Audra Jennings

An Interview with Amberly Neese, Author of The Friendship Initiative After a long year of separation, we long for connection. Despite faster internet connections, better WiFi hotspots, and more ways to stay connected than ever before, our lives still feel less and less connected. We desire healthy friendships but feel less equipped to make and foster them. In The Friendship Initiative , Neese dives into the friendships and connections Jesus made to reveal 31 keys for building relationships such as: exercising grace, asking/answering questions, having compassion, exercising humility, being present, reaching out to those who are different, and more. Each devotion includes Scripture, a devotional reflection, practical application ideas, and suggestions for reflection and prayer. Readers will find encouragement and practical help for connecting with others in their everyday lives by focusing on loving others as Jesus did. Q: In addition to the Common Ground Bible study, you also ...

  Part 2 of an Interview with Amberly Neese, Author of Common Ground The Scriptures hold the key to living at peace despite our differences. In each week of the four-week  Common Ground: Loving Others Despite Our Differences  Bible study,  Amberly Neese  combines stories of sibling rivalries from the Bible with personal experience, humor, hope, and her love of God’s Word.  Common Ground  provides a how-to for overcoming conflict by examining sibling relationships from the Old and New Testaments including: Joseph and His Brothers: How to Combat Jealousy Moses, Miriam, and Aaron: How to Work Together Despite Differences Mary, Martha, and Lazarus: How to Appreciate the Contributions of Others Rachel and Leah: Having Compassion for the Plight of Others These stories point readers to peace and reconciliation in all their relationships, reassuring them that it is possible to find common ground with everyone—despite their differences. Each week focuses on...

Part 1 of an Interview  with Amberly Neese, Author of Common Ground In her new Bible study, Common Ground: Loving Others Despite Our Differences , author, speaker, and humorist Amberly Neese leads women in a study of sibling rivalries in Scripture so that all members of God’s family can find a safe place to come together to navigate conflict and heal relationships. Whether it is in politics, the professional world, a party, or a pew, every person faces some kind of conflict on a daily basis. It’s not only in-person interactions that can become heated—social media is deluged with opinion-spewing, hurt feelings, and broken friendships. What we so desperately need is hope and practical tools to navigate the tumultuous waters in order to live at peace with everyone. Q: These days it seems like people argue just for the sake of arguing rather than trying to find common ground. Do you have any theories on why every topic seems to be so polarizing? Honestly, with feelings of isolatio...

  It’s Time to Work on Our Relationships Amberly Neese leads women in a study of sibling rivalries to find common ground With feelings of isolation and disconnection at an all-time high, it’s more important than ever to learn to live at peace with others, even when we disagree. In her new Bible study, Common Ground: Loving Others Despite Our Differences , speaker and humorist Amberly Neese leads women in a study of sibling rivalries in Scripture so that all members of God’s family can find a safe place to come together to navigate conflict and heal relationships. Whether it is in politics, the professional world, a party, or a pew, every person faces some kind of conflict on a daily basis. It’s not only in-person interactions that can become heated—social media is deluged with opinion-spewing, hurt feelings, and broken friendships. What we so desperately need is hope and practical tools to navigate the tumultuous waters in order to live at peace with everyone. Fortunately,...

Stacey Thacker offers a book of prayers for times of hurt and hopelessness Threadbare [thred-bair] adjective     1. having the nap worn off so as to lay bare the threads of the warp and woof, as a fabric, garment, etc. Life sometimes brings difficult situations or circumstances that can leave us feeling run-down, drained, worn-out, and threadbare. Illness, the death of a family member, the loss of a job, natural disasters, a pandemic. The events of this year have left us struggling in ways we cannot articulate. These are the times we most desperately need prayer, but they can also be the times we simply don’t have the words to form a prayer. How do you pray when you can’t find the words? In  Threadbare Prayer: Prayers for Hearts that Feel Hidden, Hurt, or Hopeless , Stacey Thacker presents 100 simple yet heartfelt devotions to guide readers on the days they don’t know what to pray. Each entry in this attractive, gift-worthy devotional contains a Bible v...

For the next two weeks, my blog team will be reviewing Heart and Home   by Victoria Duerstock, published by  Abingdon Press . Learn more about the book, then enter to win a copy of your own. I'm giving away a book at the end of the tour.   About the book:   Our home and its design can encourage spiritual growth in our hearts. Heart and Home  is a short devotional book with daily devotions for 90 days. The devotionals seek to draw clear connection between the basics of interior design and scripture that encourages spiritual growth within our hearts. The devotionals inspire women to have a captivating heart and home. Included in each devotional is an applicable design tip and photographs. Example devotional topics include unity and harmony, negative space, flow, focal point, and balance. This devotional includes four-color photographs of home interiors throughout the book. Click here to view a sample of the book. For more informatio...

For those moments when moms think they’ll never live up to the Supermoms around them—when they’re elbow deep in the grind of diapers and laundry and peanut butter sandwiches—they need a good dose of  Grit and Grace (Harvest House Publishers). This refreshing collection of 90 daily devotions comes from two moms who’ve found themselves face-to-the-floor in need of encouragement and now offer it to you. Through humor and vulnerability, these short messages of truth remove the filters of perfection clouding mom's vision and bring clarity to her purpose as a mom. As moms read the Scripture and prayer that accompany each day’s message, they’ll discover more fully who they are in Christ and how to raise their children to reflect His love to the world. In giving herself grace, mom will find she has even more grace to give from the One who is present in her life right...

I am excited to let you know about this new blog tour for  Heart & Home  by Victoria Duerstock from Abingdon Press. This time the tour has a new twist, so please be sure to read the information outlining an additional requirement for this tour. Heart & Home: Design Basics for Your Soul and Living Space Abingdon Press Tour dates: May 14-28 CLICK HERE TO SIGN-UP! This book is full of photos, so for this tour, priority will be given to reviewers with an active Instagram account and following. Please see the section below that gives more information about the Instagram promotion requirement and a giveaway I am doing strictly for you as bloggers regarding Instagram. Bloggers will be notified around April 20 about acceptance in this tour. Books will be sent out in mid-to-late April. By signing up for this tour, you are agreeing to: 1. Post a review on your blog on your scheduled date. 2. Post on Instagram to promote the book. 3. Share your review post...