InstaEncouragements Blog

Christmas Comes in the Dark

12/31/2021

There’s a lot of pressure to be happy at Christmas. Swipe through your Instagram feed during the month of December and no doubt you will see countless posts of people reveling in the tree decorating, cookie making, concerts, shopping, bright lights, and a myriad of other seasonal activities. But for many people, Christmas is difficult — tinged with sorrows, trials, loneliness, and loss.

The first Christmas after my dad passed away was a hard one for me. I still enjoyed the season with all the events and experiences that took place, but at the same time, there was this dark cloud that hovered in my heart and mind — the cloud of grief. I would be perfectly happy one day watching a Christmas movie with my husband and daughter, and the next I would burst into tears while listening to my favorite carols. I had a difficult time, to say the least, making sense of the spectrum of emotions I felt.

1 Comment

Sweeter Than Honey: That Heavenly Reward

12/28/2021

8 Comments

Sweeter Than Honey: That Heavenly Reward

What if we spent a few quiet moments with God each morning? What if we were intentional about making time for it? What if we committed to doing that all year long and by the year’s end we found that we had read the entire Bible!?

How many times, on January 1, have you committed to reading the Bible from cover to cover in a year? I have made that commitment too many times to count, and I have failed too many times to admit.

A few years ago though, I used a one-year, chronological order of book authorship, Bible Reading Itinerary.

Did you know that Genesis was not the first book of the Bible written? While plans like this vary somewhat, because it is simply impossible to put an exact date on some books of the Bible, the plan I used begins with the book of Job.

8 Comments

4 Observations From the Life of Elisabeth

12/24/2021

1 Comment

4 Observations From the Life of Elisabeth

Who are the main characters in the Christmas story? Well, there’s Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the angels, the shepherds, Herod, and the list goes on. But what about the story that precedes Mary and Joseph? Have you ever spent any time considering the character of Elisabeth who was the mother of John the Baptist? Let’s take a look at the life of Elisabeth and what the Lord reveals to us about her character so we can learn from her in this important narrative leading up to the Incarnation.

Take some time before reading further and just read with fresh eyes the account of Elisabeth and Zacharias in Luke 1:5-80.

When studying the life of someone in Scripture, it is good to start with some background about the person. Names in the Bible had great significance. Elisabeth means “God is my oath” or “a worshipper of God.”

1 Comment

Sweeter Than Honey: A Branch and a Chosen Friend

12/21/2021

5 Comments

Sweeter Than Honey: A Branch and a Chosen Friend

5 Comments

What To Do When God is Rewriting Your Story

12/17/2021

8 Comments

What to Do When God is Rewriting Your Story

Sometimes it’s hard to write about what’s going on in your heart and life while it’s happening. A testimony is easier to share when you can give it an ending that makes everyone say, “Amen!” Recently, though, God has been teaching me that life isn’t always about resolutions. Sometimes He teaches us the most when it seems like every detail of our lives is “in-process.”

Early in October, my husband and I learned that we are expecting our first baby. I think I experienced a mild shock. It took four tests and a doctor’s appointment to convince me that I was, in fact, pregnant.

Over the past few years, I’ve gone from terrified at the very idea of having kids to a great desire to have children. On October 1, my 29th birthday, I even wished that this year would be the year.

8 Comments

Sweeter Than Honey: The Unmistakable Power of Prayer

12/14/2021

11 Comments

Sweeter Than Honey: The Unmistakable Power of Prayer

11 Comments

Planning a Faithful Life

12/10/2021

4 Comments

I will be honest with you, friend, I am not much of a planner. I'm more of an "I'll think about that tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day." (thank you Scarlett O'Hara) kind of girl. Sometimes, that's ok, but most of the time, it's not! However, I do know that being intentional about planning is what I need to produce faithfulness—especially in the spiritual areas of my life.

I had all but given up on planners for 2022 until I found the Faithful Life Planner, and I am so excited to share it with you today! I'm equally excited about diving into 2022 with this planner!

The Faithful Life Planner combines a quiet time journal plus a weekly planner into one, beautiful resource to help us live out the kind of life God has designed for us. It's Christ-focused, and I love that about this planner! You want to keep Jesus at the center of your life, don't you!? I know you do. This planner will help us do that!

4 Comments