Women of Promise

   Some  days we just need some encouragement, don't we?  When the trials of life overwhelm us, whether it is people or circumstances, our hearts can get heavy.  Often our minds are too muddled to even think through the issues in front of us.  There are times that the only thing that seems to calm our frustrated or hurting hearts is music.  Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 both tell us that we are to speak to one another (Christians) in "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." What are these three types of music?  If you look at these three terms, they are actually all referring to the Psalms of Scripture! They refer to three different types or categories of the Psalms.  There are some Christians who use these verses to argue that the words of the Psalms are the only lyrics that should be sung in the church.       I am not calling us to "solo Psalmody" in our church.  However, I do want us to consider that we are told ...

       I shared before a few points that challenged me from a study in the book of Nehemiah. The post today continues on this theme -- please bear with me as we talk about prayer some more.  I don't think that prayer can be emphasized too much.  God has been leading me and convicting me to grow in this area more and more. I have grown up praying and hearing prayer. However, recently I have been searching out how to pray. It is not hard or complicated, but it is a discipline that needs to be cultivated and focused on.     From Nehemiah 4, God showed me the challenge to "Fight for your brethren, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses."  God gives us the responsibility to fight for our homes and our brothers and sisters in Christ!  We are not simply bystanders that have no recourse as we watch our family be overtaken by the darts of Satan.  We are called to fight! -- on our knees.  I Thessalonians 5:17 further...

      October 31 just passed and it is a special day.  No, I am not referring to the way that children dress up and walk door to door, begging for candy.  For over 500 years now, Christians remember October 31 as "Reformation Day."  On October 31, 1517 a man named Martin Luther dared to post a document of 95 "theses," or tenents of the faith, to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany.  This was a big deal, because Martin Luther was taking a stand for salvation by grace alone, which defied the doctrine taught by the established church of that time.  This act of defiance triggered the events of the Reformation, which transformed the way commoners had access to the Scriptures and made many foundational doctrines of the Bible clear to the common man.  Martin Luther and others worked to translate the Bible from the Latin into German, and were tortured and even martyred for their teachings and work with the Scripture. This day should be recognized in...

  Image Source: DiscoverQuotes.com      Samuel and Susanna Wesley were parents of  19 children, 9 of which survived infancy. Samuel was a minister in the Church of England in the late 1600's  to early 1700's.  These parents were extremely conscientious to train their children in the knowledge of the Scriptures from the earliest ages.      One night in 1709, their home caught on fire.  Starting in the corn room, it spread quickly to the dry thatched roof.  Pieces of burning thatch dropped onto 12-year-old Hetty's bed, waking her.  She ran screaming to her parents, who quickly gathered their children as best they could, guiding them down the burning staircase. Leaving all their possessions to the fire, they desperately shielded their children from the smoke and flames to the safety outside. Susanna was late in her pregnancy with her last baby. Her legs and face were burned during the escape.      As they gathe...

           October is traditionally "Pastor Appreciation" month.  I think it is wonderful that we make a special effort to show our pastor and his family that their labor and service for the Lord is noticed and loved. I would also like to challenge us to spend some focused time in prayer for our pastor. The enemy is desperately attempting to squelch the work of the Lord.  Those who faithfully bear witness to the gospel and serve the body of Christ are targets of the enemy's attacks in a way the rest of us may never experience.  While we should always be in regular prayer for our pastor, I am challenging us to spend time in special prayer for Pastor Rob, Autumn and Reese.      Sometimes we don't know what or how to pray.  Here are some prayer prompts that may help you.  Use one a day for a focused time of prayer, or pray through the list as you have time.  God inhabits the prayers of His people.  Let's surrou...

    We hear often  about the importance of seeking out God and who He is. Did you know that God seeks us out too?  He is chasing after our hearts and desiring to draw us close to revive and renew us.  Isaiah 57:15 gives us a look at what kind of person God is looking for to accomplish this beautiful work of revival: For this is what the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite."        That word lowly is also translated as "humble" in some translations.  I don't know about you, but I desire that renewing of the spirit that only God can provide.  Isaiah tells me that God is looking for humble people to lift up and revive.  Revival is not for the lost.  Revival is for those who are Christ-follo...

     Are you familiar with the story of Nehemiah? What an amazing story! It is easily overlooked, yet it is in the Bible for a reason.  God has lessons to teach us from this book.   The book of Nehemiah is full of fascinating information and lessons for us today.  It is easy to get bogged down reading this little book, because some chapters are simply lists of names or details about rebuilding a wall around Jerusalem. Let's look at a few highlights of this special section of the Old Testament. 1. The passion of Nehemiah for God and his people.      Nehemiah 1:4 tells us that Nehemiah wept and mourned for days  after hearing about the state of the people and the wall in Jerusalem. Are we burdened for our families, our church, our community, our nation with a passion like Nehemiah? The rest of chapter one is Nehemiah's beautiful prayer where he begs the Lord to forgive the nation for turning their back on God. I pray for a passion lik...