By Becky Beresford Celebrating Christmas Bravely If you are anything like me, sometimes it’s hard to fully celebrate Christmas. It’s not because Jesus doesn’t deserve our praise. He does. It’s not because we’re ungrateful. We are. But the holidays highlight an uncomfortable paradox. As our eyes gaze around at our family and friends, we see the combination of goodness and grief, and our conflicting emotions don’t know what to do. People are rejoicing this week, but they are al

By Holley Gerth God's Brave Women - Holley's Story The wind blows cold against my back as I walk along the streets in the quiet suburb where I live. I think of other days when I've walked this same path with much on my mind. Losses. Hurts. Dreams laid down. And I think of loved ones who have felt the chilly breath of trouble on their hopes too. Mamas who have said goodbye to babies. Teens who have survived abuse. Folks who have battled cancer. It's a cold world sometimes. Som

By Shannon Toller God's Brave Women - Shannon's Story Barf, mucous and constant crying are not what they tell you to prepare for at a baby shower. No number of pretty onesies and diaper genies can prepare you for the feeling of helplessness you experience when you watch your kiddos get sick in every room of the house. And when you are occasionally joining in on this fun germ-sharing merry-go-round, it’s hard to keep the negative voices in your head at bay. Your kids are sick

By Rachel Lee God's Brave Women - Rachel's Story Growing up, I had fond memories of hot, summer days spent at the local lake, learning to swim at the instruction of my father. My dad loved to swim, and he was a great teacher too! He offered patient assistance, affirmation and the occasional correction, when I was in need of further guidance. He gave me the knowledge I needed and the kind of confidence that comes only with practice. I was not afraid to go out into the deep end

By Melissa Thomforde God's Brave Women - Melissa's Story When I originally agreed to write for the Brave Women series, I had a plan in my head; a plan to talk about my abusive childhood, my first marriage, the adoption of my son, the unexpected gift of meeting my second husband and having a daughter after 15 years of infertility… and how God had been present in each of those places even when I wasn’t aware of it. His loving hand was there, guiding me, protecting me, when no o

By Kristina Cummings God's Brave Women - Kristina's Story Rejection is a rough place. It sneaks up on us when we least expect it and coaxes us to partner with it at a young age. This has been my reality. Growing up I used to sing in choir, Irish dance and play the piano. Music lit my fire and singing made me come alive. But throughout my childhood, I kept hearing the lie that I was not wanted and just tolerated. And as I grew up, I internalised that lie and took hold of it. B

By Rachael Adams God's Brave Women - Rachael's Story “Mom, I’m scared.” Kate whispered this to me as she reached for my hand. We were on a girl’s trip in Savannah, Georgia. Oak trees draped with Spanish moss lined the cobblestone streets we walked while exploring the city together for the first time. The unfamiliarity made Kate nervous and if I’m being honest, I felt a sense of uneasiness too. Navigating unfamiliar territory can be scary. After souvenirs, sunsets, and sweets,

God's Brave Women - Michelle's Story As a young child, I always knew I was different. This "knowing" wasn't coming from an external world, it was coming from the inside. This "difference" inside of me was a powerful force that intrigued me to cultivate. When cultivated and nurtured, that force took me to places beyond what I had hoped for. Places where good overcomes bad and benefits many – very HAPPY places! I wanted to keep going to those places as a girl! Those places were

God's Brave Women - Jennifer's Story Have you ever looked at your pain straight in the eye and thought, “Do I need to go there? Do I want to go there?” Have you ever decided to begin the journey of moving toward it and through it? When I see someone else do it, I see bravery. I don’t usually see it in me, but this journey of facing pain does require courage and bravery whether we recognize it or not. House on a Hill is a song breathing life into me these days as I am processi

God's Brave Women - Michelle's Story I recently attended a training for a new program we are starting that will help seventy-five children of our trafficking survivors. I get so excited with the thought that these children will have the opportunity to break the cycle of abuse, exploitation and prostitution in their families of origin. Our team dove into this new program with high hopes and planned accordingly all the systems, strategies and structures. Now we are all set! We

God's Brave Women - Donna's Story I remember sitting there in the year 2000 and watching that TV documentary on caring for hospice patients. I was so moved by the compassion, grace, and dignity I saw! I wept at the end and told the Lord that I would welcome the opportunity to love on someone in their last few months in life. Little did I know my best friend at the time, my sweet mother-in-law, would make that quiet surrender a reality within weeks. Dolly was my confidant, my

God's Brave Women - Ashley's Story I live my life like I’m in control, but really it's the illusion of control. I want to be in control; I have plans I want to accomplish. I realized I was living in this illusion when, in one quick day (over the course of one night), I went from a healthy, high energy, go-getter to laying in a hospital bed, nauseous, exhausted, unsure about what was going on in my body. My life screeched to a halt, and all I could do was wait. Wait for more i

God's Brave Women - Kristine's Story To me, there is a beautiful balance to bravery. I have been labeled “brave” by the world at times when I am the most weak, and the irony is not lost. I am either fresh from a trial, or I am raw from reliving the journey through the flames. Learning to see myself as brave has been a quest for harmony between blindness and sight. For me, intentional blindness to fear and uncertainty is the first step in protecting myself from inaction. I can

God's Brave Women - Josi's Story Insecurity has always been a mean influencer in my life, but that summer night – July 21, 2016 – was the first time it showed up in a 15-passenger van. It was getting dark. My husband, one-year-old son and I loaded up into the big van. We were heading to O’Hare, Chicago’s international airport. What will they look like? How many belongings will they have with them? Will they speak English? What questions will they have, and will we be able to

God's Brave Women - Meredith's Story I was pretty comfortable growing up. I had wonderful parents, two sisters, and plenty of friends. There wasn’t much about my life that was all that hard, so bravery wasn’t something I thought much about. Looking back, I think my concept of what it meant to be brave was largely shaped by books and movies rather than God’s Word. You know the familiar story. There’s a young girl, most often a princess, faced with some difficult decision or ta

God's Brave Women - Anna's Story At some point in my life I started learning about what it means to be brave. Maybe it was when I was a child and saw firefighters run into a burning building on TV. Maybe it was when I got on stage for one of my first auditions and totally forgot all the words to the song I was supposed to sing. Maybe it was when I faced bullying, or when I escaped a sexually abusive relationship, or when I fought back when I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. B

God's Brave Women - Debbie's Story God will not waste your pain. I believe that statement because I have experienced it so many times in my life. I had a rough start. I grew up the youngest of seven, in a home with parents who were doing their best, but had many problems. This made it difficult for them to provide a stable environment for myself and my siblings. I was orphaned at 4 and was moved from Indiana to Illinois into a children’s home where I would live most of my chi

When I was little I dreamed of having a family of my own, which naturally included me being swept off my feet like Cinderella. I imagined ho