30
Mar '19
Relationship over Rituals
30
Mar '19
Stop bringing Me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts Me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting— they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. Isaiah 1:13
My daughter came to me the other day, and said, “Dad, you know I love you.” You would think that after 13 years, she would know that I’m keenly aware something else comes after that. However, with each passing year she gets a little more adept at saying it. It’s gotten to the point that to the outsider, they would say, “Awe! That is so adorable! You have an amazing daughter!” To be honest, she is just that; an amazing and growing young lady. Read more…
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30
Mar '19
Stand Up
30
Mar '19
Each day that God allows us to have is another day full of different challenges. Our days are consumed by “to do” lists. Whether we work outside of the home, parents at home raising children, or someone that is retired, we all have schedules to keep.
Throughout our busy schedules we come into contact with so many different beliefs and attitudes. We’re supposed to stand strong for what we believe in. As a Christian I stand up for Read more…
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30
Mar '19
Distractions and Diversions
30
Mar '19
Have you ever had a non-Godly distraction in life that was counter-acted by a literal diversion from God? I experienced something earlier this year that once the smoke cleared, I could undoubtedly see God’s hand at work.
Earlier this year when I began dating again, two new guys unexpectedly entered my life nearly at the same time, but the first guy (in my opinion, when looking back) was definitely a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He was a really nice guy, but the more I got to know of him, the more I realized he was not acting in any way, shape or form like the Christian he professed to be. Maybe he WAS a Christian, I just didn’t see the fruits of his Christianity and his actions were not something that screamed “Christian”, but admittedly I found myself intrigued by his charm. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but as I did, I found myself getting sucked into the shiny newness, but I could feel and hear God giving me a clear “Red Flag” warning – almost like a finger snap in my ear – to beware. (I must add – it wasn’t a beware as in “safety” for me, it was a beware as Read more…
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23
Mar '19
He Knows
23
Mar '19
God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. Romans 2:6-8
Around this time of year, many organizations spend time talking about raises and bonuses. A lot of people focus on what they have, and are grateful for what they are to receive. However, some are frustrated over the promotion they were passed over, or the increase that was not Read more…
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23
Mar '19
Laughter
23
Mar '19
It feels so good to laugh sometimes. Things can get tiresome and hectic through the week and we all need to take a break and find something that makes us smile and laugh. Whether it’s going to see a funny movie (which I just did a couple of days ago), laughing at a funny, but wholesome joke, or sharing good times and laughing with friends and family. Laughing and having fun is healthy and good for the soul. Proverbs 17:22- “A joyful heart is good medicine.”
Laughing helps us to cope with all kinds of struggles. We all experience bad days. Having someone around us to lighten our mood and make us feel better is a good thing. God gave us Read more…
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23
Mar '19
What God Left Out
23
Mar '19
Sometimes we can get so frustrated when we try to do new (or old!) things and it just doesn’t work out for us. I’ve tried skiing – quite a few times – it just doesn’t work out for me. Sure, could I try harder? I suppose I could, but the fear of going down that steep hill just terrifies me too much. How would I ever get over that initial fear so I could eventually go down that big scary hill again? Good question. I don’t know. I’ve done it, and it was terrifying for me. If you have a suggestion, I’m all ears. Until then, unless something miraculous happens, it’s the bunny hill for this girl.
But maybe God just left out “skiing” for Dena. Maybe God thought, “No.. Skiing isn’t going to be your thing, but _________ is”. Is it possible that Read more…
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16
Mar '19
My Provider
16
Mar '19
“How much bread do you have?” He asked. “Go and find out.”
They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.
Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, He kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread Read more…
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16
Mar '19
Staying on Course
16
Mar '19
Sometimes it’s difficult to stay on track. Things happen that throw us off our game. We can make plans to do something and have it all set to go, and then something happens to sidetrack us. We have to figure out a different plan of action. Yesterday, I was really trying to enjoy my little nephew’s birthday party, while dealing with some physical pain. Everybody had a great time and seeing his little smile made everything just right. Taking the focus off the pain we may be feeling helps for a little while, but Read more…
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16
Mar '19
Being Happy Where You Are
16
Mar '19
Contentment. Ahhhhhhhh, yes! {Sigh of happiness}. Right? (Hmmmmmmm….)
Sometimes we really have to think about this whole “contentment” thing and what it means to us, and what it means to us with God as our Leader. Admittedly, this has been a hard subject for me at many points in my life. I’ve had many seasons where I’d just so badly want to be content, and would think that once I had or attained something, I would finally find solace, only to find that once I had it, I wasn’t content at all. If anything, I was the exact opposite of content – confusion and grief could’ve been my “motto” in these times where I thought I would be content, when I actually wasn’t.
Was it my fault that I wasn’t content?? Was it someone else’s fault? Or was it God just allowing me to go through a tough season of my life to learn some real lessons to get to a season where I’m finally, really content with life as it is? Period. Not “When I Read more…
Sometimes we really have to think about this whole “contentment” thing and what it means to us, and what it means to us with God as our Leader. Admittedly, this has been a hard subject for me at many points in my life. I’ve had many seasons where I’d just so badly want to be content, and would think that once I had or attained something, I would finally find solace, only to find that once I had it, I wasn’t content at all. If anything, I was the exact opposite of content – confusion and grief could’ve been my “motto” in these times where I thought I would be content, when I actually wasn’t.
Was it my fault that I wasn’t content?? Was it someone else’s fault? Or was it God just allowing me to go through a tough season of my life to learn some real lessons to get to a season where I’m finally, really content with life as it is? Period. Not “When I Read more…
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09
Mar '19
The Domino Effect
09
Mar '19
I recently saw a quote/post online that said “Someone somewhere is depending on you to do what God has called you to do”. I’m not sure where this quote originated, but it was on a ShineFM post. As I read it, I thought how true this is. It’s so easy to read things and just scroll by and not give them another thought, but sometimes, if you think on it, it opens up a whole new set of ideas and thoughts.
“SOMEONE SOMEWHERE IS DEPENDING ON YOU TO DO WHAT GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO DO”.
Of course, many things could be taken from this quote, but what came to mind when I read this was how important it is for us to listen to God and His calling on our lives. Have we ever thought on how something we need to be doing for God could possibly affect someone else? If we do what God has called us to do, it will in turn, have an effect on not only us, but also others. When Read more…
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