Spiritual

I was challenged yesterday to think about what areas in my life need to be illuminated. Am I hiding in the darkness or am I living in the light? How can I release my fears, my unspoken expectations, my unhealthy habits?  If I am willing to release aspects of my life that keep me in darkness, who will be changed when I choose to SHINE?

“You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light…for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.” Ephesians 5:8-9

The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the people who lived in Ephesus. The themes of his letter were the redemptive work of God in Christ and unity in the church. The ancient city of Ephesus was a perfect background for the themes of Paul’s letter. Ephesus was an important port city on the west coast of Asia. The great Temple of Artemis (one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world) was located near the port. The Ephesians worshipped Artemis as their fertility goddess. The people who lived in Ephesus during Paul’s day were fascinated with magic and the occult. Ruins of the temples of the Divine Caesar and the goddess Roma were also discovered near the Agora. The city was a bustling economic center with a huge theater that held 20,000 people. The wealthy members of the city lived in lavish terrace houses that overlooked the agora (marketplace) and the famous Library of Celsus, the Harbor stadium and the baths.

Two weeks ago, we walked through the excavated ruins of Ephesus. I thought about how Paul came into this thriving metropolis in 60 AD and shared with the residents of Ephesus about the saving light of Christ and the mystery of …

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Alot of things have been going on in life lately.  I haven’t been directly experiencing anything too crazy… except for normal life, which in a sense, always has its fair share of chaos. But I have been witnessing many storms happening to people very close to me. And because of the way I am wired up, I feel very deeply for the circumstance, the pain, the fear, the doubt, whatever emotion is joining that experience.  I want to help, I want to be there for the people, I want to lend a helping hand.  But in these certain situations, the distance is a little too far to stop by and drop in to help.  So it leaves me feeling a little helpless. Which in reality, it is not my fault if I cannot be there to chip in. It is a blessing to love to serve and love to help out, but I can’t take that to a whole other level of obligation.  If I believe God’s power is as mighty and powerful as God’s word and the truth I believe says it is, I have to believe in that power in situations where I feel helpless also.  Ultimately I have nothing to give in and of my own power.  My own strength, my own love for people, and my own servants heart belongs to the Lord.  So out of a position of gratitude, honor, and praise to the Lord I can sometimes be of help to people.  But I forget sometimes the best thing I can do is pray. Pray for them, pray with them, pray about them… Prayer is powerful.

How do I find peace in this chaos?

So if God is the perfect peace in the storms of the Bible, he can also be …

Time lines of history buzz through my brain colliding with present day experiences that bring biblical truth to life. As our incredible opportunity of walking on a two week journey following the footsteps of the apostle Paul is coming to its conclusion, my heart is filled with a new passion for examining how Biblical truth intersects with our present day culture. We have witnessed two cultures full of colorful people who have had a rich heritage throughout the centuries. We have learned how the God of the bible has made Himself know to these people groups and how the movement of the early church was spread through Asia Minor ( modern day Turkey) and Greece during the first century. This was in large part a result of the obedience of the apostle Paul and his zeal for spreading the gospel.

Early cave church from 4th century AD in Eastern Turkey

How am I going to take what I have learned home with me to be an influencer for truth? How can I help shape the culture that is moving so rapidly away from a Christian worldview? 

I will be pondering these questions as I summarize my notes and reflect on my new knowledge and experiences. But for tonight, as I fall asleep and begin my journey back to the reality of real life at home, I will always remember this trip as a pivotal experience that strengthened my faith walk…….more lessons to come!

How can you be a messenger of truth in your circle of influence? How is God revealing himself to you in your culture today?

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Sometimes the best thing you can do to create wellness for yourself is taking a break, taking a pause from your busy life to remember what is really important. That’s what I needed yesterday when I decided to read my devotional, Jesus Calling.

I want you to know how safe and secure you are in My Presence. That is a fact, totally independent of your feelings. You are on your way to heaven; nothing can prevent you from reaching that destination. There you will see Me face to Face, and your Joy will be off the charts by any earthly standards. Even now, you are never separated from Me, though you must see Me through eyes of FAITH. I will walk with you till the end of time, and onward into eternity.

Although My Presence is a guaranteed promise, that does not necessarily change your feelings. When you forget I am with you, you may experience loneliness or fear. It is through awareness of My Presence that Peace displaces negative feelings. Practice the discipline of walking consciously with Me through each day.

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12

“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” Psalm 29:11

Jesus Calling is one of our all-time favorite devotionals! You can buy it HERE CURRENTLY ON SALE at Lifeway.com. There are also multiple VERSIONS now, including a Women’s Edition and Jesus Calling: Devotions for Kids!

What do you do when you need to Take a Pause from the busyness of life?

Enter to win one of our favorite products for Wellness to …

How does God REVEAL Himself to you?

We have an exercise in our women’s bible study that is part of our weekly routine. We call it sharing our LESSONS for LIFE.

As we work through the passages of scripture that we are studying for the week, we challenge each other to formulate new insights we are learning into real life practical applications for our lives. Some weeks we find encouragement to be brave, other weeks we learn more about the character of God or how to better serve Him in our daily lives. We have been challenged to look at how authentic our commitment to serving God has been. Are we just going through the motions or are we truly desirous of seeking Him with our whole heart and serving Him with our time, talents and treasures? Are we willing to be His messenger with His message of salvation for all who believe?

We talk about how our God is a God who wants us to:

Seek relationship NOT ritual
Have a heart of worship and service and a willingness to sacrifice…
Rend our Hearts and not our garments because life with God is all about our heart Desperately long for ways to honor and serve Him

This week as we gather together for our final meeting this year, we will share “God at Work” stories. We love to hear how our women’s lives have been impacted by our God, who REVEALS Himself to us through His Word the Bible. We will share how He has answered their prayers, how they have grown in their faith walk, what new insights they have learned that have impacted their lives…….

I keep a Blessings Journal, called “Choose Gratitude” and lately it has been filled with the ways God has REVEALED Himself to …

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A few days ago we celebrated Easter. It was a day to celebrate Christ’s journey.  To celebrate the new life filled with grace and truth that we can receive in Him. To live in the miracle of His resurrection. Leading up to Easter, many people enter the season of lent, either giving up something, or adding something new to their routine.  Lent lasts for forty days. But why do we just take this time to focus on these things the forty days leading up to Easter. Why aren’t we continually doing an assessment of ourselves and our lives that we are always looking for ways we can grow and change.  I don’t want to just live in a season of lent.  I want to live a lifestyle of continual growth. I want to take what has been learned in lent or some season of growth and incorporate it into my normal life.  Not just change things for a season.

I saw Cinderella this past weekend. (It is a great movie by the way)  But Cinderella lived by the motto “Have courage and be kind.” That one simple statement impacted and changed her whole life. Her thoughts, actions, relationships, all came down to that one thing. What if we lived our lives this way. What if we had one motto that could impact everything. What would yours be? I think for me, I would want to Live Abundantly.  I want to love abundantly, laugh abundantly, enjoy abundantly, and experience life to the fullest. And not just to live this one day but to live it every day.

To revive oneself is to “regain life, consciousness, or strength.” It is to “restore to life or consciousness and to give new strength or energy to.” I want to live a …