Every trial we face in life is not only an opportunity to move forward; it’s also an opportunity to go backwards. We can either persevere and move forward toward maturity when we fall into trials, or we can move away from God, away from growth, and away from blessing, as we give in to despair or bitterness. Verse 12, with its promised crown of life for those who love God, […]
Read More →Category: Family time
Anticipating Good Friday
As we remember our Savior’s sufferings, death. and resurrection over the next few days, I would like to share again this collection of ideas for Good Friday, the day we remember Christ’s death on the cross. Here is another opportunity to remind your children of the gospel, and a chance to build anticipation as we approach Resurrection Day! Spend part of the day reading aloud the account of Jesus’s betrayal, […]
Read More →Thirty Days in Psalm 91 for Busy Mamas, Day 22: Really?
We’ve come to the hard parts of Psalm 91. What do we do with verses like this one? “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” And what about verse 10? “No evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.” They are wonderful words, but how do we reconcile them with the reality […]
Read More →Thirty Days in Psalm 91 for Busy Mamas, Day 11: Psalms Are for Singing
While we’re busy marking words, making lists, and looking for parallelism and imagery, we don’t want to forget that Psalm 91 was written to be sung, not just read and studied. As we sing the Psalms, we are singing God’s words back to Him. We’re praying, building each other up, expressing our joys and our sorrows, and reminding ourselves of God’s faithfulness. Here are a few musical versions of Psalm 91 to […]
Read More →Thirty Days in Psalm 91 for Busy Mamas, Day 8: Memorize
Psalm 91 is a psalm we need to have stamped on our hearts. We’re going to aim at memorizing the entire psalm, starting today. Don’t let the thought of memorizing sixteen verses intimidate you. Think of memorizing as just another level of studying the psalm. The Psalms, because they are poetry, are easier to memorize than some portions of Scripture. I think you’ll be surprised, too, at how easily you’ll memorize the […]
Read More →Thirty Days in Psalm 91 for Busy Mamas, Day 2: God
Today we’re going to start observing. We’ll notice all kinds of new things over the next few days as we slow down to take a closer look at what is actually in the text. What can we learn about God? To what is He compared? What does God say He will do? What are we told to do? What words and ideas are repeated? These are the kinds of questions we will […]
Read More →Time for a Change
I once heard a speaker liken her life as a grandmother to water skiing full speed, while she desperately tried to hang on to the rope. I didn’t understand at the time. What could possibly keep a grandmother that busy? Now I understand. This last year has been an especially strange season in my life. John and I live in a travel trailer and sleep in a bedroom in […]
Read More →More than One Day of Christmas
I love Christmas. My daughter-in-law says that, no matter what time of year it is when God finally takes me home to be with Him, the family ought to decorate for the funeral with Christmas decorations. That’s fine with me! When I was young (and even into my college days) I used to cry the night before we had to take down the Christmas tree. Christmas comes and goes so fast, […]
Read More →30 Days in 1 Samuel 25, Day 30: Reflect
We’ve reached the last day of our study! It’s time to review and reflect, but first we’ll take a quick look at the last few verses of the chapter. Assignment: Pray for the Holy Spirit to move in your heart, bringing about change in your thoughts, attitudes, and actions as a result of spending this past few weeks in 1 Samuel 25. Then read 1 Samuel 25:39-45. As you read, watch […]
Read More →30 Days in Ephesians 6, Day 9: Obey
Now that we have looked in a general way at Paul’s instructions to children, fathers, servants, and masters, let’s take a closer look at each of those commands. Word studies, cross-references, commentaries, and looking at other translations can all help us gain a better understanding of a verse or passage of Scripture, and free Bible study websites help us do this kind of studying in a fraction of the time […]
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