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Welcome to "A Touch of Encouragement." Hope is here, perfection isn’t.
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HOT TOPICSAnimals | Children | Education | Faith | Fear | Grief and Loss | Holidays | Hope | In the News | Parents | Prayer | Relationships | Sports
In this touching video, Martha Williamson tells the story of how her young daughter loved a caterpillar and the lesson that no matter how big or small, learning to love has to start somewhere.
What are you still learning?
Martha Williamson reminds us that everyday is a chance to start over and imagine all of the colorful possibilities.
Should she eat it or marry it?
When it comes to choosing the right people in our life, Martha Williamson reminds us not to settle, but rather to always look for those who see the best in us.
A child discovers God for the very first time.
Martha Williamson learned early in life that even amidst our deepest fears, God guides us through every dark room we encounter on our life journey.
What did you dream?
Martha Williamson recalls a childhood memory of swinging on a swing in Colorado and dreaming of the future yet to come. And today she encourages each of us to remember that kid we once were and the dreams we once had.
Do you listen with your head or your heart?
Everyone says "I love you" in different ways. In this touching video, Martha Williamson shares a collection of children's descriptions on what love means to them.
Is it time to feel like a kid again?
Martha Williamson recalls the books she loved as a child and recommends a few to read with your children this summer.
Is a child's why really a simple question?
From her daughter's curiosity, Martha Williamson was not only reminded of a family's unique love, but also the love that God has for each of us.
Never say never.
Martha Williamson shares some practical advice for college graduates looking for their first job.
An old childhood friend is back!
If you feel abandoned or uncared for, Martha Williamson believes if you put your life in God's caring hands, He will redeem your days and give you hope.
To see Jeannie before her visit to the New York Doll hospital, watch The Transformation of Jeannie.
Is there something you need to clean up?
In this funny story which started from a promise to her daughter, Martha Williamson turns a difficult subject into a life lesson about taking responsibility for our actions and cleaning up the messy situations in our lives.
How a hamster, a dog, and an injured bird taught a lesson about responsibility.
Martha Williamson reminds us if we faithfully take care of the small things in life, God will trust us with the big things.
A hospital visit for a child's best friend.
Finding the kid in each of us.
The last powerful lesson from a childhood friend.
Is it farewell or good-bye?
A child's forgotten "share" turns into a unique gift.
Paying it forward with a smile.
Tough times lead to a classic result.
Christmas comes but once a year, but children are forever.
A child prays for the wrong thing but gets it right.
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Letter to a College Kid
Our Mother's Day video got a great deal of response. So many moving stories from you about your own mothers and your plans to honor them. I was deeply affected by the letters from those of you who have recently lost your moms; this will be a hard Mother's Day for you and our prayers are with you.
One of the most interesting comments was from a young lady named Lizzie, who apologized that her letter wasn't really about mothers at all. Here's what she wrote:
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I find that little things that I might otherwise not notice this week are reminding me of my mother just because we're getting close to Mother's Day. "Keep on keepin' on" are the words of encouragement my mother would say to me whenever I needed a pep talk. I hadn't heard anyone say that in years, and suddenly I've heard it twice recently. I find myself humming a favorite song of hers. I see a dress in the window of a vintage clothing store and I could swear it's a copy of one she used to wear.
An unselfish gift from a gentle soul.
A mother's letter reaches across the miles to touch a lonely student.
The letter sat in the mailbox nearly all day, because I was just feeling too crummy to go outside and check the mail
Yes, the flu season has finally caught up with me. If it's this bad after getting a flu shot, I can't imagine what it's like without having got one. At first I tried to ignore the symptoms and "work through" the flu. I took the vitamins and herbs. Then finally I broke down and took the serious meds from the doctor. And I'm still fighting this thing, like so many people seem to be this year.
A child grieves in a surprising way.
If I'd had another cup of coffee after church, we'd have been too late to see the dog run across the street. If we'd left church a few seconds sooner, we would have hit the dog as it ran under our wheels. But ten seconds made all the difference, and as we drove home, we narrowly missed hitting a beautiful little puppy who ran out into a busy intersection.
On the last night of December, sixteen hundred and two years ago, according to Thomas Cahill, author of "How The Irish Saved Civilization", "the Rhine river froze solid, providing the natural bridge that hundreds of thousands of hungry men, women, and children had been waiting for...." With this he begins the story of the fall of the Roman Empire, describing the charge of "barbarians" against the Romans. Cahill's marvelous book grabs you and never lets you go until you are convinced that the Irish did, indeed, provide their own bridge of civilization between the classical and medieval worlds.
Somewhere in Texas there's a little boy named Logan who broke my heart this morning.
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