Fruit of the Spirit: Self Control

I’ve openly shared about my struggle to lose weight and become healthy.  However, one of the hardest lessons I’ve had to learn in this struggle is that to make these changes and sacrifices requires self-control.   Dictionary.com defines self-control as: Control or restraint of oneself or one’s actions, feelings, etc. Self-discipline, self-reliance, willpower, levelheadedness   The Greek word egkrateia means […]

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Stop being a worrying Nellie

Recently I was worried about a situation and running through a hundred different scenarios. Mama looked at me and said, “stop being a worrying Nellie.”  She reminded me that I was stressing myself out by worrying about things that may never even happen. I find it so easy to take on so many issues and problems and worrying about them […]

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Faithful Heroes: Saint Benedicts

  Saint Benedict, or Benedict of Nursia, is considered the patron saint of Europe. His Rule of Saint Benedict contains precepts, or commandments and instructions, for his monks. Benedict was the son of a Roman noble. He was born around March 480 in Norcia, Umbria {in central Italy today}. It is believed he had a twin sister, Scholastica. According to […]

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Salt in the Wound

  There are individuals that I love dearly, but often spending time together is the same as pouring salt in the wound. My heart is reminded of all that I do not have and long for and the pain wells up inside, screaming to be released. I find myself pouring my heart out to the Lord, knowing that I cannot […]

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Behind the Hymn: I Saw Three Ships

  I Saw Three Ships {Come Sailing In} is a traditional and popular Christmas carol from England. The hymn was published in 1833 by William Sandys in his book, Christmastide: Its History, Festivities And Carols.   However, it is believed that earlier versions may have been around from the 17th Century. Other sources believe the hymn originated from an English folk […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness

When we hold a newborn baby, we gently cradle the infant, this perfect gift from heaven.  When a loved one is preparing to pass on, we sit beside that person’s bedside and gently hold his/her hand. But, do we use gentleness in our hearts and actions throughout the rest of our lives? Dictionary.com describes gentleness as: Kindly; amiable To tame, […]

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Zacharias and Elisabeth: They Were Good

In our series eyewitness to Christmas, we viewed the events of Christ birth from the view point of Mary, the Mother of Jesus and his earthly father, Joseph. But, there were many others that witnessed and lived these events.  This group included an older, mature couple that was related to Mary.   This couple gave birth to the forerunner of Christ […]

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Faithful Heroes: Saint Patrick

  Saint Patrick is one of the best known saints, because Saint Patrick’s Day is widely celebrated on the anniversary of his death. But, many who celebrate this day do not know about the life of Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick was born in Britian in the 4th Century. His father Calpurnius, was a deacon. Some soures say he was born […]

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Pain Behind the Smile

  There are times when I put on a bright smile, but inside my heart is breaking. This has happened more times than I can name through a variety of situations. When others ask how we are it is so easy to say “fine” without truly answering. However, we all need that one or two close friends that we can […]

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Behind the Song: Give Thanks with a Thankful heart

In honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I thought we would look at the popular worship song Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart. Give Thanks was written in 1978 by Henry Smith. Henry Smith, Jr. was born in 1952 Crossnore, North Carolina. Henry Smith has a degenerative condition that left him legally blind. Upon graduating from college, he became discouraged […]

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Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness

I have had periods in my life when I was faithful and other periods when I was stubborn, hard headed and rebellious.   When I was a rebel, my life ended up in shambles around my feet.  When I was faithful, God was faithful right back to me. So, what is faithfulness? Dictionary.com describes faithfulness as: Strict or thorough in the […]

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Do Not Worry About Tomorrow

Recently, I had a huge decision to make.  However, I found myself worrying. I worried about a variety of scenarios that may take place.  But, none of them have. If they do, God has proven time and again to me that He will provide. Still, I find myself worrying about the future. Statistics prove that we worry about 85% of […]

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Faithful Heroes: St. Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo is considered one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity. One contemporary said of him, Augustine “established anew the ancient Faith.” Augustine was born in 354AD in Roman Africa. His father Patricius, was converted to Christianity on his deathbed, and his mother Monica, was a devout Christian. “He tells this story in his autobiography, The […]

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Praying for Our Enemies

I previously shared why we should forgive those that hurt us.  But God calls us to go even a step farther and pray for our enemies. Again, this is easier said than done. I have had several situations in which I was deeply betrayed by others I trusted and loved.  This hurt deeply.  But, I chose to forgive the and […]

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Behind the Hymn: Morning Has Broken

Morning Has Broken is a popular hymn that was written by Eleanor Farjeon. Farjeon was born on February 13, 1881 in London, England.  She came from a literary family and was an author of children’s stories and plays, among numerous other literary pursuits. Known as ‘Nellie’ to her immediate family, she was a sickly child who suffered from poor eyesight […]

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