Leann Guzman's Blog

One of my frequent battle cries is for women to stop doing more than what God has put on their plate. But it can be hard for several reasons to say no, one of which is you know you would be good at it. Maybe even the best at it. 
But look at it this way: if God isn't asking you to do it, then He has someone else for the job. Maybe someone He wants to develop in that area, maybe someone who actually is a better fit than you would be. 


If God isn't calling you to it, then don't worry ab...

So Derek died Thursday.


You may not watch Grey's Anatomy (I haven't since about season 2), but if you have women in your social media feeds, you've probably heard by now about Dr. McDreamy's unfair, untimely demise.
They aren't happy.

Now I'm not here to judge. Ten years is a really long time to invest in a character.  Makes you feel a little like it's a real person.

Psychologists would say that drmedusa is right. Long term characters become very real to us, and the emotions they make us fee...

I guess I always thought John the Baptist invented baptism. Some crazy guy, out in the wilderness eating locust and honey, wearing camel hair clothes...

Photo Source (w/o comment on John's sanity)

Well, being the first guy who came up with the idea of dunking people in the river as a form of repentance is pretty weird if no one's ever done it before, so it just sort of matched the rest of him for me. (Like the first guy who ate crawfish. Who was that guy and how hungry must he have been?!)
If I...

I almost quit college in my third year.

I almost quit law school in my second year.
I almost quit my marriage in my sixth year.
I almost quit my church, well, in a couple of different years.
But I didn't. 
And I have never regretted it. The most amazing things that I never could have imagined have come from not quitting. 
Opportunities for better jobs and greater income and a step up for both me and my family came from not quitting school.
Two of my three kids were born after I didn't quit...

If you are hurting today, just know that the Lord sees. A long time ago, there was a woman by a spring in the desert who was hurting. Her situation was bad, and she was running away. And the Lord came to visit her and told her the plan He had for her, even in that bad situation. He gave her hope for her future. It changed her, and she called Him "El Roi," meaning the Lord Who Sees Me. 

He sees you. And He has sent this message to tell you that even in your bad situation, He is working on...

If you are struggling with your to-do list, or feeling exhausted by the things on your plate, read on for one thing to help!


ONE THING TO HELP: Look at your to-do list through the lens of Jesus - what things have you taken on that He didn't ever intend you or direct you to do? Get rid of those! He has a plan for you, and when you're doing your own plan, and not focusing on Him, His plan can't happen.  Your plans that are independent of Him dilute your energy but He gives you strength for...

Feeling overwhelmed? Like there isn't enough time? Or you haven't felt up to doing what needs to be done, or what you WANT to get done? 
Decide what's most important and do just one thing toward that goal. Even small things count! 
We sometimes make things out to be harder than they are. Or sometimes things seem to be so big that it feels like it will never get done. But if you move toward the finish line, even a little, then you're one step closer. 



Just do ONE THING today toward...

Psalm 9:1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 
Tell of His wonderful deeds in the comments: what has God done for you? 
I have asked this kind of question before several times on another forum and don't get very many responses and I think that is because people want to have a Lazarus -style amazing story to share. But what God does for us, the most AMAZING things, are often the small ones. And because of that, I also think peopl...

If you'd like to start the year off with focusing on God's blessings in your life, and how to let those blessings flow through to others, get your copy of the Women of Blessing devotional and join our Closed Facebook Group called Women of Blessing Devo 2015. You'll get discussion, accountability, support, and encouragement every day starting January 1 and ending January 31. 

Join the group here or request an invite in the comments below:https://www.facebook.com/groups/364950997018186/

Get...

If you're looking for more than just telling the Christmas story to your kids...
If you want something deeper this year...


If you want simple and clean...
If you don't want to add more crafts or object lessons or work to your holidays, but you want your kids to know - really KNOW, and begin to APPRECIATE what it really means to celebrate the coming of Christ...
Then this Bible study is for you! A few days, a few minutes, a few scriptures, a few explanations, and you'll teach the WHY. 
Not jus...