This meditation took me down an awesome but unexpected path. (Isn’t that just His way?) Like many, I get sentimental around the holidays and enjoy all the feels of Christmas music, twinkling lights, and the Nativity scene. I am, however, realizing that I have been equating Advent with Lenten season, a preparing of the heart. That’s not wrong; it’s just that I think it is easy to hyper-focus on Advent with its connection to the Nativity or Mary’s perspective.
Read MoreFor Advent this year, we chose to discuss the foretellings (prophecies) of the Old Testament. These were Scriptures that foretold Christ & His coming. They prophesied over a future Messiah. I was assigned to Numbers 24:
Read MoreWhat a beautiful example of love and trust. Abraham loved and trusted God, and in turn, his son, Isaac, loved and trusted him. Abraham loved God enough to sacrifice his one and only son, but assured his son that God would provide. Isaac did not question this answer, even when no lamb was being taken up the mountain as the sacrifice.
Read MoreTypical Bible study tools include (obviously) a Bible study, journal, and pen. There are other additions you can add to help you understand the Bible even more. Commentaries break down each verse, chapter, and book in detail with a human’s perspective on it. You can get Greek or Hebrew translations helps, so you can understand the original wording of the Bible. There are so many resources to help YOU understand what God is saying in His Word.
Read MoreI don’t like waiting, there, I’ve said it. I also think that most of the population is probably like me. I am about to age myself and say that waiting was part of my everyday life for the first 20 years. My siblings and I would have to take turns talking on the one phone line we had in the house. I would mail letters to friends back when the USPS wasn’t called snail mail because it was the only way to mail things. Things could not be ordered online because there were no e-commerce sites. Every 10 minutes into a TV program or movie, there was ad time, and I would have to wait it out to finish watching what I wanted.
Read MoreStrongholds are mentioned numerous times in the Bible, yet in modern-day times we rarely hear this word. What is a stronghold? Why were they used back then? How does a twenty-first century Jesus-follower respond to this concept?
Read MoreOur theology series (see Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7) has moved from the history of the church in the Bible to the history of the church in England to the divisions in the church and reformation to modern-day denominations! This month I thought I would bring to you a battle of the Baptists.
Read More“I still remember the days I prayed for what I have now.” This is a saying I have seen over the years, and every time I read it, it makes me stop and say a prayer of thanks to God.
Read MoreAs I’m reading through the books of Kings, I’m struck by the difference of how Israel approached God and how we approach Him today. Yes, times have changed, but God has not and so haven’t humans. In the beginning of the first book of Kings, it is written about the life of Solomon and the temple he constructed for the Lord. There are chapters dedicated to describing the intricate details of this temple – the elaborate designs, only the finest of materials, and the grandeur that building exhibited.
Read MoreThe circumstances I went through is what brought me back to Christ, through the years of legalistic rules that were now ingrained in my head made it difficult to align my thoughts with God’s love for me as I was persistently being spiritually attacked with fear and doubt.
Read MoreHave you ever received a text, letter or even a note scribbled on a napkin from someone you liked - like giddy almost-loved kind of like? You know, like when that cute boy texted you and no matter how simple or unromantic the text is, to you it carries all the hidden mysteries of your relationship, so you treasure it by reading it over and over again.
Read MoreIn the United States we've become experts at simplifying the Bible - we pride ourselves on 20 minute sermons, we prefer the message Bible to "better understand" it, and our Christian stores have shelves upon shelves of books to guide our spiritual life and walk us through reading the Scriptures. There is nothing wrong with this, necessarily. It's just that too often we become to dependent on these crutches to lead us through life.
Read MoreNo one - no one - can honestly say their life is perfect. No matter how the social media posts read or what the pictures look like; no life is perfect. Now, some people invite in more (emotional) mess than others, but even so, no one has a ¨mess-free¨ life. We live in a fallen world.
Read MoreOur theology series (see Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5) has moved from the history of the church in the Bible to the history of the church in England to the divisions in the church and reformation! This month we are looking at a denomination I have attended because it was a church God called me to.
Read MoreThe son of God wept. According to dictionary.com, to weep is “to express grief, sorrow, or any overpowering emotion by shedding tears; to mourn with tears.” Weeping is essentially the crying of your soul, it’s the most heart-breaking way to express the pain your heart feels.
Read MoreThis quote is often said to someone who’s experiencing something emotionally taxing and overwhelming. The advisor intends to give encouragement to the person who is ‘in the valley’ to not rely only on their feelings, but to take everything to God.
Read MoreWhat if obedience was the precursor to something God wanted to do for you later in life? Would you choose to snap to attention right away? No questions asked? Easy, right? But only if we know the why behind the ask.
Read MoreGod cannot be understood by our own human modes of wisdom. All the logic and best thinking of the history of the world cannot fully comprehend God and his ways. Instead, God’s intent was to use the Church - the “foolish” ones according to the word - to display his wisdom within the world (Ephesians 3:10-11).
Read More
