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I CAN’T!
I CAN’T! How many times have you woken up in the morning and just wanted to tell God, “I just can’t”? Some days, and seasons, truly feel impossible to manage from a human standpoint. But as believers in Christ, we have access to a supernatural power that enables us to face anything the Lord allows into our lives. This truth is beautifully captured by Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru), who said: This resonates deeply with 1 Corinthians 15:57, which declares, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” It’s not our own strength, but Jesus’ power that allows…
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Repair Our Broken World
We often wonder what our purpose is in today’s world—and why Jesus doesn’t just return now to make all things new. As I finished Kristi McLelland’s Luke in the Land Bible study, she guided us into the book of Acts on the final day. Luke, who authored both the Gospel of Luke and Acts, originally wrote them as one continuous narrative. In Acts, we don’t simply see Jesus as resurrected and ascended—we see Him as having left instructions for His followers as they waited for His return. His resurrection wasn’t the conclusion of the story but the beginning—the launching point of the apostles’ mission, and the beginning of our mission,…
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Women in Leadership
Having served as a women’s ministry leader for many years now, I’ve sought to keep learning and growing as I serve. Here are two great posts that will help you do that very thing. Take a look at this first post that will encourage you as you disciple women: Women’s Ministry Equips Women to Share Their Faith and Serve Photo by Direct Media on StockSnap Now check out this myth-buster and share this with those on your team: 10 Myths About Leaders Photo by Brodie Vissers on StockSnap Banner Photo by Direct Media on StockSnap
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5 Women With a Connection…Part 5
Do you sometimes wish you had this idyllic background and life story that was filled with family, faith and obedience? The women we’ve studied in this series all had issues, pain and loss…just like us. This final post in this series looks at Mary (Luke 1-2). Different in many ways from the other 4. They included one who betrayed and slept with her father-in-law, one was a prostitute, one had paganism in her background, and one was an adulteress. Then there is this humble Jewish teenager. Mary engaged to a man and, no doubt, excited about planning a wedding and looking forward to a home filled with love and children.…
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5 Women with a Connection…Part 4
If you could come up with one sin you have committed that disqualifies you from being used by God, what would it be? I’d have to sort through more than one myself. But the truth is, for a follower of Christ, there is not one sin the Lord would call out to us. The fourth woman in this series is Bathsheba. Her story is found in 2 Samuel 11. Men ruled in the ancient world. Women were not in the marketplace and didn’t have a strong voice in a marriage. And the kings had supreme power over their kingdoms and its inhabitants. In 2 Samuel 11:1-5, we see the “man…
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5 Women With a Connection…Part 3
Have you ever left your home and family to move to a place you had never been? Perhaps even a foreign country? That’s what Ruth did. Maybe you are familiar with her story, maybe not. Let’s back up and talk about her mother-in-law Naomi. She, along with her husband Elimelech and sons Mahlon and Chilion, moved from Jerusalem to Moab (a godless nation) due to the famine in Israel. This was a time period of the Judges in Israel and the famine was devastating. In Moab, the sons married Moabite women. Eventually, her husband and sons died leaving Naomi, and her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, widows. In that day…
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5 Women With A Connection…Part 2
Have you ever done something that you think eliminates you from being used by God for Kingdom purpose? The is the second in a series so please click this category to read part 1 if you missed the intro. The woman in scripture we will look at today is Rahab. First, think about the things you already know about her, if you know her at all from Joshua 2. One word that normally describes her is her occupation: prostitute. We don’t know if she was without any support at all for her daily needs, or if she actually supported her family with this trade. One thing we do know, at…
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5 Women With a Connection…Part 1
Let’s start this post by asking a question. How do you think God uses you, personally? Why does He use you this way? Even right now, with the story you have lived in the past, and are currently living, whether smooth or bumpy? This post starts a series on 5 women in scripture who are connected to each other even though living in different biblical time periods. So, start by thinking of what you know about being a woman in the middle eastern ancient world. What challenges did they have? How would you navigate life if you had lived there in that time frame? Let’s take a look at Tamar first.…
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Who Hates Disruptions?
Task oriented people like me! You know, gotta get the job done…today…now! No matter what. What about you? All of us have experienced them. Most of us do not like them. Over 2 years ago the entire world experienced disruption to life as we had known it. In addition to the pandemic, many others also experienced a disruption in their good health, close relationships, face-to-face community we relied on, satisfying jobs, and income that goes with that. And this is the short list. Some experienced continual losses, one after another, along with, and in the middle of, the pandemic. But, what if, for whatever reason, this was God’s plan for…
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Telling Her Story…Look What God’s Done!
Today I want to encourage you to take some time to just sit with the Lord as you read this post and as you worship the Lord. May this encourage and bless you beyond measure. Some of you know a bit of our family story if you’ve read this blog for very long. I recently wrote a post and linked you to a podcast one of my daughter’s and I did, Praying Your Prodigal Home. Here is Sharing Our Prodigal’s Story, along with the podcast link, if you missed it. Today, I am going to link you to this same daughter sharing her testimony video her church showed recently. A…
