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Brenda Bradford Ottinger

Encouraging Women to Live Rooted in the Sacred

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Trading Constant Concern for Quiet Relief

I wonder how these same palms I lift in praise can grip so tightly to a thousand concerns. Tears laced with fear mark my face as I concede once again to overthinking and angst—habits I’ve grown all too casual with. Soon I’m believing the misguided notion that the clutching of my cares somehow secures the well-being of my world. Long…
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Help for the Weary Woman

Rise before dawn for an hour of Bible study and a five-mile run: Check! Fold laundry and order groceries while attending an online meeting : No worries! Cook supper and load the dishwasher while helping with homework : Easy-peasy! Said no woman ever. Many are the seasons of a woman’s life, but I’ve yet to hear anyone say life is…
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The Confidence to Believe You Belong

It was my first day at a new school—midyear, where everyone knew each other and no one knew me. Nine years old and naive, I had yet to understand the insecurity that clothed my spirit. From my first timid step off the school bus that day, till the final bell rang after class, I wore a long red coat; total…
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When You Feel Like You’re Not Enough

I’m a woman of habit, so every morning, like a playlist on repeat, I make the bed, shower and dash downstairs to the automated grace that brews my cup of caffeine. One morning, as the water ran low in my single-serve brewer, I thought, Oh, how my weary spirit can relate. I, too, felt like I was running low—low on…
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Peace by Piece

The relentless heat of a late southern summer hung in the air as I cheered from the sidelines of my son’s football game. At half-time, while stretching beneath the searing sun, a curious wonder caught my eye. High above the field, like a vivid smile in the sky, I noticed an upside-down rainbow! Puzzled by this unusual sight, I did…
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To the One Who Longs to Feel Known

Songs of soft praise laced with the warm scent of coffee hovered in the air as cheerful ladies trickled through the doors and walked toward the sound of their names, beckoned by familiar voices. I was new in town and had barely talked myself into attending the Ladies’ Night at church, where no one knew my name. As I scanned…
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Oh, friend, if you too have ever cried the prayer, Oh, friend, if you too have ever cried the prayer, “Lord, we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You,” …

I hope you’ll join me on the Proverbs 31 Ministries, Encouragement For Today Podcast today for this short 5 minute encouragement.
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You can find the Encouragement For Today Podcast  in your podcast app, or at: encouragement-for-today-podcast.transistor.fm/
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How can I pray for you today as you wait in worship for the Lord’s victory in you life? 💕🙏🏻
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#praise #worship #prayer #victory #godsvictory #battle #weary #scared #overwhelmed #waitongod #waitwell #fightonyourknees #faithfulgod #godisable #proverbs31ministries #proverbs31 #p31 #devotion #podcast #encouragementfortoday #writer #christianwriter #ministry #struggle #hope #help #godisgreater #noweaponformedagainstmeshallprosper #bible #godisgood
I wonder how these same palms I lift in praise can I wonder how these same palms I lift in praise can grip so tightly to a thousand concerns.
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Long have I held my concerns close, because sometimes letting go feels like giving up, and often I confuse the restless management of life with perseverance.
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I ponder the familiar words of trust and hope and confidence…trying to remove them from my Sunday School vernacular; willing them to to become foreign to my vocabulary so they might become alive again to my understanding.
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…Oh, friend, if you have ever heard the familiar phrase, “Let go and let God,” and wondered…okay, but how?
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Me too.
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In today’s Proverbs 31 Ministries devotion, I share how the Lord met me in this struggle, and showed me how to trade constant concern for quiet relief.
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You can read the full devotion over at Proverbs31.org.
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How I pray that today dawns anew for you in this area, my friend, as you release the cares of your life to the God of your life.
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What cares are you gripping today? Praying for you, friend. 💕
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#worry #concern #weary #stress #fear #overthinking #angst #wellbeing #security #success #perseverance #restless #relief #trust #faith #hope #confidence #stability #release #openhands #quiet #calm #Godisable #christianwriter #ministry #p31 #proverbs31ministries #weariness #letgoandletgod #freedom
How did yesterday get so far away? . 35 years this How did yesterday get so far away?
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35 years this man and I have mini-golfed our way through Labor Day.
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We skipped “Selfie 101;” our photos are forever random. We’re fancy like that. 🙃
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I’d rather have a picture of a flower than a picture of my face every day of the week. 🌸
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Time, I don’t know how you do it. How you turn 1988 into 2023 with just a wink.
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But I do know that the best traditions are always the ones that choose you.
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Oh, for 35 more. 💕
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#firstdate #anniversary #yesteryear #yesterday #love #tradition #thankful #time #marriage #life #showup #makememories #onelife #liveyouronelife #choosehappy #makeeverymomentcount #grateful #blessed #anwriting #ministry #influence #christianwriter #serve #wifelife #family
Oh, friend, if you’re in a season of “trying” that’s making you just plain tired…
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Grab a copy of Tired of Trying, by @ashley.morgan.jackson . In this book, Ashley vulnerably shares her story of holding on to God when she felt forgotten by the world amidst a long season of hardship.
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So much goodness in these pages for understanding how to release the frustration of feeling tired and stuck.
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Plus layers of wisdom nestled chapter upon chapter, offering insight into the blessing that comes with the wrestle, as we hold on to the One who forever holds on to us.
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If you decide to read, I’d love to hear your thoughts! May the Lord meet you in its pages, my friend. 💕
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#tired #tiredoftrying #weary #tiredoftryingbook #wrestle #stuck #wrestlewithgod #blessing #trust #newrelease #bookrelease #rest #faithfulgod #bible #frustrated #faith #wait #purpose #identity #worth #beautyforashes #goodnessofgod #holdon #holdontogod #worthy transformation #amwriting #ministry #influence #christianwriter #worthygod
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