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Lois Flowers

Lois Flowers

When Online Distractions Steal Our Joy

by Lois Flowers November 21, 2017
by Lois Flowers

Last year, I slowly worked my way through a book called The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in a Wired World. Penned by Canadian writer Christina Crook, the book grew out of the lessons she learned during a 31-day “fast” from smartphone data, email and the Internet.

It’s a fascinating—and often sobering—look at the way technology has consumed our lives, affected our brains and changed the way we relate to people. At the same time, it provides a hopeful way forward for those of us who long to be fully present in our lives but still struggle with distractions that suck our time and steal our joy.

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November 21, 2017 16 comments
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One Way to Respond When “Life” Happens

by Lois Flowers November 7, 2017
by Lois Flowers

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

That’s how the saying goes, anyway, so I might as well give it a shot. You see, I started writing this the morning of Sunday, Nov. 5. Ordinarily I would have just gotten home from church, but today—which also happens to be my birthday—has been a little different.

Randy left for church—a 20-minute drive from our house—much earlier than the rest of us because he had tech duties to attend to there. The girls and I got ready and loaded into the van right on schedule, but when I went to start our trusty vehicle, nothing happened.

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November 7, 2017 34 comments
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When All the Change Gets to be Overwhelming

by Lois Flowers October 31, 2017
by Lois Flowers

Nothing fits.

It was a frequent thought of mine not too long ago.

Clothes, places I’ve long held dear, songs I’ve always loved, communities I’ve been involved with, personal relationships, even my own skin.

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October 31, 2017 31 comments
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What You Learn When You Teach Your Kid to Drive

by Lois Flowers October 17, 2017
by Lois Flowers

When I was growing up, my parents had some rules for me and at least some of my six siblings about learning how to drive.

We had to take driver’s ed before we could drive, and we had to be 16 before we could take driver’s ed. As a result, I didn’t start driving until just before my junior year of high school, a year later than many of my friends.

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October 17, 2017 21 comments
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Persevering in prayer when there is no answer

by Lois Flowers October 10, 2017
by Lois Flowers

I get a little antsy when an answer I am expecting takes longer than expected to arrive. OK, maybe antsy isn’t quite the right adjective. Anxious, irritable, practically beside myself with frustration—that’s more like it.

Recently, I found myself in the unfortunate situation where I was waiting for two responses—one pertaining to a health insurance issue I was trying to untangle for my parents and the other related to a freelance editing project I was working on.

The longer the delay, the more frustrated I became, until I wanted to bang my head against a brick wall in frustration. It wasn’t pretty, let me tell you.

These two issues were resolved eventually (as I knew they would be), and my stress level went down considerably as a result. But my reaction got me thinking about how this relates to prayer, and—more specifically—to heartfelt, pressing prayers that seem to go unanswered.

You know what I’m talking about, right?—those requests that you faithfully take to God day after day and month after month, with no apparent result or even any indication that He is actually listening.

It’s not like you’re asking Him to do something beyond the realm of His control. He’s omnipotent, after all. He simply has to speak the word and whatever it is that you’re asking Him to do will happen.

But when He doesn’t—for reasons known only to Him—it gets to be a bit much after awhile, doesn’t it? Maybe even to the point where giving up—on praying and even on God Himself—might seem like the most logical course of action.

The best plan isn’t always the most logical one, of course. I can’t tell you how or why God does what He does, but when answers to pressing prayer needs are not forthcoming, the following four steps might help you move forward.

• Focus on God’s character.

Who God is does not change with our feelings or our circumstances. So try to turn your attention away from the notion that your prayer isn’t being answered and center it directly on what you know to be true about God—His character, His sovereignty, His love for you.

You wouldn’t let a child you love experience something painful—something that was within your power to change—if you didn’t have a good reason for it, would you? Nor does our perfect and wise heavenly Father allow hard things to happen our lives if He doesn’t have a reason for them. There is always purpose, even if we can’t see it.

• Look for answers in other areas.

Just recently, while devoting a lot of energy to praying for the trial that was most current and urgent, I started noticing some obvious answers about a few issues that I have quietly prayed about for years. It was almost a relief to see evidence of the fact that, while my heart was consumed with one situation, God had been working in others all along.

• Count your blessings.

I know. There’s nothing new about this one. But when you intentionally look for something—anything—that you are thankful for, you’re sure to find it. Finding one blessing makes you notice another, until you gradually start seeing God’s touches everywhere. (And if you record them in a journal or on your phone, you’ll have examples of His faithfulness at your fingertips when your faith starts to waver.)

• Keep praying.

Resist the temptation to give God the silent treatment, even if it feels like He’s giving it to you. Keep the lines of communication open and the words flowing. And, as hard as it might be, don’t limit your conversation with him to that One Big Request.

Maybe the delay will make sense to you someday; maybe it never will. In either case, you can rest in the confidence that the One who holds the answer hears every prayer and loves you with an everlasting love.

♥ Lois

Who God is does not change with our feelings or our circumstances. Share on X

P.S. I’m linking up this week with #RaRaLinkup, #TellHisStory, Coffee for Your Heart, Chasing Community, #HeartEncourgement and Grace & Truth.

October 10, 2017 41 comments
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When God Closes a Door with a Resounding Bang

by Lois Flowers October 3, 2017
by Lois Flowers

Today’s post first appeared about 18 months ago, as part of a series on my friend Bethany’s blog. It’s about the end of a writing dream, but it also could apply to any situation in which God seems to close a door with a resounding bang. My prayer is that this little chapter from my life will encourage you in some way, especially if you are struggling to accept an outcome you weren’t expecting.

When I was in my early 30s, I wrote a book about infertility. I worked on it during the long months after my husband and I ended our three-year effort to conceive and before we adopted our first daughter from China.

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October 3, 2017 30 comments
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Welcome

As long as we’re here on planet Earth, God has a good purpose for us. This is true no matter how old we are, what we feel on any given day or what we imagine anyone else thinks about us. It can be a struggle, though, to believe this and live like it. It requires divine strength and eternal hope. And so I write, one pilgrim to another, in an effort to encourage us both as we navigate the long walk home together.

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