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 Jill Miller Reading this article means you’ve already tapped into the spiritual side of technology and have tasted its sweetness. But how did you get here? Were you intentionally searching for edifying spiritual content or mindlessly scrolling and the graphic caught your attention? Technology is like fire. Fire can
One of our primary goals is to help God’s people understand God’s character and apply God’s revelation to their lives. God is Creator; we are His creation. As such, we exist for His glory and good pleasure. He is the only One with the authority to label us and
By Jana Carlson When my oldest daughter was engaged, I set aside my normal routine and dove into wedding planning. The joyous celebration of this matrimony deserved the best I had to give. My days quickly filled with attending wedding dress fittings, hosting guests, offering a shoulder to cry on
By Jenny Marcelene One in four adults who regularly attend church often mix attending online with in-person attendance. Twenty-three percent of churchgoers bounce from church to church—and Millienials (ages 25–40) rank highest in this church-jumping habit. While this may seem like a modern take on church membership, this could reveal
By Jennifer Jabbour When God gives us a vision, it’s exhilarating (and sometimes scary!), but we long to please our Father. We desire to hear those coveted words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Mt 5:21). But what do we do when we’re met with resistance? When life happens
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries Recently, I resolved to curb my nasty habit of offering unsolicited advice. Unfortunately, I’ve got decades of experience giving unwanted advice, so it wasn’t easy to wean myself off. If you have a problem, I have a solution. It’s how
By Kelley Spencer The loud footsteps of my 7-year-old echoed down the hallway. Exhausted, I tried to force myself out of bed to start the day. I noticed a familiar uneasiness in my gut, angst in my soul, and a gloomy cloud hanging over my mood. I felt off in
By Bethany Broderick I sat alert at my desk in the front of Mrs. Hinton’s Bible class. She stood before 20 distracted (and slightly smelly) middle schoolers and pointed to a map of ancient Israel on the board. “Take out your colored pencils and shade the different lots for each
By Susan L Davis My life was a symphony of complaints. The job, kids, home, dog, and husband—nothing escaped my grumbling. Waiting in line? Cue the internal monologue of grievances. Behind polite smiles, my mind spun a web of negativity. Then, in an unexpected turn of events, I found Jesus.
What if there was a way for you to have an eternal impact without changing out of your pajamas or putting on makeup? Would you be interested? If so, grab a cup of coffee (or tea) and let’s chat for a while. I’m still in my pj’s too. So don’t
By Danny Barnhill I leaned over a wooden picnic table shaded by an old Elm tree and layered peanut butter and jelly onto slices of bread. Laughter from our group 50 feet away told me they were more interested in the creek than the sandwiches. A scream filled the air.
My body craves rest and often demands it. This used to frustrate me to no end. It made me feel weak, less-than, incapable, and a burden to others. I used to push through all the signs of fatigue, striving to be the person I thought everyone needed me to be.
Why did God rest on the seventh day? I mean, really?!? He’s God—the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth—surely He doesn’t need to rest? Yet, Genesis 2:2 tells us, “By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His
By Margaret Kemp Statistics show a decline in church attendance in the U.S.A. Perhaps you’ve wondered if a believer even needs to be a part of a local church. As some Christians point out, we can worship God anywhere. Others remind us we can watch our favorite preacher online. And sadly, some people
By Laura Bunn We lived in a 700-square-foot apartment when I found out I was pregnant with our first child. My husband and I watched many of our college friends move into luxury city apartments promising “instagrammable views.” But we’d spent the past three years in a one-bedroom, basement-level apartment,
By Sarah Frazer My Bible lay unopened, and once again, the guilt stabbed my heart. Why can’t I get it together? I thought to myself. Going to bed with shame about not reading my Bible was the theme of my story for many years. I might fall into the habit
By Heather Hart “Mom, what would you and Dad do if one of us didn’t believe in Jesus?” my teenage daughter asked me. The question sparked dread deep within my soul, and I knew I needed to weigh my next words carefully. “Nothing. Faith is something you must choose for
2023 Annual Impact Report Download the Printable Report By Sarah Koontz In December 2017, Living by Design Ministries was established to equip Christian women to explore God’s design, embrace godly lifestyles, and exude God’s love. Before our first board meeting, I made three crucial decisions about how I would function
By Joanna Eccles I remember receiving my first prayer journal. A guest speaker came to show the teenage girls in our youth group how to improve our daily prayers through journaling. We had a special luncheon where the speaker placed a blank book at each girl’s seat. Mine had a
By Rosann Coulon Years of chronic illness, sudden shifts in circumstances, and long seasons of difficulty decreased my confidence and increased my anxiety. What if I get it wrong? How do I find the strength to show up? Where do I find the resources I need to complete the task? Many of
By Trisha Sheffield Prayer can feel difficult sometimes—knowing how and when to do it or what and how to say it. We can find comfort in knowing we aren’t alone with our uncertainties and questions. Even Jesus’ disciples asked Him how to pray and He provides a direct answer—what we
Article by: Sarah Koontz, Founder of Living by Design Ministries For many years, I mistakenly believed grace is a New Testament—or New Covenant—concept. In my mind, it was almost as if Jesus’ death and resurrection unleashed God’s grace on mankind for the very first time. How very wrong I was!
By Haley Hobson When we hear the word “bitter,” what’s the first biblical reference that comes to mind? Some of us may recall the widow Naomi in the book of Ruth, who said, “‘Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara,’…‘for the Almighty has made me very bitter’” (Ru 1:20). We
By Danny Barnhill Like so many Saturday mornings before, Lexi and I stumbled into the kitchen searching for our cereal bowls. My 4-year-old grandniece—whom I affectionately call Sugarbear—knew early spring days bring a special treat. After gobbling up our cereal, we heard the call of barn swallows. “Uncle Danny, can
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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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