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Angels, feathers, and the need for comfort when experiencing grief
During a recent Bible Study, I listened as a woman shared about her Christian friend whose godly mother had recently died. This sorrowing woman was grieving and needing comfort. To help with her grief, she drew from something she had heard in the culture—that her mother had now become an angel and was present with her, communicating with her. As we talked about this, looking into what was true or not and how to help someone grieving like that, our discussion encompassed three different issues. 1. Do Christians become angels when they die? 2. Can our loved ones in heaven see what is happening in our lives on earth and…
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What Is Left When Your Props Are Removed?
My husband and I were talking this week about our American culture’s emphasis on financial security. We determined that financial security is not a biblical concept. Most of the world barely survives a day or a week. There is likely not even an opportunity to save for the future to feel financially secure. Biblically, we are to look at God as our provider through our work and other means He supplies. But, at any moment, that which we depend upon to make us feel secure, such as money in the bank, can be taken away. Such an event will certainly show us if we are depending on these props to…
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It Matters Who Your Mama Is
The Lord has allowed me to be a mother for 44 years. Knowing how so many struggle with infertility, I am truly grateful. And, my heart’s desire from the first day was that I would be a godly mother, passing along a love for the Lord and His Word to my children. That would be my legacy that they would remember when I go to be with Jesus. So, as I was reading through 2 Chronicles recently, I got to chapter 21 and read this: “He passed away, to no one’s regret.” (2 Chronicles 21:4) What a sad epitaph! King Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, was a bad dude. In 2…
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The Resurrection of Jesus—what it really means
Listen to this blog as a similar podcast: Does it bother you when you watch a new movie about Jesus’ life (or, even an old one) and the movie just falls flat when it comes to the resurrection appearances of Jesus? Sometimes, they are skipped altogether, other times portrayed as some kind of “voice heard only” type of thing. With all the phenomenal capability of Hollywood special effects, it seems that filmmakers could do (and would want to do) a fantastic job of portraying Jesus in his resurrected body and his real interactions with all those real people (500+) for 40 days (1 Cor. 15:3-8). Come on. This culture is…
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Cancer Can’t Separate You from God’s Love
Today’s blog comes from Joan Floyd, a dear friend of mine who died of cancer 12 years ago this week. She was my mentor, my ministry shepherd, and my dear friend. Her impact on my life and on the lives of others around her is still being felt. The following words were written in a message she wrote for our Bible Study class covering Romans 8:31-39. Can anything ever separate us from God’s love? What if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Does it mean He no longer loves us if…
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Is it okay to pray to Jesus?
In a Bible Study I was leading recently, a question was written on a card and handed to me. I took it home, read it, and prayed for wisdom to answer it. Here’s the question: “Jesus teaches us to pray to Father God. Why does it seem that a lot of people then pray to Jesus?” Basically, I think what was really being asked is, “Is it okay to pray to Jesus?” Apparently, there is some teaching out there (even among evangelicals) that all prayer must be directed to God the Father. What is taught is that we should not pray to Jesus. The argument made for this position is…
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God Works in the Background of Life
Listen to this blog as a similar podcast: Have you had to wait for a very long time for God to answer a specific prayer of yours? You know that what you are asking is within His will. It matches up with what is promised in Scripture. But, it’s not happening. Did you think God was being lazy or had forgotten you? Maybe God has been preparing the background for answering your prayer today or in the future. That’s what God did for the Jews during the years before Jesus showed up for all to see. We celebrate Christmas beginning with Luke 1 and Luke 2—the births of John the…
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Love, Life, and Joy at Christmas
Please go to the updated version of this blog.
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Holy Spirit Hot Spots
I just finished teaching a study of the book of Acts to a group of women at my church. I am so grateful to God for inspiring Luke to write that book, using his giftedness to write it so carefully and full of wonderful details. We approached our study of Acts not as a book of history but as the work of Jesus Christ by His Spirit through His Church. That is still continuing through today. And, we likened the work of the Holy Spirit to the firepower of a volcano. His work in the lives of individual believers is like “hot spots,” those places on earth where lava erupts…
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Growing Old – Staying Fresh and Green
Throughout Scripture, the Lord used many older people as His instruments of grace. He even called Joshua “old, advanced in years” (Joshua 13:1) and still wanted him to keep serving because “there remains very much land yet to be possessed.” It reminded me that you and I as believers never retire from our calling to witness and work in God’s Kingdom until He takes us home. When you read your Bible, do words sometimes leap off the page at you? When that happens to me, I know the Holy Spirit is deliberately capturing my attention. God is definitely speaking to me through His Word at that moment. I’ve read…
