Women of Promise

      The words to the Gaither hymn, "Because He Lives," have been rolling through my mind this week.  At many difficult points in my life, the lyrics to this song have encouraged my heart, bolstered my faith and brought me peace by turning my focus back to the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus.  "Because He lives I can face tomorrow.  Because He lives all fear is gone!  Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He LIVES!" ~Bill and Gloria Gaither        As we look to the celebration of this pivotal event this week, it is a beautiful exercise to review what the resurrection means to each one of us who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.  It is more than a yearly excuse to get together with family and eat a delicious dinner. It is far more than chocolate and pretty eggs.   Why is the fact that Jesus walked out of that grave three days after His death significant to you and I to...

  Oh, magnify the  LORD   with me, and let us exalt his name together ! Psalm 34:3   I remember a fun little vacation my sisters and I spent with my aunt and uncle one summer on Tim's Ford Lake. My uncle would take us out to the far ends of the lake in his pontoon boat and we would jump out into the lake and swim. We had a blast swimming in the shadows of that big boat. It's overarching presence gave us comfort and we never once were concerned about how to get home -- because my sisters and I certainly had no clue where we were. However we had complete faith in my uncle, the captain of his ship, and that big boat's glorious presence was what we looked to for reassurance. We were in awe of that boat, and the times we were able to go out in it were major highlights of that trip.    That little illustration came to mind as I was meditating on some truths about servant leadership that God led me to recently. As we learn to serve God and each other, what is it t...

  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.   Romans 1:20 Recently I came across a short little devotional based on the protein called laminin.  This protein is a binding protein that is essential to life -- basically it holds every molecule of our bodies together.  It also "happens" to be shaped like a cross and has a construction of three strands that are wound together to form its shape. How fascinating is that? Could this have just "happened"? Extremely unlikely. Furthermore, Scripture tells us that the creation points us to the Creator. We are right to seek out these proofs of God's omnipotence and marvel. I love to find the gospel displayed in nature!  I did have to take issue with the devotional on its application.  Maybe it was a technicality, but we must be super aware of anything tha...

 I Samuel 1:27 “For this child I prayed, and the LORD granted me my petition which I asked of  Him.” NKJV We talked about women to emulate and imitate in an earlier post. Hagar, although a maidservant and a pawn, sought and found the God-Who-Sees. Another Old Testament  woman that has impacted my life is the opposite of Hagar - Hannah, a beloved wife. Hannah was a much loved but barren wife in a society where a woman’s worth was measured  in the children, she blessed her husband with. Her husband (as was the custom in that time)  had another wife and children, but he held a special place in her heart for Hannah and always  made sure she had a double portion. Hannah, while at the Tabernacle worshipping one year,  made a vow to the Lord and pleaded for a child. She promised the Lord that if He blessed her,  she would return that child to the Lord and it would serve Him all of its life. Like, Hannah, I have been childless in a world where babies seem...