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What's New:

  • Our Walking in CORE Strength group is open again! Don't miss this chance to join. We start April 3rd. Learn more here.

  • Leslie will be speaking on April 14th in Arizona, at the Gilbert Christian High School – she will be speaking to the public on marriage. You can find more information here.

  • The 2018 Conquer Conference: Be Brave, Grow Strong tickets are here. This event happening October 2018, will be amazing. You can click here for more information.
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You Matter to God

By Leslie Vernick

We’ve all read the story of the woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. You know her; she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, hoping to be healed. Let’s look more closely at her story to understand how deeper healing takes place. (Read Mark 5 and Luke 8 for the story.)

Here is a woman who was an outcast. She was labeled an unclean woman, socially unacceptable, undesirable, and dirty. Jewish law mandated that if someone touched an unclean person, they would need to go through the Jewish purification ritual in order to regain their rights to enter the temple.

She was an untouchable woman and people kept their distance. She had spent all her resources to find help, but she only got worse. This woman heard Jesus coming and thought to herself, “if only I can touch his cloak, I will be healed.” And to her surprise, she was! Immediately she tried to escape the crowd unnoticed. Remember, she touched Jesus and, according to Jewish law, that made him unclean. How embarrassed and scared she must have felt when Jesus turned and said, “Who touched me?” If she identified herself then, everyone would know what she had done.

Let’s step back for a moment and look at the larger story here. Jesus was heading to Jairus’ house. Jairus was a Jewish leader, a ruler of the synagogue. Yet he approached Jesus for help because his young daughter lay dying. Jairus was a daddy before he was a religious leader, and so he fell at Jesus’ feet begging him to heal his daughter.

It was on the way to Jairus’ home with the crowd pressing in that Jesus stopped and asked who touched him? I wonder in that moment what Jairus thought and felt? Did he feel impatient, anxious for Jesus to hurry up and get to his house? His daddy’s heart wanted his daughter healed. I wonder if he also felt a bit angry at this woman for distracting Jesus and taking valuable time away from a more pressing need. I suspect he might have even felt angry at Jesus for not prioritizing his daughter’s life threatening illness over this woman’s chronic bleeding problem.

Jairus was a person of influence and importance. He was a leader: he spoke and people listened. He risked everything to beg for Jesus’ help and now Jesus was wasting time asking who touched him while his daughter lay dying.

Do you ever feel like Jairus? God isn’t moving fast enough for your emergency? Angry and impatient that other people’s prayers are getting answered while you are still waiting?

Jairus was a daddy and wanted to see his daughter healed. But, dear readers, one of the lessons of this story is that this unnamed woman had a daddy too, and her daddy cared about her needs and knew she had no one who begged for her healing. Jesus stopped and called her forth because he wanted her to know something very important. Listen to his words. He said, “Daughter, go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” He wanted her to know that her daddy (the Heavenly Father) saw her suffering and told Jesus to help her too.

Jesus wanted her to know that she mattered to God. Although her culture rejected her, God did not. Although she was judged to be unclean, Jesus declared her whole. He wanted her to know that she was a person of value and worth. Even in a pressured moment, Jesus took the time to have a conversation with a nameless woman who felt unclean, unloved and unimportant. He wanted her to know who she was. She was a daughter of a daddy who cared.

How about you? Perhaps your mother abused you. Maybe your husband rejects you, or people don’t understand you. You feel like an unclean women, like damaged goods. If only you could touch his cloak, you’d be well. I have good news for you. Daughter, go in peace and be freed from your suffering. God wants to help you. He wants you to know that you matter. You are important to him. He sees you and knows you and he is never too busy with more important people to meet your very personal need. You are not nameless, or worthless, or hopeless. You have a daddy, he’s called Abba (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6). Believing that is the beginning of your healing.

As for Jairus, Jesus didn’t forget about his concern–although Jarius probably felt that way when he got word that his daughter died. Jesus turned to him and said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” What did it take for Jairus to walk those next miles home, heavy with sorrow, still clinging to faith? Perhaps that’s where you are right now. You feel hopeless or angry or disappointed. But Jairus trusted what Jesus said to him and, because he did, he saw a miracle. Jesus took Jairus’ precious daughter’s hand and said, “Honey, wake up.”

What is Jesus saying to you right now, even in the midst of sorrow, heartache, broken dreams and shattered promises? Can you trust what he is saying and continue to walk in faith? That is healing. He says to you right now, “Honey, wake up”.

If you are looking for deeper healing for yourself, check out my 3 month group – Walking In CORE Strength. CLICK HERE for more information.

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Lord, I Just Want to Be Happy

By Leslie Vernick

Counselor and author Leslie Vernick has discovered that many people pray, “Lord, I just want to be happy!” With candor, Leslie reveals that readers don’t need new circumstances but a new perspective to discover true happiness. With biblical insight, Leslie guides readers to take simple steps as they…

  • Recognize and change habits that, day by day, keep them from experiencing happiness
  • Make good choices and learn from mistakes without beating themselves up
  • Develop the skills that enable them to let go of negative and painful emotions more quickly
  • Transform difficult circumstances so they can live with gratitude, joy, and purpose

If you would like to enter to win, you can click here to provide name and email address.

The winners of The Power to Be: A 40-Day Devotional: Be Still, Be Grateful, Be Strong, Be Courageous by Twila Belk are Julie C. and Jennifer S.



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Upcoming Events


April 14, 2018
Gilbert, Arizona
For more information please click here

April 21st, 2018
General Conference
Indianapolis, Indiana
For more information please click here

May 4-5, 2018
Grace Fellowship Church
York, Pennsylvania
For more information please click here.

June 1-2, 2018
Community Church at Tellico Village Loudon, Tennessee

Want to have Leslie speak at your event? Click here to find out more information.


Is My Marriage Doomed?

Question: I have been having trouble in my marriage since my daughter was born (2 years ago) and things have progressively gotten worse. The MAIN problems in my marriage are…

1. He is always CONSTANTLY negative.

2. He is controlling (looking through my stuff, making me tell him when I go somewhere and with who, he won’t let me/my daughter go to church, etc)

3. Anger issues – Blows up about small things like LITERALLY spilled milk (We have a hole in the wall because of that).

I’ve tried every approach and nothing helps. I’ve tried leaving and brought it up but he admits he has a problem and wants to change, so I stay and try again, but he never changes. We JUST started getting into couples therapy. I’m trapped and unhappy.

Any advice on how to help him, myself, or just survive? Is my marriage doomed?

Answer: You are in a tough spot but I’m so glad that you recognize that there is a serious and dangerous problem while your daughter is still young.

First, the three things you mentioned, constant negativity, controlling behavior and explosive anger are all red flags for domestic abuse. Let me ask you a question. Is he negative, controlling and explosively angry at work? In other settings? With other people? Or just at home?

My guess is no one else knows what he’s like at home. Is that true? If so, that tells you that he has a whole lot more “control” over his negativity and explosive anger than you think. You also mentioned that this behavior started when your daughter was born and is escalating. This is a typical pattern in interpersonal abuse.

Often women report the first incident of physical violence while pregnant with their first child. Pregnancy often threatens an abuser’s status as #1 in your life as your attention begins to be divided. You are no longer solely focused on pleasing him or making him happy or doing what he wants. Now you have another little person to consider and you can’t always be there for him.

What Are People Saying About Leslie's Walking In Core Strength Group?

“Leslie, this was a lot of money for me to spend and I didn't know what to expect really, but I know this was from God and truly an ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS that God led me to find you.

I wanted to take the time to say THANK YOU and THANK GOD for YOU and His help for me through you. This teaching has been Life Changing for me and I know the tools and strategies you've explained and modeled and patiently talked through with me (us) will really continue to help me as I go through and use them and put them into practice.

I am stronger, clearer, more assertive and feel much less uncertainty and guilt through the support of your counseling and teaching for me. And that is not all, but just what comes to the top of my head quickly.”

~Anna In Australia

LESLIE WELCOMES YOUR QUESTIONS

Leslie wants to help you grow in your personal and relational effectiveness. Please submit your questions by clicking here.

Then, visit Leslie's Blog as she posts her responses to one question per week.

Note: Due to the volume of questions that Leslie receives, she is unable to respond to every question.

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Leslie Vernick PO Box 5312 Sun City West, Arizona 85376 United States