No Bully Can Define Who You Are
With no arms, no legs, and no defense, Nick Vujicic was once a bullys target and knows what it feels like to be picked on and pushed around: It makes your stomach hurt, gives you nightmares, and feels like there is no hope in sight. But Nick shows how you too can overcome and rise above bullying.
Click here to download chapter one of Stand Strong.
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6
I’ve always liked words and discovering their origins and fascinating meanings. I was once told that Deuteronomy in Hebrew meant "These are the words." The word parable is said to come from the Hebrew meaning pebble as in "a stone tossed along beside." Good words do that I think: they come along beside us to bring us wisdom and nurture. Sometimes even the title of stories bring us insights.
While writing the second in the Change and Cherish trilogy based on a Christian communal society of the 1850s the publishing team and I brainstormed a title eventually choosing A Tendering in the Storm. [ … ]
Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” People often mistake this passag eto mean that for everything we want to have or to do,if we just ask Jesus for it, then it becomes ours for the taking. No. I don’t believe that. The fact is, the “all things” in this versemeans all things that God has assigned us to do, with the help of Jesus Christ living in our lives and being our Lord and Master. That’s what this verse is assuring us that we can do.And when we do what God has made us to do, we are strengthened for it in our body, soul, and spirit. So…I can do all things that God made me to do, that God tells me to do, that God enables me to dobecause I know Him [ … ]
The LORD is my shepherd, I
shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of [ … ]
Church father and theologian John Calvin noted that the psalms provide
an “anatomy of all parts of the soul,” because every emotion in the
human continuum is expressed somewhere in these divine tunes. The
various writers depict God to be a forever friend who doesn’t ask His children
to hide their “ugly” emotions. His delight in you can be felt in both
grinning-from-ear-to-ear moments and drab days when you feel like life
has punched you in the gut. Regardless of how well or poorly we perform,
He is with us. No matter how happy or sad we feel, our heavenly Father
won’t walk away. Our Creator-Redeemer is always in our corner; He is
absolutely and eternally for us.
Excerpted from A Perfect Mess by Lisa Harper
Daily Reflection: How has [ … ]
What is the most worthwhile thing humankind can experience on earth? Nothing less than God Himself! As glorious as God is, so is the glory that begins to work in the hearts and lives of those who give themselves to live for God. It is a great step forward in the life of a Christian when he or she truly sees this and regards their daily fellowship with God as the most important aspect of their existence. Take time and ask yourself whether this is indeed not the most important thing around which your life should revolveto know God and to love Him with your whole heart. This is what God desires above all else; and it is that which, in answer to your prayer, He will enable you to do. So begin this and every day of the year [ … ]
God wouldn’t be much of a God if you could fully understand his nature. Humanity still hasn’t figured out most of creation. The Creator is far greater than that.
Excerpted from Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory
Daily Reflection: What do you have a hard time understanding about the nature and character of God?
Through His magnificent grace, God can take the good, the bad, and the ugly experiences in your life and use them to make you unbelievably better at what He’s created you for, whatever that might be! He can take the good things that we remember most fondly, the bad things we might like to forget, and the ugly things that have shaped us into people we didn’t start out to be and use all of them to facilitate His individual purpose for each and every one of us.
Including you.
As Job said of God: “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted”(42:2). God is able to take and make whatever He wills. He can take whatever and whoever you are and make you into whatever and whoever you need to [ … ]
The busyness of today can shape our tomorrows. For better or worse, who and what I yield to today will affect who I become. We can’t accept every opportunity that comes our way, and we can’t always know which opportunity is the best to pursue or which doors we should walk through and which ones we shouldn’t.
Over the years I’ve discovered that I’m quite gullible, especially when it comes to bargains or a great sales pitch. Yet at the same time, I trust very few people, particularly when my children or grandchildren are involved.
Knowing I can trust God in any circumstance is a great help. He will guide me in the right direction, through the right doors, if I only will ask…and then listen for His answer.
Excerpted from Plain Wisdom by Cindy Woodsmall
Daily Reflection: How [ … ]
O how we need to see that Christ, not comfort, is our all-satisfying and everlasting treasure. So I conclude that magnifying the supremacy of God in all things and being willing to suffer patiently to help people see and savor this supremacy is the essence of love. It’s the essence of God’s love. And it’s the essence of our love for people. Because the supremacy of God’s glory is the source and sum of all full and lasting joy.
Excerpted from A Godward Heart by John Piper
Daily Reflection: When was the last time you savored the supremacy of God?
