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On the Side Blog
Blog posts, monthly devotionals, announcements and more!
Blog Contents
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2025 Devotions
2024 Devotions
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• Testimonies Coming Soon!
July 2025 Announcements
July 2025 Announcements: Note from Rebecca, Introducing Bekah Baglio, Happy Independence Day!
July 2025 On The Side:
When a power outage at the pool house reveals more than faulty wiring, Carol M. Shrader reflects on the state of our inner lives—reminding us that no amount of outward polish can replace the quiet strength of a heart rooted in God.
June 2025 Announcements
June 2025 Announcements: Executive Team Interest, Surrendering Like Sarah, Connect with us on Social Media
June 2025 On The Side: Work Hard and Let Go
In this season of early harvests and hopeful transitions, Shelly Wyrick invites us to embrace the tension of working hard and letting go—trusting the God who grows the seeds we plant, even when we can’t yet see the fruit.
May 2025 Announcements
May 2025 Announcements: Praying Over NatCon, Surrendering Like Sarah Podcast, Two New Chapters, Congrats to Graduates!
May 2025 On The Side: When More Than Your Brakes Need Work
When the demands of medical life threaten to harden our hearts, Carol Mason Shrader reminds us how a shift in perspective—from grumbling to gratitude—can rekindle compassion and help us shine in our roles as wives, mothers, and followers of Christ.
April 2025 Announcements
April 2025 Announcements: It’s Not Too Late for NatCon2025; Easter Message from Rebecca; International Spotlight
April 2025 On the Side: Fragrance
Our actions and attitudes, like the fragrance of Christ, are noticed by others. Whether in moments of ease or stress, we are called to reflect His love and grace, especially in our marriages, as a testimony to the world.
March 2025 Announcements
March 2025 Announcements: Heart to Heart, Deadline for Special Gift at NatCon, Match Day and Dr’s Day are coming!
March 2025 On the Side: Not A "Just"
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to speak to about 500 women. It was a day full of worship music, a stage artist, plenty of vendors and a prayer room where each of the ladies in attendance were given a name of God (ELROI, JEHOVAH, IMMANUEL etc…)…
February 2025 Announcements
February 2025 Announcements: Annual Conference Saturday Sessions, NatCon Promo Video, Love Challenge, PAACS Conference
February 2025 On the Side: Love Never Fails
As a little girl, I remember Valentine's Day so vividly -- decorating a shoebox to hold our cards at school, picking just the right Valentine for each friend in our class and uh, having bronchitis several years in a row and missing the whole thing….
January 2025 Announcements
January 2025 Announcements: Happy New Year, New Chapter in Billings, MT, Giving Update, Kids Kamp at NatCon, Learn More about St. Charles, MO, NATCON Early Bird Pricing Deadline
January 2025 On the Side: A Beautiful Mess
I miss basements!
Growing up in Colorado, then moving to Minnesota (residency), Pennsylvania (fellowship) and then back to Colorado (another fellowship) I always had a basement to rely on for storage. Now in California, where the seismic activity doesn’t allow for such a luxury, I am at a loss for storage space…
December 2024 Announcements
December 2025 Announcements: New Chapters in Tyler, Texas and Long Island, NY, Social Media Advent Calendar, NatCon Speaker Highlight: Shannon Popkin, Global Health Missions Conference Recap
December 2024 On the Side: A Family Calling
The Child Life Specialist was working with my three-year-old triplets in an effort to prepare them all for Benjamin’s upcoming surgery…
November 2024 Announcements
November 2024 Announcements: New Chapter Alert in Gadsden, AL, New Chapter Rumblings, Recap from the Executive Team Retreat and Executive Team Interest Form
November 2024 On the Side: The Green House
The house was green. There was no denying that. It had three bedrooms and a two-car garage with a short driveway leading to a major street. It also had a big, fenced backyard. But most of all it was green…
October 2024 Announcements
October 2024 Announcements: Discount Code for NatCon, Announcing our New International Director, New Chapter in Jacksonville, FL, Pray Over the Executive Team Retreat, and the Northeast Regional CMDA Conference.
October 2024 On the Side: I Remember You
I had just met her but - yeah, I knew - we were gonna be great friends. Honestly, I don’t think it was even a Side By Side meeting. I was in my first post-partum fog and just remember gathering at another mom’s house where we were introduced. Like me, she’d worked as a physical therapist, she was also the wife of a resident, and she loved Jesus…