I Will Praise Him

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

We were made to praise God. He wants our praise every day. He wants our praise during the bad times and the good.

Job never stopped praising God, not even when everything was taken from him, including his family. He continued to worship God. He trusted in him.

I want to trust in God like that. I want to praise him in all circumstances. I want to show him how grateful I am for the life he has given me.

God is worthy of our praise. He has given us life and breath. He has given us more than we deserve. He has given the promise of heaven to those who believe in him.

And I want to forever be praising God for all of the good things he has done for me. He loves me, he gave his life for me, and I want to praise him for that.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn- shout for joy before the Lord, the King.
Psalm 98:4-6

By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

God's Grace Makes The Difference

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Sometimes we get caught up in thinking about what God expects of us. Sometimes we feel that we are not enough. We feel like we should be doing more.

I get convinced that it’s all up to me. That I have to be good enough. That God could never love me if I’m not. And that’s not true.

God wants us to love and serve others. He wants us to live out our faith. But that does not mean that we need to become obsessed with works or the things we say or do. Forefront in our minds and hearts should always be the fact that Jesus died on the cross for us. That he did that while we were still sinners. That he loves us despite our wrongs.

When we fully feel the grace and love of God we will be more willing to do works. To show love to orphans and widows. To be kind and generous. Because God’s grace will make all of the difference in our attitudes and lives.

But we don't have to do anything to receive God's grace. He offers it as a gift. He loves us and wants to give us eternal life.

God's grace is amazing and I am grateful for it. I'm glad that I don't have to earn into Heaven because I know I would never be good enough on my own. Only Jesus's death on the cross is powerful enough to take away my sins and make me new. And I am so grateful to him for giving me the gift of grace and salvation.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.Ephesians 2:4-5


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

Strengthen My Faith

The disciples and prophets through the ages faced persecution. They were tortured and killed for their faith. They were mocked and made to be outcasts. But they were doing what was right. They were following God’s plan. They were allowing him to work through them.

When I read stories of the horrible things that happened to some of the believers in the Bible I don’t know how they endured it. When Peter and John were put into jail without doing anything wrong, how did they feel? Were they angry, or was their faith so strong that they knew God would rescue them?

It is a beautiful thing to see faith so strong that fear is dead. I long to have faith like that. And yet, I feel far from it.

He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."
Matthew 17:20

I want to have faith like a mustard seed. I want to believe that God will be with me no matter what I face. I want to live for him in a deep and true and beautiful way. And I pray that I will grow stronger in my faith every day.

By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

No More Assumptions

Assumptions:

Your parents are married? Your childhood was perfect.

You're rich? You are content.

You're smiling? You must be happy.

You're quiet? You're antisocial.

You're anxious? You're not trusting God.

There are so many assumptions that people make that are just not true. None of us know what someone else is going through, not unless we really talk with them and get to know them. We don't know what kind of struggles they face. We don't know what might be hiding behind a smile. We shouldn't jump to the conclusion that because someone grew up rich or with married parents that their life is good.

Everyone has a different story. There are things that go wrong in each of our lives. And some people are better at covering up their struggles than others.

We shouldn't make assumptions about one another but we should take the time to get to know one another. We should show grace to strangers. We should be kind.

We should always treat others how we would want to be treated on our worst days. We should remember how many times we have faked being happy, how many times we have barely held it together, and we should be kind to everyone we see.

Spread a smile. Say a kind word on social media. Do something nice for someone you know or a stranger today.

Stop making assumptions but know that everyone is going through something. Know that everyone needs a little help. Everyone needs a little love. Show them Jesus.

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

John 13:34-35


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

Looking Back I Realize... God Always Takes Care Of You

Looking back and I realize... God always takes care of you.

The more I look back on my life, the more that I see that he has always been with me.

Looking back on the past, on the days that were the hardest, I realize that God always takes care of you.

Looking back on the times when I felt alone, I realize that God was there with me. He held me through those times.

He has brought me so far. He has given me so much. Without him, I am nothing. I would not have made it this far without him. I would not have the life that I do without him.

God has given me so much. He has helped me through so much. He is an amazing, powerful God, and yet he loves me. He created the universe and everything in it, and yet he cares about me. It's pretty amazing to think about.

"The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Deuteronomy 31:8

By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

Never Forget

Never forget this day.
Never forget the ones who lost their lives.
Never forget those who sacrificed to save others.
Never forget how strong America is.
Never forget how blessed we are with life and freedom.
Never forget.


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken

3 Authors Who Inspire Me To Be A Better Writer

When I get my hands on a book written by any of the three authors below I get excited. I can't wait to start reading. And I am inspired so much by each of these authors because of how well they are able to tell their stories and create realistic characters. They inspire me, and if you haven't read any books by them yet, I can't recommend them enough.

Catherine West. She digs deep and isn't afraid to tackle tough issues in her books. She puts emotion into her stories and writes very well. She puts together characters and plots that have me quickly turning page after page. She encourages me to put more depth into my writing.
I loved The Memory Of You and I am currently reading and enjoying Where Hope Begins.

Katie Ganshert. She is an author who isn't afraid of writing about deep and dark topics. She has a great way of putting together a story and making the reader feel hope. She inspires me to write on topics that I wouldn't always consider. She is a great author, and I highly recommend A Broken Kind Of Beautiful and Life After.

Susan May Warren. She has encouraged me as a writer for years and is one of the first authors that I really came to love. She writes books that are often focused on families and the issues that they face, and I love that about her. I like that she writes such carefully thought out and well-researched books. And I love that you can tell she puts her heart into her writing.
My favorite books by her are The Shadow Of Your Smile and the Christiansen Family Series.

These are just a few of the authors who greatly inspire me in my writing. I am glad I discovered all of them and that they put out such amazing books! I can't wait to read more from each of them in the future.


By Bethany Acker, Co-Author of No Longer Broken