Just for Women

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But here in the place where lines blur, between land and sky, that small fold between day and night, the very place where great danger lies, it is here where we experience God's presence like never before.

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If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,* you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your...

 

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I dreamed of traveling the world, getting married, and sailing off into the horizon. And I am, only it's a whole lot nittier and grittier than I imagined.

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I've always been a dreamer.

As a rowdy child, gymnastics was where I finally found a place to throw my immeasurable energy into.
I just knew I would be in the next Olympics. I could just feel it. I dreamed wildly, lavishly.

Beautiful...

 

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Do you know peace in your life?

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[Jesus taught:] G"od blesses those who work for peace" (Matthew 5:9 NLT).

All summer, we watched tiny, exquisite, awe-inspiring hummingbirds feed from the tasty sugar water that my husband had so generously supplied to them. They would circle the feeder, suspend themselves in mid-air for a few seconds, and then dive straight to the tiny feeding...

 

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We love glorious moments, but they don't last that long... until, with Jesus, they last forever.

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I guess if we're honest, we’ll admit to struggling some every day.

Why?

Because we weren’t made for this world.

Sure, we have our moments... those glorious, all is right in the world, fleeting, and emotionally satisfying slices of...

 

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So what's really the deal with Valentine's Day?

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My family experienced some minor medical drama the week between Christmas and New Year's while traveling out of state. On one of my many trips to the drug store, I had to stop dead in my tracks. I was perusing the Christmas decorations and wrapping paper on clearance. I turned around to look for more, and was faced with a shelf full of boxes of Valentine's...

 

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Parenting cuts deep to the core. It lays open our needs before God, and we can either resent it or embrace the powerful cleansing that comes from God's purifying fire

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Yesterday was messy.

It felt like we were trudging through sludge all day long just to get the bare essentials done. Squabbles happened as naturally as breathing. Perhaps the fights were breathing, and I couldn't tell anymore...

 

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Why do we limit our lives to the mundane of only what we can see? Why, oh why, do we cling to safety over being truly alive?

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"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

"Come," he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save...

 

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Buried deep in the earth of our hearts, God has buried dreams and hopes. While they lie under the surface, they ARE there.

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Don't chafe when you are caught in the in-between.

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Every time I come west, something deep inside me wakes up. My arms stretch wide, and my lungs fill deep and happy. The wide sky floods me with excitement.

I guess you can take the Texan from Texas, but you can never really take the...

 

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We were not created for war, fighting, and death. No wonder our souls gasp for justice and a peaceful community.

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I've been thinking a lot about peace...

As the garden weeds grow and as the tomatoes hang heavy on the branches.

As my children and I bury our fingers in the clay soil and pull fresh potatoes.

As we let the chicken free-range while trying to keep them from consuming the ripening tomatoes.

As the...

 

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Children, chores, and never-ending responsibilities bring opportunities to turn our selfish hearts back to God.

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All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet:

"Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son,

and they will call him Immanuel...