(in)couraged to mend :: introduction

The women at (in)courage believe strongly in community and are constantly seeking out ways to connect women and bring us the community we desire.

That said, I’m thrilled to announce the second session of the (in)couragers community is starting today and I get to be a part of it again!

Last session I was blessed to be paired with Jacque as we walked through Lysa TerKeurst’s book, Unglued. Jacque and I will be hosting a Bible study again, but this go round we’re excited to have Denise join us!

I met both Jacque and Denise at the SheSpeaks conference last July and love that the three of us are together as (in)couragers! As you get to know them over the next couple of months, I have no doubt you’ll love them as much as I do. Their words are beautiful and their hearts for God inspiring!

About Us

We are women who have seen and walked through broken places. And because of those valleys we’ve seen God’s redemptive power, love, mercy, and grace move through our lives. We’ve experienced healing, freedom, and forgiveness and want you to experience it too.

We’d love to have you join us in discovering the glory God intended for each and every one of us as we dive into the hope He has for us and into relationship with each other!

And to do just that, this session we’ve chosen to study Angie Smith’s, Mended – pieces of a life made whole. We have no doubt it’s going to (in)courage you!

Take a look for yourself:

{if you’re reading via email or RSS feed, please click here for video}

If you have pieces of your life you’d like to see made whole, we’d be honored to have you join us each week. And please know, we understand y’all are busy women. There’s no pressure here … you can participate at whatever level you have time for. We promise!

Denise, Jacque, and I will be taking turns each Thursday posting on our blogs with reflections based on the following reading schedule:

February 21 – Introduction :: Jacque
February 28 – Chapters 1-4 :: Denise
March 7 – Chapters 5-8 :: Tracie
March 14– Chapters 9-12 :: Denise
March 21 – Chapters 13-16 :: Jacque
March 28 – Chapters 17-19 :: Tracie
April 4 – Chapters 20-22 :: Jacque
April 11– Chapters 23-25 :: Denise
April 18 – Chapters 26-28 :: Tracie
April 25 – Chapters 29-31 :: Tracie, Denise, and Jacque

Connecting with the (in)couraged to Mend community is easy:

• Read Mended along with us
• Join us each week for our summary post {schedule above}
• We’ll be hosting a link-up each Thursday. If you have a blog, we’d love to have you write a summary and link-up with us!
• Join our Facebook community – (in)couraged to Mend
• If you’re on Twitter or Instagram, use the hashtag #bemended
• You can also follow us on Twitter or Instagram @tmstier, @jacque_watkins, and @denisejhughes

But wait!! That’s not all! We’re hosting a giveaway over at Jacque’s place!! Here’s a peek of what we’re giving away … but hop over there for all the details!

I’m looking forward to connecting with y’all and making some new friends in the process!

Are you in a season of brokenness?

If so,

How could you benefit from this study?

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Posted in (in) courage, bible study, encouragement, giveaway, overcoming, resources

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life-giving truth & accountability

For the last two and a half … or is it more like three years{?}, I’ve joined a group of beautiful ladies each morning. Beautiful women who desire to bury God’s Word and truths deep into their hearts.

We rise early. In jammies. Grab coffee. Bibles. Notebooks. Highlighters and pens.

We pray.

We study.

We absorb.

Then we grab our computers and share with each other what life-giving truth we glean each morning.

Via email.

‘Cuz we live as far apart as South Dakota to Florida!

I’ve found it’s so important to have an accountability partner, or group to keep me in the Word each day. I know when I step away from my study … even for a few days, or weeks {ahem}, it begins to show in my attitude and character.

But having someone to check in with, to pray with, to learn and grow with … it keeps me accountable for being in the Word of God.

And as awesome as it is to have this accountability group of amazing women … even more {yes more!} awesomeness abounds when a larger “umbrella” group is found that encourages women to gather and hold each other up in the Word.

There are two of those groups I’d like to recommend; the first is Good Morning Girls and the second is Hello Mornings Challenge.

Both are basically groups of women that put together different studies, set a time frame to complete them {usually 12 weeks}, and encourage women to sign up and join in!

With either of these groups, you can join in the study they’ve picked out, or you can do your own study, but just chime in on the accountability part of it.

I participate in both Good Morning Girls and Hello Mornings … they’re different for different reasons, and I enjoy them both. I really encourage you to take a few minutes and explore each of them.

Right now with Hello Mornings, we’re doing a study called, “Love Like Him … Learn to Love Like Jesus.” We’re studying through 1 Corinthians 13 … and I think I’m even going to memorize it!

Anyway … I feel like I’m rambling. My purpose is just to encourage you to be sure you’re spending time in God’s Word … in His life-giving truth. And to encourage you to grab a friend {or two} and think about joining in one of the challenges above. If you decide not to join an organized study, at least grab a friend and make a commitment to be accountable to each other for being in God’s Word every day.

I promise … time in His Word is one thing you’ll never regret!

Posted in bible, bible study, encouragement

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focused15 :: intentional bible studies

I’m excited to share this resource with you today! Be sure to watch the video below for my specific thoughts … but I’d like to quickly mention … for anyone looking to not only dive deeper into God’s Word, but also have a focused Bible study … this is the one for you!

From the author:

You may be thinking you don’t have time to dig into the Bible the way you want to—or the way you think you should. You may think that a deep study of scripture is only for the pastor, the seminary student, or the uber-spiritual.

You’re wrong—the “ordinary” Christian can learn to to study the Bible on his own.

The every-day believer can train her eye to discover the life-changing truths held in scripture.

You can dig into the Bible and find truths for yourself-all it takes is fifteen focused minutes.

In Focused15, I’ll show you how to look at scripture through a different lens each day. We’ll use tools already at our fingertips, with methods proven through history, with a structure that is easy to follow…

…all in fifteen minutes day.

If you are ready to take your personal Bible study to the next level, but not sure how, Focused15 is for you.

Trust me! I know you’ll love it! Focus15 is available for Kindle and Nook and you can purchase the PDF download from the Focused15 website. Let me know what you think …

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Posted in bible, bible study, movie, resources

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refinement {repost}

There is so much truth in this post.  Who knew when I wrote it over a year and a half ago that I would be standing firm to these words today.  And the whole MS thing?  I believe I was healed from that nasty disease last night!  This is a long post … but so many things to cling to in times of trial … I pray you read it through, and I pray it blesses you.
{original post 12.15.09}

The process of removing impurities or unwanted elements …

I started a bible study in my home a little over a year ago.  It was something God started whispering to me about.  Then it got stronger.  And the signs got clearer.  Everything fell into place.  It’s an amazing story really.

Actually, I’m going to attempt to put the whole story together here … I’ve not done that before.

So as I said … it started as a whisper.  God talks to us like that, you know.  He starts softly … before you get the spanking.  Oh, and for real … you better believe it … God spanks us.  How many of you can relate?

Anyway.

I heard God softly telling me he was preparing me for something.  Then I started getting signs.  Hearing signs.  I started following a blog where she talked about starting a bible study.  The whispering got louder.

Out of the blue, I’d picture myself talking in front of people, telling them my “story.”

You can read more here …

So … when I finally figure out that God wants me to lead a bible study … I have no idea what I’m supposed to talk about.

Angie {the blog I linked to above}, was going to be doing a Beth Moore bible study.  So I went to the book store to check into Beth Moore studies.  They didn’t have a single one there.  Now listen … I was in a Christian book store … and Beth is as Christian as they come.  Her books and studies are typically all over a Christian book store.  So the fact I couldn’t find a single one was a huge sign.

What did I find?  A study from Max Lucado called, Facing Your Giants, the story of David.

Facing your giants, huh?  Okay … I’ll bite.  After all, I’ve got me a few giants in my proverbial closet!

I was finally putting together the pieces of the puzzle, and what I believed God wanted from me.  I believe God wanted me to share with others the “giants” I had faced {up to that point} in my life and how He saw me through them.

And if this was the case, there was just one piece left to put into place.  Without that piece, which involved permission from my husband, I wouldn’t be able to proceed.

This particular giant CJ and I have gone through is a biggie.  Doozie, if you will.  And I was purty darn sure he wouldn’t want me talking about it.  In fact, up until that point, only a few close friends had ever known.

So God?  If this is something you want me to move forward with … you know you’ve got a big hurdle to cross here, don’t you?

Wanna know how that turned out?  You can read about how God had the whole thing in His hands, right here.

The rest is really history … We had our first meeting and have been going strong ever since.  We started the study with “Facing Your Giants.”  I started that first night and shared all of the things I’ve been through in my life.  Everything.  The good, the bad, and the very, very ugly.

My purpose was to open my closet and let others see that we all have “giants.”  Some are big, some are small … but they are deep … and difficult … and need the grace of God to see us through them.

It was a great series, and a great book … I highly recommend it if you haven’t read it before.

And anyway … we’ve gone on to discuss marriage and now are studying the end times and a DVD series from John Bevere titled, “Driven by Eternity.”

And … let me loop back around to the purpose of this post …

In our study last week, John talked about being refined like gold.  And that really struck a chord with me.  I talked about it with the group and what it meant to me.  Especially given what I’m going through now with my MS diagnosis and symptoms.

So the gift I’d like to unwrap for you today is … refinement.  And maybe a new way of looking into your own trials and situations.

What is refinement?  The process of removing impurities or unwanted elements.  The process of refining gold means putting the gold dust in a crucible and heating it until it melts. It is then that impurities begin to come up to the surface as a dirty film. The refiner then takes a ladle to scoop off these impurities and discards them.

The refiner may repeat the process a number of times, ‘boiling’ the gold to bring up the impurities and removing them, until he is able to look into the refined gold and can see the reflection of his face, as if he were looking into a mirror.  {text found here}

This is what the bible says:
“These {trials} have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  {1 Peter 1:7, NIV}

What I want to scream to you all … to everyone who is “down on their luck” or struggling with unforgiveness, or going through a trial, or loss, or just plain ol’ being dealt a bad hand … you are being refined my friends!  Embrace it.

And I don’t mean, for one minute, to sound trite.  Believe me … I know.  I know what it’s like to go through some unspeakable things.  As honest and open as y’all think I am, there are still some things I can’t talk about here.

What I can tell you:
~ my parents separated when I was young
~ my father pretty much never wanted to see us
~ my parents divorced
~ the last time I saw my real dad was 32 some years ago
~ and the last words I heard from him were, “you are not my girls anymore”
~ as a child, I was sexually molested three times, by three different men
~ on a separate occasion as a child, I was held at knife point and almost raped
~ I’m divorced myself
~ 4 miscarriages in just over a year
~ I’ve been diagnosed with MS

That’s about where the story ends for now.

Because some of the other things I’ve been through are intensely private and involve other people, I can’t share some of the other things I’ve been struggling with for the last four{ish} years.  And not that I wouldn’t share … I have shared with the 20 some ladies in my bible study group … but because I honestly don’t know how many and who all read this blog, or where the information would go …

But what I do want you to know is … I’m no stranger to pain.  I know a trial or two.

What I also know … God will give you, again and again, the same trials sometimes until you learn {or embrace} the lesson He needs you to get.  Much like the refiner of gold continues to repeat the ‘boiling’ process.

So here’s the thing … and I’ve talked about this before … but we need to be people who embrace what God’s given us.  We need to stand at attention.  Step up to the plate and be ready to swing.

Ask God … talk to Him … find out what He wants you to learn.  We can. not. let our circumstances overcome us.  We must rise above them.  We must realize God has a plan for our lives.

There are a couple of songs that I love.  Give me chills and make me cry every time I sing or hear them.  I’ve linked the titles to a YouTube video of the song.  They’re long videos {over 5 minutes each}, but they’re such inspiring songs.  Maybe you could link and play the music in the background.

Please read the lyrics carefully … let them really sink in …

Bless the Lord
For your beauty,
For your goodness,
And your wisdom.. Awesome God
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.

For your power,
For your honor,
And your splendor… Mighty God
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord oh my soul, Praise the Lord.

{chorus}

For your Kindness
For your Favor,
For your Mercy.. Gracious One
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.

For your fire,
For your testing
And your Spirit… Holy One
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.
Thank the Lord oh my Soul, Thank the Lord.

{chorus}

For your Suffering,
For your Anguish
And your sorrow.. humble King,
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord
Bless the Lord oh my soul, Bless the Lord

For your Victory {Victory},
For your Triumph,
And you’ll soon come and reign over all.

The above song … we are thanking.  And praising.  And blessing the Lord … for His fire.  For His testing.  But also his power, kindness, favor and … wisdom.

I rest … trust … in the fact that our Creator has wisdom.  He’ll not have me go through my trials {the trials He’s given me} in vain.

And here’s another thing … I believe when we can have this outlook … this kind of faith … He gives us the peace inside we need to get through it.  I mean, isn’t that a lot of times, the worst of it?  The torment and worry and frustration?  Wouldn’t you want to have a source to “hold” that torment and worry?  Don’t you want a place to rest?

The bible tells us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  {Matthew 11:28, NIV}

Blessed Be Your Name
Blessed be Your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
And blessed be Your name
When I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

{chorus}
Every blessing You pour out I’ll
Turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s “all as it should be”
Blessed be You name
And blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

{chorus}

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name
I will bless Your name

{chorus}

And again … with this song, here we are blessing the name of the Lord.  In plenty and in want … I’ll choose to say, “blessed be your name.”

When the sun’s shining down on me … or the road’s marked with suffering … I’ll choose to say, “blessed be your name.”

Ahhh … I could go on and on.

Obviously, I feel passionate about this.  I’ve been working on this post for over a week now and it’s been brewing inside me for even longer.

And if you’re still reading, you deserve a prize! :)

Even after yesterday’s discouragement … I trust in a God who has a plan for me.  I rest in that fact.

Wow … this is a post of all posts … and no photos even!  Sorry ’bout that … but hey … wanna know what God’s been whispering to me lately?

I’ll give you a few hints … it involves:
~ writing
~ chapters
~ a title
~ a hardcover
~ and a lot of work!

Posted in bible study, inspiration, multiple sclerosis, tuesdays unwrapped

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one hand, two hands :: max lucado

That’s right folks!  I’m a Tommy Mommy!!  A Tommy-who, you might be asking?  Tommy Nelson is the children’s division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. and they are seriously all kinds o’ cool!  And since I’ve agreed to be a “Tommy Mommy” it means all kinds o’ cool for you!

How does it work exactly?  Well … Tommy Nelson sends me new books to review … and … to giveaway!  I’ve currently got 3 copies of Max Lucado’s new children’s book “One Hand, Two Hands” to give to three of you!  This brand new children’s book from Max is part of his 2010 OUTLIVE YOUR LIFE campaign. With rhyming text that’s easy to follow along with motions – it teaches little ones ways to do God’s work with their tiny hands.

I’ve got to say … I’m pretty excited about Max’s new campaign … so much so, that it’s my current home bible-study topic.  I feel many people are going to be blessed by it … and I’m not talking about the receiving part of the campaign!  I urge you to check it out …

So who’s ready for a giveaway?

• as with all my giveaways, leave any ol’ comment
• you can enter a 2nd time by tweeting the giveaway {just be sure to come back and leave another comment}
• you can enter a 3rd time by facebooking the giveaway {just be sure to come back and leave another comment}
• you can enter a 4th time if you blog about it {just be sure to come back and leave another comment}

Giveaway ends Thursday, October 14 at Midnight {CST} and I’ll picking 3 winners via random.org and will post the winners on Friday morning … good luck!!

Oh! and as a fun bonus, click here to download some fun coloring sheets for your kiddos!

And as a double-fun bonus … here’s a clip of the girls “reviewing” the book and sharing what they took away from it.  Please forgive the boat radio in the background!  We were on vacay when I filmed it and was so into what the kids were saying that I didn’t realize it was cutting us off!  Enjoy!

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Posted in bible study, children, giveaway, parenting

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