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Brenda Bradford Ottinger

Encouraging Women to Live Rooted in the Sacred

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Letting Go of Clutter and Holding On to Peace

The Carolina clay has housed our family roots for over a decade now, but prior to settling here, we moved many times across many years. As exhausting as those moves were, they lent timely opportunities to shed excess belongings. Yet, as we settled into longterm living, I began to sense an unexpected weight of weariness. Amidst the bustle of a…
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When the Fear of Being Misunderstood Upsets Our Peace

Through a blur of tears I studied the message, confused by the words it contained. For years I’d served in a lovely women’s group and, sadly, a newer member of the group had mistaken something I’d said and filed a complaint. Instantly, the angst of misunderstanding upset my peace as I realized I’d been inaccurately accused. In hindsight, I should…
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When Life Doesn’t Follow Your Plans

Short on time and long on haste, I jotted a nearby address into my car’s GPS one morning and, to my surprise, the highlighted route stretched wide across the dashboard map. What ever happened to the shortest distance between two points being a straight line?, I thought, as I backed out of the driveway. But as my pace calmed and…
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Seeing God in the Middle of Your Messed-Up Plans

I’ve had my share of daydreams about living on permanent vacation, but this wasn’t how I pictured it going down. After moving to a new city for work, we couldn’t find a home that fit our family or our budget, despite how hard we tried. And to our surprise, this new city of ours even had a waiting list for…
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Thirsting for Rest Amid Stress

I’d barely tiptoed into dreamland before hearing a clamor down the hall. Rising in the moonlit shadows, I tend to the night-owl-noise of my offspring before shuffling back to the warmth of my sheets. Yet my mind has long forsaken sleep, wandering instead through a mental desert of checklists and concerns. A tide of trouble beats against the shores of…
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When You Wonder Who You Would Have Been

Some seasons of our stories are so challenging, they invest themselves into who we become, leaving a clear before and after in their dust. We hold these moments close, protective of their scars, as they nestle deep within our personalities, affecting the way we view ourselves and others. Perhaps someone who was supposed to love you, didn’t — leaving a…
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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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