Uncategorized Archives - Kristi Woods

Is God Prodding You to Share Your Story?

March 12, 2019 by Kristi 2 Comments

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Have you ever sensed God prodding you to share a part of your story? I have. And I can assure you, I wasn’t too keen on sharing the part He eyed.

I stood in our country church, pressed between two pews when it came.

No. No, no, no, no. Please, no. I don’t really want to share that, Lord. Folks will think I’m crazy.

My fingernails dug into the pew in front of me.

Hello prompting. Hello God.

The churning inside wouldn’t stop. My story seemed ready to be told.

But I don’t want to share that, Lord. I’m not ready.

Churn. Churn. Churn.

After service, I headed to the Sunday school room…and began to ease into an explanation of my postpartum journey. The story God prompted me to share–my battle with depression and even psychotic thoughts–oozed forth.

The churning stopped. I’m still alive. God is good. And the testimony remains powerful.

Your Story

You have a story too. It’s important. It’s powerful. Why? Because it lifts high the name of Jesus. It points eyes to Him.

We face trials in life. The Bible promises this reality, and many of us know it to be true. Sometimes those struggles include encounters with mental health battles, circumstances we never requested or desired, the sin of others dropped on us, and more.

However life looks, God remains faithful. He delivers. He heals. He imparts wisdom. And More. You and I may be prompted to share these powerful parts of our story.

Book Review

In Growing Forward: When You Can’t Go Back, Laurie Pawlik shares her story. She opens wide the hard parts of her past as well, allowing us to come alongside her as we move through loss–whether it’s due to divorce, death, disease, or a closed door.

Laurie intertwines bits of the Bible within each chapter, overlapping the stories of several women with our own. She also includes snippets of her story and action tips–all helpful as we journey forward.

Her background is hard, folks. She was handed a childhood riddled with difficulty but found a way to thrive–through Christ–and champions readers as they fight to do likewise.

Would I pick up this book from bookstore shelves? Yes. I like how it reads–easy and fast with just enough depth to keep my “bunny rabbit trail” personality focused. I think it’s good for those of us who are facing life circumstances different than what we expected.

Take a peek. Perhaps you’ll like it too.

Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back can be purchased at Christianbook.com (link below) or at other book retailers.

Growing Forward When You Can’t Go Back
By Laurie Pawlik

For Those Times When I Look in the Mirror and Don’t Like What I See

March 5, 2019 by Kristi 4 Comments

Don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror?

Do you need something tangible to combat those times when you look in the mirror and don’t like what you see?

“Visuals” like me will understand. When we look in the mirror, we see limp hair that never looks good, eyes too large, a crooked nose, ringlets of skin under that chin, thighs a titch too wide for the liking–or SOMETHING not right with our reflection.

Call it crazy, but we don’t like the woman staring back at us.

Sure, we can have our preferences, but what happens when nearly every time we look in the mirror, we find something wrong versus all that beams right?

I used to be the queen of that nest. Man, and what a nasty, dirty nest it was. I didn’t like myself. Critical, belittling thoughts zipped across my brain every.single.time I looked in the mirror.

Talk about self-denigrating.

The odd part is that I never even realized I had a problem until the Holy Spirit uncovered a heart issue. Oh, beautiful, wisdom-filling Holy Spirit–I love you!

Heart Issue

Yep. Call it a heart issue. Not liking ourselves often originates due to a heart issue.

But the Holy Spirit stands faithful. His wisdom coats the scene, revealing and healing, then leading us in freer pastures.

And girl, when He opens wide eyes to see, we notice things we NEVER EVER EVER realized were clinking around in that heart of ours.

I sure did.

And there’s a good chance you’ll be SUPER GLAD the Holy Spirit brings revelation, too. In fact, you might wonder why you waited so long to find this healing and freedom!

I’m working on a talk centered on this very topic. A few ladies here in Oklahoma as well as a few in Nebraska will hear it this month. My hope is that the Holy Spirit will reveal heart issues and that these ladies will find healing. Will you pray for their preparation? And will you pray for me as well, that my words will be led by the Holy Spirit and delivered with the power and annointing of His?

Fighting Words

But that doesn’t answer what tangible something or other we can use for those “I don’t like myself” glances in the mirror. If you don’t like yourself–something you see that ranks as insufficient whether it’s looks, talents, past circumstances/decisions, or more–then grab two things.

Grab Prayer
Grab Truth

Prayer is a powerful tool–even when we don’t see its impact. Keep praying. When we ask God to show us our heart, He does. He indicates whether we love or don’t love what we see in the mirror–and He shows just how far-reaching those words roam. (Trust me–experience speaking here.)

The Bible–truth–remains sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts through to the intent of our heart. It leads us in paths of righteousness.

And rest assured, being hard on ourselves, belittling that beatuiful woman in the mirror, or sabatoging her by slathering critical words all over her reflection isn’t right by God. It’s a battle, friend. Remember, we don’t war against flesh and blood… (Eph. 6:12).

But God Almighty stands as victor…and as Christians, so are we. So go ahead, transfer that trust from self to God. Refuse the negative comments and watch how the Lion of Judah roars in righteousness.

Memory Verse

This week’s memory verse is spot-on for combating this battle. Grab your sword, girls! It’s a powerful one full of truth. So go ahead, grab PS 139:14 and use it well. Behind it stands the strength of the Lord Almighty.

flowers with PS 139:14 written in black lettering

So for those times when we look in the mirror and don’t like what we see, we are truly…

Fearfully Made
Wonderfully Made

And past Bible verses assure us we are also…

Most 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, we’re here, basking in a new memory verse–ones assuring our TRUE IDENTITY!

Join us by subscribing to KristiWoods.net. Don’t miss a single verse!

Would You Like More of God? {Book Review}

February 26, 2019 by Kristi 5 Comments

As a young Christian, I wanted more of God. A thirst for day-to-day living built. I desired to be closer to Him in daily living while on earth, not only for a salvation prayer. But I didn’t know how to go about deeping my relationship with my Father.

Over time, however, the answer appeared–little by little.

How about you? Have you ever asked, or maybe you’re asking the question right now, How do I get more of God?

Consider a friendship or a relationship with someone you dated. It took time to get to know that person, didn’t it? It required spending time together, talking, listening, and sharing experiences.

It’d be fun to know folks right away–or maybe a little scary?!–but first impressions morph into real personalities. And if you’re like me, first impressions are WAY off base. We come to know folks through time spent together.

It’s similar with God. Spending time with Him helps us have “more of God.” But the sprinting pace of life often collides with our deepening relationship with the Almighty, leaving it derailed or delayed. We find ourselves wanting more of God, but we’re not certain how to intertwine that desire in a practial way with today’s busy lifestyle.

Who Is This Book For?

If this is you, a busy woman sprinting through life, there’s a new tool available you’ll want to know about.

And if you’re simply a Jesus lover, open to ideas for a more meaningful quiet time with the Lord, then read on. This is for you, too.

Releasing TODAY is a new book that addresses God and our quiet times with Him. It’s called More of God: A Distracted Woman’s Guide to More Meaningful Quiet Times by Betsy de Cruz.

Tell Me More…

From the first chapter, I loved More of God--probably more so than any other nonfiction book I’ve encountered in recent months. It’s practical, easy to read, and is threaded with the compassion our friend Betsy offers in real life as well. (Read sample chapters here.)

I immediately began considering who I could buy it for. (The list is growing and even includes my teenaged daughter!)

Betsy journeys alongside us, giving us permission to let go of the guilt–so needed for many of us! She champions a doable approach for even the busiest of women.

Her stories assure she understands how life’s pace gets in the way. And knowing her personally, I can assure you, she does indeed understand. I still scratch my head, wondering how she managed the pace with life in the Middle East and US as well as homeschooling, writing, and a slew of other responsibilites.

Betsy’s practical solutions, for just a few minutes a day, help readers dive into more meaningful quiet times with our Lord. And that, my friend, is where the rubber meets the road. This is about growing our relationship with God.

Psalms

One of my favorite takeaways included Betsy’s suggestion to read a Psalm each day. I’ve read Psalms each day often during my relationship with the Lord. In fact, I have a reading plan that combines Psalms and Proverbs and another one that shares the power in proclaiming them. But lately, they’ve been off my radar. Thanks to Betsy, they’re back on. I added Psalms back into the reading routine this week. Just one a day–like a vitamin. And it’s good. Thanks, Betsy!

Review

Our friend also suggested reviewing the previous day’s reading. I can honestly say I’ve not ever thought of doing that. What a great idea!

But those are just two of the many ideas Betsy uses herself or suggests we consider trying. Many more await!

Where Can I Pick Up a Copy?

More of God: A Distracted Woman’s Guide to More Meaningful Quiet Times by Betsy de Cruz is available on Amazon. Both electronic and print versions are available. Grab your copy, be encouraged by sweet Betsy, and, most importantly, grow in your relationship with Jesus.

After all, busyness has nothing on a #Jesusgirl! 😉

Betsy supplied a free copy of More of God in exchange for an honest review.

Linking with other Jesus lovers and writers here: ByHisGraceGirls FB Group, #heartencouragementThursday

For Those Times When I Look in the Mirror and Don’t Like What I See

Don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror?

Heart Issue

Fighting Words

Memory Verse

Would You Like More of God? {Book Review}

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