Hope and Encouragement
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A Beautiful Spirit
“Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” (1 Peter 3:4 ESV) I grew up with this verse demonstrated to me daily. My mother, a precious gift from God, has a wonderful gentle and quiet spirit. I am truly blessed by her example. She lives a life of faith and hope. My whole life, her bright blue eyes have shone Christ’s light into my life. She has surrounded me with love and support. I am who I am today because of the foundation she laid. Although frail and elderly now, my mother…
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Jump Rope Jitters
Turn the rope. Hop over the rope as it comes to your feet. Turn the rope again and repeat. The basic mechanics of jumping rope are not difficult. Yet, for my students in the early grades, this task can be daunting. Jumping rope effectively takes coordination and a sense of rhythm, which my young students do not all have as of yet. I must say I have had more than a few chuckles watching my students as they attempt to make the skipping rope cooperate. Tangles and missteps abound in the early days of learning. On some students I can see the intense concentration on their faces as they try…
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Restoration
Do you ever feel drawn in a particular direction without a reason? I think at times the Holy Spirit nudges us – directing us in a way to broaden our understanding and grow in the faith. That was me this morning. For whatever reason, I felt compelled to open up a long put aside notebook. It is not a journal like I normally keep – one that documents life events and feelings and perceptions of my world. This one is a place for me to share my commentary on how Scripture touches me deeply and ministers to me again and again. Since I started blogging, this unique journal has largely…
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The Best Day
As I sit in my rocking chair, a new day is dawning. From my vantage point I can see the subtle changes that occur each morning. As the brilliant morning colours appear, the sky is alive with anticipation of the day to come. It is an exciting time of year as dawn is finally much earlier. As I go about my morning routine, I do so in daylight. That is therapeutic after the long winter months where I had to get going for work in the dark. What a difference it makes in our lives when we start our days in the light of Christ! It changes our perspective. Just…
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Hide and Seek
My youngest grandchild is getting into playing peek-a-boo. She finds it great fun when I hide my face behind my hands and then pop them open and say “boo”. We have many delightful moments together as we find variations in hide and seek type games. I remember playing similar things with my own children as young ones. Gradually they learned to cover their own faces to play the game themselves. The interesting thing with my wee ones was that, when their faces were covered by their hands, they believed that I couldn’t see them at all. As long as they couldn’t see me, surely, I couldn’t see them. It was…
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Don’t Give Up
It feels good to walk to the meeting area each day. Gathering with other believers is restorative and the opportunities for ministry are many. Yet, each day is disturbing. A slave girl keeps following them. Day by day the girl troubles them. All they want to do is to reach the meeting place with the other believers. Each day this fortune teller shouts out as they pass by. While her words are accurate – “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you a way to be saved” (Acts 16: 17b NIV) – her outbursts trouble Paul and Silas. Paul’s solution is simple – he asks…
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Whom Do You Follow?
Do you have favourites that you follow? Our world is full of huge social media machines such as Instagram and Twitter that entice people to focus in on the accomplishments and opinions of others. Some of us can spend hours scrolling through posts to see what our favourite people are talking about or which sporting team has the most success, for example. For many people, their value is centered on how many people acknowledge their efforts or like their accomplishments. There is a constant need to see how many or who is following their endeavours via social media. With so many people clamoring for our attention, it is hard to…
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Complete Makeover
His weary feet bring him to yet another town. His sojourn has been long, but he is determined to hold onto his purpose. In each community he successfully weeds out the menacing followers of Christ, known as the Way. After all, he is doing God’s work, he thinks, maintaining the beliefs of the Israelites and getting rid of heretics. He is certain that his calling from God is to get rid of any semblance of Christianity. The book of Acts describes Saul’s actions: “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in…
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Reading the Reviews
When I have larger purchase to make, I like to investigate which is the best rated item. I search the internet to find the reviews of others to learn the pros and cons of particular products to make a wise choice. I can spend considerable time researching different sources to gain a better understanding of the item in which I am interested. There are so many products on the market these days and it would be hard to narrow down my choices if I did not have some additional information on which to base my purchase. I want products that have a good track record. I am reluctant to invest…
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Fan the Flame
The embers flick about, tossed about by the breeze. The fire slowly dies out as the ashen logs deteriorate. Before long, only a shadow of the former fire remains. Blow on the fire and it strengthens. What almost dies out comes back to life. With adequate fuel, the oxygen brings vibrancy back to the flames. Our Christian walk is similar. In 2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV) the apostle Paul addresses Timothy, a young pastor: “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” Timothy has a gift from God. What particular gift, we do not…
