Author: mbethany
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Meet Abigail Ruth Brenner
So I’ve been on a bit of an adventure… Will you join me? (And my 9-year-old imaginary friend named Abigail who I’d love for you to meet, plus her people?) I’ve been trying to find the words to share this adventure for a while and I just keep coming back to “Wow wow wow this…
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No More Wincing
Sometimes suffering involves less weeping than wincing. When we love someone who never quite crosses the line to push us away completely, but is unkind enough, often enough, that we never get close. When we face many little health challenges that don’t warrant visits with specialists and intense intervention, but ensure we’re always well-stocked with…
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In No Hurry
I am a person of hurry. No one who knows me hasn’t felt rushed by me at one point or another. But God takes His time. His plan to save us and adopt us as His own – in the fullness of time long-awaited – took time, humanly speaking.
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2023 Good List
2023 was a bit of a wild ride, but there’s a lot on my good list. I could have kept going, but here are some good gifts and joys from this year. (Thank you, Lord!) 2023 Good List -Matt’s persistent patience -Seeing the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce + the Hoover Dam -All the prayers and…
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Even Marcus Can’t Ruin Christmas {A Short Story}
“Is it standing straight?” Dad huffed from under the Christmas tree. “I think so…” Mom answered, hands on her hips as she eyed it from the other side of the room, “yeah, I think you’re good!” “Finally,” Marcus muttered, his six-year-old toes tapping impatiently. He felt like he’d been waiting for days for everyone to…
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Who Are You Grateful To?
The children’s ministry at our church has focused on gratitude this month and I’ve loved that there’s a dual focus: who we’re grateful for and who we’re grateful to. We’re missing out when we forget who we’re grateful to because thankfulness loses its intent, reducing it to a mere feeling. Gratitude isn’t meant to be…
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In No Hurry
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” -Galatians 4:4-5 In the fullness of time, Jesus took the time to grow in Mary’s womb. 9…
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I Didn’t Know Good Gifts Took Courage Too
A long-prayed-for dream is coming true, and the more real it becomes, the more terrified I am. I didn’t know it took courage to receive the good gifts too. Favorite verses like “Take Heart!” always bring hardship to my mind. I associate bravery with holding fast when everything goes wrong. So I’ve been surprised to…
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Thinking On What We Already Have
‘Tis the season for writing out wishlists, filling the calendar, and stuffing our stomachs! Our to-do lists our longer than usual. At this time of year, we tend to spend more time thinking about we need, want, or plan on than usual. Sometimes it’s refreshing and helpful to remember what we already have. Join me at…
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Cling to Christ
Stepping into the airplane, I noticed a sign that made me laugh. The content wasn’t humorous. It wasn’t the design that cracked me up. There wasn’t really anything funny about the sign itself… But it was stuck with packaging tape…on to the side of a jet plane. Jet planes travel around 600-900 miles per hour….