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Seeing His Word Clearly {In the Church}
When I was about seven years old, my mom took me to have my vision tested. My teachers had noticed that I was squinting a lot and having a difficult time reading the chalk board. Up until that point, I didn’t realize that I couldn’t see. I seriously thought my issues were due to white chalk on a not~so~clean blackboard. It wasn’t until the doctor started playing with the lenses and asking me to pick which one was clearer that I realized how little of the world I was seeing. Once he settled on a prescription, the doctor ordered my glasses and told us to come back to pick them…
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Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2013! I’m so excited about the possibilities that come with a new year. It’s almost like life is giving us some sort of cosmic do over. And boy do I need it! I missed some of my goals for last year but I’m pressing forward and not dwelling on the past. I hope that you’ll continue to share this journey with me and that you’re just as excited for 2013 as I am… I began today much like I do any other day, with a cup of coffee. This is how I prepare myself for the day’s activities: a cup of coffee and a few minutes of silence. And…
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Love {Advent Bible Study}
The focus of this week’s Advent study is LOVE. Love means to have a strong affection for anther arising out of kinship or personal ties. It also means to have an unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another. SCRIPTURE 1 John 4:7 {KJV} Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. OBSERVATION When I first looked up “Love” in the Webster’s Dictionary, the first entry was for maternal love, the second for romantic love and a bit further down, the love God has for mankind. This struck me as wrong. I know…
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Hope {Advent Bible Study}
The focus of this week’s Advent study is HOPE. Hope means to anticipate or expect with confidence. SCRIPTURE Jeremiah 33:15 In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. OBSERVATION God promises His people that after their captivity has ended a righteous descendant from King David’s line will be born. The fulfillment of this promise is the birth of Jesus Christ, who is just and righteous. APPLICATION When I read this passage, I think of a new bud on a tree branch and all the promise that it holds. It represents new…
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Hope {Advent Bible Study}
The focus of this week’s Advent study is HOPE. Hope means to anticipate or expect with confidence. SCRIPTURE John 1:12 {KJV} But as many as received him, to them gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: OBSERVATION There are many who reject Jesus and His claims, but there are also many who believe His claims. And it is those who believe in Him, who will inherit the kingdom of God as His children. APPLICATION The gift of life is free to those who simply choose to accept that God in His mercy and grace looked down upon this world in all of…
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Preparing for Christmas {Advent Bible Study}
Last week, I briefly talked about how God has been dealing with me about the ways I’ve been using social media for His glory. Specifically, the fact that I haven’t been. I’ve been using my spaces on the web to talk about style, food, photography and all sorts of other things… There’s nothing wrong with that, I believe that God wants us to have fun, but I don’t want that to be all there is to me. I firmly believe that I’m living at this time and place for a reason. God has a purpose for me. So I know it was nothing but God that lead me to an…
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Knowing God by Name {Bible Study}
Today marked the beginning of the second week of the “Knowing God by Name” bible study and I have to say, this has truly been an awe inspiring study. In the first week, we learned the names of God that indicate His deity: YAHWEH ~ LORD {Jehovah, Self~Existent One} ELOHIM ~ GOD {Mighty, Strong, Prominent One} ADONAI ~ LORD {Master} RISHON VA~ACHARON ~ THE FIRST AND THE LAST ADONAI YAHWEH ~ SOVEREIGN LORD Each of these names proclaim that God is the LORD of lords and God of gods, there is no one above Him, He can do anything, He is the beginning and the end… I’ve always known that…
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Knowing God By Name {Word Filled Wednesday}
When I was a little girl, I hated my name. I mean, I absolutely positively hated my name. People used to call me “Danielle”, “Darlene”, “Daniel”, etc. All perfectly fine names, but not my name. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I fully appreciated the uniqueness of my name and it wasn’t until I had children of my own that I understood the power of names. This week, I started a new study with the Women’s Bible Café called “Knowing God by Name: A Personal Encounter” by Mary Kassian. In this study, we’re learning about 35 of the more than one hundred names for God. Each name reflects…
