Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

Right Between the Eyes

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

PERFECTIONISM AND THE CREATIVE MINDSET REQUIRED TO FINISH A BOOK. During the Olympics, there’s always lots of talk about sports psychology. The Apostle Paul also talks about what it takes to finish the race. In Philippians 3:13-14 he advocates leaving … Continue reading →

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Respect

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

Shame is a powerful tool of the enemy, able to morph into a million avatars, but no match for God’s sovereignty and grace. Here’s what I mean. ****************************************************************************    It’s 1967 at the tail end of the summer, and my … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | 3 Comments

My Ice Blue Secret

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

In any culture that prizes virginity before marriage, the loss of it can leave you frozen in shame. And sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. *********************************************************************************** I wasn’t a virgin when I married. Supposedly, no big deal if, … Continue reading →

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A Taste of Paradise

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

 This week, I stumbled upon a documentary on Prime called Three Identical Strangers about male triplets separated at birth by adoption. Turns out they were unknowingly part of a psychological study and purposely placed in homes at three different levels … Continue reading →

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Our Eyes Are On You

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

Funny how books, sermons, and personal stories come into your life at just the right moment. Just in the nick of time! Just when God knows you need it! **************************************************************************************** How often I submit to my fears instead of submitting … Continue reading →

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Forgiveness and Freedom

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

Are you more like a Judge Judy or Mother Teresa? I confess, when I used to visit my brother at his rest home, Judge Judy was often on TV, and I was always tempted to sit down and watch the … Continue reading →

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Teach Us to Number Our Days

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Ann C. Averill

January is the month where we begin again, and in doing so inevitably re-evaluate where we’ve been and what we’ve done. Do we want to keep doing it? Does it matter? Is there somewhere else we want to go? Something … Continue reading →

Posted in Spiritual Growth, Writing Process | 4 Comments

Introvert or Extrovert?

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? What difference does it make if both are fine ways of being in the world? A lot, according to Holley Gerth in her fabulous book, The Powerful Purpose of Introverts: Why the world … Continue reading →

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The Craft of Hope

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

A few days before Thanksgiving, I woke up forming a mental list of the things I needed to accomplish before hosting the holiday feast.  Bake a pumpkin dessert Make fresh cranberry relish Press the tablecloth Craft a centerpiece Then I … Continue reading →

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Be Real, Be Loved, and Belong

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Ann C. Averill

It seems appropriate that my brother passed away only days before Halloween. As a child, he loved to dress up as someone else, and as an adult, he always hid who he really was, saying what he thought you wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in Flash memoir, Spiritual Growth | 10 Comments