<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Girls Anthem]]></title><description><![CDATA[A digital magazine helping women and girls pursue destiny without compromise via encouragement, faith-based content, and creative engagement. ]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hcl7!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e8b780-cb85-4811-94c6-c40dcc0275b6_500x500.png</url><title>Girls Anthem</title><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:58:36 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Mya K. Douglas]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[writermya@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[writermya@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[writermya@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[writermya@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[I built something just for us 💕]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hey Sis,]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/i-built-something-just-for-us</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/i-built-something-just-for-us</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 15:44:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey Sis,</p><p>If you&#8217;ve been part of the Girls Anthem community for any amount of time, you already know &#8212; everything I do, I do it with purpose. This is no different.</p><p>I&#8217;ve been quietly building something, and I&#8217;m so excited to finally share it with you.</p><p>Welcome to The Reader&#8217;s Cove &#8212; my new library on Ream where faith, story, and community all come together in one place.</p><p>Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s waiting for you inside:</p><p>&#10004;&#65039; <strong>Full library access</strong> &#8212; Christian and African American romance you can feel good about reading</p><p>&#10004;&#65039; <strong>Girls Anthem Magazine (2025)</strong> &#8212; the full color PDF, the way it was always meant to be experienced</p><p>&#10004;&#65039; <strong>Weekly devotionals </strong>&#8212; audio and written</p><p>&#10004;&#65039;<strong> Exclusive monthly releases</strong> &#8212; short stories, novelettes &amp; more</p><p>&#10004;&#65039; <strong>Monthly Zoom meetups with me!</strong></p><p>All of that for just <strong>$10/month.</strong></p><p>You&#8217;ve been rocking with Girls Anthem, and I wanted you to have access to this before it goes public on June 1st. This is my way of saying thank you for showing up.</p><p>Come on in, sis. There&#8217;s a seat at the table for you. &#128149;</p><p><strong><a href="https://reamstories.com/girlsanthemlibrary">&#128279; https://reamstories.com/girlsanthemlibrary</a></strong></p><p><em><strong>Please note: Library does not include titles published through Black Legacy Publishing/Kindle Unlimited.</strong></em></p><p>With love,</p><p>Mya Kay</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hw-_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9924b93c-1e1c-4f6b-8800-a9c615700785_1080x1350.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/i-built-something-just-for-us?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/i-built-something-just-for-us?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/i-built-something-just-for-us?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Quick Favor — 5 Minutes of Your Time 💅🏽]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hey Ladies!]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/quick-favor-5-minutes-of-your-time</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/quick-favor-5-minutes-of-your-time</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 15 May 2026 17:09:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hcl7!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e8b780-cb85-4811-94c6-c40dcc0275b6_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey Ladies! </p><p>I&#8217;m working on something new, and I&#8217;d love your input. I&#8217;m in the early stages of launching a nail brand rooted in one thing &#8212; healthy nails first, beautiful color second.</p><p>Before I go any further, I want to make sure I&#8217;m building something that actually serves women like you. That&#8217;s where this quick survey comes in. It covers nail habits, salon experiences, and thoughts on nail health and treatments. </p><p>It takes less than 5 minutes and means the world to me.</p><p><a href="https://forms.gle/fNvaPgreu4q6gMNk7">https://forms.gle/fNvaPgreu4q6gMNk7</a></p><p>Thank you for always showing up for me. It doesn&#8217;t go unnoticed. &#129655;</p><p>Mya Kay</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/quick-favor-5-minutes-of-your-time?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/quick-favor-5-minutes-of-your-time?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Before Anyone Else Knows 🖤]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hey Family,]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/before-anyone-else-knows</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/before-anyone-else-knows</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:45:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IZh7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bda958a-8276-4b74-ac96-5c2424fe276c_1080x1350.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey Family,</p><p>I told you there was more to come, and I meant it.</p><p>As Girls Anthem steps into its next season, so does my literary journey. My newest novel, <em>The War in His Heart</em>, is releasing on June 2nd, and before I make any big announcements, I wanted to come to you first.</p><p>I&#8217;m building a small, intentional group of readers to be part of this with me, not just supporters, but partners. People who show up the way they&#8217;d want someone to show up for them. And I thought of you.</p><p><strong>Here&#8217;s what you get as an accepted member:</strong></p><p>&#8226; First access to excerpts, behind-the-scenes moments, and announcements before anyone else</p><p>&#8226; The first three chapters of The War in His Heart &#8212; free &#8212; as a thank-you for joining</p><p>&#8226; A real seat at the table as we build toward June 2nd</p><p><strong>And here&#8217;s what I need from you:</strong></p><p>&#8226; Share content when I drop it: covers, teasers, announcements</p><p>&#8226; Leave an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads on or around release day</p><p>&#8226; Show up the way you&#8217;d want someone to show up for you</p><p>If this sounds like something you want to be part of, just hit reply and let me know. I&#8217;ll follow up with a short application so we can make it official. The cover drops May 19th. The book releases June 2nd. <strong>This is only open to 10 people, so reply quickly if you&#8217;re interested. </strong></p><p>In Christ and with love,</p><p>Ya Girl, Mya Kay</p><p>P.S. The literary membership I teased in my last email? This is just the beginning. Check out the sneak peek of the cover reveal for The War in His Heart below. &#128420;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IZh7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bda958a-8276-4b74-ac96-5c2424fe276c_1080x1350.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IZh7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bda958a-8276-4b74-ac96-5c2424fe276c_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!IZh7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5bda958a-8276-4b74-ac96-5c2424fe276c_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/before-anyone-else-knows?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/before-anyone-else-knows?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/before-anyone-else-knows?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Beautiful Shift]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hey Family,]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-beautiful-shift</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-beautiful-shift</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:03:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!fq13!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe1fa55c9-9115-49cc-be0e-d155ae4b1769_2000x1335.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey Family,</p><p>Wow. It&#8217;s been two years since God had me relaunch Girls Anthem when I returned home to Philly. In April 2024, we brought back our Girls Anthem prayer line, and I watched God move powerfully over the course of four months. Then, in November 2024, God had me launch Girls Anthem Magazine, and after seven beautiful, printed issues and thirteen months of our digital magazine, God put it on pause and told me to shift back to sending weekly emails after my winter break.</p><p>I had no idea that the one I sent last Monday would be the last one. Last Sunday, as I sat in my prayer closet, God spoke to me about the two fish and five loaves (John 6:1-15). He made it clear that I was in a season of multiplication, but for me to access it, I would have to give Him what is already in my hands. It&#8217;s ironic how our last devotional was on the unexpected shift, and here it is, I&#8217;m experiencing another one.</p><p>The beauty in this shift is that there&#8217;s more to come for Girls Anthem. While I can&#8217;t share the details, I can share this tidbit:</p><p>Girls Anthem Media is a dynamic media company committed to uplifting women and girls by providing content that inspires them to pursue their destinies without compromising their souls. Rooted in the faith-based ministry founded by Mya Kay in 2019, and expanding upon the mission of the Girls Anthem Magazine launched in 2024, our goal is to venture deeper into the media space, creating impactful television and film content that brings viewers closer to Christ while entertaining them.</p><p>We are also launching a literary membership later this spring for email list subscribers that will focus on the books by your very own, Mya Kay.</p><p>So, this isn&#8217;t the last time you&#8217;ll hear from us. Just in this way. There&#8217;s so much more to come for Girls Anthem, but for me to lean into this new level, I must step back and prepare for it. One of the biggest mistakes Christian entrepreneurs make is being afraid to step back so that God can launch them forward. You can&#8217;t fear missing sales, followers, or even opportunities just because you&#8217;re in an inactive season that God has called you to.</p><p>Building takes work, and we must build God&#8217;s way. Read Exodus 31 and the book of Nehemiah to see why doing it God&#8217;s way often means preparing behind the scenes, where nobody is clapping, and no cameras are documenting the journey.</p><p>Please take this hiatus to browse the archives, share with family and friends, and purchase issues of the print magazine. We have over 100 articles that you can enjoy. What didn&#8217;t hit in one season may resonate in this one. </p><p>I want to thank you for trusting me with your spiritual journey and for believing in what Girls Anthem stands for. Please pray for Girls Anthem during this transition as we prepare to come back stronger than ever.</p><p>In Christ,</p><p>Ya Girl, Mya Kay</p><p>P.S. It took a lot for me to write this without crying, so know that these words carry weight. Love you deep.</p><p>Order print copies of our magazine below:</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/2985484&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Print Magazine&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/2985484"><span>Print Magazine</span></a></p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-beautiful-shift?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-beautiful-shift?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-beautiful-shift?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Girls Anthem&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share Girls Anthem</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Grief of the Unexpected Shift]]></title><description><![CDATA[Embrace the beauty of colliding]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/the-grief-of-the-unexpected-shift</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/the-grief-of-the-unexpected-shift</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 23 Mar 2026 13:03:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey Family,</p><p>As I got on the plane, I felt defeated. Here it was: I had done everything God asked me to do, only to end up going back home to Philly. Don&#8217;t get me wrong, I love my city, and being with my family means a lot. But from all the dreams and downloads God had been giving me over the last couple of years, Dallas was supposed to be my next move. So, imagine my surprise when, on July 18, 2023, I found myself boarding a plane from Atlanta to Philly.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>I was headed back home to a room after losing my apartment. Confused, hurt, and even a little depressed, I headed home. What I didn&#8217;t realize was that my niece, Quiana, would end up having her baby five months early, literally twelve days after I arrived home. Over the next five months, my family and I prayed for baby Zhuri, believing that she would get to come home, completely healed. She&#8217;d gone through a lot, between brain surgeries and different procedures after being born at only one pound and twenty-one ounces.</p><p>She came home on December 24, 2023. Our Christmas miracle.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg" width="1456" height="1289" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1289,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:8120196,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/i/191771165?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vE0w!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc6c74dc5-7431-44ce-9e58-824c749fe825_3985x3527.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>That&#8217;s when it hit me. While the shift was unexpected, I would end up colliding with a beautiful moment in my destiny. Shifting can lead to colliding when it&#8217;s God&#8217;s will. I&#8217;ve been home for almost 3 years, and in that time, baby Zhuri has grown to a healthy 25 pounds. I get to spend weeks at a time with her, and God strengthened my relationship with my niece, Quiana (her mother).</p><p>Also, during this time, my mother and I have drawn closer. I&#8217;ve healed on a deeper level, and I&#8217;ve been able to rest. If you know anything about my story, you know that I&#8217;ve lived in several different cities and even another country over the last fifteen years. While I will always go where God sends me, it can be tiring leading a nomadic lifestyle (fyi: I didn&#8217;t choose this path).</p><p>Lastly, I&#8217;ve grown closer to God than I have ever been. I studied His word on a deeper level, my prayer language has strengthened, and I know how to lean into worship, during the good times and the bad.</p><p>Unexpected shifts can be frustrating, especially when God tells you what&#8217;s next and you prepare for it, only for Him to pivot you in a way that you weren&#8217;t expecting. It hurts because even if you initially didn&#8217;t want to do it, you start getting excited about it. While Texas was never on my mind, I began to get excited about the idea of living in Dallas (and I&#8217;m still moving there, it just didn&#8217;t happen when I thought it would).</p><p>So, what do you do when delays come, shifts happen, and pivots out of your control take place? My prayer is that you don&#8217;t complain but ask God what&#8217;s next. Let Him guide you into the truth about your situation, instead of creating your own narrative. Be open to hearing the new strategy for that season. This doesn&#8217;t mean He&#8217;s changed His mind about the promise, but He may have changed His methods. I&#8217;m still moving to Dallas&#8212;He&#8217;s just taking me a different route.</p><p>And I get to enjoy seeing my great niece grow up while I&#8217;m waiting. This April, we&#8217;re doing the March for Babies walk with baby Zhuri, as we prepare to celebrate her 3<sup>rd</sup> birthday in July. God has moved mountains, and we are forever grateful for her.</p><p>As we close out this month&#8217;s theme, please take the time to donate to Quiana and Zhuri&#8217;s March for Babies fundraising page. No amount is too small. I&#8217;ve seen God do miracles in her life, and I know He&#8217;ll do one in yours as well.</p><p>So, trust God in the shift, don&#8217;t despise the pivot, and walk with the confidence that God has you right where He needs you.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.marchforbabies.org/Fundraising/Personal?personId=7280017&amp;participantId=9269133&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Donate Here&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.marchforbabies.org/Fundraising/Personal?personId=7280017&amp;participantId=9269133"><span>Donate Here</span></a></p><p>Ya Girl,</p><p>Mya Kay</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/the-grief-of-the-unexpected-shift?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/the-grief-of-the-unexpected-shift?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Unexpected Loss]]></title><description><![CDATA[It knocked the wind out of me...]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/the-unexpected-loss</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/the-unexpected-loss</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:01:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey Family,</p><p>We&#8217;ve talked about two types of grief so far - grieving the unexpected life and grieving the unexpected promise. Today, we&#8217;re going to talk about one that we&#8217;ve all experienced, and in some cases, back-to-back. It&#8217;s grieving the unexpected loss.</p><p>In 2017, we found my mother&#8217;s brother dead. Unexpected is an understatement. What really hit for us was that in 2013, we lost my grandmother in August. In August of 2015, the day before my birthday, my Uncle Bob passed. Then, in August 2017, we lost my Uncle Ronald. My mother was finishing radiation treatments for tongue cancer. Here it was, we should&#8217;ve been celebrating a huge blessing (and we were), but it happened at the same time as a loss that I still can&#8217;t put into words today.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg" width="3337" height="4376" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:4376,&quot;width&quot;:3337,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3068027,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/i/190939519?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F002b093b-97a2-4007-b44c-c4a832f88e82_3337x5000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2GOc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F34d045a5-3591-4173-8fd6-f705bbe178b9_3337x4376.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Ivan S.</figcaption></figure></div><p>Grieving is hard, and nothing hurts worse than losing someone unexpectedly. This isn&#8217;t to say that death isn&#8217;t hard, but the difference in being prepared for it versus it sneaking up on you is great.</p><p>One of the things I&#8217;ve learned through loss is that grief doesn&#8217;t follow a schedule. It doesn&#8217;t move neatly from one stage to the next. Some days you&#8217;re okay, and other days a memory, a song, or even a smell can bring everything rushing back. But in the middle of that process, there were a few things that helped me keep moving forward.</p><p><strong>1. Cry when you need to.</strong></p><p>Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is let the tears fall. We don&#8217;t have to pretend to be strong when our hearts are breaking. God is near to us in those moments.</p><p><em>&#8220;The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.&#8221;</em><br>&#8212; Psalm 34:18 (NKJV)</p><p>Your tears are not wasted. God sees them, and He meets you right there in the middle of your pain.</p><p><strong>2. Be real with God by asking &#8220;why.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Contrary to what some of us heard growing up, asking God questions isn&#8217;t disrespectful. It&#8217;s honest. The Bible is filled with people who cried out to God when they didn&#8217;t understand what was happening.</p><p>God isn&#8217;t afraid of our humanity. He can handle our questions, our confusion, and even our frustration. We may not always like or understand the answer, but we can bring our hearts to Him exactly as they are.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:4360185,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/i/190939519?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vB-l!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fee771485-739c-4d03-a96c-f197bb834772_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Lia Castro</figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>3. Surrender to the process of grieving without guilt.</strong></p><p>Don&#8217;t let anyone rush your process or try to &#8220;Bible&#8221; your pain away. Healing doesn&#8217;t come from pretending that everything is fine. Grief takes time, and everyone walks through it differently.</p><p>Give yourself permission to feel what you feel. God is patient with us as we heal, and we should extend that same grace to ourselves.</p><p><strong>4. Find creative ways to work through your grief.</strong></p><p>For me, that outlet has been writing. As an author, writing has become very therapeutic. It allows me to process emotions that are sometimes hard to say out loud. Putting words on paper helps me release things that would otherwise stay bottled up.</p><p>For you, it might be journaling, painting, music, prayer walks, or simply talking with someone you trust. However it shows up, don&#8217;t suppress the process&#8212;express it.</p><p>If you&#8217;re walking through grief right now, I want you to know this: you&#8217;re not alone, and this season will not last forever. The pain is real, but so is God&#8217;s presence in the middle of it.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3399736,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/i/190939519?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w5sz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb79f9a17-ba6f-450f-9e21-54f8a967ce64_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by cottonbro studio</figcaption></figure></div><p>Scripture reminds us:</p><p><em>&#8220;Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.&#8221;</em><br>&#8212; Matthew 5:4 (NKJV)</p><p>And one of the most comforting promises is this:</p><p><em>&#8220;The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.&#8221;</em><br>&#8212; Psalm 145:18 (NKJV)</p><p>If grief has been heavy for you lately, take a moment today to breathe, to pray, and to give yourself grace. God is closer than you think, even in the quiet moments where the pain feels the loudest.</p><p>With love,</p><p>Mya Kay</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/the-unexpected-loss?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/the-unexpected-loss?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Grieving the Unexpected Promise/Assignment ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Because I didn't ask for this...]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-promiseassignment</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-promiseassignment</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Mar 2026 13:02:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hcl7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e8b780-cb85-4811-94c6-c40dcc0275b6_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey Family,</p><p>This one might be hard for many of us to digest. Why? Because most of us don&#8217;t want to admit that we may be waiting for something that we didn&#8217;t ask for. Deep down, you may have learned to desire it because God does give us the desires of our hearts, but initially, you didn&#8217;t realize what He had for you would cost so much.</p><p>I&#8217;m that girl. I remember when a former friend of mine was on dating apps. God told me to connect with her and become an accountability partner for our waiting season. So, she deleted the apps, and over the next two years, we prayed, fasted, and warred together as we believed God for our mates. The difference is, she wanted it badly. For me, it was an option. </p><p>Full transparency: Up until about 2018, I only wanted marriage to have legal sex, within the confines of Biblical marriage, not for love. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:754349,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/i/188938922?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!g0gE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2e00fb8-a887-436b-b6a4-472ecaa55087_5184x3456.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Joshua Abner</figcaption></figure></div><p>But since then, I&#8217;ve actually become more romantic. I went from listening to Beanie Sigel to listening to Kem (iykyk). What happened to this hardcore, North Philly girl who was so guarded? I was being transformed into the woman my husband would need and love. </p><p>And there&#8217;s nothing wrong with that. I can&#8217;t wait to meet him. But I would be lying if I said I&#8217;ve wanted to throw in the towel a bunch of times. I used to have a motto that I came up with in 2012. It was &#8220;Millions before marriage&#8221;. Well, imagine my surprise when God tells me that my marriage will come with the millions, and not the other way around. It would be something we built and earned together. Ouch. </p><p>I&#8217;ve been frustrated, to say the least. Many of the doors God has shown me are doors that I can&#8217;t walk through without my husband. I feel like it&#8217;s so unfair. Why can&#8217;t I build some success before he comes? God finally told me to grieve. Grieve the unexpected promise that I didn&#8217;t ask for. Similar to Mary, another woman we love from the Bible is Esther. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1454796,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/i/188938922?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VwtW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8a97c747-1cdc-4bc1-a2a8-b01c5e0414dd_4443x6664.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Vlada Karpovich:</figcaption></figure></div><p>Esther was an orphan who, I&#8217;m sure, appreciated that the chance to become Queen would mean family, inheritance, and status. But the idea of putting her life on the line for a whole nation wasn&#8217;t on her bucket list. Yet she was chosen by God because He knew her history of loss and shame made her the perfect candidate for this assignment. The promise of being a wife and Queen of a nation came with threats, a heavy assignment, and an even bigger aftermath if things didn&#8217;t work out the way she hoped. </p><p>Like Esther, I chose to accept the assignment of being a wife. I&#8217;ve realized in the last several years that God isn&#8217;t just preparing me for a healthy marriage, but for an assignment that will help us advance the kingdom. When my husband comes, I will be prepared for the love, challenges, and warfare because I submitted to the process that I didn&#8217;t quite understand. </p><p>What promise or assignment did God give you that you didn&#8217;t ask for? Even if it&#8217;s something exciting, that doesn&#8217;t mean that there&#8217;s no room to grieve the unexpected blessing.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg" width="4459" height="5103" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:5103,&quot;width&quot;:4459,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2740290,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/i/188938922?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4815dd8-75ab-48c0-a812-32dc86175388_4480x6720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!P7si!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F081dd98c-5ab7-4dd3-bb8d-cba02d927a42_4459x5103.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Vlada Karpovich</figcaption></figure></div><p>Reply and let me know what came to your mind when you read this. We can grieve together, friend. Let&#8217;s pray together while I wait to hear from you:</p><p><em>Father, help my sister to lean into grieving the blessing that she is waiting on. If she&#8217;s already stepped into it, help her to lean into her humanity. I pray she understands that being grateful doesn&#8217;t mean she can&#8217;t feel overwhelmed. I pray she allows herself to lean into your love on the days she gets weary in the wait, or weary with the weight. Help her to trust You as You stretch her to fill the need of this season. I pray for comfort and times of refreshing in Your Presence. In Jesus name, Amen. </em></p><p><strong>Worship Song: <a href="https://youtu.be/Dp4WC_YZAuw?si=GZZxuWRcwBJjfnIt">Thy Will by Hillary Scott &amp; The Scott Family</a></strong></p><p>Ya Girl,</p><p>Mya Kay</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-promiseassignment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-promiseassignment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-promiseassignment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Grieving The Unexpected Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[March is Grief Month at Girls Anthem]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-life</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:02:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey GA Family,</p><p>Happy March! I appreciate your patience as I sat at God&#8217;s feet, listened for His instructions, and rested. With that, we&#8217;ll be focusing on themes every month moving forward. Each devotional will tie to that theme. This month&#8217;s theme is Grief. Let&#8217;s dive right in!</p><h4><strong>Grief of the Unexpected Life</strong></h4><p>What happens when we set out to pursue our goals and dreams, only to be disrupted by God&#8212;and what He tells us looks totally different from what we had in mind? Well, isn&#8217;t that exactly what happened to Mary in Luke 1? She&#8217;s visited by the angel Gabriel, who informs her that she has been highly favored by God and chosen to carry the Savior, who would one day save His people from their sins.</p><p>While most of us may not have had an angel appear to tell us what God&#8217;s plans are, if you&#8217;ve spent any amount of time with God over the last few years, I&#8217;m sure you&#8217;ve realized that what you had in mind and the path you&#8217;re currently on are vastly different.</p><p>As we explore the theme of grief this month, I wanted to consider the ways we experience grief that aren&#8217;t always tied to the loss of a person. Sometimes, it&#8217;s the loss of the life we thought we&#8217;d have.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:734086,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/i/186872518?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JtLx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F72db762e-0bf0-47a1-a4ac-bc36336e4b95_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Andrea Piacquadio</figcaption></figure></div><p>I thought I would be a pediatrician, at least ten years into my career by now. Instead, I&#8217;m an author, publisher, and ministry leader. Definitely not what I had in mind. I also didn&#8217;t think that at 41 I&#8217;d still be waiting on marriage and children, though I&#8217;m not pressed about it. I also didn&#8217;t think I&#8217;d be returning to school to pursue a doctorate when what I originally wanted was to be a doctor. Isn&#8217;t it funny how God&#8217;s plan works? Sometimes the desire was from Him all along, but He takes us a different way so our gifts are maximized and His glory is undeniable.</p><p>This week, I want you to study Luke 1 and, as you do, insert yourself into the text. Oftentimes, we don&#8217;t see ourselves as highly favored by God because it feels like He&#8217;s punishing us when our lives look different than what we expected. Here&#8217;s the thing: favor usually shows up when the odds are stacked against us, not when we&#8217;re already in favorable conditions. Otherwise, there would be no need for favor.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg" width="4157" height="4651" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bLKA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7654e5d0-1f6c-48bb-8941-644087ff4906_4157x4651.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by cottonbro studio</figcaption></figure></div><p>I want you to take a look at where you may be missing God&#8217;s favor because it&#8217;s not showing up in your wants. Ask God where He gave you a desire, but you&#8217;ve overlooked it because it didn&#8217;t unfold the way you imagined. And lastly, ask God to send you an Elizabeth in this season. As 2026 unfolds, the enemy will continue to highlight all the ways your friends&#8217; dreams are coming true while yours aren&#8217;t. He&#8217;ll lie and say following God isn&#8217;t worth it. News flash, enemy: we don&#8217;t follow God for our dreams to come true. We follow Him because He&#8217;s worthy.</p><p>In this season, you may need someone to walk with you who is carrying something similar to you. Elizabeth was carrying John the Baptist when Mary visited her. In fact, the angel tells Mary that Elizabeth is in her sixth month when he appears to her. When Mary goes to see Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth&#8217;s womb leaps with joy at the sound of Mary&#8217;s voice. Those are the kinds of people you need walking with you right now. That way, the grief of the unexpected life can not only be carried alongside someone who gets it, but also nurtured the way God intends.</p><p>Can I pray over you?</p><p><strong>Father, lift my sister in Christ during this hour. She&#8217;s struggling to understand how any of what&#8217;s happening in her life right now fits her dreams and goals. Even if she agrees with Your will, the way things are unfolding isn&#8217;t happening the way she desired. Wherever she finds herself, strengthen her faith. Help her to have serious cry-out sessions with You, where she doesn&#8217;t have to fake the funk but gets to air it all out with You. Then give her the grace to pursue what You&#8217;ve placed in front of her while grieving the unexpected life. For those waiting on things You promised, help them grieve the unexpected timeline and remember that the God who made the promise is the God who intends to fulfill it when the earth needs it most. Help her dance in Your love while waiting for things to make sense. In Jesus&#8217; name, Amen.</strong></p><p><em><strong>Worship Song: <a href="https://youtu.be/oo9qrvUzmkc?si=_pKvEVT9uRb-HkgZ">Another Surrender by Woman Evolve Worship</a></strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3_FC!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc99f7d4c-1561-41e8-83d0-2e2111da9dff_3860x2170.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3_FC!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc99f7d4c-1561-41e8-83d0-2e2111da9dff_3860x2170.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3_FC!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc99f7d4c-1561-41e8-83d0-2e2111da9dff_3860x2170.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3_FC!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc99f7d4c-1561-41e8-83d0-2e2111da9dff_3860x2170.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3_FC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc99f7d4c-1561-41e8-83d0-2e2111da9dff_3860x2170.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!3_FC!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc99f7d4c-1561-41e8-83d0-2e2111da9dff_3860x2170.jpeg" width="1456" height="819" 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by LEPTA STUDIO</figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-life?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-life?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/grieving-the-unexpected-life?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Decade of Fumbled Your Heart – Let’s Celebrate!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dear Girls Anthem Family,]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-decade-of-fumbled-your-heart-lets</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-decade-of-fumbled-your-heart-lets</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:01:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Dear Girls Anthem Family,</p><p>It&#8217;s hard to believe, but <em>Fumbled Your Heart</em> is turning <strong>10 years old</strong>! This book was born not just from imagination but from vulnerability and deep reflection. Over the past decade, it has touched hearts, sparked conversations, and reminded women everywhere of the power of honesty, healing, and hope.</p><p>I&#8217;d love for you to join me on <strong>Thursday</strong>, <strong>2/26/26,</strong> for a <strong>special anniversary evening</strong> featuring:</p><ul><li><p>&#128172; A heartfelt author talk</p></li><li><p>&#128214; A live reading</p></li><li><p>&#9997;&#65039; A book signing</p></li></ul><p>As part of <strong>Soul Entertainment</strong>, I want to help women make choices that nurture their hearts and minds. This night is more than a celebration&#8212;it&#8217;s an invitation to explore stories that matter, to witness truth, and to leave inspired.</p><p>Come be part of this milestone. Together, we&#8217;ll celebrate ten years of love, lessons, and meaningful storytelling. Check out the flyer below! If you can&#8217;t make it, please share with your friends and family! </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg" width="1080" height="1350" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yhu_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75b5ad67-9c7a-4b60-b175-53b068a7ed6f_1080x1350.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-decade-of-fumbled-your-heart-lets?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-decade-of-fumbled-your-heart-lets?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-decade-of-fumbled-your-heart-lets?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Something new is coming — and you’re the first to know]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hi Girls Anthem Family,]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/something-new-is-coming-and-youre</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/something-new-is-coming-and-youre</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:03:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hcl7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e8b780-cb85-4811-94c6-c40dcc0275b6_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Girls Anthem Family,</p><p>As many of you know, back in December, I shared that I was planning a summit for Gen-Z women. Around that same time, a few things happened that truly broke my heart&#8212;and I realized this vision was going to be harder than I expected.</p><p>I won&#8217;t lie&#8230; I wrestled with whether I should pause it, change it, or walk away entirely. But I knew God wasn&#8217;t telling me to cancel. He also wasn&#8217;t giving me a clear &#8220;next step.&#8221;</p><p>So in January, I fasted.</p><p>Not asking God what to do next.<br>Not asking Him to fix anything.<br>Just choosing to focus on Him&#8212;nothing else.</p><p>At the end of that fast, I was about to register for a virtual conference when something clicked. I remembered a prayer I had prayed months earlier: <em>&#8220;God, could the Called Generation Summit be virtual?&#8221;</em></p><p>And I felt Him remind me so clearly:<br><strong>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t forget. But I want you to do it for female athletes. You can do something for all Gen-Z women later.&#8221;</strong></p><p>For those of you who are newer to the Girls Anthem family, you may not know that I run a six-week cohort for female athletes called <strong>The Locker Room</strong>&#8212;a space where athletes learn to root their identity in Christ instead of performance, pressure, or approval.</p><p>And now, that vision is becoming something more.</p><p>On <strong>April 11th</strong>, we&#8217;re bringing <strong>The Locker Room Conference</strong> to life&#8212;<strong>a virtual conference for female athletes</strong>, hosted live on Zoom and accessible from anywhere.</p><p>This conference is for athletes who are hungry for more than stats, highlights, and applause. It&#8217;s a space where faith meets sport, identity meets purpose, and athletes are invited to show up fully&#8212;on and off the field.</p><p>&#10024; <strong>What the event includes:</strong><br>&#8226; Main stage keynote sessions<br>&#8226; Interactive breakout rooms and activities<br>&#8226; Mental health resources<br>&#8226; Bible study strategies for athletes<br>&#8226; Prayer rooms<br>&#8226; An exclusive VIP experience with limited spots</p><p>&#127903; <strong>Ticket Options (Limited Availability):</strong><br>&#8226; <strong>General Admission &#8211; $25</strong> (all-day access to the full conference)<br>&#8226; <strong>VIP Experience &#8211; $100</strong> (includes everything above + exclusive small-group access)<br>&#8226; <strong>Post Access &#8211; $20 add-on</strong> (recordings and resources after the event, available only to attendees)</p><p>&#127903; <strong>Only 85 total spots available</strong><br>&#8226; 70 General Admission<br>&#8226; 15 VIP</p><p>Tickets officially go on sale <strong>this Saturday</strong>, but as always, <strong>you&#8217;re hearing about it first</strong>.</p><p>If you know a female athlete&#8212;middle school, high school, college, pro, or former&#8212;or if you&#8217;d like to sow into one by purchasing a ticket on their behalf, this conference is for them.</p><p>Here&#8217;s our website link for viewing. This way, you can save the link later for easy access. </p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iukt!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe545d7f-41b4-46a8-9582-88c2f8d0f0db_1080x1350.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iukt!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe545d7f-41b4-46a8-9582-88c2f8d0f0db_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iukt!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe545d7f-41b4-46a8-9582-88c2f8d0f0db_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iukt!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe545d7f-41b4-46a8-9582-88c2f8d0f0db_1080x1350.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iukt!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe545d7f-41b4-46a8-9582-88c2f8d0f0db_1080x1350.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iukt!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe545d7f-41b4-46a8-9582-88c2f8d0f0db_1080x1350.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iukt!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffe545d7f-41b4-46a8-9582-88c2f8d0f0db_1080x1350.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><a href="https://girlsanthemmedia.info/lockerroomconference">https://girlsanthemmedia.info/lockerroomconference</a></p><p>Thank you for walking with me, trusting the process, and believing in what God is building through this community. I can&#8217;t wait to see what He does next.</p><p>Lastly, we are looking for virtual volunteers for this event, so if you&#8217;d like to volunteer, please reply to this email. </p><p>With so much gratitude,</p><p>Mya Kay</p><p>P.S. We&#8217;ll be back in March with fresh articles and devotionals. Can&#8217;t wait. </p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/something-new-is-coming-and-youre?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/something-new-is-coming-and-youre?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[You’re Invited: Join the Girls Anthem Book Club 🤍]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hey Queens,]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/youre-invited-join-the-girls-anthem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/youre-invited-join-the-girls-anthem</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:05:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey Queens,</p><p>I&#8217;m so excited to finally share something that&#8217;s been on my heart for a while now&#8212;the <strong>Girls Anthem Book Club</strong> is officially here!</p><p>As women of faith, we all know how important it is to be mindful of what we pour into our minds and spirits. Sometimes we just want a good story, a healthy escape, and meaningful connection&#8212;<em>without</em> getting lost in overly sexualized romance, dark themes, or content that doesn&#8217;t honor God. This book club was created for exactly that reason.</p><p><strong>Girls Anthem Book Club</strong> is a Christian, women-only reading community rooted in faith, sisterhood, and intentional conversation. We&#8217;ll be reading clean romance, Christian fiction, and Christian non-fiction&#8212;books that uplift, encourage, and spark real discussion while staying aligned with our values.</p><p>A few things to know:</p><ul><li><p>&#128214; The club is hosted by a <strong>published Christian author</strong> (me!), and we&#8217;ll begin by reading and discussing my own books&#8212;giving you behind-the-scenes insight and direct engagement with the author.</p></li><li><p>&#128187; Meetings are <strong>interactive and held on Zoom</strong>, designed for women who enjoy thoughtful discussion and active participation.</p></li><li><p>&#129293; This is a space for encouragement, accountability, and genuine connection&#8212;where your voice matters.</p></li><li><p>It&#8217;s only open to <strong>20 women</strong>, so join TODAY! </p></li></ul><p><strong>Our first meeting is Saturday, February 21st, at 6:00 PM EST.</strong><br>We&#8217;ll be reading <em>Storms of Love</em>, and I ask that you read the <strong>first two chapters</strong> before our discussion. The book can be found on <strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Storms-Love-Book-ebook/dp/B0FNLJFFWS/ref=sr_1_1?crid=I44GFZWRD6OK&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qIdkaEtJ0lpOEh4kF7F_fQkup54igUntnLxE0gx1gtt512TDUJ-ujVWwnPyH1SmvfOZAv-HM6x3DKi4tDLslqN6d0WH7umKM8ry_pHi5uvLL7u4ovoW7YI85yaqcJq6vPcj-3d9P3CxFO_RHpEmp3xmMDdO3Dfo-bVj3ThnM2WwtQJ9x0_ZRFX_6GcDgCWJXirgqlWgE9pmzsH9KG76abb7hepPN36qClSJdglT6lAw.jk3ro7KvMBO6Ws9Floe6v-7tIu5zh-DGNOnJ2Vu6AJY&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=storms+of+love&amp;qid=1768917897&amp;sprefix=storms+of+love%2Caps%2C130&amp;sr=8-1">Kindle Unlimited</a></strong> and is also available in print via Amazon.</p><p>If you&#8217;ve been craving community, faith-filled conversations, and stories that refresh your spirit instead of pulling you away from it, I would love for you to join us.</p><p>&#128073; <strong>Join the Girls Anthem Book Club here:</strong><br><a href="https://bookclubs.com/girls-anthem-book-club/join/">https://bookclubs.com/girls-anthem-book-club/join/</a></p><p>I truly believe God meets us even in the pages we turn&#8212;and I can&#8217;t wait to read, reflect, and grow together.</p><p>With love,<br>Mya Kay &#129293;<br>Founder, Girls Anthem Book Club</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png" width="1077" height="1080" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!5nEm!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe0bb6b60-fcc2-4063-ac51-fa37d3a1c7de_1077x1080.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div 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This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/youre-invited-join-the-girls-anthem?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/youre-invited-join-the-girls-anthem?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Note on This Season at Girls Anthem]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hi Family,]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-note-on-this-season-at-girls-anthem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-note-on-this-season-at-girls-anthem</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 05 Jan 2026 14:01:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hcl7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e8b780-cb85-4811-94c6-c40dcc0275b6_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Family,</p><p>I wanted to share a gentle update as we move into this year together.</p><p>I&#8217;m entering a dedicated season of fasting, prayer, and listening this month, and during this time, it&#8217;s become clear that rest and margin are necessary as I prepare for several transitions ahead&#8212;personally, professionally, and academically. This pause is intentional and rooted in a desire to receive fresh direction and clarity from God as I steward what comes next for Girls Anthem.</p><p>Because of this, I won&#8217;t be releasing new written features for the online magazine during this season, and the podcast will resume once interviews and recordings are aligned and ready. Girls Anthem is still very much alive; this is simply a quieter period of preparation rather than active publishing.</p><p>In the meantime, you&#8217;re always welcome to explore the Girls Anthem archives, which remain available and filled with conversations and stories that continue to speak. Past print issues are also available to order, and I&#8217;ll include the link below for anyone who would like to revisit or collect them.</p><p>Thank you&#8212;truly&#8212;for your presence, patience, and support. I&#8217;m deeply grateful for this community and for your grace in this season. When it&#8217;s time to return with new work, it will be with renewed vision and intention. And regardless of what&#8217;s ahead, thank you for walking alongside Girls Anthem.</p><p>With gratitude and grace,<br>Mya Kay</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/2985484&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Print Issues&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.magcloud.com/browse/magazine/2985484"><span>Print Issues</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Girls Anthem&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share Girls Anthem</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[You Don’t Have to Melt Down When They Shut Down]]></title><description><![CDATA[3 Reading Shifts for Homeschool Moms]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/you-dont-have-to-melt-down-when-they</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/you-dont-have-to-melt-down-when-they</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 28 Dec 2025 20:09:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hcl7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e8b780-cb85-4811-94c6-c40dcc0275b6_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3><em>You Don&#8217;t Have to Melt Down When Your Child Shuts Down</em></h3><p><strong>3 ways to help your child reach their reading goals as a homeschool mom</strong></p><p>As a child, I always enjoyed reading. There was something about escaping into other worlds, leaning into the characters&#8217; feelings, their growth, and how they navigated challenges. Even when outsiders didn&#8217;t understand them, I loved watching characters press forward until they solved a problem or became who they needed to be.</p><p>In many ways, your child is doing the same thing.</p><p>They are navigating the world of reading, trying to find their comfort, solve problems, and build confidence. Whether it&#8217;s pronouncing unfamiliar words, finding their rhythm, or pushing through something difficult, they are working toward their own goal.</p><p>And this is often where parents begin to struggle.</p><p>Many homeschool families approach reading with a goal like <em>&#8220;read a chapter a day&#8221;</em>&#8212;but without a deeper purpose. When the goal is only completion, frustration rises quickly. The moment your child hits a brick wall and shuts down, you may find yourself melting down too&#8212;questioning your homeschool approach, feeling discouraged, or even feeling upset with yourself or your child.</p><p>But it doesn&#8217;t have to be that way.</p><p>Here are <strong>three gentle ways</strong> to make reading more meaningful&#8212;and far less stressful&#8212;for both of you.</p><div><hr></div><h3>1. Set a Goal That Matches Both Learning Needs <em>and</em> Maturity</h3><p>If your child has started asking questions like <em>&#8220;Why would the character do that?&#8221;</em> or noticing when something doesn&#8217;t make sense in the story, their discernment is growing. They are paying attention&#8212;not just to words, but to meaning.</p><p>At the same time, they may still be developing core reading skills, such as recognizing longer words or reading fluently.</p><p>Instead of choosing between skill-building <em>or</em> comprehension, combine the two.</p><p>For example, if your child struggles with four- and five-letter words but shows maturity in understanding character behavior, set a goal that nurtures both. When reading becomes difficult, pause and ask questions about the story instead of pushing through frustration.</p><p>Reading isn&#8217;t just about pronouncing words correctly&#8212;it&#8217;s about understanding the story, the characters, and the world being created.</p><h3>2. Put Your Child <em>Inside</em> the Story</h3><p>When your child gets stuck, try placing them directly into the story.</p><p>Instead of saying the character&#8217;s name, substitute your child&#8217;s name and ask:<br><em>&#8220;What would you do here?&#8221;</em><br><em>&#8220;How would you handle this situation?&#8221;</em></p><p>Even if a child struggles to understand Johnny or Kara, they usually understand themselves. This shift often re-engages interest and reduces pressure.</p><p>You can deepen this by inviting them to write a few short sentences, creating their own version of the story. When I worked as a nanny, I noticed that personalizing stories increased excitement. When we returned to the book, children were more curious, wanting to see how the character responded compared to what <em>they</em> would have done.</p><h3>3. Make Reading an Experience, Not Just a Session</h3><p>Reading is meant to be experienced&#8212;not endured.</p><p>Finding books your child enjoys is important, but consider choosing books you enjoy too. Shared enjoyment creates connection and reduces isolation, something many homeschool families quietly feel.</p><p>You can also bring the story to life:</p><ul><li><p>Let children read with another homeschool friend (even on Zoom)</p></li><li><p>Create a themed reading space with simple props</p></li><li><p>Label household items that appear in the story</p></li></ul><p>For example, while reading <em>The Berenstain Bears Help Around the House</em>, label household objects mentioned in the book. This allows learning to continue naturally&#8212;while cooking, playing, or brushing teeth.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Mama, you don&#8217;t have to melt down when your child shuts down.</p><p>Take breaks when needed, but don&#8217;t give up. These small shifts can transform reading from a battleground into a place of growth, connection, and confidence. You don&#8217;t need to exhaust yourself or try every curriculum to fix the problem. Sometimes, it&#8217;s the gentlest adjustments that make the biggest difference.</p><p>If this article encouraged you, feel free to leave a comment or share it with another Mama Bear who may need support. You&#8217;re not alone in this.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/you-dont-have-to-melt-down-when-they?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/you-dont-have-to-melt-down-when-they?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p><strong>Need Support With Reading Time?</strong></p><p>If reading has become a source of frustration or discouragement in your homeschool, you don&#8217;t have to navigate it alone. I offer one-on-one <em>Literacy Clarity Sessions</em> for homeschool families who want to strengthen comprehension, restore confidence, and bring peace back to reading time&#8212;for both parent and child.</p><p>These sessions are gentle, faith-aligned, and focused on understanding what&#8217;s happening beneath the surface so you can move forward with clarity.</p><p>Learn more about Literacy Clarity Sessions here: <strong><a href="https://forms.gle/4ctx1RgTFj3omgye7">Complete Inquiry Form</a></strong><br></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Purity Over Performance]]></title><description><![CDATA[Building a Winning Mindset for Life and Sport]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/purity-over-performance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/purity-over-performance</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2025 14:00:37 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Being an athlete isn&#8217;t just about what happens on the court, field, or track&#8212;it&#8217;s also about the business of life. Choosing purity, integrity, and faith first creates lasting success both in sports and beyond. This means cultivating discipline, managing your time wisely, and prioritizing God in ways that advance your athletic and personal goals.</p><p>This past September, I had the privilege of mentoring female athletes through a cohort I launched called &#8220;The Girls Anthem Locker Room&#8221;. Over six weeks, I poured into these women with one goal in mind: that they would walk away with a deeper understanding of Christ and a sense of identity beyond the scoreboard.</p><p>You don&#8217;t have to be a part of the cohort to benefit from some of the lessons I shared. While it&#8217;s not always easy, practicing purity over performance is possible in every area of life, including your relationship with God. You don&#8217;t need to perform for Him to earn His love, and you don&#8217;t have to put on a facade to make it through the day. Here are practical ways to prioritize faith and integrity while building success in sports and life.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png" width="1024" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/abffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2171638,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/178206704?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PFwi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabffef79-d646-4b0a-a704-7a72aeab7a25_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Sora/ChatGPT</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>1. Consider Putting Your Sport Down for a Season</strong></em></p><p>This doesn&#8217;t mean quitting or neglecting your obligations, but sometimes stepping back allows space for spiritual growth. Take a month to focus more on your relationship with Christ than your relationship with the court. You&#8217;re not giving up&#8212;you&#8217;re suiting up for a different field God is calling you to.</p><p><em><strong>2. See Yourself as a Daughter of God First</strong></em></p><p>Too often, athletes measure their worth by their roles instead of their spiritual inheritance. When you view yourself as God sees you, you eliminate the pressure to perform for Him. Lean into your identity as a daughter so you can show up authentically, not just on the court, but in life.</p><p><em><strong>3. Ask God What&#8217;s Holding You Back</strong></em></p><p>Honesty with God is crucial. For young female athletes, this isn&#8217;t the season to pursue relationships that distract you or explore behaviors that compromise your purity. Meditate on Hebrews 12:1-2 and ask God to reveal what&#8217;s weighing you down so you can shed it and run your race unburdened.</p><p><em><strong>4. Cultivate Hobbies Beyond Your Sport</strong></em></p><p>Expand your identity by exploring other interests&#8212;painting, reading, sewing, or creative projects. Weekly hobbies help you discover new talents and can also become sacred spaces to connect with God. As you create, pray, and reflect, allowing Him to speak into the fullness of who you are beyond athletics.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:888528,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/178206704?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!x0WP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F169fe508-8eaa-4987-b691-ab334990c18d_3395x5092.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Cottonbro Studio</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>5. Work Through Emotional Baggage</strong></em></p><p>Athletes often carry emotional weight that impacts performance. Seek help from mentors, therapists, or coaches to address stress or unresolved issues. Journaling can also reveal patterns and triggers, while prayer provides clarity and guidance for moving forward. Emotional health is just as vital as physical or mental training.</p><p><em><strong>6. Be Disciplined on the Court and in the Kingdom</strong></em></p><p>It&#8217;s easy to push hard for practice, but spiritual discipline is equally essential. When you&#8217;re spiritually centered, you&#8217;ll notice discipline flowing into your business, relationships, and life. Consistently study God&#8217;s Word and maintain spiritual habits&#8212;even during winning seasons&#8212;so you have a foundation to rely on when challenges arise. Remember: &#8220;Closed mouths don&#8217;t get fed, and closed Bibles don&#8217;t win wars.&#8221;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg" width="3691" height="3691" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:3691,&quot;width&quot;:3691,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2305820,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/178206704?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3213ff55-b55f-4c83-8776-51b83300cd27_3691x5536.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!M7ef!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9804f062-fa3d-4269-a164-9e82117540ea_3691x3691.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by KoolShooters</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>7. Take Inventory and Ask Tough Questions</strong></em></p><p>Some of these tips may sound familiar, but repetition is key. Don&#8217;t just be a great athlete, be a fully devoted disciple. Consider accountability and reflect on questions like:</p><ul><li><p>Where have I compromised devotion time with God for sport?</p></li><li><p>Do I seek God first thing in the morning, or jump straight into practice?</p></li><li><p>Am I in relationships that honor God&#8217;s will for my life?</p></li><li><p>Have I allowed comparison to other athletes to influence my mindset?</p></li><li><p>Where can I spend more time listening to God instead of focusing on my own agenda?</p></li><li><p>Use these reflections to ensure that purity, integrity, and faith guide your every move.</p></li></ul><p>God blessed you with your talents, and using them is not wrong, but they should never replace your time with Him. Prioritizing Him first creates a mindset that not only advances your athletic goals but also develops a life that honors God and reflects your true identity.</p><p>Are you an athlete who wants to join The Locker Room and grow spiritually while excelling athletically? Visit our sign-up page here: <strong><a href="https://mailchi.mp/114f330f47bd/girls-anthem-locker-room">Girls Anthem Locker Room</a></strong></p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Girls Anthem is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/purity-over-performance?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/purity-over-performance?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/purity-over-performance?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Our Favorite Things: Tools for Holiday Healing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Because healing doesn&#8217;t always have to be heavy...]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/our-favorite-things-tools-for-holiday</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/our-favorite-things-tools-for-holiday</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:00:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg" width="4000" height="4000" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:4000,&quot;width&quot;:4000,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2206321,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177905958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F78877e2f-7446-4619-8cb9-973b097f65f9_4000x6000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SmIP!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43e27f78-6100-4136-9f32-742420a7013f_4000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The holidays have a way of pulling on every part of us&#8212;heart, wallet, schedule, and spirit. While the world is busy rushing, posting, spending, and staging &#8220;perfect,&#8221; we&#8217;re choosing something different this year: intentional joy, spiritual grounding, and tools that actually heal, not just hype. From cozy comforts to worship playlists, faith-fueled podcasts, and Bibles that feel like breathing room, we&#8217;ve curated a list of our favorite things to help you reset, refocus, and reclaim peace this season. Whether you&#8217;re curled up under a weighted blanket, laughing through a 90&#8217;s throwback sitcom, or diving deeper into God&#8217;s Word, let this guide be your reminder&#8212;healing can be soft, sacred, stylish, and Spirit-led.</p><h4><em>Cozy &amp; Covered: Comfort You Can Feel</em></h4><p><em>When warmth feels like therapy</em></p><p><em><strong>The Weighted Blanket</strong></em></p><p>The weighted blanket has taken the internet by storm, especially among women. There&#8217;s something about that gentle pressure that feels like a hug when you need it most. Perfect for quiet mornings with God, movie nights, or that afternoon reset we don&#8217;t always admit we need.</p><p><em><strong>Old Navy&#8217;s Loose Sherpa Quarter Zip Pullover ($28 sale price)</strong></em></p><p>Mom and I grabbed this Old Navy pullover for our Paris trip, but I wear mine around the house just as much. It&#8217;s comfy, cute, and surprisingly versatile. It looks fly with jeans or even a cute skirt and boots. Fall and winter approved.</p><p><em><strong>Milano Di Rouge Christian Trench</strong></em></p><p>This trench has been &#8220;that girl&#8221; for the last few years. After Monica and a few other celebs rocked it, it became a statement piece in the Christian fashion space. It&#8217;s bold, faith-forward, and perfect for those of us who like our wardrobe to speak without us saying a word.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg" width="1707" height="1707" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1707,&quot;width&quot;:1707,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:588820,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177905958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F357cb330-05f6-42d6-a7c6-a5bcd091b6a8_1707x2560.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VQ8O!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb159b294-0a37-459f-b3c5-71fcacdb4a18_1707x1707.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Hanna Pad</figcaption></figure></div><h4><em><strong>Healing in Your Headphones</strong></em></h4><p><em>Press play on purpose</em></p><p><em><strong>Just Heal with Dr. Jay</strong></em></p><p>This podcast is a major force in the mental health and family restoration space. What better way to heal our families than by creating a safe space for our men to work through their pain? Dr. Jay sits down with men and women to share stories, strategies, and healing insights that you can carry into your own journey.</p><p><em><strong>Plug Pod with Pastor Stephanie Ike Okafor</strong></em></p><p>Here at Girls Anthem, we love solid, biblical teaching. If you&#8217;ve followed Pastor Stephanie for any length of time, you already know she&#8217;s a teacher&#8217;s teacher. When she launched her podcast in October, we were ecstatic. She keeps it simple, rich, and foundational&#8212;like sitting in a masterclass that feels like a conversation.</p><p><em><strong>Girls Anthem Unplugged with Mya Kay</strong></em></p><p>We couldn&#8217;t leave ours out&#8212;and not just because it&#8217;s ours. GAU offers practical teaching, biblical truth, and real testimonies that keep women and girls aligned with God. If you love the &#8220;back to the basics&#8221; depth of Pastor Stephanie&#8217;s pod, you&#8217;ll love this&#8212;with the bonus of stories that bring the Word to life.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg" width="3952" height="3952" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MbHe!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb05cd44b-4068-444b-9338-72f8e3a662a9_3952x3952.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by cottonbro studio</figcaption></figure></div><h4><em>Words That Heal &amp; Hold You</em></h4><p><em>Faith, fiction, and fresh revelation</em></p><p><em><strong>Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets</strong></em></p><p>Any solid book on prayer will always make our list, but Dutch takes it deeper. He breaks down our authority and responsibility in partnering with God to see heaven touch earth. It&#8217;s biblical, practical, and necessary.</p><p><em><strong>Storms of Love Series by Mya Kay</strong></em></p><p>Written by our very own, this series gives you relatable characters, powerful storylines, and real-life wisdom&#8212;even if you&#8217;re single. It&#8217;s healing, fun, and rooted in faith. Plus, it ends with a holiday novel, <em>In Loving Bliss</em>. All books are available at girlsanthem.biz. Grab the ebook bundle after December 10th for $19.99.</p><p><em><strong>The Glory in Your Story by Monique Rodriguez</strong></em></p><p>Mielle isn&#8217;t just a haircare fave; the founder&#8217;s story hits home. Monique&#8217;s book blends testimony, purpose, and reflection with practical tools to help you uncover the glory in your own journey. A must-read for women on unique paths and entrepreneurs in any lane.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KqUS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04a20d2a-1b74-411b-af76-8a128baf9cfd_1080x1080.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KqUS!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04a20d2a-1b74-411b-af76-8a128baf9cfd_1080x1080.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KqUS!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04a20d2a-1b74-411b-af76-8a128baf9cfd_1080x1080.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KqUS!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04a20d2a-1b74-411b-af76-8a128baf9cfd_1080x1080.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KqUS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04a20d2a-1b74-411b-af76-8a128baf9cfd_1080x1080.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!KqUS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F04a20d2a-1b74-411b-af76-8a128baf9cfd_1080x1080.png" width="1080" height="1080" 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h4><em>Move Your Body, Protect Your Peace</em></h4><p><em>Work out the stress&#8212;literally</em></p><p><em><strong>Grow With Jo</strong></em></p><p>She&#8217;s been my go-to for the last year! I love her enthusiasm, music choices, and the fact that she&#8217;s a Christian. She even has gospel workout playlists. While I encourage Christians to stay away from pilates (there&#8217;s a YouTube teaching that explains why), her other workouts are phenomenal. She motivates without overwhelming and even offers pregnancy-friendly sessions. Faith, fitness, and food tips&#8212;all in one place.</p><p><em><strong>Burpee Girl</strong></em></p><p>My biggest weight loss in 2023 came from doing her workouts. She doesn&#8217;t talk&#8212;she just smiles, and honestly, that&#8217;s all the encouragement I need some days. Her 10-15 minute and dumbbell workouts are efficient and effective. I did Burpee Girl 3-4 days a week and maintained my healthy weight with ease.</p><p><em><strong>The Body Project</strong></em></p><p>I discovered this couple in 2022, and they are the real deal! Like Grow with Jo, they bring energy, encouragement, and good music. They always include modified versions, so all levels can join in. If you want intensity, variety, and motivation without the nonsense, this is it.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:342991,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177905958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t1E7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25c9ceff-2a2c-49dc-ab79-a92ba94e66a5_5472x3648.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Pixabay</figcaption></figure></div><h4><em>Sounds of Soothing &amp; Season</em></h4><p><em>Music that ministers and memories that matter</em></p><p><em><strong>Woman Evolve Worship EP</strong></em></p><p>This acoustic set feels like Lauryn Hill&#8217;s <em>MTV Unplugged</em> meets early Naomi Raine. Songs like &#8220;Deliverer,&#8221; &#8220;My Story,&#8221; and &#8220;Hasn&#8217;t By Now&#8221; remind you how intentional God is with us. Six beautiful tracks perfect for morning devotion or unwinding at night.</p><p><em><strong>NSYNC Holiday Album (&#8217;90s Nostalgia)</strong></em></p><p>Yes, I&#8217;m listening to this as I type. This album is one of my Christmas go-tos. The harmonies and remakes of the classics? Chef&#8217;s kiss. If you love a no-skip, nostalgia-heavy holiday vibe, add this to your playlist ASAP.</p><p><em><strong>Steffany Gretzinger &#8211; Psalms</strong></em></p><p>I love Steffany&#8217;s worship, period. This album lets you worship and listen to the Word at the same time. While &#8220;new season&#8221; songs have their place, true worship points us back to Christ and scripture. These tracks bring peace into chaotic moments and shift atmospheres effortlessly.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg" width="3711" height="3711" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:3711,&quot;width&quot;:3711,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2106304,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177905958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F43efdbb8-fe12-475c-b017-d886f2228c45_3711x5566.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!u8AV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F14fb3dbb-a8d8-4726-b712-e377dbd49a1c_3711x3711.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by cottonbro studio</figcaption></figure></div><h4><em>Screen Time, Soul Ease</em></h4><p><em>Feel-good films and flashback joy</em></p><p><em><strong>Family Matters (90s Nostalgia)</strong></em></p><p>I&#8217;m so glad this is still streaming on Hulu. It&#8217;s my all-time favorite show, and since God told me <em>Martin</em> wasn&#8217;t the best for my spirit (let&#8217;s be honest&#8230; lol), this became my default. All nine seasons are streaming, and it takes you right back to those Friday nights when TGIF was an event.</p><p><em><strong>The Family Stone (In Honor of Diane Keaton)</strong></em></p><p>With her recent passing, so many people revisited Diane Keaton&#8217;s films. One of my favorites is <em>The Family Stone</em>. It displays family tension honestly and reminds us that issues don&#8217;t disappear with a bigger bank account. Throw in Sarah Jessica Parker, Craig T. Nelson, and a stellar cast&#8212;comedy gold with heart.</p><p><em><strong>Home Alone (All of Them)</strong></em></p><p>Is it even Christmas without <em>Home Alone</em>? Hulu had all three last year, but even if you only find the first one, watch it. We will forever love Macaulay Culkin running that house. Just make sure the kids don&#8217;t get ideas.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1429024,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177905958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OAyX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa182ceee-17e0-45c3-a3e4-511f8f999aec_3648x5472.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Roberto Nickson</figcaption></figure></div><h4><em>Bibles We&#8217;re Loving Right Now</em></h4><p><em>Pages that meet you where you are</em></p><p><em><strong>NKJV Study Bible for Women</strong></em></p><p>Someone sowed this Bible into me and it has made study time feel even more sacred. I love turning actual pages, and when I want to go deeper, this Study Bible makes it easy. The commentary is rich, and each book begins with a beautiful breakdown that brings clarity and context.</p><p><em><strong>NLT Study Bible for Women</strong></em></p><p>This is a gentle but powerful translation for everyday reading and deeper study. The women&#8217;s edition offers devotion-style insights, profiles, and reflection points that speak directly to our walk. A great companion for journaling or small group study.</p><p><em><strong>Tony Evans Bible Commentary</strong></em></p><p>Dr. Tony Evans has a way of breaking down scripture with clarity and cultural relevance. This commentary is perfect for personal study, teaching moments, or anyone wanting to expand their biblical understanding. It feels like sitting under wise counsel with every page.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1576764,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177905958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NPB2!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cdd465f-7b6f-4a12-b580-16fe8ee79b26_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Owen.outdoors</figcaption></figure></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/our-favorite-things-tools-for-holiday?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/our-favorite-things-tools-for-holiday?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/our-favorite-things-tools-for-holiday?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Girls Anthem is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A New Season for Girls Anthem]]></title><description><![CDATA[Hi Family,]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-new-season-for-girls-anthem</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/a-new-season-for-girls-anthem</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 14:30:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hcl7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e8b780-cb85-4811-94c6-c40dcc0275b6_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi Family,</p><p>As we step into a new season, I wanted to share a brief update on where Girls Anthem is headed.</p><p>After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, Girls Anthem is shifting into a more focused, sustainable model that allows us to serve our community with greater depth and intention.</p><p>Here&#8217;s what that looks like moving forward:</p><ul><li><p>The Girls Anthem print magazine will be on pause for this season.</p></li><li><p>The paid subscription model is being discontinued.</p></li><li><p>Our focus will now be on a Podcast + Online Editorial hybrid, centering meaningful conversations, faith-rooted storytelling, and content that speaks to identity, purpose, and calling.</p></li></ul><p>This shift allows us to prioritize quality over quantity, creating space for deeper conversations through the podcast and thoughtfully curated features within our online magazine. While the format is evolving, the heart of Girls Anthem remains the same: encouraging women and girls to live rooted, confident, and aligned with who God has called them to be.</p><p>Thank you for being part of this community and for walking alongside Girls Anthem as it continues to grow and evolve. I&#8217;m excited about what&#8217;s ahead and grateful you&#8217;re here for the journey.</p><p>With gratitude,</p><p>Mya Kay</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share Girls Anthem&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=share&amp;action=share"><span>Share Girls Anthem</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Streaming with Discernment]]></title><description><![CDATA[Using Real-World Storylines for Biblical Dialogue]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/streaming-with-discernment</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/streaming-with-discernment</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 14:00:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I know our entertainment choices can feel limited as disciples. Television, movies, and music often seem like minefields, and the options that align with our values can appear few and far between. At Girls Anthem, we&#8217;ve always emphasized how important it is to guard our eye and ear gates. The content we consume has the power to shape our emotions, our beliefs, and even the spiritual atmosphere in our homes.</p><p>Open doors to the enemy rarely start as obvious threats; they often begin as tiny cracks&#8212;lyrics we overlook, scenes we excuse, or narratives we accept without discernment. We tell ourselves, &#8220;It&#8217;s just music,&#8221; or &#8220;It&#8217;s just a show,&#8221; without fully considering the spiritual consequences. But this year, instead of focusing solely on what to avoid, we felt led to approach entertainment from a different angle.</p><p>Rather than highlighting only what we shouldn&#8217;t watch, we wanted to explore how certain shows&#8212;while not Christian&#8212;are not inherently promoting sin, but instead present real-world situations that can open the door to meaningful, biblical conversations within our homes. These shows are not perfect, but they create opportunities for spiritual reframing, healthy dialogue, and practical application of the Word when approached with wisdom and conviction.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:4448887,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177901731?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ssYs!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4d71d-f4dc-4826-9f00-eb9528f9b94c_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko</figcaption></figure></div><p>We also want to explore how to spiritually &#8220;hold down the fort&#8221; in the entertainment and media mountain through prayer&#8212;praying for creators, writers, producers, and decision-makers to submit to God and resist the spirit of anti-Christ that often seeks to shape narratives in culture.</p><p>The three shows the Lord placed on my heart to unpack are:</p><ul><li><p>A Million Little Things</p></li><li><p>This Is Us</p></li><li><p>All American</p></li></ul><p>Before we dive in, it&#8217;s important to acknowledge something: in today&#8217;s world, realistic storytelling will include themes and characters that reflect current culture, and that often includes sin&#8212;whether it&#8217;s sexual immorality, dishonesty, addiction, betrayal, or LGBTQIA representation.</p><p>If you have a personal conviction not to watch something due to those elements, honor that conviction. God speaks to us individually, and obedience matters.</p><p>However, we as believers should not demonize or judge others who can watch a show with discernment while using it as a springboard for biblical engagement. There is a difference between consuming content passively and interacting with it intentionally. Sometimes, a show that portrays real-life issues gives us the chance to teach our families how to navigate those issues biblically, rather than pretending they don&#8217;t exist.</p><p>If you have a family member who is gay, would you erase them from the family dinner table? Would you ban them from Christmas gatherings? Most of us wouldn&#8217;t.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/be092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1579773,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177901731?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!PvPN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe092125-7913-4b6a-83ec-7aafdc63b66f_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Kampus Production</figcaption></figure></div><p>We may set boundaries, but distance was never the method Jesus used to transform hearts. We&#8217;re called to engage culture without conforming to it, to love without affirming sin, and to shine light without compromise.</p><p>With that in mind, let&#8217;s look at the shows more closely.</p><p><em><strong>A Million Little Things</strong></em></p><p>A Million Little Things follows a group of friends in Boston who are brought together by shared struggles and unexpected circumstances. Early in the series, we meet Jon, a beloved friend who dies by suicide. His passing becomes the catalyst that exposes secrets, tests relationships, and pushes each character to confront hidden wounds.</p><p>Jon leaves behind his wife, Delilah, and their children, Sophie and Danny. Much of the show revolves around the ripple effects of his death and the secret that connects him to others in the friend group. The storytelling weaves together themes of infidelity, suicide, sexual abuse, homosexuality, sickness, and betrayal.</p><p>What stood out to me was not just the writing but the intentional way the show allowed space for the children&#8217;s questions, fears, and observations. When themes like suicide and betrayal surface in entertainment, many believers feel the urge to turn it off. But what if, instead, we used it as a moment to ask our kids, &#8220;How do we respond when someone hurts us deeply? What does forgiveness look like after betrayal? How does God view depression, and how should we care for those who struggle with it?&#8221;</p><p>Later in the series, Danny, Jon&#8217;s son, comes out to his family. I remember wondering how the writers would handle this, given that the show hadn&#8217;t deeply explored that topic yet. Danny eventually introduces someone he&#8217;s interested in, and one of the adult characters also enters into a same-sex relationship after experiencing repeated betrayal from men.</p><p>Now, does that mean we celebrate or excuse sin? Absolutely not. But rather than labeling the show &#8220;ungodly&#8221; and moving on, we can take the opportunity to talk through these topics with our families.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg" width="1456" height="972" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:972,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3435653,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177901731?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!LizI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3d7e08e8-b377-44d2-9a10-a802b111ef95_7347x4903.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by August de Richelieu</figcaption></figure></div><p>Here&#8217;s how I would approach it with my own children:</p><ul><li><p>Having a friend who identifies as gay doesn&#8217;t change God&#8217;s word.</p></li><li><p>Loving someone does not mean endorsing their choices.</p></li><li><p>We can minister to people by focusing on their humanity, not their sin.</p></li><li><p>Forgiveness looks different depending on the situation&#8212;sometimes God leads us to reconcile, and other times He calls us to release the relationship while still walking in love.</p></li><li><p>Suicide is never God&#8217;s will, and conversations about mental health should not be ignored.</p></li></ul><p>Rather than shielding our children from every uncomfortable theme, we can teach them how to see it through a biblical lens.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg" width="4016" height="4016" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:4016,&quot;width&quot;:4016,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1421556,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177901731?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F159c8450-290d-48b2-bdc5-43dba460a9b9_4016x6016.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GDn-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6befd7b9-8716-4680-bc01-fb94a04710ed_4016x4016.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Kampus Production</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>This Is Us</strong></em></p><p>Let&#8217;s move into <em>This Is Us</em>, a show that touched millions and brought many of us to tears with its honesty. The show follows the lives of three siblings&#8212;Kate, Kevin, and Randall&#8212;who were raised by loving yet overwhelmed parents, Jack and Rebecca. From childhood to adulthood, we watch how the complexities of family dynamics shape their identities, relationships, and faith.</p><p>To clarify, Randall is the only Black sibling raised in the Pearson household, and navigating life in a white family with unique challenges shaped much of his personal journey. The show addresses racism, adoption, grief, body image, sibling rivalry, marriage, and generational trauma.</p><p>What I want to emphasize here is how the show handles the reality of family tension. When parents don&#8217;t receive the emotional support, healing, and deliverance they need, they unintentionally pass pain to their children.</p><p><em>This Is Us</em> gives us a raw look at:</p><ul><li><p>Parental gaslighting</p></li><li><p>Sibling favoritism</p></li><li><p>Emotional neglect</p></li><li><p>The long-term impact of secrets</p></li><li><p>The weight of expectations</p></li></ul><p>It provides an incredible opportunity to discuss how unhealed wounds can create fractures in a family for decades. It&#8217;s a beautiful example of how storytelling can open the door for discipleship, not division.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2376258,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177901731?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ZeJF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3aba57ba-24d4-4b9e-a5d7-fb2ef2594555_5898x3932.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by cottonbro studio</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>All American</strong></em></p><p><em>All American</em> is another show that handles complex themes with honesty and emotional depth. When the series first premiered, I had the privilege of writing a cover story on one of the lead actors, and I was struck by how the show explores real-life issues through both teens and adults.</p><p>While I don&#8217;t want to single out homosexuality as if it&#8217;s the only sin Christians react to, there is a powerful moment in Season 2 when Coop, a young woman who identifies as gay, has a tense but honest conversation with her mother. </p><p>Her mother has been dismissive and rejecting because of her Christian beliefs, and at one point even put Coop out of the house. Coop&#8217;s father, on the other hand, continues to love her, even while navigating the tension.</p><p>This is not a moment to dismiss the show&#8212;it is a moment to ask ourselves, &#8220;What would I do if my child came home and told me they were struggling with same-sex attraction?&#8221; Would we throw them out? Reject them? Label them? Or would we do what Jesus does&#8212;love them while praying, guiding, and trusting the Holy Spirit to transform their hearts?</p><p>As someone who personally wrestled with same-sex attraction from my preteen years into my early twenties, I can tell you that it was not rejection that set me free. It was my mother&#8217;s love, prayers, and refusal to define me by what I was struggling with. She saw beyond the label I was trying to adopt and held space for God to do the work in me. That is the kind of discipleship our homes need.</p><p>We don&#8217;t need television to teach our children, but we can use shared entertainment as a gateway to meaningful family dialogue. Sitting together to watch something and then following it up with open, biblical conversation allows our families to think critically and compassionately. It creates a safe space for discussion rather than silence or shame.</p><p>So I&#8217;m not suggesting you watch every show mentioned here. In fact, two of them are no longer airing and are only available on streaming platforms. What I&#8217;m saying is this: before you dismiss a show because it depicts sin, ask yourself&#8212;are they celebrating the sin, or are they simply portraying real life? There is a difference between glamorizing something and presenting it as part of the human experience.</p><p>Realism gives us room to respond with discernment, not detachment.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1678241,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177901731?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!f4Zc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F226cb4f6-4103-420c-94b4-e261c4ef4911_6720x4480.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by KoolShooters</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>Praying for the Entertainment &amp; Media Mountain</strong></em></p><p>As disciples, we have a responsibility not only to consume content wisely but to intercede for those creating it. We can either stand on the sidelines and complain about the media, or we can partner with heaven and become part of the solution. Here are ways we can stand in the gap:</p><p><strong>1. Pray for bold, obedient Christian creatives.</strong></p><p>Pray that those called to entertainment&#8212;writers, actors, producers, directors, editors&#8212;will create what God tells them without compromise, and that they won&#8217;t settle for platforms that force them to dilute their convictions. This includes music as well.</p><p><strong>2. Pray for Hollywood to repent and return to God.</strong></p><p>Intercede for the hearts of decision-makers and financiers in film, television, and music. Pray that God would replace hearts of stone with hearts of flesh and that repentance would touch boardrooms, studios, and sets.</p><p><strong>3. Pray for protection over believers already in the industry.</strong></p><p>Ask God to strengthen those who are undercover or quietly standing for righteousness. Declare that they, like Daniel, will purpose in their hearts not to defile themselves, regardless of pressure.</p><p><strong>4. Pray for discernment among consumers.</strong></p><p>We must stop supporting content that aggressively pushes ungodly agendas while still acknowledging there is a difference between storytelling and indoctrination. Real life is messy, and art often reflects that&#8212;but agenda-driven content is something else entirely.</p><p><strong>5. Pray for resources and excellence in Christian media.</strong></p><p>One of the most common critiques of Christian film and television is that the quality is poor or the storytelling is unrealistic. We need to pray for funding, equipment, training, and creative freedom so believers can produce content that is spirit-led and skillfully crafted.</p><p>God&#8217;s power does not stop at the gates of Hollywood. He is just as present in studios and writers&#8217; rooms as He is in pulpits and prayer circles. The entertainment mountain is not off-limits to Him, and it should not be off-limits to our engagement.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2504777,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177901731?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Q6uL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc8da7384-479f-421c-b0d8-9ece78e01dfd_5893x3929.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Ron Lach</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>Conclusion</strong></em></p><p>As believers, our calling is not isolation, it&#8217;s influence. Instead of hiding from culture, we can approach it with discernment, lead our families with wisdom, and transform everyday moments into kingdom conversations. Entertainment doesn&#8217;t have to be the enemy when we approach it with intention. Shows that depict real situations&#8212;flawed people, complex relationships, and imperfect choices&#8212;can become opportunities to teach, correct, connect, and disciple.</p><p>We don&#8217;t avoid darkness by pretending it isn&#8217;t there. We push it back by turning on the light.</p><p>So, whether you choose to watch these shows or not, let this be your takeaway: don&#8217;t just consume content, curate conversations. Don&#8217;t just turn off what concerns you; use it to train the next generation to think biblically in a world that won&#8217;t. And above all, pray. Pray for the storytellers. Pray for the industry. Pray for the gatekeepers. Pray for your own home.</p><p>We can complain about media, or we can disciple through it. We can condemn culture, or we can shape it. The choice is ours, and the opportunity is now.</p><p><em><strong>Questions for Discussion When Watching TV</strong></em></p><p><em>1) What can we learn through this dialogue being presented to us, and how does God&#8217;s Word apply?</em></p><p><em>2) Is this show pushing an agenda/trying to indoctrinate us, or does it give us a chance to approach the content with a Biblical worldview?</em></p><p><em>3) What sin is being highlighted/condoned in the content? How can we discuss how it goes against God&#8217;s Word?</em></p><p><em>4) How can we use this content to help our children make Godly decisions with their entertainment when we&#8217;re not around?</em></p><p><em>5) Are there alternatives to this type of content that we haven&#8217;t accessed? Take some time to research and see.</em></p><p>There are more questions that you can ask, but these are some great starters. I pray this article helps you navigate your streaming.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3198721" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png" width="1456" height="1885" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1885,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3659933,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:&quot;https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3198721&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177901731?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JFUQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a964064-6c1b-4c88-ad89-c4a37b204284_1545x2000.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" 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To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/streaming-with-discernment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/streaming-with-discernment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/streaming-with-discernment?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Launching with Purpose]]></title><description><![CDATA[How to Build a God-Pleasing Business in the New Year]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/launching-with-purpose</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/launching-with-purpose</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 14:00:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Not everyone feels called to entrepreneurship, but one thing I&#8217;ve learned over the last five years is that God intends for His children to have dominion in the earth and to be Kingdom financiers. One of the ways He helps us do this is through entrepreneurship. Whether or not you&#8217;ve considered launching a business in 2026, Girls Anthem is here to support you. In today&#8217;s economy, financial freedom often comes through something you build with your own hands.</p><p>That doesn&#8217;t mean every business will be a million-dollar venture, but every business can eventually replace your job&#8217;s income (not immediately) and create the financial freedom and legacy you desire for your family.</p><p>It&#8217;s also important to recognize that many businesses today have roots in practices that don&#8217;t align with Kingdom values. While not every brand needs Christian founders, we want to avoid supporting products or companies that sow into the kingdom of darkness. You have a tremendous advantage when you pursue a God-led business, but it must come from His calling.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg" width="1456" height="969" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:969,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:382787,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177900678?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ktJV!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58772581-d9fe-4a74-9512-a78da9473e53_5456x3632.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo By Photo by Ylanite Koppens</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>Why Women Entrepreneurs Are Thriving</strong></em></p><p>In the U.S., there are over 14 million women-owned small businesses, accounting for nearly 40% of all companies. Together, these businesses generate $2.7 trillion annually and employ almost 12.2 million people (<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rhettbuttle/2023/10/30/the-economic-impact-of-women-owned-businesses/">Forbes, 2023</a>).</p><p>Even more encouraging? 76.9% of women business owners are over 35, and 71% feel prepared to navigate an economic recession (<a href="https://clarifycapital.com/women-in-business-statistics">Clarify Capital</a>).</p><p>Data is key because running a business requires research, strategy, and consistent implementation. Launching well takes both spiritual and practical preparation, and we&#8217;ve put together tips to help you do both.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg" width="3500" height="3500" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:3500,&quot;width&quot;:3500,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:691729,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177900678?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc25a830c-8291-445b-970c-c2e89529ea79_3500x3500.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!QH-f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F203feec5-242e-4eaa-8c82-e599ba58e72d_3500x3500.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo By Photo by Jilly Noble</figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>1. Seek God&#8217;s Face About Your Business</strong></p><p>Take time to fast and pray over the type of business God wants you to launch. It might not be in an area you&#8217;re currently skilled in, so don&#8217;t assume your passions automatically lead to profits. Kingdom businesses are about purpose and impact, not just performance. Ask God for vision and a launch date, and if your business is seasonal, seek guidance on how to maximize the opportunity.</p><p><strong>2. Create a Prayer Strategy Before Your Business Plan</strong></p><p>Prayer will carry you through the dry spells. Most entrepreneurs give up in the first year because they lack a spiritual roadmap. Develop a prayer strategy that covers financial stewardship, hiring, navigating slow seasons, and remaining steadfast. Written prayers or journal prompts can help anchor your faith while you build your business.</p><p><strong>3. Write a Business Plan</strong></p><p>Use tools like Canva, templates, or even ChatGPT to structure your vision, mission, pricing, and financial forecast. The Bible reminds us to count the cost before building (Luke 14:28). Prayer is your foundation; strategy is your building block. Study other business plans in your niche to see what works and seek God&#8217;s guidance on how to make yours stand out.</p><p><strong>4. Know Your Problems and Solutions</strong></p><p>When planning Girls Anthem Magazine, I mapped each part of the business to a problem and a solution.</p><ul><li><p>Problem: Christian women, particularly women of color, lack media that is both faithful and relevant.</p></li><li><p>Solution: Girls Anthem Magazine bridges faith and everyday life with practical resources, inspiration, and culturally aware guidance.</p></li></ul><p>Understanding your audience&#8217;s pain points will help you create a business that genuinely serves. Pray for insight into the needs of your target audience. Sometimes God&#8217;s vision reveals solutions that surveys can&#8217;t.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg" width="2985" height="2985" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2985,&quot;width&quot;:2985,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1931705,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177900678?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb4e26ca7-375c-476a-ad15-c9553e52de70_2985x4480.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-Vv3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1e64aed4-07fe-4dd9-9083-c8f00f10ec07_2985x2985.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo By Photo by RDNE Stock project</figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>5. Build a Strategy That Includes Spiritual Disciplines and Rest</strong></p><p>As you develop your business plan, integrate prayer, fasting, worship, and rest. I dedicate Fridays for fasting and one weekend day just for relaxing and refueling. Entrepreneurs who wait until burnout to rest often fail. Align your business strategy with your spiritual rhythm to ensure growth in both areas.</p><p><strong>6. Be Steadfast and Immovable</strong></p><p>Slow seasons, setbacks, and dry spells are inevitable. A spiritual strategy equips you to navigate challenges with faith as your anchor. Being steadfast doesn&#8217;t mean you won&#8217;t have emotional days; it means your spirit remains unmoved by circumstances.</p><p>Before launching in 2026, end 2025 by seeking God&#8217;s wisdom for your business. It&#8217;s better to wait until you have clarity and a strategy than to rush. Launching doesn&#8217;t mean quitting your job immediately. Allow God to develop you as an entrepreneur before making big moves. Obey Him, but don&#8217;t leap before your time.</p><p>Are you considering launching a business in 2026? Shoot us an email at <strong>info@girlsanthem.biz </strong>so we can see how to support your Kingdom-driven journey.</p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/launching-with-purpose?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/launching-with-purpose?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/launching-with-purpose?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Girls Anthem is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bridging the Distance]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Daughter&#8217;s Guide to Loving Her Father This Christmas]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/bridging-the-distance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/bridging-the-distance</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 01 Dec 2025 14:00:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em><strong>Malachi 4:6 NKJV And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.</strong></em></p><p>The bond between a father and daughter is a beautiful one; one that distance can&#8217;t break. Sometimes that distance isn&#8217;t physical, but emotional, mental, or even spiritual. Often, the pressure is placed solely on the father to step up and do more. While it&#8217;s true that fathers, as parents, should do everything they can to reach their children, there are times when he is already doing all of that, but the weight of the world makes it look like he isn&#8217;t.</p><p>We felt led to create a mini guide for daughters on how to connect with their fathers this holiday season and meet them where they are. This article is especially for the daughters who have a healthy relationship with their fathers, but who may have felt a little distance lately, whether from seasonal changes, work-life balance, or even situations neither person can control. Let&#8217;s encourage and uplift our kings this holiday season, sis! They need it.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg" width="5766" height="4000" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:4000,&quot;width&quot;:5766,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2306074,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177899503?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F92830b6a-970c-4d26-b77f-99cf28eca642_5766x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!mwBD!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5b58e63e-72f4-47ff-969f-9b34d4858f04_5766x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo By Any Lane</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>Loving Through Words</strong></em></p><p>One of the things that has negatively affected my relationship with my father is words. The last text he sent me was nasty and vile, essentially telling me he wanted nothing else to do with me, all because I missed his 70th birthday party. That situation made me reflect on the weight of words and the power of sending love through words.</p><p>Many of our men&#8212;fathers, uncles, brothers, and even husbands&#8212;spend a lot of time in their own heads. They overanalyze, rehearse failures, and build performance blueprints to try to keep everyone happy, all while silently drowning in pain and sorrow. Imagine your dad receiving a loving text from you out of the blue, with no request attached, just pure love.</p><p>Many men won&#8217;t admit when they&#8217;re struggling because they fear being seen as weak. We know that&#8217;s not true, and that&#8217;s why God often uses women to encourage them.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png" width="1024" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1698262,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177899503?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!DbEp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61d4ff58-cc73-4486-8121-4e702acf60ce_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Sora/ChatGPT</figcaption></figure></div><p>Highlight your father&#8217;s strengths and even ask God how you can speak to the little boy in him who may still be healing. Here&#8217;s how your love through words can lift your father&#8217;s spirit, especially if he&#8217;s going through a dark time:</p><ul><li><p>It can help him snap out of a heavy moment of depression. This doesn&#8217;t mean things will be solved instantly, but a loving word can interrupt thoughts the enemy has planted to keep him bound. &#8220;Gentle words are a tree of life&#8221; (Proverbs 15:4), meaning your words can uproot lies and water new seeds. Your words might even help him value what&#8217;s going well in his life, starting with his relationship with you.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>It can encourage him to see from God&#8217;s perspective. An encouraging word rooted in Scripture (not preachy, but uplifting) can become the God-wink he needs to step back into his authority. The enemy may try to convince your father that God has forgotten him, but a reminder of truth can help him refocus on God&#8217;s promises.</p></li><li><p>A phone call filled with affirmation can shift his mood. Texts are meaningful, but hearing your voice makes a difference. Have you ever heard a husband say his wife&#8217;s words make him feel like a king? That same principle applies to a daughter and her father. Men don&#8217;t need a romantic relationship to feel affirmed. Be the daughter God can trust with her father&#8217;s heart.</p></li></ul><p><em><strong>Practical Tips to Love on Your Dad</strong></em></p><ul><li><p>Send a heartfelt note. Thank him for the ways he&#8217;s shown up for you. Let him know how much it matters. Use the Word of God to remind him that even if he&#8217;s facing hardships (job loss, relationship challenges, or family conflict), he is fulfilling his role as an earthly father, and that means more than he may realize.</p></li><li><p>Schedule virtual hangouts, even if you live nearby. Time together is valuable, but life can get busy. Ask God for wisdom on how to meet your dad where he is. These tips are geared toward daughters whose fathers are active and intentional, so don&#8217;t feel pressured to do this if your father isn&#8217;t reaching out (unless God leads you to). Virtual time together proves that no matter the zip code or the room, the relationship can thrive.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Start a tradition that honors your bond. It doesn&#8217;t have to be elaborate. A small ritual, like a &#8220;talk jar&#8221; when you&#8217;re together, can deepen your connection. Each of you can place topics in the jar, and you commit to discussing them openly. This gives your dad a safe space to share his heart. You can even make a rule: What&#8217;s shared here, stays here.</p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png" width="1024" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2744988,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177899503?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F688ca7fd-6678-4b55-b6a3-8b69de0bcfbc_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Tsul!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91f349b4-929e-4cef-abd5-bde67385b5a5_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by Canva AI</figcaption></figure></div><p><em><strong>Remembering His Humanity</strong></em></p><p>Your father may carry emotional wounds he doesn&#8217;t know how to express, let alone to you. Fathers want to be heroes, but they don&#8217;t always know how to take off their capes. While God has given them a standard of fatherhood to uphold (Psalm 103:13; Proverbs 23:24; Ephesians 6:4), it&#8217;s important to remember that even a strong, godly man is still human. You can&#8217;t expect him to understand your struggles while demanding that he navigate his own without support.</p><p>Encouragement is especially important during the holiday season. Some fathers are grieving parents who are no longer here, struggling with financial setbacks, or facing personal battles that make them feel like they&#8217;re falling short. You&#8217;re not being asked to carry a grown man, but to support him enough so he knows his daughter has his back, even when others don&#8217;t.</p><p>Some fathers also carry mother wounds. While it&#8217;s not your responsibility to heal them, God can use your presence, love, and encouragement as a conduit of healing.</p><p><strong>Spiritual Encouragement</strong></p><ul><li><p>Pray over your father daily. Find Bible verses on fatherhood, write a prayer around them, and declare it over his life. Remember, we call people up to who they are in God&#8217;s eyes, not where they are in the moment. As you pray, the Spirit of God will meet your father where he is, and your words can minister to his heart.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Believe God for father figures. Even if your relationship with your biological father is strained&#8212;or he&#8217;s no longer here&#8212;God is faithful to provide father figures. I&#8217;ve met men who consider their daughters their best friends because of the emotional, mental, and spiritual honor they share. If you&#8217;re still waiting for God to send you a spiritual father, I stand in agreement with you that He will align that relationship before the year closes.</p><p></p><p>Here&#8217;s a prayer you can begin with:</p><p></p><p>Father, thank You for the man of God You&#8217;ve prepared to walk alongside me in this life. You know my earthly father may not be present, or our relationship may be unhealthy. I believe You&#8217;ve released me from trying to fix it and instead want me to surrender it to You. With that, I trust You to send a spiritual father who will see me rightly, honor You, and guide me as Mordecai did for Esther. Help me to honor and steward that relationship well. I trust You. In Jesus&#8217; name, Amen.</p><p>The bond between a father and daughter is sacred. It deserves intentional nurturing, even when challenges arise. Whether your father is fully present, emotionally distant, or absent altogether, God has made provision for your heart. As daughters, our role isn&#8217;t to fix our fathers but to honor them, pray for them, and show up in love where we can. This holiday season, may you lean into that sacred bond with grace, wisdom, and joy.</p></li></ul><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1903133,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://writermya.substack.com/i/177899503?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!T96M!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6a94742a-549c-4229-8ebe-2f28f74ee766_5605x3737.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg role="img" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><title></title><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo By Cottonbro Studio</figcaption></figure></div><p>Grab our holiday print issue <strong><a href="https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3198721">NOW!</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/3198721" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png" width="1456" height="1885" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WXUi!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e1fa213-b945-4ad1-826a-c43fd26b731f_1545x2000.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div 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stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/bridging-the-distance?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/bridging-the-distance?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/bridging-the-distance?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Girls Anthem is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Girls Anthem Is Growing ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Seeking Two Dedicated Volunteer Team Members]]></description><link>https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/girls-anthem-is-growing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/girls-anthem-is-growing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Mya Kay]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 29 Nov 2025 16:01:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Hcl7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe9e8b780-cb85-4811-94c6-c40dcc0275b6_500x500.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi beautiful sisters,</p><p>I pray you all had a blessed and refreshing Thanksgiving surrounded by love, peace, and the reminders of God&#8217;s goodness. As we enter this next season, the Lord has placed something fresh on my heart regarding the journey of Girls Anthem. As many of you know, this is not just a business &#8212; it is a ministry, a movement, and a call to uplift, disciple, and empower women through faith, community, and authentic sisterhood.</p><p>As the vision continues to expand, I am prayerfully seeking <strong>two committed women</strong> to join me behind the scenes as volunteers who will help steward this work with excellence.</p><p><strong>Ideal candidates are women who:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Live by the Word and value the Word</p></li><li><p>Have experience with online ministries or faith-centered communities</p></li><li><p>Are comfortable working in a digital environment (email, content, scheduling, platform management, etc.)</p></li><li><p>Are excited about serving and building alongside a growing movement</p></li></ul><p><strong>Areas of support include:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>Girls Anthem Magazine</strong> &#8211; content planning, coordination, editing, and digital support</p></li><li><p><strong>Membership Community (launching January 2026)</strong> &#8211; community engagement, platform setup, member onboarding</p></li><li><p><strong>The Locker Room &amp; Other GA Initiatives</strong> &#8211; assisting with operations, communication, logistics, and project management</p></li><li><p><strong>Other responsibilities as needed</strong> &#8211; to be explained further as the ministry grows and unfolds</p></li></ul><p>This is volunteer service, but it is meaningful, purpose-driven work. If you feel the Holy Spirit tugging at your heart or if someone in your circle comes to mind, I invite you to reply to this email with your interest, background, and why you feel called to this space. You can also send an email to info@girlsanthem.biz. </p><p>Thank you for being part of the Girls Anthem family. I am deeply grateful for your prayers, support, and the way each of you carries the banner of faith and sisterhood in your daily lives.</p><p>With love and expectation,</p><p>Mya Kay </p><div class="captioned-button-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/girls-anthem-is-growing?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="CaptionedButtonToDOM"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Thanks for reading Girls Anthem! This post is public so feel free to share it.</p></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/girls-anthem-is-growing?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/p/girls-anthem-is-growing?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p></div><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.girlsanthemmag.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Girls Anthem is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>