Dr. Zoe Shaw, A Year of Self-Care

Bible

As women of faith, we seek God’s word to address life, especially when we’re hurt and confused. Here are inspiring stories from women who’ve seen God’s promises in the Bible revealed in their own lives. #gritandgracelife

Easter, the greatest love story ever

Easter, the Best Love Story Ever Told

I sit this morning alone, watching as the sun crests the peak of my home. It is quiet, with a waterfall in the background and nature sounds playing their melody. I ponder the gravity of this season. It is once again Easter, the celebration of the best love story ever told. I am reminded of the week’s beginning. The triumphant entry of Jesus, in humility, seated upon a donkey as he arrives at the city of Jerusalem. Greeted as the conqueror, the expectations of those who lined the streets were high as they placed palm fronds before him, expressing their delight at his arrival. The same people who were there to laud his entry, within a few days, were absent from his […]

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5 Everyday Spiritual Practices to Grow Your Faith

5 Everyday Spiritual Practices to Grow Your Faith

When my pastor recently asked our small group what actions we could commit to taking this week to increase practicing faith in an authentic way, I paused. What came to mind was a series of events from my twenties when life was simple, a bit more melancholic, and I had time for things like spiritual practices and disciplines. During my mid-twenties as a new(ish) convert, I devoured every book I could get my hands on about spiritual formation, long before I even knew that was what I was reading. I sang psalms and wrote new ones as I strummed an out-of-tune black guitar with nail-bitten and calloused fingers. I read and read and read and met some of the greats like Yancey

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Anxious? Looking for a Refuge?

Anxious? Looking for a Refuge?

I woke at 1:30 AM. Fully alert and rehashing the events from the previous day. I was angry, anxious, and agitated by people’s lack of integrity. Their unwillingness to be accountable for their actions and words. I choreographed responses, planned for the potential encounter, and waited for sleep to return. The bedside alarm clock measured the minutes: 2:30… 3:30… 3:45. When finally, my mind calmed enough to allow me to fall back to sleep. Waking again to the sound of our dog jumping off the bed, his ID tags acting as an alarm as they jingled against his collar. It was 5:20 AM and I gave up the notion of sleep. Once on my feet, I made my way to my office.

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Bible Verses on New Beginnings from the Grit and Grace Team

Bible Verses on New Beginnings from the Grit and Grace Team

New beginnings are equally terrifying and exciting, for the same reason: they are unknown. A fresh start, regardless of the purpose, is still uncharted territory. We might have been thrown into it unexpectedly—say, with the loss of a loved one—or perhaps it’s the product of careful sifting to restructure our lives into something more grandiose. What awaits us is unknown, but we have reason to look expectantly ahead. The Grit and Grace Life team share their favorite Bible verses on starting anew. There Is Light at the End of Your Tunnel Have you ever felt like you were lost in the wilderness? Like you were wandering around and around, maybe in circles, with no end in sight? Maybe it’s a complicated health

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Bible Verses From The Grit and Grace Team on Peace

Bible Verses on Peace from the Grit and Grace Team

In the midst of life’s circumstances and the chaos that is our kids, spouse, job, bills, and home, it seems we are never quite at rest. Many people find peace to be a highly-esteemed, yet nearly unattainable, ideal. But we ladies at Grit and Grace Life believe otherwise: that God is able to meet us in the middle of our hectic lives and grant us peace in the way that only He can. Here, the team shares Bible verses that remind them that peace is never truly far out of reach. Peace in Troubled Times It seems more than ever that peace is an elusive feeling. Fears arise driven by news reports every day. But what often leads our fearful hearts are

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What God Wants to Give Us for Christmas: Eternal Life (Part 2)

What God Wants to Give Us for Christmas: Eternal Life (Part 2)

Click here to read Part One of “What God Wants to Give Us for Christmas.“ I was so excited this past Christmas about the gift I selected for my husband! It was something he needed, never expected, and actually never considered. His home office chair was made up of bits and pieces from an 8-year-old chair and parts found at a thrift store. It worked and he was excited about his creation. Yet I noticed that as he spent time in the chair, he slowly lowered. The hydraulics no longer worked. And at 6’2”, you need a chair’s hydraulics to work. Otherwise, you look like a giant sitting in a child’s chair—his knees creeping close to his ears. So, his present was

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Bible Verses on Joy from the Grit and Grace Team

Bible Verses on Joy From the Grit and Grace Team

“And there were in the same country, shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were so afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not. For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord,’” (Luke 2:8-14). This memorable verse from Luke—which Linus proudly recites in A Charlie Brown Christmas to explain the true meaning of the holiday—states clearly where we are to find our greatest joy. It’s easy to

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Bible Verses on Love from the Grit and Grace Team

Bible Verses on Love from the Grit and Grace Team

Love! The word itself sends a warm, tingly feeling up our spines. What joy it is to love and be loved! There’s even an entire day of the year dedicated to this all-consuming phenomenon. But love can also be one of life’s greatest lessons. Wouldn’t it be much easier if there were guidelines that showed what love really is, how it can be accepted and paid forward? Well, we’re in luck, friends. The Bible covers it all, from loving God, to loving our families and our neighbors. The Grit and Grace Life team share their favorite verses on this special subject. Love Is the Whole Point I remember when I first starting living for Jesus. I had “been a Christian” for a

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Bible Verses on Hope From the Grit and Grace Team

Bible Verses on Hope from the Grit and Grace Team

We all need a little hope now and again. Whether something in our lives is severely testing our faith, or we just need a small flicker of light at the end of the tunnel, the need for hope is always in demand. The good news? With God, it’s never in short supply. Check out the Bible verses that the team from Grit and Grace Life refer to when they need that boost; that little reminder that God will lend an ear and a helping hand when our confidence wavers. Here, members of the G&G team share Bible verses on hope that remind them it’s always available to us in all situations: Hope for the Battle The most challenging time to find hope

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Could It Be God Who Stirs Me From Sleep?

Could It Be God Who Stirs Me From Sleep?

I’m awake and up before my husband—The Cowboy—has gone to bed. It’s 1:21 a.m. and too darn early. I went to bed at 10, but I’m wide awake now. I’m afraid I’m getting weird. Unbalanced. And while I really love getting a jump on my day, I’m also afraid I’m getting pulled out of sync with the rest of the world, who’s mostly awake when the sun’s up, not the moon. It sounds silly to write that, considering that I’m checking in with you, the one who put the sun and moon in place and never sleeps. But really? Up until now, my early rising has felt like you were waking me up to hang out. Now it’s beginning to feel like

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You Don’t Have to Carry Your Failures Anymore

You Don’t Have to Carry Your Failures Anymore

A friend still cleans her adult son’s car when he stops by, and I can’t say I blame her. She always finds a stash of used lunch bags and backpacks culturing food, dirty laundry, and oodles of cash! And it got me thinking, haven’t we all found a bit of ‘yuck’ in our packs? I’ve heard the analogy that each of us carries an emotional backpack on our life’s journey. Our pack holds the essentials of living a meaningful life, kind of like the ‘All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten’ idea. What’s In Your Life Backpack? Unlike the kindergarten credo, our backpack also carries memories, failures, burdens, and misconceptions we’ve picked up along the way. Our experiences, emotions,

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When Did Caring for the Earth God Created Become Political?

When Did Caring for the Earth God Created Become Political?

I’ve been obsessed with the oceans and conserving them since the first time I watched “The Little Mermaid.” Paddling out with dolphins and sea turtles just solidified my obsession with the sea. Growing up in a beach town in Florida, I studied environmental journalism. The week of Christmas, I strolled the beaches of Maui near “Pu’u Keka’a” or Black Rock. The islands of Molokai and Lanai slept in the distance with sailboats between us. A few clusters of white coral rolled up toward my feet in the sand. The crowds still hung back from visiting the islands due to the pandemic, leaving most of Maui to myself. There in the greenery that separated the walking path from the shoreline, I saw it.

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How to Live in Hope Amid Chronic Illness

How to Live in Hope Amid Chronic Illness

Many of us have had a moment in time when, with just one piece of news or a seemingly random event, our entire life trajectory shifts. My moment came on the day after my twenty-sixth birthday when I was diagnosed with an incurable chronic illness. I was shocked to learn that the symptoms I had been reasoning away as part of my pregnancy were instead an indication that I was seriously unwell. Unless I received intervention in the form of medication, my quality of life would greatly diminish and my health would be in greater jeopardy. It was big news to digest as as a new mom, cradling my six-week-old baby. I could barely understand my baby’s needs and now I needed

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How My Church Loves Well—Not Just on Sundays

How My Church Loves Well—Not Just on Sundays

When Dan and I first started hiking and snowshoeing together, he talked about how his church loves well—and how much it meant to him when they reached out in love as his wife was dying of cancer. He told stories of how the men wouldn’t let him hibernate after his wife passed. Instead, they said, “Come with us. We’re going to work on a repair project,” or “We’re going to Mexico to deliver books and educational supplies.” Early on, I somehow knew that if this relationship grew into something beyond a non-dating friendship, I would be changing churches. In time, Dan invited me to attend Foundry Church, and what I mostly remember is how everyone was warm and accepting and seemed pleased

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If Your Past Isn't Pretty, Then You're Just Who God's Looking For

If Your Past Isn’t Pretty, Then You’re Just Who God’s Looking For

I don’t want to look at what’s inside the Tupperware at the back of the fridge. But once I brave it, I’m relieved to start the task and be done with the judgment lurking behind the hummus and pimento cheese. There’s no guilt in dumping rotten food. After all, black spotted soup is obviously trash, regardless of how wonderful it was when it started out. There’s no need to remember whether or not it was supper last week or two weeks before. If you’re like me, sometimes the ooze in the container-turned-petri dish is so disgusting, even the Tupperware has to go. Can I get a witness? How delightful it is to have this task handed over to my daughter who is

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Are There Biblical Guidelines for Sex and Dating? with Kat Harris - 202

Are There Biblical Guidelines for Sex and Dating? with Kat Harris – 202

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Email | TuneIn | RSS | MoreIn this episode, we’re talking about sex! There’s a lot of talk about sex in our culture today—in fact, nearly every part of our day-to-day experience is saturated with it. But are there biblical guidelines for sex? How can Christians, or women of faith, view or take part in sex, especially as it pertains to our relationships and dating? Author and blogger Kat Harris specializes in this conversation. She joins Darlene and Julie this week to address the long-held notion that sexuality is sinful. She shares what the Bible has to say about sex, intimacy, love and pleasure outside of just procreation. Kat will tell

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How to Embrace the Unexpected God Brings In Your Life

How to Embrace the Unexpected God Brings In Your Life

I prefer things to be ordered, make sense and be (this is a non-negotiable) predictable. As a Type A, under-caffeinated, prematurely graying toddler mom, the unexpected is not what I welcome. Even though I live with it and its stinky, whiny reality every day. I spent a good majority of my first couple decades trying to live inside the predictable. Even if that predictable was messy, self-destructive and smelled of rotting garbage. I wanted things to stay in a safe place where I could manage them. Even my belief in an impossible-making-possible God, I wanted wrapped up so I could contain it. Watch it. Keep it where I could believe from the comfort of my small life boat. Jesus sleeping while I

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