Author Archives: Nicole Byrum

A few nights ago I had the privledge of speaking at our local Gideon’s meeting.  During those 15 minutes of allotted time I shared my testimony of God’s grace and mercy- of how I came to know Christ and how this writing endeavor resulted from an answered prayer for a right and renewed spirit. ThisContinue reading “Mission Statement”

*This piece was written for and published in the August issue of Faith on Every Corner Magazine (2022). I share it here as an encouragement to continuously seek the One who is our strength and portion. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever”Continue reading “The Good Portion”

I’ve heard O Come O Come Emmanuel more times than I could possibly count in my lifetime.  But at a concert a few nights ago I heard it for the first time: “O Come O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel.”  For some reason it clicked: Israel was a captive in need of ransoming.  HowContinue reading “The Ransomed Captives”

To the one persevering through the courageous process of healing:  Dear Friend,  I know this journey can be a weary one, that heaviness inevitably intermixes with progress; that common moments of second guessing the worthwhileness of it all will come.  To self-protect, the tendency will be to hit the breaks, to back away, to notContinue reading “Dear Friend”

As I write these words I have five more days to just be 4-0 before I officially start my climb up the 40’s ladder.  But if the next 9 years are anything like my first year in this new-to-me decade, I would truly be thrilled!  Forty has been one of the best years of myContinue reading “40 and Counting”

Control.  That’s a topic that’s been coming up a lot lately in therapy sessions with my clients…enough that it got me thinking I should write about it.  While it’s impossible for me to cover all aspects and considerations connected to control within the confines of a blog post, I, at least in part, wanted toContinue reading “The Surrendered Life”

Every single time I run I feel a tightness in my left hamstring.  And every single time I have the exact same thought: I really need to be better about regular stretching.  But do I ever stretch?  Nope.  This singular thought has yet to result in action. At this same time in my life, I’veContinue reading “Breathe, Stretch…Meditate?”

Without a doubt, the worst part of writing is the start- dealing with that ever present question, “Where to begin?”  So rather than stare at my computer for the next 30 minutes thinking of the perfect introduction, I’m opting instead to start with the stars.   But first, an honest moment: I can already tell thatContinue reading “Starry Grief and Grace”

Over the last week or so I’ve been feeling increasingly uncertain about what the future holds for me as both a counselor and a writer.  For no real reason, doubtful thoughts and feelings of inadequacy have been a very real presence.  As I prayed over these things this morning, the answer I received was notContinue reading “He is Better”

For the past few days I’ve had the privilege of vacationing in the beauty of the Missouri hills with extended family.  Writing this now from our cabin balcony, the view is spectacular: As far as the eye can see are blue skies and abundant sunshine- something my warm-weather loving heart can never get enough of. Continue reading “The Great Multiplier”