It's that time of year. We are trying to get healthy, get organized, exercise more, eat less . . . the list is endless, right? I agree that a new start is always a good idea. We should be trying to better ourselves in lots of ways.
All in Spiritual Growth
The Shepherds: Go and See
God interrupted the commonplace. The glory of God shattered darkness. A message from an angel broke the silence. The Savior, Christ the Lord, had been born! As shepherds in the field beheld the angel, their initial response was fear. But with the announcement of the birth of the awaited One, fear turned to determination. The shepherds said, Let’s go…and see...(Luke 2:15). They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the heralded baby lying in a manger.
A Christmas Puzzle: Day 3
Now we go to our pile of puzzle pieces to look for those with a straight edges. They will connect the corners and frame the puzzle.
A Christmas Puzzle: Day 2
The first step of puzzle assembly is finding and putting down the four corner pieces, 90 degree angles out. In our Christmas puzzle, the corner pieces represent God’s nature because the real Christmas story doesn’t begin with the angel’s appearance to Mary, but in the eternal plan of God.
A Christmas Puzzle: Day 1
We just returned from a road trip to visit family “before the snow flies.” When your relatives live in the upper Mid-West, this is not an expression but a date certain.
What Does Your Face Say?
When I was growing up, I imagined how cool it would be to have a videophone. This was a futuristic idea only seen on TV at the time. Well, it’s not futuristic anymore. It is common practice for the next generation.
Leaving your Legacy . . . Prepare
You cannot preach the Word, proclaim the Message, tell your story with God, unless you are prepared to do so. In fact preparation is the key to living, anyway you look at it. If you are going on a mountain hike you lace up your sturdy shoes, pack some water, grab your hiking stick, put on your sunscreen, check on the weather—you prepare as best you can.
Leaving your Legacy . . . Be Purposeful
Last page, last letter—the time has come. Paul gives his protégé, Timothy, a stirring charge. At the beginning of this letter he told him that he, Paul, was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher of the gospel (2 Timothy 1:11). Now he places his ministry of the gospel in Timothy’s hands. In effect, he endows his son in the faith with his legacy. He solemnly offers to Timothy, before God, what is tantamount to a binding oath. The Message translation is pretty onerous: I can’t impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder.
Who Me?
I cannot even begin to guess how many times I have read this scripture. “But what about you?” he asked, “Who do you say I am?” This time, however, when I read it something hit me like a ton of bricks. Something that made it much more real.
What is Truth?
I have a pair of my mother’s scissor. Years ago she wrote on them in permanent pen “new.” What was true the day she wrote that word is no longer true. The scissors are old and dull. Some things that are true today may not be true tomorrow. But where can you and I find truth that will stand the test of time? What truth can you build your life upon that will never crumble beneath you?
Listening to the Greatest Voice
My friend has an interesting testimony of how she became a believer in Jesus. No one in her family was a Christian. A man began coming to their home once a week and reading his Bible to the family. He did nothing more than read, but the power of God’s Word transformed every person in that family. One by one they came to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Listening 101
I heard the child ask his mother the same question five times, but the mother, who was looking at her cell phone, never answered. She wasn’t listening. I can’t point a finger. When my girls were young, I let many distractions keep me from listening to them. I can still be easily distracted when listening.
Are You Listening?
Do you know someone who doesn’t know how to listen? I became acquainted with a kind man who worked at a grocery store I frequented. Every time he saw me, he would stop what he was doing and head my way. For the next ten minutes (at least) he would tell me all about what he had been doing, about his family, or about anything that came to mind. He loved to talk, but he didn’t know how to listen. I once told my husband, “I know a lot about that man, but he knows nothing about me.”
The Moved Coaster
When I saw the moved coaster, I smiled.
Your Faith Does Make A Difference for Your Kids
If you’re like me, you want desperately to pass your faith onto your children.
Yet sometimes we wonder if we’re getting through. Or are we only going through the motions. We hear God’s Word but choose what we want to obey.
Falling
I live in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Yep, you guessed it, surrounded by pine trees. The school district I attended from Kindergarten through graduation is even named Pine Tree Independent School District. I have to admit, I love the pine trees. I love walking in the woods, and I love the smell of these evergreens.
Drifting
I watched my husband and our daughter paddle out into the surf in a kayak. They moved through the water to look at the array of fish under them. At times they stopped paddling, but they did not stop moving. Sometimes they drifted further away from where they wanted to go. It required intentional effort to move in the right direction. To go where they wanted to go, they had to pursue it. Just drifting was not going to be enough.
Keep Practicing
Sugar. Butter. A little water. These are the basic ingredients for making scrumptious English Toffee. I’ve been making toffee for about thirty five years. The recipe is simple, yet it doesn’t always work consistently.
Divine Mystery . . . the treasures of wisdom and knowledge
Ladies, one more clue to follow this week as we unravel divine mystery. We are on our way to experiencing the full riches of complete understanding that Paul wishes for us. Knowing Christ is the essential element—Christ the divine, the reality; Christ in you, the hope of glory. It’s in Christ that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Let’s do a little digging.
Limping with God
After years of being away, Jacob was headed home with his family and possessions. As he neared Canaan, he was told that Esau was coming toward him with 400 men. Jacob and Esau had not parted on good terms. Was Esau coming for revenge?