Evangeline Colbert

Tag: scriptures for infertility

YouVersion Infertility Reading Plan

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Evangeline

Last year I announced that my submission for an infertility reading plan on the YouVersion website had been approved. Here’s a snippet from that post:

Recently, I received a request from a reader to write a Bible study plan that specifically addresses infertility and post it on the YouVersion Bible website. [According to their website, “YouVersion is a simple, ad-free Bible that brings God’s Word into your daily life,” via your phone, tablet or computer.]

Because I know how much enlightenment comes from reading the Bible, I thought it was a wonderful idea and followed up on that suggestion.

I’m glad to say that I submitted a proposal to YouVersion and they have approved it!

To say the least, I am very excited about providing this resource to bring hope to those in the midst of infertility and to encourage people around the world that infertility is not too hard for the Lord! (Genesis 8:14)

YouVersion Plan — Image courtesy of Vectorgirl | Fotolia

Well, I’m THRILLED to tell you that the plan will go live on the YouVersion site on Thursday, April 10, 2014! Woo Hoo!! Presently, it will be the ONLY reading plan on that site that addresses infertility. Thanks so much to the reader who suggested I provide the plan [you know who you are :)].

I hope this plan is only the first of many that I’ll be able to provide through this wonderful Bible app.

If you haven’t already downloaded the YouVersion app, get it now. I’ll update you soon with more details.

A Seed of Hope

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Evangeline

Two years ago this month, I released my first “real” book, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, a devotional that encourages women and gives tips about how to have hope during infertility.

I was totally new to being an author. Writing it was a labor of love. It was a result of a long incubation period, repeatedly mulling over what I should say in it. Releasing it was a birthing process filled with anxiety, stress, and self-doubt. And yet, when I finally let it go into the digital meatgrinder of Smashwords.com and into the mouth of the online behemoth Amazon, I felt so relieved!

Here’s what a reader/fellow blogger thinks about A Seed of Hope:

“Thank you so much for your encouragement! I could send you a thank you card every day of the week for how much your testimony and faith has helped me.”

[ Elisha at www.waitingforbabybird ]

April 21-26, 2014 will be National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), sponsored by RESOLVE, the National Infertility Association.I’d like to celebrate my book release anniversary and NIAW by sending you a signed copy of A Seed of Hope. You can order it via PayPal–click here. A portion of the proceeds from your purchase will be donated to RESOLVE., an organization that educates and advocates on behalf of those struggling with infertility.

If you’ve read the book, I’d love to hear your thoughts about it. Feel free to leave your comment below or on Amazon.

Monday’s Marinade

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word. Repeatedly think about and quietly say it to yourself. Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

Here’s your spiritual marinade for this week:

Focus Friday

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Evangeline

Focus on the following scripture throughout the day. It’s God’s Word and it’s what He desires us to believe. Believe it is true for you because God’s Word is Truth. Use it as an affirmation. Speak this Word to yourself throughout the day. Personalize it by putting your name in it!

“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did bless us in every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 (YLT)

Image courtesy of criminalatt / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

March Madness 2014

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Evangeline

Have you gotten caught up in the Madness? Did you do a bracket hoping to win the $1,000,000,000 contest?

There are only 16 teams left to play for the college basketball championship so I thought I’d share this previous March Madness post with you.

I enjoy watching basketball games. It was especially fun to watch when my 2 sons played at the YMCA and later for their high school teams. Whenever the college basketball tournament, known as March Madness, rolls around, I get excited. At the very beginning of the 3-week tournament, I print out the bracket sheet that shows all the team match-ups. I like to use it to predict (more like guess!) who’ll be the winner of each game and the overall champion at the end. It’s fun, especially when my husband and children develop their own bracket sheet to predict winners because we can compare who made the best guesses as the tournament progresses. Of course, whatever we predict at the beginning does not have to necessarily come to pass by the end of the tournament.

This is slightly similar to how God does things. He declares the end of things from the very beginning, except of course, what He says ALWAYS comes to pass, it is not a guess. Isaiah 46:9, 10 states, “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.'”

I’m grateful we can count on God’s ability to always perform what He has promised. His words are power-filled and He has spoken so that we can experience his best. His faithfulness is truly a blessing for which to be thankful because He has made a way, through Jesus, for every believer to be a champion in life by maintaining confidence in His promises and predictions.

What promises of God do you declare and count on Him to perform on your behalf?

Monday’s Marinade

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating (thinking and muttering to yourself) on this Word. Marinate and season your week with hope and a confident expectation of good things happening!

Here’s your spiritual Marinade for this week:

Background image courtesy of Nuttakit | FreeDigitalPhotos

Focus Friday

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Evangeline

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us…”

Romans 5:5 NLT

Walk of Hope 2014

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Evangeline

If you’re in Arizona this weekend, join me for the RESOLVE Walk of Hope.

It’s an easy walk around Eldorado Park in Scottsdale, AZ that takes 30-45 minutes to complete.

Registration will begin at 8:00 AM and the Walk begins at 9:00AM.

There will be lots of fun activities for everyone to enjoy! The Arizona Walk of Hope is pet-friendly. Bring your dog to join the walk and enter the fur-baby costume contest. There’s also a moon bounce, massage booth, and more! All Walk activities will be completed by 11:00AM.

The Walk of Hope will raise funds that will support local programming, public awareness initiatives, and advocacy efforts to ensure that all family building options are available to all.

The weather should be beautiful!

I’ll be at the Authors Table sharing my books, A Seed of Hope: God’s Promises of Fertility, and Infertility Sucks! How to Maintain Hope in Your Marriage During Infertility. Please stop by and introduce yourself. I’d love to meet you, encourage you, and give you gift.

Choosing Hope

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Evangeline

Today’s post is courtesy of Lisa, a blogger who has a personal connection to the stress and strain of infertility. She gives us an honest look at choosing to have and maintain hope. Be encouraged as she shares from her heart. Thank you Lisa for being my guest!

I don’t “do” hope very well.

Intellectually and academically, I believe God has His perfect plan for me, He desires to bless me, and He has impeccable timing.

But if I’m honest with myself, my heart doesn’t really absorb it all. Most of time I don’t feel hopeful expectation; I feel resignation. Fear of disappointment and fear of pain holds me back from experiencing true hope.

After I became aware of this, God has two different sources to send me little nuggets of encouragement and truth to counteract my fear.

The first nugget came from a book I recently reviewed (http://amateurnester.blogspot.com/2014/02/book-review-sweet-side-of-suffering.html) called The Sweet Side of Suffering by M. Esther Lovejoy. The book focuses on the blessings that come out of suffering, and she touches on the topics of fear and resignation. She says:

“At times of suffering we have three choices: We can rebel against what has happened to us and become angry and bitter. We can resign ourselves to the inevitable with a sense of helplessness. Or we can yield to the purposes of a loving heavenly Father and discover the sweetness in that surrender.”

As I read that quote, I knew the Lord was speaking directly to me. I had been choosing resignation.

The second nugget came when a friend suggested that I don’t need to force myself to feel hopeful every day, all day. Rather, I can think of hope as an article I can put on and take off at-will. The idea is to practice putting on hope daily, even if it’s just for a few moments. She even encouraged me to buy a special sweater, scarf, or pair of socks and literally put it on for a few minutes every day while I practice “putting on” hope.

When I told the same friend that I avoid the baby section in Target because it feels so foreign and makes me cry, she encouraged me to practice putting on hope while walking through the racks of tiny clothes and cute socks. I am not a failure if the tears come. I’m merely fighting for hope. I tried this the other day, and the tears came indeed, but I felt powerful because I knew I had chosen the experience.

I guess what I’m learning is that I can choose to be hopeful. I can choose to expect God’s blessings. It may feel awkward or unnatural sometimes, but hope is not a feeling that randomly falls upon certain people and ignores others.

It is something we must work towards and choose.

Lisa writes about her infertility journey and shares encouraging stories at http://AmateurNester.blogspot.com.

Monday’s Marinade

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Evangeline

Here’s your spiritual Marinade for this week:

Image of marinade from Caviartaste.wordpress.com.

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