Seeking True Unity

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This blogger discusses unity and how incredible our churches would be if we could be united, even across denomination lines. In heaven, we will experience this true unity in Christ, but here on earth, it's much harder to attain.

Our lives and agendas get in the way, and though we say we want unity, our actions often prove otherwise. Only when we find unity in Christ and fully seek His will can we begin to find unity with other Christians.

You can see that unity is hard work. We often struggle with wanting our own way versus God’s best for us. We need to pray that God would unite our heart so that we can live a life of unity with Him. We need to surrender to The Holy Spirit and allow Him to change our desires to unite with His desires.

Unity | A Seeking Heart.

Living Life Outside of the Shell: Finding Balance

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Those of us who are introverts are frequently admonished to "come out of our shells." Yet, as this blogger points out, we don't need to completely ditch the shell. It serves as a purpose of refuge and retreat. It's important that we take the time to refuel our spirits so that we are not stepping out of our shells in our own strength.

We don't have a physical shell but we do have a spiritual one.  And just like turtles we can't live without that shell as our protection. Our shells are our place of refuge in God. If we don't first run to Him in our quiet place where it's just us and Him, we will never be brave enough to stick our heads outside the shell.  Our shell is where we retreat and get a word from God. He downloads dreams into us in our shell. He prepares us for what is to come in our shell.  

Life Outside the Shell: Don't ditch the shell!.

Worshipping God in Spirit and Truth

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This blogger honestly shares her struggles in trying to focus her worship on God but getting easily distracted by her surroundings. Many who go out into the mission field report that the people whom they are serving understand worship in a far deeper way than we do, because they know what it is to suffer and to do without.

They are the happiest people on earth because they have the Holy Spirit flowing through them; and since they have the Holy Spirit so deeply in them, they are able to worship “in spirit and in truth” despite their un-ideal surroundings (to American standards.) They know true worship I yearn for that feeling.

I Don’t Know How To Worship | Relentless.

Finding Faith in Miscarriage and Stillbirth

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Most women have been touched by miscarriage or possibly a stillbirth at some time. We may struggle with saying the right thing to the woman who has lost her child. If it happened to us, we may find ourselves struggling with anger and doubts, carrying the grief for a long time.

This blogger gently points us to the sovereignty of God and the comfort that sustains us in our darkest hour.

Finishing Through Grief: Faith in Miscarriage & Stillborn {FMF}.

Get Even, or Give Grace?

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A desire to get even is natural when we are wronged, and it's so easy to follow our instincts and strike back, one way or the other. But through Christ, our hearts have been changed, and we can learned to change our natural responses.

This blogger writes about how Joseph, when placed in a position of power over people who had wrong him, chose to hand out grace, rather than revenge. His decision likely wasn't an easy one, but he chose to honor God by choosing grace.

They didn't deserve it, but then, isn't that what grace is--unmerited favor? Despite their mistreatment of him, Joseph showed mercy and grace...and so should we. After all, haven't we been give grace? Do we deserve it?

A Word Fitly Spoken: Get Mad, Get Even or Give Grace?.

By Grace

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This blogger writes about how being saved by grace can raise confusion among Christians. By grace, we are saved. But it's by choice that we live out our faith. We can choose to let the big questions defeat us, or we can choose to let those very same questions build our faith.

There is nothing more that I need to do besides trust in Jesus, keeping my eyes fixed on who He is and the sacrifice that He made for me. Keep my eyes fixed. On Him.

…by grace – a beautiful life | a beautiful life ministry.

On Learning to Release Our Children

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As Christian moms we love and nurture our children, taking heart God's words in Deuteronomy 6:7 to "teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

But watching them grow up, letting go and trusting God isn't easy. This blogger talks about the joy and pain of releasing our children into God's care.

Motherhood: When Releasing Our Children to God's Plan Hurts | not perfect. just ordinary..

Choose to be Beautiful

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Beautiful

Beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder, but how does God view our beauty? This blogger explores the things in us that demonstrate real beauty. Beyond that, she discusses how being beautiful inside is a choice we make each day: through our actions and intentions. This post is a great piece of encouragement for someone who is feeling a little bit discouraged today.

It’s amazing how one person's words can have such a negative impact on you. You can have 10 people telling you positive things, and only 1 person telling you the negatives, but all you can do is focus on what that 1 negative person says! Even years down the track, those words can still haunt you and affect the way you live life.

But God is an awesome God and He can restore everything that has been taken from you!

I am Beautiful. (Did I really just say that?) | A Fish Out of Water.

Are We Growing In Our Faith?

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This blogger asks us an important question, are we growing in our faith?  There are stages of faith and we need to progress and continue to grow.

Unlike the physical growth, spiritual growth may not come with time. We can be in the same stage for years without actually growing spiritually and the sad part is, we don’t evaluate like we do for professional and physical growth.

via Growing in Faith | Desire the word.

Hearing Everyday Messages: From a Mango Tree

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This blogger reflects on some nearby ripening mango trees, and how he realized that we need to constantly bear spiritual fruits. As the trees selflessly produce fruit for the enjoyment of others, so we should be bearing fruit for those around us.

A tree that produces juicy, sweet fruit does so not for its own enjoyment. Instead, their fruit is enjoyed by others.

via Lessons from a mango tree | Faith Comes from Hearing.

We Don't Have to Live in Fear

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This beautiful post is from a blogger who gently reminds us that we don't have to live our lives frozen in fear.

God’s Word reminds us dozens of times – through command and through the personal experiences of Saints who have come before us – that we don’t need to be afraid. Living in fear of this or that possibly happening is living opposite to the freedom we’ve been given in Christ.

via A Lamp, a Light, and a Writer | Psalm 119:105 ~ Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Here's Your Chance To Start A Mailing List

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intensive-list-buildingWriting a blog gives you a chance to reach the world with a message.  Having a mailing list that your readers can subscribe too is a way to let them ask for more.

Do you have a Mailing List set up?

We've found there are a shocking number of bloggers who don't, and so we aim to do something about it.

Introducing our first Skill Building Intensive:  Start Your Own Mailing List.

We're going to teach you how its done and guide you through it step by step - and we're doing it at a price everyone can afford.

Get signed up here.

Do You Pressure Yourself With Your Blog?

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Just Write!

 Have you ever found yourself so focused on what your readers might think/want/expect that you freeze up?  It's hard to find a blogger who hasn't!

Kathy Strong shared an epiphany all Faithful Bloggers can benefit from.

A brief quote:

"He gently reminded me that all He has asked me to do is write. Not try and impress anyone, get people to like me, or even get more followers. He has told me to write and He will do the rest, what ever that will be!"

Read the whole post here: Pressure, what Pressure?

Messages About New Growth

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new-growth-ecoverOur latest Group Writing Project is complete! Messages About New Growth is available to you today.  Download the PDF here.

We thank the following members of our Faithful Bloggers Community for submitting content perfect for the topic:

We encourage all of our contributors and everyone in our community to share this finished project with others - spread the encouragement far and wide!

 

Spring Group Writing Project: New Growth

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New ideasIf you are willing to write something exclusively for Faithful Bloggers and would like to be part of our next Group Writing Project, we'd love to have you join us.

What is a Group Writing Project?

It's an opportunity for you to submit a written essay that will be published as a collection here on the Faithful Bloggers website.  Every participant will have permission to gift the collection to their own subscribers and readers as well, so our work will spread far and wide and touch as many lives as possible.

The theme is 'New Growth' in the life of believers.

Have you survived a long cold winter spiritually speaking and now feel like you're coming out of it with important lessons and fresh new fruit in your spiritual life? We'd love to hear your story and advice for those why may still be in a tough spot.

We'll be taking entries between 500 and 1000 words and our deadline is June 2nd.  (That gives us just about two weeks - so we hope you'll jump right into it!)

  • Include a 50 word author bio with one link to your blog.
  • Include a nice head shot photo. (No need for a professional photographer!)
  • Oh, and of course, please do a spell check!

Submissions Are Closed.