Posts by Stonebrook Church (Page 4)

Posts by Stonebrook Church (Page 4)

After a Long Time – Reflections on Unanswered Prayer

 “After a long time, in the third year, the Word of the Lord came to Elijah…” 12 Kings 18:1 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. And he went up and looked … “There is nothing there,” he said. Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.” The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea…” The sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came…

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

For a Helmet the Hope of Salvation

This summer I’ve been involved in the early morning women’s Bible study on 1 & 2 Thessalonians over Zoom.  It’s been so great to connect with women I wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to see during this Covid-19 period of time. One section that the study highlighted was 1 Thessalonians 5:8: “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”…

The Prayers of Habakkuk

The Prayers of Habakkuk I have been “chewing on” the book of Habakkuk and found the prophet’s prayers very inspiring and encouraging, especially considering the various crises we are currently facing. In the first two chapters, Habakkuk laid out two complaints before the LORD. After receiving God’s answers, the prophet found great comfort, joy, and strength in God’s promises despite the coming severe judgement on Judah.  Witnessing the prevalent violence, destruction, and injustice in Judah, Habakkuk was deeply troubled and…

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (ESV)

Amazing Grace

This is the original hymn written by John Newton in 1779. It is by far my favorite hymn, and I have sung it for many years in times of trials, happiness, and celebration. The hymn has recently become so much sweeter to me, as my eldest son and I have been studying about the time of John Newton in our history book.

1 Thessalonians 4:1

“Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.” (ESV)

Galatians 6:9 / Growing Weary

Stonebrook Women’s Blog:  (Judy Anderson) We are in a bit of a war over here.  A couple of months ago we found that somehow cloth moths had been brought into the home.  So we decided that it was time to nip this in the bud and see what we could do to get rid of them.  We deduced that they were mainly in two bedrooms and decided that every single item in those rooms must be cleaned and washed, including…

Pandemic Ponderings – The God Hunt Challenge

 Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Philippians 4:8 As the Coronavirus continues to play out in our world, I find myself reacting in a variety of ways, the most recent reoccurring one being restlessness. It’s a similar feeling to what I used to grapple with towards the end of my pregnancies when I was…

Kings and Chronicles

Lately I’ve been reading 1&2 Kings and 1& 2 Chronicles and I’ve been thinking about the leadership and example of the various kings in these accounts.  One account that stood out to me is in 2 Chronicles 32, where Sennacherib, king of Assyria, is attacking Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah, and was threatening the people that their God would not deliver them.  Sennacherib says, “On what are you trusting, that you endure the siege in Jerusalem? Is not Hezekiah…

1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. (ESV)

Mr. Rogers – What Can We Learn?

Dave and I recently watched the movie, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” – the behind the scenes story of Mr. Rogers and his impact on others both on screen and off. It deals in particular with Mr. Rogers’ positive influence on a magazine writer whose life was burdened and messy. Overall, it was inspiring. (I would highly recommend it!)  It struck me that the reason Mr. Rogers appealed to so many people was that he reflected the Spirit…

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

2 Corinthians 7:11

For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. (ESV)

Shield

In late January I was burdened with the COVID-19 crisis in China. As I was praying for the devastating situation, surprisingly, I found myself asking God to put a shield around me, my family, and my community. Two months later, this pandemic quickly moved to the U.S. and I realized it was a Spirit-led prayer at a time when few were expecting the pandemic could be a great threat to many around the world. The image of a shield has…

2 Corinthians 7:2-3

Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.  I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. (ESV)

Wash with Soap

Wash With Soap Dawn Bovenmyer 3/18/2020             What with all the recent developments with Covid19 I have found myself faced with some choices. Choices such as, should I go to the grocery store? If I go, how much should I buy? Should I go to the salon for a haircut? Get an adjustment at the Chiro? How much should I be out and about? Should we have any houseguests? Decisions, decisions!             Then there are decisions at home- how often…

2 Corinthians 5:6-7

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. (ESV)

2 Corinthians 3:18

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)

Set Free

Testimony from Wendy ConcerningFeb. 29 SIP! 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (Lunch included)Set Free: Sexual Integrity for Women Last summer, a local afternoon Christian radio host was interviewing a woman who was working with Walnut Creek Church (a sister church to Stonebrook in Des Moines). The topic was Biblical Sexual Integrity. I was a little uncomfortable with the public forum but was intrigued, so I kept listening. She mentioned several times God created and designed not just men with sexual…