Be Encouraged
Welcome! Here you will find words of encouragement through podcasts, writings, books and testimonies of Christian women. My hope is that these stories will strengthen you and remind you that you are not alone. We are not created to stay in one place or be stuck in our lives or experience life alone. God has a purpose for all of us and we can turn our stories of struggle into stories of abundant life and renewal for ourselves and for others. Be inspired by these stories and testimonies & email me if you would like to be notified when a new story is posted.
Beyond the Swing- by Jennifer St. Clair
Add this beautiful novelette to your library of inspirational reads. Jennifer St. Clair tells the story of a woman’s walk toward healing as she demonstrates how bullying can happen not just with children and teenagers but adults as well. This inspiring story ends in forgiveness and healing inspiring and empowering the reader to use their voice against bullying. You can order Jennifer’s novelette from the link below. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGYYBHVN?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
Meet the Author
Jennifer St. Clair is a pianist, award-winning songwriter, composer, artist, author and photographer. She resides in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. Her solo piano compositions can be found on sheetmusicplus.com. Visit Jennifer at https://www.jenniferstclair.com/
I See Jesus When I See You
by Lynette Williams
I am very fortunate to consider Doris MacLean Estes a friend and sister in Christ. She is very generous and thoughtful. Due to my diagnoses, she has done more than her share for accommodating me and going out of her way to spend time with me. I feel greatly loved by her as I am sure most do because it comes so naturally to her. On our last outing, she confessed whenever she was feeling lonely, sad, or lost, she would get out and talk to people. She said GOD is in all His creation and He has made us all so very unique and special. GOD is inside of us all, so to know GOD better is to know a stranger. Such courage and determination. Especially in a world where there is so much hate, hardly any eye contact-let alone cultivating relationships, here she is: seeking out the lost, lonely, and sad people to make them feel better too. It reminds me of a poem I recently wrote for a few friends that embodied this same concept. It is called:
I See Jesus When I See You
The splendor and majesty of the sunrise and sunset don’t even compare.
Cause when I see Jesus, I am looking at you.
The peaks of the mountains don’t even scratch the surface of his beauty in you.
No condemnation, just light and love do I see.
In hidden facets of complete unity.
I see the character Christ made you to be. Cause when I see Jesus I see me.
Beautiful at the feet that go and tell the Good News. Your worn hands prepped for His service. Your sensitive heart, seeking the lost. My friend, that’s Jesus in you.
The roaring oceans can only wave and bow to the creation He has made in you.
I see Michael Angelo when I look up at his ceiling of masterpieces.
Yet I feel the Divine peace of the healer when I look at you.
The Creator is in His creation and Jesus is certainly in you.
When you smile you bring Him glory unlike the Mona Lisa’s, yours is eternal and for another reason entirely.
Thank you, Doris, for being an example of Love and a servant of Christ. Thank you for being my sister and friend regardless of my limitations. Thank you all for reading this and pondering who you see when you look in the mirror or when you see a stranger walking by.
Lynette Williams
We all need encouragement from time to time, somebody to believe in us and help bring us out of the ongoing traffic circle of discouragement. Sometimes it may seem like we are moving but we are just going in circles and not going in a specific direction forward. With coaching being my profession, my time is dedicated to walking alongside you, to help you stop going in circles, inspiring you to move forward, renewing your life and God’s purpose in you!