Weak Moms, POTS, and A New Look
Encourage My Hope Monthly(ish) Newsletter No. 6
Hello Hello!
This newsletter may look a little different from the Encourage My Hope Newsletters of the past. I’m experimenting with a new format, so thanks for bearing with me as the newsletter undergoes some renovations!
I’m slowly moving, editing, and reposting all of my blog posts from my website to my Substack. That way you’ll be able to read everything in one spot.
So every month (or so) I’ll email you with something new I’ve written and something older that I’ve polished up a bit. And I’ll give you a short preview of each so you know what you’re getting into before you click to read.
So without further ado… here are this month’s posts!
Something Old & Something New
Something Old:
Preview of the Post:
I could choose to believe, despite how I feel, that I am more powerful than I think I am. I could determine that I will wake up tomorrow morning remembering that I am a powerhouse mom and choose to act like it instead of submitting to the idea that I am a weak mom.
But how long can pretending like this last?
Pretending can only work for so long because we just can't pretend our way out of our sinfulness.
But praise God! The truth about my power as a mom is so much better than pretending to be something that I'm not. If you are not feeling like a powerhouse mom today, or if you're tired of pretending to be something that you just know you're not, read on. The truth of the Gospel speaks astounding hope into the hearts of weary moms.
Click the link above to learn how the gospel frees moms to admit their weaknesses and embrace God’s strength here.
Something New:
Preview of the Post:
Two years ago this summer, I started showing signs of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a debilitating autonomic nervous system disorder. It would take a couple of months for me to be diagnosed and several more months after that for me to fully grasp what having this illness meant: that I would be sick and disabled for the rest of my life.
It’s been two years of grieving what I’ve lost and slowly accepting what I’ve been given.
Yet this I know is true:
I may be stuck with this sick and broken body for (Lord-willing) the next 30? 40? 50? years. And those years will undoubtedly be just as hard, frustrating, and exhausting as the last two years have been.
But because my hope is built on Jesus’ broken and resurrected body, I know that a brand new, resurrected body is also in my future. It will be my body, but it will be perfect. And compared to the eternity I will spend living, working, loving, and worshiping my Savior in that brand new, perfect, healthy body — the time I spend in this broken one will seem but an insignificant blip.
Click the link above to read the full post.
Coming Soon to the EMH Shop!
Here is a sneak preview of some of the new Bible Study tools that will be making their way into my Etsy shop soon!
Look for the Digital and Print versions of these products in the Encourage My Hope Etsy Shop. Coming soon!
Behold Him: A Bible Study workbook with tools and journal templates to help you take a deep dive into any book of the Bible
Colossians: A Bible study companion guide for the book of Colossians, complete with journaling templates and commentary
Ruth: A workbook to help you study the book of Ruth inductively, either individually or with a group!
Equipped: Tips, Tools, and Templates to help you build a Bible reading habit and develop your personal Bible study skills.
I’ll let you know when these products are available in the shop!
The True & The Lovely
In no particular order, here are some of the true and lovely things I’ve enjoyed over the past couple of months (none of these are affiliate links):
Note - Inclusion on this list does not equal a full endorsement. I read and listen widely. Please use wisdom and discernment when deciding which things to try out for yourself.
The Birds and Bees Podcast - Yes. This is what you think it is. This podcast and the social media posts that accompany it have been instrumental in helping me talk to my young boys about….the birds and the bees. I highly recommend it for parents of littles.
Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah - If you are familiar with Kristin Hannah you know her books are unputdownable. Magic Hour is one of her older books, but I found it a bit more upbeat than a lot of her more recent books. I found this book to be heart-warming, compelling, and redemptive.
Holy Haggling: How to Pray Like Abraham by Justin Dillehay - God led me to this article at just the right time. It was a lightbulb moment for me to realize that I would greatly benefit from making my prayers more specific, compassionate, and persistent (amongst other things Dillehay mentions). Maybe your prayers would benefit too?
Solar Buddies Sunscreen Applicators - If you love the sun but dread slathering sunscreen over resistant children (or yourself for that matter), I can confirm that these are worth the hype!
The Gospel Coalition Free Bible Commentaries - when I agreed to lead a group of women through applying the Inductive process to the book of Ruth, I wondered how on earth I was going to find an affordable, accessible, and reliable commentary that we could all use. Thankfully, The Gospel Coalition has free commentaries on every book of the Bible available for group or personal use! They are geared toward the average Bible student (as opposed to the seminary student) so they are theologically rich but easy to understand.
Praying that God will continue to do immeasurably more than all you can ask or imagine.
