trusting god
From the back cover: “The woke church is a counterfeit. It has great influence but no power. It attracts crowds of spectators but produce no followers of Jesus. It puts on a great performance, but everyone goes home to life as usual… The “woke” ideology is nothing more than empty human thinking.”
The Measure of My Success
The measure of my success or failure is not the sum total of my social media followers or comments or likes or shares or hearts or thumbs up or retweets or pins or whatever the latest gratuitous praise symbol of the day might be.
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Oranges Make Orange Juice
“For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” Matthew 12:34
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”
Matthew 12:35
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.” Matthew 15:18
What do those verses have to do with Orange Juice? Let’s take a step back. If you were to take a whole, unpeeled orange and squeeze it with all your strength, what would the result be? Right… the result would be orange juice; it wouldn’t be tomato juice or apple juice. Because an orange, or any fruit for that matter, can only give up what it contains on the inside.
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A Train is Coming
Let’s say that you live in a fine house with your charming family. Let’s say that your house is adjacent to some train tracks. For many years, you and your charming family have been living life – working, playing, loving each other, enjoying the fruits of your hard work and the love of your family, friends, and neighbors. You’ve had some difficulties, but all-in-all life has been pretty good.
Now let’s say I hear there is trouble headed your way. A runaway train careening down the tracks at a hundred plus miles per hour is definitely going to derail and crash right through your content home and happy life.
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The Great Disappearance
This is a captivating book by Dr. Jeremiah about the soon-coming rapture of the Church. With impeccable research over several decades, the author brings to the forefront the questions so many have based on solid biblical truths.
Who will be raptured? When will it happen? What about the children? What happens to non-believers left behind, what will Heaven be like, and so many more answers to the questions.
Are you sure you are ready? You can be. This is a must-read book.
Disclosure: I received this book free via NetGalley. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.
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Choose Your Side
I woke up very early this morning with these words in my ears…
“No one can walk down the street on both sides of the road at the same time. All must pick one side or the other.”
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God Is Able
This is a wonderfully written book by Priscilla Schirer. It was originally written 10 years ago but is now being all these years later. Based on Ephesians 3:20-21, the author takes up through it one word, or just one phrase at a time as she relates it back to her own life; witnessing and sharing God’s hand on her life and that of her family as she shares her joys and pains, and triumphs and losses.
As the author states, “I didn’t need to get past what I’d written, as if my real life had outmatched it; I just needed to get back in touch with what I’d written…. Saying and believing “God is able” is not a spiritual smokescreen intended to keep us from dealing with life’s hard reality. It is instead the bedrock truth that gives us the hope and strength we need for facing reality.”
I truly enjoyed this book as Ms. Shirer openly takes us into her life, with all its ups and downs, and shares her deep truths and what she’s learned after reflecting over 10 years. I couldn’t help but feel, as I was reading, that her talent as a gifted writer and down-to-earth relatability, it was like sitting down across from her and hearing her retell her stories firsthand.
Disclosure: I received this book free via NetGalley. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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Preparing to Meet Jesus
“Preparing To Meet Jesus” by Ann Graham Lotz and Rachel-Ruth Wright is a 21-day Bible study/Devotional based on Genesis 21, the story of Rebekah. Together, they bring verse by verse the quality and characteristics of Rebekah as the chosen wife for Isaac.
Each day’s entry begins with a deep explanation of each verse being studied as well as includes short story/ anecdote, and a challenge to the reader regarding their own preparation as we prepare to be the bride of the coming King Jesus. And as Rebekah shows, are we ready to meet him? Do we wonder about Him? Do we long for Him? Are we ready for our bridegroom? Several chapters in this book touched me and caused me to take a deep look at my own life, attitudes, and preparedness for eternity.
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The Nun’s PrayerBook
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3
I was cleaning my bookshelves a while back and came across a book that I hadn’t given much thought to in many years; it is the Prayer Book of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Let me tell you how this little 80-page book blessed my life.
It was just after Thanksgiving time in 1995 while I was working as a pastoral assistant to a Catholic Pastor in Massachusetts. He was a great priest and a great friend. However, he was also great at volunteering me for projects! (I will admit that I really didn’t mind at all)
We traveled to Boston one afternoon to visit with the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy; what an amazing ministry they have. While taking a tour of their lovely chapel, we noticed that their prayer books were a torn and tattered mess that consisted of a folder of mismatched cards and papers. Continue reading
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The Widow’s Mite
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44
I was widowed in early 2006. Some months had passed and circumstances had gone from bad to worse in the business and financial area of my life. The business that I had started with my late husband had all but dried up… the money that I was earning from another job had also disappeared when that job ended. I was a thousand miles from any family, alone and down to the last of my dollars.
It was Sunday morning while I was driving to Church that I felt such a burden on my heart because I was not able to give anything in the Church offering that morning. My checkbook had just $12.83 remaining after paying my other bills that month. Yet my car insurance bill had showed up in the mail and they wanted somewhere around $30.00. I had no idea where that money was going to come from. Things didn’t look good. I was without resources, business prospects or family to rely on… I was sad, alone and desperate. Continue reading
Saved Because of His Mercy 