All in Encouragement

The God of Comfort

The God of Comfort

Linda Lesniewski
Comfort, Encouragement, Adversity

How does God comfort His children? How does God comfort you? I imagine the answers to those questions are as varied as the life situations that bring the need for comforting! I experienced a very serious illness this past year and discovered that I consistently needed God’s comfort during the quiet of the night. I experienced few distractions to my physical and emotional suffering during those hours. It was just God and me—alone with my need for comfort. So, how did God ease my distress as I actively sought Him?

Living Water

Living Water

Emily Adams
Encouragement

The story of the Samaritan woman has popped up many times in my life lately. Whether in a sermon, study, or on the radio—The Woman at the Well has continued to knock on the door to my heart.

Do You?

Do You?

Susan Partida
Encouragement

As Jesus walked through Jerusalem he made his way to a pool where people with physical ailments sat waiting to get into the churning waters for healing. He picked out a particular man who had been an invalid for years to ask a specific question.

A Christmas Puzzle: Day 4

A Christmas Puzzle: Day 4

Nancy Shirah
Encouragement

Puzzles come in all sizes and degrees of complexity. The Christmas puzzle we will assemble this week is of the jumbo variety; big, chunky pieces and few details. But they will be enough to adequately illustrate the story we want to tell.

The “Secret Menu” of Your Life

The “Secret Menu” of Your Life

Stacy Graves
Encouragement

Today’s verse comes from In-N-Out’s milkshake cup. My California friends, who introduced me to In-N-Out, love the Neapolitan shake. You won’t see it listed on the menu. It’s considered part of the “secret” menu and made with all three regular shake flavors:  chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.

Leaving your Legacy . . . Be Purposeful

Leaving your Legacy . . . Be Purposeful

Nancy Paul
Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Discipleship

Last page, last letter—the time has come. Paul gives his protégé, Timothy, a stirring charge. At the beginning of this letter he told him that he, Paul, was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher of the gospel (2 Timothy 1:11). Now he places his ministry of the gospel in Timothy’s hands. In effect, he endows his son in the faith with his legacy. He solemnly offers to Timothy, before God, what is tantamount to a binding oath. The Message translation is pretty onerous: I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder.

Seat at the Table

Seat at the Table

Whitney Prosperi
Encouragement

Why do our furniture purchases occur when we’re on vacation? 
My husband had a valid point. It did seem we’d done our share of hauling tables in our SUV. Our current kitchen table had caught our eye while on our first Christmas vacation. We loaded it in the back of our car, drove for two days, and waited for my parents to bring the chairs a few months later. 

Help, I'm a Mess!

Help, I'm a Mess!

encouraging.com
Encouragement

“I can’t find anything after I put it away. I know I need to organize, but I just don’t know where to start. I want to invite friends over, but my house is such a mess. I want less clutter, but I just can’t figure out how to get started.” Sound familiar?

Seasons: Day 4

Seasons: Day 4

Nancy Shirah
Encouragement

During a recent lunch conversation, a friend and I got on the topic of “significant” birthdays. The particular number under discussion was one looming on her horizon, but solidly in my rearview mirror, making me the expert on the subject.

Seasons: Day 3

Nancy Shirah
Encouragement

If you ask young children to name the seasons, some might answer, “Christmas, Easter, July 4th and Halloween.” Following that train of thought, the sign of each new season would be the bursting forth of appropriate merchandise on the shelves of local retailers. Ah, sad, but true…

From Everlasting to Everlasting

From Everlasting to Everlasting

Terri Vardeman
Encouragement

Only thirteen words comprise Psalm 136:1 but so much is packed in that one verse. His love endures forever. Forever, eternal, everlasting, enduring, perpetual, endless. What exactly does that mean? It’s hard to comprehend because everything I see around me is temporal.


The Wanderer

The Wanderer

Stacy Graves
Encouragement, God's Promises

Luna was “ours” for about a month.

We found her meowing just outside our door.

This wasn’t the first time we’d seen Luna. Sometimes she would lay around our porch. She had a collar, and we knew she had a family — just down the street.

Condemning

Condemning

Julie Smith
Encouragement

Doesn’t everyone have it all together? My house is clean. I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish at work. My attitude with my husband has been perfect. I have excelled in parenting and disciplining my children.

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