Good morning, Hope you all are well on this fine Saturday - the final Saturday - of 2022. We don't do big plans but I do have some family fun to prepare for and a project to finish for the other site. So will keep this a little bit short so I can get to it but so let me just say.... May we all have a blessed year. And may we all remember... in the end, GOD WINS! No matter what the godless people in the world say... we KNOW because of Jesus and HIS WORD that HELL cannot defeat HIM. IN THE END, GOD WINS. My encouraging word for the day. Take heart as we move into 2023. God is not finished - TRUST HIM and HIM alone. We will end the year with my favorite song - Waymaker. THAT is who YOU are. Have a blessed day and a Happy New Year!
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Good morning, Need to keep this short today. Busy day ahead but I've got New Year's Eve and a three-day weekend ahead to look forward to. Prayers for the Nation and the Nations of the world - our Cities, our communties, our families, our friends in the real world and online. God Wins. Have a blessed day! Good morning, I've never been great at keeping New Year's Resolutions. However, I feel this is the year I want to be successful. I could name a bunch of things to improve on in my life. Healthier eating practices. Better organizational skills at home. Less TV. To name a few. But the two I want to focus on are as follows because I feel like if these two things become my main focus, everything else will become a lot easier to manage. So here it is: I have read, or listened, through the book of Genesis about twelve times. Every year in January, I start a Bible IN One Year effort and every year, come about March when it gets warmer outside, and the days get longer and so on and so on... I get distracted and never follow through. This is the year I really want to follow through, using The Bible Recap as my main resource. Though, I also really enjoy Nicky Gumble's "Bible in one Year" App and often use it as a resource as well. Available on its own standalone app or through YouVersion. I also want to become an active walker again. Not just for health reasons, which is a good enough reason to walk every day. But also, to take up a practice of "prayer walking". For my family, my community, my nation. These are my two main goals. You know what it says in Matthew 26:41. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Lord Jesus, help my "willing spirit" to stay focused on YOU in 2023. I'm Gonna See A Victory! Have a blessed day! Good morning, I took the time this morning to read through the account in Matthew 13: 53 - 58 of the visit of Jesus to Nazareth. It was short... didn't mention Jesus going there for any kind of festival. Or playing some kind of sport with his old friends. Or meeting up with Lazarus and his sisters. Or the couple who hosted the wedding where water was turned into wine being present to account for that particular miracle. It doesn't say that he was threatened with death according to the law of Moses. And he doesn't use the words "I AM the law of Moses". All things the writers of The Chosen used to build a story around the moment of Jesus visiting his hometown. It DID mention Jesus speaking in the synagogue and offending the Rabbi's and those he knew while growing up by boldly speaking with the authority of God. "Isn't this the carpenters son? Where did he get all this wisdom and power?" "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household". was the response of Jesus. We do hear Jesus use these words in this account of The Chosen. Good storytelling needs content. But it needs to be "feasible" to what the culture of the day may have been which is why they have a panel representing many different faiths (an Evangelical, a Rabbi, a Priest, etc) - people who have studied the culture of the times and can agree on what is "feasible" to be something that would happen. Despite all that, I still firmly believe God's hand is on The Chosen. I've always been one to appreciate historical fiction - you know, building a fictional story around historical fact, which is basically what The Chosen is doing. Right? The "meat" of the story is "fact". The calling of the disciples, the Sermon on the Mount, etc. But some of the content (the backstory of Matthew's family, for example. The backstory to the paralytic and his brother relationship to Simon the Zealot. The reason for Jesus visit to Nazareth - those things there is no way to really know about since the Bible doesn't give all those specific details) is there for the sake of good storytelling. People should read the Bible for themselves, and The Chosen is pointing people to scripture and encouraging them to do just that and that is a good thing. I'm out of time to continue this thought... but after Sunday nights episode, and reading about all the controversy over the "Law of Moses" comment, it got me on a mission to know why this upset people so much. Not ALL people, but some. If anyone has any thoughts, would love to hear them in the comments. Have a blessed day! Good morning! Looking forward to a new year; new beginnings. A new focus. Prayers for our Nation. The Nations of the World. Our Families. Our Friends. That eyes would be opened to the truth of the love of God, the protection of God, the hope that we all have in Jesus. The hearts would be softened. That truth would be made clear to all who are sleeping through what is the most crucial time in recent history for all of us.... even those who can't yet see. As the new year begins in just a few short days... may we all find our purpose in Jesus so that we can boldly walk in whatever that purpose may be. Hold tight to Jesus as we move into 2023. Have a blessed day! Good morning, Thankful to have a day to recover before going back to work tomorrow. Relief. Hope you all have a lovely day yesterday. I did; though, for Mom a day like this does often mean a lot of work, it also is wonderful to have the whole family together under the same roof for a change. I'm trusting GOD for 2023. It has been a difficult couple of years. I won't lie; it is easy to get discouraged. But we know that in the end God Wins; it's exactly how this miracle will happen that has not yet been revealed. God is a God of surprises, and I cannot wait to see what God will do this year. Looking ahead to 2023, I was serious about using The Bible Recap, a ministry of Tara-Leigh Cobble, as a source for daily interaction on this page. If you are unfamiliar, please visit this website for more information. The Bible Recap She does her podcasts lots of places. You can watch them on YouTube. You can listen to them on Spotify. Apple Podcasts. YouVersion, if you use that App on your Phone. I think pretty much anywhere Podcasts are available. The Bible Recap is also a source a lot of Churches use for Bible Studies, etc. The Bible Recap is just as it sounds... a recap of the daily reading going through the Bible in Chronological order of events helping us get through the Bible in one year. For example, Day 1 January first covers Genisis 1 - 3. She provides a way to listen to an audio Bible reading, or you could read it yourself from your own Bible. Or both. Your preference. Her recap podcast is just as it sounds. For those of us who read TV Show recaps we are quite familiar with this concept. She recaps the daily reading giving you a "God Shot" at the end. One particular point in the reading to focus on and think about during the day until the NEXT day's reading. I have been a hit and miss participant of The Bible Recap for a couple of years, even though I truly appreciate her work. It is truly a wonderful resource. This year, using our little site as motivation to stay committed, I would really like to make it a daily habit. Who's with me? Have a blessed day! Christmas Day! Keeping this short today since I don't want to keep my family waiting but just wanted to, once again, wish you all a Merry Christmas! God Bless our Nation, the Nations of the World. Let us all remember on this day our need for Jesus. Merry Christmas! Have a blessed Sunday and a very Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas Eve to you all! So much to do today but wanted to take the time to wish you all a Merry Christmas yet again. Prayers for our Nation, the Nations of the World, our Homes and our families that we would all MEET Jesus this Christmas. Have a blessed day and Merry Christmas! Good morning, Something about this picture warms my heart and makes me smile. Santa... pointing a young child towards Jesus. On this Eve before Christmas Eve, may we all remember the reason this season is so special to us all. It's not about presents, though presenting presents to those we love can be fun. And receiving presents can be fun too. I won't lie; I love presents. It's not about bringing a piece of nature in the form of a tree to decorate with lights and ornaments and strands of garland... though these things make the season more beautiful. Or about taking drives around town to look at light displays and living Nativities... though, these activities can be wonderful family fun, especially when your kids are young. It's not about the "magic" of waiting for Jolly old St. Nick to come around with presents for all the good children... a story made up to inspire good behavior out of our kids, I think. Though, inspired by the life of a very kind man whose story you can read at this link.... St. Nicholas - The True Story of Saint Nicholas: The Saint Behind the Claus - F.C. Ziegler Company (zieglers.com) We should all strive in our lives to behave with the kind of love and generosity the real Saint Nicholas was known for in our own lives. But Christmas is not about all that... not really. Plain and simple, Christmas is about JESUS. Without Jesus, there would be no reason to celebrate. There would BE no light, no hope, no salvation. There would BE NO Christmas Day at all. Jesus is the ONLY REAL reason to celebrate Christmas. Let us all remember to thank HIM for all HIS blessings to us this Christmas season. Wishing you all a fantastic Christmas weekend. Good morning! I'm not sure who I borrowed this pic from but nice someone gave me the perfect pic for December 22nd. The last day of work for be before a four-day weekend. Can't tell you how happy I am about this. I like my job, I do. But I am very happy to be getting a break. Still, have a lot to take care of before Christmas on Sunday, but plan to keep it as simple as possible. Prayers for our families, our communities, our Country, the Nations of the world. Thank you, Jesus, that you are in control of it all. God WINS! Merry Christmas and have a blessed day! Good morning, I'll be glad when Friday comes. As I'm sitting here looking at an undecorated tree sitting in my livingroom; neglected because daughter and I can't seem to find a moment when we are both home to share in the task together. Maybe tonight. I can't recall the last time we have had such a hard time getting anything done. Christmas Eve is just a few short days away.... and I do not feel ready at all. But, I refuse to stress out about it all. The Christmas fun will still be fun even if the tree is only decorated for a short time. The time with my two daughters, one who no longer lives at home and who I don't see nearly enough and the other who is home from college for a few short weeks, will be much appreciated and enjoyable, even if we wait until they are both here to fully decorate. In fact, it might be MORE fun if we all do it together. It's good to keep a positive perspective on everything, don't you think? Is there anything more beautiful than a Children's Choir? Love the Lauren Daigle song. This put a smile on my face this morning. Have a blessed day! Good morning, In homage to one of the greatest Christmas Specials of all time. The Charlie Brown Christmas remains my favorite. Anyone familiar with The Bible Recap by Tarah Leigh Cobble? She does a podcast for helping people get through the Bible in Chronological order. This is one of my goals for 2023. In fact, I have recently acquired a study bible in Chronological order that accompanies her Podcast so come January 1st, I'm ready! Her podcast can be found many places and there really isn't a requirement for owning the Bible; after all it comes with an audio reading but sometimes, I feel like I get more out of something when I read it myself, instead of just listening to it. Mentioning this because her daily podcast might become a bit of a backdrop to this page starting January 1st. If anyone would care to check it out, I can post links to the podcast so we can play along with it together. Her ministry is, after all, material for Bible Study groups. So, let's read through the Bible together in 2023! Makes for a good goal, anyway. Need to run... work calls. Prayers for our nation; our communities, our world... Jesus we TRUST YOU in all things. Have a blessed day! Have a blessed day! btw, amazed by this. The second-place winner of this season's The Voice... performed THIS before a live, secular audience on National TV. Awesome! Good morning, Christmas week; but before I can really enjoy it, I'm going to have to get through four very busy days at work. Day that will probably require I stay at work late each day to ensure that all those pre-holiday tasks get accomplished. Come January 2nd, my world at work will return to normal. I promise. But until then, hope you all have a wonderful week. We pray for our nation; the nations of the world. Thank you, Jesus, that you are in control of it all. We trust YOU, and YOU alone. Have a blessed day! Good morning, It's the weekend before Christmas! I've been enjoying all the Christmas themes. Hope you have as well. As I'm typing this, thinking about all the things I have to do, I'm listening to a service at Church encouraging us all to slow down and listen... be still... focus on Jesus and what HE has done for us. Don't let the busyness of the season make us forget what it is we are celebrating. Such a good word. The Chosen page will be up soon.. for Episode 2 which will be released at 7 pm tonight. Have a blessed day! Good morning, I na bit of a rush this morning... taking a day trip so leaving shortly. The busyness of this season is taking over a little bit. I feel like between this site and the other site, I really have not been around much. I'm sure that will get better soon. In the meantime, prayers for you all. For our Country. For the Nations of the world. We know in the end... GOD WINS. Thank you JESUS that the assurance of those two words lives so deeply inside me. No reason to fear when you know that in the end... GOD WINS. Not really a Christmas song, but one of my favorites. Okay, HERE is a Christmas song. Have a blessed day! |