Category Archives: Personal Growth

15 Tips for Making this Marriage Thing Work

This Picture

Matt and I were at a conference a week ago in Central PA. The kids took this pic of us at a military museum we were visiting. I often think twice about posting pictures like this one of us on social media. I don’t want it to ever come across that Matt and I don’t have any problems—that we just have a perfect marriage. Because we don’t. We fight just like any other couple. Getting frustrated with each other and disappointed are just par for the course. We have to continually work on our marriage.

It’s easy to fall in love, but staying in love takes a lot of work. We know that subconsciously, but often we forget that practically. We take our spouse and our marriage for granted and can really end up in a mess.

Fifteen Years of Marriage

Matt and I will celebrate fifteen years of marriage this year. We definitely don’t have all the answers; I’m pretty sure most of what we know comes from doing things the wrong way! We’ve definitely learned what not to do. From counseling multiple couples for over ten years in our church plant, we have picked up on a few things that every couple struggles with and needs to be reminded of constantly.

15 for Making Your Marriage Work

Yesterday, I asked Matt about this post, and this is what he had to say.

You have to stay intentional in your marriage; it takes a lot of work. The people who seem like marriage is easy for them actually have just worked really hard at it over the years.

So, I asked Matt…What would be some tips on making a marriage work? Here’s a list of fifteen things we came up with in no particular order.

Know yourself and know your spouse. What makes them tick? What ticks them off? A great resource that we use all the time for couples in our church is The Flag Page. Learning your spouse is a lifetime process.
Listen to what your spouse wants and not what they say. This topic is near and dear to Matt’s heart. He actually has a book coming out soon with that title. When your spouse comes at you in frustration or anger, listen not to what they are telling you but what they are trying to get you to understand. Are they saying they need your attention? Are they feeling unloved, scared, fearful, etc?
Schedule a weekly date night. This is hands-down one of the most important things Matt and I do for our marriage. We know that no matter how crazy our week goes, we will connect on Thursday night. I know I will have his undivided attention for that time. Date night has been a staple of our marriage and something we look forward to every week.
Plan a getaway at least once a year for just you and your spouse—no kids. We do this each year around our anniversary. We do fun things like go to The Melting Pot, a new movie, a Christmas concert, etc.
Know what fills up your spouse and what drains them. Then help your spouse do more of what they love and maybe take on more of what drains them.
Know your spouse’s love language. The 5 Love Languages is a great tool for this.
Spend time together—go on walks together, drive together, make meals together, tag along when the other person has errands to run.
Find common interests. Create “shared experiences.” Common interests are what make a bond; that’s what happens when you’re dating. So carry it into your marriage.
Support each other. Support each other’s dreams, hobbies, interests.
Choose love. Every time, choose love. When you want to get angry, when you want to blame…chose love.
Put margin in your schedule. If you’re like ships passing in the night, you can’t connect. Find margin in your schedule to linger over breakfast, watch a movie together, sit and talk.
Put up boundaries. Discuss what’s okay and what’s not. Matt and I decided before we ever said “I do,” that the word divorce would not be a part of our marriage.
Dream together. What could life look like five or ten years from now? What do you both want to happen with your careers, kids, home, retirement, etc?
Laugh. If that means you need to go see a comedian, do it. There’s something about laughing together that draws you together and keeps you young.
Most important of all, be the first to apologize. I can’t tell you how many years passed in our marriage before I was the first to apologize. Don’t be like me. Be the first to say, “I’m sorry.” Forgiveness is the reset button for any marriage.

Choose Your Hard

Ask any married couple, and they will tell you that marriage is hard. Ask any divorced couple, and they will tell you that divorce is hard. We get to choose our hard. Which one will you choose? You have to work hard for your marriage and fight for it because nobody else will!

For More Encouragement

For more on this topic, check out our book, Pillowfights: Handling Marital Conflict.

12 Fall Things that Create Breathing Room for Your Soul

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Fall is the best time to enjoy nature! Sometimes when life gets too heavy and the burdens are too much to bear, the best thing we can do is take a break from it all and get out into nature. We had the chance to do that this week. We drove about three hours away on Tuesday of this week for a conference. The conference was in Central PA, and it was absolutely gorgeous! The leaves were already starting to turn, the mornings were crisp and cool, and the sunrises and sunsets were amazing.

My Fall Video from Yesterday

I made a quick video yesterday that I shared to Facebook. I wasn’t planning on doing a video, as you can tell from my look, but Matt talked me into doing it. It’s just a short clip, but I wanted to share with you what I was seeing.

Nature is like a balm for my soul. When I get stressed, when the burdens get too heavy, when I just need a break, nature gives me that. Fall is the absolute best time of year to get away and enjoy nature—to watch the leaves change, enjoy the cooler weather and crisp mornings, and enjoy pumpkin coffee, apple cider donuts, and all things fall.

12 Fall Things You Can Do

I just wanted to share a few things that I do in fall that brings peace and enjoyment into my fall season and help me to enjoy the beauty of fall.

Go on an overnight somewhere. It doesn’t have to be expensive, and it doesn’t have to be long. Even just 24 hours away can be such a huge blessing. Pick a place that’s surrounded by beautiful nature.
Get up early and go see a sunrise. Grab a coffee so you can be awake to enjoy a beautiful fall sunrise.
Go for a nature walk. Getting out in nature even for just an hour or two can make such a difference. Go somewhere that has lots of trees, that’s away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Find a place that’s quiet, where you can reflect and have quiet time. I’m all about spending time with people and getting together with people, but sometimes you just need some peace and quiet.
Go apple picking. Our family loves doing this. It’s so fun and easy. It gets you out and into nature. You spend time as a family; and when you’re done, you get to enjoy delicious apples.
Grab a pumpkin muffin, apple cider donut, or a coffee and go for a drive. This is so easy and something that we do all the time. It’s especially great if you have little kids and need a break. Put everybody in the car, buckle them in, and give them a device to watch, a book to look at, a coloring book and crayons, or a toy to play with—whatever will keep them busy, so you can enjoy the drive. Drive somewhere that you can see the leaves changing, that’s beautiful to look at, and just enjoy the scenery. Listen to some good music or a podcast.
Pick a Saturday morning and spend some time baking. Bake some pumpkin bread, apple crisp, spice cookies…something that you love for fall. Make extra to take to your neighbors. We’ve done this, and it’s such a blessing. It’s encouragement to your neighbors, but it’s also great for you. You get to spend time as a family doing something for other people. We put on good music and just enjoy the time in the kitchen together.
This one may not be for everybody, but some of you may really enjoy it. Pack up some art supplies and go find a quiet soothing, place that has beautiful nature. Do a chalk pastel drawing or a painting and just relax and enjoy creating art. There are so many free tutorials online. We love Nana from You Are an Artist. She has lots of free fall chalk pastel drawings. They’re not hard; anybody can do them, and they’re fun and easy. If you like creating, if you love art, this one’s for you.
This one is for my fellow book lovers. Go to Barnes & Noble or go to your favorite bookstore and treat yourself to a book. I mostly read books on my Kindle, but there’s something about having a book in hand. Treat yourself to a book, get a coffee or a snack, and go someplace to read. Find a beautiful place and just enjoy some quiet, peaceful time reading.
Go buy yourself a beautiful fall journal. Take it somewhere quiet in nature. Take a good pen, grab a coffee, and just sit and journal. Here’s some questions to answer in your journal: What am I frustrated about right now? What’s going right in my life? What is God doing in my life that’s working for good right now? What am I thankful for? Sometimes journaling gives us perspective and helps to bring clarity when we need it. It helps us figure out where we want to go and what we want to change. It helps get your thoughts down on paper so you can clear your mind and bring breathing room to our soul.
Go to a Panera by yourself and get a nice warm bowl of soup. Take a book to enjoy, a laptop to work on, a journal to write in… anything that brings life to you. Enjoy some good and some quiet time to yourself.
Buy some apples and some blocks of caramel and make caramel apples. It sounds complicated, but it’s really not. It’s nice and easy and something the whole family can enjoy. Making caramel apples doesn’t take a lot of money and doesn’t take a lot of work; so it’s a win-win.
Create a new family fall tradition. It may be discovering a new farm, a new fall treat, pumpkin carving, going to a new area, or discovering a new nature park. Find something new that you can start doing year after year that you can look forward to as a family.

So those are just a few ideas to get you started. Pick a few to try and add to this list. Let me know what you end up doing to bring more peace and breathing room into your fall.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, read my post 10 Things You Can Do to Combat Burnout or check out my book: Finding Free: 5 Simple Steps to a More Peaceful, Content, and Happy You.

When Broken Leads to Blessed

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So I tried a new thing this week. I took my weekly blog post and turned it into a video. If you’d rather watch me talk about this week’s post instead of read it, click the link HERE.

Broken to Blessed

One of my favorite things is reading a story in my Bible that I’ve read and heard hundreds of times and getting something brand new from it. This happened this past week. I was reading about the miracle of the little boy who gives his lunch to Jesus. Jesus takes his five loaves of bread and 2 fishes and uses it to feed over 5,000 people. This week when I read through the story, I stopped and underlined the actions that Jesus did.

Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.
Matthew 14:18-21 MSG

Those words kept my attention. I couldn’t stop thinking about them and wondering…Is that how God still does miracles today? I wrote those words in my journal; then I spent time looking up each word’s origins. When I studied these words and verses, it gave me a whole new insight into this miracle that I’ve never thought of before.

Blessing the Distribution

In the miracle of the loaves and fishes, the bread had to be broken first before it could be distributed. Jesus didn’t first multiply the food and then pass it out. He could have, easily. Think about it. He could have snapped his finger or said a command, and suddenly there would have been all the bread and fish needed to feed the large crowd. But that’s not how he did it. No, the increase came as he was passing it out; it came in the distribution of the bread.

The same thing happened in the Old Testament with the woman and the oil. Remember the story where Elisha told the woman to gather all the vessels she could find? Then he instructed her to pour the oil into the vessels. Once again, the oil didn’t immediately appear. No, the oil increased as she poured it out.

Matthew Henry, in his commentary, says, “Thus grace grows by being acted, and, while other things perish in the using, spiritual gifts increase in the using.”

God Blesses the Giving

So what does that mean? The principle is that God blesses the distribution. As we give of ourselves, God gives us more energy and strength. When we share our food and money with others, God blesses it and makes it go further. When we share our gifts with others—writing, painting, speaking, humor, hospitality…God blesses it in the lives of others.

It doesn’t mean that God blesses in a lump sum up front, but rather God increases our reach in the lives of others. As we pour out ourselves and our gifts, God blesses it and increases it. We want the blessing in a heap, at the beginning. But that’s not how God works. He works over the course of time, blessing as we give ourselves to others.

God Blesses Your Broken

For me personally, I am an author and a blogger. I would love for my “art, my craft” to reach hundreds of woman and encourage them and help them right now. Yet, that’s not how God uses me. He uses my broken, my distribution. He uses one of my blog posts in one woman’s life, one of my devotionals in another woman’s life, my book in somebody else altogether. My life is being poured into others a little tiny bit at a time. God blesses the pouring out. I may not see it right away; I may never see it. But others can be filled and blessed by me sharing myself and my art. My only job is to continue to pour myself out into others and let God use my broken and turn it to blessed.

How are you pouring into the lives of others today?

For More Encouragement

I am currently reading A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live by Emily Freeman as a part of my morning time routine. It took me a little bit to get into it, but now I’m loving it! Her book goes hand-in-hand with this post. If you’re looking for a great read, check it out.

Understanding Each Other

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Understanding Each Other

When I see this picture of my two little girls, it makes me smile. Mostly, because these moments are few and far between. You never know with these two. Maggie and Macey are the best of friends at times and the worst of enemies at other times. One of the things we come back to time and time again with these two, as well as with our older kids is this…You need to be understanding of each other.

When our kids fight, it’s because neither of them is willing to give. They have to learn how to accept the other person for who they are. They also have to figure out who they are and learn to work with that.

Understanding Ourselves

So many of us struggle in relationships because we don’t fully understand ourselves. God gives us helpful insight into this problem in the book of Matthew.

If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
Matthew 10:39 MSG

If my focus is primarily on myself, I’m never going to figure myself out. It seems backwards, but God says, “Focus on me instead. Get to know me.” When you focus on God, you will actually find both yourself and God.

The clearer we see God, the clearer we see ourselves. God says he made us in his very image. So it would make sense that the closer we get to God and understanding him, the closer we get to understanding how he made us. Only then, can we begin to understand other people.

Understanding God

How do you get close to God? How can we begin to understand him?

5 Ways to Get Close to God

Start every day by spending time with him. I do this through my morning time routine.
Listen to uplifting, encouraging Christian music. Make a list on Spotify of your favorite worship songs. Then listen to them throughout your day. Listening to Godly music can bring a sense of peace and a realization of God’s goodness into our daily routine.
Be in church on Sundays. I know we can worship from home, and we’ve all had to do it because of covid. But if you can, try to be in church on Sundays. What you can’t get at home is the time of worship music and the fellowship with other believers.
Read encouraging and uplifting books that will help you to draw closer to God. I do this as a part of my morning time routine. You can find a list of books I recommend here.
Spend time with other believers who will encourage you in your faith. You can do this by joining or starting a small group. Or just find a friend or two who can encourage you in your faith and meet up with them once a week or month for coffee. Good, strong friendships can help to keep us moving forward in our faith.

The more time we spend getting to know God, the more we begin to understand ourselves. Only once we understand ourselves can we begin to understand other people and better our relationships.

For More Encouragement

Check out Manney Resources for resources to help you grow your faith one morning at a time or read Developing a Faith that’s Strong Enough to Stand On.

There’s Beauty in the Unmaking

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Beauty in the Unmaking

There’s beauty in the unmaking of something. I saw this tree a few days ago when I was out walking and snapped a picture. My daughter asked me why I took the picture. To her it was just an ugly tree losing its bark. To me, it was a beautiful picture of what could be.

At first glance, the tree does look kind of ugly. In this moment, it’s a tree that doesn’t command our interest. It’s in the middle of undergoing the changing process. But when all the bark comes off, it will be beautiful in its natural form.

God’s Work of Unmaking Us

I feel at times like this tree—God is unmaking me and unraveling me, piece by piece. Sometimes I feel like by the time he’s done, I won’t have anything left. Sometimes it’s painful. The more God reveals my weaknesses and changes me, the more I feel broken and unusable. And yet there’s a beauty in the unmaking, well maybe not in the unmaking, but in the finished product. There’s beauty in seeing something in its true nature—raw, unfiltered, without makeup, no touch ups… just as it really is.

That’s what we look for in others, right? Openness, trueness, authenticity. Yet, why is it so hard to produce it in our own lives? Because it’s painful. It’s painful to be stripped bare; it’s painful to be unmade. Yet when God wants to use us, this is exactly what he does.

Real-Life Examples

Look at some of the examples from the Bible—Jonah, Peter, Elijah, and Moses. Jonah was thrown overboard a ship and forgotten. Peter denied Christ and lost his reputation and credibility. Moses was left on the backside of a desert, seemingly forgotten for 40 years. And Elijah hid and was fed from birds while trying to escape for his life for a time.

These men were stripped of their title, rank, credibility, and pride. Only then did God decide He decide could use them. Jonah was used to preach one of the greatest revivals in history. Peter preached at Pentecost and thousands came to Christ. Elijah battled against the prophets of Baal and won, and Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea on dry land. The timing was different for each of them. It was 3 days for Jonah, 50 days for Peter, an unknown time for Elijah, and 40 years for Moses. (Here’s an important side note- don’t compare your story to anybody else’s. It won’t help! God works in each of our lives differently. We can’t compare our story to anybody else’s story or experience.)

Coming to the End of Ourselves

It’s only when we come to the end of ourselves that we find God’s grace is enough. When we are at our lowest, when we are at our weakest…that’s when God can use us. His strength becomes our strength.

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
I Corinthians 12:9,10 KJV

If you’re in a place today where you feel like God is unraveling you or unmaking you, I get it. I’m there myself. Don’t give up. Instead, release yourself to the process. Cling to Him during the process and trust him to get you through it.

Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
Psalm 55:22 NLT

This unmaking of you won’t be the breaking of you. Instead, it will produce something far more beautiful.

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement on this topic, check out my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life.

What’s in Your Hand?

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What’s in your hand that God can use?

Often, I talk to women who want to do something more with their lives. They feel like God wants them to do something, but they are unsure of what. One of the simplest ways to answer that question is to look at your gifts, talents, abilities, and passions. What do you already do or have that God could use? A good example of this is Moses.

What was in Moses’ Hand?

What did Moses have in his hand? A rod. A simple tool, something he used every day. It wasn’t extraordinary, and there was nothing special about it. Yet, in Moses’ hand, God used it to accomplish his purpose and do something amazing.

Moses objected, “They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to him?
Hardly!’” So God said, “What’s that in your hand?”
“A staff.”
Exodus 4:1,2 MSG

God used Moses and his staff time and time again to show God’s power. When Moses threw it on the ground, it became a serpent. When he held the rod over the Nile River, the river turned to blood. Moses used the staff to bring frogs out of the river, lice from the ground, hail from heaven, and locusts. When he held it over the Red Sea, the waters parted before the children of Israel and they walked across on dry land. In Moses’ hand, his rod was a simple tool. However, when God touched it it became an incredible conduit of power.

What’s in Your Hand?

What do you have in your hand that God can use to do something great? To you, it may seem simple; but in God’s hand, it becomes something incredible. Maybe think of it this way: What do you have in your hand that God has given you that you can use to help make someone’s life easier? What’s in your hand that you can use to encourage somebody else? It could be a…

a pen
a paintbrush
a spatula
a calculator
an instrument
a ruler
a handbook
a microscope
a phone
an espresso machine
a volleyball
a camera
a paint roller
a sewing machine
a sketchbook
a Bible
a vase
a duster
a laptop
a printer
a stethoscope
a bridle
a journal

Using Your Own Unique Gifting

God works within our personality, abilities, and talents. He’s not going to ask you to travel to a foreign country and help care for kids with medical needs if you’re a photographer. He’s going to use someone who is trained in the medical field.

I write books, both Christian inspirational and fantasy fiction. My friend Keya makes candles. Aiesha, one of my friends, makes beauty products. My sister teaches piano, and my sister-in-law manages a Starbucks store. Kelley, another of my friends, runs a pony camp each summer for kids. My friend Jen manages a day care. Each of these women are so vastly different and yet each one of them is using their natural gifting, talents, and abilities to accomplish what God has for them.

How do you get ready for God to use you?

Be willing to try. You can do anything if you’re at least willing to try. Your first attempt may not be successful; maybe your second and third attempt won’t be either. But you have to be willing to try. God can redirect you as you go.
Be ready to start. Pulling the trigger is the hardest step. Once God shows you what to do, go for it. Don’t let excuses stop you from moving forward.
Don’t quit. It may not be successful right away, but that’s okay. As long as you don’t quit, God can use you. There is only one guarantee: If you quit, you will not get to see what God could have done and accomplished through you.

What’s in your hand today that God wants to use to make a difference in this world?

For More Encouragement

For more encouragement, read my post Six Steps to Finding God’s Purpose for Your Life.

Don’t Apologize for Being You

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Sorry, Not Sorry

Matt has this crazy, loud laugh. When something cracks him up, he just lets lose. It doesn’t matter where we are or who we are with. It doesn’t bother me now, but it used to. When we first got married, I can’t tell you how many times I shushed him or kicked him under the table when we were out to dinner or at other people’s houses. It was embarrassing to me, and I thought in my immaturity that it should be embarrassing to him.

The fact is, it didn’t bother him at all. Over a decade later, it still doesn’t bother him. I am embarrassed to admit I even confronted him about it once. I said something dumb about being a little quieter, about not bothering other people, and other stuff that just showed my immaturity and stupidity. As you can imagine, it didn’t go over very well.

My Focus was All Wrong

The problem was I was focused on me. I am introverted and don’t like extra attention on me or my family. So, I will go out of my way to avoid any extra attention. I thought that Matt should be like that too. If you know my husband Matt, you probably just laughed out loud. Matt is the exact opposite of that. Matt loves attention. The more there is, the more he performs. He’s pretty much a “sorry, not sorry” kind of guy; he’s just not going to apologize for being who he is.

What I didn’t realize early into our marriage was that is a strength for my husband. Him being able to throw his head back and laugh and not care who’s watching is something I desperately needed more of in my life. In those early years, I was so focused on doing the right thing, saying the right thing, wearing the right thing, that I was almost paralyzed from doing anything. I needed Matt’s fun side; I just didn’t realize that.

Now, I understand, appreciate, and love the fun side of Matt. It’s what makes him a fun dad to our kids, a great husband to me, and a wonderful pastor. He is relatable to people, and people love that.

Don’t Apologize for Being You

I realized at some point that I was trying to change Matt’s personality. That wasn’t my job or my place. God created him exactly the way he did for the tasks he has for him. I’m so glad my husband didn’t listen to me. He breathes life into our family every single day with his humor and fun-loving side. If he would have changed for me, our family wouldn’t be what it is today.

Now, my extended family teases me that I laugh hysterically at anything Matt says or does. I do. I finally let my pride go and my sense of what was “appropriate” and can enjoy laughing with Matt. We have the best time laughing and having fun together as a family. He doesn’t apologize for being him, and I don’t apologize for him either.

Matt has taught me an invaluable lesson- don’t apologize for being you. This is something that I believe a lot of women struggle with, myself included.

Just Be You

I want to remind you of an incredible truth. You are created exactly the way God wanted to create you. There is nothing wrong with you, there is nothing you need to change. Don’t apologize for being exactly how God created you. However God has created you and crafted your personality, use it to help the people around you.

Learning who you are is freeing. You don’t have to hide anymore. You can boldly stand before God and the people in your life because you are okay with how God created you. That kind of a woman is unstoppable.

When you discover who you really are, don’t hide that from the world. Show up as you. Own the personality God has given you. He didn’t make any mistakes when He created you. He’s not ashamed of His creation. It’s time for us to stop acting like we are ashamed of the way God created us.

Be the Best Version of Yourself

Be the best version of you so you can be that for somebody else. If God created you strong, be strong for the people in your life who are not strong. Be strong for them. If God designed you to have a big heart to love and care for others, then do that. Love the people around you. Take care of those who are hurt and need someone to help them out. If God created you to be a leader, then step into that position. Lead the people around you. Be the kind of leader that does right by their people.

Whatever you do, don’t apologize for how God created you! Step into that role and be the best you, you can be!

Excerpt from Finding Free

This post is an excerpt from my newest book, Finding Free: 5 Simple Steps to a More Peaceful, Happy, and Content You. If you enjoyed this excerpt, check out my book on Amazon or from Manney Resources.

For More Encouragement

For more Encouragement on this topic, read my post 4 Life Lessons You Can Learn from a Potter.

Finding Free: 4 New Products!

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Manney Resources

If you have been around Faithfully Stepping for any amount of time, you probably know by now that Matt and I started Greater Philly Church ten years ago outside of Philadelphia, and that’s where we work and minister every week. What you may not know is that my husband and I started a business in 2020 called Manney Resources. After our paycheck got cut in half a few years ago, we started writing books and selling them on Amazon to try and offset the loss. Last year, we created a website to put all our resources together in one place—Manney Resources.

We create and sell books, journals, and devotionals to help people grow in their faith one morning at a time. Thank you so much to those of you who have bought our resources and helped to support our family!

We work hard during the year producing resources that we believe will help people change their lives. Well, we just released four resources this month; and I’m super excited to tell you about them!

I just released a book called, Finding Free: 5 Simple Steps to a More Peaceful, Content, and Happy You. Along with this book, we also released a study guide, a thirty-day devotional, and a thirty-day journal.

Finding Free Resources — from left to right: Finding Free book, Finding Free Devotional, Finding Free Study Guide, and Finding Free Journal

I love all the products we release through Manney Resources, but this set right here might just be my favorite release yet!

1. Finding Free: 5 Simple Steps to a More Peaceful, Content, and Happy You.

So many women today are not living lives that are truly free. They are not living a life they love. More than that, they are miserable. Maybe they don’t know who they are or what they are supposed to do in life. They feel empty, like they are missing something. They feel like they are a mistake, or not good enough. They’re stuck working jobs they can’t stand, or are at home living a life that is empty and unfulfilling.

We want to experience more, crave finding what will truly make us happy and content. Yet, we are completely clueless on how to find it or even know what it is we are searching for.

In Finding Free, I share my story of spinning in circles trying to find what I was missing, what I was supposed to do with my life, and trying to figure out why i wasn’t more fulfilled. I knew God had more for her life, but I didn’t know how to find it.

Finding Free is a journey in discovering five steps to a more peaceful, content, and happy you.

Understand Your Personality and how God wants to use uniquely you.
Discover the Purpose God has for your life.
Create a Life You Love.
Allow God to Redirect You into the future He has for you.
Release the Shame that’s holding you back from living a life of freedom.

2. Finding Free Devotional

Discover the five simple steps to a more peaceful, happy, and content life by living free. In this 30-Day Devotional Study you will learn to understand your personality, discover your purpose, create a life you love, allow God to redirect you, and release your shame.

Find Your Way

Stories: So many people struggle to find freedom in Jesus. Stories help to bring truth to light in the revealing timeless truths in a practical, everyday way. Each devotional contains an engaging story.

Focus Your Thoughts

Scriptures: How do you learn to take the steps to Finding Free? Discover specific Scripture readings each day to direct your thoughts and fill your heart with encouragement and answers to help you take each step toward Finding Free.

Fuel Your Hope

Solutions: God’s word is the way forward. Without hope and direction from God, our way is lost. Each devotional concludes with a series of questions for reflection and discussion on the Scripture reading to stimulate your thoughts and forge a way forward.

The Finding Free Devotional is perfect for personal use, a book club, or small group study.

3. Finding Free Journal

One of the greatest challenges we face at women is getting caught in the hustle, bustle, and hurry of the everyday life. We spend a lot of time and energy, but all we have to show for it is tired eyes and weary hearts. The Finding Free Journal is a guide to help you keep Christ the center focus each day and discover how to become a more peaceful, content, and happy you.

The Finding Free Journal is a guided 30-day experience. Each day features a section for journaling your prayer time and a section for journaling any insights or encouragement you gained from reading your Bible or a devotional. After that, you will have a journaling prompt, an affirmation, an excerpt from Amanda’s book Finding Free, a prayer, or a life hack to implement the principles from her book.

If you are not familiar with journaling, the Finding Free Journal is a great place to start. If you have been around church for a while and know the prayer and Bible reading routine but need something new and different to try, welcome to the next level of spiritual growth. Using the journal each morning will help take the guilt and guess-work out of growing your faith so you can gain spiritual momentum and growth your faith so you can change your life.

4. Finding Free Study Guide

For too long, you have sought to do the right thing, but you found you were doing it the wrong way. Discover the key to Finding Free!

You are about to discover what it means to FIND FREE. In this six session study guide, you will uncover the five simple steps to a more peaceful, content, and happy you. The “you” God created before your life began. You will discover not just “who” you are but “whose” you are on this journey to a life Jesus described as the “abundant life” in John 10:10.

No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, if you have followed Jesus for most of your life, you just started to follow Jesus, or you are searching for what it means to have a relationship with Jesus, you will discover why you were created by God and how to unlock His purpose in your life.

Through discussion-based questions, reflections, group and personal exercises, you will learn the process to stop trying harder and lean into the life Jesus intended for you to live. This study is perfect for any setting for those looking to do a study without a video-based teaching. Whethey you are walking this path alone for personal growth or with a small group, you are just a page turn away from the start of a whole new way of living without the guilt and guess-work. Welcome to Finding Free!

Putting it All Together

Matt and I have a system we use every morning during our morning time routine called 30-to-THRIVE. Simply put, here’s how it works:

10 minutes reading a devotional or Bible⠀⠀⠀
10 minutes journaling ⠀⠀⠀
10 minutes reading a book ⠀⠀

You spend ten minutes reading your Bible or a devotional. Then you spend ten minutes journaling—this includes prayer time. Lastly, you spend ten minutes reading a book that inspires you to grow your faith or teaches you something new. Just thirty minutes a day can revolutionize your morning and change your life!

Be sure to check out all of these resources by clicking any of the links or by going to Manney Resources. I hope they are a help and encouragement to you! Let me know if you have any questions about any of the products!

Specific Prayers Get Specific Results

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Specific Prayers Get Specific Results

I believe that specific prayers get specific results. So many times, Matt and I talk to and counsel with people who are considering a major life change. Maybe it’s deciding if they should pursue a new career or opportunity, a big move, a potential spouse, taking a chance on something, and more. When I ask how they are praying about it, they say something like this, “I’m just praying that God will show me.”

While that sounds good on the surface, that kind of a prayer does nothing to show you what it is you’re supposed to do. I am a huge advocate of specific prayers. I believe specific prayers get specific results. When you pray a specific prayer and line it out for God, you will know very clearly what his answer is.

An Example of Specific Prayer

A great example of this in the Bible is the story of Isaac and Rebekah. Isaac needed a wife, so Abraham (Isaac’s father) sends his servant back to his homeland with the goal of finding a wife for his son. Think of the enormity of the servant’s task. Knowing he his not equipped to be able to do this on his own, he enters the homeland of his Master Abraham and comes to rest at a well, and prays. He says God, I need you to point me to the right woman. Then he lays out his specific prayer.

He prayed, “O God, God of my master Abraham, make things go smoothly this day; treat my master Abraham well! As I stand here by the spring while the young women of the town come out to get water, let the girl to whom I say, ‘Lower your jug and give me a drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and let me also water your camels’—let her be the woman you have picked out for your servant Isaac. Then I’ll know that you’re working graciously behind the scenes for my master.”
Genesis 24:12-14 MSG

He let his specific requests be known to God, so he would know whether or not God had answered his prayer. When Rebekah comes to the well, she does exactly as he prayed she would. She offers him a drink and offers to water his camels. Then he knows that God has answered his prayer.

Learning to Pray Specifically

Too often, our prayers are not specific enough; so then we don’t know whether God is really answering that prayer or not. The best way to get God’s answer on a matter is to pray specifically.

For example, when Matt and I were praying about buying a building for our church, we prayed for the building to drop to a specific amount. We also prayed that the financing would work that we would rent from the owners of the building. When both of those prayers were specifically answered, we knew that this was the building God had for us.

If we had just prayed, “God, help us to know whether or not we should buy this particular building,” we wouldn’t have known if we God was answering our prayer or not. Praying specifically takes the guesswork out of prayer, out of knowing whether or not God is answering a specific prayer.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, read my post Stop Wavering in My Prayers and check out the book, The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears by Mark Batterson. The Circle Maker is one of my favorite books on prayer.

An Update on Macey and the Last Six Weeks

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The Last Six Weeks at Home

We have been home from the hospital for about six weeks now and are adjusting to our new normal with Macey, who was diagnosed at the beginning of June with Type 1 Diabetes. She has been such a trooper and so brave and strong through all of this.

Macey’s New Dexcom

I am so happy to say that she got her Dexom—a continuous glucose monitoring system. It has made things so much easier for us to monitor her numbers continuously. It makes traveling soo much easier. With the touch of a button, we know her numbers. Whether it’s while she’s swimming in the pool, playing outside, traveling in the car, or sleeping…we can know what her numbers are and help to prevent any highs and lows. It’s been a game changer for us. The Dexcom takes the place of pricking her finger. So we don’t have to do all the finger pricking all day long, and she’s super grateful for that!

In the months to come, we are hoping to get her on an insulin pump. That will take the place of most of her insulin shots, so we are still praying and hoping for that sometime in the future. Right now, we are enjoying the freedom of using the Dexcom.

We got to go see our friends in Ohio and their new book store!

Back to Her Happy Self

Thank you to so many of you that have been praying for us and praying for Macey. She is doing so much better. She is back to her normal self, something that we are so incredibly grateful for. It took several weeks for her to be back to the “Macey” we know, but we are so happy with where she’s at now.

Macey and her daddy — Macey on a date with her Daddy

She turned six last week and celebrated by having a Wonder Woman party! We had our family over for the day, and the cousins all ended up in the pool! It was a great day.

Macey at her birthday party — Macey’s birthday party

Being Reminded of God’s Goodness

It’s during times like these that we are reminded of how good God is and how blessed we are to have family and friends that love us and pray for us. We experienced such an outflow of love from people. Macey received card after card, balloons, presents in the mail, and more. We are beyond thankful for all of you! Thank you so much!

We are so thankful that God prepared us as much as possible to be able to handle Macey’s diagnosis. Every time we meet with a new doctor or nurse, they ask us if we are ready to handle the trials that come from having a Type 1 Diabetic child in school. Every time, we are able to tell them that we don’t have to worry about that because I homeschool the kids. Every time, without fail, they say something like, “Oh, good. That will be so much easier!” God is so good. He knew exactly what Macey would need before we did.

Our Biggest Blessing this Summer

God has an amazing way of meeting needs before we even know we know them. One of the biggest blessings we’ve experienced this summer is getting an Intex pool in the backyard. We have wanted one for several years and just haven’t pulled the trigger. We decided that this was the year. It has been a God-send. One of the things that keeps Madcey’s numbers from going too high is exercise. So, every time her numbers start to climb, we throw her in the pool…which she is happy as a clam to do! It’s been such a blessing!

Sometimes, you have to pull back and look at the full situation to see God’s hand of blessing in your life. Other times, it’s so evident that you can’t miss it. I feel like that’s how the last several weeks have been.

We continue to trust God and his plan for Macey as we move forward. We are continually reminded of his faithfulness and goodness to us.

For More Encouragement

If you are in the midst of a difficult season right now in your own life and need some encouragement, check out our devotional: He Still Calms Storms: Finding Calm in the Midst of Chaos (a 30-day devotional) or read my blog post: When Problems Disrupt Our Lives.