InstaEncouragements Blog

“Are We There Yet?” The Question God’s Children Need to Stop Asking

1/17/2020

This past Christmas, my husband and I traveled for 15 hours in a car with my 3-year-old nephew, Jackson. The repetition of all variations of the phrase “are we there yet?” still rings in my brain. Parents of young children laugh at how often their kids ask this question. Only now do I realize that they’re laughing to avoid tears.

In a way, the question “are we there yet?” defines the perspective of a child. If they aren’t wishing away the hours of a road trip, they’re wishing away the days until summer begins, the months until Christmas, or the years until they can move away from home. That all-encompassing desire for the next “big thing” in life fuels a child’s excitement. Lately, I’ve been wondering if any of us really outgrow this mindset.

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22 Books We Loved in 2019

1/3/2020

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22 Books We Loved in 2019: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a #book long enough to suit me.” --C.S. Lewis

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” —Jane Austen

At the end of each year, I enjoy putting together a roundup post of all the wonderful books we have loved on and shared during the year here at InstaEncouragements. You can always just click on the Book Love link under categories in the sidebar, but this post puts them all in one place for you. I hope you enjoy our 22 Books We Loved in 2019 post! Be sure to pin it and save it for later!

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Adoring His Attributes Review & Giveaway

12/10/2019

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Adoring His Attributes: A 30 Day Devotional for Worshipful Prayer

What if we begin the new year by adoring the attributes of God?

What if we are intentional for the first 30 days of 2020 with our prayer and worship of Him?

What if we knew this would be life-changing?

I've been reading Adoring His Attributes: A 30 Day Devotional for Worshipful Prayer and can I just say, friend, this will be a beautiful, life-changing, Christmas gift for every girl on your list?!

You can purchase your copy here.

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Thank You For Helping Us Give Back!

12/7/2019

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We all need to be reminded of God's promises! The dozens of copies of The Heart That Heals purchased on Black Friday, November 29 - Sunday, December 8, will be matched and a copy given to charity for every copy you purchased.

This holiday season we are partnering with: Pregnancy Resource Center, Sacred Journey Hospice, Christian Women’s Center, YoungLife Griffin, Southern Grace Hospice, and Gigi’s House. So, when you purchased a copy of The Heart That Heals on November 29 - December 8, you not only got a great book (read reviews below or on Amazon or goodreads) and a good deal, you also gave a book to someone in need.

You not only purchased a book for yourself or a friend, but you gave a book to:

The girl that just walked into a pregnancy resource center looking for options
The wife whose husband of 37 years is laying in hospice care right now
The lady who is looking for safety and security from an abusive relationship
The teenage girl who is struggling with addiction and has just been rescued off the streets

All of these dear ladies, just like you and me, need to be reminded of the promises of God, and they will find those on every page of this book. Thank you for partnering with us and helping us give back!!!

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A Rossiterville Christmas: 28 Tried & True Traditions

12/6/2019

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A Rossiterville Christmas: 28 Tried & True Traditions

Lights, tinsel, carols, hot chocolate, and eleven faces eagerly awaiting what they will receive. What an amazing and magically time filled with family and memories. Only a God of love and compassion would turn His ultimate sacrifice into a day of gifts for all mankind. Christ, the greatest gift, is still giving today!

That being said, materialism and the hunt for the latest and greatest has tarnished, as it always will, the heart of this season. The fight to keep the focus both Christ-centered and ordered with moderation has all of us going against the flow of society.

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Who Doesn’t Like a Good Hallmark Movie?

11/29/2019

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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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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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