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 Shelly Snead My home is where plants come to die—not gracefully, but by total neglect. While I appreciate the beauty and health benefits of flowers and flourishing plants, I lack the knowledge and discipline to keep them alive. Years ago, I purchased a potted tomato plant, determined to become
By Lynda Kelly I sit at my desk and look up at a framed Scripture that reads, “Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Cor 4:2 KJV). I received this gift as a young pastor’s wife 45 years ago. This verse anchored and guided
By Sharla Hallett God is good all the time; all the time God is good. I grew up with the first line of that phrase said from the church pulpit, and the congregation responded with the second line. But sometimes we question the goodness of God. How can a good
By Sarah Koontz In John 10:10, Jesus revealed His purpose in coming to earth. In this passage, He declared, “I have come so that they(you) may have life and have it in abundance.” Jesus came to do a new thing—to introduce a new covenant and bring God’s kingdom to earth.
By Lyneta Smith Planting new seeds is exciting, and harvesting the bounty is gratifying. But what about all the in-between work of weeding, watering, fertilizing, and pruning? Gardening can be hard, thankless work with no guarantee of yielding a good return on our labor investment. The same could be said
2025 Annual Impact Report Download the Printable Report By Sarah Koontz 2025 marked a meaningful milestone for me personally and for Living by Design Ministries. After years of study, writing, ministry leadership, and faithful support from so many people, I completed my studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. Graduation has a
By Kathleen Giles On “Name Tag Sunday,” I was scheduled to make the ministry announcements at church. As the lights dimmed, I fished my staff name tag out of my pocket and clicked the magnetic halves together on my lapel before going onstage. After the announcements, I invited the congregation
By Amy Catlin Wozniak The morning was quiet, coffee within reach, a blanket pulled over my lap, and my worn Bible open. Tears pricked my eyes at the familiar words: “Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost
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
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