Challenge #36

Ask me about doing this in December '21 and January '22.

I knew it was crucial to turn that paralyzing fear over to Him, to surrender it all (no matter what), and to give Him the gift of trusting Him.

Talk to Him about your fears. Tell Him exactly what you're afraid of and tell Him that you want a heart fully surrendered to Him.

He will honor this because He recognizes the humbleness, gratefulness, and honesty we gift Him.

Jesus in us makes it complete!

Friends, are you working with the LORD? Are you asking Him to reveal your bad habits?

And do you trust Him completely to surrender?

All of it.

The ugly, the uglier, the ugliest.

We trust and surrender and He reconciles, restores, repairs, and rejuvenates.

❤️

Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.

Jeremiah 17:7-8

To those who have served and to those families who have lost much, thank you. And I'm sorry.

With God's grace, you helped preserve our Nation for such a time as this. We'll pick up the mantle and with the LORD leading the charge, fight on to preserve America the Beautiful.

Hello friends! Just wanted to share something I thought was quite eye-opening.

I love those stories and videos of people who have lost a great deal of weight. One story I saw many months ago has stuck in my mind.

The gentleman was hundreds of pounds overweight. He could barely move, but knew he needed to start exercising. So he started against a wall in his galley style kitchen and walked to the wall on the other side of the kitchen directly in front of him. At first he could only do the short distance one time. Then a couple of weeks later, he could do it twice. Then three times. Back and forth. Back and forth. It was all he could manage, but that's all it took to light a fire under him. After months of increasing the back and forth (and modifying his diet) he had lost weight. Then he was able to get outside to walk.

I love how he accepted his limitations, knowing it was okay and temporary. He accepted that small steps truly make a difference.

So it is for us.

Perhaps we need to stop thinking in grand terms and limit our focus to what's in front us. That is something we can manage.

Perhaps we need to let go of the guilt of not, "Doing enough," and feeling the pressure (from others/ourselves) that we ought to be preparing for an Olympic sport when all we ought to be doing is taking a few steps.

What those steps look like will vary depending on the season in our lives. But, those tiny steps truly make a difference.

Pray, ask your Heavenly Father what tiny steps you ought to take.

Then embrace those tiny steps and be proud of yourself!

Have a happy day!

Challenge #37

This one from Vince Guerra is so very, very good 👇🏼

I went down a rabbit trail of Biblical archaeology last week, then began asking myself if any of it really mattered. God said, “Yes, yes it does.” Here’s why:

https://vinceguerra.substack.com/p/debating-the-true-mount-sinai-and

Got plans for summer reading? Want to get a few more classics under your belt?

Here's our summer/fall lineup for Gaining Ground. Some of us are VERY excited. 🤓🙌🏻

Join us for any or all, invite your friends, bring your kids. And if you'd like to gain ground in your writing as well, check out that option here — it’s only $30/month, extremely flexible and light-yoked, and you’ll up your writing game every month you do it:

https://gainingground.substack.com/about

Happy birthday to all you June babies! So much fun to kick off the summer traditions during your birthday month 🩵🤍❤️🩷💜

If you've never read the real, original Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne, you are missing out! We're starting it this week in Gaining Ground and we'd love for you to join us. Grab a copy from the library and laugh with us. 🧸😁

👆🏼 I wholeheartedly agree! Cuddle up with your Littles or if you can, Grand-littles to immerse yourself in Winnie's sweet world. It's worth the effort of reading to your faraway Littles via video calls.

And it's a real gem for just you to read.

The Winnie'isms go straight to the heart.

👇🏼 Thank you, 4 Liberty, for letting is read your experience and thoughts. Blessings to you!