Want to stay up to date? Click here to subscribe to updates from Debbie.

Debbie Presnell

Inspiring women and teens to shine
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Books
  • Mukti Mission
  • 2026 Shine Conference/DONATE
  • Upcoming Events
  • Media
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Speaking
  • Books
  • Mukti Mission
  • 2026 Shine Conference/DONATE
  • Upcoming Events
  • Media
  • Contact
Life is a journey—sometimes we’re on the mountain top and other times we’re in the valley. Regardless, let’s shine together. Subscribe Now

    Tagged: suffering

  • Remaining Faithful on the Journey When It Doesn’t Make Sense Jul. 01, 2022 / 13 Comments

    Uninvited I couldn’t have imagined that responding to God’s call to write and teach a Bible study on joy while suffering, that six months later,…

    Continue Reading

  • Connect Online

  • Post Categories

  • Post Archives

  • Recent Posts

    • Plans, Dreams, and Goals … Oh My!
    • What Are You Waiting For? Something to Begin or Something to End?
    • Parents: 10 Ways to Support your Child’s Teacher

  • Recent Comments

    • Debbie Presnell on Plans, Dreams, and Goals … Oh My!
    • Maggie Rowe on Plans, Dreams, and Goals … Oh My!
    • Joni on Plans, Dreams, and Goals … Oh My!
    • This. A lovely, comforting thought. Truth. Who do This. A lovely, comforting thought. Truth. Who do you need to share this with today?
    Today is Father’s Day! Do others see your dad’s ma Today is Father’s Day! Do others see your dad’s mannerisms in you? Do people say you look like your father? Or maybe you don’t know your father well enough to say. A child may not know his or her father for many reasons. One reason is divorce. Divorce affects fifty percent of families, and seventy-five percent of these children live with their mothers. I was a child from a broken family. When I was a teenager, my father lived 3,000 miles away. I visited him once a year, but even then, he was emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, absent. I knew what a decent father–daughter relationship should be like, but ours was void of depth or personal interest. I tried hard to be good so he’d like me, but that didn’t close the gap between us. Whether our fathers are absent physically or emotionally, we have a perfect Father in God. Isn’t it amazing that the Creator of the Universe calls Himself our Father? When earthly fathers are not present, God says in Jeremiah 49:11, “Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in Me.” God will never abandon His children. He knows we need to be loved, protected, provided for, cherished, and valued. Our heavenly Father meets these needs when we call out to Him, whether or not we have an earthly father. God is also the perfect example of a father. He models love, faithfulness, trustworthiness, wisdom, kindness, forgiveness, and discipline. Although earthly fathers make mistakes, God never does. After I finished college, my earthly father owned his mistake; he made things right with his family, and with God. A beautiful relationship began. If you don’t know the Heavenly Father, you can make things right with Him by trusting in Him. Then your beautiful relationship will begin, too. The you will be able to embrace your Father’s mannerisms and others will see the Heavenly Father in you. Regardless of our relationship with our biological, adoptive, or foster fathers, Ephesians 5:1 tells us, “Be imitators of God, as beloved children.” When others look at you, do they see your heavenly Father? Copyrighted @www.debbiepresnell.com
    Good Morning, Shine Friends! This is one of my fav Good Morning, Shine Friends! This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it connects "your desires" with "your purpose." Cool isn't it? We seek God's will and have a desire for something to do... and then we do it... and we now have the desires of our heart and a purpose! Make it a great day!
    When I was nine years old, I put my faith in Jesus When I was nine years old, I put my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior. But as a young child and spiritually immature, I didn't know how to pray or the best words to use. So I prayed something simple like this: “God, help me.” As I grew in faith, my spiritual vocabulary grew too. I could pray those fancy prayers that I often heard other people pray. But do you know what? I have returned to my simple nine-year-old prayer. God knows what on our hearts. We can pray authentically with our chosen vocabulary, for God completely understands. He also “hears” our tears when that’s all we got. He “hears” our sighs when words won’t come. So I’ve learned to pray simply, and I ask God to help me know what to think, say, do and go. God, help me know: • What to think- What we say and do begins as a thought. Philippians 4:8 tells us, Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise (NLT). • What to say- Most of us have either said the wrong thing or said the right thing at the wrong time at some point in our lifetime. Ephesians 4:29 tells us, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen (NIV). • What to do- As busy people we make dozens of decisions a day—everything from choosing a career to finding a daycare. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us, Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know (NASB). • Where to go- We have many choices. Psalm 25:4 tells us, Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow (NLT). Speaking these words, “Help me know what to think, say, do, and where to go,” may be simple but if we really listen to how God responds, we’ve just prayed a life-changing prayer. Copyright@www.debbiepresnell.com
    Remember the verse I shared yesterday? (Scroll dow Remember the verse I shared yesterday? (Scroll down one ...) This is a new devotion based on that verse, coming out late summer in my Psalm Devotion book. I was mortified. Everyone knows children have absolutely no filter, but I was still not prepared for my 2½-year-old son to provide live commentary during the assembly of his new big-boy bed. As the poor gentleman bent over with his toolbox, my son loudly announced, “Hey boy, I see your butt crack!” I rushed to apologize, while the man tried not to laugh. The worst part? My son wasn’t wrong. I am reminded that children often speak with a kind of bold sincerity adults tend to lose. In many ways, they are good examples of speaking truth from a pure heart. And sometimes they do what we wish we could do when we feel someone isn’t listening: they take our face in their hands and move it toward them. Instant eye contact. Body language that speaks: Listen to me! God isn’t like the busy adult whose children must fight for attention. The Bible tells us that when we call out to God, He inclines His ear. To “incline” one’s ear means to concentrate on what’s being said. We never have to fight for His attention or direct Him to where we are. God loves us. We are precious to Him. He understands that when we’re feeling stress, pressure, or pain, we may say things we don’t mean. As He concentrates on our words, He also hears the intention of our hearts. And when we don’t know how to articulate what we need or feel, He understands our silence perfectly. His desire to listen and help is driven by His endless love for us. But God does more than just lean in. He listens to our cries for help and takes action. This doesn’t always mean that He removes what is hurting us, but it does mean that God is with us and will work everything for our good (Romans 8:28). As we pray today let’s remember that God is concentrating on our words. He sees clearly the condition of our hearts and minds. He interprets our words with truth and tenderness. In fact, as you pray, visualize God turning His face to you and bending low to hear. When do you most feel like a child fighting for God’s attention? What do you want to tell God today?
    Good morning, picture God bending low, cupping His Good morning, picture God bending low, cupping His ear, to listen to you. He loves you! ❤

    Debbie Presnell

    Inspiring women and teens to shine
    • Home
    • About
    • Blog
    • Speaking
    • Books
    • Mukti Mission
    • 2026 Shine Conference/DONATE
    • Upcoming Events
    • Media
    • Contact

    © All Rights Reserved | DebbiePresnell.com | Privacy Policy
    Site design & development by kikaDESIGN