encouragement Archives - Page 2 of 8 - Cheri Strange, She Yearns, Christian Speaker & Author

Join My Book Club

3 October 2022

Cheri Strange

No comments

Categories: Resources

Join My Book Club

That’s right! I am hosting a book club on Facebook called, The Strange Readers Cafe` and I would love for you to join me. For the next 75-days (from Oct. 3 to Dec. 16) we will be reading Can You See Me, Now? in this private Facebook group together.

How do I know Book Club is for me?

If you start books but have a hard time finishing them,
If you would benefit from the accountability of reading with a group,
If you think you might be the only one who feels left out, passed over, or invisible,
If you crave community with the body of Christ,
If you would enjoy making new friends,
If you want to engage deeper with the author and into the material,

then this book club, The Strange Readers Cafe` might be just the thing for you this fall.

How do I join the Book Club?

To join, simply follow the link below that will take you to the private Facebook page and join. After approval by an administrator of the group, you will have access.

What can I expect from the Book Club?

You can expect to make some new friends. We will offer opportunities to get to know each other and find commonalities.
There will be a set reading schedule that is doable!
As the author, I will pop into the group on a regular basis to join in your discussions or comments between group members.
There will be weekly Facebook Live opportunities to get a closer look from an insider’s perspective, ask the author questions, articulate points of discussion, understandings, share personal experiences, and pray.
Inside you will discover a group of women who have all experienced feeling alone, insignificance, or left behind — and desire to move beyond this.
You will be able to finish with a personal actionable plan for becoming, not only seen but spiritually invincible.

Sign me up for Book Club!

If you are ready to sign up for this 75-day journey together:

be sure to join the Facebook Group, The Strange Readers Cafe.`
Secure your own copy of Can You See Me, Now? (Ebook or paperback)
Stop by the Welcome post to let us know all about you!

I can’t wait to meet you there!

For His glory,

Don’t forget to check out the FREE reading plan available about the book from YouVersion!

Have you received my FREE gift to you? Get 3 resources to help you experience more of God in your everyday life. It’s filled with practical helps for living out what really matters.

DOWNLOAD NOW

WAIT! THERE’S MORE.

If you would like to become a part of the private FB group, She Prays, we would love to have you. Click the image to join.

Did you know Cheri has over TWENTY different reading plans for you to choose from? Just click on the images below to check them out:

You can meet Cheri on the She Yearns blog for more truth-saturated, Gospel-centered encouragement like this:

A Prayer When You Feel Invisible

23 September 2022

Cheri Strange

No comments

Categories: Prayer

A Prayer When You Feel Invisible

Did you know the current American culture is at its loneliest in the last fifty years? Would you guess loneliness has been found to be a constant throughout the lifespan? That a majority of people feel like no one knows them well. What about feeling like you belong? That, too, is a familiar predicament. Regardless of age, socioeconomic status, or family structure, you and I can experience such isolation mixed with rejection or just being passed over that we feel invisible.

It’s as if no one really sees us, no matter what we do or say.

You and I can swim years in these bottomless waters. All the voices we hear (internally and externally) team up together helping us realize the problem must be us.

I waded in this murky mess for years. For me, this is not a new emotional locale. It’s terribly familiar territory. And for you, that’s a good thing because I’ve learned a few things and gathered a few resources to help move me past those swamps of negativity. Allow me to share one with you today.

One Dependable Resource When You Feel Invisible

When you feel unseen, or like no one knows you, and they don’t care, make a be-line to Psalm 139. Say it to yourself until you believe it to be true – and the heaviness is lifted.

Psalm 139:1-5

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me. Psalm 139:1-5

More than anything, you and I need to know that we know that we know—we are known by the God who created us. These are not words limited to the super spiritual, the multi-gifted, the youth and worship leader types, or the woman you wish you were more like.

These are for you.

They tell of a reality just as true for you and me as any other words in the Bible. The problem is that we often don’t remember them, nor do we choose to believe them and possess them as our own.

From one invisible girl to another – write these verses down. You need them. You need them close. Read them out loud. Then pray them. Pray them every time you start drowning in insignificance, and do this until they become a part of your fiber.

We may not be able to change our circumstances or the way we are treated by others – but we can alter our own perceptions and beliefs about ourselves. It matters not what you think of yourself, or what anyone else thinks—but only what God does.

Let’s get his vocabulary and perspective into our minds and hearts.

A Prayer for When I Feel Invisible

Lord God,

I thank you for your Word. Thank you for the comfort and encouragement only You can give. Today, I am thankful my friend is known by you. What a joy that you know when she sits down and when she gets up again. You even know her thoughts. Not because you are some dogmatic control freak – but because you created her this way, and imperfections, catastrophic failings, quirky habits and all–you love her. You know everything about my friend: her dreams, where she goes, even the words before she says them. You know her intricacies and love her lavishly. Your presence surrounds this dear one, and your hand always is on her. To you, she is exquisite rather than invisible. Help her to feel your hand upon her life. Teach her how you see her so that she feels invisible no more.

In your precious name, Amen.

For the one who feels invisible, largely passed over, and insignificant – I have created a resource for you. Grab your copy of Can You See Me, Now? Good news for the lonely, left out, and less than and join the Strange Readers Café. We will be going through the book together beginning Oct. 3 until December 16 – just in time for Christmas.

Buy the Book

Join the Group

Don’t forget to check out the latest FREE reading plan available from YouVersion!

Have you received my FREE gift to you? Get 3 resources to help you experience more of God in your everyday life. It’s filled with practical helps for living out what really matters.

DOWNLOAD NOW

WAIT! THERE’S MORE.

If you would like to become a part of the private FB group, She Prays, we would love to have you. Click the image to join.

Did you know Cheri has over TWENTY different reading plans for you to choose from? Just click on the images below to check them out:

You can meet Cheri on the She Yearns blog for more truth-saturated, Gospel-centered encouragement like this:

A Prayer Against Oppression

2 September 2022

Cheri Strange

No comments

Categories: Prayer

A Prayer Against Oppression

If I could go back and offer my twenty-something self, sound, biblical advice, praying against oppression would be at the top of my list. Doing so might have brought about the freedom I experience today much earlier. Decades so. Instead, I try to capitalize on conversations with twenty-somethings or thirty-somethings, or even forty to fifty-somethings struggling with the same issues.

The conversation generally goes something like this:

My friend begins to talk about her day or week. She confesses she does not feel like herself when she is in a particular environment. My friend doesn’t think one of the other women likes her. This person is much funnier and more outgoing making her everyone’s favorite, while my friend finds herself emotionally blending into the wallpaper.

I know how she feels. For years, I had layers of the same stuck to me. It’s one of the reasons I wrote Can You See Me, Now? Good news for the lonely, left out, and less than. The reality is that you and I engage in situations from work to church, and to family in which not everyone likes us. At least, they don’t seem to care what we say or do. There are others within the group who are preferred, leaving you and me in the shadows as outsiders. Often, we take these speculations and allow them free mental reign. We surmise, that if we were different then we would be enough. Heard. Seen. And known.

Advice on Man’s Oppression of my Twenty-Something Self

What I long to advise my twenty-something self is to stop blending into the wallpaper and seek divine help. On my own, I feel as if I am wearing an invisible lead jacket I cannot remove. The path forward lies in prayer, believing God can do what the Word of God declares he can do.

The Word of God shows us what we can pray to experience victory over the value and weight we give the opinions of those in our midst.

Redeem me from man’s oppression,
that I may keep your precepts. Psalm 119:134

A little further investigation helps us see the power we have before us. “Redeem” in this verse is used to denote the largest sense of deliverance. We cannot “redeem” ourselves. A source outside ourselves must come and do the work for us.

This is what the Psalmist asks for – divine intervention from “man’s oppression.” Scholars note that this particular request to be redeemed from man’s oppression is a call for freedom of opinion which is considered “the richest blessing which man can enjoy.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)

That weight you feel? It’s real. As hard as you try, you will not be able to shake it off. But God has made a way for you and me to be the women he has created without concern for what others think or even if they don’t think about us at all.

Let’s start asking God to intervene by helping us stop the negative mindsets, the emotional heaviness, and the trips to the sidelines. Let Him teach us who we are in Christ and how to live in possession of the promises purchased for us.

A Prayer Against Man’s Oppression

Lord, God,

Today my prayer is straightforward like Your Word on the issue. Intervene in the life of my friend today. I pray you will deliver her from her care and concern about how others ignore her, speak to her negatively, or treat her as if she doesn’t quite measure up. Redeem her from the heaviness of it all because she cannot free herself. Let man’s oppression have no hold. Replace the outside assessments and even her self-assessments, with truth. Teach her how you see her, what makes her special in your sight, and what a gift she is. Transform her inner understanding to such a degree she can walk out in the confidence of who you are making her become. Show her who she is in your sight. Let her know you see her, you think she’s exquisite. And your assessment, alone, matters.

In your glorious Name, Amen.

Have you received my FREE gift to you? Get 3 resources to help you experience more of God in your everyday life. It’s filled with practical helps for living out what really matters.

DOWNLOAD NOW

Did you know Cheri’s new book, Can You See Me, Now? is coming out soon?

Find out more HERE!

WAIT! THERE’S MORE.

If you would like to become a part of the private FB group, She Prays, we would love to have you. Click the image to join.

Don’t forget to check out the latest FREE reading plan available from YouVersion?

Did you know Cheri has over TWENTY different reading plans for you to choose from? Just click on the images below to check them out:

You can meet Cheri on the She Yearns blog for more truth-saturated, Gospel-centered encouragement like this:

Join My Launch Team

8 August 2022

Cheri Strange

No comments

Categories: Resources

I want you on my launch team!

We are thrilled to announce the opening of the Launch Team Application for my new book, Can You See Me, Now? Good news for the lonely, left out, and less than.

You might have a few questions, like what’s the book about? What do you do on a launch team,? Why should I be a part? and How do I sign up? I’m here to answer your questions and set your mind at ease.

What is the book about?

WE ALL WANT TO BELONG AND BE LOVED.

But what happens when we get passed over, left out, or seem invisible? How do you make new friends, navigate drama, and enjoy authentic connections?

Can You See Me, Now? reveals how you were handpicked by God to express love, thrive in community, and enhance the world around you. Using a Scripture approach combined with captivating stories, Cheri will show you how.

What do you do on a launch team?

There are a lot of perks to being on someone’s launch team, but we will get to that in a minute. The overall purpose is to let people know the book is coming. Then let them know the book is here. And finally, is the book worth purchasing?

How long does it last?

August 29 to Sept. 24

( The sign-up window just opened and will remain open until August 23.)

IF I CHOOSE TO JOIN, WHAT DO I GET:

The FIRST 20 who sign up get a free digital copy of the book.
Help. My friend, Karen, is going to make it soooo easy for us – it’s just fun.
All members get A FREE SAMPLE (the Intro and first 3 chapters)– BEFORE it releases.
Free swag!!!!!!!!
Chances to win weekly prizes and a grand prize.
INSIDER Info– knowing things only privy to team members and receiving exclusive content.
Access to the EXCLUSIVE Strange Reader’s Cafe (which begins in October — going through the book with me for 75 days).
DONE-FOR-YOU social media to post (so it’s a no-brainer for you.)

We’ll have weekly prizes and a GRAND PRIZE ($50 Amazon gift card!) at the end of the launch. All the details are on the application.

I’m in. How do I sign up for the Launch Team?

Just follow the link below and it will take you to a form to complete.

https://forms.gle/rJ5iWCqGMtZ2hW41A

I’m super EXCITED! I’D LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN ME!

For His Glory,

Prayer for a Path Forward

5 August 2022

Cheri Strange

No comments

Categories: Prayer

Prayer for a Path Forward

Are you a morning person?

Honestly, mornings have never been my jam. I would rather stay up until 2:00 AM than get up before seven. Although marrying a morning person did improve my bearish behavior, it wasn’t until I picked up a pattern in Scripture that I left my deviant ways behind.

Somewhere around two kids and a dog, I found myself spent. As a young mom trying to finish school while working part-time, I was exhausted. Long days followed late nights. That’s when I realized something was missing. It dawned on me the Bible never records Jesus staying up late working on a project, like me, too bleary-eyed to pray in the morning. I supposed Jesus was a morning person. Still, the blaring absence communicated there might be something to starting the day in prayer instead of downcast despondence. So, I set about mending my night-owlish ways to do just that.

Lessons Learned on the Path Forward

Spending focused time in prayer is where you and I grow by God’s grace. Those moments are more than giving voice to what concerns us. They are the building blocks of relationships. When Jesus relates his analogy of the vine to the branches, he makes clear there is no fruit found on branches that don’t stay connected to the vine. The point is to live in the vine. It is a picture of a close relationship between God, the vinedresser, and the followers of Christ developed by spending time together.

Chances are, the hours in your days and nights are consumed. There is nothing left by the time your head hits the pillow. I get it. I too have tried to squeeze twenty-seven hours into my allotted twenty-four. And it’s not making me more like Jesus. I need a better path forward. Likely, you do, too.

Let me experience your faithful love in the morning, for I trust in you. Reveal to me the way I should go because I appeal to you. Psalm 143:8

The Psalmist reminds us that when we begin praying in the morning to grow in relationship with God, we can know his faithful love by experience.

When you and I make meeting with God a top priority, before we are spent and exhausted, we reap benefits. Those first moments of the day allow us to pour out our hearts, leave our concerns, and request guidance in knowing which way to go. As we listen, we begin to experience more of God. I don’t understand how it works, but this approach is the one the Psalmist took, Jesus lived, and the way he paved four to live a fruitful life.

The Psalmist is like us in that he wants this reality in his own life – to experience more of God and for direction, so he asks for it.

Prayer for a Path Forward

Dear Lord,

Today I pray for my fellow night-owl. I pray for the one burning her candle down to the nub, still breathless, never finding time to be alone with You. Or if she does, it’s at random times when she thinks of it. Show her a path forward. Give her a solution for making meeting with you her priority. Draw near so that she will know by experience just how faithful is your love for her. Lead her and direct her ways. Reveal yourself to her in a way she can recognize and understand it comes from a God who is crazy about her.

For all of this I ask in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Have you received my FREE gift to you? Get 3 resources to help you experience more of God in your everyday life. It’s filled with practical helps for living out what really matters.

DOWNLOAD NOW

Have you heard the news? Cheri’s new book is coming out soon, and you can be a key player. Monday, August 8, 2022, you can sign up to be a member of Cheri’s Book Launch Team. Get a sneak peek at the book, gain insider information and win free stuff! Click the image to sign up (after Aug. 8).

If you would like to become a part of the private FB group, She Prays, we would love to have you. Click the image to join.

Don’t forget to check out the latest FREE reading plan available from YouVersion?

She has over TWENTY different reading plans for you to choose from. Just click on the images below to check it out:

You can meet Cheri on the She Yearns blog for more truth-saturated, Gospel-centered encouragement like this: