Every month, I guest post at several popular sites. For your reading convenience, I’m gathering my monthly guest posts here in a sampler. Enjoy these previews of the posts, then click on the “read more” link.

How to Find Peace in Romans 8

I’m focusing on Romans 8 this busy time of year. It’s really helping me, because I’m seeking more peace these days, and I’m finding it in the treasure trove of God’s Word. You can find more peace in this busy season by studying this chapter too!

So much peace can be found in this rich chapter. I hope you find peace in this chapter today and in the future. Take a few quiet moments today to open your Bible and discover the peaceful treasures in this chapter…

Keep reading here.

The Difference Daily Bible Study Makes

Are you in a busy season right now? I don’t know many people who aren’t. I’m in one of the busiest seasons of my life. It threatens to destroy my peace with all the to-do’s. Yet I’m enjoying it much more than usual, thanks to starting the day with God and his Word.

Since 2003, I’ve used the One Year Bible almost every morning. That means I will have read through the entire Bible 16 times at the end of this year. On the mornings I read the daily portion, I have greater peace all day…

Continue reading here.

Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:

5 Love Letters from God

Do you need a love letter from God? Scripture is full of them!

We all need a boost for our love tanks. Even the best relationships can’t keep them full. Only God is able to always offer us love that truly sustains our hearts.

These five scriptures are God’s love letters to you. Meditate on them slowly today, inserting your name in the blanks…

Keep reading here.

When Burdens Weigh You Down

Are you feeling weighed down by heavy burdens? I have been carrying around a few burdens lately. Some are expected in this busy season of launching my book. Others have been handed to me without my consent, yet I must deal with them. They are pressing on me like a weight I can physically feel.

When we feel burdened like this, we must turn to God first for help. He never intends us to carry our burdens by ourselves. He delights in helping us. None of your burdens are too heavy for him…

Continue reading here.

Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:

Sitting Still With God

Fall is my favorite time of year, but it also tends to be my busiest season. This fall will be no different.

Recently I was listening to a podcast while I was working. One sentence stopped me in my tracks. The teacher said, “Make sure some of your Bible study time every day is just for you and God.”

I thought, “When is the last time I simply sat still with God?”

Read more here.

Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:

What Might Be Silently Killing Your Marriage

The silent treatment hurts.

It may seem like a safer option than exploding in anger or having the same old argument again, but it starves your marriage through neglect.

Like a siege against a city, a silent treatment cuts off a marriage’s supply of love, affection and communication. Whether you’re on the receiving end of the silent treatment or the giver, the heart of a marriage withers when silent treatments become the norm.

A Spouse Who’s Silent

First, let’s address those of you who commonly receive the silent treatment.

I’ve suffered through many silent treatments. Some came without warning, and I didn’t understand why. Others came as a direct result when I set a necessary boundary. I have suffered for days and sometimes weeks in total silence of no regard, or partial silence of one-word answers.

For most of my marriage, I’ve handled the silent treatment the wrong way. I badgered my husband to open up before he was ready. I pleaded, nagged and threw vocal pity parties. This only pushed him further into silence and left me feeling even lonelier than before.

In the past few years, I learned that many counselors call the silent treatment a form of emotional abuse. When I began studying it in this light, I adopted ways to protect myself from further harm.

First, I began respecting his need for a time of processing. I began giving my husband space for the first few days. If he did not respond after that, I would say something like this: “During several days in a row when we aren’t talking, I feel distant from you. When you are ready to talk with me, I’m ready to listen.” This non-confrontational approach usually helped my husband resume talking.

Secondly, I also learned to lovingly detach from him and practice intentional self-care until he was willing to connect again. By taking good care of myself, I was able to manage the hurt the silence caused.

Finally, in times of unwanted silence, I began to lean on the Lord as my ever-present companion. I poured out my heart to him in prayer, and took comfort knowing that I could freely converse with him, day or night. He would not only listen to me but respond with the lovingkindness I craved. His warm presence filled me up, so I wasn’t as desperate for my husband’s love. If you suffer from receiving the silent treatment, God’s arms are wide open to you.

For Wives Who Turn to the Silent Treatment

For wives who have fallen into a pattern of using the silent treatment before, please hear me out. When you withhold words from your husband, you give Satan a foothold in your marriage. In the space created by silence, he builds brick walls in your marriage. The longer the silences last, the higher the walls become. These walls get harder to tear down the higher they go. If left unchecked, they can cause insurmountable damage.

The sooner you can break the silent treatment, the better. No matter how offended you are as the silence-giver, take the high road and speak first. You’ll open communication doors by using “I feel” statements rather than “You are” statements. Your husband will appreciate your efforts to reconnect with respectful tones and words.

Ask God to give you the courage to break the silence. Look at your husband through God’s eyes of love, compassion and understanding. Pray, asking God to help you voice your feelings and concerns in a way that builds bridges rather than walls. Resolve to stop using the silent treatment as punishment. Speak up with self-control, and your marriage will be nourished.

Wife Step: Ask God to help you make healthier choices, whether you are the recipient or giver of silent treatments.

This post originally appeared on A Wife Like Me.

How to Reprogram Untrue Thoughts

When I look in the mirror, I’m mostly pleased with how I look, but my own view doesn’t measure up to what others have said for years.

In college, I worked at Baskin Robbins, the famous ice cream store. Yes, I ate ice cream every single day—only a little bit though, or I would have weighed 300+ pounds for sure. A kid’s scoop of mint chocolate chip or pistachio almond satisfied my craving. And I got it for free! One of my favorite jobs ever.

I worked behind the glass counter, facing the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the store front. This was unnerving to me as an introvert, who preferred to hide behind a curtain of long curls, which had to be swept up into a ponytail for work. I liked decorating the ice cream cakes, so I could face the wall instead of the people.

Every week we received a new shipment of ice cream from a truck that traveled all over the midwestern United States. The driver’s name was Tom, and he was old enough to be my grandfather…

Keep reading this deleted story from my Transforming Your Thought Life book at my friend Debbie Kitterman’s site HERE.

Prefer to listen? Here’s the podcast episode:

Christian Meditation Podcast Interview

My friend Misty Phillip hosted me for the second time on her By His Grace Podcast this month. Check out this in-depth interview about the way you can transform your thoughts through Christian meditation, and learn a little more about me and my book. Have a listen HERE.