The Living by Design Blog
The Bible is packed with the spiritual nourishment your soul craves. Our aim is to provide resources to help you break it down into bite-sized pieces that are easy to digest. Articles on the Living by Design Blog are packed with heart-focused content, practical solutions for real life, and Bible-based training. Since launching this blog in 2014, we’ve featured more than 100 guest contributors. If you’d like to submit an article for consideration, please review our submission guidelines.
By Cheryl Esper Balcom An invitation for dinner at someone’s home or to meet up at a coffee shop is a lovely thing. But when the host is more interested in making herself known rather than getting to know you, the invitation loses some of its appeal. Sadly, I’ve been
By Joanna Eccles Sometimes we can get so fixated on what we don’t have that we overlook all the good we already have. Scripture memorization and meditation can keep us focused on God’s faithful character instead of wondering if He’s holding out on us. We can fill our minds with
By Jennifer Weichmann Our relocation plan was simple. We’d rent a house for six months, get to know the area, and then we’d buy a home. But my husband and I soon realized our plans wouldn’t come to fruition. We couldn’t get a home loan. I was crushed. Trapped in
By Asifiwe Lema In 2018, I received a message from a primary school teacher in Tanzania named Asifiwe Lema. He discovered our Living by Design Bible studies online and used them to help his students learn English while sharing the gospel. Over time, our conversations grew into a meaningful friendship.
By Hadassah Treu We’ve adopted the wrong idea about peace. We often think about peace as blue sky, green grass, and things going our way. Peace doesn’t mean everything is always well and harmonious in our little worlds, or our circumstances are favorable and we have what we want. We
By Theresa Ogueri I’m extremely non-confrontational. In fact, I used to think proof of a solid relationship is when you don’t have any misunderstandings or disagreements. I thought people who argued or aired their grievances were proud or problematic. I thought the “Christian” thing to do was to ignore any
By Jamie Baker-Douglin Anxiety can rob us of our ability to experience the peace of God. But God wants us to live in His perfect love, which casts away fear (1 Jn 4:18). He wants us to have a peace that passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds
By Anna Gibson Maybe she’s mad at me. The thought sneaks in, unbidden, at two in the morning. I try to shrug it off, roll over, and will myself back to sleep. But I can’t. Was it something I said to my sister? Is she offended? I gnaw on these
By Jana Carlson “I’m afraid we’re not going to survive this,” I confided to my friend. Our family was in the midst of a tsunami of adversity, and I was desperate for something to change. My body felt on the verge of collapse after enduring months of unrelenting anxiety. As
By Dr. Billy Ready, Jr. A lady in a church where I once served as pastor told me she was “living at peace” with her sister-in-law by never being in the same room with her. At Christmas, she volunteered at homeless shelters and church. But when it was time for
By Kara O’Byrne The cold hardwood floor under my feet reflected the frigid feeling in my heart. The silent house paired well with the tears slipping unchecked down my cheeks. Each new dawn brought another battle in attempts to rise from the ashes of my broken marriage. With solutions far
By Amy Simon I typically look forward to my writing routine—sitting at my kitchen table, equipped with fresh coffee, a snack, and my open laptop. This use of my gifts should be enjoyable, but today it feels stressful and frustrating. Have you ever experienced something that should bring you joy,
By Beth Ferguson Some seasons feel like rebuilding walls, one heavy stone at a time. The work doesn’t stop. The days are long. Joy feels far away. That’s precisely where God’s people were in Nehemiah 8. They had rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem after years of ruin. The city finally
By Sally Johnson It was one of the most horrific times in my life. I’d been blindsided by the hidden, unacceptable, and hurtful decisions of my husband, and, consequently, my life toppled off its axis. Life as I knew it crumbled before my eyes. I was devastated. Not knowing what
By Jessica Jolley I lay in a crumpled heap, tears streaming down my face onto my husband’s lap. The foundation of all I believed was crumbling. I was still learning the ropes of a new culture from our move to East Africa alongside dealing with postpartum anxiety. I was also
By Michelle Shook If someone asked you to summarize the entire Bible in one word, what would you choose? There was a time when I would have said “long” or “confusing.” Then one day, I decided to do something crazy; I read the whole thing cover to cover in six
By Rachel Greening He couldn’t love me well. His attempts left me emotionally bruised and bleeding more times than I could count. He said he loved me—and he thought he did—but whether he lacked the skill or the understanding, I was always left shattered and feeling unmistakably unloved. After decades,
By Bethany Broderick The clock read 7:30 a.m., and I was already behind. I raced around my house—re-washing a load of sour towels, worrying about the e-mails pinging my inbox, and urging my kids to hurry up because we were late. I glanced at my unopened Bible on my nightstand,
By: Sarah Koontz Several years ago, I started writing Bible studies because I noticed something I couldn’t ignore. So many women wanted to read Scripture, but they weren’t always sure where to begin or how to understand what they were reading. They loved God’s Word, but it often felt intimidating
By Patricia Russell He asked for a time to meet and have a conversation, but for all sorts of reasons, the response was always, “I don’t have time.” After weeks and months of the same response, he stopped asking. The lack of communication spilled over into other areas. The relationship
By Sarah McClelland Sunlight pours through the cracks in the curtain, steeping my room in a warm but unwelcome glow. I squint at my clock. Morning, already? My head sinks back onto the pillow, and I quietly hope time rolls back so I can get a few more hours of
By Jana Carlson What’s your “if only”? What change are you convinced will finally bring you peace? Maybe it’s a job, a diagnosis, a relationship, or some sort of breakthrough. If only we had more financial stability.If only parenting were easier.If only my health improved.If only our marriage were better.If
By Jenny Marcelene Standing in the toy and picture book-strewn dining room, I stared out our third-floor apartment window. The sun cast a shadow across the rocky, empty lot across the alley. Unsettledness crept across my heart. How do I teach my preschooler and toddler to follow Jesus? Discipleship felt
By Jen Ludwig Advent (from the Latin word adventus) means “coming” or “arrival” and is traditionally a time of preparation. During these weeks before December 25th, we are getting ready for the arrival of our Savior. We wait expectantly for the coming of the King through the eyes of the
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