school, sororities in college, or weekend drinking with friends as an adult for me. In all honesty, this was not necessarily a moral or biblical choice on my part.

I was simply terrified of falling prey to something I could not control.

But here’s the thing about addiction: it wears many masks.

While I had successfully avoided alcohol and other substances, I gave in daily to anxiety, fear, and people-pleasing.

I bit my fingernails until they bled, avoided social interactions like the plague, and became a voiceless observer in my own life. I wrote about the grace of God in devotional books and magazine articles while living in the grip of an anxiety so aggressive that I struggled to go to the grocery store. I spoke in churches and taught hundreds of women that they were dearly loved by God while allowing intense insecurities to cause me to question my own value.

I was locked in a prison of people-pleasing that prevented me from being myself for fear I was either too much or not enough for others to accept. My addictions, though perhaps not as visible, were every bit as powerful as the ones I had spent a lifetime trying to avoid.

“The mission of the Messiah was nothing less than deliverance and freedom.“

In my late forties, through a series of events only God could have orchestrated, I began the certification process to become a biblical counselor. I interacted with women who struggled with anxiety, alcohol, anger, fear, a desire to control everything in their lives, and many other issues that were affecting their daily existence as mothers, daughters, friends, etc. Regardless of the specific situation, one theme kept coming through. I found myself continually returning to the freedom found only in Christ. Scripture, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, points to the fact that Christ came to set people free.

Isaiah, the prophet, made it clear that God had this specific purpose in rescuing his people: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed” (Isaiah 61:1, NLT). This was the mission God would expand with his Messiah.

God was not sending his Son on a quest to simply offer comfort, contentment, or courage in the midst of bondage. The mission of the Messiah was nothing less than deliverance and freedom.

He came to end the oppression and captivity that marked the lives of so many people.

Jesus read those very words from Isaiah in the synagogue many years later and declared that, in him, they had been fulfilled (see Luke 4:16-21, NLT). Jesus is the good news for the poor. He is the one who sets the captive free, opens the eyes of the blind, and releases the oppressed.

The Lord began revealing to me that no one is more imprisoned and oppressed than the one controlled by an addiction whether that addiction is to a substance, to a coping mechanism, or to a sinful response to stressful situations.

This realization was mind blowing to me. I had allowed anxiety and fear to become addictions.

They were my go-to responses in nearly every situation.

They controlled my decisions and behavior just as strongly as an alcoholic beverage. I’m embarrassed to say that I had even allowed my addictions to become my identity. I would refer to myself as “just an awkward person.” I would jokingly say that my anxiety would never let me do this or that. I would repeatedly speak of my fears of looking foolish during speaking engagements or saying something stupid at a social engagement. These were seemingly minor issues, but it showed a pattern of choosing fear over faith.

It all came to a head for me personally, however, when my eighteen-year-old daughter decided to join the military.

I knew I could not allow anxious and fearful thoughts to control me any longer.

As I began to dig deeper in the Bible, the Lord graciously reminded me that Jesus had not died so that I could eke my way through life while constantly apologizing for existing and taking up space.

“God’s intention and desire for his children, as a whole and for each of us individually, is absolute freedom.“

I was not created to cater to the opinions of others or to desire the praise and applause of people. Cowering in fear was not for me. These behaviors always end in bondage.

God’s intention and desire for his children, as a whole and for each of us individually, is absolute freedom.

Paul’s declaration in Galatians serves as a battle cry for the believer: “Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free” (Galatians 5:1, NLT). I can almost hear the pleading in Paul’s voice.

Christ has accomplished the difficult and costly work of setting us free, but there is a part that we must play.

We choose daily to make prayer our default response.

We find our identity in Christ and believe what he has to say about us.

We seek comfort in the Cross and no substance or earthly substitute.

Freedom is ours when we allow God’s Word to define us, direct us, delight us, and dwell within us.

Lord, make it so in my life.

Stacy Edwards is a wife and a mom to five daughters. She is passionate about the study of Scripture and serving women in her community through her work as a victim advocate for those who have experienced sexual assault. Stacy is the author of seven devotional books and seeks to encourage individuals through Scripture on her From the Overflow Podcast. 

Hope and healing are possible! Whether you’re in a dark valley or walking with someone through theirs, millions of people have chosen the Life Recovery Bible. It’s packed with practical notes, helps, and themes that are fully integrated with the twelve-step program and point you back to your Creator, who alone is the source of freedom, hope, and victory. It’s available in the NLT, KJV, Spanish NTV, and Spanish RVR60. Courageously take important next steps toward a new life and a hope-filled future with the Life Recovery Bible, which provides a powerful foundation for recovery with spiritual care, practical wisdom, and the life-changing Word of God.

{Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {08.16.2025}

Happy, happy, happy weekend!

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…

Smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything —

and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))! 

Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

Photo by Cameron Cress

Photo by Sir. Simo 

Photo by Anna Hunko 

Photo by Sarah Elizabe

Photo by Ilia Bronskiy

Want to go visit a library, a bookstore, some stacks of books, find a good book on a shelf — on your shelves or somewhere else — and get lost in the pages of a book for a few hours? … Me too!

Heart Vitamins for you this week:

Maybe your weekend exhale begins here?

And it’s okay if things move slow, really: Why does sanctification happen at a snail’s pace

Begin the weekend with kindness: #BetheGift! 50 Acts of Kindness that will expand your heart!

SOUL LEARNING 101 this week:“Marriage & Ministry: Love, Leadership & Life Together”So soul-encouraging Enlightened Together: A New MinistryTUNE IN: WATCH HERE“Waiting for God in the Gaps”LIFECHANGING LISTEN “The Shield of Faith” YESSSSS! The best!God’s math is not our math… But we know he is good You need to listen to this!When God writes your story in a way you didn’t like…. BUT GOD! So moving!Soundtracks for your Weekend!A stunning playlist!! You need to listen to this: Deeply Moving!! On repeat! And Some Summer Recipes for your Weekend!Wanna have a picnic? A MUST TRY THIS WEEK!! These look so good! Do you want to try too? Creative Bits for you this week: So so beautiful! Wanna make this together! Wanna make a fun card? So cool! Obsessed with these! So so pretty! this is so cute! This week’s project? Encouragement for the Mothers this weekend:“God, Guilt, and Growing Up Duggar” with Sadie and jingerA conversation you want to hear!5 Ways To Stay Encouraged When You Don’t Feel CelebratedMaybe you need this listen today. What Kind of Moms Are We Supposed to Be? You don’t want to miss this: Can we shift our mornings and start with peace! Click here to read:Ready to smile this weekend?!!Pure Gratitude This is the BEST! This is adorable So cute! I love this! Are you crying??This is kindness! So beautiful! Thoughts to Really Ponder “Guarding the Word, Growing the Church”I found this so moving “INSIDE THE HOUSE” -House of David x The ChosenReally, so thinking about thisThe Gift of Middle AgeWow! A Must Read God’s holiness A must listen!What we’re Listening to on the Farm this weekPhil Wickham, Brandon Lake, Elevation Worship – “So So Good”on the book stack at the farm

In her new book, Overwhelmed Mom, Jamie shows us how to push back against the weariness epidemic that plagues so many women. Through biblical principles and flexible solutions, she’ll help us learn to adjust our homes, schedules, and attitudes so that we may experience right-now relief and forward movement in common stress areas. 

We don’t have to keep living as overwhelmed moms—Jamie invites us to experience freedom and enjoy the gift of motherhood.

In her latest book, Overbooked and Overwhelmed, she speaks to every woman who longs for Jesus to have first place in their life – and not just the meager leftovers. She offers compassion, practicality, and most of all, biblical depth to live fully present with God, even in the midst of an over-busy, over-notified, and overwhelming life.

Tara knows what it’s like to feel disconnected from God due to the demands of life. But she’s here to help you put distractions in their place, center your life around Jesus, and prioritize His presence – no matter how crazy-busy your life is.

Friends! We are Thrilled!

Crazy exciting news!

Share God’s Love in All the Languages! Come and be “Loved to Life” Now ON SALE 30% off

Pick up  Loved to Life: A 40-Day VISUAL Pilgrimage with Jesus, that will:

give you enlightening insights to calm your real worriesground your identity in who you really are, regardless of failuresspeak to your deepest doubts in a profoundly steading wayand walk you in fresh, intimate ways with Jesus, Love Himself, that will grow your soul into real LIFEP.S. And WOW! Both our JOURNALs are Over 40% off!!! $13 for the Best Little Gratitude Journal & Sacred Prayer!Download yours free when you join our email family Something fun to end our week: Wander a Bookstore

Maybe enjoy the relaxation of a reading retreat this weekend?

That’s all for this weekend, friends.

Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.

Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again

Share Whatever Is Good. 

You Want The Truth About “Doing It All” As a Mom?

From kitchen fires to flooded basements, long-term illness to seasons of deep grief, Jamie Erickson knows what it is like to be overwhelmed as a mom. After untangling and tying all the loose ends of marriage and family for over two decades, however, she also knows a few simple ways to overcome. It’s a joy to welcome Jamie to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Jamie Erickson

I sat across from a young mom in a hipster coffee shop, the kind that serves deconstructed breakfast sandwiches in a bowl for around the price of the down payment of a tiny house.

If you were to chart our lives on a Venn diagram, there would be a surprisingly large amount of overlap.

Like me, she was a writer, working on a book, and too, had aspirations of homeschooling her toddler someday. We were the same in many ways, with one minor exception.

She was about twelve years my junior. 

Aside from the noticeable physical differences that an age gap of that magnitude reveals—namely, her body parts didn’t yet droop or give her sad feelings—it was clear she was in a completely different stage of mothering.

She had one toddler still in diapers, hadn’t enjoyed a complete night’s sleep in nearly two years, and looked as if she could be the ringleader of the over-caffeinated stroller mafia who sprinted through the park every Thursday morning. Like them, she wore the face of a woman desperate for encouragement and adult interaction. 

“We fixate on what we can’t do instead of fully appreciating what God’s given us to do right now.“

I, on the other hand, had a house full of tweens and teens. Obviously, mothering my kids required commitment and self-sacrifice. But because they were much older, they were all remarkably self-sufficient. My kids still needed me. They just needed me in less relentless ways. 

With a pencil poised in one hand, ready to jot down whatever scheduling hacks I lobbed her way, she asked the million-dollar question every overwhelmed young mother has wondered at one time or another, myself included, “How did you do it all when you had little ones?” 

“I didn’t,” was my flat reply. 

Clearly, it was not the answer she was hoping for.

She had taken time from her busy schedule to learn my winning strategies for maintaining balance, and my advice was aggressively underwhelming. 

“Balance is a spotted unicorn,” I said. “A mythical creature that exists only in fairy tales, especially in the toddler years.” I couldn’t have been clearer about my position if I had explained it using sock puppets, yet she stared at me in utter confusion. 

I wasn’t trying to be glib or uncaring. I only wanted her to see that her dreams, while good, may not necessarily have been good for her right then.

“But the truth is, boundary lines are not constricting… They point us to our inheritance—God.“

As women, we can often fall into a scarcity mindset. We fixate on what we can’t do instead of fully appreciating what God’s given us to do right now.

Sadly, at times, I struggled against the boundaries young children placed in my life.

In the early years of mothering, I longed for more— the promotion at work, an invitation to lead the women’s Bible study, time to work on writing a book. Anytime an opportunity came along, I assumed I had to crowbar it into my already busy life or I’d forfeit it forever. I felt strangled by the responsibilities of the right here, right now. 

But the truth is, boundary lines are not constricting. According to Scripture, they are drawn to give us the portion we need presently. They point us to our inheritance—God. Psalm 16:5–11 reads, 

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (NIV) 

The words portion, lot, lines, and inheritance are taken right from the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, and elicit images of the birthright God gave to the people of Israel when they entered into the promised land. When Moses divided the countryside into plots, he gave each tribe their portion—their inheritance. 

” I was often guilty of missing the inheritance of the moment because it was disguised as regular life.“

Just like the property lines that separated the land of one Hebrew clan from that of the next, the time, energy, and financial constraints of your particular season are not hemming you in; they are helping to create healthy boundaries between you and the rest of the world.

Boundaries guard valuable things.

They protect you.

They keep all the extra worries and concerns of other seasons out.

Setting a boundary is an admission that you are a finite being. Although it is a purposeful limitation, it’s not limiting. A boundary is a legacy—the portion—that God has set aside, especially for you. 

Regrettably, in the active years of mothering littles, I was often guilty of missing the inheritance of the moment because it was disguised as regular life. 

It is in the unseen work of motherhood that our faith is formed.

The physical, emotional, and even spiritual sacrifices required to raise children may not leave much room for other commitments, but if that is the work that God has given you to do, it is holy work. 

The inconvenience and sacrifices of right now can be a daily reminder of Christ’s most inconvenient sacrifice.

In laying down His life for us, Jesus gave us an eternal inheritance. Constrained by the flesh of humanity, His self-imposed boundary became our hope.

As a mother, the boundaries of raising children might feel limiting, but they are actually an opportunity to follow Christ’s example—to live within the will of the Father and the portion He has for you.

You may have to lay down your dream or passion projects for a time but rest assured, they are not going anywhere. Unless the Lord wills, the life you have now, will not be the life you will have forever.

And no matter what the new and different “portions” of all the coming seasons might be, the deepest relief is that “the LORD is my portion” (Lam. 3:24) and He is the portion that always deeply fulfills and satisfies our every dream.

Jamie Erickson can be found encouraging and equipping a growing tribe of mothers all across the globe on the Mom to Mom podcast, through her blog The Unlikely Homeschool, and in her books Holy Hygge and Homeschool Bravely. She’s been married to her college sweetheart for over twenty-two years. Together, they’re raising and launching their five second-generation homeschooled kids along the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota.

In her new book, Overwhelmed Mom, Jamie shows us how to push back against the weariness epidemic that plagues so many women. Through biblical principles and flexible solutions, she’ll help us learn to adjust our homes, schedules, and attitudes so that we may experience right-now relief and forward movement in common stress areas. 

We don’t have to keep living as overwhelmed moms—Jamie invites us to experience freedom and enjoy the gift of motherhood.

{Our humble thanks to Moody Publishers for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

When You Feel Sorta Stuck in Your Faith: Unexpected Truth to Pull You Through

She’s one of my favorite people! Tara Sun is a wife, mama to two boys, author, and podcaster – lives her life with hands and heart full. Yet, she’s no stranger to the overwhelm and exhaustion that we all feel from shouldering the responsibility of daily life. That’s why she is so deeply passionate about helping other women know, love, and live God’s Word and uncomplicate what it means to put Him first in everything – the mundane, the magical, the hard, and the good – through the words she writes in books, the words she speaks through a microphone, and the words she speaks around her humble coffee table at home. It my greatest joy to welcome Tara to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Tara Sun

Some girls are camping girls and others are glamping girls. I’m unashamed to say I’m the latter.

It was 2018 and it was my husband, then boyfriend’s, family reunion, and I was invited along. Because we weren’t married, his grandparents offered their pull- out couch to me in their fancy- schmancy RV.

I was living the life— my phone plugged in, a cozy bed, and coffee set to brew when I woke up.

To this day, I am teased relentlessly about how that wasn’t real camping, because I wasn’t sleeping in a tent or going to the bathroom in a hole.

Although life is much busier these days, my husband will still find time to camp and hunt. I happily help him pack and send him off with food for the week like a doting wife. I mean, the mere thought of no porcelain thrones is enough to keep me away.

However, what Michael enjoys about hunting isn’t necessarily whether he shoots a buck or not (although that’s always preferred); it’s the serenity of hunting.

The stillness, the quiet, and being way out in the wilderness shifts his perspective.

Any hunter, from novice to expert, knows that the wilderness is the place to be.

The authors of Scripture knew it too.

“The wilderness was a place where God’s people were drawn into deeper relationship with God Himself. It wasn’t just a physical location. It was a place of spiritual transformation.“

They told stories of wilderness encounters from the Israelites’ forty years of wandering to Jesus’ temptation, and there is one thing each of those encounters in the Bible has in common: The wilderness was a place where God’s people were drawn into deeper relationship with God Himself. It wasn’t just a physical location. It was a place of spiritual transformation. It was a divine locale that God used to draw His people into a heightened experience and revival when they needed it most.

Imagine wandering in the wilderness for forty years like the Israelites. Imagine not just wandering, but living, eating, sleeping, and raising children in the wilderness. Imagine how many questions, doubts, and fears they had. Imagine how pessimistic they must have grown about the promises of God. We see their grumblings, complaints, and dwindling optimism. But, greater still, we see God’s provision.

The Israelites weren’t just physically parched from going without water. They were spiritually parched.

Dwelling on their circumstances, giving in to discouragement, growing bitter toward God, and distracting themselves with temporary idols. But what did God do? He made the bitter water, their only source of water in the wilderness, sweetly satisfying. Soul satisfying.

Now, look to Jesus’ wilderness encounter. What a stark contrast between how Jesus navigated His wilderness and how the Israelites navigated theirs. Both were spiritually challenging, dry, and testing locations. Whereas the Israelites allowed their spiritually weary souls to succumb to distrust and forgetfulness, Jesus pressed in. He allowed barren wasteland to lead him into a deeper relationship with His Father.

“The enemy would love to deprive us of feeling God’s presence and love in the wilderness, but the Lord wants to— and will— strengthen us in the wilderness by replacing the discouragement we feel with His hope, His son, Jesus.“

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the enemy, Satan. This wasn’t a punishment or a bait-and-switch situation. This was a divine display. Matthew 4:2–3 says, “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’”

The enemy hit Jesus where it hurt the most. After forty days without food, He was starving.

With a gnarly right hook, the enemy swung. He taunted Jesus to create food out of thin air. He told Him to throw Himself off the highest point of the temple to prove his deity. And finally, the enemy tried to get Jesus to bow down and worship him. But Jesus didn’t take Satan’s blows lying down, and He certainly didn’t waver. With every test, He answered with a promise from God’s Word. 

The enemy would love to deprive us of feeling God’s presence and love in the wilderness, but the Lord wants to— and will— strengthen us in the wilderness by replacing the discouragement we feel with His hope, His son, Jesus.

You might be thinking, Tara, I feel so spiritually stuck and worn out. Fighting for truth and coming to Jesus require energy that I don’t have to give. Adding yet another thing to do when you’re already depleted is exhausting. Your schedule is already overbooked, and your mind is too overstimulated to think about doing yet another thing.

I hear you.

Now hear me?

You don’t have to go very far.

With every one step we take toward Jesus, He takes a million leaps toward us.

With every feeble attempt we make to drag ourselves forward, He shows His strength in pursuing us first.

Jesus is not disgusted by our lack of energy or follow- through. He is merciful and gracious. He rejoices with the prodigal too.

All it takes is one step, or one stumble if you’re feeling exhausted to fall into the depths of His revival. And as we experience more of that refreshment, it makes coming back all the sweeter. 

Let this be our war cry against spiritual apathy and a march toward spiritual grit. When hard times come and when we feel consumed by the overwhelm, responsibilities, and fullness of life, the answer isn’t to let the wilderness win. The answer is to lean into how God desires for those wilderness seasons to shape us – by elevating our awareness of Him and deepening our dependence on Him.

There will be times that thorns grow up in our lives, the sun beats down on our backs, and the enemy capitalizes on hard circumstances. But there is a glimmer of gospel hope that pervades it all: God loves us with the most fierce, committed, and consistent love.

If you find yourself stuck or overwhelmed, chocked by hardships and burned by life, look up.

Look up to His love.

Shake loose the dirt and dust that have been collecting. Stir up your soul with a reminder of what it’s longing for: love.

A love that refreshes, revives, and rescues.

Tara Sun is the uplifting host of the popular women’s podcast, Truth Talks with Tara, and the author of several books. She is a dynamic speaker and creative, using each of these platforms to equip women with the tools to know, love, and live God’s Word in their daily lives. Tara’s favorite titles are wife to her husband, Michael, and mom to their two young boys.

In her latest book, Overbooked and Overwhelmed, she speaks to every woman who longs for Jesus to have first place in their life – and not just the meager leftovers. She offers compassion, practicality, and most of all, biblical depth to live fully present with God, even in the midst of an over-busy, over-notified, and overwhelming life.

Tara knows what it’s like to feel disconnected from God due to the demands of life. But she’s here to help you put distractions in their place, center your life around Jesus, and prioritize His presence – no matter how crazy-busy your life is.

{Our humble thanks to Thomas Nelson for their partnership in today’s devotional.}

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {08.09.2025}

Happy, happy, happy weekend!

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…

Smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything —

and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))! 

Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

Photo by Samuel Ferrara

Photo by Hans Hamann

Ezra Jeffrey-Comeau on Unsplash " target="_blank" rel=" noreferrer noopener">

Photo by Ezra Jeffrey-Comeau

Photo by Isaac Martin 

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Photo by Alexander Milo

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.”

1 Chronicles 29:11

Heart Vitamins for you this week:“The Weight and Wonder of Obedience”So soul-encouraging “The Gospel of Peace” – How To Fight In The DarkTUNE IN: WATCH HEREThank you Jesus! You have to watch this!A word for the wearyTHIS, THIS: Listen hereSOUL LEARNING 101 this week:“Being Upset with God: ‘Why Did He Make Me This Way?”LIFECHANGING LISTEN “The Power of the Holy Spirit in Your Life”YESSSSS! The best!A Wheelchair, a New Friendship, and Ripples of Grace  You need to read this!The only one who has ever loved you to life — Over on TBN BUT GOD! So moving!Some Summer Recipes for your Weekend!This looks amazing! A MUST TRY THIS WEEK!! We love a good sandwich Do you want to try too? Creative Bits for you this week: So cute!! I want to learn! I love this! So cool! Obsessed with these! So so pretty! Crazy!!! This week’s project? Encouragement for the Mothers this week:“Leaning on the Spirit for Self-Control”WOW! “HELP! How Do I Find A Mentor? with Candace YES! THIS!!What It Means to be Known, Seen, and Loved You don’t want to miss this: 6 Psalms for Lamenting Miscarriage Click here to read:Ready to smile this weekend?!!All the Cheese! This is the BEST! This is adorable So cute! I love this! Are you crying??This is kindness! So beautiful! This is beautiful! The best!! Wow! Crazy Kind! Love this!! Thoughts to Really Ponder this week“Loving the Church When You’ve Been Hurt”I found this so moving “How to Stop Being Afraid to Share Your Faith”Really, so thinking about thisthe resurrection of Christ Wow! So good! Hear the voice of GOD! A must listen!What we’re Listening to on the Farm this week” What An Awesome God”“Another One”on the book stack at the farm

The Scriptures are meant for us, to draw near to God and discover God’s vision for us. The Message Women’s Devotional Bible invites women of all ages and life experiences to consider what it means to be made in God’s image and invited into God’s mission out of our unique design. With down-to-earth insights into the experience of women throughout Scripture and informed by the wisdom of women in our contemporary context, this women’s devotional Bible expands our imagination for faithfulness in our time.

You aren’t alone.

God knows what it feels like to be where you are, where you have been. God Himself knows how hard this broken planet is―He’s walked where you’ve walked. But out of those hard, dusty roads emerges a way into the exhilarating life you’ve longed to fully experience. This is the truest story in the whole universe: God is the only One who has ever loved you to death and came to resurrect you into the fullest life you always hoped for.

You will not believe this bit of exciting news… Share God’s Love in All the Languages! WayMaker Spanish Edition is on sale right now for nearly 40% off Share God’s Love in All the Languages! Come and be “Loved to Life” ON SALE 30% off right now at Amazon

Pick up  Loved to Life: A 40-Day VISUAL Pilgrimage with Jesus, that will:

give you enlightening insights to calm your real worriesground your identity in who you really are, regardless of failuresspeak to your deepest doubts in a profoundly steading wayand walk you in fresh, intimate ways with Jesus, Love Himself, that will grow your soul into real LIFEWOW! Both our JOURNALs are Over 40% off!!! $13 for the Best Little Gratitude Journal & for sacred prayer! You don’t want to miss out on these sales to always have meaningful gifts on hand!“Your Brave Song” is 40% off right now! $10!the perfect back to school grab for all the students in your life! EVERY ONE NEEDS THEIR OWN BRAVE SONG! Download yours free when you subscribe to emailsLet’s end with this this: Settling in at home

And maybe enjoy the outdoors this weekend?

That’s all for this weekend, friends.

Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.

Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again

Share Whatever Is Good. 

How Does God See Women? A Real Word For Women

Maybe it’s safe here to say that women have often been overlooked in Scripture—often unnamed, silenced, or harmed—yet their stories profoundly matter. The Bible is good news for all, offering light, life, and truth for today. Women in Scripture deserve to be seen, and women reading it today deserve to be equipped. Just as Eugene Peterson hoped people would encounter God through The Message, over eighty diverse women have contributed to a new devotional Bible with the same longing. Today, it is an incredible joy to welcome the words of two of these contributors to the farm table as they share on Jesus’ security and mercy…

Guest Post by Eugene Peterson

Who was the woman who anointed Jesus?

In chapter fourteen of Mark, we are not even told her name, yet Jesus said that she would always be remembered. Rarely in the Gospels does Jesus offer such high praise. 

We don’t know her name.

We don’t know what her previous encounters with Jesus had been.

But we know this: She knew Jesus’ worth.

She had experienced something great enough to ignore social decorum and personal security to be in his presence and honor him. Here at dinner with a friend who was willing to betray him for mere money, Jesus received the adoration of a woman willing to give up everything for him. 

Our brave friend was out of place from the very beginning; there was likely no seat at the table for her. She interrupted Jesus’ dinner with friends to anoint his head, honoring his kingship as much as preparing his body for burial. And while her eyes were fixed on Jesus, the disciples’ were fixed on her – and they were horrified. 

The perfume she used and even the jar itself may have been a family heirloom. It might have served as her dowry or as a retirement plan for herself and her children. In a world where economic options for women were limited, that jar was more than just a symbol. She cracked open her security and poured it out before Jesus. She knew that what she’d found in him was worth everything. In the presence of the giver of life, she had no need for insurance plans. 

“…he’s not after our deeds so much as our hearts.”

While Jesus received her gift with delight, his disciples missed the point. What the woman had to offer was unexpected. It didn’t fit religious protocol. But she alone among them had discovered what following Jesus means – that he’s not after our deeds so much as our hearts. So when the woman, out of place and out of line, fell into the irate disciples’ line of fire, what did Jesus say? 

He said, “Let her alone” (Mark 14:6). 

Then he declared that she would be remembered everywhere the Message would be preached. Why?

Because the good news tells us this: Jesus is worth everything. We can lay down our security before him because our security is found in him. And the gospel of Jesus includes women. It includes those without a formal seat at the table and those who don’t always look right or act correctly. It includes those who face criticism and ostracism. 

The message is for anyone who sees Jesus’ worth and is willing to find their security in him.

Now we move from the book of Mark to the eighth chapter of John, where a second unnamed women is encountering Jesus. This entry and the passage it addresses involve highly sensitive topics that might be triggering to some readers. If that is you, be gentle with yourself.

“Because the good news tells us this: Jesus is worth everything. We can lay down our security before him because our security is found in him.”

She was nameless, naked, guilty.

The woman caught in adultery.

She was subject to punishment by stoning, and the man caught with her was not, which indicates that she was probably unmarried. Little else is known about her; but then again, this is not really her story. This woman was a character in a scene, a pawn in the Pharisees’ divisive plan to trap Jesus. She was guilt personified, a dehumanized object used to turn eyes back to the law, judgment, and rightness. Dragged to the Temple, she knew death was imminent.

John does not describe the woman’s outward emotions. He does not speculate about her thoughts. The woman heard the Pharisees ask Jesus,

“What do you say?” They waited for an answer; so did she.

She watched Jesus dismiss their question by stooping to write in the dust. Meanwhile, angry men stooped to grab rocks.

Then Jesus said, “The sinless one among you, go first.”

Had she heard him correctly?

“Before Jesus’ mercy, the woman had been a nameless adulterer; after it, she became a woman freed from condemnation, free to go and sin no more.“

More importantly, had the men heard him correctly? Would their hypocrisy be as exposed as her guilt had been? She watched each man set down his stone and exit.

Jesus met the woman’s gaze and spoke to her, a sharp contrast to the depersonalizing actions of her accusers. Her answer was stripped of superfluous defense or apology, but she used the word Master. Was she employing courtesy or reverence? We don’t know.

But just as Jesus’ words had awakened the guilt of her accusers, we can imagine that his mercy also effectively awakened the conscience of the accused woman.

Before Jesus’ mercy, the woman had been a nameless adulterer; after it, she became a woman freed from condemnation, free to go and sin no more.

Condemnation could not transform her.

But being seen through the eyes of mercy changed her life.

The Message of the Bible by Women, for Women

The Scriptures are meant for us, to draw near to God and discover God’s vision for us. The Message Women’s Devotional Bible invites women of all ages and life experiences to consider what it means to be made in God’s image and invited into God’s mission out of our unique design. With down-to-earth insights into the experience of women throughout Scripture and informed by the wisdom of women in our contemporary context, this women’s devotional Bible expands our imagination for faithfulness in our time. It features-

– 320 topical devotions written by women of diverse ethnicities, backgrounds, and vocations 

– Space and sensitivity for women to engage difficult Bible passages,

– 52 profiles on important figures in the Bible

– Special Biblical section introductions highlighting the needs and interests of women

– Fresh and candid insights into often-neglected Biblical passages

Share this Bible with the women in your life. Hear from the contributors and get your copies here.  

Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {08.02.2025}

Happy, happy, happy weekend!

Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…

Smile a mile wide & believe like crazy in a Good God redeeming everything —

and that there’s love everywhere & for ((you))! 

Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:

Photo by Anastasiia Nelen

Photo by Pascal Debrunner

Photo by Adam Pluchrat

Olga Budko on Unsplash ">

Photo by Olga Budko

Photo by Nic Berlin

Summer sunsets over a field of flowers might just be my favourite thing about summer!

Heart Vitamins for you this week:“Preaching to the Heart” — Tim KellerSo soul-encouraging “How to Build an Unshakeable Identity”TUNE IN: WATCH HEREIN everything, give thanks You have to watch this!You are worthy! THIS, THIS: Listen hereSOUL LEARNING 101 this week:“How To Fight In The Dark”LIFECHANGING LISTEN “Start with the Finish Line”YESSSSS! The best!Helping to bring peace You need to read this!In Awe of the Living God  WOW! So moving! Make a Joyful Noise: Worship for you this week:The next generation!! Don’t miss this! This is beautiful! Watching over and over!How we’ve seen God’s glory this week: Stunning! This is beautiful! Absolutely astounding! This is our God! Post of the week from these parts: Want an Easy Life Plan That Changes Your LifeSpan (& Is So easy kids can do it!)

All summer, I’ve been writing a messy love letter in my head about this very moment, whatever the one is that my body is actually in, and this is the discovery worth scratching down, engraving deeply right into the soft neural matter of my mind: 

Yesterday is now unchangeable. Tomorrow is yet unborn. This Moment alone is unapologetically alive with your life. 

Your life is only fully alive in the now. 

 

Don’t leave the internet before reading this one? Some Summer Recipes for your Weekend!This salad is a summer must! A MUST TRY THIS WEEK!! The perfect snack! Do you want to try too? Creative Bits for you this week: So cute!! You need to make one! Wow!!! Perspective! So cool! I like to think I could Wanna try? These are so pretty! This week’s project? Encouragement for the Mothers this week:“What If What I’m Hoping For Never Happens?”WOW! “Why Can’t I Feel Free in My Body?” with CandaceYES! THIS!! motherhood on mission You don’t want to miss this: He waited for me Click here to read:Ready to smile this weekend?!!So cute!! This is the BEST! our God is GOOD! So incredible! Thoughts to Really Ponder this weekHow Can Being Mindful Help Us in Suffering? I found this so moving “Rehearse Your Identity” with  SEAN DEMARS Really, so thinking about thisWhat we’re Listening to on the Farm this week“Faithful Then / Faithful Now”“Firm Foundation (He Won’t)”on the book stack at the farm

If you’re looking for an easy way to carry beautiful Scripture reminders with you—either as a Scripture memory tool or to encourage others—you’ll really love the Every Woman’s Scripture Prayer Cards. 

Each set of Scripture cards is bound with light adhesive for packaging, but cards easily separate to carry, display, or share—and it’s small enough to fit inside your purse. Scripture prayer cards are great for Scripture memory, praying through biblical truths, encouraging others, and for reflection. Bring power to your prayers, deepen your relationship with God, and foster a sense of sisterhood among women. Take a peek at the beautiful designs featuring photography and illustrations from the Every Woman’s Bible.

Are you facing repeated roadblocks or feeling life shift in ways you never expected? God always makes a path through the impossible—no matter the obstacle. Encounter the WayMaker in surprising places and watch him pen poetry out of pain.

It’s true: heartache, grief, suffering, and obstacles—they all come in waves. There is no controlling life’s storms; there is only learning the way to walk through the waves.

In WayMaker, Ann hands us a map that makes meaning of life and shows the way through to the places we’ve only dreamed of reaching. In the face of suffering through seemingly unbearable situations, we can rest in the fact that we are not alone.

You will not believe this bit of exciting news… Share God’s Love in All the Languages! WayMaker Spanish Edition is on sale right now for nearly 40% off Share God’s Love in All the Languages! Come and be “Loved to Life” ON SALE 30% off right now at Amazon

Pick up  Loved to Life: A 40-Day VISUAL Pilgrimage with Jesus, that will:

give you enlightening insights to calm your real worriesground your identity in who you really are, regardless of failuresspeak to your deepest doubts in a profoundly steading wayand walk you in fresh, intimate ways with Jesus, Love Himself, that will grow your soul into real LIFEWOW! Both our JOURNALs are Over 40% off!!! $13 for the Best Little Gratitude Journal & for sacred prayer! You don’t want to miss out on these sales to always have meaningful gifts on hand!“Your Brave Song” is 40% off right now! $10!the perfect back to school grab for all the students in your life! EVERY ONE NEEDS THEIR OWN BRAVE SONG! Download yours free when you subscribe to emailsLet’s end with this today: Hymn Medley

And maybe enjoy the outdoors this weekend?

That’s all for this weekend, friends.

Go slow. Be God-struck. Grant grace. Live Truth.

Give Thanks. Love well. Re – joy, re- joy, ‘re- joys’ again

Share Whatever Is Good.