Jan 6th 20 Posted by Natalie Nichols

God Determines our Steps, Part Two: A Personal Photo Journey

In the previous post, I shared how God turned my plans for last year upside down through caring for my dad in his illness and hospitalizations. The change of plans affected everything, even Pursuit 21. I always like seeing faces of the people my friends tell me about. One friend of mine sends me pictures by text so that I can visualize who she is asking me to pray for. Several of you who know about my... read more

Jan 6th 20 Posted by Natalie Nichols

God Determines Our Steps, Part One: Plans Turned Upside Down

Seven months have passed, and not a word from me here. I haven’t been intentionally absent or rude. It’s just that last year was not the year I planned. Everything I envisioned for the year was turned upside down. Perhaps your year ended up the same way. “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9, NLT Did you have plans for last year that got uprooted?... read more

Feb 3rd 17 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Fasting Day 20: Your Father Gives Good Gifts to Those Who Ask

Have you been discouraged in prayer on your fast because your causes of fasting are things you’ve sought God about for months or even years? Maybe you’ve even fasted about them before. Has the enemy whispered to you, “What’s the point?” Oh friend, you’re not alone. The first day of the fast, I struggled to see the point in coming to God yet again for desperate needs.... read more

Apr 19th 13 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Depression (2): My Own Struggle—If It Had Not Been…

I’ve experienced clinical depression caused from both internal and external influences. During the first months of my disability, I became depressed by the sudden losses and changes in my life. Not doing anything…lying around sick all the time — it was a dramatic about face from college life at Baylor. During the week I had been busy on campus; on the weekends I ministered in churches and traveled... read more

Jan 29th 11 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Fasting Day 17: A Day of Prayer for Shades of Grace

During this time of prayer and fasting with Pursuit 21, the Holy Spirit has led me to designate one day as a day of fasting and prayer for Shades of Grace Ministries. If God has ministered to you and deposited spiritual seed in your life through Shades of Grace, I would like to ask you to commit to fast and pray for us for twenty-four hours. You can choose the type of fast (full or partial). Points of... read more

Apr 21st 10 Posted by Natalie Nichols

Boundless Strength, Eternal Joy

Are you weak and weary? In need of strength? Do you feel sad and hopeless? Are you facing an obstacle that no human maneuvering can overcome? What you need is boundless strength and eternal joy. They are found in one place… For the past four years, I have experienced an annual health collapse that lasts between one and six months of the year.  “A collapse,” you might say, “I thought your... read more

Mar 21st 10 Posted by Natalie Nichols

A Conscious Decision

I’ve made a conscious decision. In response to the leading of the Holy Spirit, I am going to be more open about my ongoing, residual health challenges. I will deliberately post about them and make my life a little more of an open book. For several reasons, I have been rather silent on this topic in recent years: When summarizing my 20+ year story in a thirty minute session, it is quicker to... read more

Jan 1st 10 Posted by Natalie Nichols

5 Steps to Overcome Discouragement This Year

God began my first day of the year in an unusual but significant way. For a couple of weeks I’ve needed to pull journals from a decade ago in order to locate the date of a particular event. I woke in the middle of the night last night and couldn’t go back to sleep, so I thought I’d finally get the task over with and dig out my old journals. My life is apparently pretty boring because I soon fell... read more

Nov 8th 09 Posted by Natalie Nichols

My Surprise Visitor

I was pleasantly surprised today when a young lady came by my house.   We met two years ago, September 5, 2007, under grim circumstances.  The first thing I heard was her voice, screaming in the night…  The following story recounts that life-changing evening: As the flames crept closer and closer all she could do was scream … It was a Wednesday night I will never forget – because it changed... read more