what I am pondering
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Smart Leaders Start Inside
Exceptional Leadership: Where True Growth Begins Leadership (in your family, business or faith community) often starts with doing—managing tasks, guiding teams, and making decisions. But wise leaders know the secret: true leadership doesn’t begin with doing. It begins with becoming. Most leaders focus on working in their circle of influence. Smart leaders step back to…
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Good Things Come to Those Who Wait? It’s Not What You Think…
We’ve all heard the saying, “Good things come to those who wait.” But what does that really mean, especially when we’re in a season of waiting that feels endless, uncertain, or even painful? Many of us might assume it’s just about sitting tight and hoping for the best, but God offers us a deeper, more…
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Word of Encouragement: Heavenly Weight Loss
HEAVENLY WEIGHT LOSS? I sense the Spirit of the Lord saying, “I see the weight that you are carrying. The irritation, the frustration, and the burdens have accumulated like excess weight upon your soul, stored within you, pressing down your spirit. But I am the Prince of Peace, the One who lightens your load. I…
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Past Regrets Taking Up Space?
Why do we dwell on past regrets? It’s often because we believe a lie that happiness and peace come from our external actions and circumstances, rather than from the Holy Spirit within us. (Galatians 5) When I dwell on the past through regret, it’s because I still think that these poor or unmade choices negatively…
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The Power of Rest
Here’s what I’m pondering… The most common feedback I hear is: “With you, I feel so much peace and rest.” (In fact, at the last event we had, one woman’s husband said to her – “You are so calm!”) I also have heard several women say to me: “Merri Ellen, don’t take what you carry…
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Letter to the One Who is Bleeding
Photo by cottonbro studio Dear Beloved, I write to you as someone who understands the deep desire to be seen, heard, and valued. There’s an ache within, longing for validation, significance, and understanding. I see you.I hear you. You express yourself online, sharing your struggles, your hurts, your battles. Your heart spills onto the digital…
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Come Up Higher
🎈 Soaring High: Up in the Spirit’s Wind 🌬️🎈 Photo by Oziel Gómez I’ve been thinking about the pictures I keep getting in prayer – about my life as a captivating hot air balloon, ascending higher in the vast sky. Yet, there’s a catch – those weights! They represent the sin and entanglements that hold…
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From a Mountain to a River Flowing
Today’s Happy “Out of the Box” Day (the day after Christmas) is all about seeing a mountain turn into a joyful, flowing river – even from a sickbed recovering from the flu! While scrolling through messages, I stumbled upon a series of incredible stories, each a ripple of the transforming power of God’s love and…
Following and Trusting : Encountering God Out of the Box 