Abby McDonald

Finding the Hope of Christ in a Messy Life

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Privacy Policy

EFFECTIVE DATE: MAY 19, 2018

Abby McDonald (“us”, “we”, or “our”) operates the https://abbymcdonald.org website (the “Service”).

This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data when you use our Service and the choices you have associated with that data.

We use your data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. Unless otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy, terms used in this Privacy Policy have the same meanings as in our Terms and Conditions, accessible from https://abbymcdonald.org.

DEFINITIONS

PERSONAL DATA

Personal Data means data about a living individual who can be identified from those data (or from those and other information either in our possession or likely to come into our possession).

USAGE DATA

Usage Data is data collected automatically either generated by the use of the Service or from the Service infrastructure itself (for example, the duration of a page visit).

COOKIES

Cookies are small pieces of data stored on a User’s device.

DATA CONTROLLER

Data Controller means a person who (either alone or jointly or in common with other persons) determines the purposes for which and the manner in which any personal data are, or are to be, processed.

For the purpose of this Privacy Policy, we are a Data Controller of your data.

DATA PROCESSOR (OR SERVICE PROVIDERS)

Data Processor (or Service Provider) means any person (other than an employee of the Data Controller) who processes the data on behalf of the Data Controller.

We may use the services of various Service Providers in order to process your data more effectively.

DATA SUBJECT

Data Subject is any living individual who is the subject of Personal Data.

USER

The User is the individual using our Service. The User corresponds to the Data Subject, who is the subject of Personal Data.

INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE

We collect several different types of information for various purposes to provide and improve our Service to you.

TYPES OF DATA COLLECTED

PERSONAL DATA

While using our Service, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you (“Personal Data”). Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to:

  • Email address
  • First name and last name
  • Phone number
  • Address, State, Province, ZIP/Postal code, City
  • Cookies and Usage Data

We may use your Personal Data to contact you with newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information that may be of interest to you. You may opt out of receiving any, or all, of these communications from us by following the unsubscribe link or instructions provided in any email we send.

USAGE DATA

We may also collect information how the Service is accessed and used (“Usage Data”). This Usage Data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol address (e.g. IP address), browser type, browser version, the pages of our Service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, unique device identifiers and other diagnostic data.

TRACKING & COOKIES DATA

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on our Service and hold certain information.

Cookies are files with small amount of data which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your device. Tracking technologies also used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyze our Service.

You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Service.

Examples of Cookies we use:

  • Session Cookies. We use Session Cookies to operate our Service.
  • Preference Cookies. We use Preference Cookies to remember your preferences and various settings.
  • Security Cookies. We use Security Cookies for security purposes.

USE OF DATA

Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org uses the collected data for various purposes:

  • To provide and maintain our Service
  • To notify you about changes to our Service
  • To allow you to participate in interactive features of our Service when you choose to do so
  • To provide customer support
  • To gather analysis or valuable information so that we can improve our Service
  • To monitor the usage of our Service
  • To detect, prevent and address technical issues
  • To provide you with news, special offers and general information about other goods, services and events which we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about unless you have opted not to receive such information

RETENTION OF DATA

Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org will retain your Personal Data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We will retain and use your Personal Data to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations (for example, if we are required to retain your data to comply with applicable laws), resolve disputes, and enforce our legal agreements and policies.

Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org will also retain Usage Data for internal analysis purposes. Usage Data is generally retained for a shorter period of time, except when this data is used to strengthen the security or to improve the functionality of our Service, or we are legally obligated to retain this data for longer time periods.

TRANSFER OF DATA

Your information, including Personal Data, may be transferred to — and maintained on — computers located outside of your state, province, country or other governmental jurisdiction where the data protection laws may differ than those from your jurisdiction.

If you are located outside United States and choose to provide information to us, please note that we transfer the data, including Personal Data, to United States and process it there.

Your consent to this Privacy Policy followed by your submission of such information represents your agreement to that transfer.

Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy and no transfer of your Personal Data will take place to an organization or a country unless there are adequate controls in place including the security of your data and other personal information.

DISCLOSURE OF DATA

DISCLOSURE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

Under certain circumstances, Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org may be required to disclose your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org may disclose your Personal Data in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • To comply with a legal obligation
  • To protect and defend the rights or property of Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org
  • To prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the Service
  • To protect the personal safety of users of the Service or the public
  • To protect against legal liability

SECURITY OF DATA

The security of your data is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security

“DO NOT TRACK” SIGNALS

We do not support Do Not Track (“DNT”). Do Not Track is a preference you can set in your web browser to inform websites that you do not want to be tracked.

You can enable or disable Do Not Track by visiting the Preferences or Settings page of your web browser.

YOUR RIGHTS

Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org aims to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete, or limit the use of your Personal Data.

Whenever made possible, you can update your Personal Data directly within your account settings section. If you are unable to change your Personal Data, please contact us to make the required changes.

If you wish to be informed what Personal Data we hold about you and if you want it to be removed from our systems, please contact us.

In certain circumstances, you have the right:

  • To access and receive a copy of the Personal Data we hold about you
  • To rectify any Personal Data held about you that is inaccurate
  • To request the deletion of Personal Data held about you

You have the right to data portability for the information you provide to Abby McDonald at abbymcdonald.org. You can request to obtain a copy of your Personal Data in a commonly used electronic format so that you can manage and move it.

Please note that we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests.

SERVICE PROVIDERS

We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate our Service (“Service Providers”), to provide the Service on our behalf, to perform Service-related services or to assist us in analyzing how our Service is used.

These third parties have access to your Personal Data only to perform these tasks on our behalf and are obligated not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

ANALYTICS

We may use third-party Service Providers to monitor and analyze the use of our Service.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS

Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity.

For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/

PAYMENTS

We may provide paid products and/or services within the Service. In that case, we use third-party services for payment processing (e.g. payment processors).

We will not store or collect your payment card details. That information is provided directly to our third-party payment processors whose use of your personal information is governed by their Privacy Policy. These payment processors adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. PCI-DSS requirements help ensure the secure handling of payment information.

The payment processors we work with are:

STRIPE

Their Privacy Policy can be viewed at https://stripe.com/us/privacy

PAYPAL OR BRAINTREE

Their Privacy Policy can be viewed at https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.

LINKS TO OTHER SITES

Our Service may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit.

We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party sites or services.

CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

Our Service does not address anyone under the age of 18 (“Children”).

We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your Children has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Data from children without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our servers.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the “effective date” at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us here.

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Hi! I'm Abby and I'm so glad you're here. I am a wife and a mom of two very energetic boys and one sweet baby girl. When I'm not chasing them around I love to write about my love for a God who relentlessly pursued me, even during my darkest times. READ MORE...

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After a ligament repair surgery in early September After a ligament repair surgery in early September, I had to make some drastic changes in my day-to-day life. As someone who loves to be self-sufficient, I realized very quickly that this was going to be a stretching season. No weight bearing meant many of the abilities I took for granted were off limits. 

As I continue to recover, God is showing me a few things:

1. Rest is a gift, not a punishment.

I thought I knew this but forced physical rest makes it take a new meaning. Our bodies not only need it, they demand it. 

But beyond the fact that we need it, God designed rest as a natural reset. 

2. It’s okay to ask need help and to ask for it.

I’m not very good at asking for help, but God has shown me it how it blesses not only me, but those who are able to give it. Our church family has been such a gift to us during this time. They’ve stepped up without being asked and reminded me that I wasn’t alone. 

3. The time I spend with God during the harvesting seasons will fuel me during the hard, dry seasons. 

Needless to say, this has been a difficult season. I’ve felt upended in many ways, and have fought depression, anxiety, and isolation. But in the middle of all of this, God has sent me steady reminders of His presence. He’s shown up in unexpected ways, and His grace has sustained me in each moment.

And last week, I took my first post-surgery steps. 🙌🏼🎉
Here’s what I’m learning from this new trend of as Here’s what I’m learning from this new trend of asking AI to describe you- When we see something good in someone, let’s not hold it back. So often, we keep encouragement to ourselves. We notice the strength, the grace or talent, but we never speak it. Why? 

Meanwhile, the people we hold it back from might be walking around discouraged or disillusioned. They might not see what we see. 
 
So no, I don’t want to ask AI to access everything I’ve posted or stored on my phone to make statements about me. 
I’d rather ask another human- like my kids, a dear friend, or my husband. I’d rather them tell me the good, the bad, and everything in between. 

 I want to see their face and their eyes, hear the inflection in their voice, and absorb it in real time. I want to hear from someone who knows all my idiosyncrasies and weaknesses, but loves me anyway.
I have always wanted God to make things obvious. A I have always wanted God to make things obvious. As long as I can remember, this longing for God to give me the black-and-white sign telling me which way to go has been constant. 

But more often, God’s guidance feels like a gentle nudge. A thought that lingers. A desire that won’t go away.

I’m learning that when God doesn’t give me a flashing sign, it doesn’t mean He is withholding from me. Sometimes He is teaching me to trust Him. Here are three things He’s revealed to me as I learn to do that, day by day.

1. God wants us to know His voice.

For years, I wondered what it really meant to hear from God. I’d grown up hearing the stories of Moses and the burning bush, and knew how God spoke to prophets. 

Then I had my own children. I watched my kids come to me with their hopes and dreams without hesitation. And as I watched them, something began to shift in my understanding of God. Slowly, I realized He wanted that kind of openness with me, too. 

2. God is asking us to trust His character more than answers.

If I’m honest, I think that if God would just tell me what’s on the other side of my step of faith, things would be easier. I’ll have more confidence, and I’ll do it. But that’s not really what faith is, is it? We believe that more information will give us more freedom and peace, but most of the time, it does the opposite. 

Jesus offers a different invitation in Matthew 11. Come to me, He says, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. He doesn’t say, “Come to me, and I’ll explain everything.” He says, “Come to me.”

3. Faith grows when we take the next step.

There is something beautiful that happens when we respond to God’s quiet nudges. They create a track record. We can look back and see the moments when we moved forward even in the unknown, and God was faithful. 

Another thing these steps of faith do is create momentum. Momentum is gained by movement, and the same is true with our faith. Perhaps today, instead of asking, “God, will You please show me everything?” we can pray something simpler: “God, help me trust You with what I cannot see.”
“Go back to your why.” A dear friend said this to “Go back to your why.”

A dear friend said this to me earlier this week and I knew she spoke wisdom. For months, I’d felt like the creative joy and energy had been sucked right out of me. As much as I tell coaching clients to find their why remember it, I too am prone to forget. 

Much of the time, this happens when I get stuck in the land of “have to.” Perhaps you’ve been there too.

- I have do _______ to attract the eyes of a publisher.
- I have to keep up with the ever changing algorithms on social media.
- I have to write on this topic, even though it’s not what I’m passionate about.
- I have to do ________because all these other authors are doing it.

There is nothing that will suck the joy out of the creative spirit like this mindset. Lord knows, I’ve been there. I’ve gotten sucked into the all consuming drive to keep up and produce.

And I’m tired. This season, I’m taking time to remember my why. I’m remembering what brings me joy and why I love writing. As I seek God’s leading in this time of reflection, I’m so glad it’s His joy that is my strength.
I can’t believe it’s been 25 years. I had just sta I can’t believe it’s been 25 years. I had just started my first job after graduating from college and was in training every day. A coworker heard about the attack on the Pentagon from a security officer before we received news about the twin towers. For the rest of the day, our training facilitator tried to continue the day as usual but no one was engaged. Some frantically tried to get a hold of loved ones in NYC on their cell phones. Others just sat there in a daze. No one cared about work. 

Today, I pray for all of those who lost loved ones that day in in the days that followed. I pray for our nation and for the sense of unity we had then to be rebirthed. I pray we will not forget the things that matter most. 

*Photo taken at the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA.
In world full of noise telling us who we are and w In world full of noise telling us who we are and what we need, these three things remain true. Turn your face toward Him today and listen to His voice. He will never speak to His child with a voice of condemnation.
Each time we say “yes” to God, we leave a trail. W Each time we say “yes” to God, we leave a trail. We leave a path for others to follow and a legacy of faithfulness for them to cling to when the view ahead is unclear. That is what the women and men of the Bible did for us, and it’s what we can do for others when we stop and commemorate moments of victory. 

Commemorating those moments of victory may look like:

📌 Sharing stories of God’s faithfulness with others- your family community, church, etc.

📝 Writing your story for others to read.

🙌🏼 Celebrating steps of faith you’ve taken, what God has done, and how you’ve grown. 

Sometimes we get so focused on what’s next, we forget to create altars of remembrance. We forget to celebrate our progress and what God has done. But each time we do this, we create that trail. We bear witness to the faithfulness of the living God.

Let’s not forget the forget the legacy we leave with each remembered moment today.

#seekhimfirst #hisfaithfulness #faithwriter
Many of us are trying to find certainty in this wo Many of us are trying to find certainty in this world that feels so unstable. Questions can keep us up at night and cause continuous, low-grade anxiety.
 
When will the sickness end?
Will my family member stop running from God?
How will I know whether to take the job?
 
Too often, we go to others first — online “experts,” friends, even pastors — instead of God. Scripture instructs us to seek wise counsel, yet it’s also clear that the most “Wonderful Counselor” is God Himself (Isaiah 9:6, NIV).
 
Thanks be to God, He is ready and willing to speak to us when we come to Him. When we don’t, we miss out on a beautiful gift He offers each of us who calls Him Lord: the ability to hear His voice.
 
Jeremiah reminds us that some things can only be revealed to us by the Creator: “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).
 
This prophet asked God many questions. He longed for justice and wondered why the wicked seemed to prosper. He begged a defiant, wayward Israel to return to the Lord, though they didn’t listen. When it seemed like things couldn’t get worse, Jeremiah was kidnapped by rebels and taken to Egypt. There, in the middle of what seemed like a hopeless situation, the word of the Lord came to him.
 
God reminded Jeremiah that He still had a plan for Israel’s redemption. Every question Jeremiah asked had an answer, even if it didn’t look the way he thought it would.
 
Friend, seeking God for ourselves takes courage. It takes putting aside our desire for immediate answers and practicing patience. But when we do, we foster our ability to hear Him. And it’s always worth it.
 
God, thank You for Your promise to speak to each one of us who calls You Lord. When we’re tempted to trade this for a quick answer, help us remember the priceless gift we have in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

➡️ Read the full devo at @proverbs31ministries
I was prepping for a talk when I discovered these I was prepping for a talk when I discovered these notes from two years ago. These were the beginnings of chapter 3 in Surrendering Certainty, The Tree of Life Called Desire. It’s one of my favorite chapters, and it was also one of the most difficult to write. 

But the blessing of writing it and working through the fear, brain fog, and procrastination? One thousand percent worth it. 

Writing, as Hemingway once said, is sometimes like, “drilling out rock and blasting it with charges.” In an age where it’s easier to hop on ChatGPT anytime something gets difficult, can I encourage you to resist the urge?

I believe AI has its place and its benefits, but I also believe we are forfeiting our creativity to a machine. And each time we do, it becomes a little easier to do it without even thinking about the consequences. It’s not worth it. As an editor, I can tell you that AI writing does not sound human; it is quite obviously robotic.

Will it take more time to write through the struggle? Yes. But the One who breathed life into Adam, the Author of Creativity himself, still breathes life into our words and our art. And the struggle is very essence of it. 

Art without struggle isn’t art. It’s merely an imitation. 

So keep pushing back against the resistance and create. I can promise you, you won’t be sorry.

#writinglife #writingcommunity
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The 5 Days to Life Unstuck Challenge

Are there areas of your life where you can’t seem to find breakthrough? Do you feel as though your keep praying the same prayers over and over, but you’re not getting anywhere?

A life stuck is one that never moves into the fullness Christ created us to have.

This is why I created the “5 Days to Life Unstuck Challenge”. In this 5-day challenge, we will look at five key areas where the enemy likes for us to stay stuck. Then, we will implement a simple, doable mindset shift.

Ready to get get unstuck?

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!