Women’s Ministry Blog (Page 5)

Mark 4:35-41 – “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said…

This has been an interesting week at work for me. We have a big event going on, and I have a small part in the grand scheme. My job has a variety of duties but the one that was causing the headache was dealers for our company stopping by to pick up orders. Some orders weren’t ready. One fella said he was told by his boss not to come back without the order that I discovered hadn’t even been placed…

“The person who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its roots out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.” -Jeremiah 17:7-8 I love the picture this passage paints of what it can look like to trust in the Lord. The tree is planted…

“And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace. What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?” – James 3:18-4:1 Some of us in the Rock just started a study on conflict resolution from the Peacemaker Ministries. The goal of the study is essentially to be one who cultivates peace- what James 3:18 talks about. James 4:1-2 was brought up in the…

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” – John 7:37-38 Recently I was listening to a song by Keith and Kristin Getty (we sing a number of their songs on Sunday mornings) called “Living Waters”. It prompted me to look up the…

Romans 5:3-5 “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” I just returned home a few days ago from spending a couple of weeks at our daughter’s home in Missouri. The first week or so there was spent waiting for our new…

Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by a such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Recently, a friend introduced me to a documentary about the life of Christiana Tsai, a devout Chinese Christian, who lived in a dark chamber for over half a century. Christiana grew up in a very affluent family with…

This week (and last) have been the backyard VBS’ and the theme has been Galactic Starveyors, as many of you already know. It has been a fun, tiring, and blessed time with Stonebrook and neighborhood children. Since it has been a busy week(s), I thought I would just send out this little “recap” for us all to remember what we have been teaching the children this week! The kids have been “discovering the God of the universe” by learning over…

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7 “Excuse me, are you the gal who loaned me a quarter outside the store earlier?” I looked up from the dairy section of the Aldi grocery store to see a lady about my age talking to me. After repeating her question,…

Proverbs 14 “A relaxed attitude lengthens life; jealousy rots it away” (Proverbs 14:30, New Living Translation) Reading this translation, that is different from what I was used to, I was struck by this verse stating that a relaxed attitude extends one’s life. What does a “relaxed attitude” look like? In other translations, “relaxed attitude” is described as a tranquil, sound, and peaceful state of heart or mind, which gives life to our health or body. With compromised health over last…

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” It’s been almost two years since my stroke. At the beginning, some of my hope was to recover relatively fully. I was optimistic. I’m a glass half-full kind of girl. Now here I am in 2017 with significant limitations. Did my hope fail? Well, my hope in my health has, to an extent, failed. I’m not improving much. Perhaps at a snail’s pace. But in Christ we have…

Psalm 94 If I should say, “My foot has slipped,” Your loving-kindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. – Psalm 94:18, 19 I was reading these verses and they jumped out at me probably because that whole “anxious thoughts multiplying” thing was going on in my heart and mind. I do confess that I like math but not when it comes to the area of anxious thoughts. Why…

Psalm 28 “Blessed be the Lord! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” – Psalm 28:6-7 A few weeks ago, I felt like my mind was caught in a fog of irrational thinking and anxious thoughts. I knew I needed clarity to cut through it all, but…

Galatians 5 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self- control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23 This is a verse with which I have been acquainted for a long time, but recently one characteristic of the fruit of the Spirit really stuck out to me. At our life group someone talked about peace being an aspect of the fruit of the spirit, and I realized that I…

Joshua 24 “…In the future, when your children ask you, “What do these stones mean?” tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord…These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” – Joshua 24:6-7 God had just led the Israelites across the Jordan River by stopping the flow of flooding waters. He was making a statement to them AND to the inhabitants of the…

Psalm 37 “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4 A couple of months ago, I was debating if I should go to the Women’s Retreat this year. I love retreats and believe that it is a wonderful way to connect with God and other Godly women. I had great experiences with retreats in my earlier years of Christian life and miss those sweet moments. The challenge was that I…

Psalm 121 When I was a young believer at Stonebrook centuries ago… OK, 35 years ago… we routinely sang tunes put to Scriptures. What a great way to memorize the Word! Some of those songs still come to mind today. Brad and I were talking about one of them recently: Psalm 121. One day we even sang it in the car. He did most of the singing—since my stroke, I have trouble getting enough air to sing. But I can…

Hosea 2 Every once in a while, I will be reading along in my Bible and something will stop me dead in my tracks. I’m always surprised when I recognize something new even though I know I’ve read a passage before. Here’s my most recent from Hosea 2:14-23: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her. And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a…

Hebrews 10 “For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:14 I came across this verse again recently, and every time I do I find myself breathing a sigh of relief. It is such a reassuring statement for me. I see two promises in this verse that change my life completely. First of all, God considers me perfect. Not because of what I do, have done, or will do, but…

Romans 4 “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work* but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,” Romans 4:3-5. (*I’d like to note that in this verse, the word “work” means to try to earn God’s approval, not…