Behind the Hymn: The Solid Rock

The Solid Rock or My Hope is Built on Nothing Less was written by Edward Mote.  He was a pastor at Rehoboth Baptist Church in Horsham, West Essex, England. Mote was born in 1797 and trained to be a cabinet maker.  At the age of 50, he entered the ministry.  When offered the church building as a gift, Mote replied […]

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Worshiping with Drama

At Christmas and Easter, I love to attend Passion Plays.   The re-enactments of watching the life come to Christ is so moving each and every time I see it and I receive something new each time. Drama is another creative outlet that can allow us to draw closer to God. Today, many churches now have their own drama groups in […]

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Gifts of the Spirit: Speaking in Tongues and Prophecy

We are discussing various spiritual gifts.  Last week, we discussed pastors, teachers and evangelist. This week, we are delving deeper into the spiritual gifts.  This weeks spiritual gifts are the ones that are often misunderstood and misconstrued by modern society. 1 Corinthians 12:10 says, “and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits: to another divers kinds of tongues; and to […]

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A Waste or a Treasure

  Recently my eight-year-old nephew said, “I can’t wait until I’m grown. I can do anything I want.” We tried to explain to him that even as adults we cannot do everything we want, but our words seemed to fall on deaf ears. This made me think about how often we wish our lives away. As children we can’t wait […]

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Hall of Faith: Ezekiel, Saw the Future

As we have discussed, the Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11, refers to those that have visions. Ezekiel is a prophet that had visions, just as Joseph and Daniel had visions. The name Ezekiel means God strengthens. The story of Ezekiel is found in the book with his name in the Old Testament. The book contains many of his visions, […]

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9 Ways to Make It On Our Own

  I often wondered how I would make it on my own, especially after I left that difficult situation. I was blessed in that I had a family to lean on and live with for several years while I rebuilt my life. I have a friend who worked three jobs when she left her husband to make ends meet for […]

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Behind the Hymn: Sweet Hour of Prayer

William Walford was a simple uneducated wood carver with a great memory.  He spoke and wrote poem in his England home and shop.   He was so in tune with God and scripture that he was often asked to speak at his Congregational Church and share a sermon.   The word of God overflowed through him and came out in his poetry. […]

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Worshiping with Walking Prayers

When I was growing up we had a lady that walked the neighborhood praying for each person and household as she passed.  When her health got to the point she could no longer walk, she spent the time before she fell asleep praying for everyone in the neighborhood.  When she couldn’t remember the person’s name, she described that individual to […]

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Gifts of the Spirit: Teachers and Pastors

A while back, I had a conversation about the gifts of the spirit.  This was a topic already on my mind and I thought this would be a good time to delve into the gifts of the spirits mentioned in scripture.  I’ve done my best to group them together by common characteristics, as we discuss them over the next two […]

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The Armor of Protection

  Recently we went swimming at a friend’s house and the suntan lotion became misplaced.  I ended up with a slight burn that itched for the next week. I was reminded that if I had taken care of myself and used the suntan lotion before we left home, as I’d planned, then I would have been protecting myself and my […]

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Tears Can Refresh Our Souls

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalms 126:5 (ASV) Do you ever find yourself moved to tears? Without fail, at least once a month or more in church I find myself in tears.  Not because I’m sad, but because I’ve been touched.  I’ve been touched by the music, or God has spoken to me through the sermon, […]

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Hall of Faith: Jeremiah, Lived Out His Calling

In the Hall of Faith, we are told “And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment” {Hebrews 11:36} belong in this special group. The prophet, Jeremiah, fits this description. The name Jeremiah means may God Exalt or exalted of the Lord. Jeremiah 1 recounts his calling from God. “ But the Lord said unto me, Say […]

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3 Strategies To Move On From Abuser

Last week, I shared 9 strategies when you want to return to the chaos.   But, in addition to longing for the old, unhealthy patterns you may discover that you can’t stop thinking about the man you left behind. After all, you were together for years, you loved him, you may have children together, you have a past, and love does […]

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Behind the Hymn: Trusting Jesus

Trusting Jesus was written by Edgar Page Stites.  The music was written by Ira D. Sankey. Edgar Page Stites was a direct descendant of John Howland, one of the Mayflower passengers.  Stites served in the Civil War before becoming a riverboat pilot and later a missionary to churches in South Dakota. The poem first appeared in the newspaper.  The poem […]

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Worshiping with Fasting

At Lent, many individuals give up a vice or habit for the 40 days.  This is a form of worship and praising God with our bodies. Others fast in order to lose weight or detoxifying their bodies. The scriptures often discuss fasting and prayer.   Some of these verses include: Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the […]

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We All Have a Story to Tell

Recently I was with a group of friends and acquaintances and as I looked around the room I thought about how God had been faithful to so many of them. There were others there whom I did not know their story, but many of whom knew a part of their story. Some of these stories included: Loss of a child Overcoming […]

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