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When the Unexpected Comes

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As my family settled down after the holidays, I received unexpected news that my father was rushed to the hospital. I drove down to sit with my mother at the hospital as he recovered. While sitting, I thought about the goodness of God. No matter the outcome in any of our situations, we have hope that all will be well. My mother mentioned that an acquaintance was waiting in the waiting room while she was at the ER. The woman's husband had been brought with chest pains. Unfortunately, he did not make it. My father will be going home in a few days, although the future is still unsure. We may not always know or like the outcome, but no matter what happens God's goodness remains the same. Those who call on the name of Jesus will be saved. This life is not the end. It's the starting point of an eternity with the one who loves you more than you could ever imagine. And one day, each of us will have the opportunity to see fully the price He paid to show us that love. What that me...
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Overshadowed By God

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  As Christmas approaches, we hear the Natvity story often. When I saw this scripture posted on a friend's news feed, a word really stood out to me, "overshadowed." In this passage, an angel has appeared to Mary to tell her she had been chosen by God to carry the Son of God. Though she was a virgin, the power of God would move and overshadow her. In the Greek, this word is episkzo. It means a divine, supernatural enveloping of God's glory and power. It was the same word used when the bright cloud covered Jesus at the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:5 and when God's glory filled the Tabernacle in Exedus 40:34-38. Imagine a very young girl, already engaged to someone. She is approached by God through an angel and told she would become with child and carry the Savior of the world. She had to face not only fear of facing the supernatural, but also fear of what would happen if what God said actually happened. Joseph could divorce her, leaving her shunned in a society ...
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Do You Suffer From Shopping ADHD?

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  As I prepared for holiday parties and numerous potlucks, I realized something . My family suffers from shopping ADHD. You may ask what shopping ADHD is. Let me explain. As I tried to squeeze two turkeys and two gallons of tea in my refrigerator, I noticed they wouldn't fit because it was already packed with condiments. That may not seem strange until you inventory the condiments. Three half-full bottles of barbecue sauces, three partial bottles of sesame oil, jars of jalapeños, and multiple jars of every kind of pickle. The list could go on and on. This is where the ADHD kicks in. I start to make a recipe and realize I need a certain condiment. The problem is I forget to check the refrigerator first. As I make the recipe, I find an already open bottle of whatever sauce I needed after I've already opened the new one. This process continues until my refrigerator is packed with multiple bottles of the same condiments. It's shopping ADHD! I allow chaos and busyness to distra...
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Scared Speechless

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  This weekend, I had the privilege of attending a women's Christmas party at Rockhaven Bible Camp with some dear friends. We had a great time playing games, which I'm probably a little too competitive, and listening to the story of Christ's birth.  As a sweet woman read Luke 1 from the Bible, something stood out to me. Luke is giving an account of Christ's birth. The chapter begins with a priest named Zechariah who one day was given the task of burning incense in the temple to worship God. As he did, an angel came and told him that God heard his prayers and would give him a son. The challenge? Elizabeth was old and had not been able to have any children before this, so a child seemed impossible. Zechariah expressed this to the angel who then told him because of his doubt, Zechariah would be unable to speak until the birth of the child. He was unable to speak until the birth of their child. When the time came to name their child, Elizabeth chose the name God had chosen...
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Anticipating Christmas

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I can remember Black Friday shopping as a child and later, a young parent. As a child, I grew up in a very modest household. There were some Christmas days when gifts were homemade and few. I didn't realize how little we had because I had so much love in my home. Love was what my childish heart craved more than things. That was why I never noticed lack because what I truly needed was not lacking. As I grew older, on a good year, we would rise before the crack of dawn to stand in a line in frigid temperatures to claim a J.C. Penny's Christmas ornament. Inside the ornament was a coupon for either a discount or gift certificate for purchases that day. When you're on a severe budget, that discount was the difference between little Christmas and gifts under the tree. We chose the stores with the best sales and continued the process by sale priority. It became a special tradition. My mom would send my father for a newspaper with sale ads the day before, and we would anticipate ...
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God Will Meet You There

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  There's been so much stress around lately that it's easy to pulled under by it. Eventually, the stress gets in your head, and you forget the peace that comes from the Father . We try to replicate that peace through breathing, massage, yoga, mindfulness, hobbies, and addiction, but nothing seems to bring it back. That's because it was never yours to produce. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart's be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (ESV)    This scripture points out the key to gaining peace, and it has nothing to do with us. We cannot generate true peace no matter what we do or try. The world gives temporary reprieves from stress, but it won't keep it at bay forever. True peace is a gift of the Father. When our world is crumbling, we grab onto His peace that holds steady, already knowing the outcome of every situation has been won by His blood. If you're struggling, do not...
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To Simply Trust

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Over the last few months, I've talked about trusting God a lot. I feel like these days are stressful, hard, and full of struggle. Because of this, the need to trust God is even more important. However,with all of these obstacles, the very reason we need to trust God is what makes it so hard to trust Him. While driving, a thought occurred that I think can challenge us all. So, here goes... have you noticed how easily we trust the FDA to determine what is good for us to eat?  There have been things that I enjoy eating; however, after the FDA has found it bad for us, I stop eating it. Not because I don't want it or it doesn't bring me pleasure, but because the FDA has found that it could harm me, so I abstain from eating it. Why is it that we can trust a government agency to decide what is good and not good for us without becoming angry or saying they are unfair, but we become angry when God tells us what is bad for us for the very same reason?  He does this because God knows...
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