I was a student at the University of Montana at the time. Life was exciting, as college life often is. I enjoyed my classes and spending time with friends, but somehow I felt empty. My brother, Lee, who was serving in the Air Force in Germany at the time, became a Christian. When he came home on leave the Spring of 1983, he shared scripture with me, and God used His Word to draw me to Him. He gave me His name. As His children, God calls us by many names:
Easter is important to me because it is another reminder of the Spring when God changed my name and made my life new. My life has never been the same since then. I started looking at everything with a Christ-centered perspective, and it is still my focus to this day.
In His Name, Stephanie
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interpret the verse on a short video and help make the Word even more meaningful.
So, this morning I was happy to see that one of my favorite verses was presented by an amazing man that I am sure most of you also know and respect. Matt Lucado gave me some things to think about. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 The condensed version of what Max shared is that there is an old belief that God helps those who help themselves. A lot of us believe this. We think that we can fix ourselves. We will make up for our mistakes with contributions, our guilt by volunteering our time, and we will pay for our failures with hard work. We will find salvation the old-fashioned way by earning it. But God says that it is your role to trust in Him to do what we can’t accomplish. We must trust Him to fix the things we can't. So how can we do that? How can we find that type of faith? Actually, we are all doing this on another level. A practical example is that currently we all depend upon, and have faith in, things we cannot see. We have faith that when we flip the light switch, the light will come on. We depend on the strength of a chair to support our weight. You place your trust in things you cannot see, to do the work you cannot accomplish. God invites you to do the same with Him. Trust God more. I really liked this concept of trusting things you do not see and extending this belief to my relationship with God. This is a difficult time for me as my sister was just diagnosed with metastatic cancer and unfortunately the prognosis is poor. My brother and sister and I are very close, especially since the death of our parents. We turn to each other for comfort. But dealing with certain death has been so painful despite our relationships. It is times like this when it is so important to turn to God. He is always there. Death on the cross did not conquer Jesus. It was not the end of the story. The author and protector of your faith, He endured death for you and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. He is your comforter and He wants to give you peace. So, whatever you are going through, you can place in His hands. He wants to strengthen your faith and give you hope. As we enter the Easter season, fix your eyes on Christ knowing that He sees a future for you that is filled with so much joy. Trust God more. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5: 1-2) In His Name, Ellen
how it has impacted my life and my choices along the way - I worry. A lot. I am a worrier. Anxiety has constantly been a companion of mine. But I am a big believer that even in our own personal challenges we can learn how to thrive by working through them - not ignoring them or giving in to them, but using them as tools of growth. Philippians 4:6 is one of my favorite bible verses: “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, through prayer and petition, with Thanksgiving, present your request to God”. This verse has brought me so much comfort over the years, and continues to do so. I have also learned that if I do not push myself through my fears I will miss many wonderful opportunities or relationships. It’s always been important to me to challenge myself and not let worry or fear keep me from growing or taking an opportunity. I can say, without question, that making the decision to push through and take a challenge in spite of my worry has driven and influenced so many stories of my life. There are so many other bible verses and stories from God we can lean on to get through a hard time or just to bust through a hard personal challenge. We also have a rich history of music in the church that reflects these tough components of life; worry, grief, fear, uncertainty. Some hymns that come to mind: It is Well with My Soul, Abide with Me, and there’s even a hymn called All Your Anxiety (#613)! That one must have been written just for me!
Life is full of challenges and anxieties, it’s something that I know intimately as you likely do as well. God gives us many things to lean on throughout our life and certainly one of those gifts is music. These old hymns were written by real people feeling and struggling through deep emotions. Through their music and words, we feel a kinship with them and comfort in knowing that God is with us and we are not alone. In His Name, Jenny
I remember watching a horror movie for the first time at a sleepover and discovering that I did NOT like it! I had nightmares for months and slept with a barrier of pillows all around me, my back to the wall, my lamps on, facing the room so nothing could surprise me. During this time, I also remember my mom sharing this verse. It was one of her favorite “fear verses” and she hoped it would comfort me. Unfortunately, I read this verse and found no comfort. I saw a command to not be afraid. A command to be powerful and loving and rational. A standard that all believers should live up to if they truly had a “born again spirit”. And I felt like a failure. I was afraid and I wasn’t powerful. I probably also wasn’t loving or rational either. I began to dread the encouragement and the verse that so many other people seemed to love. I recently started a Bible Study about fear and anxiety, and this verse came up in my lesson. With only a tiny bit of sighing, I went through the verse as instructed — prayerfully reading it through a few times, marking transition words, underlining repetition and key phrases, and noting comparisons and contrasts. And because the Word of God is a living word, and because our God is faithful to teach and restore, I saw the verse in a totally new light.
Rather than calling me to have a powerful, loving, self-disciplined heart, this verse is a reassurance that I have been given a source of power, and love, and self-control. That source is not me but the Holy Spirit! Perhaps this has been quite obvious to you, but it was a revelation to me. I read the verse again and again, marveling at how much it had transformed me. Rather than feeling shame or guilt for my failure to live up to a standard of fearlessness, I felt incredible freedom and comfort. Again, I am reminded that nothing is asked of me except to rest in the presence of God and lean on Him. When I am afraid, I don’t need to do anything except run to God, and I don’t need to run far, because the Holy Spirit is always there inside me. I think it’s interesting that so much of adulthood is unraveling false beliefs that formed in childhood and reweaving them with truth. Sometimes those lies come from people in our life, or impactful experiences, or even just a childlike understanding that gets things all twisted. Little Naomi really had a way with twisting things into confusing shapes and clinging to them as gospel truth! I’m so grateful that we have a God who is faithful to teach me. I’m excited to see what other lies will be unraveled and rewoven as I go through this journey. And I am glad that my stack of verses will only continue to grow. In His Name, Naomi
them or like me. Belonging is something else entirely—it's showing up and letting myself be seen and known as I really am—love of rock painting, fear of public speaking, sarcastic sense of humor, and all. Many of us suffer from this split between who we really are and who we present to the world in order to be accepted. (Take it from me: I'm an expert fitter-inner!) But we're not letting ourselves be known, and this kind of incongruent living is soul-killing. During various seasons of my life, I have not fit in. I was too smart, too awkward, or too much of a "goody-two-shoes" in high school, plus I didn't have the right clothes. As you can probably guess, I felt different from others. Feeling worthy had always impacted the choices I made for friendships, marriage, jobs. Once I welcomed and accepted myself, through Jesus’s eyes, the world seemed to open up to me. I no longer tried to impress everyone and I can look further into what interests ME. Retirement was more difficult with the limited income but the reward of time for self-exploration has been very worthwhile. I’ve learned so much about myself and the world in this period of my life because I’ve had the time to! My time wasn’t being eaten up by trying to impress others or keep up with them anymore. This past year I decided to step out of retirement once again and found this perfect part time job. I walked into my interview believing that if I were just myself, I could trust that they would let me know if I would fit in. 1st Presbyterian not only offers me some income, but a sense of belonging and purpose. I have been accepted for just who I am due to the grace extended to me from the congregation as well as the office. As this new-year rolls on, I embrace Philippians 4:8,
In His Name, Susie
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40 days of Lent and ‘what are you giving up’ might be the wrong question. Rather than giving up something, how about taking up something? I’m not sure if this is true, but I found a citation that said the 40-day period before Easter is called Lent after an old English word meaning ‘lengthen’. This is because the days are getting longer as we approach summer. Maybe? It is a time of reflection and of asking for forgiveness as Christians prepare to celebrate Jesus’s resurrection on Easter - the end of Lent. Giving up something during Lent is a sign of sacrifice and a test of self-discipline (I don’t think I can ever give up dark chocolate, attributable to a lack of self-discipline for sure). Christians believe this sacrifice represents Christ’s sacrifice when he prayed and fasted in the desert for 40 days. This year, how about rather than giving up something, consider taking up something. This might be making an extra effort to do nice things for family, friends, our community, giving extra to a cause that touches your heart or volunteering your time. All are worthy and meaningful. So, think on this — practicing during the 40 days of Lent could lead to a new habit that will extend well beyond the next 40 days. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16
In His Name, Janet
When I began the process for my first loaf, I had researched many different recipes, and I combined a few different methods and adapted the ratios to a rhythm I thought I could maintain. After attempting a simple scoring design, I popped it in the oven and waited patiently. There was a lot of joy when something beautiful and delicious emerged. Delight in the creation. It turns out, there’s something really relaxing and restoring about bread making. Simple, ordinary, rhythm. Imagine God’s delight in the creation of each of us … God is joyful. Throughout John’s witness, Jesus proclaims that He is the Bread of Life, and that God’s bread gives life to the world. Bread is sustaining, and bread is to be shared. We have a spiritual hunger only satisfied through Jesus. God’s love is unconditional and, in a grateful response, we can share that love with our neighbors and the world. When we seek community with one another, we can experience God in new ways and grow deeper in our connection to the one who sustains us. Jesus isn’t the quick rise bread, He is the sustaining bread of life. Nurturing a relationship with God isn’t a one and done… it’s finding ways to intentionally seek God in our everyday rhythms and routines. My encouragement to each of us this week is to invite Jesus into the ordinary and seek God amidst our joys and burdens. God is with us. So, friends, eat the bread. Share the bread. In His Name, Kierstie
I began underlining and highlighting and writing in the margins. Facebook has a feature that will show me my “memories” from each day over the past years. This week I saw a picture I had posted of scripture my Dad had copied down. What a joy for me to see his distinct left handed script. And what a treasure to know that he also liked verses in Romans 8. Now, I use the Bible Gateway app. I can enter a verse and select a variety of translations to read. Sometimes I like to make the “Heather Translation” by blending some together. This version of Romans 8:38-39 is a mix of the Amplified Bible and the Living Bible:
I am so grateful that my salvation is secure through faith alone. And that there is nothing I can ever do to add to that or take away from it. It is impossible to get beyond God’s loving reach.
In His Name, Heather
years. Physical appearance is culturally something we pay attention to, though most of those alterations are out of our hands in spite of how we try to manage them — hair, wrinkles, and weight, just to name a few. The dictionary would define change as: “To be, or cause to be different”. Historically change is inevitable. No matter how we want things “to stay the same”, they don’t. The highway we travel, called life, has many side roads that allow us to consider change; graduation, marriage, parenthood, loss of loved ones, and retirement to name just a few. Through each of these changes we become “Changed” or different with one great exception. God’s Word.
So, the Word remains a constant in our lives, and does not change. The decisions we make on our life journeys are ours, (education, politics, careers and family dynamics), but they can all be influenced by the one constant in our lives, His Word.
When we consider the constant of the Word and the love it describes for each of us, the highway of change in our lives might be just a bit less bumpy. In His Name, Craig
The videos I watched were of grown men receiving glasses for their birthday. They were fathers, grandfathers, brothers, and husbands. Their loved ones scattered colorful balloons around, and they all wore bright colored clothes. The men were handed a box and everyone watched as they unwrapped it and it seemed like everyone held their breath while their loved one tried on the glasses. The men would try them on and look around, and in all of the videos you could see their brain trying to decipher what they were seeing. The glasses would come off for a few seconds and go back on and suddenly you would notice the moment their brain registered something was different. One man put on the glasses and did not notice anything at first and began eating his lunch. Prompted to take them off and try again he was suddenly still and silent as a world of color flooded his brain. The reaction was universally the same, awe and silence, wide eyed wonder, and then tears. It was beyond heartwarming to see these men, from various ages and walks of life seeing color for the first time. Some of the men were stoic souls who did not seem like the type to cry easily. However, when they cried so did their loved ones. One gentleman had been wearing his glasses for over a year and was well accustomed to his new world of colors. He was standing on a beach waiting to see his first sunrise in color. He had his glasses on his head as he narrated his next steps, he closed his eyes and pulled his glasses down, he said, “I’m going to open my….” He was so struck with wonder he could not finish his sentence. He stood there for a moment in awe and silence. Even after a year of seeing the world in color he was once again in tears at the new beauty before him. These stories brought to mind a passage in 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter is often known as the love chapter and the last verses of this chapter can be easily overlooked.
Paul is describing to the early church the power of love in the life of a believer. Paul also recognizes that as a human on earth we often do not see things clearly. He is seeking to encourage the believers that even though we cannot see clearly all that God is doing right now, someday we will. What will it be like to have all of eternity visible to our new eyes, what will the face of God look like? Will our soul even be able to register the beauty of it at first, or will we need a moment to adjust to what we are finally able to see clearly for the first time? The Bible describes heaven a few times, and the Bible is even so bold to say some things are too wonderful for us to understand. I have a feeling the families with a color-blind loved one knows what this is like. How do you describe color to someone who only sees one color or a muddy world? Especially since a colorless world does not necessarily deprive someone of life and happiness. How can God fully explain heaven and what it is like to be in His presence if we only have human eyes to see with? Thankfully someday we will see God face to face. I imagine our response will be just like those seeing color for the first time, awe and silence, wide-eyed wonder followed by tears of joy. In His Name, Bonnie |
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