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Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Exodus. 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 you through this material. Stacey Take a few minutes to savor Exodus Chapters 11. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… 11:1-10 – plague #10 – plague of the firstborn. God defeats all false gods (of Egypt) including childbirth, healing and fertility gods. (Bes, Isis, Meshkenet, Menthu) What attributes of God have you observed in your study today? How will this change your relationship with Him?

About Sibella: Sibella Giorello grew up in Alaska and majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College . After riding a motorcycle across the country, she worked as a features for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. She now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons. Find out more about Sibella and her other books at her website. www.sibellagiorello.com About The Clouds Roll Away: Forensic geologist Raleigh Harmon returns home for Christmas but discovers Richmond , Virginia running low on goodness and light. Although her exemplary service in Seattle lifted her disciplinary transfer, Raleigh lands a hometown civil rights case riddled with problems that could get her sent away again. When she helps out a fellow cop, her life goes on the line, forcing her undercover in a sting operation. As Raleigh realizes the lines are crossing and double-crossing, her domestic life starts to unravel. Her mo...

“Love Remains” is a fabulous new novel by Kaye Dacus - the first in her “Matchmakers” series. Dr. Zarah Mitchell has changed in the last 14 years, or so her former beau, Bobby Patterson believes. Reunited by their church and their best friend (and matchmaking) Grandmothers, Zarah and Bobby try their best to be civil and distant despite their lingering feelings for each other. As they clear up several misunderstandings that forced them apart years earlier, romance blooms again. But can their love survive Bobby’s criminal investigation of Zarah and her boss? Dacus’ writing sparkles with anticipation and wisdom. Her characters are multi-dimensional and likeable. Her plot is complex and well-woven with several sub-plot aspects that make this tale a real page-turner. She creates conflict that seems natural, not contrived. This book reads so quickly and leaves me with such a warm feeling that happy endings do exist, I cannot wait for the second in the series.

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ Love by Lauraine Snelling When asked to write a Christmas message, one of my first thoughts was Do I climb up on my soapbox regarding changing the words in Christmas songs, using only holiday, etc. I thought about it and decided no. After all, they’re only words and what difference does a word make---really make after all? Then I kept on thinking. If they’re only words… But we as writers know the power of words, as do readers. When the wrong word is used, it jars, while the right word can be most p...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ An Unforgettable Gift by Karen O'Connor On Christmas morning, 1912, in Paducah, Kentucky, fourteen-year-old Charlie Flowers and his three brothers and two sisters huddled in their beds, fully dressed, trying to keep warm as the wind howled outside their small frame house.         It was a desperate time for the family. Earlier that year the children's father had died. And their mother had not found work. The coal had run out and there was little money––none for gifts. Their scrawny ...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Exodus. 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 you through this material. Stacey Take a few minutes to savor Exodus Chapter 10. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… 10:1-20 – plague #8 – plague of locusts. They devoured everything the hail didn’t destroy. 10:1 – God says He hardened Pharaoh’s heart. 9:24 says Pharaoh sinned by hardening his own heart. Which is it? 10:10 – Pharaoh tells Moses, “the Lord be with you.” WOW! These words drip with sarcasm. He only wants to let the Israelite men go to worship. 10:21-29 – plague #9 – plague of darkness. God defeats Ra, the sun god (and chief Egyptian deity) and any other sun or celestial gods. (Aten, Atum, Bast, Bat, Konsu, Kuk) 10:24 – Pharaoh loosens the bargain. Now...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ All I Want for Christmas… Is to be able to have Christmas this Year by Melissa Mashburn This is a simple request, isn’t it? In the previous years, we had great big bountiful Christmases with our family. Gifts, goodies and general Christmas cheer but this year it was different. The year before has been chock full of disappointments, failing businesses and severe cutbacks for our family.  Sitting with my husband one night we hammered out the bare minimum that we could spend that year for Christmas an...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ What’s the best thing about Christmas? by Maureen Lang The answer to that question will undoubtedly be different depending on the age and the faith of the person being asked. Most children will say it’s all about the gifts. Adults, even if they secretly still enjoy the gifts, will probably strive to sound more mature and say the holiday is all about friends and family. Still others might say it’s about tradition, or memories or the music or even the special food we connect to this time of year. The...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ Good News! by Deb Kalmbach The first Christmas card of the season arrived in my mailbox way back in August. How could anyone be that organized? Then I noticed my friend, Nita, had sent me a card I had written to her more than 20 years ago!    Memories rushed back as I read the words penned in my familiar handwriting. It was Christmas, 1991, and my world had unraveled. I could almost pretend everything was all right at this most wonderful time of the year—but not that year.    My husband Randy...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ Gift List by Tricia Goyer I've been thinking lately how hard it must be for Oprah to Christmas shop. I mean if you were on her "gift list" wouldn't you expect something really, really good? The woman gives away cars and trips to Australia on her television show for goodness sake! It seems by the end of Christmas Day her friends and family would look at the pile of presents and think, "Is that it?" I mean if you knew there was billions of dollars she could spend on you, w...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ Hurting Near Christmas? 10 Tips to Hope Again by Stacie Ruth Stoelting Feel sad this Christmas? Hey, I know the feeling. In fact, many programs have interviewed me to share about it! Last year, I tried particularly hard to share stories and tips on how to cope with grief during the holidays: I wrote a feature for CBN.com, Coping with Grief at Christmas , visited and counseled grieving people, etc. Then irony hit: Near Christmas, two people I loved died within two days (December 15-16, 2009). Are yo...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ Wrapped in His Love by Rebecca Ondov The temperature is below zero and dropping quickly—probably to -15 or lower. Old Man Winter gusted in a couple days ago, leaving cold temperatures and a foot of snow behind. Moments ago I bundled up in my long johns and Carhartts to go out and feed. Of course I had a warm horse blanket draped over my arm. When it’s below zero I wrap Czar in two horse blankets. Czar nickered as soon as he saw me coming. When I buckled up the blankets, it was as if I was wrapping ...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ There’s No Place Like…. by Melody Carlson I grew up spending Christmases at my grandparents’ quaint Victorian home, surrounded by lots of relatives, laughter and love and really good food. For a little girl growing up in a single parent home, harried working mother, no church family, and TV dinners, these extended family holidays spent at my grandparents were like a real gift from God. But as a young adult, my grandfather passed on, the old house was sold, I grew up and eventually had a small famil...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Exodus. 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 you through this material. Stacey Take a few minutes to savor Exodus Chapter 9. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… 9:1-7 – plague #5 – plague on livestock (horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats). But no animal belonging to the Israelites would die. God defeats Apis, the cattle god, a sacred bull worshiped by the Egyptians. (Bat, Hathor, Mnevis) 9:8-12 – plague #6 – plague of festering boils on Egyptians and their animals from the soot of the furnace. This is the first time man is touched by the plagues. Pharaoh had boils, too. 9:13-10:29 – The Lord’s defeat of Egypt’s air gods. 9:13-35 – plague #7 – plague of hail will kill every man and animal that ha...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as each post shares heartfelt stories of how God has touched a life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS!  Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ The Joy of Unexpected Circumstances by Lori Kasbeer The Christmas season is upon us again. Starbucks is selling their Christmas blend; stores are posting their holiday hours; and moms everywhere are making a list and checking it twice, planning for a special Christmas day. It has been our family’s tradition to spend Christmas with relatives.  Last year money was tight and we were unable to travel, this is not how we had planned to spend Christmas day but circumstances were beyond our control. Reali...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as Melody Carlson, Lauraine Snelling, Rachel Hauck, Tricia Goyer, Maureen Lang, and more share their heartfelt stories of how God has touched their life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! You may enter once a day. The winner will be announced on New Year's Day at the Pearl Girls Blog ! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ The First Christmas by Pat Ennis It was October of my eighteenth year of life when my Dad stepped into eternity. As a college freshman I not only had to deal with my own grief, I also was faced with the responsibility of helping my mother adjust to a new lifestyle. You see, when Dad died, she not only lost her husba...

Welcome to the 12 Pearls of Christmas ! Enjoy these Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along through Christmas day as Melody Carlson, Lauraine Snelling, Rachel Hauck, Tricia Goyer, Maureen Lang, and more share their heartfelt stories of how God has touched their life during this most wonderful time of the year. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! You may enter once a day. The winner will be announced on New Year's Day at the Pearl Girls Blog ! Pearls - a tangible reminder of God's grace to us all. ~~~ Wear Joy by Rachel Hauck Thanksgiving day in central Florida broke warm and sunny under a blue sky. The thin fall breeze beckoned me. Taking my bike out, I rode the neighborhood feeling so grateful for all my blessings. Joy bubbled up in my spirit. I’d been feeling it for a day, these waves of joy, but as I rode my ...

Hello - I'm thrilled to announce the 2nd Annual 12 Pearls of Christmas ! We've lined up several authors to share their Christmas "Pearls of Wisdom"! Please follow along beginning today (Monday the 13th) through Christmas day as Melody Carlson, Lauraine Snelling,  Rachel Hauck, Tricia Goyer, Maureen Lang, and more share their heartfelt stories of how God has touched their life during this most wonderful time of the year. We are also providing this series as free content for your own blogs (as 12 html posts) - if you'd like to share the 12 Pearls of Christmas with your blog readers email ( amy@litfusegroup.com ) and she'll send you the content. AND BEST OF ALL ... there's also a giveaway!!!! Fill out the quick form at the link located at the bottom of this post or any of the following 12 Pearls of Christmas posts (on any of the participating posts) to be entered to win a PEARL NECKLACE, BRACELET AND EARRINGS! You may enter once a day. The winner will be an...