Waiting…
I'm in a holding pattern and, I confess, I hate it. I'm part of the immediate gratification culture in which I live, and I find myself frustrated that gratification, in this instance, is so long delayed. Why God? I'm tempted to ask. Or, What have I done wrong, Lord,...
Come…
Click link to hear : At Your Feet by Melissa Greene This past year was punctuated by noise. The roar of jet engines as I flew off to another commitment; the clamor of conferees; the cacophony of conversations; my heart pounding as I stood to speak and then the...
You’re Okay
If you’ve read my novel, Words, and also read the reader letter included in the book, then you know many of the emotions portrayed by my characters were my own. I come from a history of childhood sexual abuse, and like Kaylee, I lost my voice--not literally--but...
Saying Goodbye to Guilt
Guilt is often my early morning companion. It whispers condemnation into the dawn of a new day, and I…listen. Can you believe how much you ate yesterday? You didn’t exercise either and you probably won’t exercise today. You’re hopeless. And think of the time you...
Dreams
I dreamt of becoming an author for many years. Once the dream became a reality, I discovered the reality was much different than the dream. My dream included hour after hour spent in solitude researching and writing the next great novel. I’d wear silk pajamas while I...
The God of All Comfort
As I travel and engage with readers, many open their lives to me and share their heartaches. In the last week I’ve heard stories of a husband’s unfaithfulness, a son’s death by homicide, a daughter’s rape. I’ve heard stories of childhood sexual abuse and a wife’s...
Lies
After a long week in Atlanta, I lingered in my hotel bed this morning drinking coffee and eating chocolate. The breakfast of champions. I picked up a devotional book—or rather, I clicked on the icon and it opened on my iPad—and I read the timeless words of Oswald...
Confusion
I'm pleased to have Janet Hanson, Bible teacher, speaker, and writer, as a guest blogger today. Janet's wisdom leads others to a deeper knowledge of Jesus. “It’s not so much that the Bible portrays us as worms groveling in the dirt, our every inclination evil,” the...
The Desires of Your Heart
Recently, while reading a devotional, I came across a familiar verse: "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4 As I read the words, the Holy Spirit nudged me and whispered to my soul. I’ve given you the desires of your...
The Cost of Freedom
On the weekend our country celebrates its freedom, I'm considering the "cost of freedom." It's a phrase that, as Americans, we often associate with democracy and the high price so many have paid to ensure our continued freedom. Or, as Christians, perhaps the phrase...
Words For Life Blog
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Ginny L. Yttrup
- Seeing the God Who Sees October 3, 2019“She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 In the circular way God often leads, I recently found myself back in the wilderness, tracing the path of Hagar. I’ve walked with […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- Finding Mary October 3, 2019At 5:02 AM an alert, set to the Stress tone, sounded in my mind. Heart racing, breaths coming in shallow bursts, a long list of impossible to-dos running through my mind, I greeted the day. I threw back the covers and put feet to the floor of my bedroom by night, office by day. I […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- Every Escape I’ve Known January 24, 2017I opened the mailbox and pulled out a stack of envelopes. As I thumbed through them before making the short walk back to the house, I saw it. The return address. And I knew. The contents of the small envelope would wound me. Deeply. As the sender has wounded me so many times before. My […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- I’m Paying Atten… Wait, What? January 6, 2017I confess, I’m a bit of a rebel. A quiet, mostly well-behaved rebel, but a rebel nonetheless. I don’t like conforming. Following the crowd. When it seems everyone is doing something… Like making resolutions at the beginning of a new year. Or choosing a word for the year. I want to do something else. Besides, those […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- Doubt Sparks October 5, 2014The boughs of the redwoods, browned by the drought, bounce in the breeze. The same breeze that stirs the King Fire up the road, and the Meadow Fire in Yosemite National Park. Smoke, like doubt, clouds the horizon. Flames, the novel I’m writing, is never far from my mind—or my doubts. It isn’t that the […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- Raising Men April 17, 2014If I’d known then what I know now… When I held those precious babes bundled in blue. When during the night watches I rocked them to the rhythm of my prayers. When I was their whole world and innocence was still their reality. If I’d known then… I would have held them tighter. Prayed harder. […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- Rooted August 15, 2013I pounded the letters into metal—over and over—one letter at a time. The stamped jewelry was part of a 200+ piece custom order bearing the group’s theme. I saw the letters during the days as I worked. I dreamt the letters at night. I knew the letters in both English and Spanish. But the word […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- Really? September 13, 2012I’m in the midst of a season where I feel like all I say to God is, “Really?” While the question is the same, the tone, I confess, changes. Sometimes it’s laced with saracasm as in, “Really, God? You’re kidding, right?” Other times it’s asked in awe. The picture above reflects one of those […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- I Don’t Understand… July 16, 2012I woke this morning with a searing pain in my throat and a fog of discouragement hovering over my mind and heart. Why am I here? Orlando and the International Christian Retailers Show? I arrived in the wee hours on Sunday morning and have only left my hotel room to venture to a nearby pharmacy […]Ginny L. Yttrup
- Keeping Up April 27, 2012I often read the daily selections from Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost for His Highest. I like the way Chambers’ cuts to the quick: “Beware of any work for God that causes or allows you to avoid concentrating on Him (April 23).” Last night, like many nights of late, I didn’t sleep. It’s a season of […]Ginny L. Yttrup