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.
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries My oldest daughter’s love tank requires constant refueling; I’m convinced it has sprung a leak. I could tell my tender child that I love her 100 times a day, but the words would ring hollow in her ears if I didn’t
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries Do you remember the saying, “I’m rubber, you’re glue, whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you?” It was one of my favorite playground insults to toss around as a child, whenever kids said something I didn’t like,
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries I have a beautiful Bible Study secret to share with you today. It’s almost too simple to be considered a secret, but don’t let the simplicity detract from the transformative power of this truth. You don’t have to be very good
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries I like to think of my walk with God as a beautiful hike. God has provided everything I need for the journey, including a detailed map (the Bible) and a patient Guide (the Holy Spirit). There are peaks and valleys,
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, “You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” I’ve recently committed to searching
A Guest Post by Shannon Geurin We live in a world in which we want everything to be easy and convenient, don’t we? We want faster, easier, and simpler. We want crockpot meals that take 30 minutes to prepare, can simmer all day and be ready to eat when we
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries As I reached the crest of the hill, my car engine jumped and sputtered. Uh-oh! I shifted my Honda Accord into neutral and prayed that the downslope would propel my car into the gas station at the bottom. Fortunately, the
A Guest Post by Alison Tiemeyer When I let the thoughts of what I am not consume my mind, I am overcome with feelings of inadequacy. In that moment, I choose defeat and declare that others are more equipped, more experienced, more valuable. In that moment, I feel like my
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries Recently my young family enjoyed 300 glorious hours of togetherness on a cross-country road trip “experience.” As we neared the end of the trip, my oldest daughter started rolling her eyes and sighing every time she heard the word “experience”
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries My husband and I are celebrating our 12th anniversary this week, which means I am finally qualified to teach a beginner course on marriage. Maybe ?!? As I look back over this past twelve years, I am overwhelmed with gratitude
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries Recently, I made a commitment to be more diligent about slowing down and listening to my children throughout the day. I was surprised by all that I heard… When my kids were playing make believe “mommy and daughter” in the
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries When I was 19 years old, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I have a type A+ personality and “driven” is a mild term to describe my way of attacking life. Because of my limited energy, and the fact that my
Article by: Sarah Koontz,Founder of Living by Design Ministries I just love family game night. The laughter, conversation and distraction-free time spent together leave me feeling full and satisfied. Our favorite game right now is Clue. We picked up the game at a garage sale last month and my girls can’t
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries When I was 14 years old, I decided I wanted to become a professional golfer. I dedicated the next 7 years of my life to accomplishing that goal. I was focused, hard-working and diligent. I have always believed God created
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries As a writer, I diligently search for just the right words to encourage and uplift my readers. I can work and re-work my writing to make certain it communicates a positive message and edit out any parts that don’t fit
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries Words are one of the most powerful gifts we can give to someone we love. Words fill in the space that exists between two souls, like a magnet pulling two separate beings into one shared space. Words reveal what is
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries Have you ever found yourself in a place where you struggle to enter into authentic worship? I know that I have. Over the past few years, I’ve been wondering what is missing from my worship experience. I still love the
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries “Oh, no! Mommy, we were supposed to get a package of 12 hot dog buns, not 8,” my youngest exclaimed when we got home from Target last night. I was already feeling guilty for stepping foot in a Target store
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries On February 11, I wrote a blog post entitled “To the Grown Daughter who has Failed to Love Her Mother Well…” In this post, I shared openly and honestly about the many ways I had failed to love my mother
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries I will never forget that day. I was surrounded by brightly painted walls and the cluttered remains of my sweet children’s playtime, but all I could see was darkness. The toys that were strewn about the room reminded me of
My heart beats a bit faster. Just breathe, Sarah. Doubts clutter my thoughts. Have faith, Sarah. I feel tension in my shoulders. Relax, Sarah. My head begins to ache. Take a moment to pray, Sarah. I feel unprepared, under-equipped and unworthy of the task that lies before me. But I
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries I’m not quite sure when I fell in love with my husband. I can assure you that it wasn’t love at first sight. We had been good friends for about a year before I allowed myself to even consider the
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries This week’s #livefreeThursday prompt from Suzie Eller is “breaking out of my bubble.” I recently broke out of my own bubble by agreeing to do my very first podcast interview with the beautiful Lauren Gaskill from Making Life Sweet. It’s
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries When my husband and I got engaged in 2004, we immediately started looking for a house to purchase. It didn’t take us long to decide on this little gem located on the south side of my hometown. It had a
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