InstaEncouragements Blog

Thank You For Helping Us Give Back!

12/7/2019

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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Creating JOY in a Season of Grief

12/3/2019

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I was recently asked to speak at a local GriefShare meeting on how to survive the holidays in spite of overwhelming grief. It's a subject I can speak on drawing from personal experience.

I found, in my own situation, that the first year after you've lost a loved one is the most difficult as you cycle through the many holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and special days. My sister was killed just 12 days before Christmas. So, that first Christmas was incredibly difficult for us, and the second wasn't much easier.

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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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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.

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