WORD up!

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the epistle of 1 Peter. I feel a great sense of urgency to publish them because I’m not sure how much time we have left on this big, blue marble. Thank you for reading them. 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, early summer 2010, things are still looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, and BP is taking a lot of heat over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 4 of 1 Peter. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… 4:1 – We are to...

Walking “Under the Influence” Role models can be incredibly influential.   Christ is your role model if you’re a believer.   How much influence does He have over you?   Are you living a life of love just as Christ loved us?   You can do all things through Christ – including love like Him.   But you’re powerless on your own to accomplish this. Do you know what grieves God?   Are you avoiding that sort of behavior?   Are you sinning anyway and counting on His grace?   Are you ignorant about God’s likes and dislikes?   Study God’s Word so you know what pleases Him and what displeases Him. We should obey His Word.   That’s how we show our love for Him – through obedience.   The days are evil.   We need to know and understand God’s will and walk in wisdom and discernment so that we may glorify Him.   I don’t do it right all the time.   I don’t do it wrong all the time, either.   We must constantly be givi...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the epistle of 1 Peter. I feel a great sense of urgency to publish them because I’m not sure how much time we have left on this big, blue marble. Thank you for reading them. 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, early summer 2010, things are still looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, and BP is taking a lot of heat over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 3 of 1 Peter. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… 3:1 – Christian...

Tripping Over Your Tongue?   Talk Your Walk Ahhhhh!   The tongue!   The bane of many an existence!   How problematic is your mouth?   When God transforms us, it affects what comes out of our mouths.   Paul teaches us to quit lying and speak truth.   God means what He says.   Shouldn’t His people live the same way? A runaway tongue can damage like a runaway train.   We need to be truthful and loving at the same time.   Even when we get angry – and it will happen – we are told not to sin in our anger.   We are warned not to give the devil a foothold on any aspect of our lives.   What are some ways to keep from sinning with our mouths?   Praise.   Prayer.   Thanksgiving.   Encouragement.   Forgiveness.   Any questions? Personally, I’ve found the best way to maintain the illusion of control over my tongue is to keep my mouth shut.   And when my thought life goes South, I wash my mind ...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the epistle of 1 Peter. I feel a great sense of urgency to publish them because I’m not sure how much time we have left on this big, blue marble. Thank you for reading them. 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, early summer 2010, things are still looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, and BP is taking a lot of heat over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 2 of 1 Peter. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… 2:1 – How many ...

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: David Hazelton and the book: The Simplified Guide: Paul's Letters to the Churches Deep River Books (September 5, 2013) ***Special thanks to Emily Woodworth for sending me a review copy.*** ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Like Paul, David Hazelton's professional background is in the law and business. He is a senior partner in a law firm in Washington, D.C., one of the nation's five largest firms. Dave...

Sit Down to Walk Lowliness, meekness, longsuffering, forbearance are four essential qualities for unity.   We must consider others better than ourselves.   We must correct gently and forgive each other.   We must persevere and not give up.   Which of these qualities do you struggle with most? The Spirit brings unity.   We are one body, with one Spirit.   We have one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God.   Does your own body of believers agree with this? Even so, we are not all the same.   We all have different gifts that God gives us to use to perfect the saints, to use for ministry, and to edify the body of Christ.   Read Ephesians 4:11, Romans 12:6-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 and compile a complete list of those gifts.   Do you know what gifts Christ has given you?    How did you discover it?   If you still don’t know your gift(s), speak with a trusted Bible study leader or Pastor for resources...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to MaryLuTyndall for having me as a member of her Motley Crew of Influencers and for sending me a copy of "Elusive Hope" to review for her. 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. MaryLu Tyndall’s “Elusive Hope” is an entertaining romantic adventure with a healthy dose of the supernatural.   Magnolia wants to leave the Brazilian community of New Hope to return to civilization in the United States and the fiancé she left behind.   Hayden is searching for his father to keep a promise made to his mother on her deathbed.   Their paths lead them to journey together and discover a mutual attraction that must be denied for their missions to be completed. Meanwhile, the community of New Hope is experiencing its own set of problems.   Mysterious visions are being seen by the citizens and an ancient temple ste...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the epistle of 1 Peter. I feel a great sense of urgency to publish them because I’m not sure how much time we have left on this big, blue marble. Thank you for reading them. 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, early summer 2010, things are still looking pretty bleak with the economy and unemployment, and BP is taking a lot of heat over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 1 of 1 Peter. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations… This epistle wa...

Sit Down Together The mystery of the Gospel is that Gentiles are grafted into the family of Jews.   Hallelujah!   We are called to unity in Christ.   Differences lead to conflict.   Petty issues that are preferential rather than core doctrine should be put aside to be unified. What are some of the barriers that divide families, communities, nations and the church?   What barriers exist in your own life?   What can you do to eradicate them?   How can we overcome our differences?   According to Ephesians 2:18, we have access to God through one Spirit.   If the same Spirit resonates in us, we’ve got the most important thing in common. Memorize:   Ephesians 2:22

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Song of Songs (also known as Song of Solomon), 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, late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there are allegations of racial profiling in Arizona and a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 8 of the Song of Solomon. Then return here and ponder ...

Sit Down to Walk Sit down to walk?   What?   In a nutshell, am I “doing” under my own power or God’s?   If I’ve been transformed by God, why do I sometimes revert back to old behavior patterns?   Who is winning the spiritual battle in me?   What is the believers’ vantage point of spiritual battles?   Since we are seated with Christ in the heavenlies, we have an aerial view of the battle – and it’s won! God loves us so much!   He gave us life.   He raised us up.   He gives us grace.   I recently heard the term “grace” as an acronym:   God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.   Awesome.   Accurate. I can’t earn my salvation.   But God planned for me to do good works.   If those works aren’t payment for my salvation, what is their purpose?   According to Matthew 5:16, John 9:1-3, Ephesians 1:12, 2:10 and Titus 3:8, those good works are so those who see them being done will praise God.   They are also...

Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the Song of Songs (also known as Song of Solomon), 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, late spring 2010, things are looking increasingly bleak with the economy, health care and unemployment, there are allegations of racial profiling in Arizona and a major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. 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 7 of the Song of Solomon. Then return here and ponder ...

Sit and Pray This week it’s time to sit and pray.   The Bible teaches us to live in an attitude of prayer.   That can be easier said than done on many days.   How often do you “really” pray?   Are you like me and find yourself praying so you can check that activity off of your “to do” list for the day?   Or maybe you pray because you know it’s expected, not because you want to encounter the Lord?   I’ve been there, too.   What keeps you from living the life of prayer God intended for you? Knowing God is the greatest treasure.   This was one of Paul’s top prayers for the Ephesians.   What do you pray for your siblings in Christ?   How well do you know God?   How has prayer helped you to know Him? Being filled with God’s fullness is to have all that God makes available to us so that He can show off His power on earth. God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work ...

First of all, I would like to extend a heartfelt “Thank you” to Jason DeRouchie and his publisher for sending me a copy of " What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About:  A Survey of Jesus’ Bible " 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. What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About:   A Survey of Jesus’ Bible edited by Jason DeRouchie is a full-color textbook housing valuable insight into the Scriptures of the Old Testament.   Shining the light of the gospel message onto Jewish traditions and the Law given to mankind in the earliest   Scriptures reveals the blueprint of God’s original plan for His people.   This book illuminates the shadow that is the Old Testament, refreshing these books for the palate of the New Testament student. This book is visually engaging and formatted for ease of use.   Digestible like a coll...