Every February it hits me. The mid-winter slump.
Maybe you call it cabin fever or the winter blahs.
Whatever you call it makes us feel the same: unmotivated, a bit down, sleepy and dreaming of spring.
When the slump hits, I start browsing websites for Florida, the Bahamas, Hawaii…I plan a winter vacation knowing full well that I will not be walking on warm beaches or attending a luau.
I’m not going to those places because as a nursing student it’s not in the monetary or time budget right now. But it’s nice to think I might someday.
And so winter drags on.
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The Widow at Zarepath
1 Kings 17:8-24
I love the song Trust and Obey. In difficult times the words of this song echo in my heart, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” What does one do when one is at the end of one’s rope?
In 1 Kings 17, the famine in the land is great as we meet Elijah. The brook has dried up and the ravens have stopped feeding him. He is on the run as his life is being pursued by the wicked Queen Jezebel. God tells Elijah to travel to Zarepath.
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© 2007 Shimelle Laine, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Valentine’s Day. Let’s face it: we buy up candy and cards and scour the internet for pin-worthy Valentine’s mailboxes because card companies tell us to. And for me, Valentine’s Day is never the greatest celebration of my husband’s and my love. The moments that resonate deep down in my core don’t have anything to do with candy hearts. Long talks. The bag of honeycrisp apples that weren’t on the grocery list but he brought home anyway. Fixing his favorite foods for supper instead of mine.
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And so we know and rely on the love God has for us… 1 John 3:16
I had finally poured myself into the welcoming comfort of my bed and was drifting off to sleep, satisfied after a long and tiring day of chores, to do’s and errands when he finally arrived.
He crouches low, to my level, seeing if I am awake. He’s got his hands behind his back and that gleam in his eyes I know well, and adore. I peek back at him with heavy lids, grateful he is home as we are being pelted by one in a series of snowstorms this winter season.
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I have been praying and asking the Lord what He would have me to share with you today. I believe I am suppose to share this piece of art which I did a couple of weeks ago. When I was painting it, I heard simply, “The sun will rise again.” I was sensing His overwhelming peace at the time, resting in His promises of hope and healing, as I reflected on His love towards me.
Tonight He gave me these words for you. I pray they might encourage you on your life’s journey.
The Sun Will Rise Again
by Barbie Swihart
Beloved One,
I know not the ache in your heart.
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Last week millions of people rushed to buy flowers, stuffed animals, candy, cards and diamonds to remind their spouse of their undying devotion.
I wonder how many of those millions are still feeling the love this week?
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
How many of us live out these biblical truths in our marriage?
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
44 years ago, I waited in Rev’s dorm room for him to return from his part-time job at the post office. He walked in, hugged and kissed me, grabbed something out of his top dresser drawer, and dropped to one knee.
And I said, “Yes!”
13 months later we walked down the aisle. My parents gifted us with planning and hosting a beautiful day. Mom designed and made my dress taking ideas from my favorite parts of dresses I’d tried on at Bridal stores and from pictures I showed her in Bride magazines. And Rev wrote the service as a class assignment.
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I was a church youth group girl. My youth group was made up of the usual variety of people found in any church. Some of the kids only cared about the games and prizes, and others cared about understanding God and figuring how to be like Jesus in everyday life. Most of us loved both.
My future husband moved to our town while he was a teen-ager and his family joined our church. His parents insisted that he attend the mid-week youth group meetings even though he had no desire at all. He did not know God and he rolled his eyes at our enthusiasm for the Bible and how it could be used in the modern day world.
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