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Immobilized or Mobilized?
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. Colossians 3:23 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. John 9:4 We can be immobilized or mobilized by today’s headlines of war and trauma in the… Read More
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Hijab on my Heart
Yet if they “turned to the Lord” the veil would disappear. For the Lord to whom they could turn is the spirit of the new agreement, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, men’s souls are set free. But all of us who are Christians have no veils on our faces, but reflect like mirrors the glory of the Lord. We are transfigured by the Spirit of the Lord in ever-increasing splendour into his… Read More
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Your Gentleness Made Me Great
Your gentleness made me great. 2 Samuel 22:36 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 Great: of an extent, amount, or intensity considerably above the normal or average.… Read More
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Parenting Mistakes: Forgiveness for What I Didn’t Mean to Do to You
If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them…he shall be forgiven. Leviticus 4:2, 31 Dear Child, You looked so handsome today as your face peered at me over the many miles that separate us. You are a man now, boy of mine. I love the familiar way your brows knit together like a wooly worm and your eyes look to the… Read More
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A Lament for Our Children Part Two
O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. Psalm 10:17-18 Lament: a passionate expression of grief or sorrow; a song, piece of music, or poem expressing sorrow. Lament is an expression found in many cultures across the world. What makes biblical lament different… Read More
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He Sees You, Little Sparrow
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. -Civilla Martin, 1904 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 God will go to amazing lengths to reveal His love to us.… Read More
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The Woven
If you missed Part One in this series of Stories of the Redeemed, click here. Last week you heard Cecilia Sakatira’s story of how the Master Weaver gave her a new vision and purpose out of a time of darkness and suffering. She is the founder and director of Creative Hands, a ministry that empowers women on the refugee highway in Greece to find gainful employment and learn about the Messiah. This week, read with… Read More
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Bells Over Beirut
For Celeen, a meditation on Psalm 34 I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth Even as bombs destroy my home and the provision of my people. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; Let the humble hear it and be glad As the bells ring over Beirut Above the chaos of hope disappointed. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us… Read More
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No Place
While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7 No place for them? I find this story perhaps most surprising of all in the Christmas narrative. How could this be, among a culture known for its hospitality to… Read More
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Joseph’s Quiet Decision
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son… Read More