identity Archives - Living by Design Ministries

Finding Your Identity in Christ (Not in Your Kids’ Behavior): A Survival Guide for Moms

By Guest Writer / October 14, 2025

By Katherine Grote My four amazing children are my sun, moon, heart, and every other sappy thing people say. The oldest is 20-I-know-everything-about-life-can-you-put-some-money-in-my-account years old, two are teenagers, and the youngest is 11 going on 35. My kids are also the cause of the tic under my left eye and the reason I wake up […]

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How to Navigate Life’s Detours Without Losing Sight of God’s Goodness

By Guest Writer / May 6, 2025

By Amber Ginter Have you ever been so caught up in life’s bumps and roadblocks that you forget to trust God? Have you ever felt like the Israelites wandering in the wilderness? We can lose sight of God’s goodness as we navigate life’s detours. We can question choices, feel isolated, and wonder if a mistake

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Our Value to God: The Secret to Overcoming Shame

By Guest Writer / September 10, 2024

By Julia Sexil Prior to the last boarding call for a flight back to Florida, I heard my name announced over the loudspeaker to see the clerk at the front desk. Bewildered, I stood up to stretch one last time. I wiped away any evidence of sleep from my eyes, gathered my belongings, and made

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A Biblical 5-Step Process for Giving Advice

By Sarah Koontz / June 11, 2024

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 my brain works. I know

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7 Beautiful Examples of God’s Grace in the Old Testament

By Sarah Koontz / February 20, 2024

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! The concept of grace—unmerited favor—is

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How to Become a Scholar in God’s School

By Sarah Koontz / January 23, 2024

Article by: Sarah Koontz Is there a person in your life whom you esteem as a scholar in God’s School? Someone who seems to have unique access to God, supreme wisdom in every circumstance, and an uncanny ability to weave God’s truth into each conversation? I know several of these scholars, and their depth of

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We Are Not Damaged Goods: How to See Ourselves as God Sees Us

By Guest Writer / September 19, 2023

By Kelly Basham While browsing an outdoor clearance event at a local antique store, a set of metal serving trays caught my attention. The trays had pictures of elegantly dressed ladies sitting down for tea. The price tag read, “$2.00 for the pair.” I was surprised by the price and that they were included in

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Transformative Truths from John’s Epistles

By Sarah Koontz / September 13, 2022

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 have never read John’s epistles,

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Powerful Life-Lessons from Peter’s Epistles

By Sarah Koontz / August 23, 2022

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 to help you grasp the

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5 Biblical Ancestors Who Overcame Doubt and Fear

By Guest Writer / June 7, 2022

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 mental pictures of previous failures

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