Prayer | Grit and Grace Life

How to Practice Peace When the World Feels Chaotic

“Deal in reality yet keep the faith,” was the mantra of my pastor in downtown San Francisco during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone suffered through it differently, some more than others. For me, the world seemingly descended into madness. The temptation was fight, flight, or freeze. As a flight attendant deemed “essential worker” amid the throes of 2020, I was forced between faith and fear every time I pinned on my wings. It was a choice between shutting my eyes or keeping them wide open. Finding Footing Amid Chaos As a flight attendant, being on the pandemic “front lines” taught me ways to practice peace. While Jesus was spirit-led in His pursuit of peace, He was also very intentional. In […]

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My Dad’s COVID-19 Miracle Reinforced My Faith

By Kristen Bailey / Faith

The weather was perfect, a gentle breeze blowing over Las Vegas on a 70-degree April day. My chiffon and muslin skirts swirled in clouds of white. Just beyond the pillars and waterfalls of the Valley of the Falls at Mandalay Bay stood my soon-to-be new husband waiting at the altar. There was another man I had to see first. My dad, standing just out of sight of the guests, met me and took my arm. Only some of the guests knew every paced step we took up that aisle was a miracle. Was it only this last September when I saw my dad, gray hair, full beard, with shining eyes sealed shut as he lay hooked to a ventilator, fighting for his

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Sometimes I Get Angry With God

By Eve DeBardeleben Roebuck / Faith

We had a threat of frost predicted for 2 a.m. Unsure of whether or not the pots I’d planted at church would make it—with our big spring event coming up, it seemed a shame to risk it—I grabbed garbage bags and shish kabob skewers and headed out. I hadn’t bothered to unload the yard tools that were in back of the car—my chainsaw and trimmers, trowels and work gloves. This time of year, I laugh when I’m asked if I need plastic for the new plants I purchase. I could almost plant them in the amount of dirt I carry around inside my car. After covering the pots with the bags and sticking the skewers in the dirt to secure them, I

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When You Feel Lost, God Will Find You

By Tess Lopez / Faith, Audio Articles

(Listen to the audio version of this article here.) It’s true what they say: God knows how to call his children back to him. He’s the one who created us, after all. With a week off of school for spring break (and no research papers, video projects or other tedious graduate work due), I finally had a chance to decompress. The previous six months had delivered an unending supply of due dates, elaborate holiday planning and writing opportunities that were too good to pass up. So, to make time for it all, I cut out anything and everything that I felt got in the way of me getting ahead. One of those was my morning Bible study. Big mistake. Stepping Back to

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How Do I Begin to Heal from Past Emotional Hurt? with Elizabeth Bristol -186

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast, Relationships

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MorePart of growing older—and being human—is learning how to recognize and manage our emotions in a healthy way. Our emotions have the power to help us grow, but they can also hold us back, especially when we’ve been hurt by others in the past. Elizabeth Bristol joins Darlene Brock and Julie Bender on this week’s podcast episode to share how she overcame her past emotional hurt. Elizabeth dealt with heartache and traumatic situations, including rape and drug use. After years of feeling stagnant in her pain, God prompted her to write down her story. It was only after she faced the pain of her past head-on and

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Our Plans Are Not Promises, But God Is Still Good

By Katie Loudermilk Roberts / Faith

Whether we realize it or not, we all plan ahead of time. Making plans keeps us organized and focused on the objective ahead, whether it’s determining what to make for dinner, organizing a family vacation, or achieving goals. I keep track of everything in my personal planner; I’ll forget something if I do not write it down, and I also need to know what to expect from the rest of my day. Any interruptions beyond what’s written in my planner annoy me because they take me away from what I need or want to do. But our plans are not promises. What happens if they don’t pan out? With No Plans in Place, I Was Worried For me, the past year has

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When You Feel Weighed Down, God Comes Through

By Ashley Johnson / Faith

“Save him, Mama! I want to saaaaave the ant!” My 2-year-old was giving me very clear orders as she bobbed up and down in the pool, engulfed in her life vest. Her eyes, the same color as the aqua water, locked onto mine in a determined challenge. I studied that unfortunate ant caught in the swimming pool. He was large as far as ants go, and he was still moving. I brought my two hands together, creating a cup, and lifted him out of the water, setting him onto the ledge before us. He was out but still struggling to break away from the little puddle I created while scooping him up. He continued to move but made little progress. My

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How I’m Learning to Trust God as My Son Becomes a Man

By Amy Saxby / Motherhood

I half knew it was mistake when I made the call. My brothers had flown into town so that we could celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. It was a special day. We gathered with friends and family at a famous local restaurant eating ribs and exchanging stories. And in that moment, I missed my boy. I’m in a New Parenting Season as My Son Becomes a Man A few weeks before, he graduated from high school. We celebrated with a big party and a day later we drove him eight hours north to work at a Christian camp. It was a whirlwind. So many endings and beginnings all smashed together. As I looked around the restaurant, my heart was happy to

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In a Changing World, We Can Rest Assured That God Remains the Same

By Darlene Brock / Faith

It feels like we have been thrown to the bottom of life’s ocean by the circumstances that surround us. Unrest, political conflict, shifting truth, and polarization on virtually every subject have been hitting us from all sides, as if we are in an emotional tsunami without end. The feelings of uncertainty, fear, and even hopelessness ebb and flow weekly, even daily. We didn’t know it when the shift began in the spring of 2020, but the world as we have known it has been altered. I don’t see that becoming any less true in the days ahead. How to Find Hope When the World Seems Crazy Yet, I am not without hope. I have lived long enough to recognize God’s presence in

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How to Be a Praying Parent Throughout Your Child’s Life

By Marlys Johnson Lawry / Motherhood

Our daughter, Summer, brought him home from college one weekend. They watched March Madness basketball, played video games (in a competitive manner, because that’s my girl), and laughed a good deal. Later that week, we received a thank you note from this young man. And everyone knows that a thoughtfully written thank you note earns huge points with a future mom-in-law. Every. Time. I had been praying for the potential spouses of my son and daughter. That weekend, I was pretty sure I’d met my son-in-law-to-be, Joshua. How fun to bump into an answer to your prayers—in person. Making intercessory prayers for our children is a privilege. It’s a tool from God to assist us in the high calling of rearing our

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Wise Words for Women in Our Grit and Grace Life – 162

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreWith life traveling faster than we can keep up, many of us are facing storms that threaten to take our joy, sanity, and peace. What we all need right now are wise words for women to handle this grit and grace life. We don’t need a quippy cliché or a half-hearted platitude but real practical truths to apply as needed. To offer that, co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender take to the mic to share six insights on life that benefit every woman. Since they are taking a recording break for a few months, they wanted to leave you with these hard-won words of wisdom. After listening

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When I Feel Like a Bad Mom, I Pray This for My Kids

By Ashley Johnson / Faith, Audio Articles, Motherhood

(Listen to the audio version of this article here.) “I am not a perfect mom.” I have this thought—well, much harsher versions of it—more often than I’d like to admit. I lost my patience and yelled. I made PB&J for lunch and frozen chicken nuggets for dinner because I cannot seem to meal plan. I was on my phone too much. My house is a mess (better not post any pictures from today—yikes). I tried a “super easy” kids’ activity I found on Instagram that ended in my toddler eating the glue stick and coloring on the wall. I felt stressed out rather than present during our entire trip to the park because the kids were running in opposite directions, and all these

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Leaning-into-Worship-Even-When-You-Have-a-Hurting-Heart

Leaning Into Worship With a Wounded Heart

By Meaghan Dawson / Faith

Normally, I am a girl who loves her worship. Set me up in the front row at church with the lights going and the praise pumping, and I will be hands up, tears rolling, scream-singing the words (because I know them all). I’ve lived enough life to truly understand the cost of His grace, the depth of my sin, and the beauty of His love, so worship could last for hours, and I would not complain. But as I sat in Bible study listening to two beautiful girls leading that day, my heart was in rebellion, willing me to resist. I was agitated. Annoyed. I didn’t want to worship. I wasn’t feeling the moment or the praise. Worship was not on my

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This Grit and Grace Life Podcast Preview – Episode 144 Finding Your Faith

By Our Grit and Grace Life Videos / No Category

If you’re exploring the idea of building your faith or even just starting a relationship with God, you’re not alone. Many people have the same questions, but just don’t know what to do or what developing their faith looks like. Thankfully, there are no rules. In this episode, Darlene and Julie share the ways they build their faith, whether that’s by reading their Bible during their morning coffee or spending a few moments in prayer.

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Skillet’s Jen Ledger Shares Her Faith, Her Fear and Her Strength

By Our Grit and Grace Life Videos / Faith

It’s hard to imagine Christian rock band Skillet’s own star vocalist and drummer, Jen Ledger, having any fears while she’s banging out the beat for the group’s hit songs. But like all of us, Jen has her own anxieties, fears of not being good enough, and yes—stage fright. Tune in to episode 44 where she recalls her history with the multi-platinum group, and how she looked to her faith for strength during a period of self-doubt and embarking on her new solo project.

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Just Because She Carries It Well Doesn’t Mean It Isn’t Heavy

By Ashley Johnson / Faith

“It feels as if most areas of my life are very uncomfortable,” I thought as I carefully shut the door of my 19-year-old Dodge Durango. It makes a terrible creaking noise and I’m kind of afraid it might fall off the hinge onto my feet whenever it swings. The car has over 200,000 miles on it, and I feel a sheepish guilt each time I strap my 2-year-old and 1-year-old into it. The AC is wimpy at best, but it’s better than our Hyundai Elantra that my husband drives which just blows hot air. Did I mention we live in SW Florida? I’m pretty good at overlooking frustrations and reframing disappointments to focus on what I’m learning and gaining. But sometimes the

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I’ll Never Forget the Time I Overshared at Church

When You’re Desperate to Know the Reason for Your Pain

By Kelsey Adam / Faith

Friends. I write this with a very heavy heart. Pain. Confusion. Rejection. I want to talk about all of that today. I am not here to make light of any situation. I am not here to try to bring perspective to your problems or circumstances. I will save that for a later day. I am here to say it is okay to be broken. It is okay to hurt. It is okay to be angry. It is okay to feel confused. It is okay to ask questions. The Bible never promises us that once we give our life to Christ we will no longer deal with pain. The promise is not if you love God you will have more good things happen,

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