by Barb Roose | Sep 9, 2024 | Stronger Than Stress
Last week was Labor Day in the US, and with thoughts shifting to fall, the raging debate between pumpkin spice and caramel apple has taken center stage. What's your vote? I'm a caramel apple girl!
However, speaking of labor, can we talk about something that sometimes feels like hard labor...Reading our Bibles.
Can I say something that many of you rather not say aloud? Here it is: You wished that you enjoyed reading your Bible more. But finding time to sit down with your Bible feels like another task to cram into your jam-packed life. Then, Guilt shows up with a big smile to shame you on two fronts: You feel guilty because you don't enjoy reading your Bible, AND you suffer terrible guilt when you miss reading your Bible.
I pray that God uses post to help you experience an a-ha moment that enables you to delight in God's Word instead of dreading Bible study.
For years, I believed my Bible study only counted if I sat down with my Bible, pen, and highlighters for at least 20-30 minutes each day. This was the only scenario that I believed God approved. So, when I was raising kids and barely making it through the day or seasons when I was grieving, crushing guilt piled on top of my exhaustion and sadness because I was positive that God was disappointed with me.
Before you hit reply and blast me with, "Barb, are you saying that we don't need to have sit-down quiet times?" Yes, those sit-down study times are important, but here is where I’m going to add a BIG BUT ——> But, God wants MORE for you than to limit your time with the Bible to a structure of sitting in a chair for 30 minutes with your Bible, pens, and highlighters.
Here are four principles of scripture engagement that I believe can liberate and delight you as you grow in understanding and incorporate God's Word into your life.
First, Don't Give Up! If you're discouraged by Bible study because you can't do it for 30 minutes daily, please keep reading today's devotional. You need God's Word to show you the truth, teach you what is wrong, and correct you (2 Timothy 3:16).
These days, there are so many false teachers telling everyone to do whatever feels right, and I don't want you to be confused by their lies, which are fooling Christians everywhere. Don't set yourself up to be fooled (2 Timothy 4:3). If you miss a day, don’t beat yourself up. Ask God for help and try again the next day.
THIS ONE IS BIG ——-> Second, stop counting daily Bible study minutes and focus on embracing scripture-engagement moments. The great a-ha moment that transformed my relationship with the Bible was to shift from counting quiet times to this question: "How often can I bring God's Word into my thoughts, activities, and decisions throughout the day?"
Instead of focusing on how many days of the week you sit down with your, shift your effort and energy to how often you can incorporate God's Word into your day.
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. - Joshua 1:8 NLT
Third, each time that you engage with sculpture throughout the day reminds that God loves and cares for you during your day. The Bible contains reminders of God's love, grace, direction, and help. There, you begin to see the Bible as a dependable source of hope. You'll start to feel like the psalmist here:
I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word. -Psalm 119:15-16 NLT
MORE PRACTICAL ADVICE: You will automatically do what delights you. If you want to delight in God's Word instead of seeing it as a duty, here are six practical tips from my Stronger Than Stress: 10 Spiritual Practices to Win the Battle of Overwhelm book for bringing God's Word into your daily life.
- Each of these ideas is an intentional way for you to bring God's Word into your life. Try out one or two this week:
- Write out Scripture verses on post-its and tape them to your bathroom mirror, car dashboard or other places where you'll read them.
- Listen to an audio Bible in the car, at the gym, or before bed.
- Read a favorite Bible verse with family or friends at mealtimes, over coffee, or before bed, and discuss the Scriptures together.
- Sing! Lots of classic hymns and modern worship songs incorporate Scripture. Find those songs. As you sing, you're engaging with God's Word and worshiping Him, too. Here a playlist!
- Pick one Bible verse from your church's weekly sermon and journal about what the verse taught you about God and how you can apply it to your life.
- Choose a Bible study that interests you, and don't worry about what others think. If you fall behind, don't stop or beat yourself up. The big picture is that God doesn't need you to stay up-to-date in the study for Him to work powerfully in your life. He'll meet you where you're at.
ACTION PLAN TIME: Here are some prompts for you to incorporate God's Word into your life TODAY:
- In the car on the way to school or work, you can _____________.
- As you're waiting for an appointment or meeting to begin, you can _________________.
- As you're doing the laundry, washing dishes, or doing your hair, you can ______________________.
- Before a difficult phone call or before responding to a tough text message, you can ________________________.
I'd love to hear from you. Please tell me which Bible engagement tips are most helpful for you. If you struggle with Bible reading, how did this week's devotional encourage you?
Less Stress. More Peace. Everyday!
by Barb Roose | Jan 16, 2022 | Reflections
On this Martin Luther King Day, I’m reflecting today on these four quotes from Dr. King. His words still challenge me today and in our world where hate feels like it is winning over love, Dr. King reminds us to never lose hope.
Here’s Dr. King’s most well-known quote. The power imagery of his vision creates a thirst deep in my soul. The following words have become MORE, not less powerful over the years:
Here’s another quote from Dr. King. Inspired by his strong faith, Dr. King’s following quote wasn’t an aspirational pursuit. As a man mistreated, judged and jailed, these words represent his conviction. In fact, these words show us the secret source of replenishing power that Dr. King tapped into in order for his message to catch fire in individual hearts:
I remember watching the news when nine African-American people were killed in a church in Charleston. I watched a news reporter get choked up as he watched the community publicly express their forgiveness and sing songs of hope. He was stunned. It breaks my heart that people are shocked and amazed that Christians, who should be known for extending forgiveness, would actually forgive – and really mean it.
Is the shock because normal, rationale folk couldn’t see themselves offering such grace? Or, is it because we feel the prick of conviction? If the families of the shooting victims could forgive the murder of their loved ones, then do we have the right to hold onto our anger or our grudges?
When I was in junior high, my father won an award through his bowling league. But, he was denied entry into the building where the award ceremony was being held. He was denied entry because of his skin color. In the days that followed, I remember our phone ringing off the hook. Local authorities, news media and a few phone calls from higher-ups in the government. I don’t remember how the situation resolved, I just remember that my father made the life-giving decision to forgive and move on. While the incident left a mark, he refused to let it take over his life. That moment had a huge impression on my life. I remember my father’s example when I experience racism and prejudice.
Forgiveness allows me to move on and fight forward rather than getting stuck with my fists pounding the same ground.
When do you speak up?
Dr. King didn’t speak up just because he wanted to be heard. He spoke up so that people could live. There was no hatred in his speech. And for those who may want to highlight his human failings, go right ahead. We can speak up without being perfect. You don’t have to be perfect to stand up for what is right.
What is the cost of your silence? What is the cost of being polite and letting your friends continue to say ignorant, prejudicial or racists things? No one ever makes a difference in this world by keeping silent. A.M. Rosenthal says this: “When something important is going on, silence is a lie.”
When we hate another, we diminish ourselves.
When we judge another, we condemn ourselves.
When we love another, we sustain ourselves.
We’re all in this together. As long as we stand under the banner of the US flag, we share this homeland together. We’re going to rise and fall together.
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW: Which Dr. King quote inspires you the most?
NEXT STEP: If you’d like to honor Dr. King’s work in our world by learning more about race, grace and the gospel, you can check out my (G)race Project. This is a specially curated page of content that I’ve written about race and the gospel. Click here to check it out.
by Barb Roose | Sep 12, 2018 | Better Together Podcast
How do we teach our kids about God when we don’t know all of the answers?
How do we get our kids to participate in family devotions when they don’t want to sit still?!!!
Take a deep breath, Mom and Dad. God knows that you’re doing the best that you can. When it comes to teaching our kids about Jesus, you don’t need to know the answers and there are some fabulous resources to help you out!
On today’s Better Together podcast, I had the most delightful conversation with author, Sarah M. Wells. She’s the author of the new resource The Family Bible Devotional: Stories from the Bible to Help Kids and Parents Engage and Love Scripture.
Mom or Dad, if you’re reading this today and you’re worried about messing up your kids’ spiritual growth, relax. It’s okay to not have all of the answers. You’ve got permission to say, “I don’t know the answer to that, but let’s keep reading and see what we can learn.”
Sarah wrote the Family Bible Devotional as a faith-building experience to give parents confidence in helping their kids fall in love with Jesus. It includes 52-devotionals BUT there are NO dates because real life rarely sticks to a schedule! Sarah totally understands the up-and-down rhythm parents face. She deals with that in her own family. “We’ll be solid in reading the Bible and doing lessons for a few days and then, a few weeks will go by because life got busy.” Sarah says that they just keep at it.
So friends, listen to Sarah’s encoruagement today if you’ve been feeling discouraged about teaching your kids about God OR if you’re not even sure where to begin.
In this episode, we’ll talk about:
- How to set realistic expectations for family devotion time;
- Why we feel intimidated talking to our kids about the Bible;
- How to engage your kids in family devotions – even if their not sitting still.
LINKS FROM TODAY’S PODCAST:
Sarah Wells website | Facebook | Twitter
The Family Bible Devotional
SHARE A COMMENT: Do you do family devotions? How do you do them – and how do you keep at it even when your kids aren’t cooperating?
About Sarah M. Wells
Sarah Marie Wells is the author of The Family Bible Devotional: Stories from the Bible to Help Kids and Parents Engage and Love Scripture (Discovery House Publishers, Fall 2018), a novella-length essay, The Valley of Achor, available on Kindle, a collection of poems, Pruning Burning Bushes (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2012), and a chapbook of poems, Acquiesce, winner of the 2008 Starting Gate Award (Finishing Line Press,2009). Poems and essays by Wells have appeared recently in Ascent, Brevity, Full Grown People, Hippocampus Review, The Pinch, River Teeth, Rock & Sling, Under the Gum Tree, and elsewhere.
Sarah serves as the Director of Content Marketing at Spire Advertising and as Associate Editor for River Teeth: A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative. She resides in Ashland, Ohio with her husband, Brandon, and their three young children, Lydia, Elvis, and Henry.
by Barb Roose | Apr 3, 2018 | Better Together Podcast
I love the word “gutsy.”
In fact, a gutsy woman is always inspiring to me! She’s the kind of gal who knows that the odds are stacked against her, but she makes a big move anyways. In a world where women are fighting against so much, we need brave, courageous women who are willing to risk it all for something better.
Sometimes, the greatest gutsiest risk we’ll ever take is the one that involves confronting our painful past and choosing to walk the road of healing.
Today, my Better Together podcast guest is Jennifer Renee Watson. I caught up with Jennifer as she was hiding out in a hotel room writing her upcoming book called Freedom: The Gutsy Pursuit of Breakthrough and Life Beyond It” (February 2019). Jennifer is a speaker, writer, pastor’s wife, student ministries leader, and mother of two. Her life journey has been one of brokenness and healing. Now, Jennifer’s passion is to equip others to take their healing journey as well.
As the child of an alcoholic and divorce, Jennifer spent her younger years trying to cope with the ache and pain of the loss of her dad to addiction and the break-up of her family. “My dad had such a great heart and loved people but over the years, his addiction became bigger and louder than who he was as a man.”
Jennifer came to faith in Christ when she was 11 years old. Her new life and hope in Christ helped Jennifer to see that she needed to deal with the brokenness in her life. “When I was in my teen years, I worked hard to deal with my junk. I wrote stories, angry poetry, danced. I needed an outlet to work through things.” Not only that, but young Jennifer made one of her first gutsy moves in life and said “yes” when she felt God putting a life of ministry on her heart.
During today’s conversation, Jennifer talks through what her “healing journey” looked like. Most of all, Jennifer tells us about the powerful way that she knew that healing had taken place when she got the word that her dad died three years ago.
There are times when we hear women talk about the shock-n-awe brokenness of their lives, but Jennifer longs for us to not let our brokenness define us. Rather, she invites us to learn how to offer the fractured parts of our lives to God and let those broken places be a platform to glorify Him.
On today’s Better Together Podcast, Jennifer and I discuss:
- What it means to be a “gutsy” woman;
- How you can use creative outlets to work through your junk;
- What you need in order to take a “healing journey”;
- How to let your brokenness glorify God instead of letting it define your life.
LINKS FROM TODAY’S EPISODE
Jennifer Renee Watson website | Facebook
Finding Joy Ladies Night Out Tickets – click here
LEAVE A COMMENT: Who is the gutsiest woman that you know? Tell us about her and how she inspires you.
About your host…
Barb Roose is the host of the Better Together podcast. She’s passionate about teaching women how to win at life with strength and dignity. Barb’s new book, Winning the Worry Battle and her new six-week Bible study on the book of Joshua: Winning the Worry Battle release in April 2018. Both products are available at your favorite online retailers and stores across the country.
by Barb Roose | Mar 20, 2018 | Better Together Podcast, Uncategorized
“On what should have been the most beautiful day of my life, a switch flipped in my body?”
Have you or someone you know struggled with chronic pain? For 20 years, speaker and author, Melinda Means fought chronic pain and autoimmune disorders that she jokingly referred as the “gift that keeps on giving.”
Melinda is the author of the book, Invisible Wounds: Hope While You are Hurting. As we talked today, she reflects on the years of constant doctors appointments, diseases, and treatments, she felt like the woman in New Testament who struggled with uncontrolled bleeding for 12 years (Mark 5).
Raging within, Melinda’s suffering body was a spiritual wound that spread deep and wide. “I didn’t understand how God could love me and still let me suffer. I know that my earthly father would have healed me from my debilitating pain if he could. So, if my earthly father would heal me because beloved me, then why wouldn’t my heavenly father heal me?”
During my conversation with Melinda, we talk with great candor about the difficult questions that we ask God when we’re in physical, emotional, or spiritual pain. If you’ve ever grappled with questions like why God hasn’t taken away your pain or why your prayers for healing have gone unanswered, then today’s podcast conversation is for you.
What you’ll hear in this week’s podcast:
- The story of Melinda’s 20-year struggle with chronic pain and spiritual struggle with her faith;
- What happened when Melinda prayed a radical prayer in the midst of her pain;
- The ONE thing that you can do if you are in the midst of a physical/spiritual struggle;
- A beautiful new gift God bestowed on Melinda that you can enjoy and download for yourself!
PODCAST EPISODE RESOURCES:
Melinda’s website | Melinda’s book | Melinda’s Facebook page
Finding Joy Ladies Night Out Tickets on iTickets
SHARE YOUR STORY: Are you dealing with something in your life that God hasn’t healed yet? Maybe it’s a chronic illness, a broken relationship, or an unfilled longing that keeps breaking your heart. Share your story in the comments below and bring home to another person who is listening today.
