Category: Blog

Father’s Day looks different for everyone.

Whether you’re a first time dad or have been a proud one for 50 years; whether this is a day you love to celebrate, or for whatever reason, this day is a really tough one you wish you could skip; as believers, we all have something in common today. Knowing God personally as your Heavenly Father changes things profoundly. It changes your past; it changes your future; it changes you.

When my parents got divorced, my relationship with my dad struggled immensely and became pretty nonexistent. It was because of his absence in my life at that time that I went heart-first in pursuit of seeking my Father. I found Him, and with Him, grace and forgiveness like I’d never known.

Ultimately, having a real relationship with God as my Father freed me from the prison I had built for myself. He taught me personally about forgiveness in a way that then mended the relationship I thought I’d never get back with my dad.

God forgives me, He untangles me from the messes I often find myself in and loves me back to life, every single time. This is what strengthens and enables me to forgive others, too.

A short & sweet reflection for you today:
Is there anyone you need to forgive?
Who can you honor and celebrate?
How can you strengthen your relationships and steward them well in a way that reflects God’s heart?

So, here’s to our dads and our Father. Here’s to the beauty and grace found in forgiveness. Here’s to the men in our lives we admire, appreciate and deeply respect. They don’t get enough credit, and I pray we learn to never take them for granted. Good, Godly men are treasure; they’re rare, and just like moms, they are a vital part of making a house a home.

Happy Father’s Day 💙

Listen: Ryan Ellis – Heart of the Father
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34GcRkWIY3s

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

If you’re reading this, whoever you are, I’m praying for you.

For the moms, I’m praying for you as a mother. For the daughters, I’m praying for your mom and your relationship with her. For the men, as sons, fathers and husbands, I’m praying for the women in your life. For your wife, the mother of your children. For your mothers and your mother-in-laws.

For your grandmothers, aunts, sisters and teachers.
For your neighbors, friends and amazing leaders.

For those who have lost their moms and moms who have lost children. For the dog/cat/pet moms, for the foster moms and for those who desperately want to be moms and are still tirelessly trying.

Here’s to the moms who do it all behind the scenes, the things that don’t make our highlight reels or Instagram feeds. The meals you make, the prayers you’ve prayed and the lives you’ve shaped.

Motherhood is a ministry.

Let us never take for granted, or miss an opportunity to honor, the amazing, strong, selfless, resilient, irreplaceable and incomparable women God has graciously given to us as gifts in our lives.

Moms. There really is nothing like them. God made them on purpose, with purpose, and I’m so glad He did.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
Proverbs 31:30

Happy Mother’s Day.

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

The death, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are anything but casual. They’re holy, and they change everything. As born-again believers, our entire faith is rooted, grounded and verified in the truth of what Jesus Christ did at Calvary.

Did you know that that same Resurrection Power from 2,000 years ago is available for you today? Right here, right now? (Romans 8:11)

What do you need resurrected in your life?

Hope? Health? Maybe a relationship?
Joy? Passion and purpose? Peace?
Your career? Your family? Your heart?

Jesus came for this and paid for this, too.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:10

We all have wounded places, desperate situations, broken dreams and hearts that need healing. And in bold faith, with holy anticipation, we are personally invited to shout “Hosanna” to the King of kings in every circumstance and season of our lives.

So, today may we hand over our unmet expectations, empty disappointments and everything we thought our lives might look like, so we can walk into the miracle of what God wants to do.

With God, dry bones don’t stay that way.
He gives beauty for ashes and brings dead things to life.

When you hold your dreams, desires, timeline and to-do list with open hands and a loose grip, you get to watch God do what only He can do. You will live differently, see differently and through grace with faith, begin to trust supernaturally.

What happened at Calvary isn’t a story; it’s real, factual history. And God is inviting us continuously into the miracle of new life. His way is better, and His timing is perfect.

Let Him resurrect what seemed dead and done.
He is exactly who He says He is. Invite Him in to show you and prove it.

With Jesus, your story doesn’t end in failure.
New life begins now. Resurrection power is here.

“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.”
Matthew 28:6

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

Hey friend. There’s something you need to know today.
God loves you. Period.

No strings attached. Not “if” or “when” or “but.”
He loves YOU. Regardless of your circumstances.
Despite your past. Consistently and unconditionally.

God loves you.

I know; it’s hard to understand or even comprehend.
People fail us. They hurt us, neglect us, reject us, abandon and abuse us.
They change their minds and their feelings. But this love? The only thing it changes is you.
And then after it changes you, it changes the way you love others.

Don’t let anything keep you from it today.
Run to Him, not from Him. 💙

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

A word on weakness.

Contrary to what the world will try to tell you, your weakness is actually a gift.
In the Kingdom, it’s a key.

You see, it is through our humility and weakness, more than our accolades or strengths, that God demonstrates His strength and sovereignty.

So, whatever it is that broke you, if it has driven you to the feet of Jesus, praise God for that thing.

Be very thankful for it. It’s in our brokenness that we are driven to depend most on God.
And when we fully, desperately, wholeheartedly depend on God, everything changes.

*2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

Who are you?

Looks are fickle, and they eventually fade.
Influence is fleeting.
Relationship statuses change.
Jobs come and go, friends and followers do too.

Maybe the better question is: Whose are you?

Don’t let the Hallmark holiday creeping up on us allow you to question or second guess the truth of who you are. Flowers and chocolate are sweet, but they don’t define you. That crush you’re praying would notice you, didn’t die on a Cross for you.

Whatever your relationship status is, as a child of the Most High God, your love life is always flourishing. That will never change, and interestingly enough, the fact it will never change quite frankly changes everything.

*John 1:12

You will know who you are, when you know Whose you are.

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

Part 1: “Fresh Starts & New Beginnings”

The world is obsessed with making “resolutions” that are usually unrealistic and are rarely obtained or sustained, because deep down, we are all desperate for a fresh start. As Christians, we have what the world is desperate for. Jesus IS the fresh start that every single soul is searching for. Repentance is the key that unlocks a completely new beginning. A fresh slate. A new life. Forgiveness, mercy, hope, joy… it’s all in Him.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not just putting 2022 in God’s hands, I’m putting every year of my past and every year in the future there too. It’s all His.

What prayers are you praying? What big, mountain-moving things are you believing?
This year, let’s choose to be intentional about how we represent the God we serve.
Let’s be living, breathing examples of a real, living God.

Part 2: “Assess & Reflect”

A New Year reflection prompt:
Reflecting on last year can help us be better this year.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to use 2021 as a blueprint to grow and for the grace to do it.

Feel free to respond here, journal about this or talk to a friend about these.

What do you think you did well in 2021?
What do you want to do better and improve in 2022?
What (ex. disciplines, tools, commitments) & who (ex. leaders, friends, family)
helped you succeed in 2021, and what/who do you think will help you be the best you you can be in 2022?

Part 3: “Spiritual Vision”

The calendar may have changed, but how is your heart, vision and priorities?
The Christian life isn’t a life of autopilot; it requires intentionality!

God is bigger than we even think, and His plans for us are better than we can ever dream. Have you genuinely asked God what He wants for you this year? If not, maybe you’re feeling stuck in autopilot. If that’s the case, I have a really good solution. Ask the Holy Spirit!

If Jesus said it is best for us that He goes away, then it must be because there is something extremely valuable about what the Holy Spirit was coming to do (John 16:7). He teaches us, guides us, leads us, sanctifies us, comforts us and intercedes for us.

Let’s partner with God and His vision for our lives in 2022, amen?

Starting today, set a time every day this week to seek God’s heart for your life this year
1. Grab your bible 📖
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind and give you spiritual vision 🕊
3. Pray 🙏 Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield

*Praise Him for Who He is, for what He’s done & what He will do
(He’s worthy!)
*Repent of any sin that could be keeping you from what He has for you
(habits, attitudes, thoughts, relationships, etc.)
*Ask what He wants you to do with your life this year
(with your time, talents/gifts, relationships, finances, etc.)
*Yield to His will and what He says to you
(embrace it, walk in it and trust Him, it’s worth it every single time!)

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

To those hurting at the holidays… I wrote this for you. ⁣⁣⁣

Maybe you thought you’d be sharing these days with someone who never showed up. Maybe you’ve suffered a loss you could have never seen coming. Maybe you’re missing someone you can’t call anymore, and you had to set one less seat at the table.

Maybe you’re anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted and just really need a second to breathe and remember who you are. Maybe your heart is breaking and your voice is shaking and it has taken absolutely everything in you to get through these last couple of months, weeks and days. ⁣⁣⁣⁣

If that’s you, here’s what I want you to do:⁣⁣⁣⁣

⁣Run to God, not from God.
Run to Him first, not last.

Give yourself some grace. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
You’re human, and you’re doing the best you can. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
Ask for grace, receive it and extend it to yourself and others.

Sit with the hurt, don’t push it away. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
Feel it, get mad about it, talk to God about it, ⁣⁣⁣pray hard about it, journal about it and then lay it down.⁣ ⁣⁣⁣At His feet.

Make peace with it.
Be grateful. Gratitude changes things. Thank God for what He’s given you and for what this is teaching you. Know that it’s going to be okay⁣⁣⁣, even if it doesn’t feel like it.⁣

Trust God.
Period. He’s a big God and just like He got you through everything He has before, He’ll get you through this too.

God has so much more for you in store. Hold on to that.

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

Do you trust God?

Have you personally encountered Him and His character?

It’s hard to trust someone you’ve never met or don’t know, right? Ask God today to show you who He really is through prayer and Scripture 🙏

I trust God and know I can trust His plan because…

*He is faithful –

Hebrews 10:23, Psalms 119:90, Deuteronomy 31:6

*He never changes –

Hebrews 13:8, Revelation 1:8, James 1:17

*He is all powerful & knowing –

Jeremiah 32:17 & Psalms 147:5

*He is always with me –

Psalms 139:7-10, Isaiah 41:13

*He is merciful –

Romans 9:15-16, Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 51:1

Even on days when I may feel forgotten, confused, disappointed or overwhelmed, I choose to trust God because…

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn

Need peace?

This is your weekly reminder that in Christ, you can handle whatever happens.

5 verses for those who need PEACE this week👇

⭐️ Colossians 3:15

“Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts [deciding and settling questions that arise]. To this peace indeed you were called as members in one body [of believers]. And be thankful [to God always].”

⭐️ Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

⭐️ 1 Peter 5:7

“Casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully].”

⭐️ 2 Thessalonians 3:16

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace at all times and in every way [that peace and spiritual well-being that comes to those who walk with Him, regardless of life’s circumstances]. The Lord be with you all.”

⭐️ Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.”

Read these, re-read them, write them down and memorize them.

Jesus is with you, and He is the answer to what you really need.

– Carly Lynn // @car1ylynn