- Choose Joy, Choose Joy In the Midst, Encouragement, Faith, Hebrews, Inspiration, intentionality, Pursuing health and wholeness, Spiritual Transformation, Truth, Word of the Year, WOTY
Plenty – My 2026 Word of the Year, Part 1
What is a word of the year for? A Word of the Year is a powerful idea, focus, or vision to guide one’s actions and viewpoint throughout the upcoming year. I have adopted this intentional practice the last few years, and it has proved a powerful exercise in keeping my focus and perspective on the Lord’s direction for my life. It has allowed me to step into new and uncomfortable areas of personal and professional growth, such as stepping into “NEW”, my word of the year, in 2025 and being willing to step onto stages and speak professionally on trauma, suicidal crisis, faith, and caregiving. If you want to read…
- Faith, Focusing on Truth, Inspiration, New Life, Pursuing health and wholeness, Resilience, Spiritual Transformation, Truth, Word of the Year, WOTY
New Song/ New Thing-My Words of the Year for 2025
For the last 2 years, I’ve adopted the powerful practice of choosing a word phrase for the year. My word(s) of the year for 2025 are: New Song/ New Thing. Keep reading to find out why. Choosing my word of the year for 2025 When I choose a word/phrase for the year, I look for themes in my Bible study and any recurring messages the Lord is revealing to me. What is He trying to communicate? What verse, theme, or mindset is continuing to pop up everywhere I look? During the end of 2024, I continually noticed a similar theme. The theme of new song and new thing from two…
- Adversity, Bible, Encouragement, Faith, Hope in God, Life Battles, Liturgy, Mental Health, Psalms, Struggle
We Can Lift Up the Troubles of Our Soul to A Good & Trustworthy God
What in your soul is troubling you right now friend? I know that’s not a regular way of speaking nowadays, but it is so necessary. Here’s why… I know this to be true. God cares about me and about you and the specific circumstances and relationships of our life. I Can Bring My Cares to God. I can bring before God my uncertainty, my overwhelmedness, my pain, my wounding, and my trauma. He hears. He turns toward me. He is the protector and lifter up of my head. As Psalm 25 says— I can lift up my soul to Him. That idea is so comforting and soothing to me in…
- Anxiety, Bible, Caregiving, Coping strategies, Faith, Fear, Focusing on Truth, Overcome anxiety & worry, positive self-talk, Prayer, Pursuing health and wholeness, spirit of fear, Trauma
How to Deal With Fear and Anxiety Part 2- Focus on Powerful Truth
I learned how to do life with fear alongside.Not leading the way, not overtaking me… but fear in its’ proper place- as a tool to give information, and as an emotion to acknowledge. In caregiving for my child with a life-threatening diagnosis, I clung to the powerful truth found in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” I prayed it. I told God I didn’t want the spirit of fear and asked Him to help me have His power, His love, His sound mind. It wasn’t a one and done conversation. It was…
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How to Deal With Fear & Anxiety Part 1- Do Life With Fear Alongside
- Bible teaching, Choose Joy, Choose Joy In the Midst, Faith, Fear, Fighting for Joy, Focusing on Truth, Hope in God
A Spirit of Fear- Getting Free From its’ Bondage
If you are wondering why there’s such a jolting color contrast of the words to the background, it is to show the desired change in our hearts and our lives. It is to emphasize the strong reminder that we are not to live in fear. A spirit of fear is not from God. If it doesn’t come from God, then it is from the enemy of your soul, from Satan. From God comes light— To live and walk with God is to walk in light and truth… To have power, love, and a sound mind as 2 Timothy 1:7 says. Are you walking with God or are you allowing the…
- Bible teaching, Encouragement, Faith, Fighting for Joy, Focusing on Truth, Life Storms, New Life, positive self-talk
New Life into the Dead & Broken Parts
God can breathe new life into what was dead, past hope, broken, & done for. God has been at work slowly doing this in my own life.It’s not over yet. It is a process. There are ups and downs as I move forward in it.I have to keep trusting that God is doing a good thing in my life— creating it. Forming it. Reforming the clay, me, as He desires. There is a submission and surrender.My role is to obey. To surrender. To persevere. To yield to what He desires.Hebrews 12: 1a–2 (ESV) says “…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us…
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Spiritual Battle- No Weapon Will Prosper.
Spiritual battle is real. Over this last week our family has been hit with spiritual battles— multiple ones. It is not new for us to be hit with spiritual attacks. Satan has the same playbook- and keeps hitting hard to back us down from what God is calling us to, but those who are God’s people have a promise found in Isaiah 54:17a. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. No weapon formed against me will prosper. God fights my battles. He is sovereign over all. The verse leading up to this one shows that God is the creator over the one who comes at you to attack you as…
- Declare, Declare Proclaim Boldly, Encouragement, Fighting for Joy, Focusing on Truth, God’s mighty power, Hope in God, Life Battles, Life Storms, Mental Health, Proclaim, Pursuing health and wholeness, Word of the Year, WOTY, WOTY 2024
2024 Word(s) Of the Year: Declare/Proclaim…Boldly
My 2024 Word(s) of the year are: Declare/Proclaim …Boldly. This comes out of Psalm 118:17 & Ephesians 6:19-20. The Lord brought these verses to me in late November and early December, and I began to notice the words- Declare. Proclaim. As Psalm 118:17 states, “I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.” This deeply resonates with me. There has been so much that has felt like death in the last 8 years. And there has been actual death (2 angel babies) and also the caregiving and navigating 3 very different life-threatening illnesses/diagnoses for my husband and 2 of my children and close calls with…
- Bible teaching, Daniel, Encouragement, Faith, Fighting for Joy, Focusing on Truth, God’s mighty power, Hope in God, Life Battles, Life Storms, Mental Health, miracles, Overcome anxiety & worry, Pursuing health and wholeness, spiritual warfare
God Is In the Room & He Still Does Miracles.
Friend— You are Not alone. No matter what you are going through. No matter if anyone knows the battle you are facing, the struggles that are pressing in, the pressures you face. God is right there with you. The song “In the Room” by Maverick City Music is one of my current favorites because it testifies to how God has always been the same, back when Daniel was in the lion’s den and wasn’t devoured after going against the command to only pray to the king. He continued to pray to God and was sentenced to death by the lion’s den as a result. But God protected him. (Read about…
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Who Needs Help with Their Problems & Struggles in Life- God is an Ever-Present Help.
Lord you are mighty & good. Move in the midst of so many who need to hear your voice— & feel your presence— in the midst of their battle right now. Today. Be their ever-present help in times of trouble, as you already are. Help them to know you are near & care and are working everything for their ultimate good. Increase their trust in you, God. 🙏❤️ Friend— Share this prayer with whoever needs encouragement in their life battles and difficulties they are facing today. Tag me on social media @choosejoyinthemidst Christmas doesn’t put a pause on life difficulties. We all need encouragement and strength to face the storms…
