Hi! I’m Kelly.

My life goal is to convince as many people as possible that nothing compares to simply knowing Jesus!

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Blog

Four Ways Your Faith Should Shape Your Friendships

Oct 5, 2019

Oct 5, 2019

Oct 5, 2019

Why Conflict is a Necessary Ally to Real Friendship

Sep 3, 2019

Sep 3, 2019

Sep 3, 2019

The Importance of Recognizing Loss for Adopted Children

Jun 5, 2019

Jun 5, 2019

Jun 5, 2019

The Tension in Our Hope

Mar 19, 2019

Mar 19, 2019

Mar 19, 2019

The Gift of a Friend's Rebuke

Feb 21, 2019

Feb 21, 2019

Feb 21, 2019

I'm Writing a Book

Jun 8, 2018

Jun 8, 2018

Jun 8, 2018

Connecting with God through the Word

May 1, 2018

May 1, 2018

May 1, 2018

Replicating Our Faith

Apr 24, 2018

Apr 24, 2018

Apr 24, 2018

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Friendish has been our 7 weeks now! What?! It feels like just yesterday I was interviewing people and planning out chapters. My most frequent prayers were that it would give you a deeper love for Jesus and grant you clarity and confidence in your friendships.
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So has God answer my prayers? How has Friendish been impacting you? What resonated with you the most? What surprised you? What encouraged or challenged you? I’d love to hear from you!
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If this book has been a blessing to you, why not tag a friend and let them know about it. ☺️
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#friendishbook #friendish

Many of us would like to act like the color of our skin makes no difference in how we are treated. But the sad reality is that it does make a difference. My light skin & my white heritage give me protection, advantages and privileges that many black Americans don’t have.
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Today, as I hear about the death of #atatianajefferson and consider so many other wrongful deaths of black Americans before her, I grieve. I grieve the terror this causes so many of my black friends. I grieve the tension it builds in our nation. I grieve the lack of perfect justice this side of heaven.
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It’s not that people of other ethnicities have not faced wrongful deaths. They have. And those injustices matter just as much to the heart of God. But our country has a history of prolonged abuse toward black Americans. And the effects of those dark times, even years later, still linger.
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Oh how eager I am for the Lord Jesus to return and execute his perfect justice. To right every wrong. To vindicate the wrongfully accused and condemn the wicked who go free.
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But I also am grateful that he tarries...because the sins in my own heart were just as grotesque, self-preserving, and evil. And instead of facing his just wrath, I received mercy & grace! And until he returns, I pray many more sinners will repent & receive his mercy and grace.
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But in the mean time, I‘m praying my brothers and sisters bearing the brunt of injustice remember who our God is—a God who hears, who sees, who remembers, and who knows.
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“During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God HEARD their groaning, and God REMEMBERED his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God SAW the people of Israel-and God KNEW.” - Exodus 2:23-25
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Christians-lets keep praying for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. For his comfort & consolation to be poured out on all who are suffering. Let’s ask him for eyes to see where we may be part of the problem & how we can be a part of the solution. And to make our churches safe havens for all peoples.

Weakness—we don’t care for it, but it’s the most effective path for God to show his power in and through our lives.
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But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9
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And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 2:3-5
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For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. - 2 Corinthians 1:8-9
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But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
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But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. - 2 Corinthians 4:7
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May you find the courage to accept your weaknesses today and the boldness to brag about them knowing God’s power is perfected in weakness.

How do we cultivate a lifestyle of worship to the Lord? • Notice & Thank •
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At least that’s how I worship Him daily. Noticing the details of my life:
- a child’s arms wrapped around my leg
- a flower blooming in the cracks of the pavement
- dirty dishes and dirty shoes
- a body free from pain
- the movement of trees in the wind
- our unmade bed
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And then I thank God for his abundant kindness in those details.
- a beloved, adopted child clinging to me
- a flower that sings of the God who puts beauty even in obscure places
- dishes that speak of full bellies and shoes that speak of playing outside
- a body that has strength to serve God and others
- wind that exposes our lack of control but points to God‘s utter sovereignty
- and messy sheets, the mark of the man who sleeps next to me and is a precious gift to me and our family
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Notice & thank. That’s what daily worship is in my life. And not only in the daily details but in my bible reading. As I read in 2 Corinthians 1 about the God who “comforts us in all our affliction,” I thank him for the word “all.” He doesn’t comfort us in some of our affliction, but in ALL of it! Not one hardship evades his ability to comfort and console. Hallelujah! Our God is so kind and merciful.
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Pay attention today, friends. Notice the details around you. And take the next step to say thank you to “the Father of lights from whom comes every good gift and every perfect gift.” Worship him today! It’s what we were made for!
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📷: @charityclaytonphotography
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#dailyworship #worshipdaily #noticethedetails #payattention #thankgod #thankfulthursday #thankful #thankfulquotes #worshiplife #momlife❤️ #itsallinthedetails #bethankfuleveryday #bethankful #grateful

Spoiler alert... most of the photos I share here are all taken at one time, in one day! That’s what I did yesterday with my friend @charityclaytonphotography.
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This allows me to have ready-to-go pictures I can schedule to post on my accounts along with what God is laying on my heart to share. It frees me from always being on the lookout for a good photo op. It frees me from interrupting the precious moments of my day to capture and post something. Doing this is my attempt to be more present in my real life while stewarding an online presence as well.
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In other seasons of my life I’ve done different things. For almost a year I quit social media all together. It was glorious!! In other seasons, I used social media purely as a way to keep up with close friends. In still other seasons, I used it only as a platform to inform others I had released a new blog post. And in this season, I’m doing something different.
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I share this because we’re all trying to navigate our way through this new world called social media. And the longer we have access to things like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like, the more clear it is that there are real dangers here. Things like: addiction, envy, comparison, self-promotion, falsehood, lying, deceit, slander, pride, greed.
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So is social media to blame for all these things?
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No. Jesus made it clear in Mark 7:14-23 that these things come from within, from our own hearts. Social media does not defile us with these sins. Our flesh may be aroused or provoked by social media, but sin comes from within, from our own hearts. So we cannot conclude that social media is bad in and of itself.
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But still, we all need to exercise wisdom in how we do this. And we will all come to different conclusions about what is right for us to do. Some will quit all social media. Some will stay engaged to keep in touch with friends and family. Some will only use it on a computer and not a phone. Some will use it to share their hearts. Some will use it for business and ministries.
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There’s not one right answer. Because we all have different lives, struggles, vocations, and temptations. But whatever we choose to do, let it be for the glory of God!

Still thinking about #Revive19 last month and how grateful I am for Jesus! For His life, death, and resurrection that makes true revival possible!
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I’ve been preaching my own message from that weekend to myself this week... “walk by the Spirit, Kelly!” This is my hope for lasting change and freedom in my life. Not my own efforts but daily, hourly, asking the Spirit to lead me to Jesus.
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If you were there or listened online, what message or truth is still echoing in your heart?
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#revive19 #seekinghim19

It’s the little, everyday moments we cherish. It’s the little moments we miss most. It’s the little moments that make us realize how truly rich we are with an abundance of gifts from God.
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So don’t chase the big moments. Don’t obsess over them. Don’t believe the lie that the big moments—or lack thereof— define you.
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Thank God today for the thousands of blessings and gifts all around you. Worship Him for the kind and merciful God that he is! And soak in those little moments. They’re the gold of life!

“Were I to write for him my laws by the ten thousands, they would be regarded as a strange thing.” - Hosea 8:12
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This is one of God’s many accusations against his people in the book is Hosea: that they don’t even recognize him or his word. They don’t know him.
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But I often wonder if there is any difference in God’s people today. Do we know his word? Are we familiar with the 66 books he gave us? Do we know his character as it’s been revealed to us? Do we recognize his activity in the world?
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This is why passing on a love for God’s Word is so important to me. Because the Word of God is the primary means by which we learn who God is so that we can know how to build a relationship with him.
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God’s character is on high-definition display in his word! I pray that we would spend our time studying God’s ways, his character, his desires, his preferences and his faithfulness!
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If you need a good place to start, I have an 8 week Bible study methods course available on my website. In it you’ll learn how to study the Bible with a view to grow in your knowledge of God and draw closer to him.
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Link in bio!

When we were thinking about the release of 📚Friendish, everyone decided that podcasts would be one of the best platforms to discuss the content.
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We all need friends and we all want friends, but I’ve found that few people have actually thought deeply about how and why they do friendship. Because of that we all tend to have bad habits and unhealthy tendencies. But talking through all that takes time! More than just a 5 minute interview.
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So I’m so thankful for all the amazing podcasts and hosts who have had me on their show to talk about this important topic of getting rid of our friend-ish tendencies and learning to fight for real friendship!
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If you’re interested in my book and want to learn more, here’s a list of podcasts I’ve been on that you can check out:
🎧 Revive Our Hearts
🎧 Journeywomen
🎧 The Daily Grace Podcast
🎧 Real Talk with Rachael
🎧 By Faith with Christine Hoover
🎧 Dear Daughters with Susie Davis
🎧 Confessions of a Crappy Christian
🎧 Faithful Podcast
🎧 Water with Lemon
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And coming soon...
🎧 Behind the Bliss
🎧 Java with Juli 🎧 Hole in my Heart podcast
🎧 Grit ‘n’ Grace
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Happy listening!