Far More

05/02/2024

I keep seeing this post going around called “Let Them” . I have read it many times and I hear tremendous pain in it. 🥹 Mind you, I have no idea the original author or what they have gone through. But it’s obvious someone has been falsely accused, attempted to steal their joy, misunderstood, disrespected, not honored, doubted, judged, not been given an apology, not cared for like they needed, talked about, villainized, etc. Whew.

I love the post has a call to love those that persecute us anyway. It’s a call to boundaries and self respect and someone knowing their worth. Much needed convo. But I just keep thinking this… especially after a hard season I myself am coming out of…

What if we took our eyes off us or them and what we did, didn’t do, what they did, or didn’t do? What if we put it on the ONE who never forsakes, abandons, treats us poorly, hurts, leaves, and who truly knows our heart, intentions, and character? I mean after all He was there when we were created. Changed our focus so to speak. I don’t ever want to diminish someone’s pain of rejection and/or abuse. It’s real. It’s a mess how us humans and even as family and friends can treat one another. But something I learned that has helped me more than anything in painful moments. Jesus gets it. He gets me. He gets us. Hear me.

There is no one on the planet who was mistreated and scorn like He was. Falsely accused. When all He did was meet people in their pain. Heal. Deliver from torment. Comfort. Give them a new beautiful way of living. Offer freedom through forgiveness. Yet, do you know how He responded to them not just disrespecting Him, abusing Him, but killing Him?

He let them kill Him.
He let them see Him turn the other cheek.
He let them see Him be silent.
He let them watch as He forgave a thief hanging next to Him.
He let them hear He forgave them.
He took His eyes off of what they did and back on the will of the Father. He loved them despite their cruelty.

He let them see Him finish what God had started - the greatest rescue mission on the planet.

He let them… see a perfect love that cast out all fear and conquer all things including death.

And so I pray today….

Let them see me be more like you, Jesus, more like you, everyday. 💜🙏

I know in my weaknesses and human condition I will come up short but may your grace be sufficient. And, let them see that too. 😭

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the JOY awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2

03/14/2024

These mostly aren’t prayers or needs nailed to the cross. These are praises! These are things women and subsequently their children too were healed, delivered, and set free from. This is what happens when The Healer enters the room or joins for the whole weekend. 😭 This isn’t a run-of-the mill retreat or event. This was where lives were transformed, including mine. This was where family legacies were changed, including mine. This is why we are doing it again, too. We will not settle for anything less than the FULL ministry of Jesus.

Please Lord, we just want FAR MORE of you.

His power. His love. His mercy. His grace. His touch. His presence. His glory. His spirit.

He doesn’t discriminate. He doesn’t play around. He doesn’t pretend. He sees a heart. He tends to the heart. He heals. He frees. He changes everything.

Perfect love cast out fear…

In your imperfections you are perfectly loved. We want to show you how much. 💜🤟

Can’t wait to see you and a friend Messiah's Ranch April 19-21. 🌈

Moms Rising Together
Revive & Rise Retreat

P.S. You do not need to be a mom to attend. Any lady, age 18 or older. 🙌

02/08/2024

So many people want to have good character but no one wants to suffer. The Truth tells us character is developed through perservance and perservance comes from suffering, tribulation. If you are going through a hard thing right now please know your character, if you so choose to release all bitterness, can produce good fruit in you. This fruit may include but not exclude far more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And that my friends I hope gives you hope tonight. Press on. 💜🤟

02/04/2024

This popped up in my Timehop. It ministered to me so thought it might to you too. It’s a bit long but still feel like it’s for someone besides me. 🙏

It’s Lilly Howell less than a week old and she was so cute loving her thumb even if her motor skills weren’t good enough to consistently find it yet. She would trap it against my chest to self sooth. We have ultrasound pictures of her already loving her thumb. Tell me babies aren’t real people in utero…like wow. But I digress. Many people told me I needed to break her of this habit early. I ignored them because both my mother and mother in law said how many college kids do you see sucking their thumb. How’s that for perspective? I also thought minus her teeth that she didn’t have yet how destructive could it be. I also was relieved to know when we found out later she had an allergy to dairy and even traces of it in my milk that we hadn’t taken the one thing away from her that gave comfort when her tummy was in so much pain.

The point of my post is this.

I think God gives tremendous grace for us just being human. We are like babies, He sees us helpless and just dealing with how hard it is to live in a fallen world. He knows how much we are hated too by Satan. Do we sometimes create our own painful situations? Yes. But often we are just responding to something we’ve been dealt with of perhaps a decision our younger stupid self made. This doesn’t give us license to not own our culpability in things but rather to lean into God’s grace that forgives us but also gives comfort and can heal us from the hurt we may have never seen coming. When it says His grace is sufficient it means for ALL things - forgiveness of our sin and the healing of our soul from the pain of this world and sometimes to just give comfort as we go through hard things. I believe Lilly’s thumb was exactly that for her - a gift of grace. So, I want to ask you today what gift of grace do you need from God today?

💜Do you need God’s forgiveness so your shame will die and you can get on with your life? This is beautiful repentance. God forgives you as far as the east is to the west. Shame and fear die when we confess and trust God forgives us.

💜 Do you need to give a gift of grace , and release ourselves from the pain someone else inflicted on your heart? This is beautiful forgiveness. Notice I said free yourself. Forgiveness is about freedom for your heart, to release your heart of the bitterness. It is not excusing someone’s behavior. It is a choice in faith to step into this gift of grace too. Freely freely you have received. Freely freely we give. His love wins! Your heart gets peace.

💜Do you need His comfort, the gift of grace to help you get through just a crappy day, moment, season, or situation? Sometimes God’s deliverance and healing takes some time so He gives us people, things, or moments that give comfort. In the getting through it too we can become more like Him too if we allow. More beautiful.

Whatever you need I pray God’s grace meets you today. He gives you exactly what you need and you have far more peace. Shalom. 💜🤟

04/20/2020

To the momma who needs to be seen, we see you! To the momma who feels shame and guilt, we are here to say, “you are adored!”

⁣To the momma battling anxiety, depression and mental illness, we are praying you can “look up.”

To the momma who feels she cannot do this “quarantine” one more day, we are cheering you on to “rise up” this week.

⁣And to the momma, who is giving it her all every day...

YOU MATTER. YOU ARE LOVED. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS. & WE ARE 💜

“Her children rise up and call her blessed....” Proverbs 31:28

“And let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us encourage one another with words of hope. Let us do this even more as you see Christ’s return approaching.”
Hebrews 10:25 NIRV

04/11/2020

Thousands of years ago, a rag tag group woke up (if they even slept) huddled in a room scared, confused, hopeless, and exhausted. Jesus told them to wait on what would come next. Wait on what? All of it out of their control. I could cry for them. His mercies did not look new this morning. It was dark. If you could enter that room and help them, today, what would you say? What promise would you remind them of? Do that. Believe that. 💜⚔️

04/07/2020

So months and months ago...

The Lord really showed me and helped me fully embrace Ephesians 3: 14-21. If you are not familiar with this passage, I would love to encourage you to go read it today, maybe even make it your prayer. Verse 20 says "Now to him who is able to do FAR MORE abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." (ESV translation). Some translations say "infinitely more". For weeks I began to see infinity signs everywhere. I knew God was calling me to listen, pay attention. Driving home from Alabama after a very emotional first Christmas since my Dad passed 6 months before, I ran into a lady coming out of a restroom at a Texas restroom at the Texas & Louisiana border rest stop. She had an infinity tattoo on her wrist. I am never one to even notice tattoos much less comment on them, especially to complete strangers. Before even thinking, I said, "I like your tattoo." She pushed it closer so I could really see it and and with tears in her eyes said "it was in remembrance of my Dad, thank you." And the word "Dad" was inscribed in the lines of the curve. As fast as she appeared, she was gone. I cried all the way back to my vehicle and for an hour down the road. Then proceeded to have another 2 hours of worship while driving. I knew God had spoken.

You see my earthly Dad was a spiritual giant in my life. Watching Him come to the Lord and be transformed when I was only 6 years old began my faith journey. Years later, he led me in the prayer to ask Jesus into my heart and start my own relationship with God, my heavenly Dad. Throughout my life, although he was far from perfect, he discipled me, mentored me in reading the scriptures and seeking understanding for myself. He simply led me to the feet of Jesus over and over and over again. Dad was one of the boldest men I have ever known for His love for Jesus. He could literally lead an atheist to Jesus if God said to do it. And while he was far from perfect, and his actions could sometimes show us a very ugly side of him, he would always remind us that he was a case for grace and so were we. Without the grace of God, we are all just dieing. We are a v***r on this earth. Here today. Gone tomorrow. Without Jesus, life was really all about survival. But, with Jesus, when we trust and obey, there is life, and life more abundantly. Life is an adventure. Life is full of far more peace and joy. Life is grounded but also has purpose.

In Dad's final breaths of this life, we talked about what it meant to pass the baton of faith to the next generation. He spoke truth into my life, encouraging me to be bold, to rise up. Go with the Spirit of God and do not overthink things. His last words to me were "Will you go and get out of here.” Just like him, to be so direct. Not mean, not ugly, but just go. Go and tell. Go and love.

And so here I am, humbled, grateful, overwhelmed with the desire to do just that - tell and love. I am weak. But He is strong. I am unqualified. But He is more than enough. I can at times be full of pride. But He is humble and lowly in spirit. I will not get this perfect. But, I will try to imperfectly say what He commands me to say and to not be fearful like in the words of the prophet Jeremiah in verses 17 of chapter 1. God gave me that scripture almost 12 years ago. Through the years He has unpacked what that really means as He calls me out of my comfort zone. Oh, I am scared. I will admit. I am a nobody. And, someone will think I am trying to be somebody. But, I know I have already tried that route in life. It resulted in fancy degrees, awards, and titles that are again like a v***r. My life has been full of chasing everything but FAR MORE of Him. I am certain if you stick around you will hear those painful stories.

But, here we are. Who knew we'd be in pandemic and being stripped of all the "far more" in our life? Only God.

I am so thankful you are here. If you have liked this page, perhaps you are hungry for far more of God, Jesus, who sees you and wants to be your friend? Maybe you want far more peace? Far more joy? Far more grace? Far more hope? I have no clue but I am honored you are here. Together, we can surely seek far more of Christ and find far more of Him. I am certain, too, we are all going to be blown away.

I also have a website which is just my name. www.heatherhowell.com. I would love if you would subscribe there. I do not send a large amount of email but just a weekly'ish note of encouragement. Plus, the plan is to have more resources, including a podcast later this year, to help others in their desire to know Far More of God. I struggled with this name, my name, for the website. It is not about me. But, I do write and publish articles and such and this is how I do my part to give people far more of Jesus. I made peace with this. In fact, God does call us by name and He does choose us to follow Him. He gave me this name. I am Heather Howell. If it is ok for Him to use my name , it is ok for me, too. Just keep it simple and do not overthink things is something you will hear me say often. It has been and still is a lifetime of learning this.

Last, if something speaks to you here, please share it. It is not that I am trying to build a platform for myself, I promise, but that His love and His truth would ripple into the world is my prayer. Also, Facebook is so weird. They want you to create pages like this around like themes or interest but then often we do not see those pages unless they get shared. I do not get it. But writing here keeps my regular personal page, just that, personal with pictures of my family and such.

Ok, enough ramble. I just wanted to say hello. Tell you, I am glad you are here. And give a little history behind what "Far More" is really all about. If I can pray for you, too, drop me a message anytime. If you subscribe to my website, you get access to my inbox too. Email me. Do not be shy. I love love love to intercede, pray, for others. It helps me get over myself.

I love you. I am praying for you and this. May me, you, and this be whatever God wants. To Him, who is able to do far more, be only the Glory. And all the people said Amen. 💜

03/24/2020

Please listen.

We will put our trust in God and God alone. Thank you Billy Graham! 50 seconds ... and you should watch it more than once! Look at the nations and observe— b...

06/11/2019

Want to be healthier??? More whole? Feel alive again? Dream again? Live life brave and intentionally?

Seek an encounter with a living God...position yourself to hear Him. What that looks like will be my video tomorrow. I missed y’all last week. 9amcst. Let’s have a coffee chat! 🎉🙏🙌💜

06/10/2019

Did you know 70% of your immune system is in your gut?

Did you know chronic allergies, sinus infections, headaches, even bronchitis, etc. are all symptoms of poor gut health?

Did you know irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is due to dysbiosis (gut bacteria imbalance)?

How about skin rashes and problems?

Yep! All can be mitigated when you address candida (yeast) in the gut!

This is my story.

And if you ever wanted to know why I’m passionate about gut health today would be a perfect example!

Just came in from Guatemala on a mission trip! We were high in the mountains visiting remote villages and even in a public hospital for an afternoon. The bacteria my body was exposed to was crazy! We had several go down on this trip. 🥴 There used to be a time in my life coming off a trip like this and this tired I’d be sick as a dog! My immune system and stomach just could not take it. It was awful! It was so frustrating.

But not this time! 🎉

I even did my youngest daughter’s dance recital all day today with my leftover energy.

P.S. If you are interested in the primary supplements I love and take you can message me and I will add you to a private group that I run that educates on them! 💜