Encouraging Truth Ministries

09/06/2026

09/01/2026

I started drawing when I was six years old. As I got older, I really wanted to be a famous artist. It became a passion and a dream. I regularly imagined my paintings hanging in grand galleries. By my senior year of high school, my art had found a small stage in my English and Literature classroom. During this time, my teacher would ask me to sit at my desk and draw pictures, illustrating the stories my classmates were reading aloud. My time in that classroom became a marker in my life. It came when I was sitting at my desk, watching my drawings being passed around. I whispered a quiet prayer to God, "May I someday write beautiful words,". At the time , that prayer seemed completely ironic. In fact, that same English teacher told me that I would never accomplish anything because , in her estimation, I had absolutely no verbal skills at all. Truthfully, she was right, but our God loves to work with the impossible. Where the world sees impossible, God looks for our availability. God had a different plan for my life, and he began to teach me, not only as an artist but eventually, as a writer. He reshaped my entire perspective with one simple life changing sentence, " All I ask is that you share your heart the way I have created it to be". Many years later, God answered that prayer. I began to write. Today, I have notebooks filled with memories, stories, devotionals, and lessons learned. Every single one of them points back to God. The very skill I was told I lacked, became the tool God used to share his love. Not only do I love to write , but I enjoy being an artist , and through both, I find great joy and passion to teach God's word. Proverbs 3:3 tells us to bind God's truth around our neck and " write them on the tablet of your heart". All he asks is that we give Him our heart, and let him write His beautiful story through us!

08/25/2026

We are blessed to have Billy Ballenger as a guest speaker, this Sunday, August 30th, at Encouraging Truth Ministries . 10:00 AM at 1960 Vernon Street . Wabash
We would love to have you come!

08/23/2026

Join us for a live stream of our message this morning, at 10:10.Go to Encouraging Truth Ministries or watch on Encouraging Truth Ministries page. The title of the message is " Call upon the name of the Lord part 8"
Come join us this morning
Your invited to Encouraging Truth Ministries.

08/20/2026

Growing up as a young girl, I absolutely loved my Aunt Ruthie. She was a nurse's aid who worked incredibly hard. Her life was filled with many struggles, yet she never allowed those hardships to harden her heart. She continued to be a deeply loving,resilient person. Right after I graduated from Beauty School, I started doing her hair. It became a special routine. I loved pampering her and making sure she looked her very best. Around that same time, she started calling me "Ladybug". Whenever she used that name, it came wrapped in love,sweetness, devotion, and joy. It always touched my heart deeply to hear her say, "Hi , Ladybug!" Even as a young woman, I knew that name carried a weight of affection that meant so much more than I could fully understand. It wasnt just a label. It was an expression of our relationship. God has many names that he uses to describe his character, his heart ,and his power. When we call upon those specific names, we are expressing our love, trust, and devotion. Throughout the Old Testament, whenever God's people faced a crisis or a life-changing experience, God would reveal a specific names that fit their moment of need. His many names reveal different aspects of his character. When we use God's names, it is not a cute nickname . His name reveals his true character and his power. When we call upon his name we are calling upon who he is.
When you and I face a crisis, we do not cry out to a distant, nameless force. We call upon a personal Father. When we use his names, we cry out, "Jehovah Jireh, I need your provision ". "Jehovah Shalom, I need your peace right now." His heart perks up, a smile comes over his face, and he says, "That is my child calling on me!"

08/11/2026

When I was in elementary school , my mother became ill and needed surgery. She eventually recovered, but it was a time of uncertainty, and I was afraid.
During this time , my sister and I spent the night with an elderly couple my parents knew. Outside , it was bitterly cold, but inside their little bungalow, the heat was turned up like a very warm desert. When it was time for bed, we crawled onto a mattress piled high with pillows, blankets, and a warm comforter. It was like falling into a giant marshmallow that wrapped us up in loving arms. The sweet woman came into the bedroom, tucked us in tight, spoke softly to us, and gently stroked our forehead, reassuring us that everything would be okay. At that moment , I sensed an overwhelming love, but the moment didnt end there. After saying goodnight, she closed the door and immediately began to pray for us. I could hear her muffled voice through the door, lifting us up to heaven. That night I didnt just sleep; I experienced something deeper - a peace that was gentle, soft, safe , and filled with love. I recently thought of this memory and compared it to Psalm 23:1, 2. " The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures ; He leads me beside still waters".
Like in that warm bungalow, loving arms are holding me close beside the still waters . God uses people at times to create a place of rest for us, when our souls are tired and afraid. God leads us away from the raging storm and into his bungalow that is filled with peace, and his overwhelming love.