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Gratitude In ALL Things
I recently had the privilege of writing an article for LifeWay Women’s The Reference Desk department. The topic was “gratitude.” The timing of the request was designed by God, as it was during a really tough few weeks. Gratitude was not overflowing, but I desperately needed it! I was forced to look at my heart as I studied in preparation for writing this article, and as I prepared to teach my life group using the study Grateful. Banner photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
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Just Below the Surface
As I write this my husband and I are on an extended time away from home. We don’t live here, but the beach is our home away from home every chance we get. Our time here began a bit sad as I wondered what God was doing. The first couple of days we were here, I saw only a handful of dolphins. It was in the morning as I sat on the balcony spending time with Jesus. The dolphin sometimes jump and spin and are very obvious. Today, they were only showing their fins once in a while. It was a quiet and slow movement and I had to watch…
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It’s The Truth, All Of It!
I’ve been guilty, and I bet you have too, of using a verse of scripture to prove a point. Sometimes, it doesn’t even mean what I’m trying to prove.. Jen Wilkin has said, and I’ve quoted often, “A text without a context is a pretext for a prooftext.” This means that unless you understand the context, you don’t fully know the meaning. You may be using it to prove something it doesn’t. To understand meaning of scriptural truth we must know the context in many ways. This includes knowing the placement of your verse regarding: chapter, book of the Bible, where it sits in the whole of the redemption story,…
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More First of the Year Thoughts
How are you are at memorizing scripture? I remember when Beth Moore wrote the study, James: Mercy Triumphs. She challenged those who did the study to take the plunge and memorize, along with her, the entire book of James! I was in my late 50’s and thought, “there is NO way.” Well, there IS a way. Because I like an impossible challenge occasionally, I decided to try it. It took over a year to get it, but it happened. So don’t say you are “too old!” Since then, I have continued to memorize chunks of scripture. I was challenged, at the beginning of 2023, by the last part of my…
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The Word on Waiting
As “waiting” has been on my heart, and in my advent study, I’ve also been working throuh a Melissa Spoelstra study on Isaiah. (Check the blog category for more on the topic of Waiting) Once again, the Lord has connected it all today as I was in Isaiah 49. The author’s focus was “we can trust God’s timing because He sent His Son, Jesus, just as He promised.” This message is very similar to what I’ve learned through the advent study, Our Hope Has Come! So, yes, Lord, I am listening while I’m waiting and waiting and waiting! I needed this reminder today and wanted to share some great waiting…
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LifeWay Research Articles
I often read and share information and posts from LifeWay Research and that is the case today while I am on vacation. 1 Having stayed a baby Christian for a number of years after my salvation, my heart is all over topic of spiritual growth, and anything to do with discipleship. Here is an article that will encourage you to invest in young believers: Spiritual Development: Helping Believers Grow Beyond Newborns. 2 This second article helps you understand why it is so important to encourage women to study the Bible. If they do not understand who God is and why it matters to their daily walk, they will not know…
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Blog Share for the New Year
If you are looking for some ways to strengthen your time with the Lord, check out these great posts! 1 Here are some great ideas for starting the year off right with your study of the Word from LifeWay Women, 5 Ways to Reset in 2022. 2 How do you start your morning? Set an example of the power of starting the day in the Word! Leaving a Legacy of Bible Reading, from LifeWay Voices 3 Most of us struggle to memorize scripture, but if I, at 70, can memorize, YOU CAN TOO! Check out these helpful, practical ways to memorize, also from LifeWay Voices in The Diary of a…
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We Never Stop Learning
Whoever said we can put down our “books” and cease learning and growing at a certain age is just plain wrong!! We do not get to say, now that I’m (you fill in the blank) years old, I know it all and I can say and do anything I want…like we have it all figured out. The enemy of our lives wants us to believe that. The Lord knows it’s false and continues to call us forward in our walk with Him and others as long as we breathe. It’s easy to fall into the mindset that we’ve lived longer, we’ve read more, we’ve experienced more….so what can the Bible,…
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His Love Rushes In: Fall Beach Lesson 2021
Can you handle just (maybe) one more beach lesson from our trip in September? If not, just shut this post down! So, the last couple of days we were at the beach, it was misty some days, and socked in at times with clouds. But we decided even without perfect beach weather, we really enjoyed just being by the water, hearing the waves, and reading. So we got on the beach for at least for part of those days. I interrupted my reading at times just to watch the waves continue to hit the shore time after time after time. I’ve shared previously about the constant wave action reminding me…
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The Vastness of God: Fall Beach Lesson 2021
As I sat on the beach or balcony this beach trip, my eyes continually look at the horizon. As far as I could see was water. And more water! This is one of the repeated reminders I get when we are here: the vastness of the water is like the vastness of God. At this stage of life, the older I get, the more I realize I don’t know…about life, ministry, relationships and so many things, but certainly about the Lord. I know now more than I ever have, yet I understand how very much I still don’t know. That is what keeps me coming back again and again to…
