Our theme this week at The Loft is “My Town” and I’ve been debating about just how to share where I live and where I’m from. To just tell you about the town where I live now would leave out so many details about the area where I’m from, so I’m going to extend the borders of “my town” just a little, for the sake of this post.

I live, and have spent most of my life, less than 20 minutes from the edge of the birthplace of America’s freedom - Philadelphia. If you go an hour in any direction from where I live, there is history galore!

*You can easily get to Washington’s Crossing, where George Washington led the troops across the Delaware River on December 25, 1776.
*Valley Forge, where Washington’s troops camped in the winter of 1777-78, is also less than an hour from where I live.
*Hope Lodge is about 10 minutes from my home, complete with all sorts of Revolutionary War history. You can visit and see what life was like at the time that Washington’s army camped there.

I was running some errands the other day, thinking about “my town”. I was stuck trying to decide just how to describe my current location to you. I live in suburbia, outside Philadelphia.

Where I live, though, is not your typical suburban area. See, less than 10 minutes from my house there are homes worth $20 million (no exaggeration), and there are homes worth less than $100,000. There is great wealth, and there is great need.

My house backs to a creek and out front, across the street, is the railroad track. I live on a dead-end street, so it’s relatively quiet around here. Driving the other direction on my street takes you into a local town, but technically it’s not “my town” - it’s just the closest town. It’s confusing!

I grew up about 15 minutes from where I live now, at a mission headquarters. It’s a small campus with many buildings, including the castle. This was originally a summer home for a wealthy family. It’s now several large meeting rooms, apartments, a kitchen for preparing meals for everyone who lives there. I didn’t live in the castle - well, I did, but very briefly. I lived in a building on the opposite side of the castle for most of my growing up years, just across the driveway. We had wedding pictures taken by the big tree in the foreground, and in the small, open porch on the top floor.

So, I’m from around here, and I still live here. It’s a nice place and I’m grateful that this is where God has planted me!

And finally, here are a few pictures of places near me - all from “my town” (within an hour of my house).

photo source

I’m sharing at The Loft this week - hop on over to the linkup and join us! Click the image below:

Welcome!
Where are you from, or where do you live?
This week at The Loft we’re sharing about “My Town”.
Come share with us about where you’re from or where you live.
Isn’t it amazing to think that we can all be in so many different parts of the world,
but be able to come together in this way?

Welcome to The Loft, a weekly hangout and link up for Christian bloggers.

The Loft is open, come on up!

Graphic by Kerry Messer

About #TheLoft

The Loft is the place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth.

Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation.

PLEASE NOTE: We want to foster community and transparent conversation with one another, just like we’d do if we were meeting in real life. So we ask that your link stick to the weekly topic and that you mention The Loft in your post. Thank you so much!

Monday night, at 9pm Eastern, the linky goes live and all week you can link up your post on that week’s topic.

We’ll have fun topics, serious topics, practical, soul-ful, holiday, and so, so much more…we can’t wait to get started! This is not only a great way to connect with others, it’s also a fun and easy way to establish a writing habit. If you aren’t a blogger, you are welcome to join in by leaving your comments in the comment section.

So grab your coffee mug and come on up! Hang out for a bit. We betcha you’ll be glad you did.

To Participate:

1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic. But please stick to the weekly topic

2. Listen twice as much as you talk. If you leave one link, visit two. Trust us on this one~wink.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or link back in your post so we can find each other. Also, share the great stuff you find when you visit around…we’ll be doing the same.

When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on 5 blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are:

Jen
Rebekah
Leah
Kathy
Arabah

Now it’s time to link up!

This Week’s Topic: “My Town” (We want to know about where you live! We are living all over the world, so tell us a few of the unique things about your town, city, or farmland. Share a photo, give us a video tour, or just share what makes where you live special. This will be fun!)

Next Week’s Topic: “Favorite Books” (Share your all time favorite books with us! Plus, we’ll be giving away a book or two so be sure to check in next week~ smile)

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This week we’re sharing our best practical tips.
What is some good advice that you’ve received?
Or, what do you want to make sure your kids know?
We’re looking forward to reading your best advice - best practical tips!

The Loft is open, come on up!

Graphic by Kerry Messer

About #TheLoft

The Loft is the place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth.

Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation.

PLEASE NOTE: We want to foster community and transparent conversation with one another, just like we’d do if we were meeting in real life. So we ask that your link stick to the weekly topic and that you mention The Loft in your post. Thank you so much!

Monday night, at 9pm Eastern, the linky goes live and all week you can link up your post on that week’s topic.

We’ll have fun topics, serious topics, practical, soul-ful, holiday, and so, so much more…we can’t wait to get started! This is not only a great way to connect with others, it’s also a fun and easy way to establish a writing habit. If you aren’t a blogger, you are welcome to join in by leaving your comments in the comment section.

So grab your coffee mug and come on up! Hang out for a bit. We betcha you’ll be glad you did.

To Participate:

1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic. But please stick to the weekly topic

2. Listen twice as much as you talk. If you leave one link, visit two. Trust us on this one~wink.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or link back in your post so we can find each other. Also, share the great stuff you find when you visit around…we’ll be doing the same.

When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on 5 blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are:

Leah
Kathy
Arabah
Jen
Rebekah

Now it’s time to link up!

This Week’s Topic: “Best Practical Tip” (What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Or given? What one thing do you want to make sure you pass on to your children, friends, or family? It can be about homemaking, marriage, relationship with Jesus, anything…

Next Week’s Topic: “My Town” (We want to know about where you live! We are living all over the world, so tell us a few of the unique things about your town, city, or farmland. Share a photo, give us a video tour, or just share what makes where you live special. This will be fun!)

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This week at The Loft, the topic is trust. I really struggled with this because sometimes when things break - like trust - it can be really hard to move on from that damage. Over the past couple of years, though, God has been working on my trust in various areas of my life.

This isn’t going to be a lengthy or lofty post. In fact, I’m going to share the one thing that has really been on my heart lately as it relates to trust.

See, my whole concept of trust was broken about a year ago. It is so hard when other people’s decisions so directly impact our lives that their poor decision bring us pain.

I’ve lived in that spot for a long time. I’ve camped out in my own valley of the shadow of death - it has been that difficult for me.

I went to a conference in early September and the speaker was talking about the need to trust God even when we don’t understand what He is doing. She had one small sentence that really hit home for me as I working on moving myself out of the valley.

And that’s what I want to share with you - the one sentence that pierced my heart

Dare to trust God first.

That’s it. Five small words. She issued the challenge and it came, for me, at a time when I needed to be sure that my trust was properly aligned.

What I took away, personally, was that I can trust others and they may or may not let me down.

Having our trust attached to the wrong people or to the wrong ideas can hurt us.

But if my trust is in God, then even if others let me down, I know that God is going to remain faithful.

Daring to trust God gives us the opportunity to keep our eyes focused on the one important thing - what God has planned for our lives.

* * * * *

Do you struggle with trust?
Come join us at The Loft this week and see what others are sharing.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic as well.

photo source

This week at The Loft is Potluck Week!
That means that you can bring your favorite post to share for this week’s link up.
We hope you’ll stick around and sample the favorites that our friends are sharing.
Welcome!

The Loft is open, come on up!

Graphic by Kerry Messer

Hello Loft buddies! This week is an online version of pot-luck. {Who doesn’t like variety?} Just link up the post of your choice and surprise us with the yummy when we visit!

About #TheLoft

The Loft is the place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth.

Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation.

PLEASE NOTE: We want to foster community and transparent conversation with one another, just like we’d do if we were meeting in real life. So we ask that your link stick to the weekly topic and that you mention The Loft in your post. Thank you so much!

Monday night, at 9pm Eastern, the linky goes live and all week you can link up your post on that week’s topic.

We’ll have fun topics, serious topics, practical, soul-ful, holiday, and so, so much more…we can’t wait to get started! This is not only a great way to connect with others, it’s also a fun and easy way to establish a writing habit. If you aren’t a blogger, you are welcome to join in by leaving your comments in the comment section.

So grab your coffee mug and come on up! Hang out for a bit. We betcha you’ll be glad you did.

To Participate:

1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic. But please stick to the weekly topic

2. Listen twice as much as you talk. If you leave one link, visit two. Trust us on this one~wink.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or link back in your post so we can find each other. Also, share the great stuff you find when you visit around…we’ll be doing the same.

When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on 5 blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are:

Leah
Kathy
Arabah
Jen
Rebekah

Now it’s time to link up!

This Week’s Topic: “Potluck” (Periodically, we’ll have a “potluck.” This is a blogging version of bring-your-own-dish. So pick a post and link up any post you want to share with our community!)

Next Week’s Topic: “Trust” (Opening another can of worms here, but let’s go there anyway~ wink. Is trust hard for you? Why or why not? What area are you struggling to trust God in? What have you learned about trust? The floor is open!)

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This week at The Loft, we’re talking about spiritual warfare and sharing some of our favorite fighter verses for those times when we are in battle against the enemy.
No doubt, the enemy will not be happy that we are encouraging one another in this way.
Please know that I am praying for all who read these posts and for all who link up,
that God would provide a hedge of protection
AND that you will come away encouraged to continue fighting the good fight!

The Loft is open, come on up!

Graphic by Kerry Messer

Some of my favorite verses are the “fighter verses” - those that challenge us to get back up, to keep on going. The passage in Ephesians 6:10-20 about the putting on our spiritual armor for battle is one that has resonated with me. There is a particular piece to cover every part of us as we go into battle - a reminder that standing up to the enemy IS war.

I find, though, that when I am doing battle I often forget to rest.

Therefore, some of my favorite fighter verses aren’t about standing up, again and again, but about resting in God’s protection.

Psalm 23 - The LORD is my shepherd…and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. From beginning to end (of the passage and of our lives), He is caring for us.

Psalm 91 - He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High (vs 1)…
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you (vs 7)…
For he will command his angels concerning you (vs 11)…
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra (vs 13)…
With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation (vs 16).

Psalm 16:8 - I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

And finally, the one that has spoken to me the most lately -

Psalm 4:8 - In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Spiritual warfare is so difficult, it takes its toll on us in every way imaginable. In my life it’s been very much like carrying the weight of my world on my shoulders. I am blessed to have family and friends who will check in on me, who will come around with chocolate or coffee (yes, really!), who will say the fighter verses that I need to hear, and who will gently and quietly remind me that God has already known what is just new to me today (on any given day). The calming, quieting words, the verses that remind me to rest - they are all refreshment to my soul in battle.

I recently watched “Facing the Giants” again, and I’d forgotten just how much this clip challenges me
every.
single.
time.

I sometimes feel like this is how God can be in my life. He allows the challenge in my life and puts me in a position where I need to be warrior-strong. He meets me in the challenge and He pours out His strength and encouragement, and while I must fight the fight, He does not leave me. And when I open my eyes at the end of the challenge, I see that He was always there and the victory was secure because He would not let go. (make sure your sound is turned up…)

This is how I deal with spiritual warfare in my own life. Now it’s time for your thoughts. And if you don’t have a blog, but you want to add your thoughts, please feel free to comment at the bottom of the page and share your thoughts and fighter verses with us!

#TheLoft

The Loft is the place for conversation, community, networking, and Christian growth.

Each week we provide a topic to start the conversation.

PLEASE NOTE: We want to foster community and transparent conversation with one another, just like we’d do if we were meeting in real life. So we ask that your link stick to the weekly topic and that you mention The Loft in your post. Thank you so much!

Monday night, at 9pm Eastern, the linky goes live and all week you can link up your post on that week’s topic.

We’ll have fun topics, serious topics, practical, soul-ful, holiday, and so, so much more…we can’t wait to get started! This is not only a great way to connect with others, it’s also a fun and easy way to establish a writing habit. If you aren’t a blogger, you are welcome to join in by leaving your comments in the comment section.

So grab your coffee mug and come on up! Hang out for a bit. We betcha you’ll be glad you did.

To Participate:

1. Be creative. Feel free to use words, photos, video, audio, your family pet, whatever, to communicate on the weekly topic. But please stick to the weekly topic

2. Listen twice as much as you talk. If you leave one link, visit two. Trust us on this one~wink.

3. Be a community. Include #TheLoft graphic and/or link back in your post so we can find each other. Also, share the great stuff you find when you visit around…we’ll be doing the same.

When you link up at The Loft, your link will appear on 5 blogs! We’d love for you to visit The Loft co-hosts and know who we are:

Leah
Kathy
Arabah
Jen
Rebekah

Now it’s time to link up!

This Week’s Topic: “Fighter Verses” (What are some of your favorite, well worn scriptures? Which ones do you find yourself going back to again and again? Tell us what spiritual warfare looks like for you and how you use God’s Word to be victorious. We look forward to learning from each other!)

Next Week’s Topic: “Potluck” (Periodically, we’ll have a “potluck.” This is a blogging version of bring-your-own-dish. So pick a post and link up any post you want to share with our community!)

Add Your Link Here:

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