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Life {My Word for the Year}
I’ll be turning 40 in March, this has been a difficult thing for me to accept. Forty has always symbolized something I never wanted to be: old. please read that word with the appropriate amount of shuddering and nose crinkling I remember looking at the forty~something~year~old women of my youth and thinking they were looking at me with something that bordered on pity, mingled with contempt, and tinged with jealousy. And they looked frumpy. Looking back, I realize that was just my own youthful misperception of grown women. In reality, they weren’t paying me or my silliness any attention. As for looking dowdy, everyone in the 80s and 90s looked…
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Be Strong {Words of Encouragement}
I’ve gone back and forth over whether I should write anything about the tragedies in Connecticut and China that occurred last week… How do I respond to the senseless taking of innocent lives? What words of comfort do I offer to those who’ll be left with the physical and mental scars? There simply aren’t enough words to convey the sympathy that I feel for all of those who’ve been touched directly by these tragedies. I can’t begin to say I understand how the parents feel to lose their children in such a senseless manner, but I do understand the spirit of fear that grips your heart when you’ve been touched…
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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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SOAP: We Were Created in His Image {#B90Days}
SCRIPTURE Genesis 1:27 (NIV) So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. OBSERVATION Throughout the whole story of creation, God speaks things into existence, he says “Let there be light” and there is light (Genesis 1:14) and he tells the land to produce living creatures according to its kind (Genesis 1:24) but when it comes to man, he takes the time to form man out of the dust of the earth. But he doesn’t just throw together stuff to make man, he said “Let us make man after our own image” (Genesis 1:26), which means that…
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The Bible in 90 Days: My Tips {#B90Days}
Deep breath in, deep breath out. Tomorrow begins the next session of the Bible in 90 Days and I’m more than ready for it. I pray that those of you who are reading along with us (whether you are in Group 34 or not) are ready. This isn’t going to be easy… Things that have never challenged you before will fight with you for your time and energy. But if you push your way through, I guarantee you will find your blessing on the other side. I’d like to offer a few tips that helped me through the process the first and second times: Pray before you start ~ pray…
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Read the Bible in 90 Days {#B90Days}
I’m excited to announce that I’ll be serving as a member of the leadership team for the next session of #B90Days, hosted by Amy at Mom’s Toolbox. #B90Days is a 90 day Bible reading plan that helps you read the Bible from cover to cover. Because of the intense nature of the plan, this should not be considered a Bible study but an opportunity to read the most life changing book ever written. As a member of the leadership team, my job will be to encourage the readers in my team through prayer, on Twitter and via our accountability group. I’ll also be posting words of encouragement here on my…
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Faith {In the Church}
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Why Does God Love Me? {Bible Reading Plan}
My sisters and I used to joke that our first stop on the way home from the hospital was church. And from that moment on, we spent every waking moment in church… For most of my life, I’ve always felt God’s presence around me. Even when I was running ahead of Him, I knew He was there, ready to pick me up when I stumbled. So why am I sitting here at 1 something in the morning trying to figure out where it’s all gone? I know I haven’t lost my faith, but I’ve lost something and I need to find it. I want that happiness and joy that I see…
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Think and Pray Before You Step {Word Filled Wednesday}
I’ve often said that I have the navigational skills of a monkey in a hurricane. Sometimes being directionally challenged has led me to wonderful discoveries such as the Bollinger Mill Historical Site and other times it has left me on the side of the road near breaking point because I wasn’t sure which way to go. But the one thing that I’ve learned throughout both of these experiences is that I need to have a plan. If I don’t want to get lost, I can’t simply rely on my GPS. I have to have a map and a fully charged phone. In our spiritual lives, sometimes we can feel like…
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Bible in 90 Days: Day 7 SOAP
SCRIPTURE Exodus 36:4~5 (NIV) 4 So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “These people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the lord commanded to be done.” OBSERVATION Moses asked the Israelites to bring, according to their ability, whatever materials they had so that Bezalel and Oholiab and the other skilled workers could construct the sanctuary according to the God’s commandment. Rather than just bringing the minimal amount or enough to say they had given, the people gave so much that the workers actually complained and Moses had to tell them…
