Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

This Yoke is Easy? Following Jesus in a Post Christian Society

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“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  Matthew 11:30

 

I have been moonlighting for the past three and a half years.  In addition to writing here on my own website, I write devotionals for Devotable LLC.  I love being a part of this group of fellow writers and believers.

 

Devotable recently migrated from it’s own website and app to Medium.com.  Have you been on Medium?  It’s an online place for articles.  You can search and find posts on just about any topic imaginable.

 

Me on Medium

 

I made the jump to publishing for Devotable on Medium last week.  I  crafted a commentary on Matthew 11:30. 

In a culture that is more and more hostile to Jesus followers, let’s discuss how exactly His yoke is easy and His burden light.

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  A click on the title below takes you to the article.  Thanks so much!

 

This Yoke is Easy?  Following Jesus in a Post Christian Society

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

I’m following up my post about a tough topic with Theresa Boedeker’s Other’s Junk and a See-Through Trunk because it made me giggle.  As important as it is to inform ourselves about the hard stuff and be prepared for spiritual battle, sometimes we just need to lighten up and laugh.  Thank you for helping us do that, Theresa!

 

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Praying God’s Word Wednesday #24

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Tomorrow is National PawPaw Day.  Now, I am well aware that this day refers to the PawPaw fruit, but to me, PawPaw is my grandad.  And my grandad is one of the best men I know.  His godly influence trickled down to my parents who influenced me.  And now I’m praying that I am that same godly influence to my kids.

 

While praying to be this kind of example, my fingers found Acts 28:27 in my Bible.

 

For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes – so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.  NLT

 

My prayer for myself today:

 

If needed, replace the pronouns with the appropriate ones for the person or people that you are praying for.

 

If you are reading this, I am praying for you.  And don’t forget to share this on social media or with a friend who could benefit.  It would mean so much to me.  If you don’t want to miss a Praying God’s Word Wednesday, subscribe over on the right hand side of this page.

Lauren

Let’s Talk About Mental Health

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Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka are the latest prominent figures to speak publicly about their mental health.  I appreciate anyone who uses their platform – big or small to draw attention to the rising mental health epidemic in our country.  These conversations were hidden in dark corners for too long.  The more we bring these issues to light, the more awareness we have.  The more awareness we have, the better we can recognize early signs and seek help.  Not only for ourselves, but also for others.

 

I have suffered from low level depression and anxiety.  As a result, counseling has been a great help to me.  In addition to my own struggles, family members with different mental health challenges spur me to try to stay informed.  But there is so much I don’t know.

 

Even though I’m no subject matter expert, I couldn’t let World Suicide Prevention Day pass without at least sharing a few resources I found this month.

 

Websites and Articles

 

  1.  Why Olympian Athletes Break Down and Why You Could Be Next – an article from Relevant Magazine by Debra Fileta
  2.  Watch Those Calories!  A Digital Diet for Mental Health from The Gospel Coalition.  David Murray expounds on how our online activities contribute to mental and emotional issues.
  3. Am I Actually Depressed or Just Sad?  by Andrea Jongbloed for Relevant Magazine.  A good primer on recognizing the difference.
  4. How Do I Know if This Counselor is Right for Me?  from Beth Claes and The Gospel Coalition.
  5. KatieRDale.com – formerly BiPolar Brave.  Katie writes with frankness and truth about her struggle against Bipolar disorder.  Spend some time clicking around and reading about her experiences and insight.
  6. hopefortheheart.org  June Hunt’s organization has been around for 35 years and the resource offerings keep getting better and better.  Check out the books, articles, videos, radio program and therapy options with licensed professional counselors.

 

Helpful Numbers

 

Text HELLO to 741741 to connect immediately with a crisis counselor 24/7 for free.  Or chat online at crisistextline.org.  And most importantly, if you are having thoughts about self-harm, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or simply dial 911.  Don’t hesitate.

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

My fellow link up host Maree Dee is writing about suicide prevention this month, and doing it much better than me.  She has some great tips for how you can get informed and involved, and some great resources in Suicide Prevention:  Will You Be the One to Save a Life?  Thanks so much, Maree.

Grace and Truth_Rules

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace Truth_Button

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.

 

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