Today’s guest post is by Levi Benkert, author of No Greater Love.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, workers at newspapers around the world were going about what they thought to be a completely normal day, but as you know, things were not even close to normal. A plan was already underway that would change America forever. As soon as the story hit, nearly every major newspaper around the globe threw out every story they were planning to run the next day and focused, instead, on piecing together what they knew about the story that would change everything. Many even choose to run a special-edition paper that came out just hours after the attack.

For those in the newspaper industry, a big story is worth changing everything for—tossing the routine and staying up all night if that’s what it takes to get this one right. Can you imagine a paper that decided not to run a story about the attacks on September 12?

I recently visited a flower farm in Ethiopia owned by a large German corporation and run under the most exacting standards you can possibly imagine. Each flower is tagged and monitored, and every employee wears protective clothing and goes through a sanitation process before even walking into one of the greenhouses, each about the size of two Costco warehouses side by side. High-paid experts are flown in from around the world when a problem comes up, and something as small as a slight change in the water’s pH balance is treated as though the whole operation were at risk. No problem is too small to be noticed; everything is precise and run with the utmost care.

“If we ship one flower out of here and it is later discovered to have even the slightest hint of a disease on it, the greenhouse that it came from will then be shut down, cleaned with bleach and steaming hot water, and then quarantined for a year,” the manager explained as he walked ahead of me in a bright blue protective suit, cloth protectors over his feet and rubber gloves on his hands.

I have to wonder, though. What are the areas in our own lives that require us to stop the presses?

Do we know that they are? Are we willing to shut down the whole operation when something goes wrong?

Think about this.

If you are a parent and your kid is having trouble and comes to you wanting your help—

Are you willing to stop the presses? To throw away thousands of valuable plants, clean out the greenhouse, and quarantine it for a year?

Are you willing to set aside everything else, listen carefully to the issue, prayerfully consider what to do next, and then move ahead?

Or how about your spouse?

Are you willing to stay home from your job to work through something, or has the routine become the most important thing in your life?

Has the money, the bills, the job, the boss, the friends, or the image you project become the most important thing in your life?

Or, even more importantly: our relationship with God—

Are we willing to stop our day, stop our life, and just spend time seeking Him?

Does He matter that much to us?

There is no doubt that these moments come to us often: times when we need to stop the presses, forget the plans for the day or even the month, and instead focus on the important, on the foundation.

What are the things in your life that are worth fighting for? Are you willing to stop the whole show for those things?

Or does the show go on?

For me, I am a follower of Christ, a parent, and a husband. I fight for orphans. And on any given day, I am committed to stop everything to get things right in those areas. I don’t always, and often it is too late before I figure out that a stop-the-presses moment passed me by, but I try still—and trust Him for wisdom and strength.

Download No Greater Love today!

Today’s guest post is by Lysa TerKeurst, the New York Times bestselling author of Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions.

When I was in my early twenties, there was nothing I disliked more than conflict.

I was a “stuff it and smile” kind of girl. The problem with pretending to be fine when you’re really not is that all that pent-up steam will eventually come out. And if you’ve ever held your hand too close to steam, you know how it can burn.

A much healthier approach to the inevitable conflicts we all must deal with is to face the issue head on with grace and humility, having asked ourselves one very crucial question. This question is so crucial that might I dare say, not asking it could lead to extreme conflict escalation rather than relationship restoration.

So, what’s this crucial question?

Am I trying to prove or improve? That’s the question. In other words, is my desire in this conflict to prove that I am right or to improve the relationship at hand?

When I try to prove I am right, I use the circumstances of the conflict as an arsenal to attack the other person. I come armed with past hurts and offenses, ready to state my case. I’m tempted to tear down the other person. I react from a place of hurt and anger and can often say things I later regret.

On the other hand, when my desire is to improve the relationship, I seek to understand where the other person is coming from, and I care enough about the relationship to fight for it rather than against it. Instead of reacting out of anger, I pause and let the Holy Spirit interrupt my first impulses. I tackle the issues, not the person.

Here are some great questions to ask when we’re dealing with conflict out of a desire to improve a relationship:

• Can you help me understand why you feel this way?
• Why don’t we both agree to stick to the issue at hand and not pull in past issues?
• What is your desired outcome in this situation?
•  How can we meet in the middle on this issue?

My husband I have renamed what we used to call “fights.” We now call them “growth opportunities.” And the more we’ve been practicing these principles, the fewer conflicts we’ve been having.

But I won’t tie this devotion up in a neat bow and end all “cheerio.” While Art and I are doing great right now and we’ve had very few “growth opportunities” lately, conflicts with others seem to always be around the corner. So please hear my heart: I’m not saying all this is easy. Just this week I’ve had to tackle some growth opportunities with other people that made me feel like I had firecrackers burning through my veins.

Maybe you can relate.

What I will say is that it’s possible to let those conflicts lead us to better places in our relationships. Improved places. And that is the good side of conflict.

Lysa TerKeurst is a wife, mom of five, New York Times bestselling author, and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries.  Her new book, Unglued will help you identify what type of conflict reactor you are and how to significantly improve your communication. Visit www.ungluedbook.com for more information, and download your copy from Vyrso today!

Today’s guest post is by Melody Carlson, author of numerous inspirational novels including Anything but Normal, Shattered, and the Inn at Shining Waters series.

I’m often asked how many of my stories are extracted from real life and my usual response is that my books are kind of like jigsaw puzzles. Some of the pieces are from my life, some are from loved ones’ lives, and some are straight out of the blue. But a couple of the books I have releasing this summer seem to have more pieces of me than usual.

One book (Westward Hearts) is the beginning of a historical series inspired by true stories I heard as a child—stories about my ancestors who traveled to Oregon in covered wagons. I’d always wanted to write a book about pioneers, but I never consider myself a “historical” writer. But then I wondered: why not? I’ve had such fun with these adventurous characters and their challenges on the Oregon Trail. I can relate to a lot of them, and I like to think that some of them could’ve been similar to my ancestors. And if you think about it, we are directly connected to the generations that have gone before us. Why not try to learn a few things from the past and incorporate them into the present? At least that was my hope in creating this series.

The other series that seems to have parts of my life in it is my Inn at Shining Waters series. The third and final book, River’s End, is available now. These stories involve a fictitious inn set upon a real river—a coastal estuary near and dear to my heart. The river is called the Siuslaw and we have a little coastal cabin that is close to the place where the real “river’s end” was, before it was diverted another direction by a long jetty. However, I didn’t even realize this as I wrote the book. But this story just seemed to turn into another one of those art-imitating-life-imitating-art moments. So fun!

And in these particular books, there are three generations of Native American-descended women, who are trying to understand themselves and each other. Women who make mistakes and learn to forgive and start over again . . . becoming stronger as they work together for a common purpose. Again, this isn’t so different from how I grew up. Because I was raised by a single mom, my grandma and aunts stepped up and played a powerful role in my life. I love writing stories that have these kinds of connections to my life—and for readers who want to know me better, these are the books I’d recommend they sample.

You can get started with the Inn at Shining Waters series today!

Today’s guest post is by Cindy Ellis, author of the Kirkdale Press novel Girl on a Mission.

As a farm kid in the rural South, I grew up wanting to travel the world and explore places outside of the land I knew. I didn’t know many people who had traveled, at least not past Gatlinburg or Dollywood, so anyone who had ever set foot on an airplane (or even crossed the state line) had my full attention and adulation.

One steamy Sunday in July, when I was 10 years old, a missionary couple assigned to the Ivory Coast came to speak at my small country church. I listened intently (no small feat for me at 10) as they talked about traveling to a foreign country, speaking a different language, and sharing the Gospel with people who had never even heard of God. In my youthful fantasies, life couldn’t possibly get any better than that. I still remember the card distributed to the congregation with a photo of the couple and their children. I stuck it in the corner of the mirror on my dresser and prayed faithfully for them every night for months.

As I grew up, my dreams rearranged themselves, and I eventually became a language teacher. I was still very active in church, and the idea of mission work lingered in the back of my mind. It more or less languished there until the day I was approached by a youth minister from the church I was attending at the time. He was in desperate need for chaperones for a youth group mission trip to eastern Kentucky. I was excited to be asked, and it wasn’t long before I found myself in a smelly van filled with teenagers singing tirelessly at the top of their lungs and pausing only long enough to ask “are we there yet?” every half hour.

I have to confess the trip was not nearly as romantic as I had envisioned it at the age of 10. All things considered, it was better.  The kids (and I) worked 10 hour days in hot, humid weather, lived off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips, and had marathon card games in the middle of the floor almost every night. It was noisy, sweaty, back-breaking, and glorious. We spent each day working on houses and interacting with our assigned families as much as we could, sharing our lunch with them and chatting during breaks. I got to see my dreams realized: the kids and I traveled to a new place, learned a new language (Kentucky vernacular), and shared God with people we grew to love like family.

Seeing the youth group kids’ accomplishments and excited faces made me realize how impactful and important trips like these are for them. Most of them had grown up in church and served in their own communities, but this was a completely different experience. They interacted with people from a different socioeconomic background, many of whom had never set foot in a church—people who didn’t always smell very nice or treat them very well. They saw that there are people in the world, even in the United States, who haven’t grown up with the opportunities they’d had to hear about God and to grow in His word. Evangelism suddenly became real to them, and even though their age might limit them in some ways in our society, it definitely didn’t limit them in God’s eyes. Sure, they complained about the heat, the food, the curvy roads, etc.,—didn’t we all?—but more importantly, they found themselves empowered with and by the love of God.

There are so many mission organizations and opportunities for teens today: national, international, rural, urban, short term and long term. Missions are a chance for kids to grow in spiritual maturity, and kids’ boundless energy coupled with a desire to witness is an effective combination. In most cases, there is some financial cost involved, but often less than what is required for a summer camp. And the rewards can be priceless . . .

By the way, there are lots of opportunities for adults as well. My choice to chaperone the mission trip 16 years ago made an impact on my spiritual life that continues to manifest itself in wonderful ways. The hills and hollers of eastern Kentucky turned out to be my Ivory Coast, and I’m grateful that they did. The fields are white, and whether you’re a teenager or a senior citizen, God can use you in His work at any age.

Today’s guest post is by Ann Shorey, author of historic and inspirational novels like Where Wildflowers Bloom and The Dawn of a Dream.

My mom had a collection of family memoirs dating back as far as the American Revolution. She always said she should write a book about our family’s history, but she never did. After she passed away, this collection came to me.

Funny thing: when I was growing up, the idea of sitting down and reading single-spaced transcriptions of old documents held no appeal. But later, as an empty-nester with time on my hands, I decided to skim through and see what my ancestors had to say.

Wow! I learned that my four times great-grandfather fought in the Revolution; one of his sons followed Stephen Austin to Texas as part of Austin’s original Three Hundred; one of his grandsons fought in the War between the States; and a great-granddaughter (my great-grandmother) traveled over the Oregon Trail to settle in the West. A minihistory of this country’s growth, if you will.

How could I not write this story? After several years spent verifying the information in the memoirs, I traveled to Kentucky, where my family settled in 1802, for more research. Then I sat down in front of my keyboard and wrote a narrative family history.

One thing bothered me, though. All the memoirs were written by men. What were their wives doing while the guys were out having adventures? That’s when I decided to turn memoirs into historical fiction and make women the main characters.

For example, the first book in Revell’s At Home in Beldon Grove series, The Edge of Light, was inspired by the life of one of my great-great-aunts. The second book in the series, The Promise of Morning, was inspired by my great-great-grandmother’s story. Some of what happens in the novels is true; quite a bit is fiction.

In every novel I write, however, the protagonist faces issues that apply to women today. Although the stories are set long ago, women’s issues don’t change all that much. We just have more resources at our disposal now.

My current release for Revell, Where Wildflowers Bloom, book one in the Sisters at Heart series, is set in post–Civil War Missouri. The main character, Faith, is in over her head, trying to run the family business and care for her elderly grandfather. Her circumstances are those of the late 1860s, but her challenges could happen today.

Did I know, back in the1990s, that I’d be authoring historical fiction? No. But I’m so grateful the Lord has taken me down this path.

Download one of Ann’s books today!

Vyrso, your destination for Christian ebooks, has added a slew of superb new titles. Thanks to a partnership with Zondervan, you can now add  more than 1,500 classic and new works to your digital library. Find works from diverse authors, including James Bell Scott, Melody Carlson, and Gary Thomas, or add bestsellers from your favorite Christian genres, like:

Fiction

• Downfall
• Beyond Tuesday Morning
• The Ambition

Christian Living

• The Jesus I Never Knew
• The Rage against God: How Atheism Led Me to Faith
• Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity

Leadership

• The Leadership Baton
• The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham
• Ten Secrets for the Man in the Mirror

Family

• Sacred Marriage
• Raising Wise Children
• Winning the Heart of Your Stepchild

Ministry

• A Critical Approach to Youth Culture
• Effective Men’s Ministry
• Purpose Driven Youth Ministry

Theology

• Truth Aflame
• God under Fire
• Busted: Exposing Popular Myths about Christianity

These examples represent only 1% of the new ebooks available from Zondervan! If you have a couple of hours to kill, scroll through the entire catalog of amazing Zondervan titles.

Looking for newer fare? Pre-order upcoming Zondervan titles and get them the minute they’re available!

Today’s Vyrso Voice post is written by Kasey Van Norman, author of Named by God: Overcoming Your Past, Transforming Your Present, Embracing Your Future. 

My wrist tattoo says, “Redeemed,” and that’s not something I chose lightly. I simply couldn’t think of a more appropriate and powerful word to look at on a daily basis. It is the one common denominator of my life that I need to be reminded of most often—that I have been redeemed by God, despite my past sins or future failings.

Take a moment to bask in the biblical definitions of the word redeem: “to free from what distresses or harms; to free from captivity by payment of ransom; to free from the consequences of sin.”

My greatest internal struggle over the years has not been to love the Lord, but to believe that he loves me back! The word redeemed on my wrist reminds me that despite my sin and failures, despite my unworthiness, despite my lack of faithfulness, the Lord remains faithful to love and pursue me.

When you make the choice to live a redeemed life, you won’t spend another second in the bondage of guilt, shame, and regret over your yesterdays. You’ll no longer live as one oppressed by the enemy and his sinful schemes. You’ll no longer fear death, for you’ll truly believe that the one who is in you is more powerful than the clutches of the grave.

To live a life of freedom is to abide in a constant state of redemption. It is a place of knowing who you are in Christ and knowing that your true identity is found in him. It is a place of recognizing that other people’s opinions and attitudes toward you no longer dictate your worth. It is a place where religion and rules fade away and your connection with your Creator becomes all the more central. And it is a place where your every word, every thought, every action is preceded by a clear move of the Lord.

Despite my horrific failure of a past, God has purified me, removed my guilt, cleaned my heart, and restored my joy. And now he has given me the calling to be a teacher and to share the redemptive work he has done in my life (Psalm 51). And so I dare to live each day as one redeemed by God.

What about you?  Do you simply believe in God, or do you actually believe what God says about you?

If I could, I’d reach outside of this writing and take your hand as I looked you in the eyes. I’d say to you, “Listen to me, child of God. If he can redeem a wreck like me, he is certainly capable of redeeming you!”

Believe Him bigger—believe yourself redeemed.

Kasey Van Norman is the founder and president of Kasey Van Norman Ministries in College Station, Texas. Her ministry passion is two-fold: to reach those who are far from God, and to ignite a spiritual flame in those who know Him. Kasey is a certified counselor with a master’s degree in community counseling. She holds undergraduate degrees in both psychology and speech communication, and she’s currently earning a master’s of religion in Biblical studies from Liberty University. Kasey was born and raised in deep East Texas, and she currently resides in College Station, Texas with her husband, Justin, and their two young children, Emma Grace and Lake.

Pick up Named by God from Vyrso today!

Today’s post is by David B. Van Heemst, author of Splashing in Puddles: How to Be a Father to Your Daughter.

Become a Better Dad

Imagine looking back a year from now and thinking, I’ve become a better dad. Wouldn’t that be amazing? What can you do to make becoming a better dad a reality?

Fatherhood is hot. Like never before, the impact—for good or ill—that dads have is a cutting-edge topic. In the first year of his administration, President Obama, highlighted the need for dads to improve when he inaugurated the Fatherhood Initiative. The administration designed this program to empower dads, through mentoring and skills training, to become the fathers their children deserve. The initiative’s goal is captured in this statement: “We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child—it’s the courage to raise one.”

Becoming a good dad is a daunting challenge. Parenting has changed dramatically in the past generation. Dads are now expected to do much more than provide for their children’s physical needs; they’re expected to provide for their children’s emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs too. It can all seem a little overwhelming—kind of like changing a diaper for the first time. The day after our twin daughters were born, a nurse handed me two diapers and walked out of the room. “What am I supposed to do with these?,” I wondered.

Over the past decade, there’ve been a lot of books and studies published concluding that dads play an unbelievably significant role in the lives of their children, and that we fathers need to start doing an even better job of parenting. But how? How can we start becoming better dads?

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we can become good dads by doing the right things: if we can only get our children involved in enough events or into the right school, then they will have the edge they need to succeed. Sadly, the unintended consequence can be that children not only internalize pressure from the implicit message to perform but they have less time to be at home enjoying the down time necessary for emotional and psychological health.

Being instead of Doing

If you’d like to become a better dad, the most important thing you can do is this: focus on being instead of doing. By being, I mean this: cultivate a relationship with your child. As a dad of five daughters ages 10 and younger, I’ve learned that a good relationship hinges upon the quality of the interaction I have with my daughters. Giving dignity by so deeply valuing each of them is an unbeatable gift. By encouraging, supporting, listening to, and respecting each of them, I can hope to guide them through the mazes of childhood, attentive not only to their hopes and dreams, their fears and sorrows, but also to the ways in which they’re processing life on a daily basis.

Much of being a good dad to young children lies in the every day moments of life. Since monotony makes up a great deal of daily life, most of good parenting centers on daily interactions. The way you relate to your kids in the hum-drum moments of life provides the most important impact in shaping them. The words you use when calling them for supper, the way you touch them, the kindness in your tone, the way you look at them when you’re with them—all of those seemingly small things have huge consequences for the internal make-up of how your child views and lives in the world.

To be a good dad, you do not have to splurge on a vacation to Disney World. To be a good dad, you need to be a good guy to your child in today’s small moments: snuggle, relax, tickle, and read a book with your kid. You’ll see the evidence of your impact on your kid: when I see one of our children smile or when I hear them laugh, I know that their heart is singing and there’s no better sound in the universe.

The Best Place to Start

Maybe the best place to start is to try to see things from your child’s perspective. If you were your child, how would you perceive your dad, your life, and your daily circumstances?  Mentally trading places with your child can produce lots of helpful insights.

If you’d like to become an even better dad, consider the following:

• Embrace the idea that you can change
• Make change a commitment
• Vow to focus on the relationship with your child
• Start with small changes and keep focused on the small issues
• Focus on one day at a time

Being a dad is the most joyful, exhausting, exciting, and rewarding experience of a lifetime. You have the opportunity this year to do something incredible, something much more meaningful than any hobby or work accomplishment: you can become a hero in your child’s eyes. You can make your child’s heart sing. You can experience the joy of hearing your child whisper as she’s falling asleep, “I love you, Daddy.” Go for it.

Get more of David’s parenting insight when you purchase Splashing in Puddles: How to Be a Father to Your Daughter on Vyrso today. 

What do you do when you’re a young homeschooler and you run out of entertainment at the public library? If you’re Ashley Townsend, you start writing your own stories.

Born in Southern California and raised in Colorado Springs, Ashley began writing as a way to create stories that she would want to read. Now a twenty-year-old college student, Ashley is committed to writing stories that will captivate and delight her readers—and propel them into a deeper relationship with God. You can now download her first Kirkdale Press novel, Rising Shadows, from Vyrso!

Rising Shadows tells the story of Sarah Matthews, a young woman looking for a little summertime adventure. To her surprise, she finds herself trapped in the twelfth century, fighting for the life of her closest companion—and her ticket home—who’s been arrested on charges of witchcraft. But who is she going to rely on to help her: the Shadow, mysterious and heroic or Will, the handsome blacksmith with troubles of his own?

Check out this excerpt from Rising Shadows:

“We have to hide,” the girl whispered urgently, her wide green eyes darting about the foliage.
“What? Why?” Sarah asked, her own eyes roaming the thickness surrounding them. Her stomach began to churn at the thought that these riders might pose some kind of threat—at least enough to cause the girl fear.
“There’s no time,” the girl hissed between her clenched teeth. “Quick! Over here.” She ducked down and dashed to the edge of the clearing opposite the approaching horses, looking like a strange, long-necked bird with her awkward gait. She listened for a moment to the men’s shouts, then frantically motioned for them to follow.
What other choice was there?
With only a brief hesitation, Sarah turned around and grabbed Lilly, who was still frozen in disbelief and confusion, and dashed toward the tree line. She practically had to drag her sibling through the dirt and fallen leaves that littered the ground.
Even in her panic, Sarah couldn’t help feeling amazed. A few minutes ago, she’d been ready to throw Lilly out of her room for seeking company during a thunderstorm, and now her only thought was to get her younger sister to safety. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins as she dove toward the bush the girl had disappeared behind. Lilly remained in the open, dumbstruck. Sarah snatched her hand and yanked her down beside them just as six large horses appeared in the clearing.

Download Rising Shadows from Vyrso for only $5.24 and enjoy the whole exciting story!

Arlene Pellicane has been featured on The Hour of Power, The 700 Club, TLC’s Home Made Simple, and Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah. Her book, 31 Days to a Younger You: No Surgery, No Diets, No Kidding (available from Vyrso) shows women how to be beautiful from the inside out.

Recently, our own Tayler Lindsey had an opportunity to talk to Arlene about 31 Days to a Younger You, how to feel better, and how to genuinely improve one’s energy.

Vyrso Voice: Does it really take just 31 days to look and feel younger?

Arlene Pellicane: You’ve got to start somewhere! Most of us have an unhealthy habit that will age us prematurely—whether it’s a lack of exercise or a love for donuts. If you think of making a change for life, it’s too overwhelming. But if you start with a doable time period like 31 days, you can make some wonderful changes that will make you look and feel younger in probably less than a month.

Vyrso Voice: What would you say to women who believe that outward appearance shouldn’t be their priority and that people should accept them as they are?

Arlene Pellicane: Your outward appearance may not the most important thing in life, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care of it. Sure, it’s better to be a person of character than a person with good looks. But why does it have to be either/or? Beauty comes from the inside out. My friend said she’d love to go to work in her pajamas (ah, the comfort!), but she would never do that out of consideration for her co-workers. How she looks affects other people. In the same way, we ought to do our best to look as attractive as possible to the people around us. Especially as believers, we are ambassadors of the King.

Vyrso Voice: Can busy women apply these principles in a short amount of time?

Arlene Pellicane: Yes! By reading for five to ten minutes a day and then doing a simple action step, a busy woman can start looking and feeling younger in days. I know a busy single mom who read my book and started doing crossword puzzles to challenge her mind, lifting weights, and cutting out white flour from her diet. She feels better already, and those are just a few small changes that can make a big difference.

Vyrso Voice: What are some areas of the heart, mind, and body that you cover?

Arlene Pellicane: For the heart, readers are led to be more joyful, recover that childlike faith, roll with the punches, and laugh again. As we grow older, it’s easy to think “I’m losing my mind!” So we spend time to focus on improving memory and strengthening our brain power through learning new skills and doing hobbies we enjoy. The adage “move it or lose it” rings true, so we spend the last part of the book focusing on improving our exercise and eating habits, plus fashions dos and don’ts as we age.

Vyrso Voice: Many women are tired and bored with their lives. How can they add some excitement to the mix?

Arlene Pellicane: It’s very easy to settle into a routine and become bored with life. But thankfully, it’s also very easy to shake off lethargy to do something exciting. It’s as simple as putting something on the calendar that you are looking forward to: a women’s retreat, coffee with a friend, a day trip, or enrolling in a painting class. It can be anything and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Is there a hobby or destination you loved as a child? Make plans to do that again. Create many “I can hardly waits” in life. Notice, you have to create these moments. They don’t automatically come to you.

Vyrso Voice: What are some tips for relieving stress or making time for yourself?

Arlene Pellicane: Exercise is a great stress reliever whether it’s an intense exercise class at the gym or walk around your block. Find something you enjoy that helps you “change channels” so you can walk away from the things that are stressing you out. It may be reading a Psalm or a chapter in a book, calling a friend, asking someone to pray with you over the phone, or journaling. If you see you have a particularly busy week or you’re in a demanding season of life, schedule time in your calendar for down time. Set aside a weeknight where there are no outside activities and re-group. Protect that time or something or someone will take it away.

Download 31 Days to a Younger You from Vyrso today!