“I’m confident of this very thing, that he which hath
begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil.
1:6)
Sometimes waiting is not about being denied what we want, it’s about molding, and shaping us into who God wants us to be.
Doesn’t make it an easier, huh?
Waiting is not easy. It’s not even fun. But it is necessary.
Why? Only God knows for sure. I remember a time I used to ask a lot of “W” questions.
“Why did she get that book contract instead of me?”
“Why are you blessing her and not me?”
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Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25 NIV
We are in the process of searching for a church home. It hasn’t been the funnest experience we’ve had this year. But, as believers in Jesus Christ, we know the importance of fellowship with other Christians. God’s word mentions many times – the benefits of encouraging and growing from one another.
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
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“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” – Psalms 46:10
Right now this is a big concept for many people. Life is hard and finances very tight for many families throughout our country. Jobs and homes are being lost every time we turn around and things simply look very bleak to many of us.
Regardless of our circumstances though, we can rest assured that He is God! Always has been, always will be. And we just need to remember and lean on that promise.
I want Him to be honored … in my home, in my decisions, in my thoughts and actions!
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In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to get tunnel-vision, focusing on our own feelings, our own “little worlds”.
Maybe your life is busy right now. Maybe you’re stressed. Or maybe something exciting is going on in and you’re really happy about it.
But what about the other people in your life?
How often do we pause to notice how others-whether it’s our friends, our family, or our neighbors—are feeling?
Is there someone you know who might be facing difficulties right now, but you haven’t had time to call and see how they are doing? Or is there someone in your life who is celebrating a success, but you just haven’t had a chance to congratulate them?
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The other day, I was jotting down some notes in a notebook, when I turned the page and saw a little drawing from my daughter– a happy face with an “I love you” next to it. It was a cute surprise—an unexpected “gift”–and it made me smile.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above…” James 1:17
That little happy face in my notebook, that little “I love you”, made me pause and be grateful for all the gifts in my life.
What are some surprises He has given you lately?
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“Kommen sie hier, bitte.”
A simple phrase, yet a very special and poignant one in our home.
Several years ago, as we prepared for our trip to Europe, my husband and I devoured a couple of language tapes, trying to soak up enough French to sound legitimate in Paris and enough German to have some fun in Prague.
Now, almost a decade later, we remember very little of these impromptu language lessons. But this one German phrase, Kommen sie hier, bitte, remains a staple in my husband’s vocabulary. Translated, it means “Come here, please.”
But spoken in a hushed voice, accompanied by outstretched arms, it represents nothing short of pure comfort to me.
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All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. Psalm 119:160 (NIV)
For the past month, I have been in a state of mind that I will refer to as writer’s funk. Unlike a case of writer’s block, I was able to come up with topics to write about, and even words to fill a page…but my interest to write waned. I kept telling myself that it was because I had nothing new to express. My style felt stale. My passion simmered to stagnant.
Friends consoled me with assurances that all writers felt this way at times. Perhaps that is true.
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I can finally sit in my loungeroom and relax. I no longer see an unpainted ceiling, or half finished door, or cement floors, or light bulbs hanging out of the ceiling. I even have some pictures on the walls. If I try not to look down the hallway, I could nearly say that we have finished our renovations (inside at least).
We had to renovate our new place as it was lacking what some would consider necessities, such as doors, flooring and walls. We wanted to make it a more comfortable place to live in, to make it stronger and more durable, to make it more attractive, and enjoy the feeling of personal satisfaction at our work.
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