Only By Prayer

Our vision is our compass for the year. Once we have it set, we have a path to follow.  But, you may be wondering, what do I do with it? How do I actually make it happen? Great question! On today's Spaces of Grace podcast, we'll be talking about how to take your vision and break it into goals, routines, procedures, and habits so you see progress throughout the year.  Two of our favorite quotes from today: "And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the mount of Olives." Luke 22:39 "These were her rituals, the routines that made her feel alive and connected. Without them, where would she be? Lost." Ben Sherwood Definitions Listen as we define routines, procedures, and habits, give examples, and show how they have changed our lives. Be sure you pick your Today's Challenge and start applying what you're learning.  God bless you and thanks for listening!

At Spaces of Grace, we're in the middle of our Happy ReNew Year event. As we work through  31 Days to a New You, we'd like to talk more about how to set goals and create a vision board. This is part of our Small Changes Big Results Series. Whether you've already set your goals for the year or have yet to even think about it, you'll find something here to help you. "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the LORD'S purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21 Today's Challenge Once you've listened to the podcast, pick one tip we mentioned and start it today. If you've already identified your goals, remember to write them down each day in your journal for 30 days to help cement them in your mind.  Resources Vision Board Course Canva Thanks for listening and have a blessed 2025!

Welcome to Spaces of Grace. Today we're (Jane VanOsdol and Mary Kane) are talking about how small tweaks to our souls can make a big difference in our minds, emotions, and will. Let's get started with a favorite scripture.  "As a man thinks in His heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7 Thoughts Matter The truth of this scripture is supported by the words of Dr. Caroline Leaf, a communication pathologist and clinical neuroscientist specializing in psychoneurobiology: "What you are thinking every moment of every day becomes a physical reality in your brain and body, which affects your optimal mental and physical health. These thoughts collectively form your attitude, which is your state of mind, and it's your attitude and not your DNA that determines much of the quality of your life."  Take some time to meditate on Proverbs and Dr. Leaf's words. What do you spend most of your time thinking about? It makes a big difference, because, according to Proverbs, what we think about is what we become.  Definition of Soul So, h

Today on Spaces of Grace we're talking about how making small tweaks to our body can bring about big health changes. From exercise to adopting a food-as-medicine mentality, we can do much to improve our health.  A favorite quote by an unknown author says, "If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done." Big Question for Today:  Why do we want a healthy body? Shouldn't we just live life and trust God that we will live as long as He wants us to? While it's true that our lifespan is determined by God, the Bible tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, so we need to care for them. If we want to be effective in our lives, it's important to be as healthy as we possibly can. Proverbs 31:17 says, "She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks." Today's podcast is packed with tips and information to help you on your health journey. Go to Spaces of Grace podcast page for our post and links to all the resources.  Thank you for listen

Can we actually "save our time"? And if we can, what are we saving it for? Today on Spaces of Grace we're going to talk about time and why it's important not to waste it.  We share our favorite tips for using our time wisely. We share our time saver tips for body, soul, and spirit.  We ask you to pick a Today's Challenge Goal. Resources from the Podcast: Live Purely Podcast with Elizabeth Christine Caine Equip and Empower Podcast Val Marie Paper Prayer Journals by Valerie Woerner Thanks for listening. CHeck out our website at Spaces of Grace!

Today we welcome International Speaker, Author, and Coach Beth Jones to the podcast. Beth's mission is encouraging women to use their gifts for God's glory, fulfilling their purpose, and living a life they love. Beth presents her blueprint on how to reach your dreams one small step at a time. Prayer. We can discern God's plans for our dreams by praying and reading His word. Don't rush. Wait on His timing. Preparation. Taking the first step is important because people tend to procrastinate. Preparation may also involve investing in ourselves to reach our dreams.   Pursue. Don't be a "wisher." Be a do-er! Take action and learn to finish what you start.  Q & A With Beth Resources Beth's Website Beth's Books on her Amazon Author Page Beth's Walking With God book Thanks for listening, and we pray you are encouraged by Beth's teaching. For more information, check out our Spaces of Grace website. 

Today we're happy to welcome to the podcast Sarah Lewis. Sarah is a certified personal trainer and plant Mama extraordinaire.  If you recall in the Today's Challenge from The Little Things podcast on June 14 (2024), one of the challenges was to make a small change to benefit your body. I (Jane) suggested getting more fresh food -- and one way is to grow a plant. Sarah's Method of Growing Plants Sarah is going to tell us how she does this with no land to grow on and little time to spend on it. Whether you've never grown anything before or you already garden, you will pick up some tips from Sarah - and a recipe booklet she shares of some of her own culinary creations with herbs! We'll talk about ... How to grow if you don't have land. Favorite plants to grow. How to use your herbs. Problems to overcome. Good first plants. Benefits of growing plants. Tips and recipes! Thanks for listening. Enjoy the podcast.

Many of us have heard Benjamin Franklin's quote, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Today at Spaces of Grace we're talking about how to take charge of our days with thoughtful planning. God was the Master Scheduler -- after all, He created the whole world in just seven days! We'll look at the Bible for examples of people who led well-planned lives. We'll talk about our personal struggles with planning and scheduling. We'll share our favorite tips and resources. And of course, we have a Today's Challenge for you to try. We know you're busy; that's why this podcast is under 15 minutes. We're certain you'll find a nugget to help you.  Thanks for listening and be sure to check us out online at Spaces of Grace.

One mistake people make in life is trying to change too much all at once. We've found that small changes can put us on a path of success that over time lead to big results.  Today we'll talk about two people in the Bible who made small changes and then saw their lives change in amazing ways.  We'll discuss how we can do the same thing. Finally, we'll ask you to choose 3 Today Challenge Goals -  one for your body, one for your soul, and one for your spirit. Thanks for listening to Spaces of Grace podcast today! You can find us online at Spaces of Grace  

Thanks for joining us at the Spaces of Grace podcast. Today we are giving an update for the upcoming holiday season. Specifically, we're taking about our Thanksgiving challenge called Change Your Mindset to Grow a Thankful Heart and our Advent event called The Hush of Advent.  You may also enjoy another recent post by Mary called Perfect, Establish, Strengthen, and Settle. Listen to the podcast for all the details!

Today we are talking about women as caregivers. How do we care for ourselves when we are so busy caring for others? In Part 2 we discuss many resources that busy women can use to care for themselves so they are then able to care for others. We discuss How to fit in a quiet time including our favorite books and apps How to add Movement/exercise, even if you only have 10 or 15 minutes How to get more fresh food in your diet How to deal with pain How to come to terms with a new normal How to accept that we can't do it all

Today we are talking about women as caregivers. How do we care for ourselves when we are so busy caring for others? In Part 1, we look at who we're caring for, women of the Bible who were caring for others, and how we deal with our feelings in the midst of caregiving.

Happy Advent! Mary and I would love to have you join us as we discuss Advent and how you can get ready for Christmas during this time of preparation. We’ll be discussing the background of Advent, ways you can celebrate it with your family, and the meaning of Isaiah 7:14. Don’t let the busyness of the season prevent you from truly celebrating Christ’s birth.

In  this episode, we'll meditate on Proverbs 11:23. Do I have a mindset that expects failure or success in my life? Do what we think and say influence our reality?

The healing of the paralytic man is an incredible story. Jesus is preaching in Capernaum when four men go to extraordinary lengths to get their paralyzed friend in front of Jesus. Their faith simply wouldn't let them stop until they got him some face time with Jesus. Do we have the faith that lets miracles happen? Let's explore that question today.

When it was time for Elizabeth's baby to be born, she gave birth to a son." Luke 1:57 Elizabeth and Zacharias had waited a lifetime for their son to be born. Long past childbearing years, they thought that this blessing had passed them by.  But God had big plans for them-- in His timing.  How does that relate to us?  We'll discuss that in the podcast. Thanks for listening. May your soul's meditations be fuel for Spirit-led actions today!

Today's verse is Nehemiah 9:31, but if you have time read all of Chapter 9.  Three thoughts stand out to me from Nehemiah's reflection on Israel's history.  Join Only By Prayer in listening to this reflection to see how it may relate to your life today. 

If we are to be effective workers for God's kingdom, we first have to be effective pray-ers.

The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power. Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies!  On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed. Jeremiah 51:17-18 NLT In this passage, God is disgusted with the craftsmen. He couldn't understand why they were suing their gifts in a way that disrespected Him. That lead me to evaluate my talents and gifts, and I realized that ultimately there are only three ways I can use mine ...Resource In this podcast I recommend a book I'm reading called Called to Create, A Biblical Invitation to Create, Innovate, and Risk by Jordan Raynor. I have links to the book in the podcast blog on my website at OnlyByPrayer.com. SaveSave

short meditations on scripture intersecting life As the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand. Jeremiah 18:6 I have a college friend who has started a second career. She is an artist, more specifically a sculptor, or potter. Recently she posted pictures of some of her work online. I studied her nature sculptures of rabbits, loons, owls, and a cheerful little bird—I think it was a Carolina wren.  Now we don't live close to each other, so I haven't seen her at work, but I can imagine her hands sculpting a big lump of clay into exactly the form that she wants it to take. As I zoomed in on the photos I could see all the amazing detail work that gives life to each of her pieces ... To hear the rest of this podcast as we discuss being the clay in the Potter's hands, listen by simply clicking on the arrow below. You can also subscribe to the podcast on iTunes so it's delivered to your podcast library every week. What Do You Think? Finally, what are your thoughts on the process of being the clay in t