While I Rise

Trusting God is the hardest lesson to learn but the most crucial.

To trust God is to trust His timing. To trust God is to trust His way.

It’s remembering that God loves us too much to answer our prayers at any other time than the right time and in any other way than the right way.

This doesn’t change the fact that we want all of our pain to go away. We want happy. We want normal. We want easy.

At least, that’s what I have wanted over the course of my life. Because that’s all I can conceive of as a good plan.

But God sees things we can’t see. He knows things we don’t know. Only God knows what the good plan is and what it will take to get us there. And most of all He knows, if we saw the full road ahead, we would stop about halfway through and never choose to continue with His plan. We would think the cost is too high, the path too scary, the way too daunting, and the enemy too frightening.

No human is strong enough to withstand seeing too much of God’s plan in advance. It must be revealed daily. We must be led to it and through it slowly. And Jesus is the perfect One to show us the way, the truth, and the life.

Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus… choose to believe that God’s plans really are the best plans… and remind these fragile, human hearts of ours that we can trust Him at all times.

-Lysa TerKeurst

I see it every day- too much fanfare and success leads to overconfidence and invincibility on the quick climb to the top. This is where so many people go out in a long, hard and public fall.

So, I will relish in the struggle, the constant hustle, and the many mini downfalls that keep me humble as I climb to my top.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." (Proverbs 1:7)

"Miracles are not always visible to the naked eye, but those who live by faith can see them clearly. Living by faith, rather than sight, enables you to see My Glory." ~Dear Jesus by Sarah Young, p. 24

I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O LORD my God.~Psalm 38:15

♥️♥️♥️

It may look nothing like you expected. You may feel inadequate on the way, but God will always lead you where He knows is best for you. And He will always equip you for where He is leading you. You just have to be faithful every step of the way.

Relax Mom, God is way ahead of us this school year! Snapping back-to-school pictures this year was bittersweet- my daughters with their half smiles, in pajamas, sitting at newly furnished desks in their rooms. In this happy annual moment, I feel a sense of loss, unease and uncertainty. This year, our kids will not experience back-to-school shopping,....

Need to share♥️ so true

To silence the other voices in your head all day,
You need God’s Word in your heart at the beginning of your day.

His Word that holds you close and whispers:
“I’ve never quit loving you and never will.
Expect love, love & more love!
I will strengthen you.
I will take you by the hand & guide you.
I’ll never let you down, never walk off & leave you.
I am with you, ready to help.
Live fearless — Who or what can get past Me to get to you?
I promise, every detail in your life of love for Me, will be worked into something good"
(Jeremiah31:3MSG, 1Peter2:9, Ephesians3:14, John16:12, Hebrews13:5, Romans8:28)

Quiet all the other voices around you — and listen to God's Word about you...
*Never* let the noise of the world around you,
drown out *God’s Word* about you.



[ this graphic’s free to download & print here: http://bit.ly/StickyNotesForYourSoul ]

Sometimes your inexperience is exactly why God called you. Before I was about to sign the book deal for my Bible studies, I looked my acquisitios editor in the eye and asked,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“Why me? I don’t have letters after my name. I haven’t gone to seminary (yet!!)...I’m just a mom. All I am is a girl who loves to study the Bible. I’m a nobody, with no authority.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And you know what she said?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“We WANT you for exactly those reasons. We want you because you ARE just a normal girl— a mom. We love you because you DON’T have all the degrees. You are just an every-day-woman who shows the rest of us every-day-women that all you need is to say Yes and sit down with your Bible. You are proof that we are all able.”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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So whatever it is, do it. Not qualified? Not experienced? Perfect. Then you’re the perfect example to the rest of us that God can use us all.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

I've blessed you with loved ones who ultimately belong to Me Experiencing the loss of a parent, child, or spouse is one of the greatest fears we all have. Two years ago, I lost my best friend since high school. We walked together at graduation; we were each other’s maid of honor; and she was the godmother to both of my girls. I was devastated, and needed to...

Monday mindset is all about "transformation"

Fairy godmothers grant wishes, God grants transformation Feeling the nearness of God is often tied to the blessings we experience in our lives. When things are going well, we feel God is close, watching over us, blessing our lives. When we feel incomplete, helpless or frustrated with our circumstances, we feel God has forgotten us, or teaching a lesson we...

Love this

Happy Friday🙂

Are you a goal digger? I am a "goal digger." Affectionately coined by podcaster Jenna Kutcher, a goal digger is a person who desires wealth in all areas of life. While financial wealth is nice, at this point in my life I prefer the wealth of personal achievement. It's so satisfying to make plans, set goals, achieve and re...

Living collaboratively with our Creator We all know working collaboratively and teaming well with colleagues leads to better results and promotion. Similarly, living collaboratively with our Creator leads to prosperity, peace and contentment. Collaboration is a partnership to create something. It’s a process of give and take, listening ...

The special calling of "firefighter wife" On, on, off, off, on, on, off, off. If you are the wife of a fireman, your entire life revolves around these two little words, meaning “on” shift or “off” shift. Our vacations, social life, meal planning, hobbies, exercise time, work travel and potential career opportunities all revolve arou...

Searching for step one? Start with Dear Jesus... Do you ever find yourself in a situation where you don’t know where to start? Maybe you are overwhelmed with options, need to solve a problem, staring at a blank sheet of paper, or have to build something from scratch. As an executive leader, I find myself in this situation many times throughout t...

Great message!

Sometimes I feel like hiding because of overwhelm or anxiety or depression. Sometimes I want to hide because I feel insignificant and inadequate. And then SOMETIMES I want to hide because I know my calling is big...bigger than I can handle. Bigger than I can accomplish on my own and it feels scary.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And that, sweet friends? THAT is where the Lord opens hearts and doors. It’s in THIS type of wanting-to-hide where we remember that God is in charge of it all—of our stories, our impact, and our Yesses.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Because you know what?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Read that again.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Read it out loud.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And you know those well-meaning people that tell you how “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle”? Don’t listen to them. That’s not Truth. Friends...THIS IS NOT IN THE BIBLE, nor is it even a Biblical concept.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Of COURSE God will give us more than we can handle, He’s GOD! If we could do everything by our own talent, gifting, sweat, or grit...WHY would we EVER think we NEED Him?!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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So STOP hiding. You know who you are. If you’re wondering if this is for you and your heart is skipping a beat then YES, friend. God is giving you this message today:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Step Out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Say Yes.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Stop Hiding.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Tag a friend or two who might need the reminder, too. 💕

Do you find your prayer life growing stale sometimes? Do you forget what you’ve prayed about in the past? Does prayer feel like a daily task to mark off your list? Is it filled with anticipation, worship and awe or obligation and indifference?

This was me. Wondering all of these questions, I knew I needed a change of heart. I needed a fresh perspective on prayer to get back to the purpose of meeting with God.

When I started Bible journaling, it revived my prayer life, and it helped me find the devotion, alertness and thankfulness Colossians 4:2 speaks about: “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”

Prayer is our breath, our words, our actions, our listening ear. It’s also the stroke of a pen and the vibrant colors we use to describe and worship God. What a joy to be in awe of God in the midst of creativity.

Prayer is all about connection with God. It’s engaging with the Creator of the Universe, and sometimes it’s done with artful expression. My stale prayer life radically changed as I used creativity to express and capture my moments with God.

-Amber Bolton (Inspire Bible)

What is one thing you can do today to strengthen your prayer life? Let us know in the comments.

Being married to a fireman gets lonely, especially during this pandemic. I love Firefighter Wife and all the resources and inspiration they provide.

Marriage Resources are available for marriages of all stages. Take a look!.

Check them out at FirefighterWife.com/Marriage

Love this! I'm thankful for so many missed or lost career opportunities to get to where I am now♥️🙏

I couldn't sign up fast enough! Great group of presenters and a perfect way to spend a Saturday in semi-quarantine... Focused on my personal growth ♥️

This is not your normal women's conference.... Get inspired and equipped to affect enduring change that will not fade when all the media hype dies down. Hear from experts and thought leaders on how to own your role in changing the world effectively, no matter where you’ve been positioned. 

Love the wise words of Patsy Clairmont♥️

When we meditate on truth and ask the Lord to expand our understanding, He will. It’s that simple, it’s that profound.

Don't get concerned... get creative Have you ever felt like you hit a wall, and you aren't sure how to get around or over it? You can only stare at the wall in a cloud of anxiety and confusion. How does this happen? Maybe it is the relentless negative media, mental exhaustion, or that every facet of 2020 seems to be another test to pa...

Check out the new look on www.whileirise.com! With new inspirational content for women who crave confidence, contentment and closeness with Christ ♥️💐

2020 is a year of growth for us all Bring it on 2020- this is our year of growth! And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight... Philippians 1:9 Dear Heavenly Father, help me gain the courage to grow this year. I know You are preparing me for something great through this time of gro...

Anxiously waiting for what's next During seasons of anxious waiting, trust and tune into how God is preparing you for the next opportunity. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:4 Dear Heavenly Father, help me see personal trials and seasons of anxious waiting as prepa...

It is the Lord who goes before you (Deuteronomy 31:8) He is standing before us on this "back-to-school" journey with a plan to prepare us for the goodness that lies ahead. He will journey with our children as they adapt to a new way of learning and connecting with their peers. I choose to focus on the positives!

We will all learn to be more gracious and patient.

Our kids will connect with their peers regardless of how they dress, look, or the crowd they belong to.

They will read, write and learn to self-direct to achieve deadlines and goals.

They will learn to enhance this virtual world to connect globally and to new career possibilities.

They will improve our environmental footprint.

AND SO MUCH MORE! Choose to see God's goodness!

Feeling the nearness of God The physical feeling of God's nearness. I will give thanks to you, Lord with all my heart, I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2 Dear Heavenly Father, we are blessed to experience your nearness, in t...

Mindset Monday...

Receiving this week with open arms Choose a receiving mindset this week. So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 Dear Heavenly Father, help me maintain a receivi...

The Beatitudes for working women In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He preached that we do not conform to the pattern of this world, but conform to the traits that contradict the ways of the world through the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). I have summed up the Beatitudes in a few words you can apply to your life as a Christian working ...