Ann Voskamp's Blog, page 44
September 22, 2022
September 20, 2022
September 17, 2022
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend [9.17.2022]
Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Come along with us here because who doesn’t need a bit of good news?
Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:
Jacqui Wakelam- Photographer
Jacqui Wakelam- Photographer
Jacqui Wakelam- Photographer
Jacqui Wakelam- Photographer
Jacqui Wakelam- Photographerthis gifted British photographer! weaving history into present, creating a pause for beauty…
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nice News (@nicenewshq)
*oh the honor for this amazing teacher! HAPPY TEARS*
how to be full rather than busy & live the most meaningful life –
what a great read!
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Alexandra MacVean (@alexandrasillos)
– simply beautiful –
there’s no limit to what God can do! He’s a way maker! #MiraclesHappen
“Tear down the walls between us
Make way for love to heal us
Show us the way of Jesus
Where He is found
In common ground“
Hewn Cross
Carved Wooden Hands
Clinging Cross with prayer card
“Eucharisteo” silver bracelet, also available in “Hope”, “Grace”, “Cruciform”, and “Jesus”Always in love with the beautiful heirloom pieces from The Keeping Company, with resources to help the soul keep company with Jesus, where their hope is “to provide beautiful handcrafted gifts for your home
while also providing God’s hope to those who have little”.
< queue the happy tears! >
what this officiant didn’t for the little flower girl – so beautiful
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jay Shetty (@jayshetty)
oh goodness! cutest little dancer around!
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Sarah E Koch (@sarah.e.koch)
God provides ALL the strength you need – a special message for mamas
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Good News Movement (@goodnews_movement)
oh if we could all approach each other like this pup does – *no hesitation and so much love*
tenacity overcomes a whole lot of things –
what this man accomplishes is remarkable!
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nice News (@nicenewshq)
oh this dad! big, cheering smiles over here!
Post Of The Week From Around These Parts
When I’m flat on my back at the physiotherapist’s is when I think of it: The body talks.
The body translates trauma so we can hear it clearer in a deafening world. Stress speaks through skin.
And there’s only one way to work through this kind of pain, to work through any pain…
This is profoundly changing me as I walk through all kinds of pain these days:
Want to Change How Your Body is Keeping Score? Try This
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nature (@nature)
can we just soak up the last few moments of summer with this one?
he’s truly a life-saving HERO.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Good News Movement (@goodnews_movement)
*what a powerful moment of thanks, a new beginning for this amazing woman*
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Tieghan Gerard (@halfbakedharvest)
mmm! using that end-of-summer garden goodness for this delicious lunch
On the Book Stack at the Farm
Read Dan Seaborn‘s recent guest post:It Takes a Team: How to Find Other Parents to Mentor Your Parenting
Read Judy Dunagan‘s recent guest post:Turning Your Worries Into Prayer
Read Dr. Alison Cook‘s recent post:Uncover The Hidden You: The Armor of Invisibility
Read Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth‘s recent guest post: What is Steadying & Constant in Changing Times
Read Jennifer Tucker‘s recent guest post:Hard Days? Need a Lifeline? Breathe Deep & Try This
would you come along with us this weekend for a deep exhale here?
glory, glory, glory
The WayMaker makes a way to you — to profoundly grow you.
For every person who is walking a hard way and looking for a way through, WayMaker is your sign, that there is hope, there are miracles, & that everything you are trying to find a way to,
is actually coming to meet you in ways far more fulfilling than you ever imagined.
PICK UP YOUR COPY OF WAYMAKER
PICK UP YOUR COPY OF WAYMAKER“You’re not finished yet, You’re not finished yet,
We’ve only seen a glimpse of your promises
You’re not finished yet, You’re not finished yet
All the earth will sing, every heart believe
That You’re not finished yet”
…you know how you’re sticking with it & doing that hard thing?
You’ve just gotta know, you don’t stand alone, you don’t walk alone, you don’t go alone:
“But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength” 2 Timothy 4:17
And nothing can happen today that will stop Him
from sticking right there with you & giving you strength to do this thing.
There is nothing to fear today —
because there is nothing, not mess-ups, not distractions,
not less-than-hoped-fors, nothing in the universe
that can happen today to separate you from the loving hands of God.
There is nothing to fear no matter what —
because there is nothing, not sickness, not pain, not diagnosis, Not Even Death,
nothing in the universe that can ever separate you from the loving hands of God.
There is Never. Anything. to fear —
because there is nothing in the universe that can ever. separate. you.
from the loving hands of God.
So Go Live Brave! His Love Makes You Brave!
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.
September 16, 2022
Uncover The Hidden You: The Armor of Invisibility
So many of us are dealing with hidden pain, hidden traumas. We long to heal, but we don’t always know how. In my own healing journey, I’ve met several times with this wise, cruciform woman, Dr. Alison Cook and have been anticipating her new book, The Best of You: Break Free From Painful Patterns, Mend Your Past, and Discover Your True Self in God. Dr. Alison Cook writes with wisdom and compassion about how to take brave steps each day to heal past wounds and show up more authentically as the beautiful, light-bearing person God made you to be. It’s a grace to welcome Alison to our farm’s table today…
Angie flashed a big smile as she sped into my office. Setting her gigantic water bottle next to her, she perched on the couch’s edge, her body taut. “Thanks so much for meeting with me. I know how busy you are!” she said, as if she didn’t want to take any more of my time than was necessary.
She explained to me that she ran a well-respected nonprofit, hosted get-togethers for friends, and spent much of her free time helping others. But, inside, she was feeling hopeless and distressed.
“I’m depressed,” she said without showing any outward sign of it. Eyes wide, she sat up straight on the couch, ready to bolt like a young colt the minute the clock told her our time was up.
“It makes me so mad. I try everything—working out, eating healthy, praying. But no matter what I do, the truth is, I feel so empty inside. Alone. Invisible.”
Here was a woman who was doing everything “right.” She was tending to her physical health. She prayed regularly and helped other people. Yet some part of her remained deeply wounded and downcast. She couldn’t access any real sense of joy or wonder. She struggled to experience God’s love, even though she believed factually that it was real.
Angie knew how to work hard and care for others. She knew how to pray and seek God’s guidance.
But inside she felt discouraged and disconnected.
Every week in my work, I witness this inner tension.
It happens to married women and those who are single, to moms, executives, and ministry leaders. All kinds of women, and men, who are spiritually strong but emotionally struggling.
Thy are here, sitting in my office, wondering, How did I get here? They’re overwhelmed, anxious, and running on empty. They’re working hard, trying to be kind, even learning to care for themselves and set boundaries. Yet, they’re torn up on the inside.
“You can trust God and still feel anxious, lonely, overwhelmed, and broken inside.”
Each of them has bumped up against a painful reality: You can trust God and still feel anxious, lonely, overwhelmed, and broken inside.
You can be strong spiritually and remain stuck emotionally at the exact place where you got hurt in the past.
You can have confidence in God and be completely ill-equipped for the landmines life will inevitably present.
Why does this happen?
After decades of integrating faith and psychology, I believe there are three realities that lead to women feeling stuck and disconnected. I call it the Cocktail of Codependency, and one of the key ingredients in that cocktail is childhood wounds, otherwise known as trauma.
When you hear the word trauma, you might assume that it only applies to extreme situations. But when understood correctly, trauma is a reality that touches more people than you might think.
Trauma more simply defined is unwitnessed pain. When left alone with any sort of pain, a wound is created that can fester for years.
“Trauma more simply defined is unwitnessed pain. And God didn’t design you to be alone in your pain.”
God didn’t design you to be alone in your pain.
Angie grew up in a highly conflicted home. Her dad would scream at her mom for hours. Her mom would cry, plead, then flee to the bedroom. All the while, Angie watched, fearful and wide-eyed.
The fighting left her feeling terribly anxious and alone.
But, as a young child, she had no idea what that uncomfortable feeling in her stomach was. She only knew that she wanted to feel better.
Desperate to soothe the searing pain in her belly, Angie made herself as small and unthreatening as possible. When the fighting died down, she tiptoed in to clean up whatever mess they’d made, and started dinner. One time in particular, when her parents returned, no one said a word about the fight. But her mom said, “You’re such a good girl, Angie.”
In that moment, Angie learned a powerful message. She learned that when she felt anxious, she could get a hit of relief if she would only shrink herself down, camouflage her own pain, and make someone else feel good.
Unbeknownst to her, Angie had been conditioned to survive through what psychologists call the “fawn response.”
“Staying small and blending into your surroundings can keep you safe. But it is also incredibly damaging to your core sense of self.”
In the face of her arguing parents, she became small, tiny, “safe.” If she could be helpful enough, calming enough, and pleasing enough, her mom would feel better and her dad would de-escalate. If she pretended that her own needs weren’t important—and took care of others—then she could feel better. Without realizing it, Angie’s parents had conditioned her to betray her own needs to get the love and attention she craved.
And this type of self-betrayal is a reality I encounter in all kinds of people, including myself.
Staying small and blending into your surroundings can keep you safe. But it is also incredibly damaging to your core sense of self.
It’s what I call the armor of invisibility.
If you are someone who learned to hide or make yourself small, please know this is not the life God has for you. If you are someone who has felt like you have to mute your personality, your take-charge attitude, or your leadership abilities, please know this is not the life God has for you.
I have found through my work as a counselor that many are slowly giving up on these truths. Don’t get me wrong: most are not giving up on being helpful or kind to others.
“At some point, you have to stop hiding, rip off that invisibility cloak, and start showing up in your life.”
Most are not giving up on God. But after working with women and men for over two decades, the truth is that many are slowly and subtly giving up on parts of themselves that need healing.
At some point, you have to stop hiding, rip off that invisibility cloak, and start showing up in your life. You have to become your true self. Who God made you to be.
If these words resonate with you, can I encourage you to get curious: What are some ways you have learned to stay hidden? What are some messages you have picked up, such as:
“It’s better to stay small”
“I shouldn’t feel angry or sad.”
“My voice doesn’t count.”
What is a new message God might be inviting you to consider instead?
What if walking with Jesus means to learn how to say yes to reclaiming your God-given light?
What if there is no shame in any of this, no matter where you are in your journey today?
God named you Beloved before parts of you believed otherwise.
Dr. Alison Cook is a psychologist and writer who empowers people to heal from past wounds, develop a strong sense of self, forge healthy relationships with others, and experience a loving God who is for them. She specializes in bringing faith and psychology together in a practical, accessible way.
The story she shares today is from her recently released book, The Best of You: Break Free From Painful Patterns, Mend Your Past, and Discover Your True Self in God, in which Dr. Alison reveals a breakthrough strategy to develop your voice, set wise limits, and still be a loving person.
[ Our humble thanks to Thomas Nelson for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
September 13, 2022
Hard Days? Need a Lifeline? Breathe Deep & Try This:
I’ve personally and deeply known Jenn Tucker as one of my dearest friends for the last 8 years & she is nothing if not a genuine woman of the Word. A woman who trusts that God is trustworthy, that He communicates, and a life of intimately communicating with Him, and daily listening to Him, leads to a life of deeply fulfilling communion, even, especially, in crisis. And as two very close friends who can testify to this truth, two mothers, two daughters of the King of kings, Jenn and I have long walked together through some achingly dark nights of the soul, standing with each other, kneeling with each other, grieving with each other, breathing prayers with each other, for each other, and the hard things become holy things as we bring them to Him. It’s one of my greatest joys to welcome Jenn to the farm’s table today…
It was nearly 2:00 AM in the middle of a dark February night last year when they wheeled my daughter from the emergency room to her inpatient room on the fourth floor of a children’s hospital in Atlanta, two hours from our home. Outside the small window, city lights poked holes against the black veil of night and cast shadows on the wall above her bed.
A too-big hospital gown fell loosely over her tired body, and wires strung from her chest to the monitors beside her bed, blinking with the rhythm of her heart as I held her hand and she drifted off to sleep.
A hard vinyl couch beside the wall was my bed as a nurse sat with us in the room, monitoring her through the night.
She looked so small and frail in that hospital bed. My heart physically ached in my chest as I thought of the long and deeply difficult journey that had led us to that point and that room there that night.
She was far sicker than I realized when I drove her to the hospital that day, and the reality of it all had left me overwhelmed and unsteady.
“I felt small and scared and so very alone.
I tried to pray, but my mind was only filled with worry and fear.”
As I laid there in the darkness of that hospital room, my eyes quickly welled up with an overflow of pain and helplessness.
The familiar signs of anxiety began to flood through my body. My chest grew tight and heavy, and my hands began to tremble as I struggled to catch my breath.
I felt small and scared and so very alone.
I tried to pray, but my mind was only filled with worry and fear.
The previous two years of unanswered prayers and pleas to God had drained me of all my words and I could feel myself unraveling.
I had nothing left to say, nothing left to pray.
“Breath prayers combine deep breathing with prayers of meditation on God’s Word to help ease anxiety while turning your mind to Truth.”
As I grasped for hope and gasped for breath, I remembered a simple prayer that I had learned about a few months earlier: breath prayer. Breath prayers combine deep breathing with prayers of meditation on God’s Word to help ease anxiety while turning your mind to Truth. Made of just a couple of lines from Scripture, they’re prayed to the rhythm of inhales and exhales. I was captivated by their simplicity when I had first learned about them, so I wrote a few down and tucked them in my heart.
And now, months later, the words of one of those prayers suddenly came to my mind.
Just a handful of words from Psalm 23, broken into two small lines:
“The Lord is my Shepherd;
I have all that I need.”
I took a deep breath, and as I inhaled, I tried to focus my mind on the words, “The Lord is my shepherd,” and as I exhaled, I whispered, “I have all that I need.”
And again, breathing in deeply, I focused my thoughts on “The Lord is my shepherd,” and then breathed out “I have all that I need.”
As I focused on my breathing and the words of Scripture, my body calmed and my soul was reminded of a truth that will never change, no matter my circumstances:
“The Lord is my shepherd”—even here in this hospital, next to my daughter hooked up to monitors, and the road ahead completely uncertain.
And “I have all that I need”—because even here, in the dark, I have Him. The good shepherd. The one who tenderly guides us and holds us when we’re wounded and weary, the One who keeps watch over us through the night. He is all that I need.
That simple prayer helped quiet my worries and fears. The deep breathing helped to calm the physical symptoms of my anxiety, and the prayer helped me to center my thoughts on Christ and His presence with me and His love for me, and I drifted off to sleep with a renewed peace.
“Breath prayers gave me words to pray when I had no words to pray, when all I had to offer was my trembling breath.”
There in that hospital room, breath prayers gave me words to pray when I had no words to pray, when all I had to offer was my trembling breath. They became a lifeline to me throughout that hospital stay, as I walked the halls breathing and praying, praying and breathing through all the hard days. And I’ve continued to practice breath prayers ever since, to help ease my anxiety while also strengthening my faith.
These simple prayers, rooted in God’s Word, have become such a comfort to me, not only in times of anxiety, but throughout so many of my days, strengthening both my body and soul by helping me tuck important truths in my heart and paving paths of peace in my mind.
Breath prayer brings us back to the bare basics.
Stripped of everything else, it’s just our breath and God’s Word.
We inhale His peace and exhale our anxiety.
We inhale His truth and exhale our worry.
We inhale His grace and exhale our shame.
We inhale His presence and exhale our fear.
“When anxiety is gripping tight and words are hard to find, God’s Word gives us the words we need.”
When anxiety is gripping tight and words are hard to find, God’s Word gives us the words we need.
When we’re afraid or overwhelmed and it’s hard to catch our breath, we can breathe deep and know that God is with us—He gives us our breath and He will give us everything we need for whatever we are facing.
Because no matter how dark or difficult or devastating the path is that you are walking, no matter how tight the hold anxiety has on you or how overwhelming your feelings may be, nothing changes the truth of God’s Word.
No matter what happens —
Your afflictions can’t stop His affection.
Your problems can’t stop His promises.
Your failures can’t stop His faithfulness.
Your questions can’t stop His compassion.
Your pain can’t stop His plan.
Your mess can’t stop His mercy.
“You can take a deep breath today and let your worries fade into His loving arms. He’s got you.”
And absolutely NOTHING—nothing you say, nothing you do, nothing you feel, nothing in heaven or on earth, not even life or death—no hospital room or graveside, no diagnosis or crisis or loss—can separate you from His love.
No matter what happens, you are safe and held and fully and completely loved.
You can take a deep breath today and let your worries fade into His loving arms. He’s got you.
The Lord is our Shepherd.
We already have all that we need.
This post includes material from the book BREATH AS PRAYER: CALM YOUR ANXIETY, FOCUS YOUR MIND, AND RENEW YOUR SOUL by Jennifer Tucker, copyright © 2022 by Jennifer Tucker, published on September 13, 2022 by Thomas Nelson, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.
Find hope amid anxiety through the spiritual practice of breath prayer in this beautifully illustrated and practical guide. Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul will lead you through the practice and the proven health benefits of Christian breath prayer: purposeful prayers centered around Scripture that focus your mind on Christ as you calm your body through intentional breathing.
In this profoundly personal prayer journey Jenn invites all the weary on is one bore out of her own deep valleys, and she is an uncommonly kind guide and wise companion, breathing prayers with you every step of the long way through.
[ Our humble thanks to Thomas Nelson for their partnership in today’s devotion. ]
September 12, 2022
It Takes A Team: How to Find Other Parents to Mentor Your Parenting
Dan Seaborn’s passion for encouraging families to love God and follow Jesus prompted his heart to start the ministry Winning At Home in 1995. But his actual credentials for writing about parenting and family are that Dan and his wife, Jane, have been married and doing life together for forty years, raising their four children and grandparenting seven. Let’s gather together to hear Dan share practical insights of how he and Jane came up with “Mom and Dad’s Rules of the Home” as he visits the farm’s table today…
I was a youth pastor and family life pastor for ten years, so I had the benefit of watching lots of kids grow up before we ever got past the “childhood” stage with our own children.
As I watched teen after teen finish high school and launch into adulthood, I learned that vastly different parenting approaches all seemed to result in mature and well-adjusted teenagers. The converse of that was true as well: vastly different parenting approaches also seemed to result in immature teenagers who struggled to adjust and who struggled with discipline and making good decisions.
“Over the years, I saw that kids can grow up in very strict homes and turn out great—or not so great. That was true of very lenient homes as well.”
Over the years, I saw that kids can grow up in very strict homes and turn out great—or not so great. That was true of very lenient homes as well. I found that this was not the essential piece of the puzzle for raising children well.
That surprised me.
Growing up, I was always taught being stricter with your kids is best for your family.
My own home life wasn’t great, so I always suspected that wasn’t entirely true—and over the years, I have discovered that some beautiful things can come from thinking differently from many of the people around you.
Though that can be stretching and straining at times, it can be very productive in raising your children to have a biblical perspective on life and to be prepared for the world coming their way.
When our oldest kids were small, I started paying close attention to parenting styles. Both strict and lenient parents ended up with some great kids, so we knew there had to be more to the story than we had initially assumed.
To find out more about what those parents were doing to succeed, Jane and I identified three couples who we admired for raising mature and well-adjusted teens and young adults and we took them out for dinner and talked with them about what they valued as parents.
We wanted their insights because we saw that their kids were growing up to love the Lord; they were mature and in a good place (Proverbs 19:20).
To get a variety of perspectives, we chose one couple who had firm rules and standards, one that had very few rules for their kids, and one that was somewhere in the middle.
“Surprisingly, all three had common threads, such as the importance of treating people kindly, the importance of faith, and the importance of the parents setting the standards for the household.”
Surprisingly, all three had common threads, such as the importance of treating people kindly, the importance of faith, and the importance of the parents setting the standards for the household.
We didn’t just take those threads and use them as our new family rules. Afterward, Jane and I spent time praying and listening to God about what the rules and expectations would look like in our home. We ended up with five things we called “Mom and Dad’s Rules of the Home.” We printed and framed them. Although all our kids are grown and out of the house, we still have the original copy. The design is dated and it’s obvious that we created the file in a word processing program twenty-plus years ago. But while the design and layout are very much relics of the past, the rules themselves still hold up.
I’m not going to share those rules with you here. If I did, you’d be tempted to try to replicate what Jane and I used. But I am encouraging you to look at parents of kids about ten to fifteen years older than yours whom you admire. Talk with those parents and work on putting together your own list!
If you’re a single parent, this can be particularly beneficial: You’re facing trials and tribulations that many people won’t ever face, or even understand. It will also be helpful for you to get perspectives from other adults, some of whom might be wired more like your kids than you are!
If you like this idea but are struggling to think of what you would ask, here are a few questions to help you start:
What do you wish you had handled differently?Which of your rules are you most glad you prioritized?Did you have any rules that you eventually abandoned because you no longer saw much value in them?What do we need to prepare ourselves for that you didn’t see coming? What caught you most off guard?Did you have some rules that worked perfectly with one of your kids but failed spectacularly with another?When you didn’t agree on an approach, how did parenting strain your marriage? How did you handle it?“There is no “formula” that will guarantee your kids grow up to follow the path you hope they will.”
Now, I want to offer a few disclaimers and cautions:
First of all, there is no “formula” that will guarantee your kids grow up to follow the path you hope they will. Your job is to teach them truth and the right values and morals. But just like everyone else, our kids have the ability to make their own choices (Proverbs 1:8, 9).
We all hope and pray that they will grow up to love and serve the Lord, but there is no step-by-step way to ensure that happens.
Parenting isn’t as simple as making rules and sitting back as you watch your children and teens joyfully follow them.
Kids are very good at testing boundaries and can be absolutely dogged in working to find out exactly where the line is that you won’t allow them to cross. Just know that even if you come up with the perfect set of rules (which I don’t think actually exists), you will still run into issues. I mention that only because I don’t want you to discard your rules a few months into the process because you feel like they’re not working!
Ultimately, making rules is a whole different deal than enforcing rules.
If you’re having a hard time implementing rules in your home, I would strongly encourage you to seek out a counselor who works with children or adolescents.
Many counselors work exclusively with families who are going through these types of growing pains, and it’s helpful to know you’re not alone and that bumps in the road don’t mean you’re doing something “wrong.”
Parenting is broken people raising broken people.
And Jesus, our “Wounded Healer”, is always most drawn to the broken, to bring a hope that truly heals.
Dan Seaborn, M.A., is the founder and president of Winning At Home, an organization that supports marriages and families. Dan uses humor, practical illustrations, and real-life examples to teach others how to win at home. In his newest book, Winning at Home: Tackling the Topics that Confuse Kids and Scare Parents, Dan addresses the myriad of hard-hitting topics that are often not addressed from the church pulpit for parents who are trying to raise children from a faith-based perspective
Parents need tools to help them navigate the pressures of raising children in the twenty-first century, and author, pastor, and speaker Dan Seaborn, in partnership with his team at Winning At Home, is offering answers. So bring your questions with you into these pages, where you’ll discover a wealth of wisdom and resources to help you navigate the challenges of twenty-first-century parenting. It’s time to turn your losses around and start winning at home.
[ Our humble thanks to Salem Books for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
September 9, 2022
What Is Steadying & Constant in Changing Times
Few writers can communicate the wonder of God’s Word as deeply as Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. Her love for Scripture is evident—and infectious. Nancy’s new book, Heaven Rules, is an invitation to open our Bibles and remember that God is personally, purposefully involved in all that’s taking place here on earth. What a joy to welcome Nancy to the farm’s table today…
Guest Post by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
By the time Babylonian King Darius came to power, Daniel had lived his whole long life in a place he would not have chosen if it had been up to him, dealing with horrific problems, answering to horrific rulers, maneuvering around horrific public policies, and witnessing horrific persecution against his friends and his people.
But “in the first year of Darius” (Dan. 9:1), instead of checking out, instead of retiring, instead of being too cynical and weary to try adjusting to another change, Daniel remained focused on those things that never change.
“While everyone else’s attention was turned toward the new administration, Daniel’s eyes were fixed on the Most High God and His kingdom.”
And how did he keep himself focused? For starters, he went to the Scriptures (Dan. 9:2). I love this.
While everyone else’s attention was turned toward the new administration, Daniel’s eyes were fixed on the Most High God and His kingdom. He was eager to know what God had to say about the days in which he was living.
But how could he know that? The same way we can know. Many of us get our knowledge of what’s going on in the world by listening to friends or watching cable news or reading social media posts.
But Daniel got his briefings and perspective by looking up—by reading the Word of God.
Think about the fact that Daniel was able to lay eyes on the same writings of Jeremiah that are right there in your Bible today.
Feel the connection of God’s people across millennia. Sit down with Daniel in the same room for a moment as he reads from passages we know today by their chapter numbers, places like Jeremiah 25 and 29, as the truth begins to dawn on him that God’s chosen people have not been forgotten but are living inside the fulfillment of these prophecies.
The passage Daniel read in Jeremiah spoke of how the captivity of the Jews—their removal from Jerusalem—would last for seventy years. By Daniel’s reckoning, this seventy-year period was nearing its end. The God who had orchestrated their exile according to His Word, was soon to orchestrate their return—again, according to His Word.
Daniel’s response? He prayed. His first reaction to God’s revealing this truth to him, to having his eyes opened to see heaven’s perspective on these current events, was to go to prayer (Dan. 9:3).
Prayer requires being willing to turn our attention away from whatever concerns may be pressing in on us, setting aside unnecessary distractions, turning our focus to the Lord.
Notice, too, that Daniel didn’t passively sit back and wait for God to fulfill His Word. (The Jewish exiles would in fact return to their homeland just a few years later.) Inspired by the promises of God, Daniel actively humbled himself and prayed.
“Those who praise first, before anything else, right-size their perspectives by getting themselves right-sized about the nature and character, the majesty and faithfulness, of God.”
He began with praise. “Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands . . .” (9:4). His focus was Godward. He exalted the covenant-keeping character of God. Those who praise first, before anything else, right-size their perspectives by getting themselves right-sized about the nature and character, the majesty and faithfulness, of God.
Daniel’s praise led to confession. When we see God’s greatness and grace, we see ourselves more clearly. Daniel’s worship led him to pray, “We have sinned” (9:5). There’s the heart of Daniel. Notice that he made no mention of the sins of the Babylonians, the sins of the Medes, the sins of the Persians. And believe me, those people had plenty of sins he could have talked about. But that’s not what’s important when you have a humble heart and are praying for heaven’s perspective.
So Daniel confessed on behalf of his people, God’s people: “We have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth” (9:13). Sin is how they’d gotten into this mess to begin with. Only by admitting it, learning from it, and repenting of it would they align themselves with the God who’d promised their deliverance.
After confessing, Daniel pleaded with God to show mercy. God had done it before, delivering His people from Egypt, bringing them out “with a strong hand,” making His name “renowned as it is this day” (9:15). Would He do it again? It was worth praying for. (After all, there was that promise he’d read in the book of Jeremiah.)
“Where are the men and women today who know how to pray this way?”
Daniel knew his people didn’t deserve God’s mercy. Far from it. So he appealed to God to show mercy “for your own sake,” acknowledging, in effect, “This isn’t about us, it’s about You!” (Daniel 9:16–19).
Where are the men and women today who know how to pray this way? Why don’t I pray this way, knowing the desperate condition of God’s people and knowing the gracious promises of God?
The rest of Daniel 9 (vv. 20–27) reveals heaven’s answer to Daniel’s prayer. “While I was praying, Gabriel . . . gave me this explanation” (9:21–22).
“While I was praying.” What if Daniel hadn’t prayed? What if he had just read Jeremiah’s prophecy and moved on to the next thing? You see, prayer was the next thing for Daniel. And it was while he was praying that the answer came from God.
“We, too, must endure through the difficulties, clinging in faith to Him who has promised that one day all wrongs will be righted and all things will be redeemed and made new.”
The answer, brought by the angel Gabriel, was that God had heard Daniel’s prayer. He would do as Daniel had asked—on His own timetable.
In the meantime, the angel said, God’s people should not grow discouraged; they should persevere and place their hope in the promises of God. And the same applies to you and me. We, too, must endure through the difficulties, clinging in faith to Him who has promised that one day all wrongs will be righted and all things will be redeemed and made new.
The days in which we live are no less complex than what Daniel faced in his day.
Thankfully, we can turn, as he did, to the Word of God, to learn what we need to know, what we should expect, and how we ought to think and live. May our study of Scripture, like Daniel’s, move us to prayer—earnest, prevailing prayer.
And may our prayers, like Daniel’s, be grounded in and fueled by God’s Word.
This process will anchor our minds and hearts in gospel truth, fill us with hope, and give us His message to share with our generation.
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has touched the lives of millions of women through Revive Our Hearts and the True Woman movement, calling them to heart revival. Her love for Christ and His Word is infectious, and permeates her online outreaches, conference messages, books, and two nationally syndicated radio programs heard each day—Revive Our Hearts and Seeking Him.
Find truth to calm your fears, comfort your heart, and give you courage to press on, in Nancy’s new book, Heaven Rules. Using the timeless book and example of Daniel as a guide, Nancy reveals how seeing our lives and world through the lens of Heaven’s rule can shield us from panic and give us renewed hope and perspective. Job worries. Deadline pressures. Deep regrets. Culture wars. There will always be alarms screeching. But two simple words can quiet them, calm our fears, comfort our hearts, and give us courage to press on: Heaven Rules!
[ Our humble thanks to Moody Publishers for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
September 6, 2022
Want To Change How Your Body is Keeping Score? Try This
When I’m flat on my back at the physiotherapist’s is when I think of it.
She’s pressing her fingers slowly all down the ache of my taut shoulder blade: “The way you’re managing stress, the way you’re holding yourself through stress, your posture through the day — is causing your shoulder and arm to scream out its own kind of pain SOS.”
“Stress speaks through skin.”
The body talks. The body translates trauma so we can hear it clearer in a deafening world. Stress speaks through skin.
“The only way to work through pain like this, you know, this kinda paralyzing, debilitating kind, is just a steady rhythm of gentle, consistent exercises.”
And I want to nod, but my neck hurts, and I realize this too:
Unless the mind exercises, the body can’t heal.
Resource: Open Grateful Wooden Hands, discounted today at The Keeping Company
My physiotherapist hands me several sheets of exercises to work out the stress knots— much like my therapist has also given me mind and soul homework: Have a thought log.
The concept being: Every time your thoughts vortex around this toxic situation, jot it down.
Just tally how many times your mind is sucked back to ruminating about this mess, or this dysfunctional system, or that criticism, or this crisis, like an addict that keeps coming back to it.
“All the brooding in the world never hatches hope.”
Mentally circling something is the mind’s way of fooling itself that it’s controlling something, which it finds self-soothing. But: All the brooding in the world never hatches hope.
No soul is no hen or cow: no soul is meant to brood or ruminate.
You are not a ruminant, and you are never meant to ruminate. You are a celebrant, made to celebrate. Your soul doesn’t need cud to ruminate on; your soul needs God to celebrate in.
A soul is meant to sing love songs.
So while I tie this green band from the physiotherapist around a post on the porch by the flower garden and start to stretch it out right there on the porch, all my knotted muscles, all my knotted stress, in all these slow exercises — I too keep exercising my own soul:
Interrupt all thought rumination with a thankfulness celebration.
All intrusive ruminations need a gratitude intervention.
Mind keeps circling that toxic situation? Immediately: Gratitude intervention.
Giving too much air time in your mind to a dark narrative? Immediately: Give thanks.
Instead of counting grievances, count gifts.
Counter that barrage of negative thoughts by counting gifts.
“Gratitude interventions cure thought ruminations.”
Gratitude interventions cure thought ruminations.
Being grateful isn’t being a naive pollyanna, it’s being neurally proactive. If you let your mind keep returning over and over to toxic, dark, knotting thoughts — you create a rut through your mind that keeps you going in pointless circles of pain.
Do the things you can do, deal with what you can, use your agency — and then refuse to make mental ruts by returning to the situation but instead choose daily gratitude interventions.
We definitely do not live in denial, and we definitely deal with situations, but we don’t fixate on situations, we fixate on grace — because we live in doxology.
Why be obsessed with certain thoughts — when you can be obsessed with the grace of God?
Resource: Open Grateful Wooden Hands, discounted today at The Keeping Company
I keep exercising and pulling on the tension band to work out the painful knots in my shoulder — knowing that I have to also keep exercising the painful knots in my mind and heart, if I want to give my body any and every possible chance to heal. Maybe the best kind of stretches is to stretch my heart to find things to give thanks for, even in this.
My body is keeping score, just like van der Kolk wrote, and I’m keeping score of my thoughts, and I’m changing the score by counting gifts, interrupting all thought rumination with a thankfulness celebration.
“If you want to change how your body is keeping score, start counting your gifts. Gratitude Interventions change the score of everything.“
Because my knotted shoulder and my knotted soul know it: If you want to change how your body is keeping score, start counting your gifts.
All the best thinking is always thanksgiving.
Doxology is always the best thought-detox.
And? Doxology is the best direction for our thinking, because we’ll be giving thanks to God for forever. Exercise now to shape eternity.
I exercise and stretch out a soul knot and jot it down in my Counting Gifts Gratitude Journal:
…breakfast dishes stacking satisfied in the sink,
…the laundry spinning its happy song in the mudroom,
…rose petals falling surrendered in the garden,
…September sun slanting across old scuffed floors,
…a brimming cup of coffee steaming with promise
…now, this moment, and being soul-safe always in Christ.
While in some churches, the celebrant is the one leads the thankful celebration of the sacrament of the Last Supper, this living doxology is what it means to be a thankful celebrant in the feast of sacred moments in your every day life.
And I can feel it right there in my back, my shoulder, my soul: Gratitude Interventions change the score of everything.
Another rose petal in the September garden loosens and gives way, and I notice and give thanks — and all these knots loosen into love.
When life hurts and you need a way through?
What you actually need is a way of life — a SACRED way of life — that gives you tools to live into gratitude interventions, doxology, doxology, doxology. Because so many toxic situations and toxic thoughts — need the detox of doxology.
For every person who is walking a hard way and looking for a way through, WayMaker is your sign, that there is hope, that there are miracles, and that everything you are trying to find a way to, is actually coming to meet you in ways far more fulfilling than you ever imagined.
Grab Your Copy of WayMaker — and begin the journey you’ve secretly been hoping for.
September 5, 2022
Turning Your Worries into Prayer
When we’re weary and tender, doesn’t it always seem that the enemy shows up with a new list of things to fear? Our tired hearts need someone to encourage us toward Jesus and Judy Dunagan is just that companion. She has been in places of anxiety and fear and has found God faithful. Take heart, friend—you are not alone in your worries. It’s a grace to welcome Judy to the farm’s table today…
I have battled anxiety for much of my life.
There have been seasons in which I experienced the normal worries of motherhood, such as concern for toddlers with high fevers or settling our children into new schools because of our many moves. But there have been other seasons where I thought my anxiety would take me under.
I believe that some of my tendency toward anxiety is how I am wired and that I will have to continuously surrender my worries to Jesus throughout my life. But there have been times when I know that the enemy targets the areas where I am most vulnerable, trying to defeat me and make me question God’s presence and protection over me and my family.
One of those seasons of fear was during our move to Beijing when our daughters were only three and five years old.
The famous opening line to Charles Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities aptly describes our three years in China: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
Some of our best times were when we’d explore that fascinating city. I especially remember one autumn day when we caravanned with a few other families to a remote part of the Great Wall in our cars, Jeeps, and sidecar motorcycles. To make it even more of an adventure, we decided to bring our tents so we could camp on the Wall that night.
My husband, Rick, drove our antique sidecar motorcycle with our two little girls and their lop-eared rabbit, Moses, tucked in the sidecar. I followed behind in our Jeep, loaded with our cooler of food. Arriving at our favorite portion of the Great Wall—free from crowds and tourists—Rick pitched our tents while the girls and I climbed the steep stairs leading to a section that resembled the remnant of a castle.
Later that night, as the sun began to set, we grilled chicken wings and roasted marshmallows for s’mores. Moses hopped around until the harvest moon illuminated the outline of the Wall, winding toward the horizon as far as our eyes could see.
“While her body battled sickness, my heart battled the fear that often drove me to the point of panic.”
Though it’s a memory we will never forget—and it might sound like a magical, storybook life—our three years in China were actually some of the hardest years on our family.
Kelly, tiny for her age, contracted many strange illnesses. While her body battled sickness, my heart battled the fear that often drove me to the point of panic. Rick’s job was extremely stressful, and just navigating the traffic in Beijing made me wonder if he’d make it home alive after work.
The enemy was also stepping up his attacks on me. In addition to the escalating fear for my children’s safety, I fought a rising bitterness over having to live on the other side of the world. There were days I thought that he would win and days that I let him win, giving in to his lies about God’s goodness and protection over us.
“I lived like someone in a tent, fearful and vulnerable to the storms and attacks on my family and me that could sweep us away. Yet, all along we were covered by our God who is our strong tower, shelter, and hiding place.“
Years later, when our family was long settled back in the States, I found the photos from our camping trip on the Great Wall. One pictured our two small tents right in front of a portion of the Wall that included ramparts, strong towers, and shelters towering over the tents.
Looking at that picture, I realized that for most of my time in China—and sadly much of my young adult life—I lived like someone in a tent, fearful and vulnerable to the storms and attacks on my family and me that could sweep us away. Yet, all along we were covered by our God who is our strong tower, shelter, and hiding place.
That picture reminds me of these powerful words from the psalmist David when he encountered his own fearful circumstances:
“The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
(Psalm 34:7–8)
“If, like me, you wrestle with fear, especially for your children, one way to calm those fears is to turn your worries into prayers on their behalf.”
Whatever you are facing today, read those verses aloud to stand in those truths. I am so grateful that the Lord and His angels encamp around us, hemming us in from all sides, even during the dark nights of our souls.
If, like me, you wrestle with fear, especially for your children, one way to calm those fears is to turn your worries into prayers on their behalf.
When our girls were little and I’d try to surrender my fears for their safety or health to God—I’d often think of them as being covered in His armor of protection from head to toe as I prayed over them. (Does the armor come in toddler sizes?)
I would pray, “Thank You, Jesus, that You protect my children from head to toe like Your armor covers us.” That would often calm my fears, and I’d have a sense of surrendering them into His care. I am continuing to do that today as I pray over their children now, our beloved grandchildren.
Will you pray this victory prayer with me?
Dear Lord Jesus, May I rest and abide in Your protective shelter over me. When I am afraid for my loved ones, help me turn those fears into prayers on their behalf. Thank You that Your armor of Your salvation, righteousness, truth, faithfulness, and peace cover me from the top of my head to the tip of my toes.
Teach me how to live and stand in that victorious covering every day. Calm my anxious heart with Your peace that goes beyond my human understanding. Remind me that You encamp around me and that You are my rampart, my shelter, my fortress, and my strong deliverer.
In Your mighty and victorious name, I pray. Amen.
A wonder seeker of God and His Word, Judy Dunagan is passionate about discipleship and making God’s Word and prayer come alive in everyday life. She is a speaker, Bible teacher, and acquisitions editor of women’s Bible studies and books at Moody Publishers. In her book, The Loudest Roar: Living in the Unshakable Victory of Christ, Judy encourages us to take heart, because the enemy’s roar is but a whisper in the presence of our mighty God.
God’s Word tells us that our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But thankfully, our Lord Jesus is the bigger Lion with the loudest roar. We can get overwhelmed by the enemy’s roars through his temptations, lies, and fears he throws at us to the point that we no longer hear the loudest roar of our mighty God and the truth of His Word. That is why in The Loudest Roar, Judy focuses on the victory that Jesus has already won for us through his death, resurrection and ascension. Saturated in Scripture, Judy provides practical ways to fight the good fight through the protective cover of God’s armor and the roar of His Word and prayer.
Download some free prayer resources at judydunagan.com.
[ Our humble thanks to Moody Publishers for their partnership in today’s devotion ]
September 3, 2022
Only the Good Stuff: Multivitamins For Your Weekend [9.3.2022]
Happy, happy, happy weekend!
Come along with us here because who doesn’t need a bit of good news?
Let yourself smile, be crazy inspired, laugh, love & really live the gift of this life
just a little bit more this weekend…
Serving up only the Good Stuff for you & your people right here:
Marcin Zajac- Photographer
Marcin Zajac- Photographer
Marcin Zajac- Photographer
Marcin Zajac- Photographer
Marcin Zajac- PhotographerSunrise, sunset… declaring His steadfast love in the morning and His faithfulness by night
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Paul Nicklen (@paulnicklen)
oh the symphony of these beluga whales! you just HAVE to catch this this weekend!
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Project Made New (@projectmadenew)
good news for your heart – no matter what, who, or how: He is in control.
wow! how these ones are providing food to the needy in a very unique way.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Kristi ♡ Mama discipling her children (@startwithoneverse)
oh this sweet thing! < heart burst >
don’t miss this great parenting hack! your kids are gonna *love* this
pause and listen this weekend with us?
this song has helped powerfully moved our hearts to worship our good, good King this week.
“El Shaddai Prince of Peace
Emmanuel Here with me
Your Name is great
And greatly to be praised”
“I am the Bread of Life” Bread Board
The Keeping Company makes beautiful heirloom pieces for your family to keep for generations. Their collection, including this beautifully handcrafted bread board, is carefully designed to bring beauty into your everyday life, inviting families to keep joyful, grateful company with Jesus throughout their busy lives. A portion of all profits are also used to fill mangers around the world, wherever aid is most needed. Their hope is to provide beautiful handcrafted gifts for your home while also providing God’s hope to those who have little.
Pick Up Yours at The Keeping Company
the science behind how worship actually rewires our brains AND binds us together
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Good News Movement (@goodnews_movement)
okayyy these are just the best back-to-school photos we’ve ever seen
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Suzanne Stabile (@suzannestabile)
– YES. an ah-ha moment for sure. –
a prayer for all the classroom heroes
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Baby Reels (@babyreels_)
this one has us ALL smiling huge and giggling along :)
…to break from the hurry and rest this weekend…
Post Of The Week From Around These Parts
Waiting for the right time — can feel like everything is going wrong.
And hoping can feel so much like hurt.
This is meant for someone right now, a lifeline in the midst of hard times:
Essential Secrets On How to Wait Well
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Wildroots Farm LLC (@wildrootsfarmllc)
you just have to see this summer feast!
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Author – Supporting Alzheimer’s Caregivers & Families (@shellydcalcagno)
ohhhh! it’s dahlia season at the farm! hands up if you’re enjoying these friendly flowers!
– this brave hero saved his mama –
a week full of Mondays? yeah, we’ve had those too…
On the Book Stack at the Farm
Read Toni Collier‘s recent guest post: Prayer is Not a Formula: The Power of a Broken Prayer
Read Lore Ferguson Wilbert‘s recent guest post:The 1 Question That’s Everything: What’s in Your Hand?
Read Rich Villodas‘s recent guest post:Soul Fragility: How Being Rooted in God’s Love Leads to Wholeness
oh the glory found here! what a reminder of who our God is
come along with us on this peaceful glory soak this weekend?
The WayMaker makes a way to you — to profoundly grow you.
For every person who is walking a hard way and looking for a way through, WayMaker is your sign, that there is hope, there are miracles, & that everything you are trying to find a way to,
is actually coming to meet you in ways far more fulfilling than you ever imagined.
PICK UP YOUR COPY OF WAYMAKER
PICK UP YOUR COPY OF WAYMAKER
“I’ll find a way to praise You
From the bottom of my broken heart
‘Cause I think I’d rather strike a match than curse the dark
Yeah, I’ll find a way to thank You
Though the bitterness is real and hard
‘Cause I’d rather take a chance on hope than fall apart”
It’s going to be okay today — promise.
Nothing is a surprise To God.
Nothing is a problem For God.
Nothing is a mistake By God.
*Anything is possible With God.*
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.
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