Spoiler alert. He does. But sometimes we don’t feel God’s love, do we? We look at the struggles in our lives and think to ourselves (while downing that half-gallon of ice-cream), “God must not love me. If He did, why is this even happening?”

I get it. I know what it’s like to define God through the lens of our life circumstances. But what if I told you that God loves you. And I’m not just talking about Him loving you (and me) with some broad stroke like, “Yes, God loves all people.” I mean, “God loves YOU.” He loves YOU. He loves ME. Intimately. Personally. Purely. Perfectly.

It’s hard to believe sometimes, especially when life isn’t working out like we planned. But I can tell you from both my life experiences and from His Word, a.k.a. the Bible, that God’s love is deep, wide, complete, and empowering.

I can’t make you believe me — believe His love. But I have asked Him to make His love more real to you (more real to me) than that pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen sink.

Rooted

My most recent book Rooted released this week. Well, really, it’s more than a book. It’s a journey through the letter that Paul wrote to the Ephesians. In his letter, Paul was undone by the great love of our God. And that’s what I’ve asked the Lord to do for anyone who goes through the pages of Rooted.

I’ve asked Him to overwhelm us — undo us — with His love. I’ve asked Him to take the places of our souls that have clung to people and things for love, and plant us deep into His love. True love. Satisfying love.

Rooted: Book Trailer from Lara Williams.

So if you’ve ever wondered if God really loves you, the answer is a resounding yes. He loves with a love that can’t be fully measured or fully explained in human terms. A love we get to experience as we turn to Him.

Launch Week Freebies

If you order a copy of Rooted THIS WEEK (or if you preordered a copy!), I have some freebies for you! CLICK HERE to get your free stuff today. Freebies only available through next Monday!

The post Ever wonder if God really loves you? appeared first on Lara Howard.

I mean, really amazing things. Things that need your personality mixed with your past experiences mixed with your now circumstance mixed with the way you passionately lift your eyebrows when you tell that story or the way you snort when you laugh. Really amazing things.

He designed you to accomplish them. Before you were even a thought in your mama’s mind, He purposed it. He set things aside with your name on them — things that will bring Him great glory while satisfying your inner longing for significance.

And now’s the time. Today’s the day.

Maybe He’s calling us to love our spouse with no strings attached. Or to teach those kids all about the Lover of their soul…again. Or to do the laundry as if we’re doing it solely for Him. Or to pray for that huge mountain to move. Or to write that book. Or start that blog. Or lead that Bible study. Or tell that coworker about Jesus.

Whatever “it” is, imagine if we just followed His lead. Imagine if we dared to believe that God equips the called and makes straight the path.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10

The truth is, I need you. Really. I need you to use the gifts He gave you, to do the things He crafted you to do. Just like you need me.

We need one another to take our place in His “body” and do the things He gifts us to do. To go the places He calls us to go. To write the things He inspires us to write.

The lies will come. I can’t walk through the bookstore without noticing the oh-so-many great books that already line the shelves. So many amazing blogs fill up cyberspace. So many gifted writers and influential speakers leave people with revival-ish truths. I start to wonder why I’m adding my “voice” to the already complex, persuasive conversation.

Why talk or write or create if everyone else is already doing such a brilliant job? But then God reminds me.

If He calls any of us to speak or go or create, then we have to speak or go or create. Not because He demands it, but because we will never be fulfilled unless we’re walking in the call He’s placed upon us.

Not only that, someone needs to hear it. I need to hear it. If He puts a fire in us to declare something then it’s with purpose. He prepares specific hearts for the inspired words that come out of our mouths. He prepares the soil so that the laborer can bring forth a harvest.

Then (Jesus) said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38

For those who don’t know what He’s leading you to do today, let me encourage you. The number one thing He calls any of us to do is seek after Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We won’t do that perfectly, but when we turn ourselves towards Him, lifting our hands in surrender to His will, He faithfully leads. As we love Him and praise Him and delight in Him, He reveals what He has for our today.

He created us to do some really amazing things — things that change the course of lives and have eternal effects. Let’s dare to believe Him for the equipping.

For those He’s “called” to memorize the Sermon on the Mount with me, friend, I’m believing Him for the equipping! Let’s press on…

{Week 29}

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
Matthew 6:30 – 6:31

Fill me, Lord…

What has He called you to do today?
 

The post God created you to do some really amazing things appeared first on Lara Howard.

flickr photo credit

That’s how He means it to be. Us walking around on this planet believing Him, even when we don’t know where He’s leading next.

Exhaling.

I’m exhaling a little more this week. I’ll officially let you in on my new journey.

Last summer I got a contract from a publisher for my first “big girl book.” So in all my free time (*joke*) I have been working on the manuscript. On Wednesday I completed the first draft — of the entire book — and sent it via email across states and ocean to the publisher.

Two seconds after releasing it into cyber space the lies came (because the enemy has no new tricks), “They will regret signing you. You’re not a writer. This book won’t have an impact.” Thankfully I knew they were lies. Not because I’m anything great, but because this whole book-deal-thing is completely God’s. So I just started saying true things until my heart believed.

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
Hebrews 4:1

When we truly trust God with what’s next, we enter into His intended freedom. When we release the unknown — believing Him to be good and mighty and faithful and love — we find rest.

Whatever it is, He’s got it. His hands are big enough to carry it to the other side. I dare you to climb into that hammock and exhale.

 
Fill me, Lord…

In the day to day, how do we trust God with the unknown? What does it look like?

 

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He is completely beyond us. He is in absolute control. He rules and reigns. And when this God says, “I will,” then He will. That thought should do something to us.

When this holy God speaks we then have choice. We can listen and obey or we can choose to go our own way. It’s that simple. But whatever we choose, will have effects. And if we desire His glory to shine on us and through us, then our feet must walk the path of obedience.

So that’s what these feet of mine desire to do.

flickr photo credit: meg

Just under my identity as His child and my role as a wife, I’m a mama to three young ones. Which means I have a limited amount of writing time. I schedule the weekly hours and He faithfully multiplies my time. But I have a writing project in my lap right now that needs some attention…and prayer.

In my desire to be obedient I’ve asked for Him to guide me in these next few weeks as I complete the project. And through that seeking I’ve sensed the need to lay down the blog for the month of October. *sigh*

I know it’s best, but I love this space. I love meeting with you here. But when He speaks, we have choice: to obey or not.

This project I’m working on is deeply tender to my heart. It pulls back the veil and reveals some of my own scars. So if you think of it, or me, in the next 25 days, I would greatly appreciate your prayers — that He would anoint my words and that He would keep the enemy far from me and my home. (Thank you, thank you!)

Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me,
“Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His place.” Ezekiel 3:12

Now on the flip side, this is actually the best time of year for me to step aside because 31 days is going on as we speak! 31 days is hosted in October by eight bloggers, including sweet Emily over at Chatting at the Sky. (By the way, have you ordered her book yet?)

Basically a number of bloggers (744 to be exact) have decided to spend the 31 days of October writing on a particular topic. If you go here you can see the community. It really is amazing. So this month there will be much to choose from on the blog front.

OK, I could go on and on but I think I’m starting to avoid the inevitable. I’ll still be hanging out on Facebook and Twitter so if we haven’t yet connected in cyber-social world, I would love for you to come say hello!

So until November 1st — Lord willing — keep pressing into Him, sweet friends.

Fill me, Lord…

What has He prompted you to set aside lately?
How have you seen your own obedience bring blessing?

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Savoring Living Water is now available as a spiral bound hardcopy! Yay! Personally, I’m a little old-fashioned. I like to write in my books…with a pen and ink. So I love this!

And yes, $2 from the sale of every copy — including hardcopies — still goes toward our crazy, big goal of funding 104 verses through the sale of our book. Click on the button below to order your copy.

Hard copy $10

Click here to read more about Savoring Living Water.

As of yesterday, we have sold 202 copies since our release, meaning that at this point $404 will be donated to OneVerse for the month of September!

To break that down even further, at $26 per verse, we have officially funded the translation of 15 verses for the Vidunda people. Fifteen additional verses of Scripture will now be translated into their native language. That is awesome!

We still have a ways to go to reach our goal. So your help in spreading the word is much appreciated. Nothing is impossible with this great God of ours.

For those who have purchased the eBook for your Kindle or Nook,
we did not realize there wasn’t a way to print from those e-readers.
Please email me if you would like a download link for the Companion Journal.

Fill me, Lord…

How has God shown Himself mighty in your life lately? Let’s do some testifyin’.

The post we’re excited to announce… appeared first on Lara Howard.

He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.
Psalm 106:15

I had this paralyzing fear wash over me yesterday. I started thinking about my continual prayers — those requests that leave my lips on a near daily basis. And heaviness almost took me to the ground.

I don’t want anything — anything! — that will ultimately steal away fullness in Him. I don’t want to demand my way only to have Him give me my request along with leanness of soul. And I know it’s wild, but I don’t even want to insist He take away the trial if walking through it would redefine my faith and press me into deeper intimacy with Him.

I desire the full life — the fullest. And I know it’s only found in submission to His will.

So I did some honest soul-searching. I asked myself if I was willing to lay down the dreams, the goals, and the plans. I asked myself if I was willing to trust Him with every desire taking up room in my heart.

flickr photo credit: meredith farmer

And I want the answer to be “yes.”

I think the answer is “yes.”

I pray the answer is “yes.”

So with open hands, I whispered “yes.”

Fill me, Lord…

Have you ever had a fear like that?
How has He led you to open up your own hands to Him?

One amazing thing about our God, however, is that He places desires upon our hearts — desires that flow in His will. Like the desire Katie and I have to partner in bringing the Word to a people that do not have the Bible in their own language. That desire is straight from Him.

And check this out! OneVerse has set up a page for us to track our giving. Plus, we have officially “adopted” the Vidunda people! Oh, that excites me. Keep checking back. We will give our proceeds on a monthly basis.

That said, today is the last day to enter our launch party giveaway! If you haven’t yet purchased your copy, today would be a great day to do so. See you at the par-tay!

We have been overwhelmed at the gracious response to Savoring Living Water. We pray He continues to use it to inspire and encourage many to dig deeper into His life-changing Word.

The post the fear that almost took me down appeared first on Lara Howard.

Today’s the day! Savoring Living Water: How to Have an Effective Quiet Time is now available for purchase. And don’t forget the CRAZY, BIG GOAL! We are thrilled to be partnering with OneVerse.

Now, for the sursies (a.k.a. “giveaways”)…

I’m more than excited to tell you about this first giveaway. Emily, one of my in-real-life friends, just released her new book this month! And it is phenomenal, life-changing, hope-infusing, and needed! I absolutely loved reading these grace-filled pages.

I’m one of those who began life as a “good girl.” I tried to gain approval by all the good rules I could follow. But then I turned “bad girl,” aiming to fill my soul-thirst with things of the world. Then Jesus got a hold of me and I wrestled around with “good girl” again as I struggled to find the grace that says, “I’m enough because of my Lord.” Yes, all of that personality-change brought lots and lots of baggage.

I could relate to Emily’s book on a number of levels. And it was a breath of fresh air to these familiar “good girl” lungs. That’s why I am thrilled that Emily has graciously donated a signed copy of her amazing book to our launch party. Let me hear a little shoutin’!

What better way to start your morning than with a HelloMornings coffee mug! If you haven’t met Kat over at InspiredToAction.com, you just have to take a minute to hop over to her site. She has inspired and encouraged me so much in this past year. Psst, she also wrote the foreword to Savoring Living Water. I just love her.

I’m honored Teri Lynne would donate a copy of her eBook to our launch, because parenting is flat-out challenging! I can always use an inspiring word. Listen to this description of Parenting from the Overflow. Oh how I want to parent from the overflow of Him in me.

Do you feel like you parent from the undertow rather than the overflow? I’ve been there – some days I’m still there. But I’ve learned some important lessons and I’d love to share them with you. Grab your favorite beverage and get comfy as we learn to parent from the abundance of God’s work in our own lives.

Each chapter of this book offers you insight into a different aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit {Galatians 5:22-23}, a verse to memorize, activities to share with your child, and exercises for your own heart and spiritual growth.

~Teri Lynne

Now we’re just talking cute. (Sorry guys.) I called my sister a couple of weeks ago in search of some local cuteness. And she immediately thought of “Clipsie Daysie.” She was right! My pitiful camera abilities do not do these clips justice. I totally want one of these for myself!

To be entered into the giveaway…
First, purchase a copy of Savoring Living Water.
Then, leave a comment below telling me that you purchased.

We have three options for purchase:

Winners will be announced Monday, Sept. 19th.

The post Celebrating the launch of “Savoring Living Water”! {giveaways} appeared first on Lara Howard.

If you missed it last week, check out my post entitled “A Crazy, Big Goal” to find out more about our partnership with OneVerse.

Fill me, Lord…

How has He proven His Word to be alive in your own life?

The post the unhip reason for my writing {vlog} appeared first on Lara Howard.

It impacted me so much that I started praying for God to show me how I could help “End Bible Poverty.”

That’s when everything collided.

I thought about how we were writing this eBook to serve as a tool for our fellow sisters and brothers. And how nearly every single person who would read our eBook probably has numerous Bibles in various versions stacked neatly on their bookshelves — just like me.

Yet there are hundreds of millions of people in our world who have never even read a single verse of Scripture in their own language. That reality made me physically nauseous.

Katie and I talked and both wholeheartedly agreed that we wanted to give a portion of the sale of our eBook to OneVerse — a ministry deeply involved in the effort to end this Bible poverty.

For every $26 dollar raised (or 13 copies sold), one more verse is translated into a language that currently doesn’t have the Bible. And to make things even more interesting, Katie and I decided to set a goal.

We both began memorizing the book of Philippians at the same time. She finished, I’m STILL in process — chapter 4 verse 13. (Get ‘er done, Lara. Get ‘er done!) So we thought it would be great to sponsor the translation of the entire book of Philippians — all 104 verses.

At $26 per verse that means we need to sell 1352 copies of our eBook to have the equivalent of Philippians translated. (*cough. choke. gag.*) That seems outrageous. BUT, we all know that nothing is impossible for this great God of ours.

So there it is. Our crazy, big goal prompted by an infinite God who transforms hearts with the light of His Word.

flickr photo credit: wendell

Every tribe. Every tongue. Every nation. His Word — His Truth — has the power to transform every person’s heart regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, and location.
His Word breathes His plan and design for mankind. Let’s be part of the solution.

Fill me, Lord…

Has He ever led you to set a crazy, big goal?
How did that turn out?



Katie’s also talking about OneVerse today. Click here to hop on over to her blog.

The post a crazy, big goal appeared first on Lara Howard.

“Is it when my kids go to their room to give me a break?” Yes. But that’s not what we’re talking about.

“Is it when mommy goes to her room because she can’t take the noise anymore?” Absolutely. But again, not what we’re going for.

“Is it when you sit on the floor while quietly humming Kumbaya?” Not exactly.

I knew I needed to clarify.

flickr photo credit: brian talbot

Church folk use the phrase “quiet time” to describe the time we spend with the Lord through prayer and Bible study. And no, incense is not required.

Jesus left us the example. He broke away from the daily demands and got alone with the Father. It’s that simple. He got alone and spent time speaking and listening to Him.

One week from today, Katie and I will throw a blog party with lots of giveaways to launch our new eBook, Savoring Living Water: How to have an effective quiet time. (Yay!)

The time we spend alone with God is vital. But we often don’t know what to do or say. It may feel awkward or forced or ineffective. That’s why we wanted to write the book.

Katie and I give practical tips on how to spend our minutes in that mysterious “quiet time” in order for it to affect us — stirring up hope and peace and love. Because isn’t that the point? We don’t have it all figured out, but we combine our own experiences and share what we have learned to be fruitful.

Looking forward to next week! Praying He uses the words of this eBook to inspire you.

Fill me, Lord…

What has been your greatest hindrance to having an effective quiet time?
On a totally different note, what church-lingo can you think of that others may need clarified?

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