encouragement

May 10, 2014 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

A Devoted Fan

It has been said, “The goal of marriage is two-fold: to reveal the glory of God and to enhance the glory of one’s spouse”.

How come this second half is so hard? Why do we find it so difficult to be our spouse’s biggest fan, cheering him or her on, and offering the gift of affirming words?

Of course, words are only the beginning. What our moms also told us is true, “Actions speak louder than words.” Our love can open wonderful possibilities, and cheering on our spouse can bring amazing growth to many levels of our relationship.

“One miracle of marriage is that we discover in ourselves and in our partner a true desire to help the other person become his or her best self. I think it is the part of us that is most noble, even the most godly, because it is about creating—not in our own image, but in the image of God we see in one another. It is love that draws this from us: an intimation of the divine pushing us to realize our potential and to help our partner to do the same.”

Are you your spouse’s biggest fan? #marriage @TriciaGoyer

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As I think about helping John become his best self, the weeks are counting down toward the Super Bowl. It makes me think what a great time it will be to snuggle next to John’s side and observe—not the game, but the devoted fans who flock to the stadium.

Here are a few traits of a devoted fan:

1. A devoted fan sits as close as possible, mesmerized. Am I that focused on my spouse?
2. A devoted fan shouts words of encouragement. The player has fumbled and is feeling discouraged. The fan reacts by cheering, “You’ll do better next time.” What praise do I give when John feels he’s messed up?
3. A devoted fan will boo the opponent. Life’s offender, Satan, is trying constantly to ruin my spouse’s game plan. I can put this enemy in his place through prayer.
4. A devoted fan will issue affirmation. “In marriage, each partner is to be an encourager rather than a critic, a forgiver rather than a collector of hurts, an enabler rather than a reformer,” say authors H. Norman Wright and Gary J. Oliver, How To Change Your Spouse (Without Ruining Your Marriage).
“Keep going! You can do it!” a fan calls. How often do I offer intense words of dedication?
5. A devoted fan celebrates. This reminds me to applaud every victory John has, even the small ones, as if it were the Super Bowl.

How can you be a devoted fan?

Steps You Can Take

Focus on your spouse.
Encourage your spouse through your words.
Help your spouse recognize the enemy.
Affirm your spouse.
Celebrate with your spouse.

Daily Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for my spouse and for our marriage. Help me to be my marriage’s and my spouse’s biggest, most-devoted fan. Remind me to encourage, affirm, and celebrate with my spouse.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Resources You Might Like:

Generation NeXt Marriage
The 10 Commandments of Marriage
How To Change Your Spouse (Without Ruining Your Marriage)

I have a few books on sale right now! Generation NeXt Marriage is $2.99. You can also get my four World War II novels in the Liberators Series for $13.99.

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January 2, 2014 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

4 Ways to Find Freedom from Past Mistakes

Do you need freedom from past mistakes? I know I did. Read on for 4 Ways I found freedom from past mistakes:

Find Freedom from Past Mistakes

It’s not often you get a chance to re-write your story, but I did just that when I updated my book Life Interrupted: The Scoop On Being a Young Mom with the new version Teen Mom: You’re Stronger Than You Think. Life Interrupted released in 2004, and it helped a lot of young moms . . . but things have changed. With shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant, teen pregnancy is more talked about. I also changed. God brought deeper healing in my own life. I found freedom some from of my past mistakes.

In Life Interrupted, I shared a little about mistakes such as abortion, teen pregnancy, and trying to overcome the bonds I had with old boyfriends due to sexual intimacy. Teen Mom goes deeper. I share more, mostly because I’ve found more healing. Going back to the past mentally, and allowing God to work emotionally and spiritually is never easy, but it’s important. Luke 5:18 says:

The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free.

Jesus wants to release captives. He wants the blind to see and the oppressed to be set free. That’s what He came for. If you’re carrying around burdens, it’s time to drop them. If you feel as if your past mistakes are weighing you down, it’s time to find freedom. How?

Going to the past mentally to allow God to work emotionally/spiritually is never easy. @TriciaGoyer

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How to Find Freedom From Your Past

1. Let yourself mourn. Our past mistakes hurt us in so many ways. Keeping a brave face is hard. Let yourself mourn what was lost—your innocence, your youth, your healthy relationships.

2. Go to Jesus with your pain. We try to hold everything in because we think Jesus will condemn us. Instead, he wants to comfort us. He mourns all you’ve lost too. If we look at Jesus in the Bible, those he spent the most time with were those the rest of society looks down upon. Nothing you’ve done shocks him. He’s waiting with open arms.

3. Take your past mistakes into the light.

I will say to the prisoners, ‘Come out in freedom,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Come into the light.’ They will be my sheep, grazing in green pastures and on hills that were previously bare. Isaiah 49:9

What does this mean? For me this meant confessing my sins to someone who cared. I first confessed my abortion to a group of women at a post-abortion Bible study, and I could feel the weight lifted from my shoulders. Numerous times throughout the years I’ve also confessed to my husband and close friends. Past sin is still sin, but it doesn’t have the same power over you when put into the light.

This #NewYear, find #freedom from your past mistakes with these tips from @TriciaGoyer:

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4. Invite Jesus into the situation. Years ago I was struggling—really struggling—after being approached by an old boyfriend online. I loved my husband and was in a happy marriage, and I was shocked by how much I was drawn to my old boyfriend. Hearing from him stirred up a thousand memories and longings I’d stuffed deep inside.

A few days before my boyfriend had contacted me I’d prayed:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24

Within days God indeed showed me what was deep inside—what offended him. There was so much inside I needed to deal with, but I didn’t know how.

It was a daily battle to “take every thought captive for Christ” and not to let my mind take me back to my “first love” and that time during high school. I struggled for a few months until I gathered with friends and they prayed for me. That night, as I lay in bed, I went back there again, only this time I took Jesus. I walked through that relationship, and I saw Jesus standing there. He was weeping, mostly because I was trying to find love in all the wrong places—love He longed to give me.

The next morning I woke up with that burden lifted. I no longer saw that time with my old boyfriend as “romantic,” but I saw it as something that broke Jesus’ heart. Inviting Jesus into our past memories allows us to understand how He felt during that time. And He not only brought tears but also healing to my soul.

Download this printable: Four Ways to Find Freedom From Past Mistakes

It’s never easy to relive past mistakes, but Jesus came to bring healing and wholeness. He wants to give you freedom and peace. This month don’t let those burdens hold you back. Take them to the One who can do something about that. Take them to Jesus. He came to bring freedom in ways you never imagined. Trust me on that.

Has this encouraged you? Comment below.

-Tricia

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November 5, 2013 by Tricia Goyer 6 Comments

See Me. Encourage Me.

Everyone needs a little encouragement—to been seen, to be appreciated, to be listened to, to be honored with a moment of your time. I mean everyone.

God reminded me of this last week in South Carolina. I was at the Allume conference, and between two sessions I was taking some of my things to my hotel room to drop off. I was passing an open door when the housekeeper called to me. She was a young woman in her 20s with a smile on her face.
She pointed to our hotel room next door. “Excuse me, ma’am, is that your room?”
“Yes.” I lifted an eyebrow.
“Ma’am, were you the one who wrote those books?” she said the last word with reverence.
“Yes, yes I am.”
“Ma’am, do you happen to have an extra one that I could read?”
I knew what books she was talking about. I’d brought a stack of gifts . . . just enough to give to my roommates and to take to my daughter and a few friends in Europe. I was leaving for Europe straight from the conference.
“I’m so sorry,” I told her. “I just have enough for this trip.”
“Oh, that’s OK.” She shrugged. “I understand.”

Everyone needs a little encouragement. Everyone. #encourage @TriciaGoyer

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I walked to my room, and by the time I stepped inside my door the realization of what I’d just said hit me.
“What am I doing?” I told the image of myself in the mirror. God had put a young woman into my life at this moment. She had one simple request, and I had turned her down!
Without hesitating I picked up one of the copies of my novella, A Christmas Gift for Rose. I could mail more books to Leslie later . . . but for some reason I knew I needed to offer this gift.
I went to the open door, and it was my turn to call to her. “Miss,” I called.
She hurried to the door. Another housekeeper followed her.
“I’m so sorry that I said no. I do have this for you. I can mail another book to my daughter.”
She took it, and her eyes grew as large as saucers. She asked me to sign it to her, and then she introduced me to her friend who was working with her. “We love reading,” she told me. “We want to start a book club here at the hotel.” They both smiled wide.
My heart felt happy and full when I headed to the next workshop. It was just a simple thing, but I know that God caused our paths to collide for a reason. The young woman wanted to be seen. She need encouragement. (How many times have I walked past housekeepers without really knowing them? Lots!)

There are people all around us who feel unnoticed. They may be the person sitting alone at the restaurant table next to you, the lady who walks her dog up and down your street, the housekeeper at your hotel, or the man sitting next to you on the airplane.

Are your eyes open for opportunities to encourage others? @TriciaGoyer

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Do you ever remember a time when you felt unnoticed? Think of someone who God brought to reach out to you. Then pray for God to bring someone into your life who you can see and appreciate.
Sometimes the person will call out to you. He or she will ask something from you, and it most likely won’t be on your day’s script. Know that God brought that person to you. What does your God ask of you? To open your hand, your heart.
Sometimes you may need to be the one to reach out. It’s the Holy Spirit within stirring in your heart, asking you to offer a smile and greeting. God gave Himself to you, and He wants you to share. Sometimes it’s sharing in simple ways like offering a book, and other times it’ll require much, much more. But as you reach out and love, God’s love will pour through you, and you’ll be blessed in ways you never expected.

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Did this post speak to you? Here are some similar ones you might want to read:

January 24, 2012 by Tricia Goyer Leave a Comment

10 Rainy Day Activities

Whether there are thunderstorms pouring outside, snow is falling in the middle of winter, or it’s the heat of summer and your kids are bored, these 10 rainy day activities are sure to spawn some creative play. Enjoy!

10 Rainy Day Activities

1. Stage a circus. Help your kids pick their own roles and find their own props, then give them 15 minutes to come up with a show for you. Better yet, put various roles into a hat and let them draw: lion tamer, clown, acrobat … each requires creativity and imagination!

2. Turn your bathtub into a water play center. Fill the tub and give your kids boats, dolls, funnels, or balls. Lay towels down on the floor and dress them in their swimsuits. For older kids give them tin foil and assign them the task of creating the best kind of boat.

3. Share your favorite childhood stories. No, I’m not talking about books … rather tell your kids about the things you did and saw and enjoyed when you were young. My kids love hearing about a time before home computers, DVD players, and microwaves!

10 Rainy Day Activities

4. Create a relay race. Come up with different “challenges” such as carrying peanuts with chopsticks or picking up cotton balls with a spoon (blindfolded of course). Encourage your kids to come up with their own challenges, too.

5. Have a dance party.

Use Pandora.com or YouTube.com to come up with different songs from various cultures and/or generations. Match your dancing to the music in tone and feeling. Who knows, your kids might discover 80’s songs are cool after all!

6. Creative Painting. Get out the paper and paints but leave the brushes in the drawer. Instead find other things to paint with—corn cobs, cotton balls, paper cups, marbles, and more!

10 Rainy Day Activities

7. Learn to juggle. Practice with balls or even socks. See who can juggle the best or come up with the best tricks!

8. Become a movie producer.

Create a list of one-minute dramas for your kids to act out. Tell them they have to act without props (similar to charades). Pretend to videotape them … or if you can, record them and watch later. Sample dramas:

chick hatching
surfer catching a big wave
mother wolf teaching her pup to hunt
an astronaut exploring the moon
making a snowman
riding a rollercoaster

9. Become ambidextrous. See how many things you and your child can do with their opposite hand. Or if you’re really brave … with their feet!

10. Re-write your favorite Bible Stories as if you and your child were the main characters. Make sure you use your five senses. What would Daniel have smelled in the lion’s den? How did the sun feel, beating down on Moses as he wandered through the desert? After you’ve completed a story, call a grandparent or special friend to share it over the phone.

10 Rainy Day Activities

These rainy day activities are sure to bring some smiles and laughter. What are some of your favorite indoor activities?

You might also enjoy 15 Fingerprint Crafts:

January 3, 2007 by Tricia Goyer 2 Comments

Encouragement for the New Year!

After 2020, maybe you need a little encouragement for the New Year. No matter what you faced last year, let’s dream a new dream for 2021. I believe this can be our best year yet friends! I pray this post can shine a little light on wherever you are today and help you move into January with a smile on your face and hope in your heart.

Encouragement for the New Year

Recently, I came across these “fun facts” in Sharon Jaynes’ book, The 5 Dreams of a Woman.

If you’ve ever had one of those days (months…years) when you feel like quitting, then read on. These are sure to lift you up.

After Fred Astaire’s first screen test in 1933, the director noted, “Can’t act! Slightly bald. Can dance a little.”

Louisa May Alcott, the author of Little Women, was encouraged to find work as a servant or seamstress.

Beethoven’s violin teacher once told him he was a “hopeless composer.”

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas.

Thomas Edison’s teacher said he was too stupid to learn anything.

Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was four years old and didn’t read until he was seven. His teachers described him as mentally slow.

Sir Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school.

Babe Ruth, when he retired from baseball, set the home run record (714), but he also held the record for the most strikeouts (1,330).

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade.

And…One basketball player missed 9,000 shots in his career. He lost more than 300 games. Twenty-six times he was trusted to take the game’s winning shot and missed. His name is Michael Jordan. He said, “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed.

Encouragement for the New Year

Maybe you woke up last year on January 1st with big dreams, big plans, and big ideas about how you were going to achieve them. Then, 2020. No one saw that coming. And as hard as we all tried, none of us could truly escape the many challenges that we faced this year. However, there are also so many good things that happened. For instance, quarantine showed many families that they could homeschool their children–and ENJOY it. Many people I know (including me!) took up new art forms, learned to play instruments, pivoted in their careers, and built new and exciting things while stuck at home. Families spent time together baking, singing, playing games, learning new skills, watching fun films (and lots of youtube tutorials), and getting to know each other better.

Out of adversity, came ingenuity. Out of our trials, we became stronger, more resilient people.

This is not to downplay the fact that many faced hard things this year. And if you experienced loss in 2020, or you’re facing anxiety about the new year to come, I want you to know there is someone who cares.

1 Peter 5:7 says this, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

This seems like such a simple statement. Yet when Peter wrote this, he wrote from Babylon–believed to be a Roman military outpost. His readers would have been familiar with suffering and that’s evident in the very next sentence he writes,

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

We see this today. The struggles that we faced in the last year (and maybe still face today) we faced globally. We faced them as families, communities, the world. Together. And that’s how God wants us to move forward as well–as a body, building each other up. He longs to see His Church loving each other and lifting each other up during these times.

That’s exactly why I’m here. I want to lift you up and give you encouragement for the New Year. My heart is to provide stories, podcasts, and courses that guide you forward into all God has for you in the next year. My hope is to be a bearer of His light and a bringer of His hope. I know that no matter what we face, no matter what lies ahead, God will be there through it all and He will guide and direct and protect us as we turn to Him. I hope the next sentence of this scripture encourages and comforts you.

^“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Happy New Year! Let’s believe in the Godness of God in 2021!

Encouragement for the New Year

Now, more than ever, it’s so important to pray for our families and to teach them God’s Word and to apply His will to their lives.

My book Praying Through The Bible in One Year allows you to do both!

Praying Through the Bible in One Year is a Scripture Reading Plan and Guided Journal in one. This book helps you read and apply God’s Word to your life. My desire is for this journal to guide you as you seek God and His truth.

It’s divided into three parts:

1. A Scripture Reading Plan. This plan takes you from Genesis to Revelation. Reading four or five chapters a day, you’ll read through the whole Bible in one year! Each week has five days of reading, leaving the weekends for catch up.

2. A Daily Scripture. Pause on these verses, read them closely, and consider how they can impact your prayers for your kids.

3. A Prayer Prompt. Through these prompts, you’ll focus on ways you can pray for your kids. Blank space is provided for you to continue the prayer or to write down other meaningful Scriptures that you read during the day’s reading.

Leave a Legacy

Did you know I created a free course to help you master the skill of journaling through the Bible to create a Legacy Bible for your own children?

Join me as I guide you in sharing God’s Word with your children or grandchildren through the pages of your own journaling Bible. Through this free, 6-week course you’ll discover how to share your own personal reflections through the pages of God’s Word.

It’s such a meaningful way to pass on heartfelt prayers alongside your favorite Scripture passages, leaving a heritage of faith. Each journal entry will be a treasured gift to future generations.

Great Resources for Creating a Legacy Bible:

Blue Leather Touch Legacy Bible

NIV Quest Study Legacy Bible

Bible Highlighters

How to Pray for Your Child Each Day

Do you need a little help to start praying for your children? So many times I find myself praying for the same things for my children.

That they are healthy.

That they are obedient.

The other day I was reading the Bible, and I came upon Philippians 1:9-11:

I pray that your love will overflow more and more,
and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.
For I want you to understand what really matters,
so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.
May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—
the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—
for this will bring much glory and praise to God. (NLT)

As I read it I thought: This is a perfect Scripture to pray for my kids. So I created a PDF to help me pray. I hope it helps you too. Please download the PDF and insert your child’s name. This will guide you as you begin to lift them up daily.

Sunday: Pray for love that overflows

Lord, may the love of _______ increase and overflow for those in our family and for everyone else. (1 Thessalonians 3:12)

Monday: Pray for growth in knowledge

Lord, may _______ grow to love your Word. May the heart of _______ trust your commands. May _______ seek good judgment. Fill _______ with the knowledge of your will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives. (Psalm 119:66, Colossians 1:9)

Tuesday: Pray for understanding of what really matters

Lord, may _______ know your will and understand what is right because of your law. May _______ not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be transformed into a new person through changed thoughts and through knowing your perfect and pleasing will. (Romans 2:18, Romans 12:2)

Wednesday: Pray for a pure and blameless life

Lord, may _______ keep firm in their faith, staying pure and blameless, until the end. May the good work you started in _______ carry on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. May _______ hold firmly to the word of life, so life’s labor will not be in vain. (1 Corinthians 1:8, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 2:6)

Thursday: Pray for the fruit of salvation

Lord, may _______ be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. May _______ delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. And because of your word planted deep, may whatever _______ do prosper. (Psalm 1:2-3)

Friday: Pray for righteous character and for a life in Jesus

Lord, may _____ be a peacemaker who sows in peace and reaps a harvest of righteousness. Lord, may your name be honored because of the life of _______. I know this is only possible because of your grace. May love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control flow of the life of _______ because of your spirit within. (James 3:18 2 Thessalonians 1:12, Galatians 5:22-23)

Saturday: Pray for glory and praise to God

Lord, may _______ produce much fruit so that you may be glorified. May the life of _______ be for your praise and glory, because of hope put in you. (John 15:8, Ephesians 1:14)

As parents, it’s important to pray for our kids, and I’m so thankful that God has given us His Word as a foundation to do just that!

A Devoted Fan