Tag: redemption
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When You’re Up Against a Wall
“Thank you for seeing me at the wall.” A girl with a lemon-patterned wristlet whispered to me. She smiled at me as she made her way into the church sanctuary. She hadn’t been to a service in years and I was the first face to welcome her in the lobby. When I met her, she…
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Full-Circle Moments: God Wants to Redeem Your Story
Click here to read previous entries to this series. Redemption “He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’…
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Full-Circle Moments: God Wants to Refine Your Story
Click here to read previous entries to this series. The Refinement Process When I hear the word “refine,” I think of sea glass. My friend Ann uses sea glass in her artwork to depict the refinement process. With a history of alcoholism in the family, Ann was attentive to the chipped, sharp bottles left behind…
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Full-Circle Moments: God Wants You to Remember Your Story
Do you remember what your future plans were when you graduated high school? Maybe you wanted to get into your top-choice university. Maybe you wanted to take a year to travel the world. Or maybe you desired to enter the workforce or start a family. In my high school yearbook, we had a “future plans”…
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When Grief Turns into Joy
Two years ago, I created my first floral preservation projects. I referred to the process as “making my favorite flowers, my forever flowers.” The excitement and vision I had captivated me into pursuing this creative endeavor. I appreciated the delicately placed petals and every hour of baking, pressing, and air drying. After some time, I…
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From Weakness to Wholeness
“They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.” – Isaiah 61:4 (ESV) I live in New England, but I’m not a winter weather person. And if you know some of my story, I entered an incredibly difficult season…
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Victory in the Valley
I still remember that Sunday at church when I couldn’t stop crying. My good friend comforted and encouraged me, saying “you’ll see the other side of this. I promise.” I had some serious doubts about if and when that day would come. Full healing seemed so distant and out of reach. God had done it…
Consider the Joy 