WORD up!

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Gospel of John, although they are a bit better formatted than former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, fall 2009 through late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, and godly principles of living being disregarded, there are floods in India, earthquake and tsunami in Samoa. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Seek His wisdom. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 21 of the bo

Video session 6 showcased a friend of Kelly’s who prayed for over a year about what God wanted her to do in ministry.   Now, Linda Leathers is the CWO of The Next Door, a facility dedicated to transforming the lives of women who have recently been released from prison.   She believes that one life transformed can affect an entire generation. Where am I?   Where do I need to be?   This can be a location, a discipline, a level of maturity.   Am I currently where God wants me?   Or am I set free but still living like a slave?   Several years ago I recognized that I was living like a slave.   I didn’t even realize I was living that way until Jesus rescued me from it. We need to show up where God wants us.   He’s going to do all of the work.   We just need to be present.   I don’t want to compete for His glory.   It belongs to Him.   I don’t want any of it.   I just want to serve Him.   I want to be on the lookout for where He is at work.   I want my heart to break for what breaks

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Gospel of John, although they are a bit better formatted than former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, fall 2009 through late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, and godly principles of living being disregarded, there are floods in India, earthquake and tsunami in Samoa. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Seek His wisdom. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 20 of the bo

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book! You never know when I might play a wild card on you! Today's Wild Card author is: Anita Agers-Brooks and the book: First Hired, Last Fired: How to Become Irreplaceable in Any Job Market Leafwood Publishers (August 13, 2013) ***Special thanks to Ryan Self for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Anita Agers-Brooks is a business and inspirational coach, certified personality trainer, productivity specialist, certified team training facilitator, marketing specialist, and nati

God rescues us.   He loves us as we are and changes us to be more like His Precious Son.   He gave us His Word to give us life!   His Word washes truth over us.   Recently, I was reading in Revelation and came across the verse that says Jesus’ name is the Word of God.   Jesus is God’s Word.   God gave us Jesus to give us life!   Jesus washes truth over us!   Hallelujah. This week, my idea of confession has changed a bit.   For years I have only thought of confession in the context of admitting my sin to God (or another person).   Now, my view has expanded to include the idea of confessing God’s character in worship of Him and in testifying to others.   I need to praise Him to break patterns of bad behavior. Kelly also reminded me that the older I get, the more history I have with God so I have that much more evidence of His faithfulness to me which can be used as ammunition against the devil’s schemes!   Hallelujah!   She presented a couple of other thought-provoking thoughts

Here's my review of this wonderful novel: First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Janice Thompson and her publisher for sending me a copy of "The Icing on the Cake" to review for them. I am truly grateful for this generosity. I really appreciate the time, effort and expense it takes to make a reviewer copy available to me. I didn’t think she could do it, but she did!   Janice Thompson actually made me like Armando Rossi!   In Thompson’s   latest novel, “The Icing on the Cake”, Scarlet, baker extraordinaire and business neighbor to the Rossis’ Parma John Pizzeria, is our delightful focus.   Armando Rossi is our leading man, which didn’t appeal to me much since I thought he was a flake in the earlier Rossi-inhabited novels.   But it turns out that Armando is not as shallow as he appeared previously.   Bravo, Ms. Thompson! I loved how the author made a plump lady the focal point of this romantic-comedy.   I wasn’t so enthusiastic whe

This Means Love:  Service Projects for Women Who Want to Make a Difference is a. Bible study and service project kit for small groups from Group Publishing.  The Bible study of 1 Corinthians 13 is a good beginner study.  However, the setup can be problematic.  I didn't have access to all of the DVDs for viewing and was unable to find the appropriate clips online.  Because everyone uses the same workbook, and the videos aren't mentioned in a leader guide, but in the study itself, some of the participants became disappointed and didn't engage in the discussion. We modified the service project that we did to collect personal items for family members of hospice patients and delivered them to the facility.  We also collected magazines, Bible study materials and small gifts for shut-ins and delivered the items while we visited with them. My group plans to continue meeting weekly and engaging in service projects several times a year.  Overall, this Bible study and service p

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Gospel of John, although they are a bit better formatted than former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, fall 2009 through late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, and godly principles of living being disregarded, there are floods in India, earthquake and tsunami in Samoa. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Seek His wisdom. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 19 of the bo

Lt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie's cozy life gets more complicated when she meets pharmacist Sgt. John Hutchinson. Hutch resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and hates how the war keeps him from his fiancée. While Georgie and Hutch share a love of the starry night skies over Sicily, their lives back home are falling apart. Can they weather the hurt and betrayal? Or will the pressures of war destroy the fragile connection they've made? With her signature attention to detail and her talent for bringing characters together, Sarah Sundin weaves an exciting tale of emotion, action, and romance that will leave you wanting more.   Here's my review of this wonderful novel: First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Sarah Sundin and her publisher for sending me a copy of "On Distant Sh

What is the difference between giving to the poor and identifying with them?   Would it be accurate to say that this is the same as throwing money at a problem versus rolling up your sleeves and diving into the mess to help fix it?   Kelly’s video message takes things a step further.   It’s about becoming one of them.   It’s about owning the “mess” we’re trying to fix.   There’s a difference in investment.   How invested are you in those to whom you minister? Imagine what it would have been like to return to a broken Jerusalem after being in captivity for 70 years.   If you’re one of the 41% of the population (according to 2010 statistics) who has moved away from their state of birth, you may know how these Israelites felt.   If you return to the neighborhood you grew up in after being away for a significant time, the changes can be significant.   For the Israelites, it was devastating because of the disrepair, broken walls, broken homes, looted businesses and the temple.   If y

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Gospel of John, although they are a bit better formatted than former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, fall 2009 through late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, and godly principles of living being disregarded, there are floods in India, earthquake and tsunami in Samoa. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Seek His wisdom. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 18 of the bo

The first two weeks of this study have been life changing for me.   I pray that you’re having the same experience.   Week three promises more of the same.   The chapter opens with a challenge to the student by asking the question:   “Do you know the name of a poor person?”   People are valuable.   People are treasured by God and should be treasured by His people.   Our investment in people is the work that will survive God’s test of fire at the end of time.   How are you investing? I may be getting ahead of myself, but this was an incredible week of study.   Kelly’s video teaching puts a significant emphasis on the term “disgrace” and what it means to live in disgrace.   Who do you know that lives in disgrace?   The point is that the poor matter.   How do I treat the poor? The study for the week was almost like an in-depth interview with each day’s considerations bringing me to my knees.   Here are the questions I asked myself this week as a result of my study time.   Use the

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Gospel of John, although they are a bit better formatted than former efforts. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses and encourages you through this material. I’m not sure of the condition of the world at the time of this publication. But at the time of its writing, fall 2009 through late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there is a renewal and increase of racism, and godly principles of living being disregarded, there are floods in India, earthquake and tsunami in Samoa. Are these the first stages of birth pains? The last? God only knows. And He is very busy these days. Seek His wisdom. Encourage each other. Pray. Jesus is coming to deliver His people and judge the wicked… Stacey Take a few minutes to pray and savor chapter 17 of the bo