Belonging- I Corinthians 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” John 10:29 “My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” Salvation guarantees us a permanent place in the family of God.
Read MoreLadies, we’ve all been there: someone has betrayed your trust or spoken words that cut to the heart. Perhaps it was a friend or family member. It may be a church member with whom you serve. Something went wrong somewhere. It could have begun with a misunderstanding or lack of communication. It could have been rooted in jealousy or contempt.
Read MoreEeyore spends his life looking down and feels like the world is a dismal place. In contrast, Tigger bounces through life seeing all the good and joy around. Eeyore depicts the spirit of one who lives hopeless and Tigger depicts one who is hopeful. As a Christian I have eternal hope because of Christ! By focusing on my Heavenly Father I find the hope I so desperately need to face the storms in my life.
Read MoreBees have a (mostly) good reputation—they work really hard, ensure our veggies and flowers reproduce, and honey bees provide tasty honey. Women are also known for (mostly) being hard workers, ensuring future generations, and we can provide a certain level of sweetness to our homes. However, just like a bee can sting and cause pain, so can we ladies if we do things we shouldn’t.
Read MoreTreat her like you would treat any other church members. Don't lay expectations on her to lead a group or be super involved in certain areas that you may think is "typical". Please do NOT compare her to your previous Pastor's Wife. She, just like YOU, is a work in progress. She, just like you, is uniquely created by God to serve in ways she has been gifted, and according to her season of life. Give her space to figure this out. Once she figures it out, and she will, cheer her on like crazy, and encourage her, like you would want to be encouraged! Absolutely no extra pressure.
Read MoreAs I was healing from my fall, I thought of some truths and lessons that events like this can teach us. In our spiritual lives, all of us have fallen more than once, and suffered varying injuries as a result. The key is to heal from the injury in the proper way.
Read MoreIf I am drawing nigh to the Lord as I should, God says I will have not only peace, but GREAT peace, and NOTHING will offend me!
Read MoreBut take heart! God has not forsaken you! He is there with you, and guess what! He is the only thing that never changes! Malachi 3:6 encourages us "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."
Read MoreSometimes a kind word or deed from a friend helps us to keep going when we want to quit. It is such a blessing to have someone come to me and say they are praying for me or to find a note slipped under my door telling me they care.
Read MoreI remember the days as a teenager when my friends and I would be dreaming of our someday prince charmings and pinterest weddings. I remember feeling as if my prince would never come. I thought I would never get to do all the fun wedding things. People would always tell me “Katelyn just wait on the Lord”. I remember thinking to myself “Okay once I get married I’ll never have to wait on the Lord again”. I laugh at myself now because boy was I wrong. If we really think about it. We are all in some kind of season of waiting right now. You may be waiting for the Lord to bring you a spouse, waiting to find that perfect home for you and your family, waiting for a ministry opportunity you feel called to, waiting for God to give you children, or waiting for your loved one to be healed from a disease. These are just a few things you could be waiting on. These are all things I have personally had to wait on.
Read MoreEarly on a Thursday morning, I began to feel bad with a terrible headache, nausea and my vision became blurred. I endured the symptoms for two days before deciding to go to urgent care for some relief. The doctor there seemed perplexed and prescribed an antibiotic deciding that it may be an inner ear infection. He advised me to see my primary care doctor on Monday. On Monday, my doctor sent me to an ophthalmologist to determine the cause of my blurred vision. The eye doctor told me the dreaded words that I never thought I would hear. He said I had a stroke.
Read MoreWe give and take when it is convenient for us as well as beneficial. We forget about expecting nothing in return. We forget about simply doing. Giving and receiving must be for me and only me.
Read MoreMy dad is a whistler. There isn’t a day that goes by that you will hear a tune or two while he works. He always seems to have a song in his heart. When my husband and I first started in the ministry, the pastor that we worked under was always humming a song. We often joked, because, even while eating at the table, if he was enjoying his meal, he hummed while he ate! 🥰😂 Again, he always had a song in his heart. I have a best friend that constantly wakes up with a song in her heart. Even before she asks the Lord for it, He has already given it to her! 🤪 She has a song in her heart!!!
Read MoreDid you ever give or receive one of those gifts that were several things all in one? Perhaps you did today. Maybe it was a pocket knife of some sort that also was a screwdriver, nail file, and scissors. If you are a golfer, maybe it was one of those multi-tools with a cleat tightener, stroke counter, brush, and club groove cleaner. Remember the commercials for a kitchen gadget that “dices and slices and makes julienne fries!” with the “But wait! There’s more!”?
Read MoreHowever, there are some responsibilities that come with this job. Not to burst your bubble, but a real princess here on earth does not get to lounge around and be pampered all day (though that would be really nice!). Nope, an earthly princess has appointments, school, planned-out schedules, friends that must go through background checks; and above all, they have a reputation to keep. This is a reputation that needs to be protected and clean just like we all have.
Read MoreWomen in the Bible can offer us deep meaning and teach us! These women can teach us so much about-facing brokenness and hopelessness with courage even TODAY! They probably do not show up in VBS songs, or many Sunday School lessons. These women even today can teach us to live courageously, through difficult or even dangerous situations!
Read MoreWith a name like Joy, living up to my name has been a life-long challenge. People often ask
how I manage to maintain a positive attitude, and keep a smile on my face. I can assure you, it
can sometimes be quite difficult. It is rather easy to find joy when all is right with the world, and
everything in life is going according to our plan. However, the true challenge is, how can we
hold on to that Joy while navigating through life’s heartaches and stormy waters?
Read MoreThis year the town that I live in started a gleaning program. People could sign up to go and pick the leftover fruit and produce that was still left on the plants in the farmers’ fields. The free program allowed you to pick as much as you wanted and share with family and friends, but you were not allowed to sell what you picked. I had never heard of this kind of program before and I was a little skeptical at first, but when I went with some of my kids and a lady from our church, I was blown away by the bounty we could pick! While speaking to the farmer, he explained that the harvest was so large this year that he did not have the laborers to keep up with it. He decided to donate the rest so the harvest would not go to waste. As he walked away to answer someone else’s questions, I could only stare out at the field. There were 20 gleaners and three strawberry fields; we did not even put a dent into the harvest.
Read MoreHis name is Joseph. I first saw him walking through our quaint downtown square with a bundle of blankets tucked under his arm . He was obviously malnourished. His hair and beard were unkempt and his skin bore the marks of weathering both the physical and spiritual storms of life. In my mind’s eye I immediately saw him as someone’s son, someone’s brother, perhaps, someone’s husband or father. My heart hurt for him. It was a short and simple prayer that I prayed that day, “Lord, show me how I could help someone like that.” The light turned green and I drove on.
Read MoreHave you ever really pondered what a true biblical friendship is? Having the right…or wrong kind of friends will make such an impact on your life, either for good or bad. How many times have we told others to be wise and careful in choosing the right friends, realizing the impact it will have on them, but ignore this wisdom for ourselves.
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