Faith
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On Depression: Everything Is Not Okay
[Guest Post by Hannah Kingsley] – I have been through periods of life where every day has been characterized by some kind of anxiety. Sometimes it could be seen on the surface. And sometimes my anxiety brewed more dangerously beneath the surface. As a predominantly “happy” person, bouts of depression cause a conflict in my soul between the need to be authentic about my struggles and the desire to maintain a cheerful exterior. It can make asking for help all that much more difficult. It is easy to assume that the happy, cheerful, strong person has no need of assistance and suffers no lows–but nothing could be further from the…
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On Anxiety: Celiac Disease
[Guest Post by Casey] – At the age of 24, I had everything I wanted; and all of a sudden, none of it meant anything. I had just finished up my master’s degree, received a great job offer and moved in with my boyfriend of three years after dealing with long distance most of our relationship. If I wasn’t feeling anxious, I wasn’t feeling anything at all. I dreaded going out; I was snapping at loved ones and it took every ounce of discipline I had to drag myself out of bed. Nothing was fun anymore, including me. There was no Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I was straight up…
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Celebrating Change
After eight years of blogging, I have had an epiphany. I like sharing other people’s stories. Even more than my own. Last year in a short time frame (April to December) I had over seventy-eight people share their story. That’s why I turned DevotionalDiva.com into an online magazine. For you and for those who have yet to share their story. New people energize me. Every time I get an email from someone, asking to share their story I get a jilt. My blood starts pumping–and I am truly alive. My missions statement is Hebrews 10:24. My desire is to spur you forward. Celebrating The Switch. I decided what better way…
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On Dating: My Parents Don't Approve
[Monthly Columnists – Wendy van Eyck] My parents don’t approve of my boyfriend. I’m not the best person to write dating advice because I didn’t go on my first date till I was 26. And then I broke up with him four weeks later. I’m not the kind of person who plays games with peoples feelings but I didn’t know what else to do when my parents didn’t approve of my first boyfriend. As a young teen, I’d decided that dating for the sake of gaining a long list of boyfriends just wasn’t me. I settled that there were two boxes that needed to be ticked in my mind before…
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Two NEW Books
Announcing Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me book cover and my fourth book, Loves Me Not: Heartbreak & Healing God’s Way. I can’t believe I’ve been working on Forgiving Others, Forgiving Me for over ten years. It’s been through four re-writes and two publishers, and the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer’s Guild when I was 19. I remember when my friend in DTS (discipleship training program), Ericka said, “God told me to tell you to write your second book on suffering.” And when my previous publisher contracted it–I thought “thank you God!” When they canceled it, the verse I got was from Isaiah 43:19, which says “See! I am doing a NEW…
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Start Writing Now Synchroblog
I’m asking you to share tips on how to start writing now through Thursday the 24th. As a full time writer and published author of three books, I know what it takes to get published. I also know that I didn’t get to be published without the help of writing mentors, encouraging family members, and online friends. I’ve also had the privilege of launching new and promising writers myself. Some old. Some new. My favorite part about being in the writing and publishing business is being able to pass along wisdom. Because no writer is an island. This is where you come in! I am looking for YOUR writing tips.…
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Quarter Life Conference
“You want whom to come speak at your church, and you’re willing to pay how much to get this person there?” Each time the phone would ring I knew exactly who they were asking for and why. My only problem? Said Christian celebrity wouldn’t speak for less than a certain amount and a certain-sized church. I didn’t have the heart to tell Mr. Small Town Pastor he couldn’t afford said celebrity Christian to come speak at his church. No matter how touching a story–and there’s always a story–churches across America are looking for ways to reach out to their community. I know this because I booked 300+ events at churches,…
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78 Reasons To Write Your Story
78 Reasons To Write Your Story I have been blessed to host 78 guest bloggers since April, 2010, and I hope to keep adding to the list. Why? Because I believe it’s important to share your story. In fact, I believe God calls us to write. Twice in Scripture it says, Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does (1 Chronicles 16:24 & Psalm 96:3). I hope each and every quote will push you over the edge to where you finally have NO MORE EXCUSES but to write. Whether you write in the privacy of your own journal, an online blog, social media,…
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On Dating: Everybody's doing it
[Guest Post by Alexandrea J. Wilson] – Because I grew up in a Christian home–I knew better than to believe the lie that everybody’s doing it. I went to the True Love Waits conferences and even pledged to be faithful to God until it was my time to share that special wedding night with my husband. Even when my friends started to lose their virginity, I stood firm because I knew I made a promise to God to save sex for marriage. My confidence in my ability to execute self-control made me think that I would be able to endure any temptation–on my own. I wouldn’t need to fall at…
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On Dating: Should Men Pursue Women First?
[Guest Post by Marc Fisher] – Recently, I heard a panel on dating & relationships that tackled many interesting questions–should men pursue women? It was extra special because my wife Renee was one of the panel speakers. I felt encouraged afterwards because it gave some real challenges to put into practice in my own life–but what stood out the most was a single question. A question asked often in Christian circles, but often merely glanced over, Should men pursue women–first? I think we miss something that can radically alter our relationships if we don’t stop to ponder this question in more depth. We need to ask why does the question…
















