Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Seasons on the porch

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I’m so eager to spend time on my real-life porch, but we keep having doses of winter temperatures. If the sunshine stayed out and we were on my porch together, overlooking the pool we’re all eager to open, I would tell you all the compartments of my mind feel full. And, truthfully, I have a hard time compartmentalizing anything. Everything on my mind spills over and runs together.

This full mental capacity isn’t bad. God just has me in situations that have required a lot of mental energy to stay intentional with living faithfully. And He’s reminding me of the beauty and purpose of seasons.

With that said, I’m needing to change up things here at the #PorchStories linkup. For this season in my life, I’m going to host this gathering monthly instead of weekly. I’m going to go ahead and have the linkup today because I truly love reading your stories. I love seeing you all support one another and watch this community grow.

Then I’ll settle into hosting #PorchStories the last Wednesday of each month. I’ll likely share my usual monthly roundup posts, but you’re welcome to share about whatever is going on in your life, how you’re seeing God, or what you’re learning. I’ll remind you on social media in the days before the linkup, and I’d love for you to bring along a new friend.

I’m still going to write other posts here during the month, I just need to free up a little mental space for all the other things in my ordinary life requiring my attention and thoughts. I also have other ideas and project I’d like to pursue and share with you. In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to my emails and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

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Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories

#PorchStories Party

Meet the new (in)courage devotional Bible

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I have a really exciting project to tell you about! I’m so happy to be included in the (in)courage Devotional Bible. Y’all this is such a beautiful project I know God is going to use mightily.

Specifically, I wrote two devotions. One is about how the Prince of Peace reconciles and rescues, based on some verses from Isaiah 9. The other is about God’s people dwelling together, taken from Ephesians 2.

There are 312 devotionals written by 122 contributors, and they are organized into 10 devotional themes. Each theme has a distinct color and design to identify it throughout this Christian Standard Bible. In addition, each theme has a reading plan. The reading plans note title, page number, and the author of each devotion. In the back of the Bible, you’ll find a list of all contributors, their bios, and on which pages you can find their devotions.

In addition, there are 50 Women of Courage features and 66 introductions. Additional custom features encourage women to explore the Bible and find their story through God’s story, plus journaling space at the bottom of each page. The Bible will be offered with four different covers with a variety of prices: white hardcover, blue leather touch, green fabric cover, and navy genuine leather. I have the blue leather touch one, and it’s perfection.

You can buy this beauty wherever Bibles are sold, including Amazon. DaySpring is offering the Bible at 20 percent off PLUS a free leather journal through the end of October.

You can learn more about the Bible, the devotion writers, and incourage at its website. If you’d like to sample this Bible, you can do that too, thanks to incourage making the books of Ruth and Esther available.

about (in)courage

At (in)courage, women are welcomed to a place of faith, connection, and friendship, where they will always find themselves among friends. Founded in 2009 by DaySpring, the Christian products subsidiary of Hallmark Cards, Inc., the vision for (in)courage was to create a new home for the hearts of women, where women take turns pulling up a chair to share their stories of what Jesus looks like in their everyday, gloriously ordinary, and often messy lives. Since then, (in)courage has grown into a vibrant community that reaches thousands of women every day, welcoming them just the way they are, offering a space to breathe, loving support, and resources for meaningful connection.

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I was invited to write a couple of devotions to this Bible and received a free author copy, but I’m thrilled the share the entire project with y’all. These opinions are my own.

Finding shelter in community

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“Ramblers in the wilderness
we can’t find what we need
We get a little restless from the searching
Get a little worn down in between
Like a bull chasing the matador
is the man left to his own schemes
Everybody needs someone beside ‘em
shining like a lighthouse from the sea …”

I retreated last weekend with some of the best women on the internet.

I really never imagined myself saying something like that. I’ve made good friends and real connections on the internet. But, honestly, this group of other bloggers surprised me.

I accepted an invitation from Kayse several years ago. Some did some others and then we befriended each other in a Facebook group. We gathered in person for the first time last year we gathered together for a weekend last year and have been voxing about way more than writing since. We’ve prayed for each others’ families, laughed at funny life stories, and anticipated gathering together again this weekend.

“Writers’ retreat” is what I called this past weekend when I’ve mentioned it to other people in my life. Really, it was so much more than that, and I didn’t actually do that much writing. Rather, the time together was soul-filling, brainstorming time with my dear friends from other states who understand all the ideas and directions that pull my mind in different directions.

“… Brother let me be your shelter
Never leave you all alone
I can be the one you call
When you’re low
Brother let me be your fortress
When the night winds are driving on
Be the one to light the way
Bring you home …”

We came up with great ideas, recognized what is and isn’t working, and accepted there are seasons in life. We talked about our writing desires, explored social media strategies, discussed personality types, shared the good and bad about marriage and motherhood, and laughed until we cried.

After more than 60 hours together at my lake house, which is appropriately named Shelter Point Retreat, we held hands and prayed together. We praised God for what He has done and was doing, thanked each other for being available, and asked for what has begun to continue until next time.

“… Face down in the desert now
there’s a cage locked around my heart
I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were
Now my hands can’t reach that far
I ain’t made for a rivalry,
I could never take the world alone
I know that in my weakness I am stronger
It’s your love that brings me home …”

We’ve discussed how God put us together long before we witnessed the friendships that would develop. I’m grateful for this provision of both this group and this weekend.

I pray you have experienced this kind of meaningful community in your life. I’m blessed to have these women plus friends in my everyday life right here in Kentucky. Maybe you’ve been the one to extend the invitation or perhaps you said yes to someone else.

Deep friendships require bravery,
vulnerability, and availability.

{Tweet that.}

May you be that for someone and may someone else be that for you.

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Oh, and, if you’re looking for some encouragement on the internet, you should let my friends into your life: Kayse Pratt. Mary Carver. Anna Rendell. Christen Price. Erika Dawson. Amanda Conquers. (And perhaps you should listen to that Needtobreathe song I quoted throughout too.)

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Kristin Hill Taylor - Porch Stories
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