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Lessons From Birds
I want to share a post my animal rehabber daughter Alycia Neighbours shared on Facebook recently. Today at work I was giving our aviary birds their food and water. One of the items is some fresh berries and I usually cut most to bite-sized pieces. Some of the blueberries were pretty small, so I left them whole. In the aviary are four grackles who recently graduated to flying free in the aviary to prepare them for outside life when it comes time for release. As I put the food down, they all four each grabbed a whole blueberry as if it was the biggest prize of their lives. They chased…
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Unseen Progress
Remember when you were a kid and you planted a seed in a pot and watched it eventually pop through the soil? It seemed like a long time before seeing any progress, but what you didn’t see was happening below the surface of the dirt. If you watered well and provided a sunny spot to grow, you probably got to see it produce whatever fruit it was…a plant or a flower. It took time, and it took the right environment. The Bible talks quite a lot about seeds and growing plants as related to spiritual growth. The parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13, for instance. Luke…
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And Then There’s Ruth!
The reason we read the Bible over and over is because it’s living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and it always teaches us new things. I experienced this again recently in my chronological reading plan that I have now done multiple times. This is what we use in the D-Group I lead to study scripture. Most of my groups have never read the whole Bible chronologically so it’s very eye-opening for them…and for me! Almost all my D-Group gals begin seeing the thread of the Gospel early in our reading and almost all get bogged down once in a while as we look at laws and repeated disobedience of the Israelites…
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God’s Timing
In a daily Scripture writing plan my life group has been challenged to do together, I recently wrote out Galatians 6:7-10. Verses 9-10 were definitely what I needed to hear that day: “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.“ Anyone else tired of waiting on God? Anyone ready to give up praying for a long time unanswered prayer need? Anyone exhausted from trying to pray for and carry each other’s burdens? I understand.…
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Sharing Our Prodigal Story
Just a week or so ago, my daughter and I had the privilege to share our “prodigal” story on Leighann McCoy’s new podcast. One thing I’ve experienced over many years of teaching women is how God encourages ME when I get to remember what He has done and tell others of His work. I’ve witnessed His faithfulness in every single tough situation He has allowed into my life. One of those stories was the topic that Leighann asked me to share on this podcast, The Power of Praying Momma’s: Praying your Prodigal Home. I asked her if she would like for me to ask my daughter to also be on…
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Discipleship Today
Last week I shared a post (read What Now? here) asking what you are hearing from women you serve and lead. Many are ready to take a deeper dive into knowing and growing in Christ. Are you ready to lead them well? I am currently leading my 4th D-Group at church since retirement in 2017. Discipleship has always been the core of women’s ministry as far as I am concerned. Of course, the first step is salvation, but that is NOT the final step in a woman’s spiritual journey. She needs women who will shepherd her through the next steps. This was not my experience as a new believer when…
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What Now?
If you lead or disciple women in any way, I want to ask you a question. What are you hearing from them regarding this past year of COVID and all the other issues we all have faced? Here’s some positive things I’ve seen or heard: Yes, there have been many negative responses and experiences as well. People have lost jobs, health, political and social unrest, finances, and the joy of being with people in person. Most of us wearied of online church and zoom meetings. But, for sure, God has been at work in so many lives. Recently, Jim Denison quoted Desmond Tutu in one of his Daily Articles: “Hope…
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Why Is He So Quiet?
Have you asked that question lately? If not lately, I bet you’ve asked it more than once before. Maybe you are in a place where you are asking God a question, or perhaps you are praying for a number of things. And you get silence. I feel your pain, your frustration, and even your anxious thoughts. There are a number of things that are on my heart right now, places where I desperately want to see God move. I pray, I release it to Him, I determine to walk in faith, joy, optimism and peace, only to become angry at myself for failing to do that for more than an…
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Grieving God’s Heart
Don’t you love it when you hear God speak the same message through different avenues? Perhaps it is in the course of a day, or several days or weeks. But the message recurs in various ways, all leading you to the same principle. Some days, because I study and read several things at the same time, they all seem to point in a particular direction. This happened the day before I wrote this post. I was reading Genesis 6-7 as a part of my Foundations F-260 chronological reading plan. The verse that stood out was Genesis 6:6. After creation, sin entered the world. Adam and Eve were banished from the…
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He Is The Light!
Are you facing darkness right now? Are you struggling to see the light you long for? Even the short winter days can become discouraging, not to mention the year 2020 filled with so much turmoil! Interestingly, the shortest (darkest) day of the year is just a few days before we celebrate Jesus birth! I started O Come O Come Emmanuel, an advent study, right after Thanksgiving. This week the focus was the light Jesus brought to the world. Can you even imagine how dark the world was as God stayed silent for 400 years! Complete darkness! Because of sin. Since the garden, people sinned and couldn’t figure out a way…
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