Writer | Lauren Elizabeth Miller | Serving you through words

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Serving you through words & pointing you to Jesus.

4 Practical Ways to Cut Down Barriers to Quiet Time

4 Practical Ways to Cut Down Barriers to Quiet Time

Your time is precious. Any barrier, no matter how large or small, standing between you and your quiet time with God may completely derail your plans. Here are four practical ways to cut down barriers to quiet time that I've been implementing in my own life. 1. Put all of your stuff in one bag. Storing all of your stuff in one place is incredibly helpful. I have a shoulder bag that I use, or a backpack would work great, too. This makes it easy (and efficient) to grab everythin

Cover Reveal: Made for More

Cover Reveal: Made for More

Eek! Sharing my first book cover with you feels like an amazing dream coming true. Is this real life????? From the moment I started dreaming about writing Made for More, I was expectant for all that God would do in me and others through it. And, oh, has He shown up. The first day I sat down to write I had no plan. I didn’t have a blog. I didn’t have an e-mail list. I had nothing but a calling and a small group of family and friends cheering me on. It was a crazy time, and not

Hard, Holy Callings and 4 Ways to Not Give Up

Hard, Holy Callings and 4 Ways to Not Give Up

Last week, I vacuumed my house three times. THREE TIMES! All of the neat freaks may not think this is a big deal but I prefer a “well lived in” home. I lean more towards once a week vacuuming, unless we have popcorn, of course. I had my reasons for my sudden desire to vacuum. I vacuumed because I was alone in my house every single day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. while all of my children under my roof were at school. I vacuumed because I didn’t want to sit down to write and ex

Do I Truly Know the Bible?

Do I Truly Know the Bible?

The Bible became a part of my life on the day I was born. As a pastor’s kid, I was at the church every single time the doors were open. I’ve also had my fair share of leftover communion. It’s a perk of the position! I attended a Christian university where I was required to take Bible classes. I even read through the entire Bible once. Checking those boxes for that reading plan made me feel like I’d really done something. I’ve attended (even led) Bible studies my entire adult

Why Being Scared and Awkward Is OK

Why Being Scared and Awkward Is OK

This past weekend I found myself in a scary and awkward situation. We were in Ohio for an adoption garage sale fundraiser that a dear friend had organized for our family. It was great to catch up with Ohio friends, and my best friend from first grade showed up to surprise me. It was fun! Somewhere along the line, I got the brilliant idea to try and shoot the promo video for my book Made for More on the second afternoon of the fundraiser. The sale was held at the home of the v

One Thing You Should Do Before Your Child Walks out the Door Every Morning

One Thing You Should Do Before Your Child Walks out the Door Every Morning

Trying to get kids out the door on time while wearing appropriate attire should be an Olympic event. Every morning I clutch my coffee mug in desperation as I battle every unforeseen challenge that comes my way. No matter how prepared I am, something will without a doubt go wrong. One kid will have wet tennis shoes (and, of course, they have PE that day) from running through the neighbor’s lawn sprinkler the night before. Another kid will ask where their homework is and you ha

The Gift of Shattered Dreams

The Gift of Shattered Dreams

I had the opportunity to volunteer for Bloom Family Designs recently. Melissa, the founder, is so sweet and has a huge heart for adoption and foster care. She wanted to do something to support families so she began designing rooms at no cost to the family for adopted/foster kids to help welcome them HOME. We all can do something, right? When I left my house that morning, it was just like any other morning. As I drove away that afternoon after organizing a bedroom for two prec

3 Reasons We Struggle to Live Out Our Callings

3 Reasons We Struggle to Live Out Our Callings

I’ve struggled with writing over the past several months and questioned my calling. Frankly, I’ve wondered if it’s worth it. I guess you can say that I lost sight of my “why.” It’s taken me just as long to write this blog post because I’ve had to search my heart and wrestle with some hard questions. Many times I’m not able to serve you without going through war myself. Whoever thought it was a good idea to release a book AND start the adoption process in the same year totally

Sittin' on Katie's Couch

Sittin' on Katie's Couch

I sat on a comfy chair by the lit fireplace in Katie’s living room with my feet propped up on the footrest in front of me. Katie sat directly across from me on the couch. It was Christmas break and our kids were running through the freshly cut paths of the woods on their land while us mommas were staying warm and cozy inside. I breathed in this moment. We shared our hopes and fears for our kids. We shared our dreams of how we could impact the lives of orphans. We shared our w

The Impact of Showing Up

The Impact of Showing Up

Show up. This phrase has been echoing in my mind. I read it and hear it everywhere I go. Somewhere along the line as 2018 has been drawing to a close I let my expectant (my word for the year) attitude slip away. I started striving and busying myself with noble distractions. As this phrase has echoed in my mind, I know exactly why. I don’t know how God will use me or why He chose me. I am always humbled when God shows up and paints a clear picture of how He is leading but then

A Colorado Dream

A Colorado Dream

"I keep dreaming about Colorado and randomly thinking about Colorado during the day. I don’t know why, but I thought I should say something because I want credit in case something happens.” I casually and jokingly said this to Scott sometime after we rang in the new year last winter. He looked at me like I was strange and we laughed it off because God doesn’t send me visions or dreams. I thought maybe a friend we knew in Colorado needed prayer or Facebook scrolling filled wit

Living a Life of Impact

Living a Life of Impact

I walked up to the café counter at the newly renovated Lifeway store in Brentwood, TN and ordered a pumpkin-flavored latte. It was nearing the end of October and I had yet to drink anything with pumpkin in it. (Gasp, I know!) Brielle was with me while her siblings were at Bible Quizzing at our church. I had been dying to pick up a copy of Annie F. Downs’ new book Remember God. With my new book in hand, I placed my coffee order and Brielle began to count the tile on the wall i

You ARE in the Ministry

You ARE in the Ministry

You don’t need a title. You don’t need a position. You don’t even need permission to be in the ministry. A friend and mentor of mine that’s been helping me navigate the book editing process recently sent me an email that ended with these words, “Continue to do what you are doing! You are in the ministry!!!” These words watered my thirsty soul that longs to live a life that matters—a life that’s constantly giving away eternal value. Within all of us, is a human desire to matt

Let's Be Brave Enough to Hold Our Plans Loosely

4 Books That Will Impact Your Life

4 Books That Will Impact Your Life

As a writer, I love to read. I love losing track of time by getting lost in a good fiction story; even more, I love a good faith-based non-fiction book that challenges me to grow in my faith. Books that have a tendency to stay with me in the years that follow. These four books are on my bookshelf and every now and then I pull them off the shelf to re-read the truth that is in them. Simply put, these books have pointed me to Jesus. I highly recommend them. 1. Fitted: The Chris

When We Go Numb

When We Go Numb

At some point in our lifetime, we will want to pull the covers over our head and sleep away a portion of our life. We will long to block out the world while keeping any feelings at bay. When I begin to feel this way, I've noticed a pattern begin to happen. I stare at the words in my Bible re-reading the same sentence over and over hoping for something to sink in. I keep conversations at surface level. Not that I prefer that but I don’t have the mental capacity for deep conver

Why Obedience Matters More Than Outcome

A Made for More Story: Why We Can Trust God's Plans

A Made for More Story: Why We Can Trust God's Plans

My plans for maternity leave included learning conversational French and teaching myself how to play the guitar. Let that sink in for a moment. As a new mom, I honestly believed that I might get bored because caring for a newborn might not fully occupy my time. This is insanity. This is me. My Plans I did not grow up counting down the days until I could be a mommy. Don’t get me wrong, I loved baby dolls and Barbie dolls just as much as the next girl. I was not opposed to moth

Letting Go of Complacency: Living an Adventurous Life with God

Letting Go of Complacency: Living an Adventurous Life with God

After adopting Brielle, I started to ask God for a boring, complacent life. I didn’t need more adventure. More change, more unknown. I needed stability, a sense of that perceived control that I crave. I wanted a season of complacency. Two years later, I’ve decided to stop asking for that. I’ve decided to embrace unknown and just roll with it because God hasn’t allowed me to be complacent. I’ve had to fight my own personality. Type A people, like myself, aren’t known to crave

When God Wants You to Just Breathe

When God Wants You to Just Breathe

I currently have eight unfinished blog posts about adoption, faith, and motherhood in a file on my computer. (Let's not even discuss my unedited book.) Eight! I could share two or three of them with you right now, but there's something that makes me pause sometimes when I am writing and sharing my heart with you. I always want my writing to be helpful and point you towards Jesus. That can mean not sharing until it is helpful. Sometimes we can wrestle through it together, but

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