InstaEncouragements Blog

How to Write a Book in 4 Simple Steps

8/13/2019

How to write a book in 4 simple steps:

Experience a life-changing tragedy
Get outside of your comfort zone
Find an editor that believes in the message
Become discouraged and put the project away for 17 years

Seriously, this is how it happens sometimes. At least this is how it happened for me. And if I’m completely honest, none of that was simple. The Heart That Heals is coming to Amazon September 1, 2019. Today I want to share with you how it almost didn’t happen.

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24 Ways To Benefit From Meditating on Scripture

8/2/2019

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24 Ways We Benefit From Meditating on Scripture

How many times, on January 1, have you committed to reading the Bible through 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 couple of years ago though I used a one-year, chronological order of book authorship, Bible reading plan. I appreciate this format because it weaves together both the prophetic books with the historical books. I learned a lot about the Old Testament just by following this plan. I also enjoyed reading the Psalms of David in conjunction with the historical narrative of his life.

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Come and Gather: Family Time with God

6/14/2019

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Introducing Come and Gather: Family Time with God, or what we lovingly refer to as Gather. Gather is a lovely, 35-page, daily devotional centered around families enjoying time together with God and each other. Download yours free today!

Why Have a Family Time with God?

I once thought we didn’t have time for family devotions. But one day I read a report that said the average family watches over 20 hours of television a week! I wondered if TV time was eating up hours my family could be using to become more like Christ. So, I did a quick check of our TV habits and realized we were watching at least 15 hours of television a week. I was shocked!

I led the way for better family time. I quit watching one of my favorite shows. That gave us time to relax at dinner and talk about how our day went. As we began sharing our joys and concerns, we were soon praying together and reading the Bible together. Now, that family time has become one of the most important things we do together.

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The Heroes of Faith from Hebrews 11

5/28/2019

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The Heroes of Faith from Hebrews 11: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, David... Hebrew 11 is filled with men and women whose moral and spiritual failings, depravity, sin, and faith give us great hope that only through Christ, in Christ and because of Christ are we accepted into the Kingdom of God.

When I was in the third grade, I memorized Hebrews 11. The whole third-grade class memorized it. All 40 verses! I can still recite much of that passage today. It made a huge impact on my life!

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah... Hebrew 11 is filled with men and women whose moral and spiritual failings, depravity, sin, and faith give us great hope that only through Christ, in Christ and because of Christ are we accepted into the Kingdom of God.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

For by it the people of old received their commendation.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

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Praying Proverbs Over Your Child

5/21/2019

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The Ultimate Guide to Praying Proverbs Over Your Child: It's our responsibility as parents to teach our children to be more like Christ. We need help with this daunting task. Proverbs is God’s textbook for that task. Let me introduce you to the best child-rearing book ever written--the book of Proverbs. Read it, study it, meditate on it, teach it to your children, and PRAY IT OVER THEM! This is a great resource for character building!

It's our responsibility as parents to teach our children to be more like Christ, and we need help with this daunting task. The book of Proverbs is God’s textbook for the task of child-rearing.

"The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.... Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart." Proverbs 29:15, 17

Let me introduce you to the best child-rearing book ever written—the book of Proverbs. Read it, study it, meditate on it, teach it to your children, and PRAY IT OVER THEM! This is a great resource for character building!

There are so many ways to use the book of Proverbs to raise godly children. Besides the list here, there's also the chapter-a-day way. There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs.

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Disciple Me: Why Discipleship Matters

5/3/2019

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Let’s talk discipleship. Discipleship is so important for the new Christian! If we don’t disciple, or mentor, or whatever you want to call it, it’s like having a baby and never feeding it. You wouldn’t do that, would you? Of course not! Neither would I.

Discipleship matters! But why? What is the purpose of discipleship?

The purpose of discipleship is three-fold:
To become more like Him and less like me. Discipleship may be best described as a mentoring program designed to develop individuals into Christ-likeness. When Jesus Christ became a man and lived on earth, He endured all of the same trials, pains, and persecutions that man suffers in order to prove Himself a perfect example. Therefore, one of the primary purposes of discipleship is to emulate the character of Jesus. I Peter 2:21 says, "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps."

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10 Favorite Bible Verses On Adoption

4/12/2019

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10 Favorite Bible Verses on Adoption Over a year ago, my husband and I started our adoption journey. The wait has been long and hard, but God gives endurance through His Word.

This is part 2 of our series on adoption: 10 Favorite Bible Verses on Adoption by Redeeming Goods. Read part 1 on adoption: Waiting Well over at Redeeming Goods.

Hi Friends!
Over a year ago, my husband and I started our adoption journey. The wait has been long and hard, but God gives endurance through His Word.

I’ve been compiling a list of Bible verses to encourage us along the journey and wanted to share that list with you!

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