It’s a rhythmic truth breathed throughout Scripture: “You return man to dust; …they are like a dream, like grass …in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.” ~Psalm 90:3-6 (author: Moses) “He knows our frame He remembers that we are DUST. As for man, his days are like GRASS; he flourishes…
Category: Grow as a Disciple
Beyond GOALS: What Will Change My Heart in the New Year?
Happy New Year! This time of year, goal-setting gurus and exercise hounds browbeat us into putting forth measurable, specific goals or resolutions. But the far more challenging question for me is this: WHO WILL I BE IN 2014? If I was a yelling shrew throughout 2013, what will change my heart? Can a simple goal, that…
What Comes After the Pain?
Isaiah is one of my favorite books of the Bible. So much truth about God. So much honesty about the fallibility of man. So many promises that strengthen faith. Consider this: God has built rhythms into our lives. The cold ice-death of winter is followed by the buds of spring. The heat of a Texas…
How to Be Content
Last night I got up out of bed because I remembered this wonderful advice– I needed it and my soul wouldn’t rest until I found it and reminded myself of these truths. Perhaps you need it too? I’ve added some Scripture references for each point, for further meditation. PRESCRIPTION FOR CONTENTMENT: Never allow yourself to…
12 Things To Do When Your World Explodes
Sometimes life blindsides us. It could be any number of things. But sometimes in life, we feel like everything has exploded around us, and nothing is as it was before. (For us, some of them have been death of a parent while he was driving to our wedding, miscarriage x3, job loss, unexplained illness, hurting/sick…
In the Crucible: Encouragement for the Sufferer
When a friend recently shared her hurts… exposed her weak places… whispered of her doubts and her questions, in the midst of suffering, here is some of what I wrote to her. I offer it to you, too, if you are in a wounded, hurting place: Sounds like God has you in the crucible. It is…
This is Why You’re Discontent with Life.
If you’re discontent with life, it’s very very likely that you’ve been living in a mental place of comparison. Discontentment and comparison often accompany one another. Comparison always kills joy, whether we’re comparing UP or comparing DOWN. COMPARING UP? It is interesting to consider that when we compare, if our hearts are yearning for self-pity, we compare up. If…
Welcome!
WELCOME to JessConnell.com! I am so excited to see you here! With a change in my writing habits and goals, it was time for a change. From 2006-2013, I blogged at a different place. I started writing novels (which are still unreleased and sitting on my hard drive), and so in Jan 2015, I started writing under…