InstaEncouragements Blog

Who Doesn’t Like a Good Hallmark Movie?

11/29/2019

It’s that time of year when our senses are flooded with familiar sights, sounds and smells, which can make us nostalgic and emotional. We enjoy kicking back with our hot cocoa and festive cookies to watch the many feel-good movies available. They have a way of getting us into the holiday spirit. We know their formulas and anticipate the happy endings usually sealed with a kiss.

Although our movie watching can be enjoyable, the stories are often a mix of reality and fantasy. It is way too easy for us to be in a relaxed state and let fiction or anti-biblical philosophies become a part of our own thinking. Can we enjoy a good movie even if it includes fantasy? Sure, but we need to view our entertainment through a lens of discernment. Let me give you a couple examples of what I mean.

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36 Verses of Thanksgiving & Praise

11/26/2019

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"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation! Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!" Psalm 95:1-2

Bring on the fresh, green beans, sweet potato soufflé, roasted turkey with stuffing, my mama's homemade cranberry sauce, and those mouth-watering, fresh-out-of-the-oven yeast rolls. Then, there's the homemade pumpkin pie and pecan pie with a big cup of afternoon coffee. I'm stuffed! The Thanksgiving meal is truly something to behold, it's it? I'm not sure why we only eat this good once a year.

We go all out decorating our homes with stunning fall décor, from the wreath on the front door and pumpkins on the steps to the table runner and centerpiece. Family and friends come together and we all eat way too much!

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This is the Good Work God Called You To Mama

11/22/2019

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This is the Good Work God Called You To Mama

Motherhood is demanding work. I’ve been on the motherhood journey for over twenty-five years now. With three adult children, two teens and one preteen, the needs are different than they were ten years ago, but they are still needs that demand effort on my part as a mom. If I’m honest, there are some days when I’d like to pull up the covers over my head and let everyone just fend for themselves. As a matter of fact, today was one of those days. My two youngest boys did something last night that hurt someone’s feelings. They were “just being boys”, but if I let it slide, I would lose an opportunity to show them how their actions can hurt others whether they mean to or not.

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Explaining Santa Claus to Your Kids

11/19/2019

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"A long, long time ago there was a man named Nicholas. He gave food and presents to orphans because he loved Jesus so very, very much—like we do, sweety. That's why people dress up in red Santa suits today, so we can remember what Nicholas did."

Have you tried to explain Santa Claus to your kids, and failed? Maybe you said something like what's written above, and maybe you felt like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas?

Honestly, we never told our kids anything about Santa Claus that I can remember. We didn't say he was real, and we didn't say he wasn't.

I guess my thinking was they would just figure it out on their own, like I did when I was a child. Looking back, I'm not sure that was the best decision; and sometimes the Santa deal can become a very big deal in the mind of a child.

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Psalm 77—A Guide To Godly Grief

11/15/2019

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Psalm 77--A Guide To Godly Grief: How would you help someone who’s going through deep pain and heartache? How would you counsel and comfort them? How would you help them find hope when all seems lost?Picture

How would you help someone who’s going through deep pain and heartache? How would you counsel and comfort them? How would you help them find hope when all seems lost?

Maybe you’d say something like, “It’ll all be okay. You’re stronger than this.” Or “Don’t worry, it’ll all work out in the end.” Maybe you don’t know what to say, so you’re just there with your presence but no words. Perhaps you avoid them because you don’t want to say the wrong thing.

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10 Things Successful Couples Do

11/12/2019

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Marriage in a Lifelong Commitment

One of the primary, biblical building blocks for a successful marriage is for the bride and groom to make a lifelong commitment. The Word of God makes it clear that when a man and woman decide to marry, they are at the same time committing themselves to remain married for life.

Jesus said:

"He answered, 'Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

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When the World Comes Calling for Your Child's Heart

11/8/2019

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When the World Comes Calling for Your Child's Heart: I have tried all the other things: quality time, church attendance, family devotions, sheltered and secured environments, and they are not enough. They are sufficient for a time, but their value is not enough to keep the world at bay. Desperate and emptied of all resources, I seek the only help I can find. I run to my Savior and say, “Lord, I am all out of options.”

Empty. Her cupboard was completely bare. She was desperate. The debt collectors were at the door. The payment required was her two sons. They were going to be taken from her to serve as slaves. She had already lost her husband, and was still grieving. Where was she going to turn? Who held the answer? Who could truly help?

Elisha was her best option. He was a prophet who knew her husband and she knew he served the One who could truly bring relief and help to this dire circumstance. She rushes to his presence and pleads her case.

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Who Doesn’t Like a Good Hallmark Movie?

36 Verses of Thanksgiving & Praise

This is the Good Work God Called You To Mama

Explaining Santa Claus to Your Kids

Psalm 77—A Guide To Godly Grief

10 Things Successful Couples Do

Marriage in a Lifelong Commitment

When the World Comes Calling for Your Child's Heart

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Who Doesn’t Like a Good Hallmark Movie?

36 Verses of Thanksgiving & Praise

This is the Good Work God Called You To Mama

​Explaining Santa Claus to Your Kids

Psalm 77—A Guide To Godly Grief

10 Things Successful Couples Do

Marriage in a Lifelong Commitment

When the World Comes Calling for Your Child's Heart

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Explaining Santa Claus to Your Kids