Disciplined out of Devotion
Have you ever found yourself determined to pray or read the word daily, only to find that a few weeks in you’ve already fallen off the bandwagon? So you reset, put a reminder on your device or create a habit tracker and again commit to praying or reading the word daily. However, yet again you find that after a month or two, you’ve fallen back off track.
To All of the Rihannahs of the World by Elaine Taylor Brown
If he hits you once
He’ll hit you twice
He’ll beat you again and again
He’ll cry and he’ll swear that
He would not dare
But soon you will see
Your scars back they will be
You must love yourself
Or you may visit your death
The Call Doesn’t Come Easy
This is the part where I admit I had it all wrong. I once believed that God's call for my life would come easily. I believed that everything would just fall into place, that circumstances would naturally align, that the sea of life would part and that I’d walk simply into the promised land of my purpose. Did I already mention that I was wrong about that?
Heaven for the Sinner by Genesse Castillo
How did it start you might ask?
The story began when I was 16.
3 years after my Mom died.
This was also the age I lost my
virginity.
Quickly lured into the lust I felt inside.
Which was why I had so much PRIDE.
No Such Thing As JUST
Whether you’re called to pastor a large ministry, speak on stages to thousands, reach hundreds of people on a social media platform, serve a community in your neighborhood, or pour into your family of five- what you do has value to God.
I Just Want to be Free! by Michelle L. Early
Those were the words that I scream-cried into my pillow that Sunday night. The previous week had been an emotionally draining week and it seemed like the coming week would be much of the same.
What would have been my two-year anniversary was that Tuesday and a surprise gesture for my bestie's birthday turned into an unnecessary trip down memory lane. Not to mention, the charged conversation of entitlement that I had with my students via messenger earlier that day...during church. The days had been hard, and here I was on Sunday night, 50 minutes past my bedtime, desperately calling out to God.
Waiting on His Will by Diamond Jones
“Dear God: Today I find myself burdened by loneliness and wallowing in my singleness. I know you aim to use my desire to be in an intimate relationship with a man as a means to deepen my relationship with you. Help me to find peace and contentment in my current situation and find my wholeness in you.”
On December 25, 2018, I wrote that prayer on a prayer card and placed it in my prayer box. It was my sign of surrender- surrendering my desires, surrendering my frustrations, and surrendering my doubts over to God.
God’s Timing by Doris Greenlee
I’m 68 years old, my sobriety date is Jan 18, 2019, and I’ve been sober for almost 4 years "one day at a time” by the grace of God. I thank Him for doing for me what I couldn’t do for myself. I started my drinking career (I say career because it was hard labor, any alcoholic in recovery will agree with me on that fact.) in my early 20s, drinking beer with ice in it because I didn’t like the way it tasted; however, I was not drinking it for the taste, I was drinking it for the “effect”.
Walking on Water
“Dear God: Today I find myself burdened by loneliness and wallowing in my singleness. I know you aim to use my desire to be in an intimate relationship with a man as a means to deepen my relationship with you. Help me to find peace and contentment in my current situation and find my wholeness in you.”
On December 25, 2018, I wrote that prayer on a prayer card and placed it in my prayer box. It was my sign of surrender- surrendering my desires, surrendering my frustrations, and surrendering my doubts over to God.
From Death to Life by Marian Adejokun
My name is Marian Adejokun, I was diagnoized with a deadly, rare illness known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TENS) back in January 2011. I remember as if it was yesterday... I was at college and told my teacher my eyes were itching me from there I went home and informed my mom and she told me to call the doctor's office and I was told by the doctors to buy over-the-counter eye drops (Optrex). My mom administered the eye drops into my eyes and within 30 minutes, blisters started coming up under my feet and my whole body (pouring water on myself was excruciatingly painful).
My Supernatural Encounter with Jesus by Dakota Rhodes
I encountered Jesus in a supernatural way.
Before I get into specifics about that, let me tell you about myself prior to Jesus. As most people would say, they grew up knowing about God; I was one of them, but only until I was 14 years old, then my anxiety took a turn for the worse. I started to pray every night to Him, though at this point, I still didn’t really know God by any means.
To Watch Expectantly
“In the morning Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning, I plead my case to you and watch expectantly.” Psalm 5:3
For months and months, I’ve had that verse taped to my mirror in my room. As the days started and the evenings came, that verse would remain as one of the first things I saw each morning and before bed. I was recently in a season where things in life just always seemed to go sideways. Every door that I thought would be the one I would walk through, closed on me as I stood at the threshold. Job offers never came, all kinds of relationship issues arose, and constant feelings of anger and bitterness loomed over me daily…it was a constant merry-go-round for months.
The Power of Partnership
When the pandemic first arrived on the scene in 2019, many of us were forced into isolation unlike anything we had ever known. What we thought would be short-lived turned into an ongoing saga where we were forced to learn how to function alone.
Not Forgotten
“Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and…”
-Genesis 30:22
In the book of Genesis, Rachel was one of two wives of a patriarch named Jacob. During that time, Jacob was forced to serve Rachel’s father for seven years in order to take Rachel as his wife. At the end of those seven years, Jacob was tricked and instead, was given Leah, Rachel’s sister, as his first wife. Another seven years went by and Jacob served Rachel's father again. However, this time he was able to take Rachel as his wife. So there Jacob was, having two wives who could bear him children to carry on his line.
Aromatic Influence by Bailey T. Hurley
I hate the moment when I am driving out of my garage, have turned onto the main road headed toward my busy day, and realize I forgot to put deodorant on. If my mental checklist of morning to-dos does not remind me, I am quickly alerted a few hours later when I get a whiff of my underarms.
Quiet Callings
Have you ever looked around at the people in your circle or the people on your timeline and felt like you weren’t doing enough? It can seem like everyone else is handling bigger responsibilities, taking on bigger projects, and making bigger moves. Meanwhile, you feel stuck doing the same small and menial tasks day in and day out.
God Saved me From Myself by Tamara South
Suicide in the United States is ranked third for young people aged 15 to 19. There is one suicide every 15.2 seconds. I am a suicide survivor. I have decided to tell my testimony to encourage someone who may not be feeling like there is hope in life. I want to let you know that God has you here for a purpose. I pray that you are inspired by my testimony, and that you choose to live and not die!
Grief by Ellie Fernandez
Like wide, firm hands being pressed deep into the skin on my chest, the pressure remains. My heart tender, my eyes wide, tears welling up from the depths of my being, forming and falling, forming and falling. Each tear rolling down my cheek, each telling a story of pain, sorrow, and each tear being captured by my father’s kind warm hands. Grief, the word that sends shivers down spines or puts knots in others’ throats. There are those kinds of people that meet grief with ‘at least’s,’ the silver lining of such pain, who haven’t learned the art of getting lowly, falling to your knees, and being messy as our Jesus so honestly does.
The Thing About Therapy
While the societal progress made regarding the perspective on therapy cannot be ignored, it also cannot be denied that there still remains a stigma within the church regarding the pursuit of therapy. The overarching sentiment seems to be “Jesus is enough.” And while at its core that premise is correct, it negates the ability of our God to use other means, methods, and people to bring His will to pass.
Purpose Redeemed by Rashida Weekes
Six years ago, I was in therapy, fighting for my life. My purpose versus my desires. Picture yourself playing tug-of-war with the enemy for your soul. The deal is, if you win, you’ll be free, but if you lose, you will have to live as a slave to your desires for the rest of your life. This was my life for nine years; it was like being on a rollercoaster with peaks and valleys of fire.