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Finding Joy Episode #44: Micah Maddox

January 22, 2018 • 10 Comments

My guest for Finding Joy Podcast #44 is Micah Maddox, Bible teacher, writer, blogger, and author of Anchored In: Experience a Power-Full Life in a Problem-Filled World. Micah is passionate about helping women find purpose, peace, and calm in our chaotic world, and she will be speaking at the Raleigh venue on the Finding Joy Ladies Night Out National Tour I’ll be hosting this fall.

Dear friend, if it seems like your problems are mounting by the minute and you feel powerless to what’s happening around you, I pray this conversation can be the hope and encouragement you need to see the light.

Finding Joy is a podcast dedicated to bringing you encouragement and inspiration in all of life’s moments — the good, bad and everything in-between.

In this episode Micah and I talk about:

How to live a more power-full life in a problem-filled world
Why what we think about God and how we feel about Him matters
How to trust God more fully and deeply and grow in faith
How to experience and access God’s power in our weakness and strength
Easy ways to get into the Word each week

Micah encourages us to remember that darkness is just a distraction — it does not mean God has departed.

Now Announcing: Finding Joy Ladies Night Out 2018 National Tour!

January 15, 2018 • Leave a Comment

Hip, hip, hooray! Today is the day! Finding Joy Ladies Night Out tickets are on sale and will continue to be on sale until we sell out! Jacksonville, Woodstock, Des Moines, Fayetteville, Southlake, Elkhart, Nashville and Raleigh, we’re coming for YOU!

I hope to see each and every one of your beautiful faces as we come together for a night of joy, food, fellowship and fun. It’s time to treat yourself and your soul! Get your ticket before they are gone!

Growing with God In the New Year {+ Finding Joy Episode #43 with Amy Carroll}

January 8, 2018 • 4 Comments

Resolutions are overrated.

Every New Year’s Eve in college, I made a list of the resolutions and expectations I had for the new year to come, many of which were unattainable or unrealistic.

The year I graduated college was the worst. I don’t have my resolutions/expectations sheet in front of me, but if I had to guess what was on my list for 2014, it probably went something like this:

Become a magazine editor.
Publish a book.
Participate in a Masters swim meet.
Open a cookie shop.
Spend more time reading the Bible.

When I look back on the expectations I set for myself that year, I can’t help but laugh. Becoming an editor, publishing a book and opening a cookie shop don’t happen overnight. And spending more time reading the Bible isn’t a very actionable or specific goal, to boot.

So, after a disappointing 2014, I decided to stop making resolutions.

And that’s when I heard about the “My One Word” experiment. If you haven’t heard about it, here’s how it works, according to the movement’s website:

Our resolutions seldom work because they are based on the type of person we’re tired of being rather than who God wants us to become. Plus, resolutions can be “broken,” leaving no room for the process of growth. What if our hopes for the year ahead centered instead on who God wants us to become, and the transformation process?

It’s okay to want to be a better you, and the New Year is a natural time to start. The question is, how? My One Word replaces broken promises with a vision for real change. When you choose a single word, you have a clarity and focus. You are moving toward the future rather than swearing off the past.

When I heard about this idea of choosing one word to learn more about in the new year, a light sparked from within.

Where are you taking me, Lord? What do you want to teach me? How do you want me to grow this year?

It didn’t happen overnight, but as I prayed in the weeks leading up to 2016 I began to hear a still, small voice say: JOY, Lauren. I want you to grow in your understanding of my joy.

The lessons I learned from that year were invaluable, and I’ve been practicing the one word experiment ever since.

Our guest on today’s Finding Joy Podcast episode, Amy Carroll, is a fellow one word gal, and with 2018 just getting started, I thought it would be fun to share the words God has given us over the past several years. If you are interested in choosing a word to focus on with God, I hope our experiences can inspire you in your journey!

2016
Amy: Fulfill // Lesson: Pain precedes fulfillment.
Lauren: Joy // Lesson: The joy of the Lord truly is our strength, and finding and choosing joy is a daily choice.

2017
Amy: Believe // You have to believe before things are fulfilled.
Lauren: Believe // Lesson: Nothing is impossible for God. He is our Savior, healer, provider, sustainer and Father.

2018
Amy: Pray // Lesson: TBD
Lauren: Advance // Lesson: TBD

The important thing to remember is that there are no hard and fast rules to this one word thing. Maybe you choose a word and you meditate on scripture pertaining to that word. Maybe you pray and journal about the word. Maybe you read books that have to do with that word.

In the end, what truly matters is that we are growing in Christ.

Jesus, move in and through us as you please.

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I’m handing my expectations for 2018 over to Jesus and expectantly waiting for Him to move in and through me as He pleases. Join me?

Do you have a word for 2018 yet, and how did you get your word? We’d love to hear about it in the comments! Keep scrolling for my podcast interview with Amy!

Reader’s Choice: Top 10 Blog Posts of 2017

December 27, 2017 • 1 Comment

One of my favorite things about December is the many reflection opportunities it brings. Between Advent, Christmas and New Years, we have a priceless chance to look back with gratitude and look forward with expectation and hope.

2017 wasn’t the best year on record, but it also wasn’t the worst. And as I tally up the results from my yearly analytics report, I’m incredibly thankful that through it all, God still gives me the opportunity to encourage all of you in this space.

There are big things on the horizon in 2018 — a book and a national women’s event tour. But no matter what else life brings, I hope you’ll join me for the many adventures ahead.

Sweet friend, know I am praying for God’s blessing on you in the new year. Until then, I hope you enjoy this roundup of the top 10 blog posts (chosen by you!) from LaurenGaskillinspires.com in 2017.

#1 // 10 Bible Verses Every Woman Should Memorize

#2 // She Believes and Everything Changes

#3 // 17-Day Prayer Challenge for 2017

#4 // 9 Inspirational Quotes About Thanksgiving + Free Printables

#5 // A Prayer for When You Need An Attitude Adjustment

#6 // When Your Faith Needs a Wake Up Call

Letting God Satisfy Our Every Longing {+ Finding Joy #42 with Asheritah Ciuciu}

November 6, 2017 • 5 Comments

I watched her laugh as she stacked her plate with enough desserts to feed an entire family.

“I’m probably going to gain five pounds and go into a food coma,” she said to anyone who might be listening.

Others waiting in line joined her in a cackle of laughter. But as I looked at the women standing around the dessert table, I saw their faces told a less happy story than the laughter coming out of their mouths. Because on their faces, I didn’t see joy. Instead I saw fear, shame and sadness.

I’ve been around enough women and fought enough of my own food battles to know this scenario is far from uncommon. When it comes to our relationship with food, many of us either worship or fear it, and neither experience is what the Lord desires for us.

Food is a good and gracious gift from our Father. We need it to survive. We need it to thrive. But it is not the be all end all of our existence, and eating more or less of it will never satisfy our hungry souls.

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” So, while we need food, this verse reminds us that without God’s Word, we will never truly be satisfied. The ache within our heart can only be filled by the one who causes it to beat.

We can eat eight slices of chocolate cake or none at all, but either way, the answer to our deepest longings to feel whole, worthy and loved is not found in the cake. Satisfaction is only found when we seek Jesus with everything we have and ask Him to satisfy us from the inside out.

Satisfaction is found in seeking Jesus, the only satisfier of our souls.

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Food may satisfy us temporarily, but God satisfies us forever.

This truth was made very real to me in February 2017, when I underwent sinus surgery for a deviated septum. After waking up from anesthesia, I realized I had no sense of taste or smell. The nurse gave me applesauce, but if I hadn’t known any better I would have thought it was liquified sawdust. I should have been grateful for the sustenance, but every bite made me sink deeper into sadness and I longed to be able to taste what I was eating. Later that day I cried opening a can of soup. And that’s when I realized: I had a food fixation.

As a former food blogger who still does recipe development on the side, I can’t say I was surprised. I used to make a decent living photographing and making food. I lived for creating recipes. I dreamed about textures and flavor combinations. But, while all of that is fine and good, somewhere along the line I became obsessed. If I’m honest, I looked forward to eating food more than I looked forward to spending time with God.

I wouldn’t wish sinus surgery on anyone, but I don’t regret it, because God used it to help free me from the food fixation trap I had fallen into. After not being able to taste or smell food for weeks, I began to see food through a different light. Instead of being a slave to thinking about food 24/7, I was freed to enjoy food for what it really is — nourishment for my body. And that, sweet friends, was a beautiful and amazing thing.

Food was never meant to satisfy our souls. It sustains our bodies, but the satisfaction piece? That can only be filled by God and God alone.

If you’ve ever struggled with food fixation or any form of idolatry, this podcast is definitely for you! Join Asheritah Ciuciu on the Finding Joy Podcast and I as we talk about how she learned to cultivate a healthy relationship with food in exchange for a bigger appetite for God.
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Discovering the Power of Prayer Week #8: 30 Prayer Prompts + A Prayer Challenge

October 30, 2017 • 16 Comments

This might be the last week in our Discovering the Power of Prayer series, but our prayer adventure doesn’t end here. No, our adventure is really just beginning.

During this series, we’ve talked about:

Understanding prayer on a deeper level — what it is and how it works
Easy ways to pray more every single day
How to pray when we don’t know what to say
Resources to revive your prayer life
What to do when it feels like we aren’t hearing from God
The importance of having a dedicated space to pray and how to create a war room
How to do a prayer walk around your neighborhood

Today, we are taking everything that we have discovered and practiced so far and applying it to a 30-day prayer challenge for the month of November! (If you’re reading this after November, that’s OK! Just join us wherever you are.)

Why a Prayer Challenge?

Now that we’ve gone deeper and learned more about the power of prayer, there is no better way to keep growing than to put it to practice. The following prompts are designed to bring you closer to God over the course of a month of daily devoted prayer. Feel free to edit and change the challenge to fit your prayer needs. All you have to do is click to download this prompt sheet and you can print it for yourself or to give to a friend! I’ve also copied the prompts below if you’d like to reference them from this blog post.