Kelly Needham
Who I Am What I Believe Favorite Books Our Adoption Story
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Kelly Needham
Above All Else... Devotion to Christ
LATEST POSTS
The Gift of a Friend's Rebuke
I'm Writing a Book
Happy Galentine's Day?
Arrows to Jesus: Gift-Giving to the Glory of God
The Everyday Woman's Guide to Revelation
A Solitude Guide
Kelly's Story on TryingCollective.com
A Light in the Darkness: An Update on Redeem Halloween
Your Letter to Your Future Spouse
It's always a good time for truth
Dying to Self: For Your Good and His Glory
Danger Ahead: When Mature Leaders Rely on Experience
The Greatest Work You Can Do in College
A New Kind of Couple: When Best Friends Become Romantic
Leave Neediness Out of Mentoring
True Friends Are Hard to Find
Worship the Father, Not a Lesser Shadow
Satan Wields Ignorance of the Word as a Weapon
Don't Skim the 'Minor' Bible Stories
The Unexpected Temptation in Spiritual Maturity
Why Adoption is Worth Every Obstacle
The Antidote for Apathy
More Than BFFs: When Friendship Goes Too Far
Are You Using God?
Rely on Your Savior, Not a Resolution
Disappointment in December
Women & Sexual Temptation: Learning to Talk About Lust
[Food & the Bible] Do We Give Food Too Much Glory?
Why Do We Suffer?
Grieve to the Glory of God
 
 

 

Kelly’s UPCOMING book:

friend-ish

 

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KNOWING GOD
A Solitude Guide
It's always a good time for truth
Dying to Self: For Your Good and His Glory
The Greatest Work You Can Do in College
Worship the Father, Not a Lesser Shadow
The Unexpected Temptation in Spiritual Maturity
The Antidote for Apathy
Are You Using God?
Rely on Your Savior, Not a Resolution
Women & Sexual Temptation: Learning to Talk About Lust
Why Do We Suffer?
Silencing the Noise
[Food & the Bible] When Eating is Sinful
3 Metaphors for Mentorship
Let Me Fail
Waiting: The Fruit of Faith
[Friendship Gone Wrong] Unseen Neediness
A New Goal
The Bible is a Witness; Not a Savior
When Feelings and Faith Disagree
Painful Pruning: An Unavoidable Season
A Posture of Repentance
Exercising an Idle Mind
Wanted: Friends Desperate for God
Corrie Ten Boom: Extraordinary Faith in the Face of Danger
How to Handle the Grief of Miscarriage
The Threat of Joy In Ministry
The Sabbath: The Antidote for Achievement-Addicts
So you want to do something great for God...
Do You Know His Word?
FRIENDSHIP
The Gift of a Friend's Rebuke
I'm Writing a Book
Happy Galentine's Day?
A New Kind of Couple: When Best Friends Become Romantic
Leave Neediness Out of Mentoring
True Friends Are Hard to Find
More Than BFFs: When Friendship Goes Too Far
[Friendship Gone Wrong] Unseen Neediness
Wanted: Friends Desperate for God
There is only One.
A Theology of Singleness
[Friendship Gone Wrong] The Trend of Romanticization
[Friendship Gone Wrong] The Journey to Freedom
[Friendship Gone Wrong] What's the Purpose?
[Friendship Gone Wrong] 15 Questions to Diagnose Idolatry
[Friendship Gone Wrong] No Safe Zones
[Friendship Gone Wrong] A Tale of Two Friends
The Lost Art of Letter Writing
SUFFERING
Kelly's Story on TryingCollective.com
Dying to Self: For Your Good and His Glory
Why Adoption is Worth Every Obstacle
Disappointment in December
Why Do We Suffer?
Grieve to the Glory of God
When Feelings and Faith Disagree
Painful Pruning: An Unavoidable Season
Corrie Ten Boom: Extraordinary Faith in the Face of Danger
How to Handle the Grief of Miscarriage
Just Because
No Good Thing Does He Withhold - Part 2
No Good Thing Does He Withhold - Part 1
 
 
 
 

I'd love to come teach at your event.

 
 
 
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ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS
Happy Galentine's Day?
Your Letter to Your Future Spouse
It's always a good time for truth
Dying to Self: For Your Good and His Glory
A Wife After God's Own Heart, Part 2
A Wife After God's Own Heart, Part 1
A Theology of Singleness
A Heart for Home: Part 1
Women, We Are Influencers
Womanhood for the Glory of God
PARENTING
Arrows to Jesus: Gift-Giving to the Glory of God
Why Adoption is Worth Every Obstacle
Grieve to the Glory of God
How to Handle the Grief of Miscarriage
How Caring for Children Changes the World
So you want to do something great for God...
There is only One.
A Jesus-Heart for Children, Part 3
A Jesus-Heart for Children, Part 2
A Jesus-Heart for Children, Part 1
A Heart for Home: Part 1
Womanhood for the Glory of God
Servanthood: the Path to Greatness
Just Because
Safer Than a Known Way
Children: Burden or Blessing?
The Influence of a Woman
Norwegian Lessons
Lessons in Sleeplessness
A Greater End
Fullness of Joy
No Good Thing Does He Withhold - Part 2
No Good Thing Does He Withhold - Part 1
FOOD & THE BIBLE
[Food & the Bible] Do We Give Food Too Much Glory?
[Food & the Bible] When Eating is Sinful
[Food & the Bible] Not by Bread Alone
[Food & the Bible] Good Food, Bad Food
Food & the Bible
Last night, I spent a lot of time with my daughters, talking and praying with them about things that were on their hearts. Jimmy and I were able to share the good news of what Jesus came to do in a fresh way, specifically addressing how Jesus dealt with our shame. . But because of that, I didn’t unpack from our spring break travels. The house looks a little crazy today from trying to find this thing or that thing in all the suitcases. My preference is to unpack as soon as we land and get things in order for the week ahead. But something more important came up. . Every day we have decisions to make about how we will spend our time. And every day, there are more things to be done than we have time to do. So we will have to make judgment calls about what matters most. . The temptation we all face is to waste our days being busy with unimportant things and missing the most important things. And the more important the thing, the less urgent it often seems. . Meeting God in the Word and in prayer is of paramount importance. But how often do we sideline him for dishes, emails, and errands? . Listening to our children, hearing their hearts, playing with them, reading to them. It rarely feels urgent, but this is our chance to invest in the next generation. We ought to pour the best of what we have into them, not the leftovers. . Serving our spouses, making space in our schedules and minds for conversation, physical affection, and fun. Building relationships and strengthening ties with those in our local churches. Discipling young believers. Sharing the good news with neighbors or family. . Today, we’ll be faced with many decisions about what is most important. Let’s ask him for the grace to leave suitcases unpacked if need be. To leave dishes undone. To leave emails unanswered. To let go of our preferences and be good stewards of our time. Let’s get our #soulinorder before our home is in order. These are the decisions we won’t regret 50 years from now. . 📸: @charityclaytonphotography . #importantoverurgent #priorities
Jimmy Needham: helping people not take themselves too seriously since 1985. . But seriously, he helps me laugh at myself and remember that the weight of the world isn’t on my shoulders but on the Lord’s. He’s taught me the true meaning of humility and helped me walk confidently in the strength God provides. . I love him. 😍 . 📸: @charityclaytonphotography
I need other people, and so do you. But sadly, because of our aversion to asking for help, many of us do not experience all the benefits of being in the community of faith. And sometimes that is no one’s fault but our own. . It is not right to assume others will intrinsically know what we need when we need it. Instead, we need to learn to take responsibility for our own needs and seek out solutions to them. . And at the same time, we can’t take it personally if the first person we ask cannot be there for us. Because we don’t need that one specific person in order to be okay. . The truth is, if all my closest friends moved away, I would grieve because of the preciousness of those relationships. But I would not be ruined. I need people, but not those specific people. I have the Lord as my stability, and I know that I can still get my needs met through other people in my church family. . If my friend Laci cannot be there for me, I can ask my friend Emily. And if she is unavailable, I can call Sarah. If Sarah doesn’t answer, I can text my friend Abbey. And when she cannot respond, I can call my small group leader. And if that fails, I can reach out to my pastors and elders and let them know of my need and request their help to get it met. . We need each other! But we cannot read each other’s minds. So let’s humble ourselves and ask for help when we need it in clear, specific ways. . (Ps— you can preorder my book on friendship on amazon today! Click the link in my profile for more info.) . 📸: @charityclaytonphotography . #friendshipgoals #friendshipquotes #friendshipgoals💕 #bffgoals #bffgoals💕 #bestiegoals #besties #bestfriendgoals #bestfriendsever #bestfriendquotes #friends #community #churchfamily #weneedeachother #askforhelpwhenyouneedit #askforhelp #neveralone
I’m so excited for you all to have a chance to read my book, Friend-ish, this September! But at the end of the day, I only have something to say because God has already spoken. His Word has been my trainer and teacher, the signpost pointing to the only place wisdom is found—Jesus. My hope is that you’ll see the Word of God woven through every page of #Friendish. . Secretly, I pray that as you read my book you’ll grow more and more eager to set it aside and pick up the only living and active book in print: the Bible. . Thanks to all of you for your prayer, excitement and support! I’m preparing some exciting things to give those of you who preorder, so keep an eye out! . Happy spring break, friends. Let’s use our extra time to meet with God in His Word this week. For knowing Him is eternal life. . 📸: @charityclaytonphotography
Hope creates tension. It inserts a longing for a future reality that is totally secure but not yet accessible. Our hope is not yet realized.⠀ .⠀ As I write these words, I’m very aware of my sinful tendencies and the lingering flesh still inside me. I’m suffering in fractured relationships and unfulfilled longings. I don’t always feel the nearness of God in the way I would like. And so to believe what is true, to hope in what is promised, creates a tension in my life. Tension between what is and what I am promised as a daughter of God.⠀ .⠀ This tension is not a pleasant thing, but it’s also not a bad thing. It’s the normal experience for Christians to live in this hopeful tension. So, don’t reject hope because it carries tension with it. Don’t reject hope because it doesn’t immediately solve all the unpleasant experiences in your life. This is “the hope to which [God] has called you” (Eph 1:18).⠀ .⠀ Tension always begs to be relieved. So, what should we do with the tension hope creates? Is there an action we can take? Something we can do to relieve the pressure? Yes! There is something we can do: wait.⠀ .⠀ Not the action step you were hoping for, is it? Who likes waiting? But this connection between hope and waiting is a strong one. It is so closely linked in the Bible that these concepts, at times, are interchangeable.⠀ .⠀ For example, Psalm 25:3 in the NIV translation says: “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame.” But the ESV translates the same verse this way: “Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame.”⠀ .⠀ All that has been promised to those who trust in Christ is absolutely coming true. So, as you feel the gap between the promise and the reality, as you feel the tension hope creates, wait. Wait eagerly and actively with your brothers and sisters in Christ and endure in this season together.⠀ .⠀ Read the rest of my article by going to the link in my profile.⠀ .⠀ 📸: @charityclaytonphotography
Silence and stillness don’t happen by accident. If you want to quiet your soul, it will require intentionality. . But why should we sit still? Why be quiet? Because it reminds us that God is in charge, not us. It reminds us our activity doesn’t keep the world spinning. Our work is not essential, but God’s work is. . Silence and stillness wean us off of self-trust and remind us that our hope is in God alone. Silence and stillness urge us to aim our anxious thoughts at God and look to Him as our peace. . Notice how the psalmists use silence and stillness: . “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.“ —Psalm 62:5-8 . “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” — Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11 . Why not set a timer for 20 minutes today and then simply do nothing. Sit outside and soak in the beauty of creation. Rest your mind and your body and meditate on how good and powerful Jesus is for all who trust in him. In the stillness, as anxious thoughts come, give each one over to him and acknowledge his Lordship in your life. . Be still, know He is God and you are not. . 📸: @charityclaytonphotography
Jimmy and I are in Hawaii this weekend with the Salvation Army. We get to exalt Jesus in word and song as we minister to some teenagers and young adults! What a privilege! . Please pray for us that God would come alongside our efforts and cause the growth that only he can bring.
Parenting gives you a front row seat to watch the most amazing transformation. It’s like watching a beautiful garden grow as you wait for spring. It requires patience, because growth doesn’t happen in an hour, a day, or even a week. It’s uneventful most days, but don’t let that fool you. If you look away too long you’ll miss the magical moment of bright green sprouts appearing from seeds planted long ago. What an incredible privilege parenting is. . If we refuse to be fooled by the mundane nature of parenting, if we actively wait and watch, we will catch that glorious moment when growth happens. It’s like seeing the petals of a bloom unfold before your eyes. An incredible, ordinary miracle. . Like seeing my oldest overcome her fear of failure. Or my middle daughter learn to shorten the distance between losing her temper and humbly apologizing. Or seeing my son grow the patience to color inside the lines. Wow. The beauty of seeing the soul of another shaped in front of you is such a privilege. . Call it mundane. Call it ordinary. Call it parenting. But I’ll call it breathtaking. . 📸: @charityclaytonphotography . #realmagic #parenthood #parenting #momlife #motherhood #parenthood_moments #mundanebeauty #ordinarymoments