The Truly Co

📢 Calling all writers and creatives who want to spread some love, encouragement, and Gospel-centered truth in this world 📢
Twice a year, we have opportunities to invite writers (and creatives) to meet the Truly team, hear about what’s coming up, and dream up content for future issues... we’ve got one coming up SOON!
We’re hosting an online content meeting on Thursday, August 1st, to explain the process of submitting articles for possible publication. Please note this meeting will be geared toward writers but will touch on the creative process.
If you’ve been following us and want to share your gifts, this is an excellent opportunity to learn more and find out how to jump in. Learn more about the meeting at the link in our bio.

A few other meeting bonuses:
• Meet new friends and connections who have similar passions.
• Get an inside peek at our team and what goes on behind the scenes of each issue.
• Find out what we’re looking for in our publications so you feel confident in submitting your work.
• Pray for God to lead and direct each contributor and future readers. Seriously, we’ve seen firsthand how God moves when we pray 🙌🏼.
If this makes your heart beat a little faster with excitement, you need to attend! Register for the meeting via the link in our profile.

Would you encourage the writers in your life by sharing this post with them and giving them a tag below? You never know how a little nudge can make a difference to someone🥰.

🌟 “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” —James 1:21 🌟

For over twenty years, I wandered in a wilderness, away from God’s truth. Like Little Red Riding Hood, I was led off my path by the allure of culture, self-love, and New Age mysticism. I trusted those who seemed to want the best for me, but they were “false prophets” in disguise (Matthew 7:15).

In the forest of confusion, I jumped from one self-help trend to another, seeking truth but only finding darkness. My relationship with Jesus was distorted by lies. Anxiety and fear gripped me until God, in His infinite wisdom, dropped breadcrumbs on my path, leading me back to His Word and His truth.

God rescued me from the wolves of deception and set me on the narrow path to life (Matthew 7:13-14). Now, I strive to abide in His love, putting away wickedness and receiving His Word with meekness (James 1:21).

True freedom lies in living as God created us, in His image. In a world full of distractions, let us focus on Jesus, the source of lasting peace. ✨

Read the full post from Tera Balog, PhD ,, at thetrulyco.com.

Follow for more gospel-centered encouragement 🤍

Save for a reminder that He is always there. He sees it all. You’re never forgotten, sister!

When you’re overwhelmed with the unknown, He is with you 🤍

What’s your go-to scripture to read or pray when you feel anxious?

Have you ever poured your heart out to someone while you’re in pain only to have them dismiss your anguish? Not fun. Emotional rejection from trusted people can be deeply wounding.

Job was a man who experienced profound loss, and his well-intentioned friends tried to speak on God’s behalf about why he suffered. They were certain they spoke wisdom about how God operates, but they were badly mistaken.

In response to their foolish words, the Lord said, “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” (Job 42:7)

Job needed comfort, not critique. Even well-intended words about God will be held accountable. Ouch. And maybe even a little scary.

May this be a call to sharpen our ear to God’s voice as we move past the “aesthetics” of picture-perfect personal devotionals that are so prevalent in this online space. Grief is messy. Real-life faith is messy. We all know that the Church is messy. But it can also be a place of beauty and healing when it’s functioning as it should.

In humility we can seek the Lord in prayer and wrestle through scripture with one another to uncover the heart of God. Let’s seek and speak truth together. Amen? 🙏🏼

PS. If you’re going through pain, just know that God is with you. He hears your cries, and he won’t run away.🤍

PSS. If you need prayer today, drop a heart in the comments and we’d love to pray for you!

If you’re feeling stuck with no clear path forward or feel like you aren’t progressing the way you’d like...

Be encouraged that there is beauty in the process–– it’s faithful grit and determination to learn to trust as you lean on Jesus.

Give it time. The process is hard, yes, but it’s the process that brings depth, transformation, and lasting change. Beauty is in the process.

He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6.

Who else is determined to choose to trust in God’s timing? 🤍✨

Keep contending for the gospel. Rejoice in the Lord always. Let your graciousness be known to everyone— the Lord is near! Bring everything to the Lord in prayer.

The peace of God guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Whatever is true.
Whatever is honorable.
Whatever is just.
Whatever is pure.
Whatever is lovely.
Whatever is commendable.
Whatever is excellent.
Whatever is praiseworthy.
Dwell on these things, sisters 🤍.

What’s a lovely thing you’re focusing on right now?

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!! 📣 Truly Magazine’s Depth issue releases in a few short weeks! We thought you might like a little peek 👀😍

What’s the issue like? Key features include:
Beautiful design and layout
Original artwork and photography from our Truly community
Bible reading strategies
Articles incorporating Old Testament precepts into everyday living
Resources that encourage connection over consumption
Prayer and poetry

AND, subscribers get a bonus, custom-designed vinyl sticker 🤩. If you haven’t subscribed yet, now’s the perfect time!

We’ll be sharing more fun announcements soon!

Do you wonder how to discern his voice from others’ ideas—or even your own thoughts?

Conversation fuels connection and intimacy. Just as we engage in deep talks with loved ones, God invites us into conversation with Him.

Today’s featured article gives us a simple framework to help us connect with God. Remember the acronym PARLOR, a place where guests are welcomed and enjoyed through conversation.

🙏 Pause: Still your heart and turn your attention to the Almighty.

💬 Ask: Be specific in your requests, making it easier to discern His answers.

📖 Read: Dive into His Word. The Bible reveals His heart and character, helping us recognize His voice.

👀 Look out: Expect God to speak through circumstances, friends, dreams, and the Holy Spirit. Test everything against His truth.

👂 Obey: Step out in faith, trusting and obeying His guidance. Sometimes silence comes from not following His last instruction.

♻️ Repeat: Keep the conversation going daily. Confess, seek, praise, and listen—God desires a relationship with you.

Read more of ‘s article at thetrulyco.com

Have you felt discouraged lately? You aren’t alone. Swipe to see the exact moment I was praying for YOU on a cold afternoon walk in MN🙏🏼.

I sent this note in an email this week, but I think it applies to all of us. So, I’m sharing it here, too. Read on if you’re curious ✨

This week has been one of those weeks where I’ve felt paralyzed because of overwhelm. My to-do list keeps growing regardless of how many check marks and highlights I strike across my notebook. You might know that feeling, too.

It’s funny how the hard weeks often coincide with other opportunities to share my faith. Between regular work tasks, my seminary homework, walking with friends through challenging situations, and being present for my family, I put aside my “should-do” list and paused.

I closed my laptop, went outside for a walk, and as the sun warmed my face, I prayed.

Lord, help! I don’t have words to fix anything I’m walking through. These trials aren’t subsiding. What value can my voice bring to the chaos around me?

And God replied, “The trials won’t disappear, but you can ask me for boldness to speak in the midst of them.”

Friends, these trials ARE our testimonies. I don’t know what you are faced with this week, but this is no time to give up. As you work on articles for Truly’s submission openings, I pray for boldness. Why? Your voice can give others the courage to persevere in their own circumstances. Your words might be a bridge to someone else’s freedom.

Today, I want to remind you that you are uniquely positioned to articulate what God has placed on your heart. Your voice matters. If you are discouraged, don’t give up!

I will continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you as you courageously steward your voice through your writing. I can’t wait to read your submission!

Blessings,

Lindsay

Publisher & Founder

PS: The submission deadline is Thursday, February 29.

If you aren’t sure what to include in your article submission, don’t miss this! Register for our FREE content call next week!

We have also included a few details here for you. Register for the content call and download our content guide for all the submission intel.

What are your favorite kinds of articles to read in literary magazines? Tell us! You may just inspire something new for the future!

Ps. Sign up for the content call and you’ll get all the submission info sent to your inbox, too!!

Faith is a lot like sand on a beach—moving, shifting, and even briefly disappearing—before it slowly begins to come into view again.

As I get older, I am desperate for more tangible proof that what I have believed my whole life is real, begging for manna to appear on the ground or water pouring forth from a rock. I wake every morning to barren ground outside, yet there is still this draw to believe.

There is something about the way the sun rises every morning and never fails to set. The teachings of Jesus—humility, kindness, forgiveness, and striving to love others well—just make sense in a world of so much destruction and despair.

Trusting in something as daunting as an unknown future is no small feat. But the history and evidence of God’s faithfulness amid the unknown settles any rising fear. Faith shifts as seasons change, but his voice breaks through the fog with a simple Trust me. And I am finding that for now, that is enough.

Read Samantha Branch’s () story of trusting God in unsettling seasons at thetrulyco.com.

Follow for more gospel-centered encouragement.

Interested in writing for Truly magazine? Our submission season is currently OPEN through Feb 29.

Our beautifully-designed publication serves as a resource that looks great on your coffee table, filled with words of truth and encouragement to strengthen your faith.

Submission info is available on our site! Tag someone who you think should submit an article!

# propelwomen

We live in a fast-paced, on-the-go kind of world. Busyness and rules can lock us into routines and behavior patterns in which we don’t have time for rest, quality time with friends and family, time outside in nature, or simply time away from the noise.

The hustle and bustle of life and the transitioning of seasons can have tremendous effects on our mental well-being.

Approximately one in four people in the world suffer from mental health problems each year. All of this, coupled with the changing of seasons, can create a perfect storm for depression.

While we have come a long way in openly discussing mental health challenges, we still have so much to learn, especially in the church and faith community.

As believers, we can struggle with depression and seasonal affective disorder, even when our faith is deeply rooted in Christ. These issues are not necessarily due to a lack of faith, as some might assume.

Too often, Christians are filled with shame and guilt when it comes to admitting a struggle with depression or anxiety. Those feelings are not from God; our enemy tries to use those thoughts to keep us trapped in darkness. God wants us to cry out to Him from the darkness.

Read the full article from at thetrulyco.com.

How should we view aging from a biblical perspective? A biblical view of aging is worth pondering in any season, young or old, displaced or not. The essential foundation for our thoughts is that as we reflect on getting older if we seek first the things of God, he will provide perspective.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). Jesus knows that we worry about how we look, how to provide for ourselves, and how we struggle in vain to add another hour to our lives. We can trust him because he sees the bigger perspective, no matter what culture we claim.

Read the article from Dawn Davidson on thetrulyco.com.

Sometimes this is a tough one to internalize. Seasons of waiting can feel incredibly painful and leave us with questions. If you’re in a painful waiting season, we think has some encouragement for you.

“For the last four and a half years, I have found myself in a strange season—a season of waiting. We lost our first child to miscarriage and have yet to conceive another. Waiting can be so hard, especially after the loss of a child and all the hopes and dreams that come with it. As I’ve waited, I’ve learned there is something beautiful and valuable about a waiting season: who you become in the process of waiting.

It hasn’t always been easy to wait, especially when I watch other people receive the gift for which I’ve been waiting. I have watched month after month and year after year as women all around me have babies—coworkers, close friends, strangers, and even four of my siblings. Sometimes it feels like God has chosen everyone but me to be a mother. I have felt rejected, unnoticed, and passed over. I have felt broken, as if my body fails me again and again.

Through it all, God has taught me that his promises are true, and he has abundance for each of his children. Even when others receive the very thing we desire, they haven’t stolen a blessing from us.”

Continue reading Carissa’s article at thetrulyco.com.

Whether your waiting involves a baby, a spouse, a job, a book deal, or other opportunity, remember that you are not forgotten. You are seen and loved by the God who holds all things together.

Time spent waiting is not wasted, amen?! 🤍

How do we worship? What makes worship acceptable in God's eyes? Here's a mini-study! The first time we see what God asks of his people is in Deuteronomy 10:12-13:

Moses says, "And now, o Israel, what does YHWH your God ask of you?"

The Answer: "To fear YHWH your God; to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your being, and to keep the commands and ordinances of YHWH that I am commanding you today for your own good."

Five things to remember (one for each finger!)
Fear Him.
Walk in His ways.
Love Him (loyalty).
Serve Him.
Keep his commands and ordinances.

True worship is a response to understanding what God has done for you. We don't just worship by singing a song on a Sunday morning. Worship is offered in the midst of your daily life. God is with you now and forever! What does it all start with? Our attitudes. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.

Save this post to refer back to it later 🤍

Times of transition can feel exhausting and overwhelming. How do we keep our focus and trust in God when we're in over our heads? Read and save for encouraging reminders 👇🏼.

"During one particularly hard transition, I moved across the state, changed jobs (as did my husband), processed my mother's cancer diagnosis, and became a mother myself—all within a span of a few months.

I didn't have a morning routine (or know which packing box held my favorite coffee mug). I didn't know how to measure my daily "success" as a work-from-home mom. I struggled with how to care for my mother when she had always selflessly cared for me.

I doubted the goodness of God and struggled to understand how he could allow all these changes to happen all at once.

After months of anxiety and depression in this shifting season, a new mentor pointed me back to the firmness of God's Word. "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8).

Seasons will always change. Leaves turn to amber and fall to the ground. Blankets of snow melt away to green blades of grass. Summer indiscriminately fills the skies with blazing heat and strong thunderstorms.

Nothing about nature or our lives remains the same, yet "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). It is this "sure and steadfast anchor of the soul" (Hebrews 6:19) that keeps me grounded during seasons of change.

Instead of finding hope in a set schedule, predictable routines, or fixed circumstances, I can set my hope on the truths of God's Word.

God holds it all together so I can hold my life loosely."

Read the full article by Bethany Broderick at thetrulyco.com.

If you feel like you’re in a spiritual drought, we’ve got some encouragement for you 👇🏼

Here’s the good news: God can use us as his vessels even in a season of heaviness.

“One evening my husband and I went out to dinner for a date night. It was our first date in six months, and we needed it. We were walking through a difficult season of our marriage and were both experiencing a spiritual drought in our own right.

A series of events just a few weeks earlier left me wrecked and feeling like I was not enough for God and would never be enough for his kingdom. Needless to say, I wasn’t thinking about sharing the gospel, but wouldn’t you know, that is exactly what the Holy Spirit was prompting me to do.

I ignored his promptings until the end of our dinner, when my husband and I began asking our waitress about her life. A few questions in, I felt prompted to pray for her and asked if there was anything specific for which we could pray. She didn’t open up right away, but after a few more questions she began to cry, explaining that her mother had breast cancer and none of the treatments were working. Instead, she had stopped her treatments and had gone to Mexico to do a cleanse in hopes that natural remedies would cure her cancer.

My heart broke for our waitress as she shared her story, and my husband and I prayed for her on the spot. We prayed for peace for our waitress and healing for her mother in Jesus’s name. God used my husband and me as his vessels, even as we were in a season of heaviness—when it felt like all I had left to the fire of my faith were a few embers.”

Read the full article by on thetrulyco.com for tips on how to share your faith when you feel spiritually dry. (Link in our bio!)

Want to know what Jeremiah 29:11 is actually talking about? It’s more than a nice scripture we share on graduation cards or display in our homes. Traci Rhoades unpacks how God is with us even in our darkest days and how we see this in scripture.

Head over to take a read, and reflect on these questions for your own circumstances:

•How might God work this situation for good?

•What blessings are in my life right now?

•What steps can I take to show God I’m trusting him?

Are you in a situation where you're moving into the unknown? Times like these can be uncomfortable and scary.

We love this reminder from "If what God called us to was always easy or made perfect sense, we wouldn't need to put our full hope and trust in Him."

It's often the times of suffering, fear, and disappointment that builds intimacy. Read her article The Unknown: Stepping Into What's Ahead With a Heart Full of Faith in Truly magazine's Seasons issue.

Something fresh is coming in October! This issue explores the idea of flourishing. Have you ever considered what flourishing represents? Maybe you consider flourishing to be a status of successful living that can be seen from an outside perspective (um, hello, Instagram world). Or perhaps you picture a summertime garden, exquisitely yielding a harvest of blooms that showcases everything attractive to passersby.

But the truth is, flourishing has much more to do with the work that goes on behind the scenes than anything that can be seen from the surface.

If you feel like you're wilting in a drought season, remember that the Lord can see the blossoms you might not have the capacity to imagine at this moment. He sees the unseen. God's ways of causing his children to flourish are often the opposite of the world's. I can’t wait for you to read the stories from women in our community in this gorgeous issue!

I pray this next issue refreshes your soul. If you haven't subscribed to our community-driven magazine, I would love to encourage you to do that today!

Blessings,
Lindsay (), Founder & Publisher

Do you have a mentor in your life? Connecting with a woman who can challenge and speak into your life is a blessing. Finding someone to fill that role can also sometimes feel challenging.

We're featuring Sue Donaldson ( ) on Truly's blog today as she shares her mentorship journey and the blessings that have come from it. "I once heard someone say, "Ministry is spillage." We sit at Jesus's feet, and what he pours in, we pour out—spilling over, grace upon grace. I'm grateful for the women who took time to linger with Jesus, and then with me. It has made all the difference."

Read the full post on the blog. Also, we want to know who is a mentor in your life! Maybe it's someone you look up to on social media or a woman in your church! Tag her to let her know how valuable she is to you 🥰.

📷: .jwolf

Hey friends, if you're struggling with disappointment this week, we've got a new article that might encourage you!

"I hate to admit it, but I often find myself face-to-face with disappointment. Without realizing it, I create unreasonable expectations in almost every aspect of my life.

Even though I know I'm imperfect, I feel disappointed when I make mistakes. I have a supportive community and faithful friends, yet I experience disappointment in my relationships when I feel misunderstood. I'm married to a sweet, thoughtful, and funny man, but my marriage doesn't satisfy my every longing and desire.

When these feelings begin to creep in, I find myself thinking, There's got to be more than this.

For followers of Christ, this broken world is not our home. It's a glorious place where God's image bearers dwell, but it's also a dark place where the decay of sin and death run rampant.

Our culture tells us, "You only live once," and encourages us to live our "best life now." But the truth is that as followers of Jesus, our best life is still to come—in heaven.

God intends us to spend eternity with him in perfect glory—our forever home in heaven. The life we live now is our preseason game, our twice-a-day practice, our dress rehearsal. God is using our earthly lives to prepare us for heaven by making us more like him, and he uses disappointment to point us toward true satisfaction found in him alone.

These unmet longings point us to the promise of the wholeness and perfection we will ultimately experience in eternity."

Read more of Macie Mosely's article on thetrulyco.com. Go give her a follow!

Calling artists and photographers who are interested in collaborating with The Truly Co.! We’re holding our next creative interest meeting on Tuesday, August 29th.

Join us to learn about our process, requirements, and to meet other passionate creative women who love Jesus 🥰.

Next steps:
1. Sign up to get the zoom link.
2. If you have contributed in the past and want to collaborate again, send us an email/DM!
3. Attend and have fun 😊

If you can’t attend but are ready and available to jump in, make sure you’ve submitted an application with a public portfolio so we can admire your work and see what might be a fit👍🏼.

Register in our bio link. Or comment and we can DM you the link!✨

We can work as hard as we want at something, but we're always on God's timetable. Whatever you feel "behind in"...
Grief, relationships, grades, dreams, having kids, physical abilities {insert your situation here}–whatever it may be– we can do our part, but the timetable is between you and God.

Drop the pressure of carrying that weight, friend! 🏳️

Who is ready to embrace this freedom?!🙌🏼

Xoxo,
Lindsay ()

Hey there, friends! 👋 Have you ever found yourself hesitating to admit your mistakes? We all have those moments when pride gets in the way, and we think we can handle everything on our own. But today, I want to share a powerful and inspiring story that beautifully illustrates how our mistakes can lead us to something greater, something beyond our imagination.

In her thought-provoking blog post, opens up about her journey as a heart failure survivor. 🩺 Despite having no risk factors or family history, Lori experienced early warning signs – shortness of breath, fatigue, and more. Instead of heeding her family's advice and seeking help, she chose a different path, one that ultimately affected her heart and her life.

But here's the incredible part – through her mistakes and struggles, Lori discovered a profound truth: Mistakes don't define us; they shape us. They lead us towards resilience, bravery, and an unbreakable spirit. Just as a piece of pottery is made more beautiful with gold-filled cracks in the Japanese art of Kintsugi, our mistakes can create space for grace, turning imperfections into a masterpiece of healing and growth.

Lori's story reminds us that we're not alone in this journey. Mistakes reveal the soul's need for God. Embracing God's grace becomes the key that unlocks our potential and transforms our lives into something more beautiful than we could have ever imagined.

Join me in reading Lori's captivating blog post and discover how her journey can inspire us.

Link in bio! 👆 Let's learn, grow, and thrive together. Share your thoughts and insights below. Have you experienced the transformative power of grace in your own life? Let's keep the conversation going! 🗨️

We’re so thankful for our magazine subscribers! This week, we’re showing our appreciation by giving away one of our Whatever Is True t-shirts to one of our active magazine subscribers. Will be selected on Friday, August 11th end of day.

If you’ve been meaning to subscribe, this is a great time to do so! And, if you believe in our mission to share gospel-centered encouragement and resources, we’d love if you would share this with a friend who might be interested in our publication as well.

We’re so thankful for how God is working through our community!

(This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram).

Consider all that God planned to make sure you arrived for this very moment! That’s pretty amazing and we wanted to remind you of how precious you are, friend 🤍.

We're almost to submission season for our spring 24 issue! Have you registered to attend our content call on August 3rd? We'd love to meet you!

All the submission information you need is right here!

Magazine Submission Details - The Truly Co. Share your story of hope and encouragement.