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Which Comes First… Faith or Glory? Hint: It May NOT Be What You Think!
Sometimes I work out a message from God in my writing. I wanted to invite you to join me today… The answer seemed obvious…faith, of course. If you have faith, especially through the storms, you’ll be rewarded, right?! That’s what I reasoned out when God challenged me with that question earlier this week. But, as soon as the answer settled into my thoughts, something about it just didn’t sit right. I’d like to set the scene for you on how this conversation with my Heavenly Father began. A while back, I wrote the following: Ever feel like your circumstances do not look like His promises? Like your storm is swirling,…
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30 Days of Chasing Joy: A Jesus-Based One Month Action Plan
Referencing some of the apostles in the Bible, Max Lucado once wrote, “within them dwells a fire not found on earth.” Let that sit with you for a moment… “within them dwells a fire.” For the better part of the last year, I have chased that fire with eagerness and intentionality. I have not always known which direction to take, but I have leaned into my relationship with Jesus and tried to learn as much as possible about what He is trying to teach me. What I have found is a renewed joy like I have never experienced in my life. It is not a joy that comes from a…
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Pass-Along Books: From My Heart To Yours.
Welcome! If you’ve landed on this page, chances are you have received and/or been blessed by one of our “Pass-Along” books. I’m truly so overjoyed that you are here! Because you are probably new to our blog, allow me to introduce myself… My name is Shannon and I’m the face and heart behind raisingablessing.com. I initially started blogging in 2019 to share my love of crafting, homeschooling, and travel, but God had other (bigger and better) plans. After an incredibly difficult time in my life, He started pressing on my heart to share my story. In sharing my story, God began to move in ways that I cannot even begin…
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How This $7 Homemade Board Changed My Praying Game
I am going to admit something here, right up front. I spent many (many) years paying little (or no) attention to my prayer game. I honestly felt like God was going to do… well… whatever He wanted to do, with or without my prayers. Wow… that’s a lot of honesty. But maybe you find it relatable? All of that changed for me about a year ago. If you’ve ever been through a life circumstance that literally dropped you to your knees, then you understand the complete paradigm shift that took place in my heart when I witnessed the truly divine power of prayer. I had a beautiful friend reach out…
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Book Review: The Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton & Bill Johnson (Bethel Church)
I love reading a really great book that challenges my thinking, encourages my heart, and through its lessons and insights, helps me deepen my relationship with Jesus. There have been many (many) times that God has met me in between the pages and chapters of a good book and ministered directly to my heart. As a result, when a book does hit that certain spot for me, I enjoy dropping a quick book review here. But, this “book review” is very different. I feel much like a student in total awe of the wisdom and discernment of my teachers. The messages are so powerful and so deep that page after…
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County Fair “Grand Champion” Peach Jelly Recipe
I have to giggle a bit at the title of this blog post, but it was too good to pass up. In truth, I’m no great homesteader. To be honest, I usually have no idea what I’m doing. And for the record, I live in a fairly small county. But… that didn’t keep me from reminding my husband daily (or possibly hourly) that he was married to a “Grand Champion” after I won the ribbon for best jelly at the local county fair! All I had to do was glance in his direction and smile and he would look at me and sigh, “yes… you are a Grand Champion… I…
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5-Day South Dakota Bucket List! (w/Kids)
Our family just wrapped up our second annual road trip to South Dakota and we still have a huge list of unexplored activities and areas for next year! It’s truly quite incredible how much this state has to offer… specifically in and around the Black Hills region. South Dakota is perhaps best known for being home to the very popular Mount Rushmore National Memorial. This historical tourist hotspot is absolutely worth the visit, but while many tourists drop into town for a quick “bucket list” pitstop, I can’t help but feel that they are missing out on so much that this area has to offer! In this blog post, we…
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Friends, We Cannot Truly Minister To Each Other From Behind the Veil of Perfection.
God has been teaching me something really BIG lately and the message has such life-changing power flowing through it that I just find myself wanting to shout it from the rooftops… My friends, we cannot truly minister to each other’s hearts from behind the veil of perfection. Our hearts are tender right now, easily recoiled back into our safe space when we feel that we don’t line up with what the world has told us we should be. We are resisting hiding, but the truth is that on the inside, we are feeling a slight tremble. “I’m strong, but please don’t test my strength. Please don’t see my vulnerabilities or…
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Oatmeal Honey Lavender Soap Recipe For Beginners (& Kids)
Sometimes, the little rabbit holes that we wander down as part of our homeschooling curriculum are just as much fun for me as they are for the little guy. This happens to be one of them… Over the winter, the little Mr. inquired about the process of making medicine from various plants. It was a subject that we had discussed briefly as part of his History curriculum, but he wanted to dive deeper. Because I love hands-on learning, I made the decision that once we had enough sunshine to grow a true herb garden outdoors, we would explore learning to make handmade products using everything that we grew. I’m definitely…
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“Watch For My Love Notes Today”
Some stories are just too good to not share. This was one of those stories. During a recent visit to the grocery store, our son asked if I would buy him a pack of bathtub markers. I tried my best to redirect his attention to the wide selection of bubble bath options, but he just absolutely had his heart set on these markers. So, I consented. When we brought them home, he couldn’t wait to eat his dinner and jump right into the bath! For the next hour, he excitedly called us into the bathroom over and over to show off his newest masterpiece. Evidently they were a good find…
