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 Jennifer Jabbour I have a confession to make. My entire life, I’ve struggled with trying to be perfect. I’ll never forget the time when I was about seven years old. I received a “B” on my report card, and I was devastated that I didn’t get straight “A’s.” Overhearing
By Jenny Marcelene “People from your church seem different from other Americans,” an Afghan refugee said to my husband and me one evening over a decade ago. “Is it because of your faith?” My husband and I exchanged surprised glances. It was like someone lobbing a slow ball as you
Article by: Sarah Koontz On November 28, 2023 our ministry is participating in #GivingTuesday. Giving Tuesday is a day dedicated to generosity and giving. It occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. It’s a day to acknowledge the power of giving, volunteerism, and simple acts of kindness.
Living by Design Ministries is a non-denominational, non-profit Christian ministry that delivers free Bible studies to inboxes worldwide. We exist to help believers of all ages open their Bibles, understand what they are reading, and apply the freeing truths to their lives. Through free online Bible studies, Christ-centered blog articles, faith-building
By Lieren Jamrozik A global pandemic. Countries at war. Mass shootings.Food shortages.Natural disasters. They all raced through my brain in terrifying succession as I lay in sleepless worry. A cold hand of fear gripped my heart, and a thousand different scenarios raced through my head, each one grimmer than the first. I
Over the past few years, I’ve heard many Christians proclaim that the book of Revelation is unfolding before our eyes. They firmly believe that we live in the end times and that the Lord’s return is imminent. Is “this” the mark of the beast?Is “he” the antichrist?Is “that” the fulfillment
By Annie Yorty Do you know any parents who habitually fail to keep their word to their children? They promise a treat or reward and forget to give it. Or they threaten a consequence for poor behavior and never follow through. Sometimes moms and dads abandon their marriage vows and
By Leslie Jones I watched the waves lap the shoreline from my seat on the beach, the glistening Sea of Galilee spread before me. Daydreaming about being on a boat with Jesus, I thanked God for this trip of a lifetime, a 10-day tour through the Holy Land with members
By Traci Rhoades Jesus was a master storyteller. To help people understand the things of God, He knew they needed to hear stories they could relate to Common ground stories invite us in and bring a sense of familiarity. In Matthew 13, the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke to
In January of 2019, I started my education at Dallas Seminary. My first class was Bible Exposition 101 with Dr. Mark Bailey, the seminary president (and now chancellor). Of course, I loved the class and was challenged immensely by the lectures and assignments. But the best part was the three
By Jenny Marcelene I once had a clear sense of the calling of God in my life, but one day what I thought had been a lifetime pursuit turned out to be seasonal. Perhaps most startling was I hadn’t realized the trail would end there. Deep down, I couldn’t imagine
By Hannah Jessen Conway When my son was born, I found myself rocking him to sleep, singing a worship song in Spanish that my dad had sung to me. “¿Con qué pagaremos amor tan inmenso? Que diste tu vida por el pecador.” I hadn’t heard the song in years, but the
In this week’s blog, we will dig deep into John’s Epistles. I found this particular section of Scripture to be edifying and convicting. I am confident that you will be blessed and encouraged by the many transformative truths we can learn from John’s letters to the early church. If you
By Susan Cort Johnson One winter day, shut inside my house, I became despondent and battled the urge to cry. But I knew tears were inevitable, and they would soon splash down my cheeks despite my efforts. Isolation didn’t come from snow and ice blocking the driveway, but the possibility
By Katherine Pasour As I drove into my favorite nature trail parking lot, I felt my tension begin to ease before I exited the car. I changed shoes, grabbed my hat, and set off briskly down the trail, savoring the fresh fall air as I lifted my face toward the
In this week’s blog, I will share the topics and themes of Peter’s Epistles. Together, we will establish a foundational understanding of the key concepts in these two epistles. We will also seek to develop an action plan based on the truth woven into these powerful books. My goal is
By Donna Bucher Patiently listening, my heart ached as I heard the familiar refrain. A family member expressing the overwhelming feeling of being “lost.” As a member of a hospice and palliative medicine clinical support personnel team, I receive many calls from the community looking for help or support for
By Michelle Flaningan I’ve always been a working mom, and up until six years ago, I worked in an office setting. I had finally accepted life as a working mom when one of our twin sons was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Many changes needed to take place, including a
by Karen Carlton “Shhhhh!” I whispered for the hundredth time. I glanced at my watch as my two little girls squirmed and wiggled during church. I tried to keep a pleasant look on my face, but I was running out of patience on our first visit to our new church.
By Barbara Latta Doubt about our abilities and fear of the future can seep into our souls bit by bit like air seeps through cracks under doors and windows. Doubt and fear here and there sneak in until those cold waves of discouragement overwhelm us. We may set goals, but
by Ellen Hopkins There once was a woman named Martha. She was hard-working. She was the kind of woman who’d be in charge of a team and work right alongside everyone. She knew what needed to get done, and she went after it. If she had lived in our time,
by Annie Yorty I huddled in my seat on the frigid bus, face turned toward the window, sobbing quietly. My team and I had just left a Siberian rehab center. To call it a center, though, gave it far too much credit. Rustic better describes the patchwork structure, wood stove
by Michele Morin We sat in silent disbelief, neither of us knowing what to say. When my husband’s job was eliminated without warning, the news landed like a tidal wave: completely unexpected and comprehensively devastating. Then, as the wave receded, applications, interviews, and the thin hope that accompanies waiting seemed
At our annual meeting with the Living by Design Board of Directors, I was asked the following question: “Sarah, it’s been five years since we launched this ministry. Are you still as passionate about it as you were in the beginning? If there was no money in the budget to
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At Living by Design Ministries, we believe God’s Word is the only source of absolute truth in a world that praises tolerance and ambiguity. That is why we strive to deliver biblically accurate, relatable, story-driven content to our readers each week.
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