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Cara Ray | Writer

The secret to enjoying God's Word is looking at it as a means of holy leisure. Holy leisure is the modern-day answer to our soul's thirst to slow down and savor God and the Bible. Subscribe to receive weekly devotionals about life, leisure, and the pursuit of holiness.

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Don't get FOMO! Writers' Bloc sale ends tomorrow! 📆

Our Sale Ends Tomorrow! This is your last chance to join the Writers' Bloc at our special 2nd Anniversary price. We're offering our Premium Membership at the lowest price EVER, and we want you to take advantage! For only $14/month, you can enjoy FULL access to the Bloc. Our Premium Members enjoy Weekly in-person access to teaching and archives Peer-editing and editorial feedback Weekly writing tips Opportunities for collaborations Exclusive discounts on courses, mentorships, challenges...

Happy Birthday to Us! Friends and Fans of the Writers’ Bloc, The Writers’ Bloc is an online community for Christian women who want to grow in the art and heart of writing. And we have exciting news! Now that we're officially a toddler, we want to celebrate by opening enrollment and offering a MASSIVE sale for our Premium Membership! We've never offered our membership this low, so this is a don't get FOMO moment. Our Premium Members enjoy Weekly in-person access to teaching and archives...

Your Top 10 Holy Leisure Posts of 2024

My top 10 posts for 2024 and an update Reader, I know it sounds cliche, but how can we be in 2025? Today begins the first whole week of the year, but I hope it's not too late to do a review of the year past. In David Letterman's style, I like to compile the Top 10 articles of the previous year. It's a walk down memory lane for me, and hopefully, it refreshes your heart, too. Inside, you'll find a lot from 1 Peter, a little from politics, and even a celebrity sighting. Now for an update......

Our Priestly King

The darker side of Christmas? My family and I love to look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve. We drive around town and ooh and ahh at the beautiful displays. But why don't we look at the lights during the day? Because we need the darkness to appreciate the light. The same is true when we consider the light that Christmas brings into the world. Jesus' birth is the blazing center of our celebrations. We rejoice that the light of the world was born in a humble stable! But on the backside of...

How to arm yourself with the mind of Christ

How do you think about suffering? This week, I was privileged to teach from 1 Peter at a women's Bible study at my church, and I wanted to share some of those thoughts with you. The apostle Peter told his first-century readers, who were suffering terrible persecution, to follow Jesus' example in suffering. As Jesus suffered, died, and rose from the grave victorious, we will join him in glory and someday cease sinning. What a glorious day that will be! But to enjoy that victory, we have to...

Prepare your heart, and make him room with these gifts! Hey Reader, It's hard to believe, but Christmas is right around the corner. It's my favorite holiday and season, but it sometimes takes me a while to get into the Christmas spirit. Do you feel that tension, too? We're all gearing up to get our to-do lists, and shopping lists done, and even in those good things, we can lose sight of the reason for the season. We want to steward our time, talent, and treasures, wisely, and we want to...

Jesus Saves

The most powerful words... When Patrick Henry gave his famous "Liberty or Death" speech, he prefaced it by saying, "Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense?" He concluded that to do so would make him treasonous to his country and disloyal to God. I feel a similar hesitation and resolve as I share this post. Like you, I've been trying to think critically and biblically this election season as I've watched the news unfold. I want my opinions (and vote) to...

A woman holding a Bible close to her heart

Hope fully, not hopefully... When we think of fighting spiritual battles, we probably think of putting on the armor of God---as we should. But often, the battle is won or lost before we've suited up because we're not thinking about it properly. Peter, writing to elect exiles away from their homes and suffering hardship and persecution, reminded them to prepare their minds, be sober-minded, and set their hope fully on grace. No matter what trials you're enduring right now, you need to set your...

An invitation to join the Writers' Bloc for free!

Doors are closing tomorrow! It's been so exciting to see our community grow over the last couple of weeks! We'll offer open enrollment quarterly in the future, but now's your LAST chance to enroll for 2024! If you’ve meant to join us and haven’t gotten around to it, here’s your last chance to join the Writers' Bloc for FREE! Are you curious about what's inside? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain when you click below. Join the Writers' Bloc today! We look forward to seeing 'ya...

A blank page with the words "Subdue the blank page with us"

Subdue the earth (and the page) Staring at a blank page is one of the most frustrating aspects of writing. Internally, you run through a series of questions and answers that sometimes help you get started and sometimes paralyze you with doubt. Even the blinking cursor seems to mock you as it waits for words to fill the page. Writers who desire to honor the Lord in their craft are not immune to these struggles. We long to create something good, true, and beautiful, but it rarely comes easily....