Two Things We All Have in Common {An Exciting Announcement!}
As Christians we can be sure we have two things in common: that we are desperate sinners in need of a perfect savior, and that we are loved and forgiven through the grace of Christ. This means that we will go through countless trials, but he remains faithful. And through His faithfulness God has brought so many amazing people into my life at just the right times.
My dear friend Janelle is one of them. She has such a kind heart, and you know it from the moment you meet her. That’s why she’s the perfect person for this new ministry . . .
Dear friends, I would like to introduce you to a much needed blog: Overcomer Outreach. You may recognize the founder, Janelle Nehrenz from Comfy in the Kitchen where she shares about meal ministry. She often says it isn’t so much the delicious recipes that make her ministry special—it’s the meaning behind them that matter most.
Comforting the hurting. Sharing the gospel with them. Encouraging them through Christ.
The mission of Overcomer Outreach
Here you will find a group of authors with compassionate hearts seeking to encourage you through the strength of God. This amazing group of women is comprised of Licensed Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Christian life coaches, business owners, published authors, professional speakers, professional bloggers, Bible study leaders, pastor’s wives, moms, and wives.
These beautiful women are beyond brave and full of sincerity, love, grace, and compassion. I’m so excited to join them. Meet all of the authors here.
Many of us have been through the trials you may be bearing, which is why 2 Corinthians 1:4 is a verse we continue to cling to when we think of why we’re here.
Again, many of us have been or still are right there in your shoes.
We pray to speak to the woman who has had an abortion, an affair, a drug addiction, you fill in the blank, and our prayer is to use God’s word and truth to give her freedom. We pray for her to finally be released from bondage and set free through the truth of the gospel.
We pray to speak to the oppressed, ill, victimized, tormented, abused, and bullied. We want to share God’s truth and love with you . . . and encourage you. We want to walk beside you to let you know that you will get through this.
A message from Janelle
Lord I pray that I will never become too proud to forget the pain I’ve felt. Use me as a means to help others and to point them to you…I fully believe that without your strength, I would be spent. Yet, you’ve given me a platform and a voice of compassion . . . and for that, I will forever praise your name.
During the most difficult time of my life, my presence met early mornings in my white rocking chair on the porch. Sipping coffee with my blanket on my lap, not meant for warmth but comfort . . . I would lay down my troubles, needs, and praises down on a sheet of paper. I would pray with a sincerity only deeply burdened souls understand, then read, then pray again. It was the only moment in my day, at the time, when I didn’t feel weight on my chest, when my heart wouldn’t race, when my hands didn’t tremble, when irrational thoughts wouldn’t cloud my judgement and when my thoughts were focused on just God.
Often times I would remind myself of the verse, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:23) I would pray that God could give me this seemingly supernatural power. I feared the next hour just as much as tomorrow just as much as next year. So, I started taking life in very small increments. Just enough, for a person going through trauma would be able to swallow.
“People feel this way,” I would think to myself. “I never knew people felt this kind of pain.”
God might not have taken me to that awful place, but because I was there . . . I’m making a promise to use that experience to help others. Some have been there and can’t seem to find a healthy new way of life, while others are currently there in that desolate place that my flesh would rather not recall.
The thorn in my side. Do you have one? I’m going to change my mind from feeling broken, tormented and victimized to feeling blessed to know those feelings.
I’m going to be an Overcomer.
Not only that, I’m going to live my life encouraging others be the same. What the enemy wanted to destroy, I will allow God to use for his good.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” —1 John 5:4
Love to you,
Janelle
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Head over to Overcomer Outreach and enter the launch giveaway!
