Updated on December 1, 2015
Holiday Survival Verses (& a Free Printable!)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Or is it? Of course it can be, but the stress of the holidays can really take a toll, especially when everyday life is already bowing under the weight of chronic illness and disability. I made this little printable for you, Dear Ones, in hope that it would help to keep us all focused and grounded and staring straight into the light and the true peace of Christmas.
When you’re feeling lonely…… John 14:16-17
When you’re feeling overwhelmed…… John 16:33
When the stresses weigh you down……. Matthew 11:28-29
When your month is longer than your paycheck……. Luke 12:22-32
When time is short and the list is long……. Colossians 3:17
When family is difficult……. Romans 8:14-16
Merry Christmas!!!!! <3
Heavenly Father, please guard our hearts during what can be a stressful and lonely time of the year. Thank You for Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on December 1, 2015
Where Do You Place Your Hope This Advent?
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.
– Isaiah 11:1-5
We’re halfway through this first week of Advent. This week as we do our best to focus on and hold to HOPE, the enemy seems ever more determined to rip any joy he can from our grasp.
To mar any light that begins to shine.
Take a deep breath with me mid-week, will you? I made this in hopes that you’ll join me in remembering what we’re the world was waiting for 2000 years ago. Where are you placing your Hope?
Lord Jesus, we await You now as they waited for You then. Thank You for being Hope in the flesh. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on December 1, 2015
The NLT Illustrated Study Bible… and a Giveaway!
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. – 2 Timothy 3:16
The Illustrated Study Bible brings Scripture’s message to life by giving you an entirely new visual study experience.
Seamlessly integrated with background material, study notes and theme articles, The Illustrated Study Bible empowers you to draw closer to God by opening your eyes to Scripture’s living, powerful message.
The best way I can describe this Bible is that it makes you feel spoiled! Spoiled and prepared. I have gotten so accustomed to studying this way that I know I will have a hard time going back to being without this Bible! However, I feel so motivated to do this giveaway, so guess what’s going on my Christmas list!
New Living Translation has been my favorite version for a good while now, because it is easy to understand. What the makers of this Bible have done is take all of the resources I like to gather around me as I study, and put them all in one book. Seriously. It’s amazing.
Learn more here, and see some sneak peeks inside!
I have charts like the harmony of the gospels. I have maps. I have commentaries and some concordance work. The illustrations are beautiful full-color photos that really make things come to life. Honest to goodness, they’ve thought of everything.
Want to feel spoiled in your Bible study, too? Enter to win this little gem in the giveaway below. A winner will be chosen at random on Friday.
NLT Illustrated Study Bible
To purchase this Bible, please go here or here.
* I received a complimentary copy of the book for review purposes from Tyndale House. All opinions are my own.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 30, 2015
Preparing for the Season with Advent Reflections… And a Special Offer! :)
If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer! – Job 11:13
Today is day two of a week of recommendations and giveaways! Isn’t this fun!?
Today’s Special Offer is a wonderful one that makes the Advent Reflections devotional experience even more of a blessing!
My precious friend, Anita of Scatter the Stones introduced me to her Advent Reflections eBook last year, and oh. my. sweet. goodness. This book did wonders for me in slowing down the Christmas season and really placing my focus where it needed to be each day. She writes in such a way that just oozes peace and gentleness. I can’t wait to get started this year with this wonderful devotional.
This eBook is priced for every budget, I promise, at under $2! It will bless you. <3
Advent Reflections eBook Info and Ordering
Once you have ordered the book, please visit here for a special offer for subscribers… are you ready for this? Anita is doing an audio version of each devotional to share with her readers at no extra cost! Her voice is angelic, Carissa and I have decreed it to be so. This has me even more excited about this year’s devotionals, knowing it will feel like sitting right alongside my friend as we focus together this Christmas season.
Join us, won’t you? <3
**Don’t delay! If you would like access to the audio, subscribe to the Advent list before the end of the day (December 1st), as this offer is only good through today.
Reason for the Season, we come before You asking for Your supernatural help to focus our minds as we enter into this time of such business and bustle. Thank You for Jesus. Always. In His Holy Name, Amen…
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 30, 2015
The Place Where We Stand… And a Gutsy Goodness Giveaway! :)
Those who live at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
you inspire shouts of joy. – Psalm 65:8
I’m a south Louisiana girl. I can remember each and every time that we vacationed, when I was growing up, in a place where I got to see mountains. Mountains just blew my mind. Places where you could stand and the clouds would be beneath you. Places where it seemed you could see forever spreading out to the horizon. Places where snow could hide in shadowy pockets, even in the warmest summer months. The air always seemed more crisp and pure and brand new. Possibilities seemed endless. Hope seemed close enough to touch. I never have lost my love for mountains, even after all these years. Even after living in places like Kentucky and Colorado, where beautiful mountains are the norm.
Now low places… oh I could fill a novel with all I know about those. I know what a swamp sounds like. I know what black mud smells like… it smells like decay and endless wet and home. I know what it is like when the sun goes down on a land that’s never seen a slope, much less a foothill. I have seen the sunset reach out it’s arms so far in each direction that they eyes can’t take it all in. I’ve seen it bleed unimaginable colors onto a land that holds its breath and just welcomes the coming dark. The flat and saturated land of south Louisiana has a beauty all its own.
Our Christian walk is much the same. Depending on where we’ve grown up, some topography may amaze us. Some we may know by heart and even take for granted. But the bottom line is, when it all comes down to it, it doesn’t matter where we’re standing. It matters what we’re doing while we’re standing there.
On a mountaintop or down in a valley… at the pinnacle of health or the pit of a fatal illness… alone or surrounded by loved ones… we are created to shine.
“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.” – Luke 8:16
Wherever you are, God has brought you there. Can you trust that? I’m not talking about the condition of your body here, Dear Ones. I’m talking about the condition of your soul. That is what concerns Him.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. – Romans 5:1-2
No matter what else you face, you can stand with confidence and joy. You can have peace. If you are not His child yet, what are you waiting for? Won’t you please consider this your invitation?
We’ve got some standing to do. We’ve got some light to shine. Are you with me?
—————————————————–
I’m SO happy as a part of this post, to offer you a chance to win a handmade necklace created with love by my friend, Lisa Copen of Gutsy Goodness. She makes all kind of yumminess that will lift you up and encourage you to move forward. If you’re looking for a sincere and special gift for someone you love, you really should check out her Etsy shop here.
On Friday, someone will win this little beauty FREE, to remind us to SHINE in a beautiful way! Just enter through the giveaway below to have a chance to win!
Handmade Necklace from Gutsy Goodness
Lisa has also generously provided a code to use if you’d like to purchase any of her beautiful merchandise.
Coupon code for readers to receive 15% off their order at Gutsy Goodness : BLOGGIFT15
This expires 1/31/2016, minimum purchase is $18 (price of 1 necklace)
* Your package comes ready for gift giving. Each necklace has a unique quotation card, making it extra special to the recipient. The necklace is placed inside an organza bag, tucked into a Kraft jewelry-size box, decorated with red washi tape, a seal, raffia ribbon, and a clay sand dollar. A beautiful gift tag is included to personalize it for a friend.
* All necklaces are sold as 24″ but can be changed to 36″ for $3. The charms you see in the photos are included. Additional charms can be added.
Dear Savior, there is nothing we want more than to show You. Thank You for the opportunity, even in these frail vessels, to shine Your light for all to see. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 23, 2015
Is Your Story a Downer? Keep Telling It!
Photo by Atilla1000 
“He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the most holy place once for all by His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12).
I hear stories every day. Stories that break my heart. Stories that renew my fight. Stories that just bully me right back into the best kind of hope.
Just last week, I was learning the story of a brand spanking new friend who is already dear to my heart. She said she doesn’t often talk about it, because she knows that her story is a downer. That took me back.
It shouldn’t take me back, because it’s exactly the reason I play my cards so close to the vest everywhere else but in this space. Seriously, most days I don’t even tell those who are closest to me the real truth of what I’m feeling or experiencing. It’s a habit I keep trying to change, but I’m not good at it. And I recognize that it’s because my story is such a downer.
Allow me to share what God taught me this past week, won’t you?
See you over at Rest Ministries….
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 22, 2015
My Weapon of Choice for Thanksgiving
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. – Romans 8:37
He meant it for evil. Is there any doubt of that? Look at what we deal with on a daily basis… does it seem benign to you? Insignificant? Harmless? Painless? How about easy?
Of course he meant it for evil. It’s who he is, it’s what he does, he could have no other intentions toward us.
But, ah, he underestimates our God. No, that’s not right. I think it goes deeper than mere underestimation. I think he cannot fathom the heart and mind of our God. It is beyond his capabilities because that much good, even as only a contemplation would make his head explode.
Today, as I think of all of the things I am thankful for, as I call to mind each of my blessings, as I savor the lovely things of my life… I will turn those very things he meant for evil into a praise that I offer my King.
I choose thankfulness as my weapon of choice for today. I fight the enemy by being thankful for the very things he has tried to use to crush me.
I am thankful for a chronic illness and disability that pull me closer to my Savior on a daily basis.I am grateful for the empathy that this pain gives me for others. I savor the losses as well as the gains, because each one has helped to soften me for the molding.
I embrace the tears because they release my pain to the One who is big enough to hold it, and cares enough to keep each precious drop. I revel in the laughter because those moments are no longer taken for granted, but held close and brought out like a precious and shining treasure on dark days.
Today is Thanksgiving. And I am oh, so Thankful. Because the God of Joseph is also the God of Shelly. He’s the God of YOU.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.– Genesis 50:20
Happy Thanksgiving, One and All!
Dear Lord, not only today, but every single day all year through, I offer my thanks and praise to You. It will never be enough, but it is all that I have, and I will strive to not become distracted from it. Thank you for bearing my sins, my grief, my pain, my faults, and my insignificance on that cross. I cannot wait to spend eternity with You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Posted on November 25, 2015
Casting Your Care with Bestie Barb! And An Exciting Announcement…
casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. – 1 Peter 5:7
Being able to write this post gives me happy heart dances and big ole goose bumps and all the good warm fuzzies in the pit of my stomach! I’m SO beyond thrilled to tell you that Bestie Barb now has her very own blog space where she will be sharing her words with you regularly! My loss is definitely your gain!! 🙂
Please consider this your engraved invitation to check out her new site that just launched TODAY! And please pray with us as she begins this exciting journey, stepping out in faith where God is leading.
Love you, Barb!! <3 Many Heart Hugs
Now, what are you waiting for??
Head on over to “Casting Your Care”
for your dose of encouragement right now!
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
All you have to do is click one of the buttons below.
May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 22, 2015
How to Handle the Holiday When You Have Nothing Left to Give
“They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:16-17).
Thanks and Giving. Not the first two words that come to mind when you live a life with chronic illness, pain, and disability, is it?
For many of us, this season only heralds the beginning of the rush, the stress and the feelings of inadequacy that seem to loom larger as the year draws to a close.
God has been reminding me of three things that will remain true, no matter my feelings or the time of year. May I share them with you?
I hope you’ll hop on over to Rest Ministries to join us. <3
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
Updated on November 22, 2015
The Loveliest Centerpiece
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. – Hebrews 3:2
Ok, so I don’t know much about entertaining or crafts or decorating. I wish I did, but I have come to accept that it’s just not in me… unless you count the hours spent longingly gazing at Pinterest photos of said talents. But one thing I do know… every party table has to have just the right centerpiece!
With Thanksgiving fast approaching, there’s lots of talk about how to find the perfect centerpiece. Many are making their own, and for the rest of the week, new photos will be popping up all over social media as people share their latest creation or find regarding that all-important eye-catcher.
A centerpiece is defined as:
an object occupying a central position
or
one that is of central importance or interest in a larger whole
or my favorite,
the most important part of something.
Have you ever noticed in scripture how many times that Jesus has been in the center?
He was in the center of the court with the adulterous woman. (John 8:9)
He was in the center of the crowd during the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Matthew 21:9)
His cross was in the center, between the two thieves. (Luke 23:33)
He is the lamb in the center of the throne. (Revelation 7:17)
I challenge you today, amidst the flurry of preparation, please consider that Jesus is the true Centerpiece. Of life…
of the story…
of your Thanksgiving table.
Jesus, please help us to keep you front and center this holiday, and everyday! We love You, Lord, and wish to honor You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen…
If you have been helped by this post and think it could be helpful to someone you know, please share this post on the social network of your choice for me.
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May God Bless You,
Shelly
