After two miscarriages, I’ve had my taste of how broken our medical system (and world) is… Especially in a society that doesn’t view our embryo babies as humans.

Things I’ve been told:

• Miscarriage might be like a heavy period (it was not)

• You might see some tissue (you mean … the baby? I was legitimately confused)

• Blood work/workups aren’t pushed until you have a 3rd miscarriage (I definitely do NOT want to wait and see if I lose another baby, thanks!!)

• You can’t establish care with one of our OBs unless you’re dealing with an issue (after I told them I’ve had 2 miscarriages)

To be clear: I’m thankful for medical care from docs who want to help me, who’ve made sure I’ve not had infection postpartum, etc. I’m truly thankful for the genuine compassion that I’ve received in losing my babies.

But at the same time, it is such a trial to lose your precious baby and navigate mini labor on your bedroom floor or ER trips with sudden bleeding… and then experience personally how the medical system doesn’t prioritize miscarriage care and prevention like it should.

BUT GOD.

He has worked in my heart navigating these things and provided so faithfully:

• Friends sharing their experiences which prepared me for miscarriage

• A wonderful Christian primary doctor

• A naturopath who got me in early after hearing I had recurrent miscarriages and went digging into my bloodwork to make sure there weren’t red flags to be aware of…

Though we suffer, our God is faithful to His own and works good out of hard and bad things.

If you’ve experienced this heartache, I am SO sorry. Advocate for yourself, find providers who hear you, and lean upon Christ and His people. 🤍🤍🤍

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This week on the blog, I’m excited for you to read this guest post from Abby Ekberg—you might recognize her from her Instagram, @joyfullyabby! Abby always keeps Christ and the gospel central to her content and has such a sweet heart to glorify the Lord.

She posted a short, social-media version of this article in her stories recently which deeply resonated with me, so I asked her to share more! I hope it encourages and resonates with you too!

Sometimes, I hesitate to enjoy a good gift simply because of its temporality. I think, “If I can’t have this forever, then I find it hard to savor.”

Yet as a Christian, I have to ask myself, is this the view that God wants His children to have according to Scripture?

If we take the view above to its logical end, that means that nothing that we are given here on earth—family, marriage, friendships, a good meal—could ever be enjoyed simply because they won’t last forever, or because we can’t have them every single day.

And I’d venture to say that this view may be an even deeper issue of the heart: a dissatisfaction in Christ Himself and a disbelief in His goodness.

It is right and good to acknowledge that we are not promised a life untouched by suffering, for Jesus Himself tells us that we will have trouble (Jn. 16:33). But we would be remiss if we neglect to acknowledge that He is also a Father who delights to give good gifts to His children (Matt. 7:11, Jas. 1:17). His heart is for His children, and when our desires align with His, He does, indeed, fulfill the desires of our hearts (Ps. 37:4).

Now, what does this have to do with our enjoyment of these good things that He gives? I believe it has everything to do with it. Our view of God affects our view of everything else, so if we believe that God only gives good gifts begrudgingly, and our hearts are not truly satisfied in Him, then of course, we will never properly enjoy these gifts. We will either become ascetics, denying any earthly goodness and act “above” any sort of enjoyment of actual good gifts from the Lord, or we will make and idol out of the gift, placing it in the place of God, and so afraid of anyone or anything taking it away from us that we protect it from ever being taken away from us.

Yet, there is a better way, and I believe the way the Lord, through His Word, has instructed us to view gifts. We are to remember that God is the only one that can satisfy us, so even if we never were to have any of the earthly gifts others may enjoy, we would truly have no lack, because He is enough. Yet, He does give good gifts, and because He does as an outpouring of the goodness of His heart and love for His children, we can enjoy them in their proper place: as gifts from our Father. They may be given to us for years, months, or maybe just for a short season. The timing of the gift is not for the recipient of the gift to decide, but the Giver. So, because we are satisfied in Christ, we are free to thoroughly enjoy the gift for however long He sees fit for us to enjoy it, and when it is taken away, or the season shifts and the thing we once enjoyed is no longer ours to enjoy, we can still remain content and joyful, knowing that our truest source of joy has not been, nor will ever be, taken away from us.

Let me give you a practical example:

I am currently 27 at the publishing of this article, and I got married at 26 (which is a whole story of learning the lesson of contentment in and of itself, but I digress), which means I had a whole 26 years of mornings pretty much structured according to what I wanted. What worked for me. A steaming cup of black coffee, breakfast ready, and my Bible open with my journal and pen beside it early in the morning with no interruptions—that is my ideal morning.

Now, having been married for a little over a year, my husband and I are expecting our very first baby, and we couldn’t be more excited! A gift in and of itself to be pregnant and to anticipate the gift of parenthood.

But this is where I ran into the issue of my heart explained above—I know these slow mornings will look quite different in about 3 months.

A morning with no baby cries, a full night of uninterrupted sleep, and only having to care for my husband and I? Those mornings will soon be behind me…and that is not a bad thing. I had the gift of slow mornings for 26 years, and the Lord has seen fit for that to end (or be altered for a season) in this next season in lieu of giving us another good gift: a baby girl.

My response could be one of two things: I could neglect to enjoy the gift and only mourn the “loss” of “my perfect morning” and forget to give thanks for the gift that these mornings are, or I could recognize God’s goodness in giving me slow mornings for another 3 months or so, enjoy them for the temporary gift that they are, and know that He will also meet me with grace for the adjustment period when we welcome our newest gift into the world come November.

I think the latter response brings God more glory than the former. Because in doing so, I am testifying to my own soul and to those around me that it is not the gifts themselves from which I get my satisfaction. It is in the Giver. Christ Himself.

So in the meantime, I’ll soak in these mornings as the good gift they are, as well—not meant to stay like this forever, and also not meant to be despised because they aren’t forever.

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The Colors of Rain was written by my friend , published by Glory Writers Press back in 2023. I’m 3 years late to the party, but honestly reading this book in a season of grief is just what I needed.

For years I’ve been skeptical of fiction because it made me romanticize and idealize life, particularly as a teenager.

But recently God has shown me—most emphatically through this book—that fiction can actually deeply minister to us as it brings to life real truths through fictional characters.

writing style

God really blessed Abbey with the skill and heart to write this book to bless others. It was delightful to read: I laughed out loud, got sucked into the plot, and in spite of myself got attached to the characters—almost as if they were real people.

Abbey’s attention to detail, masterful weaving of 3 different first-person perspectives, and intentionality throughout this book leaves me blown away by the gifting God has given her for writing.

I loved how she wrote in details that made you feel like you were there—capturing the little things our senses notice, helping immerse you into the scene. I also personally love reading stories that have characters with endearing idiosyncrasies and dialogue that feels realistic, which this novel has.

snippet

Abbey beautifully words the process of grief as life goes on after heartbreak, through the perspective of one of her characters. I had to dog-ear the page because I thought it captured the reality so well and resonated with my own experience of grief:

And another on trusting God’s plan through the hard parts of our lives:

rating

I don’t rate with numbers; I rate with words! What a rich and impactful book.

This wonderful YA novel depicts truth, redemption, abortion, conflict, relationships, and real life struggles and heartbreak in a meaningful, heart-wrenching, and altogether wonderful way.

This is fiction written to help us in real life. It gives you an escape from life, while also equipping you for life.

Golly, I hope I have daughters who can read this book someday!

Go read TCOR!!

extra

Check out Abbey’s blog at the button below! She’s on a writing hiatus but her content is wonderfully encouraging :)

Read Here

Lord thank You that

The comfort You offer

Is better than the comfort at home

In my perceived safety.

Your comfort is not chained

To any specific place

Or circumstance

But is freer and better.

Wherever I am

There You are also

No matter what I face

You are with me

Comforting me

Your goodness and mercy following me

All the day and everyday

Amen.

Song suggestion for further encouragement:

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TW: raw and slightly graphic content

a loss mom’s suffering

A loss mom keeps track of how far along she’d be in her pregnancy or how old her baby would be, even months and years later.

She’s experienced some level of trauma both physically and emotionally from her loss. (Miscarriage and still births are more grueling than you might think.)

She might feel alone and that her grief is forgotten or misunderstood.

She may have miscarried very early, which means her baby’s body wasn’t buried but flushed down the toilet, which can feel absolutely horrifying.

She may have had a still birth delivery, which means she held her lifeless baby in her arms, shattering her heart.

She might withdraw in certain moments when it’s very difficult to see pregnant friends or babies around the same age as hers would’ve been, but this does not mean she doesn’t want to rejoice with them or be a good friend. It means she’s processing intense grief and working through a lot of emotions in that moment.

She feels agony over losing her child and weeps for them. She may have other children, but no baby will replace the one she lost.

A loss mom wants her baby and her own grief to be remembered. It means so much when people grieve with her.

ways you can support her

If you know a woman who recently miscarried, had a stillbirth, or experienced infant loss, reach out to her on a random Tuesday, even if her loss happened a while ago.

Tell her you think about her and pray for her. Drop off flowers. Write a card expressing sorrow and compassion, but keep it simple. Make a meal, especially if the loss happened recently.

You can truly make her day better, simply by showing your love and care for her in the midst of deep suffering and grief over losing her baby.

I’ve been deeply impacted by others’ simple kindnesses in my own grief over my two miscarriages. To know my pain is remembered and cared about by those around me is huge.

Grieving with others (especially in types of suffering we haven’t personally experienced) can feel intimidating and messy. And none of us do it perfectly.

But learning to weep with those who weep—to enter their journey, to listen to them, to hug them as they cry, to provide for their practical needs, to pray for them—is such a powerful and important way for the Church to love one another on the path to glory.

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clashing views on politics

If you find yourself not particularly happy with the Republican or Democratic parties, or trying to navigate Christian liberty in the realm of politics, this is a great conversation/debate between Allie Beth Stuckey and David French. They both claim to be Christians but walk out their beliefs differently in some ways.

I personally don’t agree with either of them 100%, and I’d say I lean more towards Allie’s inclinations, but I really appreciate David French’s thoughtfulness. He conducted himself very graciously and had some great points.

Thought-provoking!

our ultimate Source of contentment

I listened to this lovely podcast from Revive Our Hearts on finding our satisfaction in Christ—who is the only source of living water. We tend to seek satisfaction in other things, and they will never fill us up. It’s a convicting and comforting reminder that we can learn contentment because our portion is Christ and He is the source of all we need to be satisfied!

Dana Gresh shares clips from Erin Davis (the end of her talk HIT IT HOME), a real-life testimony from a woman, and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth sharing from Philippians.

best for last: sexuality and psychology

The couple of recent podcasts I’ve listened to interviewing Rosaria Butterfield have been up there as all-time favorites. This conversation is between Becket Cook (his testimony is such a beautiful story of the power of God’s Word preached to the lost), a Christian psychologist involved in reintegrative therapy (think reparative therapy; helping those with unwanted same-sex attractions), and Rosaria.

I have to admit: I came from the same perspective as Rosaria previously held (and publicly repented of), but hearing the heart behind reintegrative therapy and the eye-opening studies revealing factors that contribute to leading many people to homosexuality or transgenderism was so helpful for me to understand, and even changed my perspective.

Rosaria is one of my top favorite people to listen to, and this conversation was beneficial and fascinating.

CONTENT WARNING: there is some sexual content, referring to arousal and such, so just keep that in mind for yourself or little ears around you.

I would love to know what you think of these, if you’ve already listened or do so after reading this!

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Aside from number 7, most of these sound like nice ideas that could help bring some whimsy to our daily lives.

But I have an issue with the way this is posed. And it all comes down to linguistics.

the actual definition

The way we use “romanticize” in our culture currently doesn’t really fit its definition:

Merriam-Webster defines it as:

Or perhaps more practically put by Cambridge Dictionary:

This movement of “romanticizing life” appeals to making everyday tasks and routines more enjoyable by slowing down or adding things that bring joy to your day.

But I argue that we shouldn’t refer to this as “romanticizing” because most of what we’re referring to isn’t usually about making something seem better than it actually is.

A quick Google search shows that people tend to use this phrase to mean “intentionally find[ing] beauty, joy, and meaning in ordinary, everyday moments.”

This isn’t making moments seem better; this is finding beauty in those moments.

And you know what person should most enjoy the beauty of life, even in the most simple and mundane tasks?

The Christian!

beauty that’s already there

As believers, we know that everything has purpose...even the very practical (and sometimes wearisome) tasks, like preparing a meal.

One of my favorite sentiments from Elisabeth Elliot is on this very subject.

“…if peeling an onion is a job that I'm supposed to be doing, then I presume, I trust, I believe that I'm supposed to be here right now.”

-Elisabeth Elliot, “Holy Harmony - Part 2”

I’m not sure if this is the exact quote I’m thinking of, but regardless, Elisabeth firmly believed that if preparing an onion for dinner was what she needed to do, that was God’s calling for her in that moment.

It had a divine purpose and a divine calling.

Practical, but purposeful.

Ephesians 5:16 calls us to “[make] the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

If we have this perspective that every part of life is divinely ordained for righteousness, and that everything God has made and calls us to do is good and beautiful (which we affirm), then we’re acknowledging that there’s inherent beauty in those things.

As Christians, so much of finding contentment in our daily lives is discovering the beauty God has designed.

It’s not about making something sound or feel better than it really is; it’s about seeing how beautiful it actually is.

Isn’t it marvelous that there’s not simply accidental beauty to be found in the random tasks of life, but that such beauty comes from an intentional, gracious, benevolent, and intimately-involved God?

heart shift

The other day, I was about to move a load of laundry to the dryer when I noticed I’d unfortunately missed a business card (or two) in my husband’s jeans—which meant the clothes were covered in tiny pieces of paper.

It was honestly an irritable task to shake out those clothes and then have to vacuum the floor and wipe out the washing machine.

But the Lord reminded me to be thankful:

I have a husband I get to do laundry for. I get to be his helper. What a gift.

This little mindset shift moved my heart from grumbling to gratitude.

Some might say I romanticized the task. But I didn’t make it something it wasn’t; God simply opened my eyes to see the beauty of what I get to do as a wife for my precious husband.

For us believers, it’s so much better than romanticizing life. It’s about noticing the beauty God has intentionally, purposefully, divinely designed in our daily lives.

So turn on the worship music when you do the dishes. Take aesthetic photos of your walk at golden hour. Hand paint random doorways of your house for extra whimsy. Start birdwatching instead of scrolling. Journal a memory like a book, articulating the details lavishly.

Enjoy the beauty God has given you in the everyday moments. The Author of beauty and your life has built it into every part of your day.

He has made everything beautiful in its time…

-Ecclesiastes 3:11a

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the X post

On June 3rd, a YouTuber named Jesse Ridgway announced that he and his wife had chosen to abort their baby after discovering their son had Trisonomy 21 (aka Down Syndrome).

His wife Ashley was halfway through her pregnancy.

I’ve seen a lot of crazy things on social media over the years—especially in recent years—but this one has honestly left me flabbergasted, particularly by how Jesse rationalized aborting their child in his post. (You can read the full post here if you haven’t already.)

Imagine being a person with Down Syndrome and reading Jesse’s justification of why he and his wife chose to end the life of their son.

To be clear: learning your baby has a diagnosis that may seriously affect their health and development can be terrifying. Having a high-risk pregnancy is also very serious and terrifying. But this doesn’t mean the solution is to kill the child in the womb. Both the baby and mama need the BEST of care to protect their lives, because they are both humans and worthy of life, and parents need to be equipped and supported as they care for their child with special needs.

Jesse’s direct address to the Down Syndrome community is what really got me:

I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward? Isn’t that what parents are supposed to do for their child, “come what may” like Jesse initially thought? To love them and care for them no matter what suffering they might face or be born with? Doesn’t every human being—regardless of their genetic makeup—deserve the right to live?

If your answer is “no” or “it’s not that simple,” I encourage you to truly consider and ask yourself: when is a baby “human enough” to protect? Because a baby starts out as a human cell, human zygote, human embryo, and human fetus… And when we start picking and choosing what disabilities are “too much” to handle, we’ve gone to a very dangerous and dark place.

Before this announcement, Jesse had posted a video of he and his wife getting the results for the more comprehensive genetic test where Down Syndrome was confirmed, which left me even more sickened—not because they were scared (of course it’s okay to be scared for a huge moment like this!). I was particularly sickened because they showed ultrasound images of their second trimester baby, mentioning his facial features, and how he rolled into the needle when Ashley had one inserted for a test, openly admitting that they might choose to abort him.

To see images of their precious baby boy who has now died at the hand of abortionists per his parents’ choice is devastating.

the right response

Social media has been a whirlwind of responses, from people supporting the abortion and others outraged and trolling them with hatred.

As followers of Christ, what is the response we ought to have?

My desire in writing this isn’t to slam Jesse and Ashley; my heart hurts for them. I can only imagine what they’re going through, especially now that this story has gone viral across the world.

But that doesn’t mean that what they did is okay. They ended the life of their child, who was made in the image of God—as every baby is, whether they have Down Syndrome or not. (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13-16, Exodus 20:13)

They have also inflicted such damage and disrespect to the Down Syndrome community, communicating with actions—far louder than words—that every baby with Down Syndrome isn’t worthy of life, protection, or unconditional love.

I am righteously angry, but also so burdened for this couple.

Where would I be without Christ?

As Christians, it is right to be angry at sin, like parents aborting their child. We must call it what it is, to call evil “evil.” In fact, that’s loving, because love hates and exposes what is evil and fights for what is good.

But as we respond in this way, it should not be without mercy and compassion.

There is no place for Christians to mock Jesse and Ashley, to troll them with vile comments, or even to belittle their grief, though much of it is self-inflicted.

I hope and pray that their grief over this whole ordeal will be God’s merciful means of leading them to not suppress their shame as their consciences bear witness to what they’ve done.

Instead, I pray this leads them to the arms of Christ: for forgiveness, comfort, and merciful love. To be made right with God and someday reunited with their son in glory, covered by the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 7:9-17)

God can do that.

I write this with tears welling up. It is such a heartbreaking story that needs to be dealt with unwavering truth—calling sin sin—but also immense, gospel-filled compassion for two people who have sinned grievously, are hurting, perhaps regretful and ashamed, and most importantly: who need Christ.

This is a pivotal moment in their lives exposed before the world, and we must earnestly pray that they would not only see that what they’ve done to their son is evil, but that God forgives and cleanses evil sinners like us by blood of His Son.

May we Christians not forget that apart from the saving grace of God which plunged into our lives, we once suppressed the truth. We chose ourselves over everybody else. We were blinded by sin and have done abominable things before God that are worthy of damnation.

But that’s why we’re still here: to proclaim the merciful, gracious, saving love of Christ for any who put their faith in Him. To plead with sinners to cast themselves on the mercy of God, finding complete and eternal forgiveness in the Son of God’s merit and work alone to cover their sins and grant them eternal life—with open arms.

The loving thing to do in this horrible, heartbreaking, viral story is to speak the truth, but to speak the truth in love.

They need Christ. And so did we.

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As someone who has failed in this, don’t assume a young Christian couple doesn’t have kids yet because they don’t value parenthood.

In a world that encourages sex outside of marriage, living together before tying the knot, and having kids only after years of “freedom,” it can be easy to assume young Christian couples who haven’t had kids yet don’t understand that children are a blessing—at least to the extent that they should.

I’m not proud to say that I have done this, and my best guess is that I’m not alone.

We shouldn’t assume that we know why a young couple hasn’t had kids yet. Because the truth is, we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes.

The Lord has convicted me of this unkind assumption I’ve had towards others as my husband and I approach two years of marriage and don’t have kids yet.

If I’m honest—if I was on the outside looking in—I might think it’s because we didn’t want kids yet and had been influenced by worldly thinking.

Boy, have two miscarriages opened my eyes to how ignorant I’ve been, and how I should have gracious assumptions. There are a number of things that could be going on for a couple without kids, such as:

• Infertility

• Hormonal imbalance

• Past trauma

• Miscarriage

• Chronic illness

We go to a church full of young couples that have kids. But we also go to a church that has couples struggling with infertility and miscarriage—like us (my husband and I lost two babies last year).

What a humbling learning experience for me.

May the Lord help us to have gracious assumptions, especially about a sensitive topic like this one.

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We lost our second baby right before Christmas this week 💔

Baby was due just 9 days later than our first baby (due this past August).

Two babies lost in 2025.

I honestly still feel numb. I’ve found myself trying to understand the “why.” Why did God take away another baby? Why did I have to go through miscarriage again? How is He totally sovereign and totally good in this loss?

When I wasn’t getting pregnant after our first baby, I tried to figure out what His reasons could be. It made me frustrated and anxious. He faithfully led me to rest in trusting Him, even though I couldn’t reconcile the “why.”

And now that we’ve lost our second baby, I find He’s teaching me the same thing.

I don’t understand. Not fully or the amount that I want.

But what I do know?

God is the One most deeply grieved by the effects of sin. He is the One who sent His Son to overcome sin and death for undeserving sinners because He is so gracious and loving.

When I remember that, it makes the unknown “why” fade… because I know HIM.

When I was little and watched The Wizard of Oz, my parents were careful to clarify that though Glinda described herself as a “good witch,” there is no such thing.

Why? Because witchcraft is evil and forbidden by God.

This intentional clarification from my parents has stuck with me into my adulthood. However, amidst all the Wicked fervor in the media with the sequel’s premiere, I confess there is a draw. I’ve always enjoyed musicals and it’s a well-done movie—a fascinating and clever alternative backstory to the original movie from the 1930s.

But the reality that witchcraft is evil bars my conscience from watching it—and if you’re a Christian, I hope you might take these thoughts into consideration for your own entertainment choices.

This article isn’t about me claiming you’re inherently sinning by watching Wicked or telling you what to do, but imploring my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to be discerning, to guard our hearts—and our witness to the world.

Here are my three main reasons for boycotting Wicked…

#1: Witches are portrayed as good (but God condemns witchcraft)

In Deuteronomy 18:9-12, God says:

“When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD. And because of these abominations the LORD your God is driving them out before you.”

In the New Testament, we also see the practice of sorcery definitively condemned (see Galatians 5:19-21 and Acts 8:9-25).

The lovable main characters, Elphaba and Glinda, are (spoiler) witches. They are the story’s heroines. Little girls—even women—look to these characters with admiration and aspiration.

But Exodus 22:18 is so sobering: “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” Witchcraft calls upon the power of demons and rebels against the benevolent and holy reign of God. It is worthy of His righteous wrath.

God has prohibited abominable practices of deception (such as witchcraft/sorcery) for our own good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

The reality I can’t avoid in the Wicked Broadway play and movies is that no matter how fantastic the music is, no matter how charming the characters seem, sorcery and witches are portrayed as good.

In Wicked, being a witch looks pretty, powerful, and even noble. But in reality, witchcraft ruins lives—and souls forever.

#2: Witches are core to Wicked’s storyline

I know you may be thinking, “Okay, but sin is portrayed and even celebrated some way in every movie. Are you saying we can’t watch any movie that makes sin look good? Where do we draw the line?”

I’m still navigating this, too. Movies I LOVED 5+ years ago I see differently as my convictions change and are sanctified.

It’s true, there will always be sin celebrated or softened in a movie produced by the world: A gay character. A boyfriend and girlfriend living together. Swearing.

As believers, we don’t need to avoid absolutely every movie from the world, but we should be very careful about what we choose to be entertained by and what fills our minds. (See Philippians 4:8 for a reminder on the things that God wants in our thoughts.)

Glinda had a fairly limited role in the original Wizard of Oz movie. But not only is witchcraft portrayed as good in the Wicked movies, but it’s also a crucial, core aspect of the entire storyline.

#3: Witches are real people who need Christ

This is the point that gets to me the most. It’s so sobering to consider that there are real women RIGHT NOW who are practicing witchcraft/divination/necromancy/etc. and enslaved to the evil mastery and oppression of demons.

Witches are real people who are lost. Witchcraft isn’t like it’s portrayed in stories like Wicked or Harry Potter. Witchcraft serves wicked, hateful demons and leads real people like us to eternal torment in the Lake of Fire.

A group from my church actually evangelized at a witches’ market in our community. (Who knew that was a thing? I didn’t.) My heart is burdened for these women who are lost in the darkness of their sins.

Consider the testimonies of women like Jac Marino Chen, Doreen Virtue, and Jenn Nizza. Before Christ, between the three of them they practiced divination, interpreted omens, participated in necromancy, attempted to manifest, etc. Hearing about the enslavement and misery they experienced in this deception prior to being saved is very eye-opening.

Remembering the reality of sin—that it is real, awful, oppressive, damning, and abhorrent to our good God—is so important for us in light of entertainment that glorifies it. Whether that’s witchcraft, sexual immorality, cursing, lying, or other sins. We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). We shouldn’t delight in deception and sin—what Christ has died for (1 Corinthians 13:6).

I hope this article might provide some things for you to consider and pray about as we seek to be discerning and glorify God in the entertainment we consume.

May we bring the gospel to sinners who are lost in sins like witchcraft—or whatever the Lord saved you and me from.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:16–21 (ESV)

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➡️ First of all, thank you for subscribing to my blog, Girls, Grace, & Truth! There are a few new faces here and I’m grateful! The heart behind GG&T is to encourage girls to see the beauty of God’s grace through the truth of the gospel.

💬 Second, I’m starting a subscriber chat! I honestly don’t know what this will look like (discussion about topics, ideas maybe??), so it’s a work in progress. For now, there’s a community thread with a few get-to-know-you questions. This is for us gals to have a little mutual introduction! I’d be glad to meet you!

Welcome to my lil corner of the internet! May God be glorified and may we be mutually encouraged as we consider the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ and what that means for us in our salvation, sanctification, femininity, discernment, and more!

With gratitude,

Grace Louise 💛

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I absolutely love being married.

Not in competition to that—but simultaneously, in its own category—I also love time with my girlfriends.

Before Thanksgiving, one of my friends (who’s not yet married) hosted a group of us for a “girlsgiving” feast. It was delightful. There’s something special about getting together with sisters in Christ, having fellowship in a cozy home setting (with lots of giggling of course), and eating great food.

I feel like, unfortunately, it’s so important for me to distinguish that this enjoyment of being at a “girls only” gathering isn’t in competition with me spending time with my husband because there is so much husband/men-bashing online. You know the type of content: fleeing from manly inaneness to escape with the girlies, and I really don’t want to give that off. (Plus it’s rude and untrue.)

I love my husband. I love being with him. He’s my best friend. Our companionship is precious and our covenant is sacred—unique from any other relationship. Honestly, he’s my favorite person to be with.

And, I’ve also come to cherish time with just my sisters in Christ in a new way since getting married. There’s just something super sweet about getting together and having that girl time.

Two realities can simultaneously exist in their own proper categories… without the men-bashing bit.

Both are good and perfect gifts from our benevolent and kind Heavenly Father!

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:16-18)

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Do you approach your Heavenly Father with childlike boldness?

A line from Sovereign Grace Music’s song “We Are Yours Forever” challenged me:

By grace You have made us Your family

We’re kept in Your kindness and care

With boldness we know we can bring You

Each burden we bear

“With boldness…” I wrestled with that. I don’t feel very bold in my prayers.

In fact, I wondered, is it right to be bold? God is holy… can I really approach Him with boldness? Isn’t that arrogant?

But as I remembered Scripture and turned the question over in my mind, I asked myself, what’s the opposite of bold? Shameful. Hesitant and timid, too. But as Christians—those who have trusted in Christ’s work alone to save us—we aren’t supposed to come to our God in shame… because Christ has paid for every single sin and given us His righteousness.

Bold ≠ arrogant.

Consider these powerful passages:

“[Jesus Christ], in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.” (Ephesians 3:12)

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Going to our Heavenly Father boldly doesn’t mean it’s done arrogantly. Certainly, we ought to approach Him humbly and reverently.

But I realized that the boldness we have in Christ is like that of a little child. Some great theologian (maybe Paul Washer?) gave the example that the child of a great king has special access to their father, even though he is king.

We are the Father’s beloved daughters and sons. We have special access to his throne of grace.

We get to go to Him at all times…and are WELCOMED. No matter how wickedly we’ve failed or how much we’re struggling.

I want to be more bold, like a little child, to be quick to go to my Father. To cry out to Him. To shed tears before Him. To confess my temptations and failings. To ask for forgiveness and grace to fight my sin and walk obediently. To share my fears and doubts, and lean upon Him in trust.

Sister in Christ, are you approaching our Father with boldness? He welcomes you.

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Of course their life was valuable to me!! But my love for my baby isn’t what brought their value.

At about 6 weeks of development the baby stopped growing—but before he or she passed into glory, my husband and I got to see their teeny-tiny form in my womb with that precious beating heart.

A beating heart at only 6 weeks! Its nervous system, heart, brain, and spine were rapidly growing.

This little person had value because they were a human in early development. Made by God in His image just like every one of us—who ALL began that tiny. Our nervous systems, our hearts, our brains, our spines all started there too.

So please don’t think that my baby—or any baby—has value because it’s wanted. Every human life has value, regardless of the circumstances surrounding conception or the stage of development.

Let’s start seeing tiny babies in the womb as valuable people worthy of love and protection…simply because they are human. 🤍

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My husband and I enjoy relatable marriage humor on social media. We get a good laugh out of it.

But I can tell you that I do not like “humor” that isn’t edifying, that bashes on men/husbands or women/wives in a way that makes light of sin...

…sin like impatience over the way the other person operates differently, making a point of portraying the the spouse’s actions or habits as ridiculous and annoying.

It’s funny to highlight our God-given differences comically and tastefully. But when it’s portrayed negatively about the other person, it’s not done in love, to respect and honor them—which is what God calls us to as believers and how much more in marriage!!

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. (Ephesians 5:33)

Glorifying sin is not worth the laughs. It grieves God and dishonors men and women alike.

Men and women are created beautifully unique and make a complimentary team! There are certainly comical ways it plays out AND can genuinely be a challenge to navigate since we’re *both* sinners. And this is where we seek to show grace, patience, and enjoy one another in the midst of those things.

So Christians, let’s keep marriage humor appropriate, edifying, and truly fun—celebrating our unique differences and the uplifting hilarity that goes with it!

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Today I finished Alisa Childer’s first book Another Gospel: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity. It has taken me literally TWO YEARS to read it—not because it’s long, but because I’m an incredibly slow reader and on top of that, read multiple books at once. Whoops!

Such a great book and personally impactful for me…

writing style

Alisa is a gifted storyteller. Her writing style is very engaging, humorous, and conversational, which is incredibly helpful if you’re reading it as you wrestle with doubts, want a snapshot summary of how we know that biblical Christianity is true, or if you aren’t particularly drawn to academic-style theology books. It’s written for the average person.

Alisa writes as a sister in Christ who shares her own experience with doubt when her pastor deconstructed to Progressive Christianity and presented questions and propositions that rocked her faith. Through recounting her own journey and conversations, she shows readers the overwhelming reliability of Scripture and biblical Christianity in the face of false gospels like Progressive Christianity. And, she is willing to put words to what you or I might be afraid to verbalize in our doubts.

snippet

During a very vulnerable season when I was struggling with doubt and felt so overwhelmed by my own questions and felt tempted to give up, the Lord used Alisa’s admonition below to help me keep pressing on to seek answers:

“I was hungry for truth, and the one place I had always gone to find truth was being cross-examined. The bottom line was that I needed to find out what was true…whatever it was. But seeking and searching is hard work. I’ve heard it said that a little bit of knowledge will make you an atheist, but a lot of knowledge will make you a Christian. I have found this to be true. Loads of volumes have been written on the reliability of the New Testament. If the doubter will keep reading—keep searching, keeping digging—the truth will come out.

It takes work, and the hungry doubter will do the work.”

~ Pg. 150

Her book was a great help in my struggles with doubt and strengthened my understanding of the trustworthiness of the gospel.

rating

I don’t rate by numbers; I rate by words! I’d say this one is incredibly helpful.

I highly recommend this book to anyone, especially those wrestling with doubt, need a refresher on apologetics, or who want to understand how Progressive Christianity is not congruent with the true, biblical, historical gospel...and is, in fact, heresy.

extra notes

I also must promote Alisa’s podcast. I came across Alisa’s podcast first, which is very informative and has been such a blessing over the years. (Well, technically I first encountered her through her CCM band ZOEgirl when I was a kid. Anyone else??)

My favorite episode is this one below on Jen Hatmaker’s book—it really opened my eyes to the false teaching that’s out there for women, often hidden under Christian terminology that’s been redefined without you even realizing it.

Have you read Another Gospel?

Share your thoughts with me in the comments!

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One day last week in particular I felt discouraged, struggling with motivation, and behind on much. It had been a busy month with work and travel, and the kitchen was still a mess, laundry was piling up, my energy for work was lagging, I longed to invest in my creative passions, and overall felt like I was failing.

I just felt really discouraged and weary.

Recently, the Lord has graciously shown me how much I trust in my feelings instead of truth, so I was wary of utterly giving myself over to those feelings and becoming a puddle of self-pity, but MAN was it hard! I had to continually cry out for grace as I wrestled and failed.

Maybe you relate: homework is looming, your job is draining, your creativity is zapped. Maybe there’s relational conflict rearing its ugly head. Maybe you’re a new mom or a mom with littles feeling exhausted and sleep deprived. Maybe it’s been crisis after crisis in this season of life and you just want it to stop.

In these trials and struggles which are common to us as we pilgrim through this broken world, it can be tempting to question God’s love and goodness in our weariness. It’s easy to try to get through the hard days in our own strength…only to fall into sinful responses and emotional overwhelm.

sufficient grace promised

2 Corinthians 9:8 alone offers so much hope to us:

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

What a RICH verse full of so many promises! As I prayed that morning feeling weary and weak, I begged for grace…but it was so easy to doubt it.

Would God really provide for me?

The real question was, Do I believe His word is true? Do I believe His character is trustworthy?

How I navigate a hard day and respond to pressures and people has so much to do with whether or not I am walking by faith and resting in the Lord’s promises, which are proven true (Psalm 18:30).

When lashing out, doom scrolling, or despair seem like the only option in our weariness and weakness, God compassionately provides sufficient grace to renew us and help us walk in the good works He’s prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10)—sometimes in seemingly small but powerful ways.

Like that particularly hard day for me, He provided a phone call with my mom who encouraged me as I drove home. He supplied grace to be more disciplined in my work and not get distracted on social media. This helped me finish work and start dinner early so we didn’t stuff food in our mouths and rush out the door for Bible study.

the source of our strength

When it comes down to it, we don’t have the strength we need—it comes from God, who is our Strength (Psalm 18:1, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 59:17). Not only do we receive God’s grace when we’re saved (Ephesians 2:4-5), but the Lord supplies grace for every single need we will ever face (Philippians 4:19).

Yes, unbelievers also get through hard days too…but they don’t realize it’s the common grace of the God they reject and don’t know. We live in a time where people talk about “finding your inner strength.” (Katy Perry talking about trusting in herself and her strength for the Blue Origin flight is top of mind.) But it’s a mirage of pride. Living in the deception that we are strong results in sinful responses and ways of life that are destructive and not pleasing to God.

Sin and despair are not the only option. Quite the contrary. God brings us low in the hard days to show how wonderful, how satisfying, how strong He is for His children.

It makes me grateful to consider that it is a Person, my Heavenly Father, who has promised to supply me with the sufficient grace I need for every situation and struggle in Christ. It brought comfort that I didn’t just “get through” that hard day, but that the Lord graciously sustained me and WILL continue to do so in the coming days, months, and years until I’m home with Him.

Christian, our hope isn’t in our ability to sustain and cheer ourselves on the hard days of this life’s journey, but in our God—our Father, Savior, and Helper—who is our Strength and Sustainer.

I’d love to hear from you!

• What verses encourage you when you are having a hard day?

• How have you seen the Lord provide for you in big and small ways?

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