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Encouragement for every season of lifeWant to Revamp Your Fall Wardrobe?
Back to school is just around the corner and the crisp, cool air of autumn will appear shortly after that. Fall is my favorite clothing season. Following the hot summer months of much more minimal clothing, the layers and textures brought out in fall seem all the more...
The Soundtrack of My Life
Leaving the gathering of women behind, I walk out into the soothing crispness of twilight, a sunset of brilliant pinks and oranges fading into dappled hues of violet and blue. Exiting the small town of Dassel, Minnesota, I head out on the two-lane highway, turning up...
When You Just Need a Break
I sit down while smiling at the other ladies around the table, fumbling to put down my baby’s car seat, diaper bag, and favorite toy. I let out an audible sigh. I'm glad to see these lovely women, looking forward to a night of planning for an upcoming conference....
Tithe Your Way to a Happier Marriage
I doubt there really is a church that doesn’t, at some point or another, talk about money. In fact, more than once I’ve heard people say “the church just wants my money. That’s all they talk about.” While I know that is not the case, I also know that at least once a...
Becoming a Dreamer 5: Security Blankets
I used to have a little security blanket… and not as a child, I mean as an adult! It was actually one of the best gifts I ever received. My best friend, Missy, noticed that when I'd come over to visit her family, I'd gravitate to her newest baby (love babies!) and to...
Flourish in the Balance
Carolyn Haas is the co-lead pastor at Substance Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. How do you balance life and ministry? It’s probably the number one question I’m asked. Like most women, I want to have and do it all. Thankfully, though, God has given me insights on...
I’m Okay With Imperfect Kids
For the longest time, we thought our teenager was just a big giant brat. For some reason, the road into adolescence led us to a teenage daughter who struggled being around her younger siblings, whose rage was borderline scary for us as parents, and whose emotions were...
Why I Stopped Dating
Eight months ago I got to marry the most amazing man I’ve ever met . . . Isn’t he cute?(Actually, if I’m honest, what I really want to say is, “isn’t he hot?” but this is a Christian site so I’m not sure I’m supposed to say that -- then again, I’m the one writing, so...
Trust God with Each Day
Choices, choices, choices...it seems like we are constantly surrounded by choices. First we have to determine what the different paths are and make a choice as to which we will follow, and then we deal with the consequences, good or bad, that come from that choice....
Becoming Study 4: Dressed for Action
I wasn’t ready. Before I came to accept Christ as my savior in 2008, I sought God. I would get close and then rebel, because deep down I knew that if I accepted Christ, I would also need to accept what he said about how to live my life. I wasn’t ready to make those...
