InstaEncouragements Blog

Our Words Matter: What Are Careless Words?

12/25/2020

Welcome to "Our Words Matter" a 5-part mini-series about using our words wisely and avoiding careless words. Last month we looked at The Sin of Careless Words. Today, we're looking at What Are Careless Words? Over the next few months (the last Friday of each month) we will also look at:

Where Do Careless Words Come From?
What Do Careless Words Do?
How Do I Avoid Careless Words?

I hope you'll join us for "Our Words Matter" because they do!

Careless words are those that are spoken rashly. They lack wise consideration and are often impulsive, thoughtless, and insensitive. In short, careless words are those that happen when we just don’t think.

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Our Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide

12/4/2020

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Our Favorite Things Christmas Gift Guide : I know that some of you are already shopping for Christmas. Maybe, you even have all of your shopping done. But if you are one of those, like me, who wait till the last minute, have I got a deal for you!

Christmas will be here before we know it! It seems to creep up on me sooner than expected every year and I am rarely prepared for it.

This year, however, our family is doing something a bit different. We are not giving gifts. Instead, we're doing experiences and having a family photo made.

All fourteen of us met at a local farm with our photographer, Katelyn, and afterwards for a family dinner. The dinner was one of those "experiences" as we spent the day making several different kinds of pasta for it.

I know that some of you are already well into shopping for Christmas. Maybe, you even have all of your shopping done. But if you are one of those, like me, who wait till the last minute, have I got a sweet deal for you! It's like going to the mall (remember those days?) but better!

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Our Words Matter: The Sin of Careless Words

11/27/2020

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My Words Matter: The Sin of Careless Words

Welcome to "Our Words Matter" a 5-part mini-series about using our words wisely and avoiding careless words. Today, we're looking at The Sin of Careless Words. Over the next few months (the last Friday of each month) we will also look at:

What Are Careless Words?
Where Do Careless Words Come From?
What Do Careless Words Do?
How Do I Avoid Careless Words?

I hope you'll join us for "Our Words Matter" because they do!

Have you ever paused to consider how absolutely amazing it is that God simply spoke creation into existence? From the tallest tree to the tiniest blade of grass, every breeze that blows, every mountain and valley, every organism down to the most minuscule cell exists because God spoke.

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4 Ways God Grew Me Through Running

10/30/2020

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A Runner’s Revelations

As I sit writing this, I have just completed a big goal I set for myself at the start of 2020. For over 15 years I have been a runner. What began as a means of staying healthy and active has turned into a passion and something I genuinely find joy in doing. I’ve run many miles and road races over the years, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always put a limit on myself when it comes to what I believe I am capable of doing. Whenever I have thought about taking on long-distance runs such as a half or full marathon, I have quickly chided myself and said, “That’s too hard; I could never do that” all the while wishing that I could.

But this year was different. I will turn 40 at the end of 2020, and as this milestone year began, I decided there was no better time to set a challenge for myself.

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From Grumbling to Grateful

10/2/2020

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Discovering God’s Goodness
in Every Circumstance

Have you ever stopped and taken a count of how often you complain in a day? Let me tell you from personal experience, it is not a pleasant task. In fact, it can be quite shocking. First, there are numerous, minor annoyances that seem to plague daily life and provide ample temptation to grumble. For myself, it is so easy to brush off a grouchy reaction to such frustrations and say, “I’m not complaining! I’m just stating a fact.” However, if I allow the Spirit even a few moments to speak to and judge my heart, the honest truth is that I am, in fact, complaining.

But then there are circumstances and adversities that are truly difficult and even severe.

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Three Lessons From the Path of Grief

8/28/2020

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“Man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward.” Job 5:7

This sobering reminder from the book of Job puts life in proper, and somewhat grim, perspective.

We tend to think of life in terms of our good, peaceful, and happy times intermittently interrupted by difficulty, pain, and loss. But in truth, it is the other way around.

Living in a sin-cursed world means that life here will be largely marked by hardship and hurt with periods of rest or relief. Life is hard. That is normal. But for the Christian, there is more than either just pain or joy, either living with Option A or Option B.

We cannot escape the pains of this life, but we can certainly experience them very differently than those who do not know God.

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