Category: courage
Coeurageous—Moved by the Heart to Live and Act Fearlessly
Over six years have passed since the inception of my website, Coeurageous. Much has changed since I penned my first blog post. But yet, much has stayed the same. Anxiety levels have soared since the pandemic and haven’t settled down. Fear is at an all-time high. The need for encouragement…
Stepping Out Within the Storm
Self-preservation is a strong instinct. When waves lap over the bow and wind batters my ship, human nature urges me to hunker below deck. Stepping out within the storm wouldn’t even cross my mind. But this is exactly what the apostle Peter did. Were Peter’s actions simply a moment of…
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Be Strong and Courageous: The Lord is with You
It takes courage to live every day. Whether you’re worried about a hurricane bearing down on you or the economy tanking, it’s difficult to stay strong. Fear lurks around every corner. How can we hope to be strong and courageous given the circumstances surrounding us on all sides? As I’m…
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Battle-Ready: Wisdom from a Fellow Warrior
You and I were made to be warriors. If you read my last post, you heard about David, an earthly Shepherd-King who overcame fear by trusting in the Lord. We can walk in courage like him by recognizing our heavenly Shepherd-King who stands beside us in our battles. God fights…
Comments Off on Courage: Choosing to Do the Next Right Thing
Courage: Choosing to Do the Next Right Thing
Often when asked to define courage, we tend to offer examples of extreme acts of bravery. We think someone is courageous if they jump into a raging river to save a drowning child. When the first astronauts flew into space, they showed courage as they risked their lives to travel…
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Can We Learn to Live with Risk?
The level of anxiety in my world is exhausting. I love my work, but this is hard. Trying to be a light in desperate times takes a fortitude I’m not sure I possess. Yet, this is the reason I started the ‘Coeurageous’ blog, long before Covid 19. The raised sense…
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Unlikely Hero in Your Own Story
Anyone who knows me well understands my love of fantasy literature. As a young child, I immersed myself in the many adventures of Dorothy and her friends in the Land of Oz. Later I discovered the wonders in Narnia and Middle Earth. Authors such as L Frank Baum, CS Lewis…
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Put on the Full Bee Suit
If you choose to work with bees, you will be stung. It’s inevitable. As a new beekeeper, I understand the risk. Fortunately I’m not allergic so I’m not concerned about occasional pain from stings. But how much protection does a person actually need to manage their hives? Do I really…
Comments Off on Courage in Spite of Circumstances
Courage in Spite of Circumstances
‘Courage in spite of circumstances is a choice’. Every day we face this decision. As humans, we cower in fear or we choose to step out instead into the uncertainty. The world is a scary place. If we’re honest, we recognize it’s always been this way. The objects of our…
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20/20 Vision
Call me 4 eyes. I’ve worn glasses much of my life. The only way for me to have 20/20 vision is to don corrective lens since I am severely nearsighted. Some people wear glasses as a fashion statement. To me they are a necessary essential for my life. I first…
Comments Off on Choose Courage But Pray For Strength
Choose Courage But Pray For Strength
A little over a year ago, I started the (Coeur)ageous website with the intent of offering words of encouragement to a modern culture full of fear and worry. Since 9/11, the level of anxiety in general, has skyrocketed. It’s difficult not to allow the negativity of the news media as…
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Tunnel Vision
Life as I know it encompasses a small space. My own little world in rural America remains insulated from many of the issues I see in the media. If I choose, I can quite easily ignore the bigger problems that don’t directly involve me. This kind of tunnel vision focuses…
Comments Off on 9/11: A Seminal Event
9/11: A Seminal Event
We chronicle the passage of our lives by events. Each year of my life is commemorated by births, deaths, marriages and divorces that occurred within them. These events delineate specific beginnings and endings. Some events become seminal for a generation, denoting the beginning and ending of eras. They are like…
Saving Moses
I’m reading the Book of Exodus about the birth of Moses and I am amazed by the resourcefulness of several women in this story. Their actions literally enable Moses to survive Pharaoh’s edict to exterminate all the Hebrew baby boys. It is surprising that they are actually mentioned by name…