Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings, by my friend and fellow Life Changing Stories contributing author Hadassah Treu, is a must-read for anyone wondering if God is still at work amid turbulent trials and struggling to understand how to interpret their suffering biblically.  Treu beautifully illustrates how suffering can be a catalyst…

Now and Not Yet: Pressing In When You’re Waiting, Wanting, and Restless for More, by Ruth Chou Simons, is an honest, hope-filled examination of insignificance, disappointment, and uncertainty with our “right now” circumstances. It’s a timely, transformational message packaged in a beautifully crafted hardcover book—complete with the signature artwork that makes Ruth’s books a treasure…

Have you been pleading with the Lord to remove a “thorn” from your life? Are you wrestling with unanswered prayers, struggling to understand why God won’t remove the thorn when you could be so much more productive and effective without this affliction holding you back? In my post “How to Be Thankful for the Thorn…

I have enjoyed the inspiring prayers and personal application of Ruth Schwenk’s prayer prompts journal, “Jesus, Calm My Heart: 365 Prayers to Give You Peace at the Close of Every Day.” Having followed Ruth on social media, I’m familiar with her prayer prompts, and on many occasions, I’ve been one of the women she talks…

In 2 Corinthians 12:8, the persevering apostle Paul made a very reasonable request to the Lord: “Concerning this thing [a thorn in the flesh], I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.” It seemed like the obvious solution. Yet the Lord had a different answer for Paul—removing the “thorn” was…

A few weeks ago, I shared about the “key verses” note I started on my phone last fall, during a resurfacing struggle with physical anxiety symptoms. At that time, I couldn’t control how my body felt from day to day, sometimes minute to minute, but I knew I could control where I put my mind’s…