Ann Voskamp's Blog, page 3
August 1, 2025
How To Help & Strengthen Your People
As a working mom juggling all kinds of family needs, Mindy Ferguson knows what it feels like to be exhausted and overwhelmed by the daily demands of serving people and the burden of her everyday responsibilities. A friend’s perfectly timed decision to share an intriguing Scripture verse encouraged her to persevere through an intense and demanding time in her life and highlights how sharing Scripture with a sister-in-Christ can alter her perspective and encourage her to persevere through challenges. It’s an absolute joy to welcome Mindy to the farm’s table today…
Guest Post by Mindy Ferguson
It was a busy Sunday morning.
I arrived at church a little earlier than usual, parked my car in the far corner of the parking lot, and hurried into the building. After grabbing my name badge, I quickly became preoccupied with setting up the registration booth for an upcoming event.
A dear friend and sister-in-Christ walked hurriedly through the foyer where I was working as she rushed to her own Sunday morning volunteer post.
The week prior, I had shared my discouragement over a recent series of crisis situations and demands on my time that had sapped my energy and shifted my focus from other important responsibilities. As she hurried past, she smiled and said, “I thought of you as I read this verse” and tucked a folded piece of notebook paper into my hand.
I smiled and thanked her as I quickly slipped that still-folded notebook paper into a pocket of my purse and began greeting women and promoting our upcoming event.
It wasn’t until the next morning that I remembered the folded notebook paper, still tucked in my purse pocket. I retrieved the note, unfolded it, and read, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.” I sat staring at the verse for a moment, absorbing the somewhat mysterious message from my friend. I grabbed my Bible to read the surrounding verses. The full verse in context reads:
“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31, NLT)
“Yet God doesn’t ask us to serve him and attend to the needs of others in our own strength. When we seek him in our moments of weakness, he empowers us.“
I began to process my frustrating circumstances through the filter of the passage. I was feeling exhausted and discouraged by a series of urgent extended-family needs that I didn’t think I had time to handle well and felt powerless to control. Yet God doesn’t ask us to serve him and attend to the needs of others in our own strength. When we seek him in our moments of weakness, he empowers us.
When the apostle Paul begged God to remove a lingering thorn in his flesh that made him feel weak and needy, God responded, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT). Even strong young souls become weak and tired when they push themselves too hard for an extended period of time.
I immediately recognized that I had been pushing my less-than-young self to the point of exhaustion for months. And in my weary state, my prayer life had suffered.
As I stared at those verses from Isaiah 40, I realized that I had been so focused on ministry and handling ongoing pressing family issues that I had stopped spending time in God’s presence without an agenda. I had not been taking time to simply pray and read Scripture as a means of connecting with God.
My caring friend had no idea my connection with God was waning, but it was apparently obvious to her that I was weary and needed the Lord’s strength. God used the Scripture she shared with me to speak to me and provide clarity.
Rather than trusting God to provide the energy and enthusiasm I needed for each day’s challenges, it became clear to me as I read Isaiah 40:31 written on that notebook paper in my friend’s familiar handwriting that I had been pushing myself to the point of exhaustion for months and needed to spend some time with my Lord and my God—the one who knows me so well that “the very hairs on [my] head are all numbered” (Luke 12:7, NLT).
God was the only one who truly knew the challenges I was facing and what I needed to get through that intense time in my life.
That morning, I canceled the appointments on my calendar, turned off my phone, and spent several hours reading Scripture, journaling my prayers, and talking to God.
In the weeks that followed, I continued to be intentional about spending unstructured time with God in prayer, and over time, I did indeed “find new strength” (Isaiah 40:31). I was better able to manage the demands of my extended family and my ministry responsibilities. I also gained renewed enthusiasm for my work and service.
This summer, amid the busyness of family vacations, poolside gatherings, and messier-than-usual household chores, watch for opportunities to share God’s Word with a friend, family member, or even the postal delivery person.
Ask God to show you when and what verse to share.
Then spread God’s Word.
Isaiah 55:11 assures us “it always produces fruit” and accomplishes all that God wants it to, prospering everywhere God sends it. He just might use you to encourage the heart of a weary soul in need of a fresh dose of life-giving truth!
I can’t begin to tell how how much I love and recommend these beautiful, needful Scripture Prayer Cards! I keep mine right here beside me on my desk, for my own soul-encouragement, and to be able to give God’s Word to other’s to encourage them in the midst of their days!
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.
Mindy Ferguson lives in a rural area north of Houston, Texas, and currently serves as Senior Acquisitions Editor on the Bible team at Tyndale House Publishers.
{Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotional.}
July 31, 2025
One Surprising Parenting Hack I Discovered with my 7th Child!
Our first child was born in the spring of 1995. And our 7th child was born at the end of summer of 2014, and for a few months every year, our seven children span, from oldest to youngest, across a whole twenty years.
Our second to last child announced in the kitchen just yesterday morning that she has just over 31 days left with us — before she packs up her bags and books and heads to university for the first time. When your heart stretches to bring a child into the world, your skin thins, and you feel all the love and loss in the world so much more deeply.
“Turning pages is turning to meet a good friend.“
Then our girl, she’d grabbed a pen and sat down at the kitchen table and wrote it down:
31 Memories I Want to Make This Last Summer at Home
And I grinned as she numbered out her list:
Read a book high up in a tree –preferably in bare feetAfternoon bookstore date with MamaRead a book all day at the beach.“When reading is your favorite pastime – you enter into other lives and gain more time.“
She’s not wrong: Turning pages is turning to meet a good friend.
She’d looked up at me standing there in the doorway with a cup of coffee:
“You know what, Mom? Some of my very best memories of my whole childhood have been listening to all the stories, reading all the books.”
And I’d nodded smiling. When reading is your favorite pastime – you enter into other lives and gain more time.
Much has changed in the more than 2 and a half decades since our firstborn started reading books— both in how I parented, and the tools I had access to, as we raised readers who are always in the middle of a good book.
When you are always in the middle of a book – you are always between a rock and miraculous place.
When you are always in the middle of a book – you are always between a rock and miraculous place.
While our little Shiloh and I curl in to read books, she now, at any time – while she draws, or builds, or plays, or works away – she can simply says, “Alexa, read my book” —- and she listens to stories for hours, as the Alexa device plays her next favorite Audible read. Literally, she listens to audio books for hours every single day, as stories expand her world and imagination for all that can possibly be.
Not only that, but “7 in 10 (69.5%) children and young people said that listening to audiobooks makes it easier to understand the content of a book. This number is even higher for boys (71.7%) and children who receive free school meals (74%).”
The girl has a rhythm, a habit she pulls on like her own most comfortable clothes:
every morning, she asks Alexa to read to her while she eats breakfast — often while holding the hard copy of the book. every late afternoon, after much of the whirl of the day and learning, when she’s ready for a reset and rest, she relaxes with a long listen to a whole audio library of classic literature – so many of them available absolutely free on in the Audible Plus library — FREE BOOKS OFFER ENDS AT MIDNIGHT JULY 31st ( — all that whisk her away to imagined worlds and all kinds of fictional adventures that will frame her childhood with wonder. every evening, after her and I read together, and pray, and I tuck her in, she always then asks Alexa to read her audio books, stories always snuggling her into sleep.To be between a book’s covers is always to be under a cover of comfort.
Even when we pack up for any overnight trips or hospital stays – she’s the one who always packs up her little Alexa device, to plug in and listen to her audio books, wherever she tucks in for the night.
“Mama, I just really love listening to words when I fall asleep… stories make me feel safe.”
She’s speaking my language:
To be between a book’s covers is always to be under a cover of comfort.
Like Charles Baudelair said, “A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors.”
Some of her absolute favorite audiobook listens are:
Can count how many times she’s listened.
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”
“She made herself stronger by fighting with the wind.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett
This one is on current repeat the last few weeks — she likes listening to it in the summer heat ;)!
“Laura felt a warmth inside her. It was very small, but it was strong. It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.”
― Laura Ingalls Wilder
A family favourite we all so love.
“In His arms, He carried a little lamb. It was tired and had laid its head upon His shoulder, and He was looking down at it with gentle, loving eyes… The good Shepherd heard its cry and He never rested until He found it, and then He brought it home in His arms.”
– John Bunyan
All of ours have loved this one.
“A dim notion was growing up in her mind that the fact that she had never done a thing was no proof that she couldn’t.”
― Dorothy Canfield Fisher
James Herriot Treasury for Children
This is one of her go-tos at night — this is the most delightful listen!
“He had enjoyed all the animals on the farm and often helped his father with the cows and calves and pigs but spring was his favorite time, when the lambs where born.”
–James Herriot
Again and again, she returns to this one!
“Take the adventure, heed the call, now ere the irrevocable moment passes! ‘Tis but a banging of the door behind you, a blithesome step forward, and you are out of the old life and into the new! Then some day, some day long hence, jog home here if you will, when the cup has been drained and the play has been played, and sit down by your quiet river with a store of goodly memories for company.”
– Kenneth Grahame
A five star listen in every way.
“I’ll always say my prayers . . . and if God doesn’t answer them at once I shall know it’s because He’s planning something better for me.”
– Johanna Spyri
A wondrous childhood listen.
“It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do that is the secret of happiness.”
– J. M. Barrie
I read this one aloud to all our children, but she loves to just let this one play aloud while she plays — steeping in God’s story throughout the day. One of the very best story Bibles, with rich truths made very accessible.
“When did God begin? And who made God? No one made God and God did not begin God has always been, forever and ever and ever, God has lived God never had a beginning and this life will never end.
If you were to take a cup and dip water out of the big wide and deep ocean you could dip and dip and dip but you could never dip the ocean dry. Your mind is like a cup and God‘s life is like the big deep ocean. You cannot dip the ocean drive with a little cup and you and I, with our little mind cannot understand God‘s life, which never began and will never end.”-Catherine Vos
She loves holding our very worn copy and following along as she listens. A must listen for childhood!
“You, Little Traveler! You made the journey, the Long Journey. You now know the things I have yet to know. You, Little Traveler!”
– Holling C. Holling
Can anyone listen to this series too often?
“No great wisdom can be reached without sacrifice.”
“Adventures are never fun while you’re having them.”
“But courage, child: we are all between the paws of the true Aslan.” – C. S. Lewis
HAVE YOUR OWN DAILY READING RETREATS: Just 30 Minutes a Day Echo Dot — put it any room and just tell it to “Read my book” and it will start reading aloud your next Audible read. (At this kind of sale, we have a few, to read books to in bedroom, kitchen, window seat etc!) Our absolutely favourite (indoor or outdoor … & inexpensive) hammock – to curl up and read or listen to a book. We just flip a quiet 30 minute timer — for our own Reading Retreat and read for just 30 minutes! This blanket! I have literally given away dozens — my favourite gift to give! — and we have at least 3 and curl up together on the couch with this blanket for our 30 minute reading retreats! I gave this 100 Books Poster to 2 of my favourite voracious readers this year — and it was received with glee!Best headset for listening –after much research, the Farmer has this headset and listens daily with these!This Reading Journal is perfect to track the progress of your 30 minute reading retreats, as it has space for an index, reading tracker, book review, favorite books & authors, books read & still to read, list of want-to-reads and book challenge section. The more you read, the larger your soul grows, and the more your soul encompasses, the more joy you’ll come to know.CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FREE AUDIOBOOKS AS A FAMILY: OFFER ENDS MIDNIGHT JULY 31st
Wonder is everywhere you look – and it’s wondrous books that train you how to look.
Filling our days and homes with audio books matters for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which are, as the Book Trust notes:“It’s proven that in households where children hear fewer words, their literacy levels at age 5 are lower than those who have been exposed to a higher number of words, impacting on longer-term literacy and ability.
But even more importantly?
If a poverty of imagination bankrupts hope – then a lifetime of depositing good stories into our imaginations enriches us with hope.
Wonder is everywhere you look – and it’s wondrous books that train you how to look.
And our last 2 girls and I?
We’ve made a date to make memories and get lost together in books!
Listen to Free Audio Books this summer!Make this the summer of memories that will last a lifetime — a summer of listening to stories!
Classic Children’s Literature! Help your children fall in love with books, whatever their age!
I can’t encourage your family enough to take advantage of this life-expanding parenting tool of a whole library of audiobooks, so many of them available absolutely free on in the Audible Plus library !
Audible is offering a 3 month free trial, for both new customers or past customers, which means you can get any of these books, (or all of my books absolutely for free), or listen to millions of other books that are available to you with this free offer!
Click here to get the free trial & free audio books
You will be able to download one free book a month, for three months — perfect for your own reading retreats this summer!
(And if you decide Audible isn’t for you? You can easily cancel with the click of just one button, but the books are yours for free, forever!)
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO FREE AUDIOBOOKS AS A FAMILY: OFFER ENDS MIDNIGHT JULY 31st BONUS: 10 Soul-Good Spiritual Formation Reads for this summer — that change the Form of your life:For Grief: A Grace Disguised
(I have lost count how many times I have returned to this one, underlined this one, written down quotes, and felt comforted by this one.)
“The quickest way for anyone to reach the sun and the light of day is not to run west, chasing after the setting son, but to head east, plunging into the darkness until one comes to the sunrise.”
For Soul Refreshment: As Kingfishers Catch Fire
(I return to this book and listen to this book on the regular, an absolute lifetime favourite)
“The Christian life is the lifelong practice of attending to the details of congruence — congruence between ends and means, congruence between what we do and the way we do it, congruence between what is written in Scripture, congruence between a ship and its prow, congruence between preaching and living…”
For Doubt: The Reason For God
(I have recommended this book countless times, shared several copies, listened to multiple times… brilliant!)
“The church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints.”
“It is no more narrow to claim that one religion is right — than to claim that one way to think about all religions (namely that all are equal) is right. We are all exclusive in our beliefs about religion — but in different ways.”
For Life: CS Lewis Essential Audio Library
(The complete works of C.S. Lewis lives on my desk — this is a volume to do life with. A lifelong friend.)
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”
“If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud.”
For Healing: Gentle and Lowly
(I have shared so many copies of this book & my own copy is worn right down. Bound to be a classic. Five star.)
“The deeper into weakness and suffering and testing we go, the deeper Christ’s solidarity with us. As we go down into pain and anguish, we are descending ever deeper into Christ’s very heart, not away from it.”
“If you are part of Christ’s own body, your sins evoke his deepest heart, his compassion and pity. He takes ‘part with you’—that is, He’s on your side. He sides with you against your sin, not against you because of your sin. He hates sin. But he loves you. We understand this, says [Thomas] Goodwin, when we consider the hatred a father has against a terrible disease afflicting his child—the father hates the disease while loving the child. Indeed, at some level the presence of the disease draws out his to heart to his child all the more.”
For Fear: Rejoice and Tremble
(This author is a favourite who has profoundly shaped me formationally)
“For the filial fear of God is the soul of godliness and the essence of the new life implanted by the Spirit.
It is the ultimate affection and the very aroma of heaven.
It is the affection that expels our sinful fears and our anxieties.
It is the affection that expels spiritual lethargy.
To grow in this sweet and quaking wonder at God is to taste heaven now.“
For Understanding the Gospel: The Day the Revolution Began
(This book was a read for my Master’s at Wheaton and it was provocative and paradigm shifting in profound ways. Unforgettable.)
“Jesus died for our sins not so that we could sort out abstract ideas, but so that we, having been put right, could become part of God’s plan to put his whole world right. That is how the revolution works.”
For Interior Work: The Way of the Heart
(My copy of this is so worn — a true companion on the Way.)
“Only in the context of the great encounter with Jesus can a real authentic struggle take place.
The encounter with Christ does not take place before, after, or beyond the struggle with our false self and its demons.
No, it is precisely in the midst of this struggle that our Lord comes to us and says, as he said to the old man in the story: ‘As soon as you turned to me again, you see I was beside you.’”
For Joy: The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life
(Reading this was transformative for me — and now witnessing the change in our daughter as she’s reading it, carrying it everywhere? A must listen!)
“It is a law of the spiritual life that every act of trust makes the next act less difficult. Trusting becomes like breathing, the natural unconciousness of the redeemed soul.”
“You have trusted Him as your dying Savior; now trust Him as your living Savior. Just as much as He came to deliver you from future punishment did He also come to deliver you from present bondage. Just as truly as He came to bear your stripes for you has He come to live your life for you.”
For Brilliance: Orthodoxy
(A must read that I keep returning to year after year.)
“Love is not blind; that is the last thing that it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind.”
“Joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan, is the gigantic secret of the Christian.”
“Man is more himself, man is more manlike, when joy is the fundamental thing in him, and grief the superficial. Melancholy should be an innocent interlude, a tender and fugitive frame of mind; praise should be the permanent pulsation of the soul.”
Of all kinds of lives? Pick the life of a reader who reads lovely lines out loud and writes them down to get them into neurons and marrow, who works and walks while listening to words because you know your soul was made by the Word for words.
Listen to Free Audio Books this summer & MAKE THIS THE SUMMER OF FREE READING RETREATS!Just a few minutes a day of your own retreat, listening to a book, and choose the life of reader! Audible is offering a 3 month free trial (ENDS MIDNIGHT JULY 31st), for both new customers or past customers, which means you can get any of these books, (or all of my books absolutely for free), or listen to millions of other books that are available to you with this free offer!
Click here to get the free trial & free audio books
You will be able to download one free book a month, for three months — perfect for your own reading retreats this summer!
(And if you decide Audible isn’t for you? You can easily cancel with the click of just one button, but the books are yours for free, forever!)
CLICK HERE to get the FREE TRIAL & FREE AUDIO BOOKS: ENDS MIDNIGHT JULY 31stWant 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.
The one where I’m kneeling over the roses in the picket fence garden, right off the front porch, examining the underside of every leaf for sawfly slugs gnawing up the possibility of any more unfurling blooms, or the moment every morning where I soak nine alfalfa cubes in a pot of warm water, to carry out on a thrifted platter to my pregnant ewe, Jewel, as her own summer dish of fresh greens, and seeing how she comes bounding toward me the moment I open that gate, and then, the quiet moments, just as I clean and sort and organize the slightly sagging shelves under the basement windows, heavy with children’s books and all kinds of memories, and all these old scrawled notebooks of the once-kids tilted, penciled handwriting, and it’s parts of me that’s being sorted and storied into this letter serenading the sacred of ordinary now.
“What your life really wants is you not to need a vacation from it, but to simply want your everyday life enough to fall in love with it — and the One who gives it. “
What your life really wants is you not to need a vacation from it, but to simply want your everyday life enough to fall in love with it — and the One who gives it.
What if… you didn’t have to vacate your life for some vacation, to turn and come face to face with joy and fall headlong in love with your vocation, with your calling, with your sink stacked with dishes, and the fridge that needs all the creamers to get their act together and line up in a neat row, and the side porch door that’s relentlessly smudged with little handprints, and a few smeared pawprints, and all the fingerprints of God’s grace marking the moment right here.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is all just about “romanticizing” your life – this about surrendering to Love Himself who made you to live your life in His life…. in His love. This is about letting your soul be romanced. This is about savoring the moments and tasting God, good God.
Maybe you’d finally stop feeling behind and out of breath by the end of the day if you simply, quietly, begin each day by breathing deeply —- Breathing in all the holy Love…. Breathing out all the heavy stuff…. Breathing in all the holy Love… Breathing out all the heavy stuff — breathe.
This is what This Moment whispers: Faith is a matter of focus. All of life turns on the turn; turn and focus on the face of Love Himself. Watch everything in your life come into focus.
Notice the way the clouds brush shy against the sky when you’re sitting for a moment at the stop sign, and pay attention to the feel of the park’s summer grass under your bare feet and how your back feels when it sinks into the earth when you lay your book down and close your eyes, the warmth of the afternoon sunshine feeling like an exhale to drowse, and see, really see, the flash of the brazen chipmunk’s tail dashing round the corner of the strawberry patch while you’re just waking waking at the kitchen window, sipping the morning’s first cup, and look at August coming to meet you, and meet you again, right where you are.
Whatever folks say? It doesn’t matter so much what your lifespan is – what matters most is your GraceSpan.
“What if braving life is already kinda low-key terrifying, and it’s looking for every day amazing graces and gifts and gratitudes that is the very comfort of God that actually gives us the gift of courage to do the hard things from a place of already being fully loved? “
It’s not a long life span that gifts you with a great life: A great life is a function of your GraceSpan and how grateful you are for all kinds of grace, for all kinds of gifts.
(Yes, I know they say – and I’m not saying anyone’s actually wrong – that comfort can be the god of this age, and that you have to push out into the terrifying things out of our comfort zones? But it’s true too: What if braving life is already kinda low-key terrifying, and it’s looking for every day amazing graces and gifts and gratitudes that is the very comfort of God that actually gives us the gift of courage to do the hard things from a place of already being fully loved?
When you’re grateful for grace upon grace, gift upon gift, your GraceSpan is long enough to hold great joy – the abundant life.
This is the point of everything: You lengthen your GraceSpan by looking long for the goodness of God.
Lengthen your GraceSpan:Begin the day with The Book and feel the moments shift and unfold into a better story. Why begin the day reading The News when you could begin reading Good News, reading its lines of poetry and prophecy and personal possibility?
Life is savoring grace. Eat His Words; taste God.
Jesus is the meal, and what is sustenance to a soul is a Savior, and you’re made by the Word so it makes sense that you’re made for the Word, that you crave Words — it’s just that you find the Word you’re hungry for are from a Savior, not a screen.
Lengthen your GraceSpan:There’s some vase, or even an old recycled glass Tabasco bottle, that’s begging you to notice one unexpected wild flower somewhere today and bring it home so the two can be married in the summer twilight. Really, go ahead, leave a tray or a vase empty and waiting on the counter for you to fill it with some found beauty you’ve noticed and picked up during the day, along the way, and fill all the empty spaces with gathered beauty and let the beauty multiply and expand your joy.
Put your phone in a box, any old box you can find. Then take a book off a shelf, any old book that could find you. Read, and find your soul read. Write something. Right something.
Lengthen your GraceSpan:“It’s your GraceSpan that actually lengthens your very lifespan – so the length of all of your days actually gets to savor a life of all kinds of abundant grace! “
“Unless you become like little children… “ (Matt 18:3). The goal isn’t to become like an adult. The goal is to become childlike. (Note: The goal is to be childlike, not to be childish. Not be selfish, try to get more for your life, but to relish and be in more awe of your life; not to be arguing and infighting, but to be ardently in love with the God of all grace, the God of all light.) The goal is to be childlike: To be delighted and belly-laugh a hundred times a day like a little kid all over again, to be awestruck, wowed, wide-eyed over amazing grace and all the wonders in this thing called life. Plane! Dog! Waves! Ice-cream! Grace upon grace!
The goal isn’t to grow sophisticated, grow jaded, grow cynical, grow rich, or grow old— “but grow in grace” (2 Peter 3:18).
The goal of your Life is to grow your GraceSpan…
And: Your GraceSpan isn’t a function of your circumstances, your finances, or your healthspan – but it’s all about opening the whole span of your heart… to be receptive to common grace, to fill with daily, divine grace. Dawn! Dew on grass! Freshly ground coffee beans! Sun-dried sheets! Laughter in the check-out lane! The scent of rain! God in this moment! Here! Now!
Turns out?
It’s your GraceSpan that actually lengthens your very lifespan – so the length of all of your days actually gets to savor a life of all kinds of abundant grace!
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.
I am not really sure if it’s a relief or not, and you can shirk it off, or dismiss it if you want, and I totally get it, but none of how anyone feels about it changes the facts of it:
Not one moment is ever a small thing – but every moment is everything; this moment is the only place where your life fully lives.
Now is the only place where joy fully breathes.
You don’t have your whole life to live your life. Your life is always only lived in this present moment.
This is the Life Plan to change your life span and your GraceSpan — try gently picking up a pen and looking for gifts of grace, even here, to count, all from a good and relentlessly loving God who draws near with grace upon grace in our heartache.
With spacious lines to name three gifts each day, and uniquely formatted to daily see how God has shown up with gifts on this day of the month, on all the previous months, Gifts & Gratitudes gently helps grow trust in a God who doesn’t always explain our suffering but who always enters into it with us. Taking pen to paper each day will help trace God’s goodness and keep a record of gratitude. And because of Jesus… there is always, always, always something — Someone — to be thankful for.
If you’re seeking deeper peace, in a world of tender pain…. if you’re looking for hope in the midst of all kinds of hurt… beginning this daily practice of looking for Gifts & Gratitudes helps you see the way forward.
ON SALE FOR LESS THAN $10 HERE
Be one of the more than 2 million people who have stepped into the life-change of this experience.…
What does the Christ-life really look like when your days are gritty, long — and sometimes even dark? How is God even here? My story of just that: One Thousand Gifts.
Are you ready to begin—or begin again—a life-changing habit of daily gratitude? Want to reset, refresh, reboot your life and literally rewire your brain?
It’s only in the expression of gratitude for the life we already have, we discover the life we’ve always wanted . . . a life we can take, give thanks for, and break for others. We come to feel and know the impossible right down in our bones: we are wildly loved – by God.
Let’s finish the year strong in joy as we count all the ways He loves us! Life is too short to do anything but truly savor it — to count all the ways you truly loved.
ON SALE FOR 40% OFF RIGHT HERE
July 28, 2025
Um, Okaaayyy (!!) –How To Get My Books For Free!
When the heat of July finally gives way to a good summer rain falling across our fields of wheat and sheep?
It feels like a real invitation to curl up on the front porch swing with a blanket, a cup of tea, and a soul good book.
We are all pilgrims on a journey, but only some come to actually know the Way.
Which is the absolute perfect opportunity for you to join me:
Audible is offering a 3 month free trial, for new customers or past customers, and I’m crazy delighted because this means you can get any or all of my books absolutely for free — including my lastest memoir, WayMaker (!!), which I recorded for you, to read to you on a walk, in the garden, the kitchen, the car, as you go about the work and beauty of your life, making your way from point A to point B — because “the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few,” as Jesus said.
We are all pilgrims on a journey, but only some come to actually know the Way.
(Here’s what some people have said about coming to know the Way, as they listened to the the audio version of WayMaker:
Why Listen to WayMaker
Honestly? WayMaker is my most vulnerable, personal book yet and reading it aloud for you was a tender, intimate, deeply moving — and transformative experience —- and I pray it will also will be for you.
Where my voice finds the very contours of your heart and you feel seen and heard and known — and know the Way’s very real heart for you.
Of course, my books are but a few of the the millions of books that are available to you with this free, limited time offer.
(Click here to get the free trial! OFFER ENDS IN JUST 3 MORE DAYS, JULY 31st!)
So it goes like this: You will be able to download one book a month, for free (!!), for three months — perfect to reorient and renew this summer!
(And if you decide Audible isn’t for you? You can easily cancel with the click of just one button, but the books are yours for free, forever!)
Actually, our family listens to literally HUNDREDS of Audible books on the farm every year as we work out in those fields of wheat and sheep, as we bake and clean and garden, and we truly hope listening to (free!) audio books is as much a life-giving, life-transforming rain of blessing over you, as it daily is to us.
All of us are always on a journey of wandering, always seeking a way to find One who is seeking out us.
It was one of the ancient church fathers, Thomas Aquinas, who said every human is ultimately “Homo Viator” – a human wayfarer, a journeyman on pilgrimage, always on their way to someplace, something, someone.
All of us are always on a journey of seeking, of wandering, of wondering, always seeking a way to find One who is seeking out us.
And wherever you are right now? Whatever is on your horizon?
The Way is always waiting for you — to make a way for you, to be your Way through.
Click here to get the FREE trial, & the audio of WayMaker for FREE: Offer valid just 3 more days, so jump on in!July 26, 2025
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {07.26.2025}
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:
It’s been wheat harvest here on the farm this week, my very favorite week of the year… a week to soak in the beauty of the harvest and to pray about being part of God’s harvest!
Heart Vitamins for you this week:“Six Foundations for Spiritual Battle”So soul-encouraging “God Has Placed You Right Where You Need to Be”TUNE IN: WATCH HEREThe Enduring Legacy of Amy Carmichael
You have to read this!“She could not get over how much He loved her”
THIS, THIS: Listen hereSOUL LEARNING 101 this week:“Bible Study in the Local Church Matters”LIFECHANGING LISTEN “Why Pace Matters More Than Perfection”YESSSSS! The best!A Friendly Reminder: There are good things happening
You need to read this!“I’m not in denial… He’s still in control”
WOW! So moving! Make a Joyful Noise: Worship for you this week:This is magical!
Don’t miss this! This is beautiful!
Watching over and over!So good!
Such a good song! Incredible!
On repeat! Some Summer Recipes for your Weekend!Charcuterie for breakfast!
A MUST TRY! This looks delicious!
Do you want to try too? Creative Bits for you this week: This would be so pretty as a card!
So beautiful! This is beautiful! Wanna try?
Watch here:Encouragement for the Mothers this week:“Pressing On and Cultivating Faithfulness”WOW! “Prayer, Power, and the Promises of Christ”YES! THIS!! You will melt!
You don’t want to miss this: Let the Spirit Set Your Pace
Click here to read:Ready to smile this weekend?!!The cutest
This is the BEST! This is amazing!
So so sweet! Is this just me? HA!
You don’t want to miss: His smile!!
Can’t stop watching!Thoughts to Really Ponder this week“Are You Hiding From God?” with Sadie Don’t miss this“Don’t Grow Weary in Doing Good”Doesn’t this resonate: LISTENThat’s not how community works
I found this so movingGod is speaking!
Really, so thinking about thisWhat we’re Listening to on the Farm this week“Always On Time”with Bella Cordero
“I Know A Name”on the book stack at the farm
Can’t get enough of this particular Bible! Nearly all the thousands of notes take readers on a three-step journey to read, study, and apply Scripture to life. With Bible knowledge and application in one place, the Life Application Study Bible helps you go beyond just knowing about the Bible to understanding how to live it out. No other study Bible provides the same combination of context, history, and extensive application. You’ll not only understand the meaning of Scripture but also be transformed, living its truth in your life every day.
If you’re seeking deeper peace, in a world of tender pain…. if you’re looking for hope in the midst of all kinds of hurt… beginning this daily practice of looking for Gifts & Gratitudeshelps you see the way forward.
When you don’t know what or who to count on tomorrow… if you start counting Gifts & Gratitudes — your eyes… and heart… begin to open to Who you can always count on…. especially on the hardest days.
Come & be “Loved to Life“
ON SALE 30% off right now at Christian Book and AmazonPick 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! OUR GRATITUDE JOURNAL is nearly 60% off!!! $10 for the Best Little Gratitude Journal & Experiencing the joy of 1000 Gifts! Stock up for Great Gifts!
(AND!!!) Sacred Prayer is 44% off!!!
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! What! We need to run for this sale! Now just 50 cents for The Broken Way study guide?!Take advantage of this incredible deal (we’ve NEVER seen anything like this!) and make The Broken Way your next group study!
Run to see this sale! (and all the others at ChristianBook!)
Download yours free when you subscribe to emailsLet’s end with this today: Chris Tomlin // Full Worship SetAnd 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.
July 25, 2025
How The Path to Freedom is Hidden In Plain Sight
A collector of stories, Evie Polsley loves to learn from those around her. She has seen how God can use our unique stories of trials and triumphs to help draw people closer to him. As a daily part of the Tyndale Bible Team, she loves helping people discover how the Bible plays an integral role in each of our stories. She is passionate about helping others better engage with the Bible so she can have a front row seat to seeing how the Holy Spirit uses them to transform the world! It’s a joy to welcome Evie to the farm’s table today…
Guest Post by Evie Polsley
Around the end of World War II, an entire block of Toyko was a red-light district.
The signs posted all around the block were written in formal Japanese so the lowest members of society could not read them. Poor farmers, laborers, and their families only learned common Japanese. Only members of the upper class or those who were part of higher society learned formal Japanese.
Some families that did not have the means to survive resorted to selling their daughters to brothels to try to save their land or put food on their table.
The women who entered these areas believed they were slaves because they could not read and understand the signs posted all around them.
A young Salvation Army officer, Gunpei Yamamuro, was moved with compassion by the Holy Spirit and began fighting for the rights of these women. He created a special edition of a magazine, called The War Cry, in which he translated the signs and laws into common Japanese so the women could read and understand them. It also offered ways for the women to find help and hope.
As the magazines were distributed, the women learned the gates that they thought trapped them had always been open—they had always been free.
The signs they were unable able to read said they didn’t have to stay there – it was their choice to go at any time.
They were not slaves but free to leave what they thought was their captivity. There was nothing holding the women in those rooms, to that life, and they rushed from the district, embracing a freedom that had been hidden from them.
I can’t stop thinking about that story.
I heard it on a recent family trip to Japan and even walked the block where they had once lived. As I continue to reflect on their story, I am awakened to the reality that their story goes beyond that city block. It is a story that echoes through human history and resonates in so many lives today.
“Who in our lives needs to know that freedom is already available?“
The horrors of human trafficking continue today, and we are called to be voices and advocates for men, women, and children who often can’t even comprehend what it means to be free.
But the deception of not being free isn’t just “out there”; it’s a constant battle inside each of us.
It traps our hearts when we feel we don’t deserve love and grace.
It entangles our minds when we let the world define our worth.
It strips us of peace when we let bitterness overwhelm our souls. What freedoms has this world hidden from us? What exit routes have been diverted because sin has seemed too great? Who in our lives needs to know that freedom is already available?
In Ephesians Paul tell us:
“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins” (Ephesians 1:4-7, NLT)
“Even before he made the world . . .” Did you get that? Even before he spoke the world into existence, he created a path to freedom for those he loves (that’s us!). Long before we were born, God had a plan for us. And through Jesus’ death on the cross, the price for that plan was paid in full.
“To speak of Jesus’ blood is an important way of speaking about his death. His death provided two wonderful benefits to us—redemption and forgiveness. Redemption pictures the price paid to gain freedom for a slave (Leviticus 25:47-54).
Through his death, Jesus paid the price to release us from slavery to sin and its devastating consequences. Forgiveness was granted in Old Testament times on the basis of the shedding of animals’ blood (Leviticus 17:11). Now we are forgiven on the basis of the shedding of Jesus’ blood—he died as the perfect and final sacrifice (see Romans 5:9; Ephesians 2:13; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter1:19). We have been freed from every restraint so that we can live fully and become all he intended us to be” (Note on Ephesians 1:7 from the Life Application Study Bible).
Are we living in that freedom?
Has the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice been translated so we can fully understand what his death means for the entire human race?
And if the answer for us individually is yes, who else do we need to tell that they are free?
The signs that we are free are all around us, but sometimes we don’t understand or don’t believe it can be true. May we live out the truth of Scripture in our daily lives.
Let us be the translation of God’s grace to those who feel as though there is no way out. Let’s open the gates and lead others to true freedom in Christ.
“So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:36, NLT).
WHAT A BIBLE! The Life Application Study Bible has over 10,000 in-depth notes and resources that take the Bible off the page and into your life. You’ll take a deep dive into historical information, cultural context, and tenets of the Christian faith, but the extensive scholarship in this Bible doesn’t stop there. Taking it a step further, it helps you apply what you are learning to your life today.
Can’t get enough of this particular Bible! Nearly all the thousands of notes take readers on a three-step journey to read, study, and apply Scripture to life. With Bible knowledge and application in one place, the Life Application Study Bible helps you go beyond just knowing about the Bible to understanding how to live it out. No other study Bible provides the same combination of context, history, and extensive application. You’ll not only understand the meaning of Scripture but also be transformed, living its truth in your life every day.
{Our humble thanks to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotional.}
July 19, 2025
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend {07.19.2025}
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 Daniel J. Schwarz
Photo by Jessica Anderson
Photo by Dan Romero
Josh Hild on Unsplash " target="_blank" rel=" noreferrer noopener">
Photo by Josh Hild
May your weekend have little adventures that feel like a hidden cabin in the woods where your soul can exhale for even just a moment or two!
Heart Vitamins for you this week:“What Do You Treasure?”So soul-encouraging “A Call To Community”TUNE IN: WATCH HEREA reminder about Worship
You have to read this!God meets us
THIS, THIS: Listen hereSOUL LEARNING 101 this week:“Created for More: Living Your God-Given Purpose”LIFECHANGING LISTEN “A Podcast for the Anxious Heart” with sadie YESSSSS! The best!Why the Gospel is offensive
You need to listen to this!“Jesus Loves you”
WOW! So moving! Make a Joyful Noise: Worship for you this week:Jesus Christ be Lifted up!
Don’t miss this! So Precious!
Watching over and over!post of the week from around these parts:“How to Pray to God in Tragedy & Where is God in Suffering?”
The One who cries with us in our grief, is the One who can ultimately hear us in our grief. It’s only truly prayer when you give to God all the things that all the pain gave you: all the questions, all the doubts, all the heartbreak, all the despair, all the grief, all of you, given to Almighty Love. Prayer is more than getting anything – but honestly giving it all to Him.
And maybe that is it: the beginning of a way forward – isn’t looking for some cold road of logic, but looking to the sure closeness of His presence. The answer to suffering isn’t found in some mental analysis, but in His very personal presence.
Don’t leave the internet before you read this: Some Summer Recipes for your Weekend!This looks so so good!
A MUST TRY! So so fun for the summer!
Do you want to try too? Brown Sugar Espresso!
Lets make it together:Mouth watering!!
Watch here:Creative Bits for you this week: I need to try this!
So beautiful! On the summer bucket list!
Watch here:Absolutely Beautiful!
AMAZING! I think this counts as art!
I love this!! Encouragement for the Mothers this week:“Triumph: The Freedom We Find”WOW! “Learning to Surrender” YES! THIS!! Mama? You’re seen
You don’t want to miss this: Hearing his momma!
Click here to watch:Ready to smile this weekend?!!Soo Cute!
This is the BEST! Hilarious!
Su funny! !HA! so funny!
You don’t want to miss: Beautiful!
Can’t stop watching!So heart warming!
Watch here:the kind of friends we need
CRAZYYY!!!!Thoughts to Really Ponder this week“Doing Good… Because It Doesn’t Depend On Us” Don’t miss this“Social Media: Wisdom and Warnings “Doesn’t this resonate: LISTEN“Why You Should Read Joshua’s ‘Boring’ Chapters”
I found this so movingHow do we know the God we serve is real?
Really, so thinking about thisWhat we’re Listening to on the Farm this week“Is He Worthy”ft. Austin Benjamin | Gateway Worship
Jess Ray: “Praise to the Lord the Almighty”on the book stack at the farm
I Choose Joy isn’t dry theory—it’s a practical, example-filled, Scripture-rich guide to choosing joy when life hurts.
If you need practical tools for thriving no matter your circumstances, I Choose Joy is for you.
The DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible was created in partnership with DaySpring to help you remember your true identity.
It’s a reminder that you belong to God, that he loves you deeply, and that he has incredible plans for your life.
In the new Body and Soul Bible study, you’ll discover what Scripture teaches about your body. Uncover the truth, stop the cycle of information exhaustion, and explore how every curve, scar, wrinkle, and physical limitation of your body exists to glorify God. It’s time to develop a whole body theology – growing in a deeper understanding of your true identity and function as a whole person created in the image of God!
In her new book, Names of God: Knowing Peace, Grace shares honestly about her faith journey and how she has discovered peace in life’s hard places. She shows how understanding God’s character as manifest through His biblical names shifts our focus from our problems to the Prince of Peace and gives us a new perspective.
Each of the seven sessions includes biblical and real-life examples that illustrate the power of God’s names; a guided prayer; reflection questions; and video access to bonus teaching.
Come & be “Loved to Life“
And it’s ON SALE right now at Christian Book for 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 LIFESTOCK UP FOR GIFTSOUR GRATITUDE JOURNAL is 57% off!!! Run & grab a few for you & friends!
(AND!!!) Sacred Prayer is 44% off!!! \
You don’t want to miss out on these sales! What! We need to run for this sale! Now just 25 cents for The Broken Way study guide?!Take advantage of this incredible deal (we’ve NEVER seen anything like this!) and make The Broken Way your next group study!
Run to see this sale! (and all the others at ChristianBook!)
Download yours free when you subscribe to emailsLet’s end with this today: “Who Else”And maybe have a beautiful picnic 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.
July 18, 2025
How to Choose Joy When Life is Crashing in on You
C.S. Lewis said, “Joy is the serious business of Heaven.” Too often, however, joy is missing from our lives. When we look to Scripture, we see examples of early Christians thriving even amid hardship and persecution. How do we recapture that deep and stubborn joy? In this excerpt from I Choose Joy, pastor and author Chip Ingram takes us to God’s Word, helping us shift away from the temporal to fix our eyes on our eternal hope. It’s a joy to welcome Chip to the farm’s table today…
Guest Post by Chip Ingram
When we got the news that my wife, Theresa, had cancer, we cried together on the couch.
“Some things in life matter very much and some don’t matter much at all, and when you face life-threatening situations, the difference becomes crystal clear. “
There were so many things going on in our lives at that time—contracts, appointments, engagements, and countless other demands. When I talked and prayed with the elders, we came up with a plan: I’d be there for weekend services and a few other responsibilities, but otherwise, I needed to be available for my wife.
Everything that seemed so important the previous week suddenly seemed almost irrelevant.
Things like remodeling the kitchen, my left knee hurting, staff hires to be made, how our retirement account was doing . . . all became trivial. It’s amazing how we can fill our hearts and minds with things that matter to us when all is well—whether our weekend plans will work out, getting the latest phone upgrade—only to discover how little those things matter when life is on the line.
The wisest man in the world was right when he wrote that there is more wisdom in “the house of mourning” than in “the house of pleasure” (Eccl. 7:4).
Some things in life matter very much and some don’t matter much at all, and when you face life-threatening situations, the difference becomes crystal clear.
So, how do you choose joy when life is crashing in on you?
How do you stay grounded in your purpose when it looks like your purpose on earth might come to an end?
How do you live in confidence when you wonder whether you or a loved one will live or die?
I’d suggest that the answer is very simple. That’s not to say it’s easy. It isn’t. But it’s simple and profound: have an eternal perspective.
And that perspective is rooted in one word: hope.
Hope is the oxygen of the soul. You can go without food for several days and water for about three, but if you go without hope for very long, you die.
“…if we anchor our soul in eternity and cling to God’s promises, we receive the grace and perseverance to keep going.”
This life is not all there is. If we think it is, we eventually lose hope, but if we anchor our soul in eternity and cling to God’s promises, we receive the grace and perseverance to keep going.
So, how do you develop the eternal perspective that gives you the kind of hope that allows you to go through anything without giving up, getting inwardly focused, becoming a victim, or blaming God or others? When life is crashing in and you don’t know how things are going to turn out, how can you become the kind of person who makes people wonder: What do they have that I don’t have?
In other words, when life seems hopeless, how do you live with hope?
We use the word hope to mean a lot of things. We hope the weather will be nice this weekend, hope our team wins the big game, hope we get that good job, and hope our kids grow up to be strong believers who make wise choices. But the outcome is not guaranteed in any of those scenarios, is it?
When we use hope in that sense, we’re really talking about desires and wishes. We don’t know if things are going to work out, but we “hope” they do. There’s nothing wrong with wishful thinking and “hoping” our desires come to pass, but we need to understand that when the Bible talks about hope, it isn’t referring to things that may or may not work out. Biblical hope is a certainty, a guarantee of something yet unseen.
“Biblical hope is about looking forward not to possibilities, but to certainties.“
When we hope for Christ’s return, eternal life in heaven, and the fulfillment of God’s promises, we aren’t speculating or expressing personal desires. These things are definite and certain. They are on God’s eternal timeline; they just haven’t happened yet. They are coming, but for now we can only anticipate them.
Biblical hope is about looking forward not to possibilities, but to certainties. We can anchor our souls in that kind of hope. Hope based in God’s plans and purposes cannot be shaken. Our perspective on that hope might shift back and forth—that’s why we need to be intentional about choosing our perspectives—but the foundation of our hope never moves.
It is based on God’s character and faithfulness.
Paul wrote that if there is no resurrection, if we’ve hoped for Christ in this life only, we should be pitied above everyone else (1Cor. 15:19). But because the resurrection is a certain hope, there’s no reason for us to cling to everything in this life as though it’s all we have.
That doesn’t mean we should live with an escapist, pie-in-the-sky mentality.
Suffering is real, and sometimes life is incredibly painful. There’s no getting around that. But we are called to set our minds on things above, not on things on earth (Col. 3:2), and live with a clear view of eternity, even in the midst of our darkest, most excruciating experiences.
Like Paul, we need to understand that to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:21)
—and, with eager expectation, fix our eyes on the promised hope.
Chip Ingram is the teaching pastor and CEO of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for more than thirty years, Chip is the author of many books, including Holy Ambition and The Invisible War. Chip and his wife, Theresa, have four grown children and twelve grandchildren and live in California.
I Choose Joy isn’t dry theory—it’s a practical, example-filled, Scripture-rich guide to choosing joy when life hurts.
If you need practical tools for thriving no matter your circumstances, I Choose Joy is for you.
{Our humble thanks to Moody Publishers for their partnership in today’s devotional.}
July 14, 2025
The Blessing of Knowing Our True, God-Given Identity
As a new mom, Jordan Sears’s heart’s desire is to raise her daughter to be strong, compassionate, and full of faith—knowing her worth and how loved she truly is, no matter what. Being loved and known by God is a beautiful start, but understanding that her identity extends beyond that is important too. May every believer of all ages, young and old, know God deeply and embrace her true identity in Christ. It’s a joy to welcome Jordan Sears to the farm’s table today…
Guest Post by Jordan Sears
My daughter made her arrival into the world unexpectedly—nine weeks early in an emergency C-section.
It happened so quickly that my husband barely got off the phone with my parents to tell them the baby was coming before he was calling them back to let them know she was here.
Then came 36 days in the NICU, where conversations with doctors, crying babies, and the beeps and alarms of the monitors were our background noise.
And then, finally, we were home.
In the first quiet, precious moments at home, I rocked my newborn daughter and watched her tiny chest rise and fall in rhythm with her gentle breaths, overwhelmed with awe and gratitude. Here was a life entrusted to my care, a responsibility that was both terrifying and beautiful. We’d thought we would have more time to prepare the nursery, pack our hospital bags, and figure out how this whole parenting thing really worked.
“This divine love isn’t dependent on her actions, her looks, or her achievements. It’s an unchanging, everlasting love that comes from being a child of God.“
As a new mom, my heart’s desire is to raise my daughter to be strong, compassionate, and full of faith. I want her to love others and be kind. I want her to know her worth and how loved she truly is, no matter what.
But in a world that will try to define her by her looks, achievements, or mistakes, I find myself constantly asking, How do we teach her about her true identity in Christ?
How do we help her understand the profound truths that she is loved, she is known, and she is valued not because of who the world says she is but because of who God says she is?
How do we teach a child to understand these truths that we as adults so often forget ourselves?
God’s Word is filled with declarations of his love and affection for us. The Bible says, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him” (1 John 3:1, NLT). In these moments of doubt, I am reminded that God’s Word holds the answer. As her mother, it’s my responsibility and privilege to share this truth with my precious daughter as much as I need these reminders myself.
From the moment I first held her, I whispered to her the truth that she is loved—not only loved by her family and friends but also loved unconditionally and beyond comprehension by God.
The Bible reaffirms this: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NLT). This divine love isn’t dependent on her actions, her looks, or her achievements. It’s an unchanging, everlasting love that comes from being a child of God.
I want her to know that she is known by God. The psalmist says, “He counts the stars and calls them all by name” (Psalm 147:4, NLT). God knows her completely—the depth of her heart, the dreams and fears she will hold, and even the number of hairs on her head. He formed her, knows her, and cherishes her.
“…Chosen not as the world chooses—based on outward appearance or abilities—but chosen for her heart, for her spirit, and for her ability to reflect God’s love.“
Being loved and known by God is a beautiful start, but I also want my daughter to understand that her identity extends beyond that. She is also chosen by God: “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4, NLT).
Chosen not as the world chooses—based on outward appearance or abilities—but chosen for her heart, for her spirit, and for her ability to reflect God’s love.
As I ponder these truths, I realize the enormity of my role as a mother. It’s not just about teaching her to walk, talk, or even navigate the complexities of life. It’s about instilling in her a deep understanding of her identity in Christ. It’s about guiding her to discover that she is loved, she is known, and she is chosen not by the fleeting standards of this world but by the eternal, unconditional love of God.
This journey won’t be easy. There will be days when the world’s voice will seem louder, more convincing. All I can do is plant these seeds of truth in her heart, trusting that God will nurture them, helping her grow into the person he created her to be.
My prayer is that God will guide me in teaching my daughter these truths and helping her embrace her true identity in Christ—and reminding myself of these truths also.
You are loved.
You are not alone.
You are known.
You are important.
You are forgiven.
You are special.
You have a purpose.
You are held.
You are equipped and able.
You are blessed.
You are guided.
You have a reason for hope.
At some point in life, we all face moments when we feel lost, unsure of how to connect with God. The world’s voices can drown out the truth of who we are in Christ, and it’s easy to forget God’s promises.
With this life-giving truth in your heart, you will find the courage to face any challenge that comes your way.
Jordan Sears has been a content marketing manager with DaySpring Cards and enjoys writing and spending quality time with her family.
The DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible was created in partnership with DaySpring to help you remember your true identity.
It’s a reminder that you belong to God, that he loves you deeply, and that he has incredible plans for your life.
This Bible highlights 12 indisputable truths about who you are in Christ—truths that stand firm, regardless of how you feel or what you may believe. You’ll also enjoy wide margins for journaling, 52 DaySpring devotionals to help you recognize your true identity in Christ, and over 250 inspirational reflective readings to deepen your faith. Explore the incredible calling God has lovingly planned for you with the DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible.
If your heart’s desire is to raise your daughter/s to know God deeply and embrace her true identity in Christ, the My Beautiful Princess Bible has 500 highlighted verses to call attention to key Bible truths for girls to hide in their hearts. This adorable Bible also has special features up front and on the full-color inserts to help girls build the foundation for a lifelong faith and see their value in God’s eyes. It’s also available in Spanish.
{Our humble thank to Tyndale for their partnership in today’s devotional.}
July 11, 2025
For the Woman struggling with her body: How Jesus’s Sacrifice Changes How We View Ourselves
I absolutely love this women and try to read everything she writes! My friendship with Lisa Whittle has grown strong and tender through the years, anchored by our passion for Jesus and seeking first the Kingdom of God. From diets to workouts to anti-aging serums, we’re constantly told to do more, be more, change more. But what if your body was already declaring the goodness of your Creator? In this excerpt from her new Bible study, Body and Soul, author and Bible teacher Lisa Whittle offers us hope and encouragement to embrace God’s design and live well—inside and out. It’s an absolute joy to welcome Lisa to the farm’s table today…
Guest Blog Post by Lisa Whittle
When I was a twenty-two-year-old seminary student, living off a “girl dinner” of Skittles® and Diet Coke®, over-exercising, and gravely depriving my body of its vital nourishment, I didn’t think about my body’s created purpose;
I only thought of what I desperately wanted my body to look like.
I admit, this was a very small and surface-level goal of a much more beautiful and grand design.
I just didn’t get it.
A lot of us walk around with this narrow view of ourselves.
It’s no wonder then that when we notice in the mirror we’ve not yet achieved our body goals, we live with a failure (and subsequently, guilt, shame, and self-loathing) mindset. When in reality, we are simply not understanding that the goal isn’t to look better; it is to live our whole embodied purpose from the inside out.
While a lot of us may innately know this, the problem is moving from the knowing to the living it out.
It starts with being honest and no longer running away from the truth, even when it’s hard.
What I’m talking about is not neglecting our bodies or living self-focused. I’m talking about making a shift to whole body theology (a biblical belief system of God’s creation of us as an entire person, body and soul). With whole body theology, our views and activities in our bodies fall much more into balance.
“Centering Jesus in your life is the only way to yourself stay emotionally and physically centered, body and soul. “
Yes, keeping our mindsets right will still require commitment and human effort. But it will also happen much more naturally as we set up the right mindset to begin with.
Centering Jesus in your life is the only way to yourself stay emotionally and physically centered, body and soul.
And because I’m a fantastic natural skeptic, I know what your “but” here likely is. But Lisa, Jesus isn’t an actual health/anti-aging plan/strategy.
You’re right. Jesus isn’t those things. Because this is whole body theology. This isn’t about resigning to or reconciling with your outside appearance.
Jesus didn’t come and die for you to work out a certain way.
You might be talking about night serum to your girlfriends, but He is interested in far more.
Let me give you a little example.
If you’ve ever been to a counselor, you might have had them draw you an “iceberg” drawing, where you see an iceberg above the water, a waterline, and then a lot of space in the “water” below. The counselor will write the issues you tell him or her you are having on the iceberg tip above the water, while pointing to all the water below and say, “this is what you are really dealing with,” and thus, the counseling dives into the things that need to be written below the water’s surface.
Of course, diets and body types get a lot of attention, but I’m not just talking about the way our bodies look. Many of us struggle with chronic health issues, infertility struggles, aging, disability, or perhaps our bodies being abused in the past and how that affects the way we think about ourselves. Regardless of what the difficulty is, many things lie below the surface.
It’s never really about our weight, wrinkles, gut issues, or body’s abilities, ultimately. (I know. My flesh wants to argue that, too!)
We are mad at our bodies because our souls want something they aren’t getting. The two are yoked together, and that is a huge problem because at least one of them isn’t cooperating with us.
“We are mad at our bodies because our souls want something they aren’t getting.“
What you believe and feel about your body is what ultimately needs to change (emphasis on believe).
Because when we understand God’s full picture of us and for us, we don’t have the same health habits anyway. Our wants change, and that includes the desire for our lives to be full, abundant, and God-glorifying rather than temporarily happy, cheaply thrilled, and ultimately dissatisfied.
One of the things I love about the Lord is how He is patient with us if we are not there yet.
Because I doubt many of us, while focused on changing what we see in the mirror, have considered Christ’s death on the cross. I admit that I, myself, have not previously had those simultaneous thoughts.
When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He proclaimed that He accomplished what the Father sent Him to do. Meaning, the payment for our sins was made. He did that for you and for me.
So, for all believers, there are two life-altering realities:
“It is finished.” The ultimate conclusion to the exchange of His death for our eternal lives—His coming to break every chain that binds us, which includes the captivity of whatever body struggles hold us. “In the process.” The ongoing chain-breaking of daily struggles in our bodies, in our temptations, setbacks, and disappointments, as we have communion with our Lord and are loved through every moment, with hope for a new day.
Sis, I hope you feel as hopeful as I do in this. Because I am quite “in the process” while rejoicing in the “it is finished” work of Christ on the cross. And I quite desperately need Him in the process, while I pray daily to keep my mind in the right place with my whole body theology.
And it helps me, too, to remember that as an embodied Savior He can relate to me in my “in process” work—that daily temptation and struggle.
The temptation of Christ (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13) reminds us of a Savior in the trenches with us. He came, already knowing the end of the story, but in His incarnation, the process of living was a reality for Him. Thus, we find communion with Him in the fellowship of suffering.
And above all, it’s crucial to remember the words “It is finished.” Because these were the words Christ said on the cross when He defeated death and broke every chain that binds us.
Therefore, even if you feel long-held issues with your body have some type of hold over you, according to the Bible, it is not true.
Have a right expectation, my friend. This isn’t going to happen overnight. Anything you want to die to you will have to process through. Only then will you get to the other side. This takes time. Some of our mindsets and habits have been forming since we were very young.
In the process.
It is finished.
He is with you.
Best-selling author and beloved Bible teacher Lisa Whittle is the author of nine books and multiple Bible studies, including her newest Bible study, Body and Soul. A pastor’s daughter with deep roots in the church, Lisa is known for her wit and bold authenticity. Host of the popular Jesus Over Everything podcast and founder of Ministry Strong, Lisa is a wife, mom, lover of laughter, good food, and the Bible, and a self-professed feisty work in progress. For more, go to lisawhittle.com.
In the new Body and Soul Bible study, you’ll discover what Scripture teaches about your body. Uncover the truth, stop the cycle of information exhaustion, and explore how every curve, scar, wrinkle, and physical limitation of your body exists to glorify God. It’s time to develop a whole body theology – growing in a deeper understanding of your true identity and function as a whole person created in the image of God! Learn more at lifeway.com/bodyandsoul.
{Our humble thanks to LIfeWay for their partnership in today’s devotional.}
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