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Brenda Bradford Ottinger

Encouraging Women to Live Rooted in the Sacred

Chasing Community

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Welcome to the #ChasingCommunity Linkup!

#ChasingCommunity runs every Thursday, beginning at 6:00 a.m. (EST)

It’s my honor to serve alongside you as we live out our callings to write words that make Kingdom difference.

When I began praying about a linkup, the working title I used was “Potluck Prose.” A communal table filled with sweet offerings to the One for whom we write.

My southern mind envisions a dinner-on-the-grounds scene. Long tables cobbled together, stretched farther than bellies can afford. A mosaic of beloved dishes seasoned with soul. Sweet scents rising, showering the heavens with mouth-watering glory.

And, that’s my vision for Chasing Community — A table set with hard-fought words, seasoned with grace. A pleasing aroma rising, lavishing glory on the One to whom it belongs. ​

Fun Fact: Each month there’s a drawing here at Chasing Community. Everyone who links-up during that month is entered to win a Chasing Community writing journal or a Chasing Community insulated mug! Winners announced the first Thursday of every month. Yay!

Joyfully, I share this space in ministry with you, as we offer back to God the words He first gave.

It’s a casual, pony-tail & sandals environment around here, but a few important reminders:

  • Please remember to visit and leave some encouragement for other friends who’ve linked-up today — this is the heart of community & your words of support could be just the thing another friend needs to hear today.
  • Please only share like-minded words of spiritual encouragement and insight.
  • Please grab the #ChasingCommunity button, or link back here underneath your post. (So others can find us and join the fun too!)
  • By linking up & leaving your email address you agree to receive #ChasingCommunity updates.

Thank you for bringing your dish to the table–May your ministry of words find community here.


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Ministry+Friends=Fun. I’m linking up today with my friends at #ChasingCommunity. Come join us!
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I’m linking up today with my friends at #ChasingCommunity. Come join the fun!
Tweet This

Links to all #ChasingCommunity Linkups:

 Every New Beginning Comes From Another Beginning’s End  — #ChasingCommunity
Spring Spotlight & Giveaway
 When Broken Places Become Timely Places 
 Rise On Up
 What If…
 Snow Still Falls in Spring
 Hope is Alive    
 Honestly   
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 60
 A Girl I Once Knew    
 #ChasingCommunity 58
 What Are You Dwelling On? | Guest Post by Becky Hastings
 If My People, 4th Edition
January Spotlight & Giveaway!
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 54
 A Time to Remember
 Be (Un)impressive  
 The Weight of the Wait  
 Heaven’s Boy 
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 49
 Dayspring
 November Spotlight & Giveaway | + 5th-Week-Fan-Girls!
“But God” with Beverly Rihtarchik 
“But God” with Misty Phillip
 “But God” with Sarah Geringer
October Spotlight & Giveaway
 From Dream to Print by Charity Christy
Remember When
 When God Defines Your Dreams by Micah Maddox
 September Spotlight & Giveaway
 Eight Simple Tips to Up Your Prayer-Ministry Game
Summer’s Classroom
#ChasingCommunity Linkup 36
#ChasingCommunity Linkup 35
#ChasingCommunity Linkup 34
#ChasingCommunity Linkup 33
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 32
#ChasingCommunity Linkup 31 + Giveaway!
As the Porch Lights Linger and the Fireflies Dance
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 29
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 28
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 27
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 26
 #ChasingCommunity Linkup 25
#ChasingCommunity Linkup 24
#ChasingCommunity Linkup 23
Monthly Giveaway & Summer News
I See You
Home is (blank)?
Poured Out
Exciting Changes for #ChasingCommunity!
If My People, 3rd Edition
Spring-Break Slow
I Know My Redeemer Lives 
Un-fine is (blank)?
“But God” with Betsy de Cruz  
“But God” with Crystal Storms 
“But God” with Jill Savage  
February Giveaway & Exciting Announcements 
If My People: 2nd Edition
Wallflower Dreams  
Who Do You Think You Are Anyway? 
January Giveaway!
If My People  
Fill in the Blank
Winners and Words
Linkup Launch & Giveaways!!
Announcing #ChasingCommunity Linkup!

Thanks for the company!

Thanks! Keep an eye on your inbox for updates.

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Friend, no matter what you’ve been through…hea Friend, no matter what you’ve been through…healing isn’t hopeless.
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So often it can feel easier to tamp hurt upon hurt deep into our spirits, than to do a new thing.
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But, friend, our God is a God of fresh beginnings who makes pathways through the wilderness and steams in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)
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You don’t walk alone, for His kindness and faithfulness walk with you through it all.
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This book _Good Boundaries and Goodbyes_ by @lysaterkeurst is a beautifully honest resource for learning to understand & create healthy, Godly boundaries in our lives.
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If you’re looking for a good resource to begin forming healthy boundaries, or are looking for help to understand others’ healthy boundaries, this book is a great place to start.
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I have an extra copy I’d love to give away. Leave me a comment on Instagram if you’d like to be entered to win.
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Also, OBS (Online Bible Study) is beginning a free online community study of this book January 23rd. If you’d like to sign up, head over to proverbs31.org.
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May this be a stream in your desert, dear friend, the dawn of a beautiful new thing God’s set apart for you. 💕
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#goodboundariesandgoodbyes #book #boundaries #healthyboundaries #emotionalhealth #stuck #relationships #peoplepleasing #misunderstood #security #letgoletgod #freedom #christianwriter #faith #ministry #influence #hope #amwriting #service #newrelease #grief #weary #rest #healing #heal #peace #moveforward #babysteps #grace #newmercies
About 5-6 years ago I started doing this thing tha About 5-6 years ago I started doing this thing that, at the time, didn’t feel like anything radical or life-changing.
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I simply started trying to stop eating around 7pm, and not start eating again until 11am.
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At the time, I’d never even heard the term “intermittent fasting;” I was just trying this new-to-me thing to help with weight management.
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Over time, I learned that what I was doing was called intermittent fasting, and that it has health benefits well beyond the weight management realm.
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(Search the word “autophagy” if you’re interested in learning more about that.)
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I’m not gonna lie, back when I started, 7pm to 11am was hard! It took some time, and I didn’t always do it “perfectly.”
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These days, I typically go from 6-7pm to 1-2pm. My body has adapted and most days it’s very easy. Often, I’d fast longer except that I take supplements that keep me awake at night if I take them too late in the day.
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Yes, I came to intermittent fasting for the weight loss. (30 pounds has long been gone.) But, I stay because I’ve never felt better. Allowing my body the restorative time each day has been a game-changer for me.
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For a few weeks now, I’ve been feeling like I’m supposed to share this…like someone needs to hear it.
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If that’s you, friend, I want you to know that it’s not as hard as it seems. Start as slowly as you need to. Add another hour or 30 minutes, or even 15 minutes per week until your body adapts.
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There’s no right or wrong. There are no bad days. It’s a lifestyle of freedom. You can switch it all up when you need to or want to for social reasons. It’s easier than it seems.
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I’m no doctor. I’m not medically advising. I’m just a girl who has always longed to make a difference, so I share in hopes of helping.
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No matter what your goals are this year, whether they’re health or relational or work related, it’s okay to go slow. It’s okay to get off track by January 10th and start over again.
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All is progress, my friend. Baby steps count. 💕
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#intermittentfasting #health #goals #2023 #fasting #healthylifestyle #hope #growth #liveyourbestlife #leadership #influence #christianwriter #amwriting #ministry #serve #smallbeginnings #progress #slowgrowth
As I sit here, now seven days into being sick, I s As I sit here, now seven days into being sick, I search for words of hope and inspiration to meet us here on this beautiful fresh ground called 2023.
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Words and energy may escape me, but, as we tip-toe into this newborn year—I wish you adventure and abundance, goodness and growth, peace and every joy this year, dear friend.
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It’ll go by fast, 2023. Let’s make some memories and leave it better than we found it. 💕
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#happynewyear #2023 #freshstart #newmercies #begin #makeadifference #goals #change #new #beginnings #betterthanwefoundit #rest #renew #growth #onestepatatime #youvegotthis #onedayatatime #grace #mercy #leadership #influence #ministry #service #amwriting #christianwriter #hope
May Jesus be ever-real & ever-near to you & yours May Jesus be ever-real & ever-near to you & yours this holiday season.
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Merriest of Christmases, friend.✨💕
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#joytotheworld #thelordhascome #letearthreceiveherking #leteveryheartpreparehimroom #heavenandnaturesing #christmas #jesusisthereasonfortheseason #newbornking #reasonfortheseason #beholdthelamb #rejoice #rest #comfort #joy #peace #princeofpeace #merrychristmas #amwriting #writeon #christianwriter #ministry #influence #leadership #service #serve #hope #jesus #hopeoftheworld #lightoftheworld #bible
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