Peace reigns where our Lord reigns. -- Julian of Norwich

In Christ Alone

He [Jesus] replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." -- Luke 11:28

God gave us His word to bless us. When we obey what He asks of us, we get to walk in that blessing. On the other hand, as Jesus reminded us at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, when we know the will of God and don't obey it, we are foolish. I don't know about you, but I prefer to receive a blessing! Thank God for speaking to us through His word -- the Scriptures -- so we can know His will and walk in His blessing and for speaking to us through His living Word -- His Son -- so we can know His heart as we apply His will to our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting." 1 Chronicles 16:34

He who waits on God never waits too long.

Gratitude is the praise we offer God: for teachers kind,
benefactors never to be forgotten, for all who have advantaged
me, by writings, sermons, converse, prayers, examples, for all
these and all others which I know, which I know not, open,
hidden, remembered, and forgotten.

-- Lancelot Andrewes

My Chains are Gone - I've Been Set Free

 Holy Father, please help me see Jesus' ministering presence in
my times of grief. Help me see him in the comforting
presence of the Holy Spirit who abides in me. Help me see him in
the acts of love and kindness your people do to help me. In
addition, dear Father, please help me see ways that I can serve as
Jesus' presence to someone else who is experiencing grief. 

Hillcrest Women's Conference
The Riley Conference Center
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
November 14-15, 2008

Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God. 

Everything Skit

Amazing Grace

The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves. -- Victor Hugo

While we wait for God's great victory for us to be fully realized, we also need to know that we are in a battle. God will win this battle through Jesus Christ. The final outcome is certain. Christ has already won the decisive battle. However, let's not be fooled; the evil one will do everything he can to deceive all people and confuse the lost. Let's stick with God's plan -- living his truth, listening for his voice in Scripture, and following the lead of his Spirit.

Love gives itself; it is not bought. -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is
man independent of woman.  -- 1 Corinthians 11:11

God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially formed you to
go through it, not without pain but without stain. -- C. S. Lewis

The man who gave me the book The Barbarian Way will be here in 2 weeks. I am already filled with a great expectation of his visit. Inspiration comes in many ways ... mine comes in the form of a missionary from China. Perhaps I will find clarity in the calling after our discussions.

The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) had nothing but disdain for the concept of companionship. He saw all people as competitors. According to this view, people are always striving with one another in a kind of continual rivalry.

Competition can be healthy in the worlds of business and athletics. It becomes detrimental, however, when a person's attitudes and actions become self-serving. Such competition should have no place in the church.

When someone starts setting up conflicting activities a competitive spirit may be at the heart of the problem. In Romans 16, Paul saw his fellow believers as companions, not competitors. All Christians, men and women, are members of God's family and serve Jesus as co-workers in the greatest of all enterprises. Companions, not competitors—that's what Christ wants us to be!