WELCOME HEART: Living a Legacy Life

SALE! FRIENDS & FAMILY 25% OFF ALL DIGITAL PRODUCTS OCTOBER 18-31   COUPON CODE: WELCOMEFRIENDS ::::::::: Can we grow into and become God’s idea of a strong, mature woman in our own strength?  Or course not.  That’s what I love about this:  God has high and purpose-filled expectations, but He knows we can’t do it by ourselves.  He knows we are weak and frail and given to fits of petulance and self...

I first met Elizabeth Spencer "online" and she immediately won me over with her quick wit, practical and biblical counsel, and of course, out-of-this-world recipes. Her writing encourages moms to stop feeling all that normal shame and guilt that comes with the territory by lifting our minds and hearts to Jesus and giving ourselves and our kids what we and they need most: grace. (You thought I was...

One thing we know is that we will all grow old, unless we die first.  Bette Davis said, “Old age is not for sissies.” My mom used to say: “There’s nothing fun about growing old.”  She was mourning the loss of her independence due to macular degeneration.  God, in His wisdom, made us all start as baby Christians—– but we didn’t stop there, did we?  One thing is true, we will all grow old, but we ma...

No matter how often I listen to or read Bob Goff, I get inspired, blessed, and closer to who I think Jesus calls me to be. In this interview, you will hear about 17 sermons that preach in about that many minutes. Get ready. Grab a pen if you like to take notes, and I hope you're not driving because you may need to stop and replay a line or two to make sure you got it.  I asked Bob if he had a favo...

Companies and ministries alike know the significance of creating a great mission statement. I find them in the back of magazines, church bulletins, and online articles. People want others to know what they are about, and in the believer’s case, Who they are about. A Believer's Manifesto has to do with love and identity. Why a Mission Statement? It frames our lives with God’s intentions, a framewor...

Nicole Phillips, a college coach wife, former Miss Wisconsin, writer, and speaker, is all about kindness. Her legacy begins in her home as she's trained her three cherubs to develop a vision for kindness, teaching them to look daily for something kind:  What someone did Something they saw Something kind someone did for them You will be motivated to present yourself as a "vessel of kindness" on a r...

Everybody and their mother is writing their "Mission Statements" these days. Why the big deal? How important is it to develop a Mission Statement? For our daughter, Bonnie’s company, it was important enough for her to spend nine months, as well for her company to pour thousands of dollars into manpower, TV ads and in the end, declaring: “This is what we’re about and it’s a great thing!” I can’t he...

Do you want to be a "No-Regrets" woman? Rhonda Stoppe tells us today how to be just that. None of us like to live with regret, yet we've all done things and said things we've regretted. How do we get beyond ourselves and live a life "worthy of the life to which we are called?" Paul wrote in Ephesians: Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for...

You may know someone who would give you the shirt off your back - but how about a kidney? (I might give a casserole...) Today I have the honor of hosting my lovely friend, Katie Collins: educator, wife, mother, grandmother, and kidney donor.  Katie talks of leaving a legacy of "Less judgment -- More prayer" as she's learned to recognize that everyone she meets has a story and we can be part of the...

Tiffiney Holmes, wife of 26 years, homeschooling mom of 6, hails from Brooklyn, NY. She's quick to say she doesn't have it all figured out, while at the time she encourages us to cling to Jesus and fight to live every moment as one who can share the Gospel at every chance we get.  As a woman of color, today Tiffiney shares her perspective on racial tension ("Satan is having a heyday!") and what's...

God knows we need each other, at every age and stage. Here are 6 descriptions of a good friend. I hope you can celebrate friendship alongside of me today! There's a difference between loneliness and solitude. One is debilitating, and the other is necessary.  “The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.”-- Mother Teresa Mother Teresa saw the worst in poverty yet here s...

I found a kindred spirit in today's podcast with Rebecca Hastings. Rebecca is not only a woman of words, but a woman who knows her worth found in God and His Word. You will love her!   A little about Rebecca: Rebecca Hastings is a writer and speaker encouraging women to find real faith for real life.  A wife and mother of three in Connecticut, she is the author of Worthy: Believe Who God Says You...

John 4 tells the familiar story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well and how He offered her what she really wanted even though she didn't know what that was! God's welcoming heart is revealed to the woman at the well, someone who was an outcast in so many ways, and we learn 4 things about showing hospitality, and they all have to do with trusting God.  On the surface, this looks like it’s the wo...

Julie, Kendra, and Kristin—creators of the growing online community The Ruth Experience—are three friends whose lives are intertwined as writers, speakers, wives, moms, and world-changers. They are the authors of five books, including their most recent The One Year Daily Acts of Kindness Devotional and 100 Days of Kindness. They believe that when we walk together as women, we can unleash new possi...

There's nothing worse than knowing you have the greatest job in the world and feeling like a failure in that job. How can we parent with joy, confidence and purpose? Parenting is difficult (ask God, the Perfect Parent!) yet there is joy in the journey. And God, our Shepherd, is our comfort.     Sarah Young wrote in her book, Jesus Calling : "Nothing is wasted when you are walking close to Me." (Ap...

Doris Cush says she's not a patient person but she is a waiter - she knows to wait on God to bring something beautiful from ashes, strength from weakness, faith from pain. The moment you meet her, you know you are loved as she invites you to make Jesus your best friend, no matter what you are going through. In her own words: People know me as Doris Cush. but my narrative is encapsulated in a tagli...

My friend and mentor, Annadale White, just turned 95. Don't you love that? In her own words, "For some reason, God wanted me to live a long life." She didn't want to be interviewed but I didn't want you to miss out on knowing some of her exuberance in Jesus and her godly wisdom. Annadale, a PhD in Education, former college professor, Bible teacher, wife, mother, and grandmother is first and foremo...

I love my friend, Molly ZagRodny. She's real, loves Jesus, and me! She's the first to say there are no easy answers to our struggles of life on this side of heaven. Yet she trusts God, continues to learn, and serves others humbly. Molly's Legacy: For others to know the extent of God's love for them To offer hope and continue in faith in light of hard questions, suffering and embracing the truth of...

I need to beware of anything that begins with: "I pride myself in..." I'm sure to fail. I hope to fail. That way I'll remember God is the author of anything worth boasting in. Our gifts and talents are from Him to serve (or in my case, sometimes entertain) others. Listen today for 3 steps on how to keep pride at bay, totally out of your mind and heart so that God "frees you up" to glory in Him and...

I first found Aly when I read the lessons she learned when her husband made a dining table from pallets  (donated from Whole Foods) and an old door in the garage. I loved everything about those lessons - especially this one:  "(The fact that their table is a door) is not lost on us as we open our doors and our lives to those who come and leave with full bellies and fuller hearts."    Hear how Aly...

I know it takes a lifetime to become like Jesus, but one thing--perhaps the main thing--that helps is remembering who I am. I'm a new creation, and new creations act and speak a certain way. My identity in Christ - chosen and forgiven - informs how I live. I speak differently. I act differently. All because of my identity. This list helps me. My pastor reminded me of our identity when speaking fro...

Micah's story from abandonment into healing encourages us to look to Jesus and His Word to fill our souls and hearts. No matter what wounds and disappointments we experience, we can find our hope by hiding under the shadow of His wings. Her legacy includes living with an eternal perspective which is easy to say but takes working out on a consistent basis. Micah mentions these three contrasts that...

We can always think of a reason NOT to do something we don't want to do. I'm an expert at thinking up creative reasons to say "no" to God's big idea. "I'm too tired. I'm too old. I don't think I'm hearing correctly..." God gives grace, yes. But He also loves our obedience and He will give us the strength to do what He's asked us to do.  Be hospitable isn't a suggestion, it's a command. So why don'...

Jesus called us to live life beyond ourselves in Matthew 6: 19,20- "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal." And He gives us two good reasons:  Heavenly treasures last--no rats or thieves! And they focus our hearts: "For where your treasure is, there...

So God graciously invites us to come to Him. We need to come. So why don’t we? Why do we ignore the signs for rest stops? What excuses do we make when Jesus has so gently invited us to rest? I can think of at least two.  ::::::::::   Prayer to Pray (Before Getting Out of Bed in the Morning) “So far today, God, I’ve done all right.  I haven’t gossiped, I haven’t lost my temper.  I haven’t been grum...