Our pain is more than transient torture - Pearl Allard, guest contributor to incourage

Take Heart…Your Labor in the Lord Is Not in Vain

Several summers ago, I was gardening wildflowers. It was therapeutic — weeding and watering the cosmos, blanket flowers, cornflowers, and other delicate beauties that graced the yard. They brought me more happiness than I could articulate. (This is probably largely due to the fact that I’m not a gardener-type at all, and plants that survive me are a mini miracle.)  …

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Book Recommendation & Interview with the Author (M.N. Stroh)!

I met Melissa Stroh (aka MN Stroh) through the Jerry B. Jenkins Writers Guild years ago and have had the privilege ever since to count her a dear friend and sister in Christ. She is supportive, sweet, insanely knowledgeable, hardworking, and a fabulous listener. Melissa writes edgy Christian historical fiction (romance and adventure stories) set in Medieval Ireland in the…

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Happy New Year! God Showing Up is the Given, Not the Variable

It hit me, perhaps, because my son (who just turned thirteen years old!) was working on his science fair project over Christmas break. He had been encouraged to select a simple, repeatable experiment and to isolate the components so that there was only one variable. And as I sat reflecting over this year, I remembered something I heard or read…

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Encouragement for the Encourager

Do you find this to be true of you? A loved one comes to you in distress and you immediately try to discern the cause and what you might do to relieve their pain. Encouragement rolls from your lips along with a prayer for restored joy and peace for this person you love dearly. But when you find yourself in…

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4 Words to Help Recovering Perfectionists Not Get Stuck

The Struggle is Real I have this bad habit of letting my desire for perfection paralyze me over the stupidest things (and some not-so-stupid things). Like cleaning the house. Maybe it doesn’t help that I enjoy watching HGTV that features jaw-dropping renovations, transforming every inch into equal parts function and beauty. Then I turn off the tv and gaze at…

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Grace to Grow a Garden by Pearl Allard (Look Up Sometimes) Photo Credit: Johanna Froese Photography

Grace to Grow a Garden

I’m a recovering grayish-black thumb (aka discouraged gardener wanna-be), but this year I’m enamored watching plants grow in our yard (aka maybe there’s hope!). Maybe it’s that I have more energy this year for this kind of thing. Maybe it’s the joy of collaborative contributions. Whatever it is, I’m dubbing it the year of the plants! Early in the season,…

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