Prayer | Grit and Grace Life

My Embarrassing Moment at Church Changed Me (For Better)

I was dragging my feet getting ready. For as long as I can remember, we’ve had an open mic for folks to share their thank you’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Children often go first and warm up the crowd with sweeping praises: “Thank you, God, for the whole wide world,” and with smaller ones—“We have a new baby. She smiled at me.” I was dragging my feet because I’d stepped behind that mic two Thanksgivings before this one, and the memory of it still made me miserable. Maybe I should just stay home again this year like I’d done last year? I wanted to believe that everyone had forgotten it by now. I sure wanted to forget. At the last minute, I […]

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Why I Started Praying for Your Husband Daily

By Julie (Graham) Bender / Faith

I have a heart for marriage. Always have. Since I was a little girl (without a mom, dad, or any example of it to look to), I always desired it and understood its great worth. Then I married young. 21 to be exact. And I was married 11.5 (hard) years to Paul before I was widowed, unexpectedly while separated from him. I’m about to marry (Or should I say, “remarry?” I feel like I need to learn the terms here. It’s all so weird under such different circumstances this time!) my true gift from God to me and my 6-year-old son. So, it’s with that context that I say this: marriage is a beautiful calling… one that cannot be entered into lightly,

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Praying for Your Husband Daily (video)

By Our Grit and Grace Life Videos / Relationships

Did you know that our Brand Ambassador, Julie Graham, does a video series called #PrayingForYourHusbandDaily? This series was a large part of her first marriage, and she’s bringing it back in honor of her recent engagement. In an article where she talks about creating this special series (which you can read here!), Julie admits that the videos transpired out of a difficult marriage. She understood that her marriage was destined to be a sacred and unbreakable bond worth fighting for; so with its challenges came an invitation for God to help sustain it. Taking her series live on Facebook to encourage others in a similar situation, Julie built an online community of women who desired God’s hand on their own marriages and

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When God’s “No” Became My Best “Yes”

By Allison McCormick / HerStory, Faith

I sat on the edge of the exam table, a sheet draped over my lap, exam gown tied in the back. I was waiting for the doctor to enter the room. I needed him to tell me why I couldn’t get pregnant. It was difficult to understand—there were women all around me that just looked at their husbands and got pregnant. So many stories on the nightly news of babies being found in dumpsters, abandoned in the cold, young women ending their babies’ journeys out of convenience. What was wrong with me? I wrestled with my emotions and if I am completely honest, I was angry. Mad at myself for failing to be a real woman and mad at God for not

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Skillet’s Jen Ledger Shares How to Have Faith Over Fear

By Tess Lopez / Faith

Skillet’s Jen Ledger is nothing short of a powerhouse when she performs: with soaring vocals and a gift for drumming like the rockstar she is, she gives the band a heartbeat to rely on. But if you asked her how she got to be so confident while performing, she’d tell you that it was—and sometimes still is—a daily struggle. Read on for the details of Jen’s story and journey of faith as excerpted from her appearance on This Grit and Grace Life podcast, episode 44: Skillet’s Jen Ledger Shares Her Faith, Her Fear and Her Strength. I had actually come to America to do a Bible music school called The School of Worship. It’s only like 14 people per class in the

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The Warrior Wives Club: How to Fight for Your Marriage

By Ashby Duval / Faith

Once upon a time, years and many prayers ago, I started a little group for women who wanted to pray for their marriages. Every month we would get together in person, but every Monday, I sent out an encouraging email on marriage. There were only three rules: 1. What happens in Warrior Wives Club stays in Warrior Wives Club. 2. No husband bashing. Although transparency is encouraged, you want to speak about your husband the way you would want him to speak about you. 3. Commit to praying not only for your spouse but the other marriages in the group. Prayer Works The group grew over time to dozens of women in 11 states and three countries. Prayer works (#obvi) and struggling

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Why Does God Allow Your Hard Times?

By Teresa Christian / Faith

I googled “songs about overcoming troubles in life” and came up with literally dozens (hundreds maybe?) of options. Everything from the blues (of course) to rock-n-roll. Maybe that’s because going through hard times is something that is common to everyone on the planet. From cradle to grave, we all experience ups and downs, mountains and valleys, highs and lows—no matter what you call them, trouble comes calling for all of us! In the Bible, Job 14:1 says, “Man who is born of woman is few of days and full of trouble.” How’s that for encouraging words! Even Jesus told His disciples in John 16:33, “…In this world, you will have trouble…” So, what’s the point? Is there purpose in the struggles that

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Find Freedom From the Burden of Religion

By Amy Chumbley / Faith

On the surface, he seemed to have it all. He was young, handsome, and well dressed. He was admired by his peers and respected in his community. He was educated, wealthy, and hard working. The synagogue leaders applauded his good behavior. His parents beamed with pride over their perfect son. Everyone said he had God’s favor; after all, he was blessed with health, riches, power, and prestige. Yet deep down he was restless, anxious, and fearful. He longed for peace, joy, and life. He knew he was not okay. He quietly cried out to God, “Show me what is wrong! What more can I do?” Soon after his prayer, he began to hear stories about a man named Jesus. Some said He

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7 Lessons From Easter That Matter Every Day – 086

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | More Who doesn’t love Easter—another opportunity to eat candy, decorate our home, create new family memories, and, of course, the dress. But at the core of this holiday lies the pinnacle of our Christian faith, so we wanted to take this opportunity to address what it is that we hold so dear. Since we couldn’t just do it the obvious way, Darlene and Julie spend this episode unpacking seven lessons discovered when looking at Jesus’ life—focusing in on the time before His death and resurrection. These lessons aren’t applicable for today only but every day as we live our #gritandgracelife. Listen in, and share this one with

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How to Have Your Own Coffee + Bible Time

By Julie (Graham) Bender / Faith

If you follow me on social media (you should, by the way), you likely see me post on Facebook most mornings (not every day—no perfection here!) that I’m enjoying “C&B” or “Coffee + Bible.” I’ve had people ask me often how I do this—what I read, and where should they begin? I love this question, and I’ll start with the biggest secret: there’s no right answer. The important thing is just to begin building a habit. If you’re new to reading the Bible, start in the New Testament. There are a couple books in the New Testament that are especially fit for beginners. The book of John or even the book of Romans are good starting places. Brew yourself a cup of

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You Need to Care for Your Heart With Grace

By Clare Marlow / Faith

A friend of mine gifted me a coveted Fiddleleaf Fig tree before moving across the country. You know what they are—just open any interior design magazine or look up pretty home pictures on Pinterest and you’ll see one happily living in an adorable basket in a sunny corner by a perfect chair. Despite my lifelong brown thumb, I have actually managed to not only keep my own two-year-old Fiddleleaf alive, but also watch it grow to more than seven feet tall. They’re super cool looking, but kind of pricey and usually only sold at specialty nurseries, so when she offered me hers for free I was happy to cart it home. Except…in preparation for a massive moving sale, she had placed it

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Building Faith: Growing in Your Relationship with God

By Darlene Brock / Faith

You have begun this journey, one of faith in Christ … a relationship that will not only last a lifetime but through all of eternity. Is that the end of the story? Do you just settle in—contentedly relaxing in the knowledge that your eternal destiny is secure? Or is there more? Well of course there is more, a lot more! Every relationship you have ever begun has potential, but it needs a personal investment to experience its genuine richness and depth. This is equally true of your relationship with your Heavenly Father—you need to work on building faith in Him. The reality that He desires, as well as offers, a rich and rewarding relationship with you is nearly beyond comprehension. The first

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Battered Faith: Holding On to Hope Even When You Struggle

By Darlene Brock / Faith

I was 13 years old when I was diagnosed with a muscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis. I had a year of repeated testing before the final diagnosis was made. Yet even with the naming of my illness, I was fortunate. The level of disability that came with my current symptoms was minor: limitations of physical exertion, muscle weakness, and frequent fatigue. I was a young teen and rather headstrong (little has changed in that regard), so I took the medication prescribed and determined to live my life to the fullest … rebellion and all. Seasons of Battered Faith Several years later, I was working a full-time job that I loved, living the single life in an apartment located in the art district,

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How to Pray: For Beginners

By Ashby Duval / Faith

If you are anything like me, you have probably felt intimidated by prayer at some point in your life. Am I doing it right? Wow, they really say beautiful prayers and mine aren’t like that! Did it work? Did He hear me? Should I be kneeling? Does it count if I say it in my mind? Is there a way to pray where God definitely answers? For prayer 101, let’s go directly to the Source to get these answers. Jesus addresses our questions by telling us how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13: “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give

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5 Things I've Learned in a Decade of Wifing

10 Things I Learned in a Decade of Wifing

By Julie (Graham) Bender / Relationships, Faith

As I approached my 10 year wedding anniversary, I wanted to take some time to reflect on the lessons I’d learned through a decade of wifing, as I like to call it. There are hundreds of things I’ve learned about me, him, and certainly about God, so I decided to make a list of the lessons that have been life-changing. 1. Age isn’t an excuse to quit. I was a mere 21 years old when we said, “I do.” That’s pretty rare these days. “Getting married young,” is a common excuse I hear when it gets hard and people are looking for reasons to “escape” the marriage. I’ve heard it a lot during my wedded days—friends, celebrities, and strangers alike often cite it, but marriage is

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5 Simple Prayers for Your Husband

By Clare Marlow / Faith

After the movie War Room came out in December 2015, many Christian women raced home from the theater and set up prayer rooms in their homes. These are little spaces—wherever you can seek one out—where you can pray, alone and in peace, and paper the walls with Bible verses and prayers. I did the same, but it wasn’t after I saw the movie. It was about eight months later, one morning last summer when I was reading my Bible and a particular verse struck me so deeply that I went scrounging in the office for a 3×5 card and wrote it down. I was about to tuck it in my Bible when I suddenly heard God whisper, “It’s time. Go create your

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Nagging Your Husband? Try This Instead!

By Julie (Graham) Bender / Faith, Relationships

First, I’m no expert, but I’ve learned a thing or two in my 10 years of marriage. Namely, it takes a LOT of prayer. And I don’t mean praying as a couple. What I am saying is that instead of complaining or nagging (which we all do), pray for your husband as part of your daily or at least regular routine. It will be a worthy investment—not only for him but for you too. But why? There are several reasons every woman should do this. (And I don’t mean only if you’re currently married! If you have a desire to be married one day, or at least are open to the idea that you may get married, I encourage you to begin

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