Blog Series Archives - Page 2 of 2

Articles, Blog Series, Christian Living, Family, Holidays

In Everything Give Thanks – Family

To continue my Thanksgiving Series today’s post will focus on my family.

I may be biased, but I have the best family in the world! God has blessed me with a wonderful group of people and I am thankful more than ever before, for the people that make up my tribe! Thankfully, most of my family lives nearby which makes it easier to talk and spend time with them.

I can honestly say that my parents are my best friends. I am thankful to the Lord every day that He chose them to be mine. They have been there through all the joyful times, and the hard times. Two years ago when my health problems worsened they helped me move back in with them and have taken care of me since. Through every pain, emotion, and many sleepless nights — they have been there, and never complained one time. Each day they represent Jesus to me, and I will never be able to thank them enough for how they have blessed me over the past 31 years. They are my heroes!

In addition to my parents, my extended family have been amazing as well. You know you are. Thanks for all the prayers, calls, visits, flowers, treats, and encouragement that you’ve sent my way lately. I love you all.

Special thanks to my sweet Gran who over the past couple of months have visited me every Tuesday and Thursday and spoils me by cooking lunch for me on those days! Love you, Gran, and so thankful for the time we spend together. Also, thanks to my aunt Ellen and my favorite four year old Lexi who visits me every Saturday. My hang out time with my “Mini BFF” brightens my week.

To all of my family, and friends who are like family – I love you more than words can say. Thanks for loving me so well. As Philippians 1:3 states, “I thank my God every time I remember you!”

Take a moment today to thank God for the family He has given you and tell them how grateful you are for them.

Articles, Blog Series, Christian Living, Holidays

In Everything Give Thanks – Words of Wisdom From Amy Carmichael

In acceptance lieth peace. ~Amy Carmichael

To continue my Thanksgiving series, I am also thankful for the many things God uses daily to uplift my soul, and recently He has used the wisdom of Amy Carmichael to draw me closer to Himself. The quote listed above is one of my favorites from Amy, and one that God has brought to my attention many times as of late.

Accepting circumstances is pivotal to being thankful with any situation. For example, if I continue to live in the lands of “what ifs” or “What I hope will be,” it makes me not appreciate the now. I firmly believe that God can use any circumstance (no matter how dismal it may seem) for His good and glory! Therefore, we need to accept where God has us and embrace his peace to fully live the way He intends.

I will forever be grateful for the life of Amy Carmichael, and so blessed that God has used her story to encourage me during this season of difficulty. Aside from Scripture, the most encouraging and uplifting books to read are biographies from the heroes of the faith.

Amy is definitely one of my heroes. She devoted her life to ministry in India and was no stranger to physical pain. In fact she spent more than twenty years of her life homebound and bedridden due to a fall that later resulted in many other health problems. Despite her limitations, she did not live bound by her circumstances. She exuded the joy of Christ and encouraged many all over the world with her letters and writings. She was completely at peace with her life and situation even though it was not always easy, and this attitude came from accepting where God had her. I do want to clarify that by acceptance I don’t mean give up or quit trying. However, there are times when the best thing we can do for Jesus, ourselves, and the future is accepting the season we are in.

I want to challenge you (as well as myself) to accept where you are today and surrender all to the Lord. Whether you are in a tough season or a joyful one accept God’s peace today and even if it’s hard focus on what is good and allow yourself to live in the freedom that comes along with complete acceptance and surrender. What seems to be the worse of situations could later be one of your biggest blessings and joys. Do not spend the holidays weighed down with worry, doubt, and discontentment. Nothing good comes from doing those things. Trust me, I know. Instead fill your mind with the Word daily, read encouraging books, or turn on some praise music. Love Jesus and accept the life and peace He so desires to give you! There is nothing better than that!

To read other posts from this series visit here.

Articles, Blog Series, Daily Inspirations, Holidays

In Everything Give Thanks!

Starting today and leading up to Thanksgiving day, I will be posting about different things I am thankful for in 2016. To start, I am thankful for the “goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” You may be thinking to yourself, “what does she mean by that?” This year has been incredibly hard. I did not think any year could be worse than 2015 but 2016 has proven me wrong. My health has taken a turn for the worse over the last year, especially in the last few months. I have felt like all of my hopes and dreams for this season of life have been crushed and in my emptiness, I have become entirely dependent on the Lord. However, even in the hard, I have been reminded that there is always hope, and my hope lately has been from Bible passages that the Lord has revealed to me — one of those being Psalm 27:13. It states, “I remain confident of this:I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”

It is because of this truth and the Lord’s strength that I am able to write these words to you today. Life can be weary but no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, there is always the goodness of the Lord. He has proven himself to me over and over again throughout the years. While this season may not seem “good” in the world’s standards — I can know and believe today that the Lord is still good. He has done good things in the past and will do so in the future. He can bring good out of my present suffering. I may not ever know the good He chooses to bring from it on this earth, but I know He will use it and that keeps me pressing on.

Maybe you can relate as I know everyone has their own set of trials, but when I start focusing on the goodness of the Lord and not may pain – my heart gets lighter and His joy fills my soul. To many that might sound cliche and even impossible, but it is truth. Accept the truth of Jesus today and allow His goodness to change you. Jesus is the best husband, leader, refuge, lover, and peace that you could ever have. He loves you and does not want you to carry your burdens alone. Allow him to be your hiding place. I am so thankful for Him and for the goodness He represents in my life. He will forever be my refuge, and I pray He is yours as well.

Be sure to check back over the next few days as I will be posting more in the series!

Articles, Blog Series, Books, Reading

The Inheritance Book Review

About the book:

The Inheritance (Bethany House, April 2016)

The death of the clan patriarch has thrown the tiny Shetland Islands community of Whale’s Reef into turmoil.

Everyone assumed MacGregor Tulloch’s heir to be his grand-nephew David, a local favorite, but when it is discovered that MacGregor left no will, David’s grasping cousin Hardy submits his own claim to the inheritance, an estate that controls most of the island’s land. And while Hardy doesn’t enjoy much popular support, he has the backing of a shadowy group of North Sea oil investors. The courts have frozen the estate’s assets while the competing claims are investigated, leaving many of the residents in financial limbo. The future of the island-and its traditional way of life-hangs in the balance.

Loni Ford is enjoying her rising career in a large investment firm in Washington, DC. Yet in spite of her outward success, she is privately plagued by questions of identity. Orphaned as a young child, she was raised by her paternal grandparents, and while she loves them dearly, she feels completely detached from her roots. That is until a mysterious letter arrives from a Scottish solicitor. . . .

Past and present collide in master storyteller Phillips’s dramatic new saga of loss and discovery, of grasping and grace, and of the dreams of men and women everywhere.

My Thoughts:

Michael Phillips latest release “The Inheritance,” takes a reader on a journey to the Shetland Islands. Filled with a deep story and mystery this book will be a success. However, I was not as impressed with this read as I have been with his others. This was a very slow story to get into but the historical accuracy was great, and I look forward to the second book. If you are a fan of Michael Phillips and his style this book is for you. Not a fast read but an intriguing story line that will keep you turning the page. Be sure to add this one to your summer reading list, and I am interested to read the next installment.

I was given this book by Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my review.

Purchase a copy of the book:https://bit.ly/1QpMpIN

See what other reviewers are saying here: https://litfusegroup.com/author/mphillips

About the author:

Michael Phillips is a bestselling author with more than 70 of his own titles. In addition, he has served as editor/redactor of nearly 30 more books. He is known as the man responsible for the reawakened interest in George MacDonald of the last 30 years. In addition to the MacDonald titles adapted/edited for today’s reader, his publishing efforts in bringing back full-length quality facsimile editions also spawned renewed interest in MacDonald’s original work. Michael and his wife, Judy, spend time each year in Scotland but make their home near Sacramento, California.

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Articles, Blog Series, Christian Living, Devotionals

Clothed in Christ – Holy and Dearly Loved

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” ~Colossians 3:12-15

As a woman I love a good outfit. I enjoy shopping, putting together outfits for special occasions, and feeling pretty. What woman doesn’t, right? While there is nothing wrong with desiring to look nice outwardly, so many times we fail to work on how we are looking on the inside. If we are honest, we could all use a character check occasionally, and that is exactly what the passage in Colossians 3 gives us. If we are to be the people God us intends then we should strive to glorify Him in every area of our lives.

Verse 12 begins by stating, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved…” — this statement is the entire motivation for why God’s children should be clothed with the qualities that are mentioned later in these verses. We are chosen and beloved by God, and as mentioned in Deuteronomy, God calls us His treasured possession.

No matter who we are or what we have done, God loves us with an everlasting love. The day we accept Him as Savior, our lives become new.

As a believer we are to put aside the former ways of life, and display the love of Christ by having compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, love, and peace. These qualities are not always easy to live out, especially during hard seasons. When we are not actively pursuing Jesus and His Word, we cannot glorify him in the way that He deserves. To another person, the life we live may seem perfect. However, even though we may appear to have it all together on the outside, if others do not see Jesus in us then nothing else matters. This passage calls each of us to live out these characteristics regardless of what our circumstances are.

Also, it is important for each of us to be on guard focusing daily on renewing our mind, and guarding our gate. The things we allow in will eventually spill over into how we live. If not, thoughts of anger, bitterness, and selfishness will consume us instead of love, gentleness, and compassion.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will sharing about each of these characteristics and what God is teaching me. I would encourage you to study this passage in Colossians along with me because I would love to hear how God is using it in your life as well.

Be sure to check back on Monday for my next post focusing on compassion.

To view more posts in this series please visit here.

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Articles, Blog Series, Christian Living

New Blog Series – Colossians

Happy Friday, friends. I am excited to announce that beginning next week I will be starting a new series on my blog based on Colossians 3:12-15.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible and I look forward to studying it in more detail and share with you what God is teaching me through it. Be sure to check back next week for the first post.

Have a wonderful weekend!