Thanks for joining me today from my Encouragement for Today devotion "How Does Jesus Measure the Weight of a Woman's Words?"! If you're a woman who wants to make a difference in this crazy contentious time in which we're living, you're at the right place! This is a community of women who are cultivating tender hearts and strong voices. As I … [Read more...] about When Your Strong Voice Needs a Tender Heart
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Needed Hope in a Chaotic World
A couple of weeks ago, just when I thought I couldn't take another piece of terrible news, a devotion came across my desk that lifted my eyes and brightened my world. Every year, my coach-in-crime, Melanie Chitwood, runs a devotion contest for writers over at Next Step Coaching Services. This year our winner is Leslie McLeod, and I'm happy to … [Read more...] about Needed Hope in a Chaotic World
We Can Make an Impact
It's so exciting to make an impact with you! I've danced while watching the donations roll in for Designed for Joy, and I'm thankful for all of you who have already given to this wonderful cause. YOU, my friends, are making a real difference in the lives of real women. Just a reminder that the matching challenge I'm sponsoring with some friends … [Read more...] about We Can Make an Impact
Becoming a Woman of Reliable Truth
In my Encouragement for Today Devotion, "The Trouble with Touting Our Truths," I shared about Mona, a mentor that I could always count on to share God's reliable truth, not just her opinions. How I long to be a woman like Mona! I want to be a woman who others turn to when they need more than flimsy advice. I've learned that becoming that … [Read more...] about Becoming a Woman of Reliable Truth
An Opportunity to Join Me in Making a Real Difference
Today's the day! I've been working on a project that we can do together to use our tender hearts and strong voices to make a real difference. In the last series of posts, I've been telling you all about Designed for Joy, a nonprofit in Raleigh. Designed For Joy is a transitional work experience for women emerging from trafficking, homelessness, … [Read more...] about An Opportunity to Join Me in Making a Real Difference
Four Ways to Powerfully Put Your Personalized Purpose to Work
"What do I do now?" It's the question that naturally follows once we've identified our purpose. Years ago, after a trip to India, that important question consumed me as my plane flew home, half way around the world. Scenes of abused women swirled through my mind. I was plagued with thoughts of hopeless women in dire circumstances. The weird mix … [Read more...] about Four Ways to Powerfully Put Your Personalized Purpose to Work
How to Seek & Find Your Personalized Purpose
I'll go first... my personalized purpose often seems elusive. It's not always obvious, and sometimes it takes some seeking to find it. I've had seasons of life when I felt that I was simply surviving. I was doing well to change the next diaper, show up at work the next day, or give my people breakfast before they headed out the door. Life didn't … [Read more...] about How to Seek & Find Your Personalized Purpose
One Powerful Tool for Battling Your Overwhelm
It was inevitable that overwhelm would hit... and it did. For months, my Year of Impact group through Designed for Joy has been listening and learning. The first quarter we tackled racial equity. In the second quarter, we've been learning about poverty. These heart-breaking and complicated topics aren't for the weak. There's been lots of … [Read more...] about One Powerful Tool for Battling Your Overwhelm
How to Lose Inappropriate Expectations and Gain Joy
Inappropriate expectations--both others' and our own-- are a drain on our joy that we have to lose. It's too easy to get in a cycle of saying "yes" and thinking that we have to fill every need. If we stay on that hamster-wheel, though, we'll ultimately end up running-on-empty. But there's hope and another way! We can experience "The Big Win of … [Read more...] about How to Lose Inappropriate Expectations and Gain Joy
When You Know It’s Time for Silence
Suddenly, I knew it was time to stop. God pronounced a season of silence, and I was relieved to obey His prompting. My words had begun to feel like a weight; the more I spoke the less I heard God's voice. When I sensed that God was giving me a blogging and social media break, I gulped the opportunity like a woman dying of thirst. I removed … [Read more...] about When You Know It’s Time for Silence
Giveaway & a Safe Place for Wives
Friends... I've been holding on to a secret for so long that I'm about to bust. I promise to make it official as soon as I have a contract in my hot little hands. Here are some hints: It's a writing project in a new genre. (I'm up to my ears in writing, so I'm going to do a few fun posts here until I can breath again.)It's about a woman who … [Read more...] about Giveaway & a Safe Place for Wives
Partnerships for Speaking Up
God made us for community, and He will give us partnerships for speaking up if we'll ask and watch. I'm incredibly thankful for the partnerships that He's brought to me over the years for writing, coaching, and ministry. In this new season, He's surrounding me with the comfort of community in the hard place of speaking up. If you missed the … [Read more...] about Partnerships for Speaking Up
You Are God-Approved
It's easy to let comparisons make us doubt that we're God-approved. I was especially unsure in college, a season I wrote about in today's Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion, "What Kind of Woman Does God Approve Of?" Monday was International Women's Day, and I want to pause to celebrate YOU here no matter what "kind" of woman you are-- no matter … [Read more...] about You Are God-Approved
Boundaries for Speaking Up
Speaking up where we've been called to be an advocate can be hard, and it can be filled with land mines-- emotions, disagreements, and personal failures. I know I've experienced those, and that's why boundaries are so important. In this video, I tell about two personal failures that I've experienced recently and the boundaries that I'm … [Read more...] about Boundaries for Speaking Up
Preparation for Speaking Up
Why does the best learning have to come from the worst failures? Tune in today to hear why I hate this speak-up-journey and the lessons I'm learning because of all my mistakes. (I don't really hate the journey. I just hate all the painful failures!) If you're subscriber, go to the website to watch my short videos. This week I talked about … [Read more...] about Preparation for Speaking Up
