The Phoenix

[Sheila of the Most High @sheilatebra]

when someone is really chosen by God, you'll know it by the way they go through hell, lose people, lose things, face storms that should've taken them out... and somehow come back stronger. resilient. full of joy and laughter again.
that kind of strength isn't natural. it's supernatural. divine.

[The Phoenix @ThePhoenix429]

@Wendi_Irlbeck This is a great picture of you!

[In Touch Ministries @InTouchMin]

What rises in beauty here took root in the dark and the deep. Trust the work God is doing in you — even now, even unseen. “God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished" (Phil. 1:6 NLT).

Photographed by Dr. Charles Stanley

[Dylan Thompson @DylanPThompson]

💛 If they didn’t give you your peace, they can’t take it away.

[The Phoenix @ThePhoenix429]

@CinemaTweets1 So true

[Cinema Tweets @CinemaTweets1]

Robert Redford would have turned 90 years old yesterday. It’s hard to believe it still hasn’t been a full year since Redford left us - he left us on September 16th of ‘25. The world is worse off without Redford. There’s no other way to say it. We live in a darker, duller world with Redford gone. What’s more is that we live in a world devoid of role models, especially for young men. Redford someone to strive for - someone to literally look up to because of is character. Cinema misses Robert Redford. I miss Robert Redford. 🎂

[Chuck Swindoll @chuckswindoll]

When the diagnosis comes. When the relationship ends. When the job disappears. When dreams die.

These aren't the moments we'd choose, but they're often where we meet God most intimately.

What valley has drawn you closer to God than any mountaintop ever could?

[The Phoenix @ThePhoenix429]

@chuckswindoll FACTS!

[Chuck Swindoll @chuckswindoll]

Jesus knew this when He told the parable of the sower.

The same seed fell on different types of ground, producing wildly different results.
The seed was perfect—it was the soil that determined the harvest.

The question isn't whether God's truth is powerful enough to change us—it's whether our hearts are prepared to receive it.

Share this with someone if it challenged you!

[Tevin Macharia Mukabana @TevinMacharia]

A Prayer to Return to the First Love.

Sometimes, the very things we prayed for and trusted God to give us can quietly become the things that draw us away from Him.

The blessings we once asked God for can become distractions. We become too busy to pray, too busy to seek Him, too busy to serve Him, and sometimes even too busy to go to church. Little by little, “I’m too busy” becomes part of our everyday vocabulary, while our time with God becomes less and less.

Lord, I pray for each one of us: **restore us and revive our hearts.** Take us back to the place where we loved Your presence, treasured Your Word, sought You sincerely, and served You with joy.

May we never become so blessed that we forget the One who blessed us. May we never become so busy pursuing Your gifts that we lose our relationship with You.

Lord, bring us back to our **first love**. Renew our hunger for You, restore our passion for prayer, and awaken our desire to worship and serve You again.

May everything You have entrusted to us draw us closer to You, not farther away from You.

**Restore us. Revive us. Renew us. Bring us back to You—for the glory of Your name. Amen.**

[Jason Romano @JasonRomano]

Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” - Matthew 5:9

[Tevin Macharia Mukabana @TevinMacharia]

Judas ate with God for three years and never flinched.

Sat at the fire. Said the prayers. Watched blind men see. Watched dead men stand up. Watched lepers get clean skin back. Saw all of it. Touched all of it.

And it did nothing to him.

That should make you sick.

Because you know men like that. You’ve sat next to them in church. They sing the hymns. They say amen. They put the money in the plate. And they go home and do things in the dark that would get them killed in any century but this one.

Jesus called him a devil. Not after the betrayal. Before it. John 6:70. He looked at twelve men and said one of you is a devil. And then He let the devil stay.

He let him hold the money. Let him sit at the table. Let him hear every parable. Let him watch Lazarus walk out of a tomb.

And Judas saw resurrection with his own eyes and thought, what’s that worth in silver?

That’s not weakness. That’s not a man who lost his way. That’s a creature wearing human skin at the table of God, calculating the price of the blood on his plate.
Jesus washed his feet.

Read that again.

God kneeled in front of the thing that was about to murder Him and washed the dirt off its feet.

Not because Judas deserved it. Because the eleven men watching needed to see what love looks like when it’s aimed at something that will never love you back.

That’s the sermon your pastor won’t preach.
That Jesus didn’t die confused. He didn’t die betrayed. He sat across from a devil, broke bread, and said what thou doest, do quickly.
He gave evil permission to finish.

Because the cross was never Plan B.
And the son of perdition was never a surprise.

He was a prop in a story written before the foundation of the world. A creature who thought he was the predator and turned out to be the instrument.

The tomb didn’t stay shut.

But the field Judas bought with his thirty pieces? His guts are still in the dirt.

- The Biblical Man

[Wendi A. Irlbeck MS, RDN, LD, CISSN @Wendi_Irlbeck]

💓WE’RE ALMOST THERE! 💓

Tomorrow I turn 36, and as I look back, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have shared so much free sports nutrition, health, and wellness content with you over the years.

Each year for my birthday, I’ve asked you to join me in giving back whether supporting children battling cancer, helping fight childhood hunger, or finding other ways to serve those in need. This year, I’m asking us to come together for an amazing Nashville mama and her seven children who are in need. 💖

In 2025, I launched Devotions with Wendi Ministry, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to sharing the Gospel, strengthening faith, and serving women and families in need through faith, prayer, and action.

My life and this ministry are anchored in Matthew 6:33:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

And y’all… in just a matter of HOURS, we’ve already raised over $1,100 toward our $1,500 goal! 🥹🙌🏼

We are only $400 away! I would love for us to come together and finish this goal for this mama and her seven children.

Your generosity can help provide food, clothing, and other practical needs while reminding this family that they are seen, loved, and not alone. ❤️

🙏 Would you consider making a birthday gift to help support them?

There is no amount too small. $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 every gift adds up. And if you aren’t able to donate, please pray and share this post. Prayer is powerful and it’s free! 🙏🏼 Someone in your circle may be looking for an opportunity to give during a season of abundance.

We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I pray that Devotions with Wendi Ministry continues to reach people for Christ, meet practical needs, and bring hope to women and families who need it most.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me and for helping me make this birthday about giving back. 🩷

Let’s get this mama to $1,500! 👇

Thank You, Jesus! ❤️

https://t.co/8eQz1GlArQ

[Chad Prather @WatchChad]

For those who need it, this is a small excerpt from my my book, Born For Meaning:

“Joel 2:25 says, “I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten.”

God never promised to give you yesterday back.

But He did promise that He could make your tomorrows fruitful again.

That the years ahead could carry a purpose your past never could.

He’s a Redeemer, not a time traveler.

And that’s better, friend.

Because what He builds forward is stronger than what you lost behind.

Let Today Be Enough

You don’t have to sprint toward healing.

You don’t have to fake joy.

You don’t have to smile when it still stings.But let today be enough to say:

“I won’t keep reliving what I can’t fix. I’ll let God meet me where I am.”

So maybe you breathe.

Maybe you take a walk.

Maybe you scroll past that picture this time.

Maybe you stop asking “What if?” and start asking, “What now?”

That’s a holy shift.

[The Phoenix @ThePhoenix429]

@Wendi_Irlbeck Did you move to Nashville?

[Wendi A. Irlbeck MS, RDN, LD, CISSN @Wendi_Irlbeck]

The world tells us to follow our hearts, but Jesus calls us to follow Him. 🤍➡️✝️

John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

The more we pray, get in God’s Word, and press into His presence, the more we learn to recognize His voice.

Don’t just follow your feelings. Follow Jesus. 🙏

[Wendi A. Irlbeck MS, RDN, LD, CISSN @Wendi_Irlbeck]

@ThePhoenix429 Marriage is ministry. 2 Corinthians 6:14

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”

[Chad Prather @WatchChad]

Pray with me
August 17, 2026

Jesus, You are grace made visible. You loved me when I was unlovable, forgave me when I was guilty, sought me when I was lost, and gave Yourself for me when I had nothing to offer You.

Teach me to give others what I have received from You. When I am offended, remind me of Your forgiveness. When I am impatient, remind me of Your patience. When I am tempted to judge harshly, remind me of Your mercy.

Let my life be a reflection of Christ to others. May I decrease and You increase, so that the grace people encounter through me always leads them back to You.

“Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)

Jesus, be glorified in me. Amen.