hope — Old Blog Posts for Jen

God is good

I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:13-14

God is good.

Joy of Salvation

Have you ever looked around and felt like you can’t find joy anywhere?
That the burden you’re bearing is outweighing everything else in your life?

Five Truths To Give You Hope

It’s amazing to me, that I could believe lies and that those lies are coming from me. But there it is. Maybe this happens to you too? I’ve been fighting against myself for a while now, trying to combat the lies one by one, trying to identify them, and it’s been exhausting.

depression, hope, ScriptureJennifer HolmesSeptember 18, 2018Truth, truth from the bible, hope Comments

Labels

But try as we might, we can’t seem to get away from them. Some labels we try to give ourselves. The good ones, of course. The ones that make us seem like Wonderwoman. Labels that define us in the best ways possible. Labels we try to wear to show everyone that we have it all together.

depression, hope, ScriptureJennifer HolmesSeptember 11, 2018labels, Samaritan womanComment

Arise

We’re nearing the end of Elijah’s story.

We’ve seen his highest point on Mt. Carmel, calling down fire from heaven and defeating the prophets of Baal. We’ve seen him at his lowest, sitting by the brook, asking God to kill him because he felt so alone. And the difference in time between those two events is surprisingly small.

depression, hope, ScriptureJennifer HolmesSeptember 4, 2018Elijah's discouragement, Elijah, I Kings 19, DepressionComment

Alone

Do you ever feel alone? Even in the middle of a big church, or in a group of friends, or with family that love you?

depression, hope, ScriptureJennifer HolmesAugust 28, 2018Elijah's faith, Elijah's discouragement, Feeling alone, I Kings 19, depression, friendshipComment

Why, God?

Why?

It’s a question we all ask. And often. There are so many things about this world, about what goes on in our lives, about pretty much any situation, that we just don’t get.

And there will be those who will tell you that you shouldn’t question. That even if you do question in your heart, you should certainly never question God out loud.

depression, hope, ScriptureJennifer HolmesAugust 14, 2018why God, Elijah's cave, Elijah's discouragement, Elijah, Answers from God, depression, I Kings 19Comment

Restoration

What is your view of God?

Do you see Him as someone ready to rain down his wrath on you whenever you make a mistake? Growing up as a christian, we would often make jokes about stepping away from someone because they were about to be hit by lightning, or that you might get a stomach ache if you ate before you prayed. Even though we were joking, those kind of thoughts can be indicative of how we view God.

Hard Conversations

Do you talk to yourself?

I do. All day. In fact, if you follow me much, you’ll know that I often recommend podcasts. I listen to them a lot just to stop the voice in my head for a while.

Supernatural Strength

Have you ever thought to yourself, I just can’t handle this?

We throw around the phrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle” often in christian circles. There’s only one problem. I don’t buy it. I often feel overwhelmed and lacking in wisdom and wondering how in the world I’m going to get through something. I think God frequently gives me more than I can handle. But that’s the point.

God's Provision

I’ve had a battle this year with my emotions feeling like a roller coaster. Up and down, happy and depressed, overwhelmed and carefree, loved and unloved. If you can name one extreme to the other, I’ve probably felt it this year. Maybe in the same day. Its partly because of this that I’ve come to love the prophet Elijah and his story. Or really, the story of God’s response to him.

depression, hope, ScriptureJennifer HolmesJuly 10, 2018Elijah, I Kings 19, depression, God's provision, Elijah's faith, despairComment

Tired of the Battle

Everything I’ve been thinking or feeling the last couple of weeks has been leading to one word. Battle.

I hate it. I get tired. Some days I’m tired of battling my body, going to battle for other people, but mostly, battling myself. Battling my own thoughts and my own emotions. Right now my body is betraying me in the regular ways of pain and not being able to feel half of my face, but also in roller coaster emotions and periods of dark depression.

Is God Really There?

Someone asked me a question this week - what do you do when you don’t feel like God is there?

We ask ourselves this question in many different ways. Why are you allowing this God? Don’t you see what is happening? Why don’t I feel your comfort? Why is this trial still here? Why don’t I see your hand in what’s happening? How could you possibly work this for good? Why does it feel as though my prayers hit the ceiling?

Crisis Mode

When a crisis hits, when you have to enter a battle for your family, when there is a specific fight for you, you need to have laser focus. There is not much energy to spare when you’re in the middle. I believe that we need to focus on these areas - spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical.

Entering the Battle

I forget sometimes. I get living my life, worrying about the everyday things like meal planning and finishing school and I forget that every minute of every day we are in a battle.

Every day Satan is attacking the family. Either my family, or your family, or those around us. When my family almost fell apart, I was acutely aware of the battle. And I put on my armour and fought hard against the enemy. But when things calmed down, I forgot again.

Small

The word small has been coming up in conversations between God and I lately. When I spent two weeks with my kids and their stomach flu instead of editing the webinar I wanted to get out there. When I’ve been trying to launch a book out into the world and the numbers are small. When I’m thinking about still finding my place in this new life. God keeps whispering small to me. And although I have not fully grasped the whole concept of what He’s trying to tell me yet, He was very clear about one thing. Forgiving the small.

Scripture, family, hopeJennifer HolmesMay 29, 2018small, forgiveness, roots of bitterness, forgiving the smallComment

Mountains and Valleys

Lately I’ve been realizing that life is a lot like that. Some days we’re walking through the valley. Other days we’re climbing the mountain. Some glorious days we’re standing at the top, so close to God its like He’s standing right there. And the view is magical. And you could stay there forever. Except we can’t.

depression, hopeJennifer HolmesMay 22, 2018Mountains and valleys, inspiration, spiritual strengthComment

Never Alone, Always Heard

The presence of God brings us joy. Not only because we’re not alone, but because God is the only one who can bring that joy that passes understanding in the middle of a trial. When your life is falling apart, you don’t have to.

Its About Me Right Now

And when I came back from this conference refreshed and renewed, I remembered something. I need to get out of my own head sometimes. No matter what is going on, I need to serve. I need to think about other people. I need to keep myself closer to the bottom of the list. How easily I forget.

depression, Ministry, hopeJennifer HolmesMay 1, 2018all about me, service, serving God, ministry, fighting depressionComment

I Am My Feelings

I gave the pit almost an entire day. And many calories. And many hours of tv. And tears. And the whole day I was wondering what I would write about this week. How could I offer hope when I was sitting in the dark?