Sunshine in My Nest

We think of church history through the lens of monolithic culture. Jerome encourages us to go back in history further than the protestant reformation and discover the colorful mosaic of church history. You can find his book "⁠⁠⁠⁠ African Heroes " linked or follow him on ⁠ Instagram ⁠. You can find Elizabeth  writing helpful hints  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on the blog⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Helping you love Jesus and di...

I realized again because serve Jesus my time and effort can't be stolen. Every hour is already his. He uses my life in acts both domestic tasks, volunteer projects, and writing to bring his kingdom and for his glory, and somehow also my own joy.  My life cannot be stolen because it's already bought and paid for, and he does beautiful things with everything he is given! SHOW NOTES: -Go to t...

Can you find beauty in the brokeness of your body even in the middle of a chronic illness diagnosis? Cassandra tells us about what she's learning about relying on Christ and humbly accepting help in the middle of a life-altering medical event. TAKE IT TO YOUR COMMUNITY Ask a hurting friend, "What does support look like to you right now?" You can find "⁠ There's Beauty in You...

When we are to give to one another everything good within our power submission becomes a joy. We are wholeheartedly dedicated to the good of the other. In healthy relationships, as we press to give one another the best, we are met with equal resistance to be given the best, and the love of God is shown as we live together in love. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ f...

It's easy to believe God is self-absorbed, or not present at all. Alexandra Hoover talks us through what it looks like to trust God day in and day out. She grew up with the odds are stacked against her and has had moments she was left wondering how she would get back up. She believes resilient faith is possible, and wants you to have it too! You can find her book "⁠⁠⁠ Without Wavering ⁠&q...

Writing down what God has done for you and telling others helps strengthen our memory of his goodness. Our joy as believers doesn’t rely on being given everything we want but on the reliability of God’s nearness. In times of hardship, recounting the ways God has been good to you in the past, can help you meet even the hardest of trials with joy. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"Get Started"...

We often think that if we do the right things we can get the result from God that we want, but most of us as we walk through life start noticing that things don't add up the way we thought they would. Kristen LaValley and her husband worked in full-time ministry when they unexpectedly experienced job loss, infant loss, and she witnessed a murder. Join us as we discuss what it looks like to hav...

When I started focusing on what Jesus had done for me it changed the way I thought about my life. The words I replaced them with were “He is transforming me daily to nurture as he nurtures." “Your home is not a shrine to your good taste, but a place of welcome." “God's Spirit will guide my words.” The freedom from changing my scripts caused me to be more thoughtful and wise as I move...

How would it change the way we live if we saw ourselves as trees instead of machines? The words we use about our lives and stages of life matter. Today Joy Clarkson and I talk about seasons for roots and the ones for fruit. No matter what season you are in you can flourish. TAKE IT TO YOUR COMMUNITY Ask a friend "If you were a tree what season would you be in?" The answer may surprise yo...

The goal of our reading isn’t to “get through,” but to remember and apply. If reading God’s word isn’t bringing delight, blessing, and transformation, then maybe we have found our value in making it a competition to do the most, or on the other side maybe it’s become something unnecessary to our existence. His word doesn’t return void, so read what you have brain retention for, and be formed by hi...

Elisabeth Elliot’s voice was a fixture voice for thousands of living rooms through her 13-year daily radio show. After her husband Jim Elliot was killed on the mission field her best-selling book was the inspiration for the faith of three generations. She was a prolific author and one of the few prominent female voices of the church of her time. She was a purity culture and traditional gender role...

What I learned is God doesn't want us to just come to him in those big moments, but the small ones. The breaths of prayer when struggling with temper. Or a small prayer when remembering someone we love who is grieving or ill. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study - ⁠⁠⁠⁠Join thousands of women⁠⁠⁠⁠ who receive the lessons - ⁠...

Our kids do something wrong and we respond in anger or start monologing. Abbey walks us through what it looks like to plan ahead for the struggles our kids encounter. Having just one phrase that we use every time protects us from responding in ways we regret, and helps defuse the situation. Take to your community: Hey, can we more toward complimenting the work God is doing in our kids rather than...

It’s easy to think corruption, false teaching, and spiritual abuse in the church are new. Through letters like this in the New Testament, we know that isn’t true. By studying these letters, we are given the tools to handle the pain of betrayal by people in the church. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study - ⁠⁠⁠Join thousands of w...

If we live long enough, we will experience the pain of losing someone we love. In this episode, Whitney Pipkin and I talk about what it was like for her to lose her mom. We discuss what's helpful for friends to do during this time, and what isn't helpful. We also cover a theology of death, and how to find the God of comfort in that pain. TAKE IT TO YOUR COMMUNITY Don't feel pressured t...

The peace he leaves us isn’t deadness inside. It’s not toxic positivity or political power. But rather a sure reliance that he has done so far what he has said he will do. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study - ⁠⁠⁠Join thousands of women⁠⁠⁠ who receive the lessons - ⁠⁠⁠Invite a friend⁠⁠⁠ -You can find more lessons  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on th...

It can feel hard if not impossible to find community when we are also trying to parent kids, and yet we know that our kids need a solid community around them. Today Holly and I talk about how to find healthy community and how to see child-rearing as a vocation to which parents are called that requires them to develop the skills of apprenticeship and invitation. She also locates raising children fi...

This verse is a reminder that the goal of believers isn’t to get everything out of life that we can or to collect a show room that celebrates our good taste. But to value souls made in his image. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study - ⁠⁠⁠Join thousands of women⁠⁠⁠ who receive the lessons - ⁠⁠⁠Invite a friend⁠⁠⁠ -You can find mor...

Joy Prouty is the videographer for JJ Heller's music videos and a beautiful lifestyle photographer. Today we chat about what it looks like to slow down and cherish the littlest moments of our life through the lens of a camera. TAKE IT TO YOUR COMMUNITY Share a photo of a past version of yourself with a friend this week. Open yourself to conversations of where life has taken you over the years!...

Many of us endure pain that is the consequence of our actions. We repent and find forgiveness, but that doesn’t always mean our circumstances change. What we can know from this verse is that God is with us even in that kind of pain. He is a reliable place to put our hope. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study - ⁠⁠⁠Join thousands...

Have you vowed to read through the Bible in a year only to fizzle out somewhere in Exodus or Leviticus? Or you've finished your reading and realized you don't remember anything you read? Today seminary trained, Amy talks about her favorite tools for studying the Bible. TAKE IT TO YOUR COMMUNITY Text a friend and ask, "What has God been teaching you? Not just through what you read, but...

You can have hope in suffering, because what we see it brings is a deeper and more full understanding of who God is. Ask the hard questions, because he is big enough to handle and answer them. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study - ⁠⁠⁠Join thousands of women⁠⁠⁠ who receive the lessons -Get this week's lesson and study questi...

Do you feel stressed by all the demands the new year seems to bring? Everyone is talking about their new programs and goals, and yet we are still exhausted from the marathon of December and Christmas. What does it look like to assess where we are and gently lean into a new week instead of trying to tackle a whole year? TAKE IT TO YOUR COMMUNITY Identify who your inner circle is and choose to prior...

For lots of us, this year holds a lot of unknown big decisions. How I find God's will in all that can be hard. It can fill us with dread of the unknown or excitement for what God will do. SHOW NOTES: -Go to the ⁠⁠"Get Started" page⁠⁠ for all the information on how to use this study - ⁠⁠Join thousands of women⁠⁠ who receive the lessons - ⁠⁠Invite a friend⁠⁠ -You can find more lessons ...

The past 5 weeks have been a pause to remember what Christ has done, and an invitation to carry that knowledge into the new year with us. To worship is a sacrifice and demands discipline. But when we live with what God has done for us in view it transforms the way we live. When we live a life transformed by his love it gives us and those around us into what God’s coming kingdom will look like. SHO...