Soft Heart, Thick Skin

carrie erikson communicate your feelings forgive easily let jesus be the center psalms 55:12-14 soft heart thick skin women of faith ambassador May 27, 2019

Soft Heart, Thick Skin. There I was standing on the playground, underneath the monkey bars, 10 years old, two long braids hanging down my back. This image is burned into my brain as one of the very first times my feelings were truly hurt.

I was standing there with two other girls waiting to find out which one of us would be chosen to be the girlfriend of the new boy in school. Needless to say, I wasn’t chosen that day. I walked away feeling hurt and embarrassed. Twenty-eight years later I could look back at that little girl and tell her it doesn’t matter in the long run, I could tell her that same boy would be her first kiss and once again break her heart 5 years later. I could tell her she would meet the man of her dreams in just a few short years and none of this would matter for her future. I could tell her all those things, but it wouldn’t ease her pain.

This was the moment that something shifted in me, it was the beginning of learning...

Patience: The Glory in Waiting

patience romans 5:3–5 sisters in faith devotional bible the glory in waiting May 26, 2019

Patience: The Glory in Waiting. “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Romans 5:3–5

In our microwave, instant-messaging, drive-through-window, cell-phone world, one thing many of us are not great at is patience. More succinctly: we hate to wait. Yet in reality, many hurry up to wait. We want what we want and we want it yesterday!

When going through tribulations, we naturally want our trials to quickly be over and done. But let us learn to go through whatever’s before us (the good and bad) with joy, knowing that what the enemy may have intended for evil, God can and will use it for our good. Glory in the wait with the knowledge that, in the end, something good will come.

Practical Application

Troubles, problems,...

Change is inevitable, Growth is Intentional. Embrace the New Wine in Jesus.

2 corinthians 5:17 change is inevitable embrace the new wine in jesus. growth is intentional jesus christ laura pedersen matthew 9:14-17 May 22, 2019

As a child, did you have a favorite blanket? Or, maybe you had a child that had a favorite blanket? A blanket that was needed to sleep or assist with anxiety. A blanket that if left somewhere, would cause great turmoil.

As adults, I believe the past becomes that comfortable blanket we had as a child. The past is what we cling to because it provides us comfort. The past is the secure and known.

The future on the other hand can cause anxiety and stress. The unknown of the future makes us feel insecure and scared.

In Matthew 9:14-17, Jesus is defending his disciples when he is questioned about fasting, but it goes even deeper regarding putting new wine into old wineskins. In verse 17, Jesus says “and no one puts new wine into old wine skins.”

The same is true for Christianity. Light and darkness cannot mix. Once we are saved, we can’t keep living the same way before we were saved. After we accept Christ, we are made new.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore...

It’s Not About ME! It’s About Experiencing Peace – A Fruit of the Spirit.

a fruit of the spirit christina lyons god it’s about experiencing peace it’s not about me! jeremiah 29:11 john 21 women of faith ambassadors May 21, 2019

A Reminder:

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a virtual dementia demonstration. I went expecting that I would learn something about my mom’s behavior that could benefit me as a caregiver, but instead I learned far more about how I could change my own expectations and behaviors.

For example, did you know that people with dementia and Alzheimer’s can only process one thing at a time. What happens if that task becomes interrupted?

As caregivers we should communicate in seven words or less. We need to slow down, be compassionate and help them be successful.

As in most things in life, it’s not going to do any good to yell or get frustrated. It is up to us to change the story, because all we can do is change our level of understanding. Listen and look at it in a different way.

All good advice for life, don't you think?

This awful disease and the way it effects our family is not about me!

My natural instinct. I want to stamp my feet and scream “It’s...

Women of Faith Show: Today’s Guest – Breakthrough Movie Producer Devon Franklin

alita reynolds author breakthrough movie devon franklin foundational voice and host movie producer new york times best selling author pastor women of faith women of faith show May 17, 2019

Women of Faith Show: Today’s Guest –

Breakthrough Movie Producer Devon Franklin

Today Women of Faith Foundational Voice and Host Alita Reynolds interviews Movie Producer, New York Times best selling author and Pastor Devon Franklin.

New Wine

god jill miller luke 5:37 new wine the law of process voice with women of faith women of faith ambassador May 16, 2019

New Wine

The Law of Process says that leadership develops daily, not in a day. This truth is sometimes hard for us to swallow because we are accustomed to instant gratification in our everyday lives. We eat fast food, we have instant answers to questions with our friend Siri, and we can shop at the click of a button. Bottom line, our modern-day culture has made us expect instant results and a quick, easy fix to our problems.

Most of us assume growth will happen that way as well, instantly. But, unfortunately, that isn’t how life works. True, lasting, kingdom change happens over time. It’s a process, a process that involves patience, as well as a willingness to let go of the old so we can embrace the new.

Jesus taught on this idea in Luke 5:37: “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins.”

If you’re familiar with making wine, when the grapes go through the chemical...

What Are You Wearing?

bible carrie erikson faithfulness god goodness isa 61:3 kindness mercy city church voice with women of faith what are you wearing? women of faith ambassador May 15, 2019

What Are You Wearing?

Monday mornings are notorious for slow starts. At least they are at my house. This week was no different. Matt and I had an amazing plan to get up early and go to the gym. I set our alarm for 5:00 with no intention of snoozing…for me this is a hard choice I have to make the night before. I love the snooze button.

Morning comes and the alarm begins to blare on my table and I make the first mistake. I hit the snooze. Then I do it again and again and again until it is 6:30 and time to actually get up to wake up the kids. Fail.

This morning however was a little different. I began to have a strange dream in the midst of my snoozing. I felt very heavy in my body and I couldn’t think clearly. In my dream I couldn’t get up, I continued to sleep until it was after 10:00. I didn’t care that the kids had school, It didn’t matter to me that the dog hadn’t been taken out. In my dream...

Can You Imagine?

fear god good cheer happy song happy songs heartfelt gratitude indwelling presence jesus lifetime marilyn meberg nashville tennessee overcomer realization robe savior singing a song victory May 14, 2019

Can You Imagine?

“Cheer up, don’t be afraid. For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will give you victory. He will rejoice over you in great gladness; he will love you and not accuse you.” Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.” — Zephaniah 3:16–18

Can you imagine that God’s delight in us is so genuine, so spontaneous, so spirited that he exults over us by singing happy songs? Can you imagine that he not only lives among us (within us) and promises to give us victory, but also that he rejoices over us in great gladness? Who in your lifetime—past, present, or future—has ever been or will ever be so utterly in love with you?

Only God! Plain, simple, profound. That realization is enough to cause me to look up, up, up, and topple over with cheer-inducing, heartfelt gratitude. It’s wonderful to know that no matter what or whom I meet on...

Finding Your Authentic Self in the Face of Devastation

finding your authentic self in the face of devastation May 13, 2019

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Several of you have asked about my adventures in calving during the past couple of weeks. I still have four cows that are holding out for better weather or a really inconvenient day, I suppose.

Klinger, a little bull calf that has worn a hat and a coat, has tried to die on several occasions. My brother said “Well, it’s Klinger. He’s looking for a section eight.” He spent some time at the vet clinic and has had the best care that a calf could have during the first three weeks of life. I am happy to report that just yesterday he started running away from me so he must have decided to live. I guess he is tired of all the shots and manhandling.

It also occurred to me yesterday that we are incredibly blessed.

My heart aches for the people that have been affected by the flooding and the blizzard across our state during the last weeks. The images that have been posted included loss of life, devastation of property and the unbelievable amount of snow, ice and...

Your Harvest is Waiting

bible christians god lamentations 3:23 luke 10:2 matthew 9:38 women of faith your harvest is waiting May 10, 2019

Your Harvest is Waiting

Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Luke 10:2

Have you ever wondered, “What am I called to do?” Many individuals spend so much time wondering and waiting for God to drop their destiny out of the sky. While we sit around waiting for something to do we are missing out on doing what is right before us to do.

Have you gotten tired from working so hard? Do you ever feel like your labor has no reward? Are you tempted to quit RIGHT NOW? If so, we have an encouraging word for you today.

We love how the Bible makes things so clear. In Matthew 9:38, Jesus does not say that there is a lack of Christians, a lack of need, a lack of projects, a lack of opportunities, a lack of commentators, or a lack of superstars. He tells us that there is simply a lack of laborers.

The harvest is plentiful right where you are....

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