Finding Hope When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned

Published by Leslie Newman Hope 9 comments

Does life look different than you though it would? Are you facing fear and doubt? Take a peek inside this true adoption story to find a living hope!

Today I’m delighted to share a post with you written by my friend, Lori Schumaker. Lori shares an incredible story of love and hope inside the pages of her book, Surrendered Hearts. If you are journeying through a difficult situation that is not turning out as you expected, you’ll find that you are not alone when you read the book or take a peek at parts of her story below.

Today Lori is sharing her own true story that points to our real source of hope when life doesn’t go as planned – Hope that came to us in the form of a tiny baby, born in a manger so long ago. It’s Jesus’ love that reached out clear across the world to bring a family together. And this is the love that reaches out to you today, no matter where you are, no matter what you are facing.

From Lori’s post: “Hope is something we cannot live without. In order to walk through this life, we must believe in what may come and we must believe in the good that is just around the next corner. Without hope, we don’t find joy nor do we experience peace. Without hope …

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How to Have a Grace-full Thanksgiving

Published by Leslie Newman Powerful Bible Verses 4 comments

Is discouragement leaving you looking for a grateful heart? Even in difficult times there is a way to be genuinely thankful.

Thankfulness can be such a powerful thing, but sometimes it’s hard to come by. Discouragement and the trials of life can leave us wondering how in the world we can find any sincere way to be thankful in the midst of the difficulties we are experiencing. But as ironic as it seems, being thankful is powerful and can bring relief during hard times.

As humans, we are only able to see things from a very small perspective. God, however, sees from above which gives Him a grand view. Our little perspective makes it difficult to find those moments of hope when times are hard. And unfortunately, we have an enemy who does everything he can to turn our focus to all the wrong places.

But because of Jesus in us, we can overcome the wrong perspectives and find the hidden treasures God has for us. We can reach down into the power of a thankful heart.

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Grace and Peace for Your New Year

Published by Leslie Newman Claiming Scriptures, Hope 14 comments

How could our new year be different if we understood the fullness of God’s grace and peace? His kind of grace changes everything! Find out more by clicking through!

Grace to you and peace be multiplied. This greeting from the apostle Peter just leaps out to me on this New Year’s Day. It’s such a good verse for new beginnings and hope for the new year, isn’t it? It’s full and rich just as it is, but if we look into the Greek root words we’ll find even more!

Did you know that the word grace in this verse comes from the Greek word xáris? This kind of grace refers how God is always leaning toward us freely giving Himself away to us because He wants to be with us.

The word peace comes from the Greek word eirḗnē, and it means “wholeness.” It refers to all the essential parts being joined together. Peace is God’s gift of wholeness.

The word multiplied comes from the Greek word plēthýnō, and it means made full to maximum potential.

How would our new year be different if…

Click below to read more! Find out what we’ll be doing this year at Journey to Imperfect!

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When Grace Appeared

Published by Leslie Newman Powerful Bible Verses 6 comments

God’s grace works well, his kindness is endless, His fullness is poured out upon us from the outstretched hands of a tiny baby.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14

Grace. The Word born to life and living among us, a tiny baby born in an insignificant village, living His life in humble surroundings. He was God’s finest gift, treasured like you and me, held in His Father’s arms and close to His heart.

But one night, God leaned low. He bent down to earth and set that baby in a manger, in a small and insignificant village, in lowly and humble surroundings. It was a moment of grace lived out from the heart of our Father God who loved us enough to give us His only Son.

Can you feel God leaning down, holding that baby in His arms, all the while knowing that He would die for you and me? And yet still …

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Give Hope to the Hurting – Share Your Scars

Published by Leslie Newman Identity 32 comments

Your story has a purpose, and sharing it will make a difference in ways you can not imagine! Click through to find courage and hope for you and others in a story only you can tell!

{Guest Post by Lori Schumaker}

The other night I sat across the table of a group of women. Remarkable women.

All beautiful and all with scars.

These are real everyday kind of women. The kind that smile and give you hugs when you see them. The kind that laugh at the funny stuff, shake their heads at the nonsense, sit with a friend in need, and love their people like crazy. They are also the kind that push themselves each day, run late, miss deadlines, yell at their kids, get irritated behind the wheel, and cry.

Real everyday kind of women.

Each of them have a story uniquely theirs. In each there is much good, yet in each there is pain.

Pain

… from loss and from gain.

… from lack and from abundance.

Pain that comes simply from the fallout of the sin and brokenness of our world.

Each has a story and each has hope.

*Click below to read more of this guest post by Lori Schumaker. Find hope and purpose in your own story!!!

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Something to Believe In: 5 Anchors for Every Writer

Published by Leslie Newman Writing Life 4 comments

Are you struggling through a something difficult? Click through to discover 5 anchors that will help you persevere through a hard task.

Are you struggling through a difficult task? Is it hard to persevere? This is a common thread for many of us as we walk through a calling, a difficult situation, or a particular season in life.

My post today was written for other writers like myself who are facing the massive task of persevering through something hard. Even if you are not a writer, I think you could take the points made in this article and apply them to places in your life that seem difficult for you right now.

As writers, we sometimes share our numbers and statistics, but real success isn’t in the numbers. True success is marked by what happens inside of the journey. The 5 anchors that are mentioned in this article are things I learned because the writing journey was difficult for me. It’s these inner changes and these kinds of qualities that God highlights in each of us as we walk through life that are marks of a successful journey. And to me, this means every journey, even the most difficult ones, are successful because they change us from the inside out.

As we learn to persevere through the hard things, we learn to look in the right places. If we keep our eyes focused, we know God will make a way.

Today’s post can be found at my friend, Frank McKinley’s website. He’s an author, writer, and encourager. I’ve found his articles (at www.frankmckinleyauthor.com) very helpful as I embark on my own writing journey and I count Frank as one of my writing mentors.

To read a sneak peek of the article, click below!

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5 Action Steps to Carry You Through a Misunderstanding

Published by Leslie Newman Blog Posts, Relationships 21 comments

Misunderstandings. We all have them at one time or another. We just can’t make it through life without facing hurt feelings, harsh words, and misunderstandings within a relationship. Sometimes we receive it; sometimes we dish it out. When these kinds of things happen, our relationship feels fragile. We may stand there stunned, wondering how in the world we could be in the middle of such a misunderstanding. Or we may feel convicted, knowing it was our fault when our own bad attitudes and words created the situation in which we find ourselves.

And at this point, we have a choice.

We can avoid the situation, hide our hurts, cover up the misunderstanding, and even deny our need to seek forgiveness. Or we can be seekers – seekers of His grace both for ourselves and for pouring out to the other person. We all know the right choice, but it’s the hardest one, isn’t it? How can we move forward and turn those hurts and misunderstandings into a deeper relationship?

We can find some amazing answers in Colossians 3:12. Friends, I have read this verse many times. I have prayed it for the past few weeks since this post. I know others of you have prayed these verses right along with me. But what I didn’t realize is what we were really praying when we claimed and prayed this verse over our relationships!

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A Grace that Sets You Free

Published by Leslie Newman Identity 6 comments

There is a grace that will set you free. It’s a gift waiting for you. Read more here about what the Bible tells us about that freedom. {Free printable bookmark!}

Freedom. It’s a powerful word. It is a gift given through the most costly of circumstances.

When I think of freedom, I think of God’s grace. It’s a deep, deep love, wrapped up in a gift created for each one of us. If we will reach out and take that gift and experience the freedoms wrapped up inside it, we can move forward into a better place.

Here is what grace can do.

Read more by clicking below and find a {FREE PRINTABLE BOOKMARK} too!

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A Grace Just for You

Published by Leslie Newman Identity 12 comments

When discouragement strikes, remember God’s grace. It’s a gift created with you in mind. It’s just enough at just the right time. Find out more here!

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Ephesians 4:7 (NKJV)

It had been a rough day. I was tired, the house was dirty, and I needed to figure out what to fix for supper. My two little children were still very young and dependent on me, and I felt like I didn’t have what it took to be a good mother to them. I was upset about other things that have since left my memory and the whirlwind of discouraging thoughts I was having felt like more than I could handle.

Have you ever had a day like that? When discouragement strikes, remember God’s grace. It’s a gift created with you in mind. It’s just enough at just the right time. Find out more here!

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A Grace that Sees

Published by Leslie Newman Identity 18 comments

I see you.

• I see you when you wear a bright smile, but you feel a strain of sadness inside.
• I see you when your life is full of good things, but you feel empty.
• I see you when your activities paint a picture of confidence, but insecurity fills you inside.
• I see you when you feel like you never measure up and when you feel invisible and inadequate.

These things are hidden in the fast pace of your everyday life. Sometimes you can ignore them because you always keep going. You always keep giving. You always keep doing more.

But other times, it wells up and you feel overwhelmed. It leaves you feeling utterly exhausted.

Yet, in the midst of all of that, there are truths that you know.

• You know that God is kind and merciful and full of love.
• You know the Bible contains the truth, and you believe what it says.
• You love Jesus, and you know God as your Father. Most importantly, you know that because of all Jesus has done for you there is forgiveness and new life.

But sometimes it’s hard to feel the security those things should to bring you. To understand this sort of love deep down inside takes something you just haven’t quite been able to grab on to yet.

I see these things because I’ve been there, too. Even in a life surrounded by people that loved and cared for me, a life full of good things and God’s provisions, I still felt all of the things I just described to you.

So I want you to know I see you, and grace does too.

And because of His grace, there are answers for you.

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