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Why I Write
But beyond these, my son, be warned: there is no end to the making of many books (Eccl. 12:12 HCSB). If Solomon were parenting today he might have said it this way, "There is no end to the making of many books, articles, blog posts, twe...
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Do All Men Cheat?
I stared at my computer for a long time. After reading about the Ashley Madison scandal that is currently sending shockwaves through our culture (anyone else feeling like it's a train wreck? It's hard to look away!), I learned that you coul...
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5 Reasons Unity Is Worth Fighting For
We are a culture of advocates. Perhaps more than ever before, it's trendy to latch on to a cause and passionately declare our support through colored ribbons, memes, and virtual thumbs up. While I love to see us standing up for truth with p...
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35 Things I Wish I’d Known in High School
This year I turned 35. When I was a teenager, thirty seemed ancient. But as I crest the hill of my mid-thirties, I can assure you I won't be picking out a retirement home any time soon. I'm just getting warmed up. In fact, my thirties have been s...
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Teenagers + Technology: 3 Things You Might Be Missing
News flash: Scientists say modern teenagers have grown another appendage. Well, those are not their exact findings, but close. A recent Pew Research Study shows what any of us who have tried to look a teenager in the eye recently alr...
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A Right Theology of Fear (And Why You Need It)
I know that I'm not supposed to be. I've heard all of the lines about how God wins. I've sung the words plenty, "If our God is for us, then who can ever stop us." I know that I'm supposed to "fear not" and yet, in these times, I have to won...
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Obedience = One Step at a Time
My stomach hurts. My eyes are blurry. I know that in just a few short hours every muscle will ache. Today is a big day for me. In celebration of my 20th spiritual birthday I will walk 20 miles in an attempt to raise $20,000 to benefit four fantastic, Gospel-saturated ministries. (Read all the details here: GoFundMe.com/ErinDavis). That all sounded so good when it was just a slick marketing campaign. But today, there is sacrifice required. I am up in the middle of the night, preparing to pry myself away from my sleeping family. The road ahead of me looks impossibly long. Failure is the only one…
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A Little Less Conversation A Little More Action
Hey, you there… Yes, you. With the screaming baby, or the messy house, or the overflowing inbox. Mind if I grab a few of your brain cells for a minute. I promise, it won’t take long. But I really need your help for a good cause. In honor of my twentieth spiritual birthday and in celebration of all that God has done in my life in the past two decades, I will be walking 20 miles tomorrow in an attempt to raise $20,000. Then I will give every penny away to four ministries that have made a huge impact on my life. You can read…
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A Birthday Wish to Do Something Big
It's my birthday! You can tell by the twenty candles on my cake. Nope, I'm not actually turning twenty (again!). I'm not celebrating my physical birthday; I'm celebrating my spiritual birthday. Twenty years ago this month, I walked an aisle in...
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The Parable of the Lost Sheep 2.0
Easter 2015 was particularly memorable for the Davis clan. We had new baby sheep on our little farm, and I got the bright idea to take one of those sweet little lambs to our Easter celebration at my mom's house. Nothing says Easter like ki...
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Should You Take Marriage for a “Test Spin”?
Don't you just love a free trial—a no-strings attached chance to try something out before you shell out your hard-earned cash? Most of us do. Is it a good idea to enjoy a free trial without the commitment of a permanent arrangement? ...
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Antelope Hunting: How Loneliness Makes Us Vulnerable to Sin
A herd of antelopes grazes together on an African plain. There are so many of them that they are calm and relaxed, drawing a false sense of security from their numbers. They do not scan the horizon for predators. No one stands guard. They s...
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3 Trojan Horses That Are Threatening Our Ability to Connect
After a fruitless ten-year war against the city of Troy, the Greeks come up with a strategy to secure their place in the pages of history. They construct a massive horse designed to hide an elite force of their best fighters. The rest of th...
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The Next Time Life Has You in the Waiting Room
I hate waiting. We all do. Waiting for God to move can feel especially uncomfortable. When I've prayed and do not yet see God's hand at work, I tend to get squirmy. Did He hear me? Will He answer? Will these circumstances ever change? ...
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How I Know Marriage Will Stand
"Marriage Under Fire" "Government to Hear Testimony on the Re-Definition of Marriage" "Biblical Definition of Marriage Questioned" Nope. I didn't rip these headlines from today's blog roll. Not yesterday's either. Yes, I know they are an accu...
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A Modern Woman’s Guide to Fasting
Fasting is the spiritual discipline of denying ourselves of something (typically food) to feast on the things of God. I explored some reasons to fast in yesterday's post. Perhaps you sense the Lord is leading you to fast. You may be thinking, Now wh...
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Should I Be Fasting?
Mark 9 contains a story I’ve read a zillion times before. Jesus and His inner circle were coming down from the mountain where they had experienced the transfiguration and making their way toward joining the other disciples. While Jesus, P...
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Six Reasons Your Husband May Not Like Your Women’s Group
Ladies' Bible studies are a staple in most of our churches. That's a good thing! Titus 2:3–5 tells us that it is God's design that women teach God's Word to each other. But have you ever wondered what those closest to you really think about yo...
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What to Say to That Immodestly Dressed Girl at Church
When speaking to parents and leaders of teenagers, I often hear a version of this question: "There is a girl in my church (or a group of girls) who wear totally inappropriate clothes to church. What do I say to her?" Here's my response ....
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What to Say to That Immodestly Dressed Girl at Church
When speaking to parents and leaders of teenagers, I often hear a version of this question: "There is a girl in my church (or a group of girls) who wear totally inappropriate clothes to church. What do I say to her?" Here's my response ....
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Ten Truths That Will Change Your Life in 2015
Are you a New Year's resolution maker? I'm not. Over the years, I've found the tradition of vowing to change at the start of the New Year to be an exercise in disappointment. Every year, my diets fail, my habits stay the same, and my resolutio...
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5 Reasons We Still Need John 3:16
It's been reduced to a cardboard sign held up at the edge of the wrestling ring or a mantra for frenzied NFL fans. We assume everyone already knows it. It's a verse so well worn that it seems to have lost some of its luster. But we...
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Why Santa’s Not a Christian
I've been praying for Santa and his wife, Mrs. Claus. I've invited them to church. They say they'd come if they just weren't so busy. They own a small business that seems to eat up all of their free time. I've shared my faith with them before, and t...
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Navigating the Holidays as Adult Children of Divorce
"Hello, my name is Erin, and my parents are divorced." Sometimes, I feel like I'm a member of a club that I can't get out of, even if I fail to pay my dues. It's the Adult Child of Divorce Club, and there are times when being a member is no picnic. ...
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Will You Pass the Insecurity, Please?
My mom's crockpot corn (yum!). My granny's cranberry salad (yuck!). My Aunt Rhonda's pumpkin cake (double yum!). All of these will make an appearance at my family's Thanksgiving table this year. But those yummy dishes will be chased by a harder pill...
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3 Terrible Ways to Measure Your Ministry
First things first, I believe the Bible calls all of us into ministry. As followers of Christ, sharing the gospel (Mark 16:15), making disciples (Matt. 28:19), and caring for those in need (Matt. 25:35–40) are tasks assigned to all of us. ...
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Sticking Your Neck Out for Others
Editor's Note: This is Day 14 of our 15-Day Heart Prep series for True Woman '14. Don't miss a thing at True Woman '14. Get the True Woman '14 App to keep updated with bonus material, schedules, maps, speaker information, resources, and more! T...
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I Refuse to Be Embarrassed
My six-year-old is easily embarrassed. If his hair is going haywire or he makes a mistake in front of others, it is likely to result in tears. When he's really embarrassed, he has a habit of finding a corner or a piece of furniture under which he ca...
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Four Ways to Spot a Bitter Root
Every good gardener knows that you can't chop weeds. Try to go after those buggers with a weed eater, and you'll get nowhere in a hurry. You've got to rip weeds up by the roots. Otherwise, they will just keep coming back and when they do, they're bo...
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Your Sin Is Not in Your Junk Drawer
Is your sin really hiding in your junk drawer? I've got a junk drawer so full of junk that it is renting storage space from three other drawers. I can't see the top of my washing machine. It is covered in soap, rags, laundry baskets, and ...
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Freebie Friday! The Gospel Is a Love Story
Did you know that you can put the gospel on display just by being a girl? It's true! This week we are giving away a CD recording of some of my favorite ladies talking about how embracing God's design for gender helps present a picture of God to the world. It's good stuff. Simply answer the questions in this survey to be entered to win a free copy of the CD, "The Gospel is a Love Story" featuring Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Holly Elliff, Dannah Gresh, and Mary Kassian (and I'm on there too!). a Rafflecopter giveaway Psst . . . BIG changes are coming to liesyoungwomenbelieve.com. Be sure to check back…
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Can I Know If I'm Saved?
the·ol·o·gy noun : the study of God We study God through His Word each Thursday on the blog. Our goal is to present the truth of God in a way you can digest and apply. This week we will look at how to know that you are saved. I decided I would stick around after youth group. As my youth pastor picked up trash and straightened chairs, I shuffled toward him. "What's up, Erin?" he asked. "I just don't feel like I'm saved," I said. "How can I know for sure?" Living the Christian life with that much doubt isn't fun. It leads to fear, worry, and anxiety and can rob…
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A Gospel for Serial Killers
Ted Bundy was convicted of killing thirty-six women and girls, making him one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. While waiting on death row for his execution, Ted turned his life over to Jesus and became a Christian. He repented publicly for his crimes and spent his final night praying with his pastor. Ted Bundy was a rapist. Ted Bundy was a murderer. Ted Bundy was a liar. Assuming Ted Bundy really did confess his sins and put his whole trust in Jesus, today Ted is in heaven with Jesus. The gospel applies to people in every nation and age bracket. It is for "good" people and…
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6 Truths to Remember When a Christian Leader Screws Up Royally
When a Christian leader you'd looked up to and learned from screws up royally (and unfortunately it's not a matter of if but when you'll experience this), I know what you'll want to do. You'll want to block them on Facebook and delete their pictures on your Instagram account and burn their books and reject every truth they ever taught you but apparently didn't live themselves. A flood of emotions will bombard you from all sides—anger, disbelief, revulsion, guilt for not having seen through their hypocrisy. Your stomach will hurt, your head will ache, you'll feel like throwing up. You won't be able to understand how they could've preached against…
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A Freebie Friday Double Whammy!
I totally forgot to send out a Freebie Friday post last week. My bad! To make up for my slack, we are giving away two books this week. Yep, TWO books! It's a Freebie Friday double whammy! Since we are focusing on the gospel this month on the blog, our giveaways this week have a gospel focus. Here is this week's swag. ESV Gospel Transformation Bible The goal of this Bible is to help readers see Jesus in all of the Bible. This study Bible will help lead you to Jesus over and over with notes that point you to the gospel and give you practical application for God's Word. If you…
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The Cure for the Back-to-School Blues
There's no denying it. Summer is winding down. Textbooks and school supplies are in your near future. It's time to head back to school. (Some of you already have!) God doesn’t so much care about where you’ll spend your school year but what you will do with the year ahead. Maybe you love school and are excited about the return to regular routine. Maybe you hate it and are dreading the school year ahead. Either way, I think God has a mission for your school year. It doesn't matter if you're in middle school or college; home-schooled, private-schooled, or public-schooled, God doesn't so much care about where you'll spend your…
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The Not-So-Wonderful Thing About Tiggers
We're focusing on the gospel all month here on the blog. Since the nature of the gospel can be hard to understand, and even harder to believe, I'll let Romans 5:8 give us a quick recap. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The gospel means: We are sinners who cannot stop sinning. The penalty we deserve for our sin is death. Jesus died for us, even though He knew all about points 1 and 2. His death made a way for us to be reconciled to God. If we go to church very long at all, we can…
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Eeyore's Response to the Good News
Last week, I asked you to define the gospel. Nearly one hundred of you responded, many with fantastic ideas about what the gospel really means. Here are just a few of my favs: Because of Christ's death and resurrection, we have been rescued from sin, death, and separation from God. We all are born with Adam's sin nature. We are destined for hell from birth. The gospel is that Christ died for His chosen people, because of His great love for us. We have salvation in Christ alone by faith alone. —Abbie Man's indwelling sinfulness overcome by the perfect power of our Savior! —Haley The gospel is the good news…
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Why the Real You Isn't Good News
Who are you? I don't mean your name necessarily. I mean, what makes you, you. If we were meeting for the first time, we would both introduce ourselves with the good stuff. We might talk about our families, our jobs, our hobbies, our school . . . We like to polish our identity up to a high shine, but that's not the whole story, is it? The reality of who we are is very bad news, but there is good news. David has a way of writing with a brand of brutal honesty that I love. Here's one way he answered the question, "Who are you?" Have mercy on me,…
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Cheaters Welcome
I've never been good at math. Maybe that's why when I discovered the answers in the back of my high school algebra textbook, I was giddy. True, only half of the answers were there, but they turned out to be practically the only answers I go...
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Freebie Friday! And the Bride Wore White
I was fifteen years old when I first met Dannah Gresh. She was leading a girls' retreat for my youth group about sexual purity. I'd heard the message before that I shouldn't be having sex, but Dannah transformed my view of sex, romance, and God. ...
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Should You Wait to Have Kids Until You Can Afford Them?
$241,080 According to the USDA, that's how much it costs to raise a child (not including college). I don't have an extra quarter of a million dollars sitting around. Do you? Kids are expensive. The culture loves to remind us of this fact. Baby ...
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Hope For the Anxious
A few days ago, I found myself in the middle of a storm. You may have heard about the massive dust storm that covered Arizona last week. (If not, here's a crazy video of it.) While that storm sent people into their homes looking for cover, I was stranded on an airplane, sitting on the runway, waiting until it was safe for ground crews to direct us toward a gate. To be honest, I was pretty oblivious to the storm at first. It was late at night, and I was dozing. But when we were finally allowed to disembark, a new storm started raging in my heart. I suddenly found…
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Freebie Friday! True Princess
Are you living like a princess or a daughter of the King? Answer true or false to the following questions to find out. T or F: I love being the center of attention. T or F: When making a decision, I don't usually consider the truth in ...
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Why You Need to Know the Rule of Three
If you're lucky, you've got a few more lazy days of summer left, but it won't be long before nothing-to-do turns into how-will-I get-it-all-done. As you look ahead to the new school year, you need to know about the Rule of Three. What Is the Rule of Three? The "rule of three" is a strategy used by the United States Marines. In a nutshell, the rule is this: each Marine has three things to worry about. Marines are divided into teams of four individual Marines (three team members and one team leader). Teams are divided into squads. Each squad is made up of three teams. Three squads make up a…
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How I Know You Will Get Married
As far as I'm concerned, there's only one way that movies should ever end. Having faced whatever challenge the movie plot was about and won, the couple (because there is always a couple) should kiss. The camera should spin, and they should be transformed into a bride and groom kissing on their wedding day. The rice gets thrown. The Mr. and Mrs. ride off into the sunset, and happily ever after begins. Sigh. Movies that end in a wedding should win the Oscar every time. But maybe, just maybe, when you see a wedding on the big screen you feel a pang of something like panic. When you go to…
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Freebie Friday! Girls Gone Wise
This week's Freebie Friday giveaway is Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild by Mary Kassian. Check out this great promo video for the book, and then sign up for your chance to win a free copy. Answer the questions...
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Blood, Bread, and Remembering Your Rescue
I brought a new friend to church with me recently. She'd never been before and when the communion tray was passed, she leaned over to me and whispered, "What is it?" I wasn't sure what to say, exactly. For someone like me who has grown up in the church, communion can seem ordinary because it's so common. I know it matters, and I know Jesus took it, but why? What's the point of that little cup of juice and tiny cracker? What should I have said to my friend who has never seen the communion tray before? Let's dig into God's Word together to find out. An Object Lesson To…
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25 Rules for Strong Friendships
We could all use a little help in the relationship department from time to time. Here are twenty-five "rules" for friendship, straight out of the book of Proverbs. Rule #1: Don't get mad over nothing. Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm (Prov. 3:30). Rule #2: Don't try to change a friend who is unwise. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you (Prov. 9:8). Rule #3: Hatred leads to more fighting. Choose love. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses (Prov. 10:12). Rule #4: Don't be two-faced.…
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Freebie Friday! Lies Young Women Believe
Quiz time! Look at these word pairs. For each one, make a mental note of which one best describes you. Relaxed or totally stressed out? Happy to be single or gotta have a guy? Good with what ya got or ugly? Forgiven or guilty? D...