Before I spent time in Israel I imagined Shepherd’s Field, the place where angels announced the birth of Jesus to lowly shepherds, as a big open grassy plain. A place of great beauty and open spaces… like on a Christmas card. The picture below is of Shepherd’s Field today. It’s not at all what I imagined but then, most of what is true in the bible is not what most of us imagine……
Sunday Scripture
CELEBRATING IN THE TRUE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING
I think hosting Thanksgiving is the most work intense, tiring, hardest meal of the year to pull off! There, I said it! And maybe I said it for all of us who host Thanksgiving year after year! There have been years in the past that I have worked myself into total exhaustion to put together a magical-Martha-Stewart-type-Thanksgiving. So, by the time my family and friends sat down to dinner I wanted to say, “Have a great dinner and remember to clean up after yourselves… I’M GOING TO BED”!…
ARE YOU KIND?
Who is the kindest person you know? When he or she comes to your mind what good qualities are you thinking about. This person is a rare gem in today’s world. Kindness in human terms is defined as affectionate, gentleness, warm, concern, care, and generous. Wonderful and selfless qualities to have. The Bible says that God is kind. Let’s talk about how this quality draws people to repentance and to His eternal kingdom and why we should be kind like Him….
FINDING LIVING STONES, PART II
Today is part II of my quest to find the Living God at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Please take the time to read part I HERE. I turned from the hot holy stones… exhausted. I was a puddle. Melted by the heat and the emotion of being stood up by God! How do you pick up a puddle… How does it walk or continue a tour… or write in its journal. Can a puddle eat lunch or make small talk… or even breathe? How does a puddle put it’s heart back together… …
FINDING LIVING STONES
It’s been almost a decade ago since I studied in Israel. It was one of the most life-altering and profound experiences of my life. I walk in the footsteps and across the land of prophets and kings and the King Of King, Jesus Himself. I wandered and learned from the northernmost tip of Israel to deep in the Negev. And spent time in beautiful, gritty, divided Jerusalem the eternal “city of peace”. It was there that I had one of the most meaningful spiritual meetings of my entire life. Today and next week I would like to share……
A THANKSGIVING BLESSING
As we get closer to Thanksgiving I like to plan ahead and get things ready for this special All-American holiday. It’s a time for family and fun but it’s primarily a time for remembering to thank God for his goodness, grace, and lovingkindness to us. And that comes in more ways than we can count. Today I have a THANKSGIVING BLESSING you can print out and use during your Thanksgiving festivities!…
FALL SCRIPTURE PRINTABLE
Sometimes it’s good to remember that everything… and I mean everything… has a God ordained time. And both the good and the bad (in our eyes) have a season, a time that does not last forever and a purpose to fulfill because they are created by God Himself. So remember to savor the good times and give glory to our Father and know that the bad times will have an end and glorify Him too. …
YOUR BEST WEAPON
I am writing this post today for me even more than for my readers. I need to be reminded, sometimes minute by minute, about the best weapon I have at my disposal in any situation… especially when it involves someone I love! My heart has been very heavy this weekend. I know someone that I hold dear is going through an awful time right now. I feel powerless to help this person, for the battle they are fighting is a heart issue. There is nothing that I can say or do that will help or turn things around. So,……
HOW TO HANDLE TROUBLE, PART II
In this life we are guaranteed to have trouble and trials. It’s a part of life, but God uses our trials to do mighty things in us! This week we are still talking about what to do when trials come knocking at our door. One thing is for certain… they will!!! Last week we discussed the WHY of a trial. If you missed it, click HERE. This week we will discussing HOW to get through troubles… Most of us, when faced with a trial, can become worried, upset, distracted, angry, frustrated, annoyed, snarky, baffled, moody, and a whole lot……
HOW TO HANDLE TROUBLE, PART 1
I am NOT a drama queen! NO, NOT ME! I try to avoid stress and strain in life. However, sometimes it finds me. We have all had trouble of one sort or another in our lives… God calls them trials. The The Bible is VERY clear about how to handle trials and get through them. And not only get through them… God promises that if we go through a trial HIS way we will not only get through them but come out better and more mature… more complete… than before the trial! What a promise!!! Doesn’t that……
WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY?
John 14:6 is a scripture that holds the very essence of the way to eternal salvation! Jesus and He alone is the way to the Father and to eternal life! Do you know THE WAY to heaven? …
WORLD PEACE AND LESSONS FROM FIRST GRADE
You may not know this about me… I am a news hound! I could watch the new 24/7. World events fascinate me. I am very political and think I could probably run the world so much better than most of today’s leaders. It’s simple really. I know this because I was a first grade teacher. Believe me, if you can teach first grade you probably can do almost anything!!!! I think before a leader want’s to step onto the world’s stage they should have to repeat first grade… at least once!…
WHAT WE SAY SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT US!
I have something my family calls my “driving word”. Although I have not used it for many many years… my children still remember it… This off-color word only came out when I was driving. It welled up from inside me and spewing out of my mouth when someone would be passing me on a double yellow line… or when an insane driver would cut me off… or when a driver was just being plain crazy! One day when my two little ones were safely strapped into their car seats and we were happily singing……
A CALL TO NATIONAL PRAYER
Our country is in trouble! Not only because of the shutdown or the impending raising of the debt limit… again… or the childish, abhorrent behavior of most of our leaders. Our country, the country I love, is sick! Our country has fallen into grave and serious sin! Most of us, if we would search the depth of our souls, know it! It stares us in the face from the tv set and the computer every day! Our ears are filled with it… just walk down the hall of almost any high school or listen to what is playing on……
LIVING WATER
I studied in Israel a few summers ago. It was a life changing experience… in more ways than I can tell! Studying in Israel was one of the best things I have ever done… but going in the summer was insane! It was desperately hot like an oven… oppressive… and the sun scorched everything it shone on! We would travel and tour and hike in the heat of the day… crazy tourists! Only tourists would do something like that! As I traveled with my group through Israel we all became aware that water was life to us and everything else!……
AN UPDATE ON MY SON AND THE POWER OF PRAYER
I just can’t say this enough… THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! Many of you are still praying for Christopher and asking how he is doing. I still get lots of emails and messages every week asking me to update you on my son’s recovery. So today, 10 weeks out from surgery, I thought I’d let all my StoneGable friends know how my son is doing! I am sure prayer played a huge role in his recovery and will continue to do so in the final outcome of his long road back to perfect health……
MEMORIZING SCRIPTURE
I so wish I had spent my whole life memorizing Scripture. But because I became a Christian at 33 I feel as though I missed out on a whole lot of learning God’s word. It’s not as easy for me now to memorize God’s word as it was for my children when they were little. But I’m sure God would tell me that it is NEVER to late to start! It’s never too late for any of us to start! I know because John 15 tells us that the Holy Spirit is our teacher! And with a teacher like we……
WHAT IS THE NATIVITY?
You have probably seen a nativity scene somewhere this Christmas. In a yard or church or even in your own home. Today let’s talk about what the word nativity means and the truths we can garner from the Word of God about it. Let’s also look at the customs of the day in the first century AD and see what we can find. Along with delving into the truth of the Nativity I want to share some beautiful photographs of the nativity from my studies in Israel….
GOD AND ETERNITY
When my son Christopher was about four years old he asked a very funny question… “Mommy… is Pop-Pop older than God?” I had a little giggle and answered, “No son, God is older than anything… even Pop-Pop! Christopher, God is eternal”! How do you explain eternity to a four year old. Christopher’s length of days were not even a blip on the timeline of history! Almost everything was older than him! Under all that sweet and cute innocence was a very profound question… one that has been asked throughout the ages… just how long has God……
DID MERCY MAKE YOUR TOP 10?
If I were to ask you to make a list of 10 things you could not live without, what would be on your list? Food, money, health, home? All great things to put on a top 10 but did you ever think that mercy… God’s mercy…. should be on that list and pretty close to the top? Mercy is something that we cannot live without! So, it we can’t live without real mercy… what is mercy? Let’s explore this deep and wide word… …
WHAT IS BAPTISM?
Two weeks ago I was so honored to be present as an adult member of my family was baptized in a local steam. The day was gorgeous. Church was held along the banks of the stream and a huge fellowship meal was served! After the meal, my dear relative along with 13 members of his church were also baptized. I know, in some Christian circles, there is great discussion about infant baptism versus age of understanding baptism. I thought it would be a good idea to look at what the word of God says about baptism… what it is and……
STANDING STONE
When I was in Israel I learned many lessons about God. In a way they were taught by what I saw around me. Concrete object lessons right from the very land that Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Jesus walked. The dessert told me stories of great spiritual truths as well as the rushing “living water” that would tumble and bubbly from the base of the mountains! And everywhere I went there were rocks and boulders and stones! Even the very stones cried out their God lessons to me!…
I AM NOT ASHAMED
My bible study, AT THE BIG TABLE, begins this week and I am so excited to welcome back over 60 women! Some have studied with us for years and some are new. Some have walked with the Lord longer than I have and some are seeking what this faith is all about. We are many denominations and backgrounds and personalities. But we gather together to love God’s word and love one another!…
HOW TO BE CERTAIN THAT YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD
Here’s a question we all should think about and know the answer with 100 % certainty. ARE YOU A CHILD OF GOD? Are you sure? How do you know. Here’s the thing… just saying that you are because YOU think so is not always the right answer. There is a way to know for sure if you are God’s own child. Let’s look at that today……
LET’S TALK ABOUT… WHAT IS EVIL?
Have you ever thought about this question… WHAT IS EVIL? Wow, weighty question! And one that we need to answer in our lives. Do you know and can you define what evil is. True evil… not accidents or mistakes… but moral evil. This is not necessarily a feel-good topic but today I want to talk about … WHAT IS EVIL? Oh boy, did I pick a topic that is thick with theology and much debated and explained by scholars who talk and think way above my head! This is not the definitive word on evil …. or……
OUR NEED FOR A KING
Let’s talk about our KING! Yes, we have one. And even if many people don’t recognize Him, he still is KING… OF EVERYTHING including us!!! The bible is replete with scripture that identifies and shows us just who our King is and what He has done for us! One of my favorite biblical books for giving us a wonderful view of Jesus as King is the book of Matthew! This book is so full of the imagery of the “kingdom of God” and what this everlasting kingdom will be like… no wonder the theme of Matthew is “behold,……
A WEDDING AND A FUNERAL
A couple weeks ago I attended a wedding and a funeral all within 24 hours. I was so struck by the similarities of both! Yes, I could find many common threads between these two momentous occasions. First, they were both Christian affairs. God glorifying and uplifting! They were both in a church and guest were invited and a meal was served. There was also a pastor and music. There were both laughter and tears and speeches and prayers. A wedding and a funeral have much more in common than we think! Jesus himself talked about the connection between a wedding……
EVERYONE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES
Right now I’m doing a study on the book of Judges. Yes, Judges! That Old Testament book that is sandwiched in between the books of Joshua and Ruth. I would guess that Judges is not one of the top 10 favorite book in the bible. I love the Old Testament as much as I love the New. It’s important for all of us who call Jesus our Lord and Savior to know the full council of the word of God… and that includes Judges! The book of Judges is about a very very dark time in the history of Israel….
ONE AMAZING WAY I KNOW THAT GOD IS REAL!
Okay, today I’m going to share some very exciting news and some amazing prophetic scripture! I’m sharing one reason I know, beyond any doubt at all, that God is real. That He is who He says He is… and He can do what He says He can do! There are many reasons I know God is real, but it was not until I began to study prophetic scripture that I came to a deeper understanding of just how great and amazing and all powerful and all knowing and sovereign and holy God really is! He is a God that I……
PROVERB 31 PRINTABLE CHALKBOARD ART
Wishing all women who mothers someone… HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! To download and print this chalkboard art click HERE….
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