Originally published on Vaneetha.com on August 24, 2023. Republished with permission from Vaneetha Risner. What do you do when you feel anxious or afraid? Ask a friend for advice? Roll over everything endlessly in your head? Try to distract yourself? Or do you go immediately to God? I’m learning to do the latter but it’s […]
A few Sundays ago, the pastor of my church preached from Acts 23 in a sermon that spoke to my heart and encouraged me during the difficulties of chronic illness. With his permission, I’m sharing part of his sermon with you in the hope that you too can be encouraged by the reminder of God’s […]
Scripture tells us that, under the control of the Holy Spirit, we should be “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19). May you be encouraged by the spiritual truth in this song! In Your Silence Words by Eileen Berry In Your […]
Last week we looked at how to find grace, joy, and peace in chronic illness based on Elisabeth Elliot’s short devotional about the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” by Horatio G. Spafford: by receiving what God has given us and by relinquishing what He takes from us. As I meditated on Elisabeth Elliot’s […]
I recently started reading Elisabeth Elliot’s book Secure in the Everlasting Arms, a collection of short devotional thoughts from the newsletter she wrote for almost twenty years. The very first entry hit me square between the eyes. The Lot We’re Dealt The entry is titled “Whatever My Lot” and, after giving a brief, personal backstory […]
Two weeks ago we looked at the context for Jeremiah’s letter to the Jewish captives and God’s message to them (and us): stop panicking, pick up your hammer, and make yourself at home. In other words, don’t fight what is part of God’s plan for good. We also saw how part of making ourselves at […]
I recently read through the book of Jeremiah in my morning devotions, and God gave me a load of encouragement from Jeremiah 29. I took tons of notes and am excited to share those notes with you in the hopes they can encourage you too. A Message for the Needy First of all, let’s set […]
Thank you, Erica, for sharing your story with us! Tell us about yourself! Thank you for the opportunity to encourage others through my story. I’m Erica Baldwin – a wife, mom of one active 10-year-old, and freelance writer/blogger who lives in North Carolina. We also have an international high school student living with us, which […]
Thank you, Leah, for sharing your story with us! Tell us about yourself! My name is Leah Kaiser and I am a 42-year-old wife and mother to 3 teenagers. We currently reside in Tucson, AZ, but have lived in various places all over the country. I am a former Navy Nurse and currently homeschool all […]
Last week we looked at the last third of Lamentations 3 and some general takeaways for those of us in chronic illness: staying faithful to God and trusting in Him during a trial. This last week of our study I want to park on the big theme of the whole chapter and the book: waiting […]
The Valley