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More on Memorizing Scripture

You may remember that I wrote a post previously on memorization back in January, which you may read here if you need a quick refresher. Over the past few months, as I’ve continued with my goal of memorizing the book of Colossians, I’ve stumbled over a few more thoughts that I would love to share with you. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying dedicating time to memorizing this year, something that I’ve never made a priority before. Lately I’ve been researching just how memorizing is scientifically beneficial for you, but I’ve not compiled enough on that yet to share in this post. After more study, I would love to share what I learn! In the meantime, I’ve been learning things through my personal experience in memorizing that I think are interesting observations. These are things that I did not notice earlier this year when I began to memorize Colossians and wrote my initial post, but are some insights that I’ve paid attention to as I’ve continued with this goal. Insights on Memorization Fir
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Three Examples for the Barren

The Bible does not address infertile women directly; rather, as we have seen, there are general truths that apply to any believer in any hardship. But there are examples of would-be parents scattered throughout the Bible’s pages, and from these beautiful women of faith, we can learn much of how to respond to the difficulty of childlessness. I encourage you to spend time this week reading these passages from God’s Word and considering these lessons. 1. Hannah: A Prayer with Pure Motives  (1 Samuel 1-2) Of all the examples of infertility, Hannah stands out with godliness at every turn. Like us, Hannah received no promise or prophecy of a child, and thus had no room to assume that God would provide her a child. Let’s learn what we can from her. Hannah had a hard life; whatever the social stigma of barrenness, she had a deeper thorn in her flesh than that. In her own home, where many can hope to find comfort, Hannah received provocation, irritation, and affliction from her husband’s other

Three Exhortations for the Barren

There is no question about it: the woman that is struggling with infertility is a woman in waiting . She waits for the foreshadowing symptoms of pregnancy. She waits for answers to her many medical questions. She waits for many things, but there is something beautiful in the waiting that God has designed for her; I pray that she would not miss it. Wasting the Wait “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 Many Biblical characters were grown into great men and women of faith through their waiting experiences: Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist, Paul, and many others stand out as those who waited in the wilderness. If you are in your own kind of fertility wilderness, God has led you here to grow your faith in Him; that is a fact. The problem is not with God—it is with us; if we are focused on ourselves, we will

Three Truths for the Barren

Infertility. The silent, lonely struggle. You want to know that someone else has been where you are. That someone has felt the pain, has experienced the miscarriage of hope over and over again; and yet, you also want to know that they have survived it. In looking for answers, you read articles that provoke more questions. All you want is a taste of hope, some assurance that this waiting will end someday.  My friend, it is a hard time. But I’ve come to learn that you cannot hang your hope on a someday baby. You cannot wait to live your life until you’ve added “mom” to your resumé. You cannot allow children to dethrone God within your heart. For you and for me, dear woman, there are three rock-solid truths that we can count on. No matter what else happens in life, these things will never change. 1. God is Sovereign “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21 It is not an acc

Spreading the Gospel through a Facemask

"I hate this," Mr. J complained, strapping on his red facemask and reaching for the disposable gloves. I looked to him, concerned. It is out of the ordinary for him to complain at all, at least openly. "What do you mean?" I prodded gently, not quite sure to what he was referring. "All of this," he continued irritably. "The masks, the gloves, the distancing.... This is no way for kids to have fun at camp." I understood. All the missionaries felt the same way, but in order to have camp this season we had to carefully follow all the state recommendations for social gatherings. I wasn't sure what to say in response to his sudden exclamation. "Well," I began, "at least we can have some kind of camp, even if it looks a lot different from usual." "That's true, that's true," Mr. J agreed, nodding his head. "It's just so different. I don't know how we're going to reach any of these kids at all wit

How to Show Love as a Single Woman

To begin, let’s point out the obvious: There’s more to love than romance. While a healthy relationship between a man and a woman is certainly a beautiful and God-glorifying thing, some women are just never intended to experience this aspect of love. But even if you never do, there’s no reason why you can’t experience true love to the fullest extent as God intended you to know. God is the Author of love, and He shows love to us in so many different ways! First and foremost, He gave up His Son to die for us so that our sins may be forgiven, that our fellowship would be restored with Him. What’s more, He revealed Himself through His Word so that we can know just how much God loves us. He lovingly created us in His image, He deals with us in loving patience, He disciplines us because He loves us, He tells us to give Him all our cares because He cares for us… The list can go on and on! We cannot ever complain that “I am single, therefore I will never know what love is li

How to Expect the Best from your Husband for Valentine’s Day

Has your husband ever disappointed you? Oh, my dear friend, I know what a silly question that is. Well, how about this: How recently has it been since your husband last disappointed you? Well, not that long ago…. Unfortunately, I am too easily disappointed by the man to whom I gave my heart. Holidays like Valentine’s Day can be effective catalysts for feeling that our men have failed to do something for us… again. Why do we struggle with this sense that everything is not the way it should be? Selfishness In our flesh, that is, before we knew God and whenever we fail to rely on His Spirit, we are selfish. We really want to be loved, but we don’t want to put in the effort to love . Fellow wife, if you look at the advertisements and messages, Valentine’s Day is a test, set up to see if our husbands love us in a very generic, spoon-fed way. And we eat it up. And they often fail. Many marriages—even solid, Christian marriages!—are treated as a see-saw. One day,