Sweet To The Soul FAITH : Splendor (Issue 3)

splendor 1. brilliant light 2. Christ in majesty Grandeur, glory, majesty, sovereignty, glorious, radiant, preeminent, exalted, noble, honored, grand, heavenly, triumphant

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CONTENTS

BELIEVE 28 H E S HALL B E C ALLED 39 S CRIPTURE C ARDS 44 W AITING FOR G OD TO A NSWER Y OUR P RAYERS

WORSHIP 60 F REEDOM IN W ORSHIP 63 P RAYER C ARDS 66 D AILY W ORSHIPPING T HE K ING OF G LORY 70 A T HRILL OF HO PE

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 90 D EVO S ERIES 99 P RAYER C ARDS

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SOUL INSPIRED 130 D OODLES 101 128 W ORDSEARCH 133 J OURNALING T EMPLATES / C OLORABLE B OOKMARKS

UNLOCKING THE BIBLE L ETTER XX W RITING A L EGACY Darlene Schacht, Time Warp Wif 12 U NDERSTANDING B IBLE T RANSLATIONS 126 H ELPING K IDS G ROW IN T HEIR B IBLE K NOWLEDGE T HROUGH P LAY

FEATURES 14

B EYOND THE C HRISTMAS P AGENT Lori Ann Wood

104 T HE M OST E XTRAVIGANT V ALENTINES D AY Karen Friday

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CONTENTS

NEW YEAR 46 P ERMISSION TO P ROSPER IN THE N EW Y EAR : C REATING H EALTHIER H APBITS 50 I N EED O NE T HING — S IMPLICITY 54 M Y O NE W ORD

SOUL CARE 18 S ETTING B OUNDARIES FOR THE H OLIDAYS 20 W HEN G RIEF S TEELS C HRISTMAS

FAITH-FULL FELLOWSHIP 110 O N T HE M ENU : S IMPLICITY 112 M AKE - N -T AKE R ECIPES 118 S IMPLE H OSPITALITY 122 H OSPITALITY D OESN ’ T H AVE TO BE C OMPLICATED

IN EVERY ISSUE 6 A L ETTER F ROM THE E DITORS 10 S CRIPTURE R EADING L ISTS 65 C OMMUNITY B UZZ 42 E NCOURAGEMENT C ALENDAR 78 F ICTION S ERIES :L OVE P EACE & S ECOND C HANCES 137 R ESOURCES 140 O UR P RAYER

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MITZI NEELY Content Director / Editor In Chief JANA KENNEDY-SPICER Art Director / Crea ve Editor STEPHANIE K ADAMS Community Coordinator JODIE BARRETT Bible Study Coordinator TYANNE RAKOWITZ Business Administrator

Sweet To The Soul FAITH - The Splendor Journal Copyright © 2021 by Sweet To The Soul Ministries All rights reserved. www.SweetToTheSoul.com ISBN: 978-1-953718-12-9 Sweet To The Soul Ministries PO Box 785 Royse City, Tx 75189 No part of this publica on may be reproduced, distributed, or transmi ed in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior wri en permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quota ons embodied in cri cal reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permi ed by copyright law. For inquiries and permission request, contact through website: www.SweetToTheSoul.com Unless noted otherwise, all scripture quota ons are taken from the “ESV”, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edi on: 2011 Scripture quota ons marked “NIV” are taken from The Holy Bible: New Interna onal Version, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblicia, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

To order copies of this issue and access addi onal resources, visit www.swee othesoulFAITH.com To inquire about ordering in quan es of 10 or more, please email info@swee othesoul.com For informa on regarding adver sement opportuni es, please email info@swee othesoul.com

CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS: Stephanie K Adams, Real Women Ministries Jodie Barre , Faithfully Following Ministries J. E. Berry, J. E. Berry Speaks Kris ne Brown, More Than Yourself Sue Carroll, Doodles 101 Ellen Chauvin, Soaked and SprouƟng Sue Moore Donaldson, Her View From Home Natalia Drumm, A Wife Like Me Karen Friday, Karen “Girl” Friday Carmen Horne, Women’s Hope Coach Christa Hutchins, Do A New Thing Lisa Johnson, Thank Goodness It’s Recess Elaine Lankford, Transforming Love Ministries Amy Elaine Mar nez, Amy Elaine Ministries, Past to Power Podcast Mitzi Neely, Peacefully Imperfect Ministries Michelle Nietert, Your Mental Health Coach Cyndee Ownbey, Women’s Ministry Toolbox Melanie Davis Porter, Courage to Endure Tyanne Rakowitz Melanie Redd, melanieredd.com Diana Rockwell Jodi Melissa Slaughter Jana Kennedy Spicer, Sweet To The Soul Ministries Rachel Stallard Mary Kathryn Tiller, New Mercies for Moms Tisha Walker Lori Wood, loriannwood.com ARTWORK CONTRIBUTORS: Sue Carroll, doodles101 Jana Kennedy Spicer PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS: Terri Hill

Unless otherwise noted, artwork, graphics and photography licensed stock images.

FOLLOW SWEET TO THE SOUL on facebook: @Sweet.To.The.Soul.Ministries on Instagram @jana_swee othesoul

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Welcome, Friends, to the Splendor Journal!

Winter is my other favorite season of the year. While I look forward to the chill in the air and the occasional dus ng of snow, the real reason for the season is the birth of Jesus Christ and all things Christmas; it's the me to welcome a new year that brings fresh starts and new chances, and it's the opportunity to celebrate the month of love pa erned a er God's love for us.

As you dive into this issue, you will see why the word splendor was chosen. The defini on of splendor means magnificence, brilliance, pomp, glory, grandeur, and light. The content in this beau ful journal depicts the theme on so many levels, from devo onals focusing on the A ributes of God to feature stories shining a light on worship, to the encouragement calendar, and more.

Genesis 1:3-4 says, "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness."

Can you imagine the explosion of light at the beginning of me as well as the sheer brilliance of the magnificent star that shone over Bethlehem when Christ was born?

I pray you will use this journal to meditate on the goodness and promises of Jesus as you draw near to Him. Find your happy place, grab a cup of joe or hot cocoa, and celebrate Him with thanksgiving and gladness, sing praises of holy splendor to His Name, and spend quiet me with Him. I promise you'll be joyfilled in the rela onship you cul vate with Jesus, the ‘Light of the World.’

Blessings to you!

The book featured in our photo is “He Shall Be Called: A Devotional Series About The Names of Jesus Foretold by Isaiah”. Available from Amazon or at SweetToTheSoulShoppe.com 6

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Can’t you just hear the music?

When we think about the winter season we automa cally think Christmas. Can’t you just see an image of sparkling lights and a young child’s face full of awe and wonder?

Photo by Terri Hill on location at Designs by Dylan, Longview, Tx

While envisioning this sight, it struck me, do we look at Christ with the same awe?

Have we made God so casually approachable that we’ve lost our ability to see the splendor of who God really is? Do we enter his presence like we’re mee ng a friend at Chick-Fil-A or as Moses did, having his countenance physically changed from being in the presence of God’s glory? (Exodus 33-34) In this Winter issue of Sweet To The Soul FAITH, we will explore what we believe about Jesus by looking at the names he is given in Isaiah; we will study what Scripture teaches us about the a ributes of God; and we will talk about worship in a new way which moves us beyond music to understanding that all we say and do is a worship offering to our Heavenly Father.

There’s all that and lots more!

As you read through The Splendor Journal I pray you meet with God in a wonderful and fresh way, that you find encouragement as you move into the new year and that you are richly blessed by the words of our authors.

Blessings,

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A SCRIBE TO THE L ORD THE GLORY DUE HIS NAME ; BRING AN OFFERING AND COME BEFORE HIM !

W ORSHIP THE L ORD IN THE

splendor OF HOLINESS ; 1 C HRONICLES 16:29

BELIEVE

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John 11:27 Luke 1:45 Hebrews 11:6 Mark 11:23 Romans 4:3 Matthew 9:28 Romans 6:8 Jude 1:5 Titus 3:8 Psalm 27:13 John 12:36 Numbers 14:11 John 3:16 John 4:50 Psalm 119:66 John 20:31 1 John 3:23 Acts 10:43 Acts 2:44 John 8:24 1 Thessalonians 4:14 Isaiah 28:16 Galatians 2:16 Mark 5:36 Romans 10:9 Acts 16:1 2 Timothy 3:14 John 1:7 Galatians 3:22 John 20:31 Ephesians 1:13

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Scripture

Reading Lists

WORSHIP

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John 4:24 Psalm 95:6 Romans 12:1-2 Hebrews 13:15 Luke 4:8 Psalm 29:2 Hebrews 12:28 Psalm 99:5 Psalm 96:9 Matthew 4:10 Psalm 66:4 Psalm 132:7 1 Chronicles 16:29 Colossians 3:16 Revelation 14:7 Psalm 71:8 John 4:21-24 Ephesians 5:19 Revelation 4:11 Isaiah 25:1 Psalm 150:6 Exodus 34:14 1 Peter 2:5 Psalm 100:2 1 Peter 2:9 Romans 14:11 Exodus 15:2 Isaiah 29:13 Psalm 59:16 Psalm 138:2 Revelation 15:4

ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

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Hebrews 12:2 John 6:35 Romans 8:29 Genesis 1:1 Psalm 116:8 Deuteronomy 33:27 Isaiah 6:1 Deuteronomy 7:9 John 15:1 Colossians 1:18 Exodus 3:14 Psalm 7:17 Psalm 47:7 John 4:10 2 Corinthians 5:17 Ephesians 4:13 Psalm 119:151 John 16:33 Ruth 4:14 Zephaniah 3:17 2 Corinthians 3:18 Psalm 103:12 2 Corinthians 4:16 Exodus 15:2 John 14:26 Philippians 3:21 James 1:17 John 15:5 Isaiah 25:8 Colossians 3:4 Isaiah 9:7 W INTER 2021 | S WEET T O T HE S OUL FAITH

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I stood in the aisle of the local bookstore as my eyes scanned the line of Bibles. Three shelves stacked with different Bibles. Hard cover, so cover, floral prints, large print, slim format, NIV, ESV, KJV, NLT, Women’s Bibles, Study Bibles, Amplified Bibles and Catholic Bibles. My mind raced and anxiety mounted.

All I wanted was a new Bible for the women’s Bible study group I was going to start a ending. What if I buy the wrong Bible? Is it even possible to buy a wrong kind of Bible? Why do Catholics have a different Bible? I had grown up in church. How was it possible that I didn’t know what kind of Bible to buy for myself?

Understanding Bible Translations NATALIA DRUMM

If you’ve ever wondered about all the different types and translaons of the Bible, rest assured, you are not alone. Take a deep breath and relax. Bible transla ons are important, but they’re not the most important. The most important thing is that we read the Bible. As my seminary professor said when we studied the nuances of transla ons and theology, “The best Bible transla on you can buy is the one you’ll actually read.”

So, let’s start at the beginning. The original language of Scripture is Hebrew in the Old Testament and Aramaic or Greek for the New Testament. As Chris ans, when we speak about the Bible being the “inerrant Word of God” what we mean is the original wri ng of Scripture is without error, inspired by God, and wri en by the hands of human writers as commanded by God. Bible transla ons come into play through the centuries as the Scriptures are copied and dispersed among the people. Language translators take the original language of Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic and then translate the words into the language it’s to be read in.

The first transla on of Scripture is called the Septuagint, which is the Hebrew Old Testament translated into Greek. This was established by the second century BC.

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Jerome, in the 5th Century AD, translated the Hebrew and Greek into La n which became the LaƟn Vulgate (the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church). This Bible contains 7 extra books not included in the Protestant Bible and called Apocryphal Books––these books tell of historical events that happened in the 400 years of silence from God to the prophets, so they are considered “ecclesias cal” (good for the church) but not inspired by God. Hence why they aren’t included in Protestant Bibles.

TYPES OF TRANSLATIONS Word-for-Word Transla ons: in these Bible translaons the theologians and linguis c scholars are looking to find the exact English word that best matches the original Hebrew or Greek word in the original text.

These transla ons include the King James Version, New King James Version, New American Standard Bible and English Standard Version.

As kingdoms shi ed, and the language of the people shi ed from one language to another, it became evident to leaders in the church that the people needed the Word of God. The problem was that the only copies of the Bible were in languages the people didn’t speak. During the Reforma on, some, such as Mar n Luther, translated por ons of Scripture into German for the people, and Wycliff translated the Bible into English in 1400 but it contained errors. Tyndale came along with a desire to provide an English transla on for the people and completed the work of Wycliff to correct errors in transla on, and get the Word of God into the hands of people in the language they spoke.

Though-for-Thought Transla ons: in these Bible transla ons the scholars take the original text in the original language and break down the thoughts being conveyed, then translate those phrases of text into the English language to convey the idea while not worrying about the exact word that matches it in the new language. Think of how one would translate an idiom, or regional saying, from English into Spanish. The word-to-word transla on may not make sense to the speaker of Spanish, so the translator may take the general idea from the phrase in English and translate into Spanish so the hearer can understand the meaning and not just the word.

Which gets us to the English version of Scripture we have in our hands today. The Bible in your home is a translitera on. That means it was taken from the original language and translated into English, but because not everything in one language has an equal transla on in another language, the words are transliterated to convey the accurate meaning in the language it’s being read in. Which is how we get to so many different versions of Bible transla ons on the shelves of our bookstores today.

These transla ons include the New Interna onal Version, New Living Transla on, and Chris an Standard Bible.

Because languages differ and not everything translates from one language to another, translators are faced with the task of ge ng the original meaning of the original text conveyed into the new language. So, our Bibles today are translated in a word-for-word transla on, a thought-for-thought transla on, or a paraphrase transla on––hence all our versions.

Paraphrase Transla ons: in these Bible transla ons scholars take the stories of Scripture and retell them in conversa onal or narra ve form to break down the meaning in simplis c terms of the most common form of the language. They can be great to help give idea of the meaning, but are less accurate in regard to the original form of the text because they are being retold in modern language rather than simply transla ng a word from one language to another. These versions are popular for younger readers or new readers to Scripture.

These transla ons include: The Message, New Interna onal Readers Version, and Contemporary English Version.

NATALIA DRUMM is is a graduate student at Dallas Theological Seminary and founder and creator of Girlfriends in the Word™ where she leads Bible study groups and produces study books and resources for busy women to grow in God’s Word. She also writes for Lifeway Women, A Wife Like Me and Sweet to the Soul. Visit her website at

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Beyond the Christmas Pageant LORI ANN WOOD

WE CHECKED THE CAST LIST CAREFULLY, HOLDING OUR BREATH. My daughter had audi oned for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, the saga of the unruly Herdman kids, at our community theatre. She had read a generic part, but hoped secretly to be Beth Bradley, the main character and narrator of the story. The descrip ons on the call materials said Beth had a tradi onal family and belonged to a church; she had friends in the choir and looked like everyone else.

We were shocked to see that my daughter was instead chosen for Imogene Herdman, the eldest of the outcast clan that would wreck the holiday produc on and almost burn down the church. At first, she didn’t want to play the rude, smoking, poorly-dressed character. She cringed at the thought of her homeroom class from school coming to the ma nee in a few weeks. The director asked if my daughter would accept the role. He explained it was tricky to pull off. It took someone who could change the audience’s mind and preconceived no ons. Fla ered, my daughter reluctantly accepted the challenge.

Not having read the book, neither of us realized that Imogene would end up in a play of her own, a play within a play. In the story, Imogene would be selected for an unlikely role, too, in the church’s Christmas pageant. The ragtag girl would be chosen to portray Mary, the mother of Jesus.

As I watched my 14-year-old daughter on that stage in the manger scene, I saw through Imogene’s eyes how close Mary’s role is to each of our own. I started to realize how Mary may be the most relatable figure in the na vity set:

WE

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ARE ALL HIGHLY FAVORED , CALLED TO A SPECIAL PURPOSE IN THE

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K INGDOM .

Mary may be the most relatable figure in the nativity set: We are all highly favored, called to a special purpose in the Kingdom.

“Favor” means God is entrus ng part of His story to us.

“Do not be afraid Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1: 30-33, NIV For Mary, God’s favor existed in this: Her unusual pregnancy came wrapped in the grace to carry her through it. Not because she was special, but because she was His. The Bible doesn’t say Mary was chosen because she led an exemplary life. In fact, Scriptures reveal very li le about Mary’s prior life.

Mary was depicted as naive, unassuming, un-noteworthy—as each one of us. Any me God grants difficult favor, He offers communicated grace. He has an important plan for His child, a plan for us to be part of His con nuing story of redemp on. No prior experience required.

N ONE

OF US ARE GUARANTEED THAT

G OD ’ S

FAVOR WILL BE AN EASY ASSIGNMENT .

God’s granted favor will not always be straigh orward, or convenient, or even make sense.

My daughter’s role wasn’t easy or comfortable, but nothing compared to the favor bestowed on Mary. Decades a er the embarrassment and ques ons surrounding her pregnancy, Mary faced humilia on again. Mary not only endured the demeaning, gruesome public death of her Son, but she did it alone. The Bible doesn’t men on when Joseph died, but Mary showed up at the crucifixion

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We carry God not in our wombs but in our hearts, as the Holy Spirit comes to dwell.

without her husband. Some historical accounts put Joseph’s death near the end of Jesus’s teenage years. She likely lived decades as a widow…and many more years without her son.

W E,

TOO , CARRY

G OD

WITHIN US .

“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35, NIV We carry Him not in our wombs but in our hearts, as the Holy Spirit comes to dwell. “God within us” always requires sacrifice. It did for my daughter and, in a much more significant way, for Jesus’s mother. Mary was engaged to a great guy from a respected family. With the wedding approaching, her future was falling into customary line, full of fresh hopes and glossy expecta ons, none of which included a pre-marriage pregnancy and all the repercussions and assump ons that would come with it.

later when Jesus was lost at the temple, as noted in Luke 2:50.) Likewise, my daughter didn’t know by accep ng the role, she would be central in the messy manger scene. We can all relate to this in some way. This is not how I saw things unfolding.

What will people think? Yet Mary trusted God to eventually fill in the blanks: “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Luke 1:38, NIV

A

FAITHFUL FRIEND CAN HELP REVEAL

THE FAVOR WHEN UNWELCOME CIRCUMSTANCES CLOUD OUR VIEW .

WE

DON ’ T GET THE FULL PICTURE EITHER .

Though the angel gave Mary a few insights into what was happening, the unprecedented nature of her assignment surely le more ques ons than answers. (Mary didn’t fully understand even years

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Luke 1:38

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Once my daughter’s class had ckets to the play, they started reading the book in Literature to prepare them for the storyline. A friend from her school commented on how exci ng it must be to play a role so unlike your own personality. It made

all the difference for my daughter. Similarly, a er some support from her cousin Elizabeth, Mary accepted her assignment. Elizabeth’s words boosted Mary’s vision of her own situa on: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” Luke 1:42, NIV

T HE

KEY TO WORSHIP IS RECOGNIZING

OUR PERPLEXING SITUATION , AND ACCEPTING

G OD ’ S

DIFFICULT FAVOR .

Without knowing all the answers, without understanding every step, before realizing the full impact of God’s favor, Mary was ready to worship.

During her visit with Elizabeth, Mary voiced the Magnificant (Luke 1:46-55, NIV): “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generaƟons will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.”

I’ll never forget my daughter’s face beaming from

her shabby costume as Imogene sang the Christmas carols in the final scene.

My daughter and I saw the part of Imogene Herdman (and Mary) differently by the me the curtain fell on closing night. Though she would s ll have preferred the safer, cleaner role of Beth, the unpalatable part my daughter was given turned out to be just what we both needed to see ourselves within the Christmas story.

That Christmas produc on took place in 2004. The difference was, we could flip to the end of the script to see how the story ended. Mary couldn’t, and we can’t in real life. In a couple months, that reluctant young actress playing Imogene/Mary will become a mother herself. She will occupy a very different role in in a very different world than I did as a young mom: a post-internet, post-9/11, postCOVID world. But a er that Christmas season 17 years ago, my daughter is ready to take on this new, oblique assignment. She understands the favor, even if she doesn’t know all the answers.

She’s accep ng His grace for the challenges she knows lie ahead. And because of that, she’s ready to worship…in whatever her role turns out to be.

LORI ANN WOOD currently serves as founding leader of the Parenting Education Ministry at the Church of Christ in Bentonville. She also serves as WomenHeart Champion Community Educator for Arkansas and American Heart Association Ambassador. Having discovered a serious heart condition almost too late, Lori Ann writes to encourage others to find joy in the divine detours of life. Read more from her at loriannwood.com.

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Setting Boundaries FOR THE HOLIDAYS MICHELLE NIETERT

AS THE HOLIDAYS APPROACH this month, people in our counseling offices o

en express joy at

seeing their loved ones and also have lots of ques ons about interac ng with both their adult family of origin members and their adult children.

Below are seven quick ps you can use to have posi ve conversa ons and enjoy your me together as well as protect yourself and others if things take a turn for the nega ve.

Come into gatherings well rested and with a posi ve mindset. When we are hungry, feeling insecure, or red, emo onal self regulaon is a difficult task for our bodies and brains.

Be cau ous about offering advice without being asked and if someone offers you some, thank them and let them know you’ll consider their opinion. If a topic of disagreement won’t end, change the subject or leave the room.

If you are in a crowd and there is someone you are struggling with emo onally or rela onally, try not to be alone one on one with them. Time and space are great ways to set boundaries.

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Come up with a couple of phrases in advance you can use that are both loving but set a firm line in the sand.

Avoid paren ng your adult children as they return home. Even if you are having to watch them make decisions you don’t agree with, it is best to keep your mouth closed during the holiday season and choose another me and when they invite you into the conversa on to speak your mind. You may need to remind internally yourself you are no longer responsible for their choices. Your paren ng job is over.

If you have teenagers or small children in your home, be realis c about your expecta ons about their behavior. This is not a me to work on their character development but instead to allow them to have the down me they need as well. Allow for mes when they can be alone in their rooms or have quiet me so they can reboot as well.

If all else fails, take a nap. Hiding in your room and rese ng your thoughts and emo ons will only help a difficult situa on. Some mes a break gives a new perspec ve and let your brain se le and find a more logical response to a difficult situa on.

So o en, girls and women give in to the lies that how they look and how popular they are determines their worth. But as children of God, we can have the confidence that we are loved, protected, secure, whole, and valuable because God is our heavenly father.

Loved and Cherished equips girls ages 8–12 to: • Discover perfect, uncondi onal love in God, and that she doesn’t have to perform or be perfect to receive that love.

• Know she has God’s protec on, despite living in an o en-scary world.

• Let go of heartaches, fears, and failures, because she has the love she needs to face it.

• Build a strong founda on of faith on the love who will never leave her so she can face the challenges of growing up.

MICHELLE NIETERT has been a professional counselor for 20 years and owns a counseling center in the Dallas area.

Previously, she served as a crisis counselor for a large school district. Michelle's goal is to provide practical biblical solutions for you by answering your questions regarding mental health.

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When Grief

Steals Christmas ELLEN CHAUVIN

It has been over ten years since my mama passed away.

By far, that was the most difficult circumstance in life that I have ever walked through. It’s a hard thing to lose a mama. Mom's death threw me into a pit of grief that I did not think I would ever crawl out of. I wasn’t sure I could ever claw my way to the surface and see the light of day again.

Learning to func on in the day-to-day, while trying not to break down in sobs, became my new normal. I worked full days and did a fantas c job of hiding the tears that would spring up suddenly. Only my sweet husband realized the depths of my sorrow. He asked if I needed to talk to someone - a pastor, a counselor. And tell them what, exactly? That my heart had been ripped out of my body? That my grief was a literal pain in my heart?

Dear one, if this is how Christmas finds you, please know you are not alone.

May I share with you a few things I learned all those years ago?

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ALLOW yourself me to grieve. Oh, I know, I know. Life goes on, the world keeps turning and you only get three days of funeral leave. But don’t tamp down those feelings you have. Don’t push them aside. Give yourself me and space to grieve. Visit with your family. Talk about your loved one. Those memories you made together? Remember them! Look through pictures and share your stories. It’s okay to grieve.

KNOW that grief is a long, winding road with lots of twists and turns, hills and valleys. Many days you won't be able to see the forest for the trees.

Grief is a slow process. The deeper the love, the deeper the pain. Grief will blindside you when you least expect it. You may be in the grocery store looking at bunches of bananas and suddenly burst into tears. Shoppers around you will give you strange looks, wondering if they should call the EMTs. But the thing is, those bananas reminded you of homemade banana pudding. It only tasted okay, but that banana pudding had cups full of love as the main ingredient.

Grief rears its ugly head at the most inopportune mes. Know this will happen.

Know this is normal. And don’t worry about what the people in the produce sec on think about your flood of tears.

ASK for help. If you find that your grief is overwhelming you, please ask for help. Go to your pastor or find a counselor. There is no shame in needing someone to guide you through this hard process. Professional counseling is a gi from God. Let them help you. Be thankful you don’t have to walk this road alone.

CLING to Jesus. Reach out, grab the hem of His cloak (Luke 8:43-48) and hang on for dear life! Hold on to Jesus with all you’ve got. Read His Word, even though it may not soak into your soul. Read devo ons for those who are grieving. Pray, even if you have no words. Groan if you must (Romans 8:26).

Grab Jesus and don’t let go! His grace is sufficient. It is a supernatural, enabling grace that will carry you (or drag you) through the darkest days of your life. It really is amazing.

When the Grinch of grief steals the joy of Christmas, cling to Jesus.

Jesus is our Comforter (2 Corinthians 1:3). We can bring all our tears and weep on His capable shoulders. He is faithful and will wipe away our tears and ease

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

Romans 8:26

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, “ 2 Corinthians 1:3

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“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,“ John 14:16

our pain. Warren Wiersbe cau ons that we shouldn’t think of God’s comfort in terms of sympathy, but strength. “He puts strength into our hearts so we can face our trials and triumph over them.” Our English word comfort comes from two La n words meaning : His comfor ng strength will hold you up each and every day.

Jesus is also our Counselor (John 14:16-17). Listen for His voice and guidance.

He will put people in your life that will come alongside you and help you navigate this season of ups and downs. When you find yourself trudging up steep hills only to slip back down into the valley of grief, grab hold of the hand that is offered to you. You don’t have to walk this road alone.

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 ESV Jesus is faithful. He will not leave or abandon you. While you may not feel His presence every second of every hard day, know He is with you always.

Christmas may not seem all that merry and bright this year. But, when you cling to Jesus, the light of the world, your tender, hur ng heart will slowly mend. Oh, yes, there will be a scar. Your fingernails will be broken and torn from clawing your way out of the darkness. But you will see Son light again!

Heavenly Father, God of all comfort, wrap Your strong arms around my grieving friends. Whisper sweet words of hope into their hurƟng hearts. Bring others into their lives to walk alongside them during this hard season and beyond. Pour Your oil of gladness over my friends, and collect all their tears in a boƩle. Bring laughter back into their lives, and healing into their hearts. In the sweet and precious name of Jesus, Amen.

ELLEN CHAUVIN is a blogger whose goal is to bring the abundant life of Christ to you by the written word and photos. She has a passion for sharing God’s word and strives to nurture in you a thirst for God’s Word.

Soaked and Sprouting…Soaked in God’s Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith.

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Books We Love We are loving these books from our authors. From learning to live like you truly trust God, finding your words through grief to a fresh shift in perspective, you will love these books too!

Out of Words

by Carmen Horne

Press On

by Gretchen Fleming

Cinched

by Kristine Brown

Healing feels impossible when our hearts are so shattered that words fail us. When the pain is so great, we cannot pray, we long for gentle guidance and profound wisdom to guide our journey back to trust. As you process each day with questions you will rediscover the words to ask God to tenderly care for and heal your broken heart.

If you are weary or overwhelmed, then want this book! You will find a new perspective that can make all the difference! Seeking God’s wisdom and perspective opens us up to more than just the rescue desperately needed.

Do you ever question, “Am I living like I trust God?” Are you trudging through life rocked by your circumstances? Come find the truth your soul is needing through the story of Rahab as Kristine takes us on a journey with this fierce woman of the Bible, uncovering 10 lessons to help us trust God like we mean it.

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B LESSED

IS

she who believed THAT THERE WOULD BE

A FULFILLMENT OF WHAT WAS SPOKEN TO HER FROM THE

L ORD ..

L UKE 1:45

ABBA FATHER, WE GIVE YOU THANKS FOR WHO YOU ARE AND PRAISE YOU FOR YOUR GOODNESS. FATHER, HELP US REMOVE THE CHAOS AND THE DISTRACTIONS THAT CAUSE US TO LOSE FOCUS ON

YOUR PROMISES.

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Prayer by Tyanne Rakowitz

YOU TELL US WE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS WITH FAITH AS SMALL AS A MUSTARD SEED. BECAUSE OF OUR FAITH IN JESUS, WE BELIEVE HE IS THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. THE ONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. WE HUMBLY SURRENDER TO YOU AND TRUST IN YOUR MIGHTY HAND. STANDING FIRM IN OUR FAITH AND RESISTING THE DEVIL. WITH YOU, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE. CLEANSE OUR SOULS FROM SIN AND AWAKEN OUR HEARTS TO RECEIVE YOUR WORD. IN JESUS’ NAME. AMEN

beLIeve

S HE

SAID TO HIM ,

Yes, Lord, I Believe C HRIST , G OD ,

THAT YOU ARE THE THE

S ON

OF

WHO IS COMING INTO THE WORLD .”

J OHN 11:27

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He Shall Be Called STEPHANIE K. ADAMS

Nothing sparks nostalgia quite like Christmas.

Beau ful decora ons with twinkly lights, the wonderful smell of our favorite foods, and the giddy an cipa on of children wai ng to unwrap packages, these are the things we look forward to all year as we slow our pace to spend me with our families.

There’s nothing quite like gathering to enjoy long held tradi ons and making memories for genera ons to come.

Simply put, Christmas is magical. Yet, if we focus only on these things, we miss the true splendor of Christmas.

IMMANUEL, GOD WITH US 'Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.’

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

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While all the sights, sounds, and tastes of Christmas are truly magical, the real splendor of Christmas is that God drew near to His people, and became Immanuel, God with us.

God is so much more than a far-off God si ng in Heaven. In every season and circumstance we face, He is everything we need when we call on His name.

As the young virgin Mary brought forth the Messiah into a humble manger se ng, God was no longer far off, but now dwelling among His children.

AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED

There is nothing more special or awe-worthy than the Creator of the universe stepping out of heaven to slip-in close beside His beloved crea on to be present with them through the joys and sorrows of life.

To know we have a God who is with us, wiping our tears when we face tragedy, holding us close when we are fearful, and relishing in our joy when we celebrate the good in life, is truly a marvelous gi .

Recently, my family encountered God as Immanuel while we walked through a hard season. We felt His peace as we grieved the long goodbye to a loved one, and witnessed His faithfulness to be present in the middle of the night as our daughter faced a health crisis. We also felt His goodness as we held our first grandchild, and celebrated with our son in a recent career accomplishment.

Over many seasons of sorrow and joy, the depth of hard places and the heights of rejoicing, He has always made His presence known - Immanuel, God with us, ever present, holding our hands, wrapping His arms around us, and cheering us on.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlas ng Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 ESV As you read through this sec on, we hope to help you focus your a en on not just on Immanuel, but also explore what you believe about Jesus based on the names Isaiah uses when wri ng about the promised Messiah: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlas ng Father, Prince of Peace.

Through this four-part devo onal, our contribu ng writers will highlight each of these names, help us understand examples from the Bible, and share with us how He has shown up as one of these in their lives.

As you read through this series, it is our sincere prayer that you encounter God as Immanuel, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlas ng Father, and Prince of Peace.

STEPHANIE K ADAMS is the founding Director of Real Women Ministries, where she equips women with resources for Bible Study and prayer. She is passionate about helping women find me for God’s Word in the midst of their busy lives.

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Our Everyday Counselor CARMEN HORNE

What is your “why”? This ques on is an

Mighty God, EverlasƟng Father, Prince of Peace.”

important one to ask ourselves when beginning something new. I have pondered my answer to this ques on in the untold number of courses, webinars, and books I have completed on wri ng and publishing.

As a Board-Cer fied Chris an Life Coach, Jesus’ name “Wonderful Counselor” intrigues me. I have significantly benefited from a good Chris an counselor’s healing words, o en referring clients to Chris an counseling.

Why do I want to do this, and why do I believe God calls me to do it?

As Jesus stood to teach at the Nazareth synagogue in the earliest days of His public ministry, He knew His “why.” He quoted the prophet Isaiah’s revelaons (61:1-2 NLT) about the coming Messiah as His opener:

The word Wonderful (noun not an adjec ve) is pele’ (peh'-leh) a miracle — marvelous thing, wonder (-ful, -fully). Counselor is ya’ats (yaw-ats’) to advise; reflexively, to deliberate or resolve -- adver se, take advice, advise (well), consult, (give, take) counsel(-lor), determine, devise, guide, purpose (KJV Lexicon).

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that capƟves will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the Ɵme of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Jesus is our Miracle Advisor. I par cularly like the word resolve in the Counselor’s defini on. He is our Miracle Advisor who helps us resolve situaons and guides us toward our purpose. How does Jesus do this? Through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

He then rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the a endant, and sat down. As a young Hebrew boy, Jesus was taught this and other prophecies of the coming Messiah, and He knew He was Him.

So, let’s look at a couple of real-life examples of Jesus’ interac ons and see how they exemplify the quali es iden fied with Wonderful Counselor:

What else did Jesus know about His “why”? Isaiah reveals several names that describe Jesus in Isaiah 9:6 NLT: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.

The government will rest on his shoulders.

And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor,

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When Martha came to Jesus seeking counsel about her rela onship issue with Mary (Luke 10:38 -42), Jesus warmly greeted Martha and listened to her concerns. As her Counselor, He helped Martha see that she was fre ng and upset over small details. Jesus redirected Martha to what He knew was the ac vity that would bring her the most joy

— worshiping Him. Martha must have changed her perspec ve on Mary’s ac ons. In the Gospel of John (12:1-2), we read that a er this visit by Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Luke, she and her family hosted another meal honoring Jesus with no record of Martha feeling overwhelmed. The Prince of Peace brought restora on.

As the rich young man knelt, imploring Jesus to help him understand the way to inherit eternal life, the apostle Mark (10:21 NLT) describes Jesus as looking at the young man with genuine love.

The Wonderful Counselor, having compassion for this young man’s spiritual dilemma, moved forward in conversa on to uncover the true basis of his confusion. Jesus knew the source of his hesitancy. S ll, He wanted the rich young man to discover his unhealthy adora on of earthly possessions. The rich young ruler’s love of money held him back from complete surrender to Jesus.

The Miracle Advisor helped the young man look inward and search his heart. When he did, he didn’t like what he saw. The rich man walked away sad but with a truthful answer. Jesus lovingly confronted with the truth.

James, the half-brother of Jesus, tells us that all wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reasoning, full of mercy and good fruits, impar al, and sincere (James 3:17). He finishes his thought with, “And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” (v18). It appears his big halfbrother, Jesus, had been counseling him.

everything!” As Lucy leans back in her chair with her feet res ng on the top of the booth, Charlie Brown exclaims, “Those are good creden als!”

I am a cheerleader for Chris an counseling. My counselor personifies Proverbs 15:23, “Everyone enjoys a fiƫng reply; it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right Ɵme.” (NLT) Y’all, my counselor’s words have been used by God to help heal my heart in many situa ons. But I know that he is human, and just like you and me, his advice has the filter of personal experience. We never have to wonder if Jesus’ counsel has a par cular slant. He is the Wonderful Counselor. His creden als were, are, and always will be indisputable.

In every recorded interac on with Jesus in the Holy Bible, He fulfills the quali es that define His name — Wonderful Counselor. Jesus knows the intent of our hearts because He is God, and no earthly counselor can ever be as thorough. S ll, the examples we have of Jesus’ counseling moments help us recognize good advice, and our Miracle Advisor’s “why” makes Him the perfect guide.

O Lord, I bow before You as my Wonderful Counselor. When I am filled with anxiety and bewildered by my circumstances, guide me toward my purpose. As I lean into Your wisdom, sustain me with the certainty of Your miraculous counsel. Re-direct me, Jesus to focus on the joy-filled opportuni es to worship You. Equip me to change when my inward searches reveal sin and unhealthy priori es. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In the Peanuts comic strip drawn and authored by Charles M. Schulz, Lucy van Pelt sets up shop as a psychiatrist. As she sits in her booth, Charlie Brown stops by for an office visit and asks, “Before we begin, I would like to ask you something. What are your creden als?” Lucy responds, “I know

CARMEN HORNE is an author, Board Certified Advanced Christian Life Coach, and speaker who uses her gifts to encourage women to draw on God’s power and a dynamic relationship with Jesus to change their perspective on the unexpected. Visit her online at CarmenHorne.com.

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The Mighty One AMY ELAINE MARTINEZ

Who’s your favorite real-life hero? Rosa Parks?

Corrie Ten Boom? Maybe your own mom or dad?

Usually, we have someone in our lives that we hold up in a high place of admira on. They’ve come to our rescue, been there when we needed advice, or showed great courage in the face of terrible circumstances. They’re great role models; and goodness knows we need people to look up to who help us be brave.

Yet, however amazing our heroes are, they are s ll human and given me will disappoint us.

While everyday heroes are mighty good, God is be er; He is Almighty God––the One who never disappoints. In Hebrew, El Gibbor means Mighty God. One day, our mighty Savior will return and when he does, his power will be on display for all to see. For believers this is cause for celebra on.

But for those who don’t believe, this will be terrifying as they realize God is real and powerful. God’s people will bow down in worship while his foes double over in fear. God desires our faith over their fear, so He made a way by sending Jesus into this wayward world.

Fortunately, Zephaniah 3:17 reveals the gentler side of God as He sings over His people and at the same me reaffirms His power as the God of Angel Armies who is mighty to save. While the world mostly defines might as power; God knew we’d desperately need a Savior who is both merciful and mighty. And, because God is mul dimensional, we now know His migh est feat was to save His people by way of surrender. To most this seems

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counterintui ve; how can the humble act of a King surrendering be seen as powerful?

In the world’s economy, death means defeat. But in the Kingdom of God, humility and serving others is not only heroic, it’s an all-out act of war. One the enemy will stop at nothing to combat. Indeed, Satan comes to steal our hope, kill our dreams, and destroy our tes mony. All to thwart the Prince of Peace’s plan. The Good News is that we serve a God who never disappoints. His plans won’t be trumped, and His will prevails. He is our Mighty God who fights for us in the most remarkable ways.

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17 NIV Having a Mighty Warrior who sings over us seems almost too good to be true. However, God’s definion for mighty is quite different than the world’s.

The greatest a ribute of Christ was shown in His willingness to lay down His will for the Father’s, His life for ours, and though Deity, to die in our place. His way of living and dying flipped the script, turning the world’s idea of a savior upside down.

When Isaiah declared the coming Messiah “shall be called Mighty God,” the people an cipated a warrior king who would overthrow their enemies and rulers. Much to their surprise, while they watched for a man to rise in military power, Jesus was born in a lowly stable––not surrounded by

pomp and ceremony as expected, but nonetheless, celebrated by celes al beings as Christ the King. All of Heaven (and Hell) knew this was an epic event with Eternal consequences for Immanuel, God with us, had come.

Because Jesus was born, lived a sinless life, died on the Cross, and was resurrected, we can look up to Him without hesita on. Yes, Jesus is trustworthy to be our real-life Hero for He is mighty indeed.

In fact, Jesus’ life is the very defini on of the bravery we need in this life. Interes ngly, the world defines mighty as “possessing great and impressive power or strength, especially on account of size; or the extent of something, to be extremely (fill in the blank).”

When I think of the word mighty, I think along these lines: fierce, formidable, ready to fight and win. Jesus is all that and more, but that’s not the best example of how He was truly mighty. Spiritually speaking, I think believers miss out on this important aspect of what it means to be mighty like Christ.

According to 2 Peter 1:3-4, we have everything we need to live a life of godliness because of Holy Spirit living in us. Taking a deeper look at what mighty means in the original language, we find it involves the idea of “the power of being able.” So, while we think of superheroes who are able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, there are feats much more difficult in our real lives. Showing humility in the face of injus ce, being part of the solu on by serving in a soup kitchen instead of avoiding the problem, or by being selfless rather than selfish are great feats! Yes, it’s hard to roll our sleeves up and get dirty or to stay humble and give God all the credit He deserves. Our human nature demands to be seen, known, and recognized for the good things we do––even or especially when done in the name of the Lord.

looks like.

God, through Jesus, and now the Holy Spirit, is in our midst. He fights for us and at the same me exemplifies the power of humility. Jesus shows us that where the world applauds philanthropy, Father God is a er people’s hearts. He alone is mighty to save. Of all the things Jesus is for us, He must first and foremost be our Savior, our Mighty God, who is mighty to save.

All throughout the Bible, the Word points to Jesus as the Light of the World. Isaiah foretold of a child who would be born to bring light in a “land of deep darkness.” (Isaiah 9:2 ESV) Years later, Zechariah would prophesy of the birth of a forerunner, John the Bap st, who would prepare the way for the Waymaker, Jesus Christ and in the shadow of death (a life without Christ) to guide our feet to real peace. And in Luke, we find the beau ful story of Jesus’ birth we revel in at this me of year. In an cipa on of His return, we are reminded that indeed, He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlas ng Father, our Prince of Peace.

In Jesus, we have everything we need to be victorious over the enemy of our souls, to shine bright in this dark world, and to do the greater things Jesus declared we would do in John 14:12. As believers, the greatest thing we’re called to do is to share the mighty Good News of Jesus Christ with a world who has yet to recognize Him as the Mighty One who saves.

Father God, we praise You for You are our Hero who is mighty to save! May we never lose the wonder of knowing you by Name. You are Mighty God, our ‘to be able.’ Thank You for being everything we need––both merciful and mighty. Give us brave and willing hearts to shine bright in the darkness so the world might know You as their Lord and Savior! In Jesus’ name, Amen

Though He never wanted to be in the spotlight, Jesus shines a light on what being MIGHTY really AMY ELAINE MARTINEZ is an author, a speaker, and a Victory Girl. Visit her site amyelaine.com to learn more how to Live Victoriously.

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He Will Always Be There KRISTINE BROWN

As a child of divorce, every-other-weekend visits with my dad became a normal part of life. I remember Friday night drives to the local pizza place to pick up a sausage and mushroom thin crust, then back to Dad’s apartment. We’d stuff ourselves full then play board games or se le in front of the TV. A ritual I looked forward to all week long.

Pre y soon, my Friday nights filled with things like cheering at football games and sleepovers at friends’ houses. Weekend visits became less and less frequent. Before long, I only visited on holidays.

Yet Dad never complained. When I’d call with my latest can’t miss addi on to my busy teenage schedule, he’d simply say he understood, and that whenever I wanted to come, he’d be there.

“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasƟng to everlasƟng you are God.” Psalm 90:2 ESV The Bible teaches us so much about the love of a father. It o en describes our heavenly Father as everlas ng, as in the verse above. MerriamWebster dic onary defines the word everlas ng as “las ng or enduring through all me.” Reading that defini on brings to mind memories of my own dad. Although he couldn’t be there for every scraped knee, field trip, or broken heart, I could count on him for anything I needed.

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If my earthly father cared enough to wait pa ently for me to call him, how much more does our heavenly Father wait for us to seek Him? To call on Him? Knowing God will always be there brings comfort every day of our lives. When we feel alone, when we’re right in the midst of a hec c season, or when we realize we’ve missed His company. Let’s look at the beau ful ways our heavenly Father is everlas ng.

THE TRAITS OF AN EVERLASTING FATHER His presence is everlasƟng.

From the beginning of me, God created a way to be with us. Revela on 22:13 proclaims, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” God loves us and desires companionship with His children. So when it came me to reveal His great plan for mankind, He personally came to earth as a baby to share the good news. He became human to walk among us while s ll maintaining His role as Father to all.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, EverlasƟng Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 ESV Not only did Jesus Christ come to give us peace and hope, but He also came because God loves

It isn’t possible to use up all the forgiveness Jesus offers. There is no allotment of grace. It’s a never ending flow that pours out, even though we don’t deserve it. God doesn’t require us to plead our case, we only need to ask with humble hearts to receive it.

His power is everlasƟng.

our company.

There has never been a moment without God’s presence. He spoke the universe into existence and has watched over His people since pu ng those first stars in place. In the same way, God s ll longs to fellowship with us today. When we get too busy with our daily lives to spend me with Him, God waits. He reminds us that He is always there with these words, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b NIV) His forgiveness and grace are everlasƟng.

In this life we will have many scraped knees and wrong turns. Brokenness is inevitable as we navigate the pains of the world. That’s why God sent us the greatest gi of all— the answer to our struggles. His perfect son Jesus, who would show us the beauty of a Father’s endearing love.

“In him we have redempƟon through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Ephesians 1:7 NIV God’s forgiveness and grace have no limits. Jesus shows us evidence of this in his conversa on with Peter about a master who forgave his servant’s overwhelming debt. When Peter asked Jesus how many mes he should forgive someone who wronged him, Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven mes, but seventy-seven mes.” (Ma hew 18:22 NIV)

“For his invisible aƩributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creaƟon of the world, in the things that have been made…”

Romans 1:20 ESV Before I spend me with God, I like to retreat to my favorite place in our home— the sunroom in the back of the house overlooking the wooded backyard. If the weather’s nice, I’ll even step outside to hear the sounds of nature and feel the sun’s warmth envelop me like a tender hug.

There’s nothing like taking in the wonder of creaon to remind me of God’s holy power.

God created the earth and everything in it in six days. He made a way for things to grow, seasons to change, and life to replenish. Romans 1:20 shows us this magnificent power has been displayed since the crea on of the world. Philippians 4:13 also encourages us with this truth: That same power is s ll available to us today.

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13 NLT

His faithful love and mercy are everlasƟng.

When I look back at the mes I delayed my visits with Dad, I wish I had done things differently. I didn’t always put him first, but that didn’t change his faithful love for his daughter. In the same way, God’s love for us extends beyond the end of me.

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“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.”

Lamenta ons 3:22 NLT Today I’m thankful for the me I s ll have with my dad. We check in with each other o en, chat on the phone, and just enjoy our rela onship. It’s hard to put into words my gra tude. Because as much as we love each other, the reality is that one day we will be separated for a me, looking forward to a day when we’ll see each other again.

Because of Christ, we will never have to say goodbye forever. Praise Jesus for everlas ng life, and praise Him for everlas ng love!

9:6. It encourages us to think of what the birth of Jesus means for us, both now and un l the end of me. God will always be there; He is our Everlas ng Father.

Dear Lord, thank You for the promise of Your presence. It brings me comfort to know You are here with me. Forgive me for le ng my busy life get in the way of our me together. You love me so much that You came to earth to show me the way to eternal life with You. What an incredible gi !

Thank You for always being there, wai ng with everlas ng grace for me to call on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you’re feeling alone in this season, or if a hec c schedule has you wishing for more me with those you love most, remember the declara on of Isaiah

“F OR

HIS INVISIBLE

ATTRIBUTES , NAMELY HIS

POWER AND DIVINE NATURE , HAVE BEEN CLEARLY PERCEIVED , EVER SINCE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD ...

R OMANS 1:20

KRISTINE BROWN is a communicator at heart, a nurturer by God’s design, and a life-long learner and teacher.

You’ll find devo ons and resources to help you “become more than yourself with God’s Word” at her website, kris nebrown.net.

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The Gift of His Peace JODIE BARRETT

It was four in the morning, and there I was, si ng in an airport desperately wan ng to hold my heartbroken friend in my arms and offer her comfort, but I couldn’t. The hug I wanted to give would have to wait un l we were in the same state and I wasn’t able to get there any faster than the plane could take me.

During the delay, I closed my red eyes and asked God, “What can I do to help my friend right now?”

“Peace. She needs My peace.” It wasn’t an audible voice, but it was the Spirit speaking within me. Immediately, I began to pray that peace would envelop my grieving friend’s heart. It was just a few days before Christmas and her loss was so deep. What I didn’t fully understand then, but know now, is His peace goes even deeper. When pain and suffering threaten to overwhelm us, Jesus offers a gi that the world cannot. He offers us peace.

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6 and it is no wonder. The value of His peace exceeds anything the world can offer. It transcends all understanding.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situaƟon, by prayer and peƟƟon, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NIV God’s peace is powerful enough to hold and comfort us in mes of tremendous loss and grief. Jesus invites us to come to Him and find rest for our souls as we release our heavy burdens to Him (Ma hew 11:28-30).

The disciples also knew fear and grief. They lived with

much un-certainty from the me they chose to follow Christ un l His crucifixion and resurrec on. As Jesus prepared the disciples for His departure, He declared He was leaving them a gi …His peace.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27 NIV Jesus spoke these words to His disciples to prepare them for His departure from the world. It is understandable that their fear was intensifying. Jesus, the one they le everything to follow, would soon be leaving them. The NLT transla on of John 14:27 describes Jesus’ gi as “peace of mind and heart.” His peace is profound and all-consuming, penetra ng our minds and heart. Christ knew that the disciples would be plagued with fear and worry, but he also knew the great power of His gi . What he offered was what the disciples needed right then.

We also live with uncertainty. Thankfully, those words Jesus spoke and the gi He offers are for each of us, too. We all will experience trouble in this world (John 16:33), but His peace awaits those who draw near to Him. Mitzi Neely writes, “The pressures of life o en lead us to feel anxious, stressed, and some mes fractured. Whether living a fast-paced life or one filled with overwhelm and sadness, it is easy to let the secular world distract us from living a life filled with God’s peace and hope. True peace doesn’t come from posive thinking or warm and fuzzy feelings, but rather from drawing close to God, where we are promised peace that passes all understanding.”

A few years ago, I was fearfully praying over my husband’s upcoming deployment. With his departure

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looming over our family, I carved out inten onal me to draw close to God. Scouring His word, I went to the Everlas ng Father in prayer asking earnestly for His peace. My husband’s safety was my greatest concern and my lack of control over his well-being brought me deep anxiety. I knew I needed to release my worries to Christ; trying to carry my burdens alone would crumble me. I craved soul rest. In the quiet of my bedroom closet, God led me to a scripture I could cling to and His peace remained with me throughout the en re deployment. Were there mes worry wanted to rear its ugly head? Of course. But I guarded my heart, remaining in God’s Word and praying for His help. Were there mes I wanted to look to the world, rather than God for reassurance that everything would be ok? Of course.

But I knew the world could never offer me what only Jesus can provide: His peace that surpasses all understanding. Yes, troubles will mount around us in this world, but Jesus, His arms wide open, is wai ng for us to seek Him.

Si ng for hours in that airport worrying about my friend le me feeling anxious and helpless, but when I asked, God reminded me of just what she needed most.

It’s the same thing we all need: the gi from our Everlas ng Father, who gave us His only Son, the one who’s name we call “Prince of Peace”.

Father, we are blessed by You in so many ways. While the troubles of this world bring us anxiety, You offer the gi of peace. Your peace is far more valuable to us than anything the world offers. Lord, we come, and we lay our burdens down. Envelop us with Your peace. In Jesus name, Amen

I

LEAVE WITH YOU ;

MY PEACE

I

I

GIVE YOU .

DO NOT GIVE TO YOU

AS THE WORLD GIVES .

DO

NOT LET YOUR

HEARTS BE TROUBLED AND DO NOT BE AFRAID .

J OHN 14:27 NIV

JODIE BARRETT is a speaker and writer with a passion for Jesus. Visit her at faithfullyfollowingministries.org to discover more about finding joy even in the midst of pain.

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S C R I P T U R E / P R AY E R C A R D S Cut out Scripture cards and tuck in your Bible or display around your home or office; or write an encouragement on the back and share with a friend.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

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S C R I P T U R E / P R AY E R C A R D S

Cut out Scripture cards and tuck in your Bible or display around your home or office; or write an encouragement on the back and share with a friend.

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Father God, we praise You for You are our Hero who is mighty to save! May we never lose the wonder of knowing you by Name.

You are Mighty God, our ‘to be able.’ Thank You for being everything we need––both merciful and mighty. Give us brave and willing hearts to shine bright in the darkness so the world might know You as their Lord and Savior! In Jesus’ name, Amen

O Lord, I bow before You as my Wonderful Counselor. When I am filled with anxiety and bewildered by my circumstances, guide me toward my purpose. As I lean into Your wisdom, sustain me with the certainty of Your miraculous counsel. Re-direct me, Jesus to focus on the joy-filled opportunities to worship You. Equip me to change when my inward searches reveal sin and unhealthy priorities. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Father, we are blessed by You in so many ways. While the troubles of this world bring us anxiety, You offer the gift of peace. Your peace is far more valuable to us than anything the world offers. Lord, we come, and we lay our burdens down. Envelop us with Your peace. In Jesus name, Amen

Dear Lord, thank You for the promise of Your presence. It brings me comfort to know You are here with me. Forgive me for letting my busy life get in the way of our time together. You love me so much that You came to earth to show me the way to eternal life with You. What an incredible gift! Thank You for always being there, waiting with everlasting grace for me to call on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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HE SHALL BE CALLED A Devotional Series About The Names of Jesus Foretold by Isaiah

As we begin the holiday season, let us take time to shift our focus from the tinsel and sparkle to revel in the true splendor of Christmas - Christ himself.

He Shall Be Called is the perfect addition to your Bible study time and makes a beautiful gift to share about Jesus with friends.

Book and ornament bundle available in our shoppe at: SWEETTOTHESOULSHOPPE.com He Shall Be Called devotional book also available on Amazon W INTER 2021 | S WEET T O T HE S OUL FAITH

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Encouragement Calendar

Worship God

□ □ □

Each day take time to recognize God’s divine work in your life Set a goal to weekly commit Scripture to memory As you are doing chores at home or work, thank God for his provision in your life Seek out an opportunity to invite someone to church Prioritize spending time with God

□

Pick one book of the Bible and read it everyday for 30 days.

□ □

Make a list of your tasks for the day and offer your time and work to God

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Worship is always a choice.

At times it’s an easy, straightforward one. When life is peaceful and painless, the choice to respond to God in praise may not be such a hard one to make. But at other times, worship becomes a gutsier decision.

Pray for people who are homeless or separated from family Pray for someone who has hurt your feelings Pray for your pastor and church staff Pray for a complete stranger Pray for God to help you befriend people He sends your way Pray for first responders and those who serve your community Pray for an opportunity to be a blessing & meet someone’s need Pray for the ability to better listen to others S WEET T O T HE S OUL FAITH | W INTER 2021

Prayer Prompts

ref John 13:34

Pray the Lord’s Prayer today

□ Love one another.

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

ref Psalm 69:34

□

Let all the earth praise Him

A calendar without dates or days of the week? Yes! Our Encouragement Calendar looks different than a regular calendar and it also serves a special purpose .. To bring you encouragement and to help you encourage others. During this quarter, come visit these pages o en and find a thing or two to read, to contemplate, to pray about, to challenge you, to give thanks, to journal about, and more!

□

Accept the Challenge

□ □ □

Make a plan to be an anonymous blessing to someone.

Invite someone without or far from their family into your family celebration.

Revive the tradition of sending snail mail cards to family & friends.

Identify 3 personal areas of spiritual growth & make a commitment to purposefully pursue God in these areas.

For 45 days, change your radio station /playlist/podcast & listen to Christian music (at least) 30 minutes a day.

□ WE DO NOT

Everyday for 30 days, tell someone “thank you”.

BELIEVE IF WE DO NOT LIVE

Glory to God in highest heaven

AND WORK

Who unto man His Son hath given

ACCORDING TO

While angels sing with tender mirth

OUR BELIEF

A glad new year to all the earth.

Mar n Luther

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness to do what you said you would do today!

□

Be brave and ask God to give you wisdom and direction to put down anything you worship ahead of God.

□ □

Take a 30 minute fast off your electronics every day. Turn off your phone, computer and tv.

□ □ □ □ □ □

Journal about a fav winter / Christmas memory from your childhood.

Write a New Year’s encouragement to yourself.

Describe a time when you believe God spoke to you.

Write out the lyrics of a Christian song or hymn which helps your worship or brings you joy.

Write it Down

Write about an attribute of God which brings you great comfort and one which challenges you.

How are you or how can you use your God-given talents as a gift of worship to God?

As we face different situations, we should remember that God is sovereign over both the blessings & the troubles that come our way.

□

Share a cup of joy with someone.

□ Pray every day:

Lord, give me a hunger for your Word.

Amen

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Waiting for God toAnswer Our Prayers ELAINE LANKFORD

ARE YOU STILL HOLDING THE LINE FOR GOD’S ANSWER? Whenever ques ons come up about wai ng on God to answer our prayers, I think about the Apostle Paul. Why Paul specifically? Because Paul prayed a great deal, and the Bible is clear that there were mes when he waited quite a period of me for God’s answer. There were also mes that his prayers went completely unanswered. And yet Paul never turned from God, never ceased con nuing to pray to God, and learned to be content in the interim.

Don’t get me wrong. I am sure there were mes when Paul wondered how long it would be before God answered or why God never answered some prayers. He was human a er all. But Paul is one of our best role models for wai ng on God. It was Paul who encouraged the believers in Thessalonica to: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT I don’t think it is a coincidence that Paul sandwiched his instruc on to “never stop praying”

between being joyful and thankful. Clearly, he was signaling that our wai ng on God was directly related to our outlook on life.

However, let’s look at the Jewish people as a whole, most notably in the Old Testament, and how Paul’s ancestors learned the hard way how to wait upon the Lord.

Israel was no stranger to being captured and enslaved by foreign na ons. In fact, we know the na on of Israel actually grew into a large na on under its first captors, the Egyp ans. Yet, they also suffered greatly un l God acknowledged their cries and sent Moses to free them (Exodus 3).

During the prophe c life of Isaiah, Israel would be seized by the Babylonians and forced to live in exile for years. Let’s spend a li le me here.

Condi ons under Babylonian rule were not so much physically brutal as they were psychologically and emo onally scarring. While in exile in Babylon, Jews were once again tempted into adop ng the ways of their captors versus remaining loyal to their God. Though not all Jews conformed, the inability of knowing if and when they would return home must have been exhaus ng for those a emp ng to hold out.

ELAINE LANKFORD is an author, a speaker, and a life/leadership coach. Visit her site transformingloveministries.org to learn more about discovering and/or fulfilling your God-sized dream.

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It is toward the end of this Babylonian exile that these words are pinned in the book of Isaiah: “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 ESV These words are given to the Israelites in exile to bring emo onal and spiritual upli ing a er a long and weary me. All told, the people of Israel would wait almost 70 years to hear God’s answer to their prayers for freedom and restora on.

What have you prayed for that you are s ll wai ng on? Are you willing to wait upon the Lord? Have you considered that in the wai ng, God may be a emp ng to work something out within your faith? C.S. Lewis once said: “I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the me, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God. It changes me.”

I acknowledge that wai ng is hard, but friend let me assure you, there is purpose in the wai ng.

Believe in the words of Isaiah. God will renew your strength and He will never forsake you. Allow our wonder-working God complete leeway in the situa on you are praying about and if the answer does not come quick, take Paul’s advice. Be joyful. Keep praying. Be thankful in everything. The answer is coming.

Father God, we know that You bend down to hear us. We thank you for Your a en on to our prayers.

Lord, strengthen us in the wai ng. Have Your way in everything we ask of You. Let us not turn to the right or the le but stay focused on You while You are working. And let our faith rise as we trust in You for an answer in Your good ming. Amen.

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Permission to Prosper in the New Year : Creating Healthier Habits

D O YOU HAVE HABITS THAT YOU REGULARLY ENGAGE IN THAT YOU WISH THAT YOU COULD BREAK ?

Do you beat yourself up and experience shame and guilt when you look back and think about what you did?

JODI MELISSA SLAUGHTER

If I am honest, there are mes a er I engage in these cycles that I ask myself, “What have I done?”

Some mes, there wasn’t a good reason for my behavior, and I am le with regret and confusion about what I was thinking before I made the decision. This pa ern reminds me of what Paul tells us in Romans 7:15, “For I do not understand my own ac ons [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not prac ce what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate [and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness-my sinful capacity]” (AMP). Can you relate? I know that Paul and I are not alone!

Since the fall of man, we have joined the enemy in his rebellion, as he seeks to devour and deceive us. We now face a daily ba le that leaves us playing tug-of-war against the internal and external variables that pull us away from the leading of the Holy Spirit. I am in no way saying that all of the bad habits that we engage in are sin. Many of

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them create a level of dysfunc on in our daily lives, nega vely impact our health (mentally and physically), and prevent us from achieving our goals. While habits can be hard to break, they can be broken. We have to learn how to interrupt the cycle and change the way that we engage the cues that trigger our brains to engage in a behavior.

Truth is, it all begins with your thoughts. Research suggests that it takes anywhere between 18-256 days to create new behavior. If you are anything like me, you are probably thinking, “I don’t have 256 days.” I want change…when do I want it…

NOW! If only it were that easy. How sa sfied or dissa sfied you are with your life right now is a direct result of your habits (as I am typing this, know that I am making a s nky face too). What you constantly think about determines what you do or do not do. Your thoughts inform your feelings and your feelings influence your behaviors.

You constantly move in the direc on of your most dominant thoughts. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” Your thought life is very powerful in pushing you forward or with keeping you stuck. What you repe vely do determines who you are. What you believe in your thoughts becomes your truth. How you see the world (worldview) and how you engage with God, self, life, and others are all a result of your habits and pa erns.

The good news is that Christ has stepped in. To redeem us. To help us overcome…through His grace. To help us fight with our spiritual tools. To remind us who we are. Do you know how important you are to God? Are you aware that when Jesus died on the cross He didn’t just die for your

sins, He also died for you to have a life that is plenful and without shame. He died for you to experience peace and wholeness? Isaiah 53:5 tells us, “But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed” (NLT). It is His desire that you walk in the fullness of what was released to you on the cross through His blood.

The enemy would want you to believe that you are underserving of the life that Christ paid for you to have because of the cycles that you engage in. We know that this is totally a lie because these cycles can be broken and behavior can change.

Let’s address how to engage in replacement behaviors. James Clear suggests that building habits is a process that can be broken down into four steps: 1. cue (no cing the reward), 2. craving (wan ng the reward) = (problem phase), 3. response (obtaining the reward), 4. reward (sa sfy us or teach us) = (solu on phase).

He also suggests that our brains engage this process constantly and in the same way every me. This is why it is important to focus on crea ng a new (replacement) behavior instead of trying to just stop one.

How do you know when a habit is unhealthy?

When it becomes a pa ern of behavior that nega vely impedes your ability to engage in everyday life.

How do you change those bad habits?

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9 Steps for Success: 1. IdenƟfy why you want to change. If you don’t have a good reason (moƟvaƟon), chances are you will not be successful.

•

Work on one habit at a me

•

Iden fy any nega ve effects the behavior has on you or others

4. Make a decision and Be consistent.

•

Change is not about self-control

•

While some habits are automa c, there is s ll a choice

•

Focus on one change at a me-when you master one-move on to the next

•

It takes me. If you relapse, don’t throw in the towel…keep going

•

Forming a habit takes prac ce and repe so does changing one

on,

2. IdenƟfy what triggers the behavior/habit.

•

Awareness is key in changing behavior

•

When does it happen

•

Does it happen only when you are with certain people or in certain situa ons

•

Learn to be er manage your stress since feeling overwhelm can cause us to seek relief by any means necessary

5. Secure an accountability partner or seek professional help.

•

3. IdenƟfy how you feel when you engage in the behavior/habit that you want to change.

•

•

Especially if you have tried repeatedly to change the habit

•

Some habits occur due to severe stress, trauma, and or mental health symptoms and will be difficult to break alone

Iden fy a replacement behavior instead of focusing on stopping one •

•

48

A therapist or life coach can provide support and feedback if the behavior has created severe impairment, dysfunc on, and or has become an addic on.

You must have a plan before you need one, if not your chances for success greatly decrease This plan will help you interrupt the negave habit cycle

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6. Work on changing your Mindset (thoughts and beliefs that share your habits).

•

If you change your thoughts-your feelings and behaviors will follow

•

Think about what it would feel like to not en-

Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.

3 John 1:2

gage in the behavior •

Visualize the changes that you want to make •

Cut out pictures and words and post them around you

•

Prac ce mindfulness

7. Journal your progress.

•

Create visual reminders-I use s cky notes and place them around my house to remind me of the desired behavior

8. Celebrate your wins immediately. No maƩer how small they may seem •

Rewarding ourselves immediately helps your brain iden fy it as something you like because of the dopamine response.

•

Behavior is learned and when we reward good behavior it increases the likelihood of us reengaging in that behavior to gain the reward

9. Partner with the Holy Spirit.

•

Allow Him to empower you to do what you cannot do in your own strength •

Receive His grace to do what you can’t do on your own

As you prepare the exodus from 2021 and step into 2022, my prayer is that you fully receive all that God has for you and that as you cast your cares upon Him, you find complete rest in the arms of the One who loves you, knows you, sees you, and looks a er you. I pray that His rest transforms your mind and brings your heart and soul into alignment with the purpose for which you were created as you surrender your desire to become more like Him. He knows everything about you. He knows about your bad habits. He knows your weaknesses. He knows your fears. He knows the things that you hide from everyone else. The most amazing thing about all of this is that He s ll loves you, and He promises to work all of it for your good…even when it doesn’t feel good (Romans 8:28).

He uses all of it in the “plans that He has for you.” (Jeremiah 29:11). He does His best work in the unseen. He is always working behind the scenes to bring everything about you into alignment with His original design for your life.

You are not alone as you take this journey, allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you into crea ng healthier habits.

JODI MELISSA SLAUGHTER is a prophet, counselor, speaker, teacher, radio/TV co-host whose passion is to lead women into uncovering their identity and purpose by helping them heal from past wounds while boldly walking in freedom and confidence!

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I NEED ONE THING,

SimpLIcity CHRISTA HUTCHINS

Whether we call it goal setting, planning, vision casting or just plain dreaming, the beginning of a new year always finds us thinking about things we want.

There are a lot of things I want for my life, and work, in this new year.

•I want to be present for my family and encourage them in their rela onship with Christ.

•I want to be part of my church community as we connect, grow, serve, and go together to make disciples.

•I want to help women find clarity, focus and confidence in their online ministries and businesses through my coaching and services.

•And I want all of us to do new things that expand our reach to proclaim the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.

But what do I NEED in this year? Other than, of course, the favor and presence of God alongside me, I need one thing. I need simplicity.

It's all go en too complicated for me. That became crystal clear once when I took the week off of work.

See, I've always assumed things seem complicated because I don't have enough me. I thought if I didn't have to go to work, I could get everything done, plus take on more. But even with a whole week off, most of it to myself, I s ll had a long list of un-done things.

So the problem is not too li le me. It's too many things. Or things that take too long.

For me, simplicity means livINg with sINcerity OF heart ... with iNtegrity.

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As I went looking for a scripture to inspire me towards simplicity, something interes ng came to light.

The Greek word translated as "simplicity" in this verse: “For our boast is this, the tesƟmony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.”

2 Corinthians 1:12 (ESV) is also translated as "liberality" in this verse: “Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribuƟon to them and to all.”

2 Corinthians. 9:13 (NASB) If simplicity means "less" and liberality means "more", how can that be? The answer lies in this verse, where the same word is translated "sincerity."

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.” Colossians 3:22 (NIV) For me, simplicity means living with sincerity of heart ... with integrity. It means giving liberally of my gi s, but not complica ng things by trying to be something I am not. In this new year, we can embrace simplicity in three ways.

F OCUS

ON OUR PASSIONS

With the pressure we face as women today to do all the things, we are constantly spinning the plates to be everything to everyone … Supermom, high-capacity employee, faithful volunteer, Instaperfect home decorator, Pinterest-worthy party planner … the list goes on.

This year, let’s focus on what we’re passionate about ... the places that God has specifically gi ed and called us to spend our energy. And put aside the ones that are ill-fi ng and distract us from the parts that really light us up.

How many of these things do we really care about? How many do we grudgingly allow to complicate our lives and keep us busy without making anything be er?

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P UT

OUR MONEY WHERE IT WORKS

As I looked back over the past year, I found that I spent a lot of money on things that I never used, or that just gave me more to do. I'm guessing the same happened to you. Memberships, subscripons, fancy kitchen tools (I’m looking at you, fancy espresso machine!).

In some twisted mental gymnas cs, we think spending money on something will mo vate us to make me to use it. But in reality, it only adds to the stress and feeling of inadequacy as it sits there mocking our inability to create me where it doesn't exist.

I’m giving you permission to cancel any ongoing expenses for things you don’t use. Take the $39 per month subscrip on box that just clu ers your countertop and use it to hire a mother’s helper to watch the kids while you work on that project you never had me to complete.

B OSS

OUR TIME AROUND

I'm red of me ruling me. My decisions are made more based on what I have me for and what I don't, than on what I'm passionate about and what God has called me to do. I want to tell my me what to do instead of it telling me.

We o en spend our me doing the things people ... "experts" ... tell us we must do. We aren't doing it with sincerity of heart and we suspect it is not giving us the results we expect.

We need to be more analy cal to understand what is working and what is not. It's not about le ng results drive our behavior, but about listening to what the results tell us about ourselves, and then inves ng our me where it really ma ers.

If we are doing what really ma ers, we'll be more effec ve, sa sfied and impac ul.

Sounds simple, right?

The Move Forward Line-A-Day Journal The idea of journaling is appealing. Processing our thoughts, recording the important events of our lives, looking back to see our journey of growth.

If you've ever said: I don't have me to sit down and journal every day or I don’t have enough words to fill those big blank pages, but you want the benefits of journaling, I've got you covered.

Available at: DoANewThing.com/journal/

CHRISTA HUTCHINS equips busy communicators and leaders with project management and problem solving skills so they can turn their big ideas into a successful ministry or business. She is passionate about teaching women to find prac cal applica on of the Bible in their personal, professional and ministry lives. Christa lives in south Louisiana with her husband in their deligh ully empty nest. Visit her at www.doanewthing.com.

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MAKES A GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT!

THE SOUL INSPIRED PLANNER—2022 INCLUDES : MONTHLY & WEEKLY VIEW CALENDARS, PLANNING PAGES, VISION BOARDS, PROJECT WORKSHEETS, SCRIPTURE READING PLANS & MORE.

SWEETTOTHESOUL.com/planner

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My One word JANA KENNEDY-SPICER

“Our resolutions seldom work because they are based on the type of person we’re tired of being rather than who God wants us to become.

What if our hopes for the year ahead centered instead on who God wants us to become, and the transformation process?“ myoneword.org

C ONSIDER Ask yourself these ques ons, or similar others, and make a list of words which come to mind as you consider each answer.

• • • •

• •

What kind of person do I want to become this year?

What characteris c of a Biblical woman do I want to convey?

Is there a par cular area of my life where I need to grow?

Has there been a topic or subject of interest that God seems to be repeatedly bringing to my a en on?

What are my top 3 goals for this year?

What unhealthy habit do I need to break or new habit do I need to develop?

P RAY Ask God to guide you and give you clarity of thought and mind as you spend a few days thinking over your list of words. Weight each word and the implica on it might have on your life. See if one of them rises to the top. Ask God to bring one to the forefront.

S ELECT O NE W ORD A er praying and offering your list of words to

God, listen to his guidance to narrow down to one word. Don’t’ overthink or stress about your selecon. In truth, all of the words you have wri en down are relevant for you. You might even no ce a natural pa ern reveal itself and many, if not all, of the words are linked together.

D EFINE Y OUR W ORD Draw out the full meaning of your chosen word by researching the defini on, both general and Biblical. Make note of synonyms which help to reinforce the full depth of your word.

S ELECT A S CRIPTURE Now that you have your one word, spend me in God’s Word to learn what he can teach you about your word. Select one to three verses to study and journal, making note of each takeaway which can be applied to your life.

L IVE Y OUR W ORD Now that you have prayed, selected and defined your word, live it out this year. Talk with God daily, watch for his direc on, be aware of the growth opportuni es he orchestrates and live fully the 2022 he has planned for you.

JANA KENNEDY-SPICER is a wife, mom and Nana. A born and raised Texas-girl who loves boots, sunflowers, and sweet tea. She has a heart for studying God’s Word and is passionate about encouraging women to do the same. Connect with Jana at SweetToTheSoul.com

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WORD:

DEFINITION :

SYNONYMS:

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS: VERSE:

“”One Word” Worksheet is an excerpt from our Soul Inspire Planner

TAKEAWAY:

VERSE:

TAKEAWAY:

VERSE:

TAKEAWAY:

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L ET

THE WORD OF

C HRIST

DWELL

IN YOU RICHLY , TEACHING AND ADMONISHING ONE ANOTHER IN ALL WISDOM ,

singing psalms and hymns AND SPIRITUAL SONGS , WITH THANKFULNESS IN YOUR HEARTS TO GOD .

C OLOSSIANS 3:16

DEAR LORD, AS THE NEW DAY DAWNS I RISE AND COME TO YOU OVERFLOWING IN WORSHIP. SINGING YOUR PRAISES THRILLS MY HEART AND BRINGS HAPPINESS TO MY SOUL.

IT IS WITH A TENDER SPIRIT THAT I SEEK YOUR FACE, YEARNING TO BE CLOSE TO YOU. WHETHER IT IS THE QUIET WHISPER FROM MY LIPS OR THE MIGHTY SHOUTS TO THE MOUNTAINTOPS, THE ADORATION I FEEL FOR

YOU IS

BEAUTY WRAPPED IN HOLINESS.

MAY MY HEART BE SHORED UP IN TRUTH, COURAGE, AND CONFIDENCE AS I FOLLOW YOU JESUS. YOUR PRESENCE GIVES ME PEACE AND I WILL FOREVER WORSHIP YOUR NAME.

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Prayer by Mitzi Neely

IN JESUS’ NAME, AMEN.

woRShip

M Y MOUTH IS

filled with your praise AND WITH YOUR GLORY ALL THE DAY .

P SALM 71:8

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Freedom IN

J.E. BERRY

W ITH ALL THE TALK AROUND WHAT FREEDOM LOOKS LIKE THESE DAYS , WHAT A PRIVILEGE TO LIVE IN A PLACE WHERE WE CAN WORSHIP OUR GREAT G OD FREELY .

Growing up, worship was a Sunday ac vity. You dressed up nice and spiffy (to cover all your sin of course) and waltzed on into to the sanctuary ready to clap and sway your way to heaven. It was a good me mostly, but I’m not sure if it was a God me. You know what I mean? It was more like going to a show. The focus seemed to be more on people. What they needed. How they saw God. Which at that me, was all I knew, and no one was really teaching what it means to worship. To really worship! So, here I was, a self-centered “worshipper”. So wrapped up in what I was ge ng, that I missed the part where I was supposed to jump in and exercise 60

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my purpose in worship. I had no idea who I was in light of the Savior, let alone that He desired anything from me. I was a consumer, roped up in bondage, and offering empty praise because I had no idea what an actual sacrifice of praise was. I had no idea that there was something for me to bring besides my clapping hands.

In walks Jesus. He opened my heart and my eyes to His Word in a way that helped me first look at my posi on in the Kingdom of God. An heir, child, servant, royal. Then, He led me away from a selfserving experience in worship to a place of childlike dependence on the Father. Where my heart is surrendered first. I had come to the realiza on that how I was experiencing God was greatly dependent on me. What I believed. How I responded to those beliefs. The things I was reluctant to bring to Him. It’s really sobering to think about how what we experience in life greatly depends on us for the most part. Many of us have a “happened to me” standpoint on life. Not realizing that life is made up of a mul tude of combina ons including reac ons, responses, and individual posture. We have been condi oned to be catchers and not

pitchers. But what if we changed our posi oning, mentally, physically, and spiritually, upon entering the throne room of the King? What if we stood tall on the plate, instead of crouched down behind it?

Freedom in worship starts with a posture of purpose. With a true knowledge of our iden ty in Jesus. A heart that is shored up by truth, trust, and confident security. We get off kilter when we forget who we are and who we belong to, crea ng our own narra ve. A heart rooted in pride and self -dependence lacks the pliability necessary in an atmosphere of worship to be transformed by the Holy Spirit. A humble heart is so clay in the hands of the Father. A repentant heart with childlike faith will move the Father. When we engage with the Father in worship, where are we coming from?

Do we come as a beggar or a child? Do we come with en tlement or expecta on? Are we internally focused or externally focused? There is so much to be experienced in the atmosphere of praise and worship and we are a vital part of that. Our understanding of what it means to worship can be a great help, so let’s start there.

Praise: Expression of warm approval or admira on (“make a joyful noise” Psalm 95:2-3)

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Worship: (n) the feeling or expression of reverence and adora on for a deity. (v) to show reverence and adora on for a deity.

I hear many ac on words here. All reliant on the par cipant. In Hebrew, the word worship was also defined as work, labor, toil, and service. Which clearly depicts the wholehearted involvement of the worshipper. Ac ve involvement with God. Not just wai ng to see what happens. Not simply wai ng to receive.

Think on that word adora on for a bit. It’s to completely adore (something/someone). To be in love with! And what happens when you are in love with someone? You think about them all day. You do everything you can to please and love on them.

They are on a pedestal in your life. Touching every part of your life.

Our adora on should be expressed and exercised through inten on, spilling out into all the areas of our lives. In all that we do. Paul writes “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1 NIV. This does not sound like a Sunday only situa on. What Paul is referring to is a “whole” life type of reverent expression. Along the way and day-to-day. We can not offer our bodies in part (or just on Sunday), but in whole. Otherwise, we cannot be wholly sanc fied. Which is the con nued work of Christ in our lives un l the end.

This happens when we engage with His presence in our everyday lives, s rring up power in us that releases heaven through us. Living a worshipful life. We must not forget that we carry His presence (the Holy Spirit) in us and live with His presence

around us. And… “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17). Which means that we carry freedom inside of us! What a crazy thought! So then why is it so easy for us to be bound? Because, we have a tendency to separate ourselves from that which Christ paid for us to have. It’s human nature. The flesh has a hard me submi ng. Good thing we have been given authority over the flesh. His Spirit pushes us out from under the weight of sin and into the light where we are exposed, cleansed, and empowered.

Worship is a place of reflec on, reconcilia on, remembrance, and renewal. Through these things are we set free and kept free. We reflect on His goodness, reconcile our hearts to the Father’s, remember the cost paid for us, and be renewed by the Holy Spirit. Set Free!

S O TRUE FREEDOM COMES FROM TRUTH .

T RUTH IN WHO WE ARE .

T RUTH IN WHOSE WE ARE .

A ND TRUTH IN OUR PURPOSE WHERE WE ARE .

The reason David could dance so freely in the presence of the Lord, is because he was sure of who he was and who he belonged to. When we step into the atmosphere of worship, we can be confident that we have a place at the feet of Jesus and whatever we bring before Him will be cleansed and used for His glory. Let us bring what we have to the King, offering up our repentant heart, our gi s, and our will. Dance those chains of religion off in the presence of the Father and be robed in the light of rela onship with Jesus.

You are a child of God, not a beggar.

J. E. (JADE) BERRY is a writer/speaker, songwriter, wife and mom to five children, with a heart for seeing people come to know freedom through a relationship with Christ Jesus. Connect with her at JEBerrySpeaks.com.

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P R AY E R C A R D S Cut out prayer cards and tuck in your Bible or display around your home or office; or write an encouragement on the back and share with a friend.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Declare his praises I will exalt you “Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” Isaiah 25:1

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper act of worship.” Romans 12:1-2

I will praise him

Acts of worship

“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” Exodus 15:2

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

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P R AY E R C A R D S

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Father, thank you for choosing me and calling me out into the light. Forgive me when I forget who I am. I am yours.

I praise you because you are worthy!

You have brought me out of the darkness and called me your own.

In Jesus name, Amen.

Father, I thank you for every good thing in my life. Before I even took my first breath, you were already working on my behalf. I could never thank you enough for your protection, provision, and peace that surpasses all understanding. You have kept your word. You have done wonderful things.

In Jesus name, Amen.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

Father, all that I have, all that I am or ever hope to be is because of you. It’s all yours! Help me to surrender to you daily and live fully for you. Take all of me, Lord; my heart is yours In Jesus name, Amen.

Father, thank you for always being with me and seeing me through the tough times. You are my strength and my defense. Even when I cannot discern what you are doing, I trust that you are working it all out for my good. Let me never miss an opportunity to tell others of your faithfulness so that I may be an encouragement to them. In Jesus name, Amen

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

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Prayers by Tisha Walker

Cut out prayer cards and tuck in your Bible or display around your home or office; or write an encouragement on the back and share with a friend.

We asked our staff, contributors and our on-line community one ques on, and here’s what they said:

What is your favorite worship song right now?

The Blessing (Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes). It is straight from scripture and always moves me to close my eyes, reflect, praise the Lord, and pray for the genera ons that are a er me. - Jodie Make Room because it reminds me that God is always ready and willing to do something in my heart when I make room for Him to do so.

- Amy Elaine

It Is Well With My Soul. Several mes in life I've sung that song through many tears such as a er my dad lost his ba le with a brain tumor, the first Sunday our oldest was away at college, and during a dark season in our marriage. Life might be hard, but my hope and trust is in Jesus. - Cyndee

God of the Mountain - it is a reminder of God’s faithfulness and always being there through thick and thin always in my heart - Laurie

UnƟl Grace by Tauren Wells and Gary LeVox of Rascal Fla s - Mitzi

Wait on the Lord by Maverick City - and Promises! - Melanie

To God be the Glory by Fanny Crosby - The thing I have always loved about it is that is presents the Gospel. - Carolyn

Believe For It by CeCe Winans encourages me to hold fast to all that God promises in His Word - Jana

What song moves you to worship?

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I T ’ S THE C HRISTMAS SEASON . A SPECIAL TIME WHEN WE REMEMBER THE BIRTH OF

C HRIST . T HE

SHEPHERDS WORSHIPED THE HOLY CHILD THE WISE MEN OFFERED GIFTS FIT FOR A KING .

Daily Worshipping THE

KING OF GLORY KAREN FRIDAY

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But as we sing fond and familiar words to adore Christ the Lord this Ɵme of year, do we realize Jesus is worthy of our daily worship? Are we faithful to give him praise and thanksgiving every day, and not just on Sundays and special holidays? Do we offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, an act of spiritual worship? (Romans 12:1).

W ORSHIP HIS H OLINESS “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not liŌ up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceiƞully.”

Psalm 24:3-4 (ESV)

And do we adore him all year long?

The birth of Jesus unveiled the Savior to the world.

The One promised to rescue us from sin, other gods, the enemy, and even ourselves. God’s Son came to bring the light of heaven to earth. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was born to die. Denied earthly glory and fame, Jesus bears a name above every name. He is the King of glory. “The King of glory” is only found once in the Bible, in Psalm 24. It’s one of my favorite passages.

C REATION W ORSHIPS

The imagery here both makes my soul leap and causes me to pause. David knew what it meant to stand in God’s presence. And he knew how sin separated him from God. The Lord created our souls to desire the ascent up his hill and to stand in his holy place. But it requires we submit to the Lord’s holiness in our lives and allow Him to cleanse us from sin. This is worship.

W ORSHIP BY S EEKING G OD

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.”

Psalm 24:1-2 (ESV)

“He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvaƟon.

Such is the generaƟon of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah” Psalm 24:5-6 (ESV)

Scripture reveals how Jesus, part of the triune God, par cipated in crea on. John 1:3 says all things came into being through him. Even the star announcing the arrival of the Christ-child, was created by him.

The Bible encourages us to seek the Lord’s kingdom and righteousness in Ma hew 6:33. To pray, seek God’s face, and turn from wicked ways for forgiveness of sin and healing of our land here on earth in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Every me we gaze at a sunset, see a glimmer of light shining through the window, stand in awe at the twinkling of stars or the ebb and flow of the ocean, let it remind us, all of crea on worships the King of Glory.

And Hebrews 11:6 tells us God rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

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S ALVATION AND W ALKING WITH G OD “LiŌ up your heads, O gates! And be liŌed up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in baƩle!

LiŌ up your heads, O gates! And liŌ them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah” Psalm 24: 7-10 (ESV) Ma hew Henry’s commentary notes the repe ons of phrases in these verses like those in a song. “The doors and gates are to be thrown open, thrown wide open, to give him admission, for behold he stands at the door and knocks, ready to come in.” Henry further notes the Lord desires to be “welcomed by us.”

The Lamb of God created the star placed in the heavens to announce his arrival. The light of the world.

I held him in my arms. So overjoyed. Barely minutes old and seemingly fragile. But this baby embodied the fullness of the Godhead. Such power later demonstrated when he cast out evil spirits and raised the dead to life again.

I studied every feature as mothers do when handed a newborn. Gazing intently at him, I saw the goodness and greatness of God.

L ORD , WE SWING OPEN WIDE THE GATES OF OUR LIFE AND THE DOOR OF OUR HEART FOR YOUR GRAND ENTRANCE AS WE

The King of glory knocks at the door of our hearts. If we open the door, He comes in (Revela on 3:20).

WORSHIP YOU , THE

K ING OF GLORY .

The Lord of hosts came that first Christmas night in Bethlehem for all who are willing to welcome His glory into their hearts and lives.

M ARY ’ S W ORSHIP Perhaps Mary’s thoughts went something like this....

He took His first breath. Wrapped in a swaddling cloth, though adorned with royal tles. Wonderful Counselor. Prince of Peace. Holy King. Immanuel.

The Ancient of Days.

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Looking in his eyes, they would one day see into the hearts of men. I watched his mouth when he yawned or cried, wonderful, powerful and life -giving words he later spoke. Commanding even the winds and waves to obey him.

Placing my hand on his chest to sense a strong heartbeat. The day was coming his heart—broken and betrayed by many—offered forgiveness to all.

I held his hands and li le fingers. The same hands would gently caress those who needed comfort and healing. Touch eyes restoring sight. His hands stretched out to give us love and life, pierced by nails.

I examined his feet. Yes, five toes on each one.

I’d felt them kicking inside me. These feet carried him to speak to the masses, walked on water and became pierced with nails.

Embracing him as a mother tenderly draws her child close, snuggling him near to my chest. Yet, his embrace offers us more warmth and security

than any earthly mother ever bestows. How ironic I nursed him to sustain his physical life, whereas he is the very Bread of Life.

I delighted in watching him grow from child to man. There was no one like him: his smile, voice, presence and spirit. Possessing great compassion, humility, love and tenderness.

Then, I found myself at the foot of the cross sobbing. Why, son?

“Though he was in the form of God…empƟed himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men…he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:6-11 (ESV) I welcomed him into my life and heart. And he desires you welcome him. Because his Holy Word shouts, “LiŌ up your heads, O gates! And liŌ them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah” Psalm 24:9-10 (ESV) (Mary, the mother of Jesus) Lord, we swing open wide the gates of our life and the door of our heart for your grand entrance as we worship you, the King of glory.

PSALM 24 “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.

He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah Lift up your heads, O gates!

And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle!

Lift up your heads, O gates!

And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

Who is this King of glory?

The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah”

KAREN FRIDAY is passionate about showing others they are never far from hope. To discover an undeniable hope in an uncertain world, visit her website, Hope is Among Us, at KarenGirlFriday.com

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A Thrill of Hope

H OW O UR W EARY S OULS C AN R EJOICE A T C HRISTMAS LISA JOHNSON

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Christmas carries great anticipation for believers all over the world. A time to rejoice, to slow down and be grateful, to gather with those we hold dear.

Fall on your knees O hear the angel voices O night divine O night when Christ was born

But for many, the Christmas season isn’t merry and bright.

My father was a family prac oner for over 35 years and he has told me repeatedly that Christmas was one of his least favorite seasons to see pa ents. So much sadness and depression.

Grief can be especially difficult and present around this me of year. The empty space at the table is a constant reminder of a loved one gone too soon.

The Christmas cards that pour into our mailboxes of perfectly put together families can some mes shine a light on the pain of our losses.

C HRIST ’ S B IRTH B RINGS H OPE There is so much hope in the Christmas season.

Christ, the promised Messiah, came in the form of a baby to dwell among men. (Luke 2:8-14) Jesus was the thrill of hope that the weary world was wai ng for! And He remains the greatest hope we have in this world today. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I love how the hymn men ons that when Christ appeared the soul felt its worth.

What does worth mean? It means the quality that renders something desirable, valuable, or useful.

Isn’t that what we desire, as women? To be valued and useful in this world? Isn’t that what everyone wants?

Scripture has plenty to say about who we are in Christ as believers.

•

As believers we are children of God. (I John 3:1)

•

We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, redeemed and made new in Him. (I Peter 1:19)

•

We have been given an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade, kept in heaven for us. (I Peter 1:4)

•

We have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us.

(Gala ans 2:20)

•

Because we are in Christ, we are a new creaon! The old has gone, the new has come!

(II Corinthians 5:17)

•

Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. (Romans 8:38-39)

•

We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. (Ephesians 2:10)

Let’s look at one of the most well known Christmas hymns, O Holy Night.

It is rich in truth! If you are struggling as winter approaches, I pray you find comfort as we unpack this beloved hymn, and discover the beau ful hope that lies in Christ’s birth.

O holy night the stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth Long lay the world in sin and error pining Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks A new and glorious morn

I don’t know about you, but when my soul feels

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weary, Scriptures like these help anchor me to Christ. Our hearts and minds are so prone to wander and dwell on things that are typically untrue. Praise God for the power of His Word!

T HE W EARY W ORLD C AN R EJOICE Some of you may be feeling or thinking, How can I rejoice with everything going on in our world today? It’s so depressing!

That’s a fair feeling. But the state of our world and the brokenness around us should not deter us from being filled with hope. It’s not just the birth of Christ that brought hope all those years ago, but what happened a er. Christ lived a perfect life, only to suffer and die a criminal’s death. But He didn’t stay in that grave. Three days later He triumphantly rose from the grave, conquering sin and death for all who would believe in Him. (I Corinthians 15:14-23; Romans 6:9) Because of this good news, we have victory in Jesus!

(Romans 8:37) You and I can rejoice at Christmas because we know the end of the story. This broken world is not our home. Our ci zenship is in heaven.

(Philippians 3:20) All of the grief, pain, and sadness we may have experienced recently or are currently walking through, will one day be made right. Every tear will be wiped away and there will be no more sadness or pain. (Revela on 21:4)

Jesus this Christmas. We can rejoice with our families as we celebrate His birth and all that it means to us and to the world.

Yes, our world is broken. But remember, it is that brokenness that points us to the need for Christ.

(Romans 8:19-23) As we gather with family and friends this holiday season, let’s make a point to slow down, and remember the beauty of that night all those years ago. It was indeed a holy night that would change the course of our lives forever.

Let us fall on our knees in worship.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for the season of Christmas and all that it means to us as believers. I pray that in the hustle and bustle of this me of year, that You would help us to slow down and remember that holy night when Christ was born. If our hearts are weary or weighed down, may we lay those burdens at Your feet, trus ng You in the midst of the pain. May the good news of Christ’s birth and all that happened a erwards fill our hearts with great hope. As we have opportuni es to be with family and friends this Christmas who may not know You yet, please give us the words to share with them about the eternal hope that is offered to them in Christ. May the sacred celebra on of Christmas cause us to fall on our knees and worship You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

F ALL O N Y OUR K NEES Knowing these truths as believers should s r in our hearts a desire to fall on our knees and worship

LISA JOHNSON is a former kindergarten teacher turned homeschool mom and blogger. When she’s not writing or teaching she enjoys being outdoors with her family, cooking without recipes, and drinking iced americanos. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and daughter.

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M E M O RY S C R I P T U R E S Spend some Ɵme commiƫng to memory these Scriptures about worship. Add them to your journal and spend a week wriƟng one of these verses everyday. The process of wriƟng out the Scripture text is a wonderful memory aid.

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 4:11

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.”

Hebrews 12:28

“O Lord, you are my God, I will exalt you. I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

Isaiah 25:1

“I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.”

Psalm 138:2

“Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!”

Psalm 100:2

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Winter Reading CYNDEE OWNBEY

Growing up, I spent a lot of time in time out. My twin sisters, two-and-a-half years younger than me, often embellished stories resulting in time out in my room. I quickly learned that a good book helped the time pass more swiftly.

Between stacks of books from the library and yard sale finds, I enjoyed the temporary escape from my current circumstances that books offered.

Even as an adult, I find books provide muchneeded rest and respite from the stresses of this world.

Today, I'm sharing several recent reads as well as some of my favorites. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I have.

If I had to pick just one book to recommend, it would probably be The Hiding Place. I've heard so many of the stories included in the pages over the years, but I'd never read them for myself un l recently. It's a very mely book for the days we're

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living, and I hope it will encourage you to be bold in living out your faith.

As with any book, I encourage you to read it as man's word, not God's Word. Be a en ve to the Holy Spirit for any text that might not align with God's Word. We all read and write through a theological lens based on our personal beliefs.

I've found God will o en use a book to shi my perspec ve on a biblical truth.

Please note: A book's inclusion in the list below is not a blanket recommenda on for every book the author may have wri en.

May you enjoy the journey and be inspired, Cyndee

CHRISTIAN CLASSICS The Hiding Place Paperback –

by Corrie Ten Boom, Elizabeth Sherrill, John Sherrill.

The Hiding Place tells the story of Corrie Ten Boom's family, who risked their lives hiding Jews from the Nazis during WW II. Despite being imprisoned in the concentra on camps, Corrie and her sister, Betsie, pray for and seize every opportunity to share their faith. Corrie writes, "I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect prepara on for the work He will give us to do."

Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hunnard Several years ago, a sweet senior saint in our church recommended I read Hinds Feet on High Places. I now understand how this unusual book made such a profound impact on her life. This Chris an class is wri en in allegory form. Hunnard tells the story of Much-Afraid's spiritual journey to the High Places. "The lessons of accep ng and triumphing over evil, of becoming acquainted with grief, and pain, and of finding them transformed into something incomparably precious; these are the lessons of the allegory in this book."

breaks down the truths and challenges presented in Titus 2 in a manner that is gracious and encouraging. Throughout the pages, Nancy reminds us, "Living our lives as Titus 2 women enables us to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. It helps our families and churches to flourish and the beauty of the gospel to shine forth in our world."

This book would be an excellent resource for mentoring and discipleship groups, cas ng a biblical vision for older women inves ng in the lives of younger women.

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds by Jen Wilkin.

I first read through Women of the Word in 2016, and it changed how I approached Bible study and my daily quiet me. I re-read it recently as our Women's Ministry Team read the book and discussed it together.

If you struggle to read God's Word on your own, you'll find much encouragement and direc on from Jen Wilkin. She introduces sound Bible study tools, that when used, will impact both our hearts and minds. "Home, church, community, and country desperately need the influence of women who know why they believe what they believe, grounded in the Word of God."

BIBLE READING RESOURCES CHRISTIAN LIVING Adorned: Living Out the Beauty of the Gospel Together by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth.

If you've ever struggled with your purpose, Adorned will remind you of the many reasons God created you. Nancy Wolgemuth

What the Bible Is All About: Bible Handbook by Dr. HenrieƩa C. Mears.

A dear friend introduced me to this valuable resource as I began learning how to study the Bible. What the Bible is All About includes an overview of

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every book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelaon. Dr. Mears provides important historical and cultural backgrounds for each book and introduces key people in each story. The commentary provided will allow you to glean fresh insight and understanding of God's Word. It's a resource I use o en and one I recommend, especially for those who are learning how to read and understand God's Word.

A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible: Seeing and Knowing God's Word by Tim Challies and Josh Byers.

Challies and Byers have created a Bible study resource like no other. You will literally see the Bible like you never have before. The book is loaded with graphics and text that will help you to trust and understand the Bible. The en re first sec on of the book repeatedly proves why we can trust the Bible as accurate and reliable. Did you know there are 23,769 known copies of New Testament manuscripts?

My favorite graphic in the book shows 100 Old Testament prophecies and references about Jesus as fulfilled in the New Testament. You'll want a copy of this to keep on your resource shelf, but it makes a great gi too!

CHRISTIAN FICTION Double Down Series by Lisa Phillips (Suspense)

twists and turns of a secret undercover opera on in Washington DC bent on destroying the lives of as many people as possible. Team Double Down is faced with neutralizing the threat and rescuing a team member's sister who has been kidnapped by the criminals they are chasing.

The author's slow and inten onal reveal of the background of each character (poli cians, former and current military, and FBI agents) uncovers mo va on and adds to the mystery of the storyline. Roman c tensions between the main characters add another layer to the storyline. Lisa Philips will leave you guessing un l the very end.

The Descendant's Daughter (Call of the FronƟer Book 1)

by Patricia Lee There's something about reading a story within a story that I find cap va ng, especially when the author knows just how to tease the reader with connec ons between the two. Patricia Lee expertly weaves two stories together – one in the present and one from distant rela ves moving westward in the mid-1800s through old le ers.

Packed with adventures in the present and past, readers will root for Halle Jayne Murphy as she dares to discover her unknown past. Part mystery, part romance, and part history, The Descendent's Daughter will keep you guessing as to how both stories will end.

This page-turner provided a much-needed distrac on a er my surgery last summer. This four-book set is filled with

CYNDEE OWNBEY is an author, speaker, podcaster, and women's ministry mentor. She equips women's ministry leaders to cultivate a Christ-focused community through her ministry website: womensministrytoolbox.com

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The Perfect Any Time of the Year!

Published quarterly, each full color issue of Sweet To The Soul FAITH is centralized around a theme with specific focus on three Biblical topics. Filled with 120+ pages and a variety of content in multiple formats, each issue inspires and challenges the reader to answer the call placed on today's Christian women to be Kingdom influencers within their families and communities.

Available on Amazon

SWEETTOTHESOUL.com Sign up to receive our emails and be the first to know when each issue of Sweet To The Soul FAITH Magazine is available!

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LOVE, PEACE, & SECOND CHANCES

PART 3 : THE LOST SHEEP GONE ASTRAY MELANIE DAVIS PORTER

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The smell of fall was in the air and flashed a hint of color peeking out from the trees. Mae-Lyn closed her eyes long enough to see Faith jumping in the leaves.

It was her favorite me of year. Faith looked forward to taking Lily to the park just to find the fall leaves. Once, she offered to rake a co-worker’s yard so that they could play. A er stuffing thirty-one garage bags full of crunchy leaves, she confessed she was over playing in the leaves for a while.

Why’d you have to leave me, Faith?

“I cants waytz to pway kick-a-ball Mista’ Andy.”

“Me too. You can be on my team.”

“Groooby.”

River View’s First Bap st stood tall and stately. The white brick façade with colorful stained-glass windows looked almost like a fairy tale set into the perfect landscape of weeping willows and massive magnolia trees.

She adjusted her ed belt again, then tucked a loose curl behind her right ear.

She couldn’t help no cing the tall blonde in a black, fi ed pencil skirt with a cream silk, ruffled blouse, and pink pearls. The older lady wore a tailored navy suit and a wide-brimmed hat with a matching clutch purse and pumps.

I should have worn my blue dress instead of this sundress; at least it had sleeves. These sandals have seen be er days. Why did I agree to this?

Andy's heart was full of an cipa on though he sensed her nerves.

"There are good folks here, Mae-Lyn. I promise you'll make it through the next hour," he said with a laugh.

“I’m sorry I’m so up ght. The church is foreign to me.”

He felt that shi in his heart again. Lord, please let her feel your love today.

They walked the long, noisy hallway with kids lagging behind their parents. Lily smiled and waved at every child passing by, regardless of their age.

They stepped into a big, colorful room full of children si ng in ny chairs.

“Well, hello, you must be Lily?"

A graceful, college-aged girl with long auburn hair kneeled and made eye contact with Lily.

“I am! Hoowwd you kno dat?”

“A li le bird told me,” she said, laughing. "Hey, Andy."

“Hey yourself, cuz. Lily, this is my cousin Laila. Lai, this is Mae-Lyn.” “It’s so nice to meet you, Mae-Lyn. We’re so happy to have you and Lily visi ng this morning.”

“Thank you.” Mae-Lyn smiled, relaxing a bit to see Lily at ease.

I don't know why I worry about her fi ng in; she's always a perfect fit everywhere she goes. I’m the square peg.

“Lily, you’ll have fun with Lai. Mae-Mae and I will come back to get you a er church, okay?”

“Okkiiee dokkiiee.”

Stopping at the door, Mae-Lyn glanced at Lily to see her grinning ear to ear and talking to a li le girl with ponytails.

She makes friends everywhere she goes. Everyone loves my Lily girl.

They se led into an empty pew in front of Andy’s parents just in me to meet his sister and brother-inlaw.

Mae-Lyn felt relieved to see Ka e in a green and purple sundress with horizontal lines. Her long black hair was fine but messy. She wore li le make-up but donned bright pink lip gloss.

Ka e leaned in, embracing Mae-Lyn while whispering in her ear.

“We’re going to be good friends, Mae-Lyn,” so ly kissing her on the cheek. Her husband, Rob, pa ed her on the forearm.

“Nice to meet you, Mae-Lyn.”

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Suddenly tears welled in her eyes, and she felt warm.

Am I blushing? She couldn’t remember anyone kissing her on the cheek but Lily and Faith.

Ka e’s seemed every bit as sophis cated and warm as Andy’s mother. She’s beau ful, too. Who are these idyllic people? I want to believe they are real, but everyone seems nice on the surface.

Mae-Lyn quickly brushed away the single tear rolling down her cheek. Turning a side glance toward Andy, she was grateful he was waving to a couple across the aisle.

She found the music comfor ng. A majes c organ and piano duo led a few hymns, but she loved the young man with the beard and wild hair, who passionately sang while accompanying himself on an acous c guitar.

He delicately finger-picked the strings with enthusiasm and precision. His tender voice carried over the sanctuary with ease. There was a poignant reverence floa ng in the atmosphere as he sweetly sang.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me, save that thou art thou my best thought, by day or by night; waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and thou my true word; I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord.

Thou my great Father; thine own may I be, thou in me dwelling and I one with thee.

Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise; thou mine inheritance, now and always; thou and thou only first in my heart, high King of heaven, my treasure thou art.

The tears flowed down her cheeks as she sat mesmerized. Mae-Lyn felt powerless to stop the flood.

What is wrong with me?

Suddenly she remembered the le er. She had to reread it. Faith penned the le er the day she passed away. Her final words were haun ng. Why did this song remind

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her?

The old, grey-haired pastor took his place in the pulpit.

His voice was gentle, yet he spoke with confident authority. She heard pages turning all over the sanctuary.

Glancing around to her right, she saw everyone had Bibles. She froze. Looking down, she picked up the brown, leather Bible that Andy gave her on Friday night.

She heard the old man say Psalm, and amazingly the Bible's pages fell open to Psalm 25.

He said Psalm 23. One page over.

She turned back one page, and there it was Psalm 23.

The pastor started reading.

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the s ll waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

The tears were beyond uncontrollable. Closing her eyes, she tried to hold some back. Andy discreetly pulled a neatly folded, white, monogrammed handkerchief from his pants pocket and laid it on the open pages.

Li ing her eyes, she laughed under her breath as he slightly turned his head her way, giving her a wink. She laughed again.

Boy, you shouldn’t be winking at me in this place right now. You make me feel all kinds of things I can’t handle.

Of course, you carry a fancy monogrammed hanky like a gentleman in an old movie. How did I let you drag me into this place with these happy, smiling people? Stop crying, Mae. I can’t help myself. What is wrong with me?

“Some of our farmers will agree that sheep have a natural tendency to get lost,” Pastor Owens told the congrega on.

I think I qualify. I’m as lost as a ball in high weeds here

in River View.

“The world has so many distrac ons to pull us away to places that cause us more harm than good. That’s the enemy’s plan. Our human tendencies to stray away from God are met by a cunning Devil who works overme to separate us from God. Life’s distrac ons will come at us in many ways. Loss, pain, hardship, sickness, grief and death, are just a few ways the enemy will lead us away from our good Shepherd.”

She wanted to get up and leave, run far away. The bulge in her throat felt like she was about to strangle in her tears. Shi ing in her seat, she crossed her legs, and the Bible slid off her lap. Andy caught it before it fell to the floor. She dropped her head in humilia on.

Andy effortlessly li ed his strong arm behind her shoulder and rested his hand down her arm; He scooted closer while pulling her into him. He felt her body relax but saw tears falling on her forearm.

Lord, please help her. Let her feel safe with you and me.

“The biggest danger of sheep wandering off is ge ng lost, hurt, a acked, and even killed. If the enemy can isolate us, he can overwhelm us in this old hard world.

But the Shepherd will leave the ninety-nine to go find the one lost lamb just as our Good Shepherd finds us when we are lost.”

O buddy, you have no idea; I've been lost and wandering my whole life.

“Sheep can't last long without their Shepherd. Like sheep, we are dependent on the Lord for protec on, direc on, and to care for us.”

Buddy, I’ve been taking care of myself my whole life.

"You may think you got it together and that you don't need anyone. But if you feel that way, you don't know what you're missing. And you don't know what it's like to have the Good Shepherd take care of you."

anymore. The Good Shepherd, Jesus, came to earth, born as a baby, to be the sacrifice for our sin. Jesus willingly gave His life on the cross so that you can have life, everlas ng life.

Where have I heard that before? Everlas ng life with Jesus? ”We are spiritually blind, lost, wandering in sin un l we trust Jesus as our Savior and Lord.”

Faith’s le er …

Her heartbeat sped up; she felt sweaty. The tears were relentless.

That stupid le er. Faith, why did you have to leave me that stupid le er?! I need to blow my nose. I can’t blow my nose here. Where’s a good roll of toilet paper when I need it? What is going on? Why can’t I quit crying?! If you're real God and this Jesus is real, where have you been all my life? I've been lost a long me. I've been bea ng my head against the wall just trying to survive.

Where you been, God?!

“He's been by your side all along, and He's here today, invi ng you to come home.”

Okay, now you’re talking to me through the old preacher, right?

“That’s right, child. He’s here with you now. Don't harden your heart; He's seen your suffering. He knows you’ve felt all alone, figh ng for your existence. He knows you’ve been mistreated, abandoned, and rejected, but Jesus wants you to know this too … He will never leave your side. He loves you more than you can comprehend, and He wants to lead you to green pastures. He wants you to rest by s ll waters. He wants to heal and restore you.”

The piano so ly played as the young man with the wild hair started singing.

The Savior is waiƟng to enter your heart Why don't you let Him come in?

No one’s ever taken care of me except Faith. And I guess I can add Andy to that list, but I’ve known him less than a week. Everybody's nice un l you get to know them.

There's nothing in this world to keep you apart

“But the good news is, you don’t have to wander alone

Time aŌer Ɵme, He has waited before

What is your answer to Him?

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And now He is waiƟng again.

To see if you're willing to open the door Oh, how He wants to come in.

What is this song doing to me? What is going on? I’m going crazy. I’m finally cracking.

If you'll take one step toward the Savior, my friend You'll find His arms open wide.

She laughed over her tears. Andy laughed with her.

“You didn’t embarrass me, I promise. Now Granma Keller embarrasses me from me to me, especially when she snores during the sermon.”

Trying to speak, she snubbed with uneven breaths.

Andy li ed her chin, and they locked eyes.

“Can we leave, Andy?”

God, she’s so beau ful and yet so broken.

Andy turned and met her eyes.

“It’s almost over, Mae-Lyn.”

He li ed his chin and kissed her ever so lightly on the forehead.

“I can’t breathe.”

“Are you okay?”

He grabbed her hand and led her down the aisle. She looked up once to see heads bowed everywhere.

She hesitantly shook her head up and down. He climbed in the truck beside her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She leaned into his chest, closing her eyes.

Maybe no one saw me.

He led her through the foyer and out to the porch. She pushed forward and passed him, running straight to the truck. He ran a er her just as a roll of thunder boomed behind ominous, dark skies. She opened the truck door, hurriedly climbed in, slamming the door behind her.

Pu ng her head down in shame, she couldn’t stop crying.

Andy came to her side and opened the door. He leaned in, gently took her hands, and pulled her to his chest.

“Mae-Lyn, are you okay?”

“I’m so sorry I embarrassed you, Andy.”

God, help me. Help me say the right thing.

“Mae-Lyn, you haven’t embarrassed me. What makes you think you’ve embarrassed me?”

“I’ve cried like a fool for an hour over a song! And that sweet old man had to look at me boohoo the whole me he talked! And then I made you leave before it’s over!

“Okay, Mae-Lyn. First off, Pastor Owens wouldn't hear or see a gunshot if it went off two feet in front of him.

And the crying? Heck, I cry just about every week.

Everybody does. That's how you know the Lord is speaking to you. And finally, nobody saw us leave. They

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were either asleep or had their heads down as good li le Bap sts do."

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“You smell good.”

They laughed, and she finally relented and blew her nose on his fancy handkerchief.

The sky opened, and buckets of rain fell with a vengeance. The kickball game would have to wait for another Sunday a ernoon. Knowing she was feeling overwhelmed, they skipped the family lunch at the farm.

They rode over to Carlson and picked up some burgers on the curb at the Blue Circle.

‘Talking about My Genera on’ by The Who was playing on the radio. Lily fell asleep with a strawberry milkshake in one hand and a burger in the other while leaning against Andy's shoulder. They ate as the rain pelted the windshield.

"Laila said she did great. She's quite the singer, too."

“O yeah, baby girl can sing just like her mama could.”

“Really?”

“She was incredible, Andy. Faith had some pipes. She could have made it big, but she gave up the late-night gigs a er she got pregnant with Lily. She just wanted to

be a mom, have the white picket fence and a home with lots of love.”

Too busy thinkin' about my baby I Ain’t got Ɵme for nothing else.

“Sounds like she loved well.”

"She did—Lily's just like her. In every way, even the stubbornness," she said laughingly.

“Stubbornness is a good quality to have.”

"I'm not sure you would think that if you had to wrestle a four-year-old to sleep every night. She's been a terrible sleeper since Faith passed away."

There was a long pause. Andy took the shake, and MaeLyn slipped the burger from the toddler’s clutch.

"She's slept be er since we've been in River View. We both have."

“I’m glad. It’s those green pastures and s ll waters Pastor Owens talked about today.”

Til ng her head, she wrinkled her brow in surprise but didn’t say a word.

“Well, I hate to break up the fancy lunch in the truck, but I guess I be er get you two back to rest. I need to go out to the farm and feed. I’m hoping the rain lets up, we have some fall calves coming, and a few of my heifers have been AWOL for three days.”

She stared at the moonlight on the corner wall. The rain was lighter but loud enough to hear s ll. She sat up in bed, moving slowly not to wake Lily.

Where is it? Where did I see it last?

She went to the closet and li ed the flap on Faith’s ragged, canvas aviator bag. Shuffling around, she found the le er paper clipped to her death cer ficate. Tiptoeing out to the den, she gently closed the bedroom door and flipped on the hall lamp.

Collapsing onto the couch, she stared at the le er.

I've cried enough today; I don't want to cry anymore, Faith.

Closing her eyes, she pulled the so , wooly blanket up to her neck, dropping the le er onto her lap. The rain rhythmically tapped the n roof, lulling her asleep within a few minutes.

“Calves? As in baby cows?”

"Yeah," he said, laughing.

“O, that sounds so sweet.”

“It’s not if they decide to drop those babies in the middle of a thunderstorm.”

Andy flashed her a wink, and she shyly dropped her eyes.

I can't handle the winks. For crying out loud, Andy Keller quit winking at me.

The drive back to River View was silent except for the cool tones of Marvin Gaye.

I'm too busy thinkin' about my baby Oh, I ain't got Ɵme for nothin' else, Yeah, Yeah

She felt the gentle tug, but her eyes were so heavy.

“Mae-Mae, yous okay?”

“No … please … Please don’t take her. Please. Faith, don’t leave, please!”

“Mae-Mae!” Startled by Lily’s persistent scream, she shot straight up.

“Mae-Mae, you been cryin’ and screaming for mama!”

She remembered. Standing at the end of a long hallway with the le er in hand, she helplessly watched as the hospital orderly wheeled Faith’s body away from her.

She hated this dream. She couldn’t stop it from coming no ma er what she did.

“Mae-Mae, yous okay?”

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“I’m fine, swee e. I’m sorry I scared you,” she pulled Lily close and wrapped the blanket around her back.

“You didn’t scarz me, I justs don’t wike it whens your sad, Mae-Mae. Mama tolds us to be happy a er she’s gone.”

"I know, swee e. I know.”

They sat in silence, listening to the rain. Lily fell back to sleep against her chest. She saw the le er lying on the floor. Li ing her eyes to the coffee table, she’d forgo en Andy dropped her keys into the candy bowl. Her car was fixed and gassed up to go.

Andy, Andy. You seem like a good guy, but I’ve been burned by good guys too many mes. What am I doing here? There’s no future here in River View. I don't fit in.

He's got his act together; I can't seem to find my act.

Don't fool yourself, girl; he's just like all the others.

"Hey, Mista’ Andy.”

“Hey there, Lily. I just stopped by to see if you girls needed anything and to tell you about our new calf.”

Mae-Lyn stared straight ahead.

“Whaza Calfes?”

“It’s a baby cow, Lily.”

She kept turning the key, but the motor spu ered to a pause.

“Mae-Lyn, is everything okay?”

“Fine," she replied, making no eye contact.

Shi ing his glance to the backseat, he saw her bags.

The nega ve thoughts peppered her mind like the pel ng rain, one a er another.

Oh God, she's running away. She's leaving. What do I say, God?

You have a life back in Philly. You have an apartment and friends. Maybe not good friends, but you make do.

Lily loves nursery school. You'll find another job. It's me to go home, girl. Quit was ng your me with a rich boy who's all focused on this God stuff.

“Are you leaving town, Mae-Lyn?”

It was at that moment she knew what she had to do.

She didn't see another way. She had to get out before she got in too deep.

She closed the hood trunk and ran back to get Lily and one last bag. Guiding Lily down the steps in the falling rain proved to be trickier than she ini ally perceived.

She opened the door and threw the bag over the seat, hurrying Lily into the driver’s side. Climbing over the gear shi , she heard the toddler scream.

“It’s Mista’ Andy, Mae-Mae! Shoot! I almost made a clean break.

Without looking up, she climbed into her seat and slammed the door before Andy made it to her window.

She turned the key, and the engine turned but didn't

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start. Andy pecked on the window. Aggravated that she didn't get on the road sooner, she rolled the window down.

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Dropping her hand to her knee, she turned to look at him. She saw the hurt in his gentle eyes.

“Lily, you stay in the car. I need to talk to Andy in private.”

Lily looked Mae-Lyn in the eyes; her lip started quivering. Mae-Lyn rolled up the window and opened the door. Stepping out into the rain, she hadn’t no ced the chill in the air un l now.

"I'll make this quick since it's so miserable out. Yes, we're leaving town, Andy. And yes, I'm a coward for not telling you before I tried to leave. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate all your kindness. It just means that I'm a horrible person who's broken, and I'm ro en at goodbyes. So, thank you for everything, and I wish you well."

She turned to put her hand on the door handle, but he grabbed her arm, pulling her close. Cupping her cheeks with both hands, he leaned into her face. Just inches apart, their eyes met, and he pressed his lips against hers, lingering in the moment. She didn’t resist. Oh no, she reciprocated, and he felt her passion.

Sweet Andy. Don’t make this harder.

“Please don’t go,” he whispered into her ear.

She felt weak. Her head was swimming.

"It's be er this way, Andy. I'm no good for you. I've got baggage. You deserve someone that's not messed up like me."

“You’re not messed up, Mae-Lyn. You’ve had some bad breaks, but I have too.”

“I doubt your bad breaks can equal my misery, Andrew Mason Keller,” she said dryly.

“That’s fair. But you and Lily can have a good life here.”

“I have an apartment back in Philly. Lily has friends at her nursery school. I might can get my job back or at least start back with the sta on in some capacity. I have no way to support Lily here, Andy, and I can’t live off your charity for the rest of my life. Please, don’t make this harder than it is.”

She stepped back and opened the door before turning.

She was drenched and knew the rain was masking her tears.

“Please, please, Mae-Lyn. At least wait ll the storm passes.”

“Mae-Mae, plweease.”

“Lily, it’s me for us to go. We have to get back to Philly.”

“I don’t wantz to go back.”

“Mae-Lyn, please, can we grab some dry clothes and talk about this over breakfast, please?”

She stared straight ahead. Res ng her hand on the key, then turning it once, her old slug bug roared to a purr.

She felt a physical ache deep in her chest. Pulling the door closed, she shi ed into first gear and gracefully let go of the clutch with her le foot. Rolling forward, Andy watched the yellow Volkswagen slush through the rain.

Si ng up on her knees and looking back, Lily ardently waved bye to Andy, s ll standing in the pouring rain.

“Plweease, Mae-Mae, plweease, go back, plweease.”

She hadn’t seen Lily cry like this since the day Faith died.

Looking back in the rearview mirror, she saw him watching as she drove away.

I’m no good for you, Andy Keller. I’m no good for anybody.

She blinked the tears away hard and kept driving.

“He wuvs us, Mae-Mae. He wuvs you.”

To be con nued ......

Catch up on Parts 1 & 2 of Peace, Love & Second Chances in our Summer 2021 and Autumn 2021 issues of Sweet To The Soul FAITH. And don’t miss the next issue of Sweet To The Soul FAITH, Spring 2022, to find out how God works out the story of Mae-Lyn, Lily and Andy.

“Thank you for everything, Andy. We’ll never forget you.”

“Mae-Lyn, you’re running from God, not me!”

MELANIE DAVIS PORTER is a simple girl who loves Jesus, the Arts, and good books. She is an experienced playwright for the church and writes for Proverbs 31 Ministries First 5 App. To connect with Melanie, visit www.melaniedavisporter.com

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K NOW

THEREFORE , THAT

The Lord Your God is God, THE FAITHFUL GOD WHO KEEPS COVENANT AND STEADFAST LOVE WITH THOSE WHO LOVE HIM AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS , TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS .

D EUTERONOMY 7:9

F ATHER , HELP ME TO KEEP MY EYES FIXED ON J ESUS WHEN THE WORLD PULLS ME IN OTHER DIRECTIONS . R EMIND ME OF H IS SUFFERING AND SACRIFICE .

L ET ME NOT FORGET THAT C HRIST WAS WILLING TO ENDURE THE CROSS , SO THAT MY SINS WOULD BE FORGIVEN .

I LONG TO RUN THE RACE BEFORE ME , THROWING OFF EVERYTHING THAT HINDERS ME AND TURNING FROM THE SIN THAT SO EASILY TRIPS ME UP .

MY

TRUST IS IN J ESUS , THE AUTHOR

AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH .

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NAME ,

I

PRAY ,

A MEN .

Prayer by Jodie Barrett

I N H IS

Attributes

OF GOD

L OOKING TO J ESUS , THE FOUNDER AND PERFECTOR OF OUR FAITH , WHO FOR THE JOY THAT WAS SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS , DESPISING THE SHAME , AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE THRONE OF

G OD .

H EBREWS 12:2

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God Crowns the Year with Goodness KAREN FRIDAY

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation.

But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (ESV)

During Christmas, I’m reminded how Jesus came into the world as the Prince of Peace. Tis the season for peace and goodwill.

And with a new year around the corner, I long for real peace, not only in the world, but also in my heart as Jesus overcomes the chaos o en surrounding me.

Do you know the feeling? An uncertain world, a lack of peace, and daun ng circumstances that happen in our lives with li le to no warning. Like sickness, loss, heartache, broken rela onships, broken promises, wayward children or bad days outweighing good days.

So what is certain and sure? Jesus promises to provide real peace and overcome the world (John 16:33). Our heavenly Father crowns every new calendar year with goodness. Yes, really.

When I think of crowns, I imagine the three kings of Orient in a Christmas play. My mind’s eye pictures inaugura on ceremonies of royal monarchs.

Although dark moments and hard circumstances come our way, somehow and someway, the Lord will bring good from whatever happens. Goodness is not only something God does, but who God is.

The goodness of God tops inaugura on ceremonies of presidents and kings. It trumps all tles this world offers.

Iconic symbols of earthly crowning moments? Each wanes in comparison to the only One worthy to wear a royal crown. Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He wore a crown of thorns for me, and for you.

R EFLECTION : Do I believe true peace is only found in Jesus Christ? Will I stop chasing the false peace this world offers and rest in the One who overcomes?

Perhaps we envision crowning moments of beauty pageants. Or, iconic Disney princesses displayed in crowns that dazzle. What about paper crowns from Burger King. And plas c versions adorned with jewels, the finishing touch to a li le girl’s costume.

But tucked inside God’s Word, we find a promise how God crowns the year with goodness—a boun ful harvest and abundance.

“You crown the year with a boun ful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.” Psalm 65:11 (NLT)

Will I place my confidence in God’s promise to crown the new year with goodness and a boun ful harvest and to bring good out of hard circumstances as only he can?

 You crown the year with your bounty (NIV);  You crown the year with Your goodness (NKJV).

This promise brings me peace in contempla ng a new year. Maybe sparks from New Year’s fireworks spark our inten ons to make the new year be er than ever.

Regardless of our resolu ons, plans, goals or dreams, our ul mate hope lies in God’s goodness. Because we never know what tomorrow holds, even a er we plan. And while there’s no sure-fire way to know what the world or our world will bring in the coming days, the Prince of Peace overcomes it all.

But we know this: God never changes. He’s the real crowned King, the only promise-keeper who always keeps his promises. We put our confidence in the Lord of lords and the King of kings to walk with us every step of the way.

P RAYER : Lord, I worship You seated on the throne, high and li ed up. I magnify Your majesty and splendor. You are worthy to be praised and exalted above all earthly kings, authority and crowns. Thank You for real peace and overcoming the world. Make my plans, my goals, and my dreams as You would have them in the new year.

Thank You that no ma er what tomorrow holds, You are good all the me and your goodness never changes. Never. I cling to the promise that You will crown my year with goodness for in You alone is spiritual abundance. Lord, I crown You with many crowns and lay my earthly crowns at Your feet. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

KAREN FRIDAY is passionate about showing others they are never far from hope. To discover an undeniable hope in an uncertain world, visit her website, Hope is Among Us, at KarenGirlFriday.com

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Replacing Frustration with God’s Gladness KRISTINE BROWN

““For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness.

With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) It seemed like a hundred li le things. Nothing earth-sha ering, but just enough irrita on to feed the bi er a tude that was already there.

gain control in our daily lives. God is living among us. He is mighty.

He takes delight in us and rejoices over us. Claiming these promises will help us put frustrated feelings in their righ ul place.

The bi er a tude that had taken over without warning.

We overpower frustra on by focusing on how God delights in us with gladness.

Now every li le thing that happened added to my frustra on.

Expecta ons at work, more items added to the to-do list, kids who had already checked out for winter break, the long wait at the driver’s license office…

You get the idea.

Sure, looking back at this list I can see how minor these things were.

Just a part of life, really. But at the me, each small frustra on held a great deal of power in my life. That’s when I realized I’d let frustra on take control.

Frustra on is something we feel when we are unhappy with our circumstances. And the truth is, frustra on will happen. But how had I allowed myself to get to the place where I felt frustrated every single day?

It usually begins with one ny annoyance, something I could pass over without men oning. But instead of le ng it go, I fix my mind on it. I feed it my me and energy. I let it grow and become a much bigger deal than it ever needed to be.

Phrases like, “You’ll never believe what happened at work today…” become my favorite conversa on-starters when I return home from a hec c day. Followed by a list of complaints over circumstances beyond my control. When I put those feelings first, I give frustra on more power.

Power over my decisions.

Power over my a tude.

Power over my heart.

The good news is this: there's hope for overcoming frustra on.

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

(Zephaniah 3:17 NLT) The promises in this verse offer hope for when we’ve let frustra on

Delight. Joy. Gladness. These are the thoughts God has toward us!

Something remarkable happens when we think about these things instead of our ny annoyances. What would happen if we replaced, “You won’t believe what happened at work today…” with, “You won’t believe what God did today...”?

The results would be mind-blowing.

So let’s walk in the delight, joy, and gladness God has for us, whatever our circumstances. Let’s proclaim the promises of Zephaniah 3:17 and put frustra on back where it belongs. When we replace frustrated feelings with feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit, we will give God control over our decisions, a tudes, and hearts.

R EFLECTION : What daily frustra ons have you been focusing on? Take a moment to li those cares to our heavenly Father with the prayer below.

Which promise from Zephaniah 3:17 speaks to you the most today?

The next me you catch yourself feeding daily frustra ons, remember that promise. Allow it to speak peace to your heart.

P RAYER : Lord, Lately I’ve become more frustrated than ever. I’ve let the difficul es of my daily life penetrate my heart and affect my a tude.

Forgive me for focusing on nega vity instead of the goodness of your Word. Instead of complaining and le ng bi erness into my heart, I choose to accept your Truth. Help me understand how much you care about me. Some mes I struggle to grasp the depth of your love, but Zephaniah 3:17 gives me renewed hope. You delight in me and rejoice over me with gladness. Thank you for this promise! In Jesus’ name I pray,

KRISTINE BROWN is a communicator at heart, a nurturer by God’s design, and a life-long learner and teacher.

You’ll find devoƟons and resources to help you “become more than yourself with God’s Word” at her website, krisƟnebrown.net.

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Being Taught Before I Teach NATALIA DRUMM

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

John 14:26 (NIV) “Sit here and color this sheet.” I said to my younger sister. I was a bold and bossy seven-year-old teacher with my four-year-old sister.

As far back as I can remember, being a teacher was in my DNA. Whether playing school at home as young girls, or teaching in my first classroom out of college, or si ng at my farmhouse table as I homeschool my three boys, I am a teacher.

A problem with teachers is we o en love learning, yet we can make terrible students. Antsy to master a concept and be able to turn around and teach it to others, the downfall of my being a teacher is bringing this thinking into the spiritual realm.

My boys filed downstairs to start our school day recently and as we opened our lesson about dominion and responsibility from the book of Genesis, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to my soul, “Before you teach this to them you need to learn it from Me.”

Whatever your posi on in life is right now, there are people in your world that you teach. Whether it’s co-workers or children. Wherever God has us, there are people in our sphere of influence that will learn from us, by our ac ons and our words.

Our call is to “Be strong” but we cannot experience true strength ll we surrender to the One who is strength.

R EFLECTION : Are you spending me with the Lord, so when you are faced with challenging conversa ons there is Scripture tucked within you for the Holy Spirit to bring to your remembrance?

Ouch!

It was true. Before I could teach a concept to my children (or anyone for that ma er) I needed to be a student first and learn it myself. I needed to be taught by the Master Teacher if I was going to be a teacher to others. God was invi ng me to make space in my life to invest me in His Word so the Spirit could teach me first.

Who are the people in your circle learning from your life and what are you teaching them?

In John 14, when Jesus tells His disciples that the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, would teach them and remind them of things Jesus had said to them, it was understood that what the Holy Spirit would teach them would be things already said by Jesus. It wouldn’t be new words, just a deeper understanding of the words already spoken. A remembrance of words already shared by Jesus.

If we really want the Holy Spirit to teach us, to grow us deeper in our faith, we must first be taught by the Word of God. We must open our Bibles and spend me in the Word. We must have a knowledge of what God has said if He is going to grow us deeper in our faith. As we begin to invest me in God’s Word, we will become students of God. We begin to hear His voice to us through His Word, see His character, and learn His heart for us.

P RAYER : Father God, help me to spend me with You so I can learn Your ways and words before I share my life with this world. Spirit, guide me, and bring Your words to my remembrance as I engage with others.

In Your Name I pray, Amen.

Our world is full of noise, informa on, and a barrage of words all around us. Satan works so hard to distract and confuse us. Which is the exact opposite of what God wants for us.

God invites us to fill ourselves with His power, His peace, His strength, and His grace before we enter into rela onships with others in our world. God desires that we pour out to others what we have already received from Him. NATALIA DRUMM is is a graduate student at Dallas Theological Seminary and founder and creator of Girlfriends in the Word™ where she leads Bible study groups and produces study books and resources for busy women to grow in God’s Word. She also writes for Lifeway Women, A Wife Like Me and Sweet to the Soul. Visit her website at www.nataliadrumm.com.

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Our Great Defender MELANIE DAVIS PORTER

"The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.”

Exodus 15:2 (ESV)

I've heard it said there's none fiercer than a mama hen who's defending her chicks. Can you relate? One day while parked in the middle school pick-up line, I watched my nephew purposely tripped by a student. Unfortunately, a er Blake climbed into the van, he realized he needed to retrieve forgo en homework. On the walk back to his locker, the student tripped him again. I felt my blood pressure rising as my sons walking the same path weren't bothered.

On Blake's last trip, the kid tripped him once again, and this me my sweet nephew fell to the ground and was hurt. My heart broke as he confessed in a flood of tears and humilia on that the boy had been harassing him for months.

I was one angry mama hen as I slapped that minivan into gear and wheeled up to the student. I remember asking God to help me as I calmly waited and told the parent about his child's poor behavior.

The father assured me it wouldn't happen again. It's been 20 years since that event, but God has used that memory countless mes to remind me that He will always be my defender when bullies a ack.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see God defending the Israelites against numerous bullies. In Genesis 15, God promised Abraham many blessings, including countless heirs, protec on, provision, and land. In Exodus 6, God reminds Moses of His Covenant. He assured him that He saw the Israelites burden under the Egyp ans, and He promised again that He would deliver them from bondage. (Exodus 6:1-9) Our key scripture, Exodus 15:2, is part of the first twenty-one verses making up a song that scholars call the Song of the Sea or the Song of Moses. This holy song penned by Moses exalts God's name while celebra ng His power at the par ng of the Red Sea. Behind the descrip ve phrasings referring to the horse and riders cast into the sea is the faithfulness of a promise-keeping God. (Exodus 15:1, 4-5, 10) Because of the Covenant that God made with Abraham, we, too, can depend on God to defend us when enemies a ack. Like Moses, we can take comfort that God sees every detail of what we experience at the hands of our oppressors.

In Exodus 23:22, God specifically told the Israelites that if they obeyed Him, He would be an enemy to their enemies and an adversary to their adversaries. Today, we have the blessing of living under the New Covenant that operates in grace. The Mosaic covenant was based somewhat on Israel's obedience. But the glorious truth for us to grasp is that when we trust Jesus as our Savior, we have all the uncondi onal blessings of our promise-keeping God. That

means God's character is s ll faithful to defend us against our enemies. And He always has good inten ons toward His children.

(Psalm 34:8, 19) When I experience the enemy's oppression, I imagine God's anger like mine when my nephew was mistreated. Blake is like one of my sons, and I love him the same. God's love far exceeds our human parental love. In fact, He loves us with such a perfect love that Deuteronomy 32:10 says that we are the apple of his eye. The Hebrew meaning behind this verse is that the eye's pupil is the most essenal and delicate part of our bodies and must be protected. Because Israel is so precious to God, He will defend and bring great judgment against any who oppress His children. (Psalm 17:8, Zechariah 2:8) What a defender!

Like Israel, we are precious to God. He cares about all that hurts or afflicts us. He longs to see us living in freedom and grace. A er the Red Sea deliverance, Moses said that the Lord was his strength, song, and salva on. We, too, can take heart because He is our strong song. He is our reason for singing, and He will take on our enemies as though they are His. R EFLECTION : Is there a past or present oppressive situa on where you've seen God's power coming to your defense? How is your faith strengthened to know that your enemies are God's enemies?

Moses wrote a song to exalt God's faithfulness. How can you acknowledge God's faithfulness to others?

P RAYER : Father, thank You for keeping Your promises. Thank You for defending us against those who come against us. Help us to remember that You are always by our side even when we're hur ng. Thank You that You've never once been unfaithful to us even when we were undeserving. Help us to sing Your praise and trust in Your Salva on when enemies mistreat and afflict us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

MELANIE DAVIS PORTER is a simple girl who loves Jesus, the Arts, and good books. She is an experienced playwright for the church and writes for Proverbs 31 Ministries First 5 App. To connect with Melanie, visit www.melaniedavisporter.com W INTER 2021 | S WEET T O T HE S OUL FAITH

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God Always Provides MELANIE REDD

“Then the women of the town said to Naomi, ‘Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel.” Ruth 4:14 (NLT)

Looking back, it’s s ll an unexpected turn of events.

We needed $2,000 to pay for a car repair bill. The money was just not available. So, we began to pray for a miracle. Each day as I would wake up, I would pray. Before we went to bed, we would pray. As the deadline to pay the money grew closer, we prayed more.

Then, the craziest week of miracles happened. On Tuesday, there was a check for $400, repaying us for money we had loaned. On Wednesday, some money came in from a company my husband used to work for. It was $300.

Then, on Friday, a refund came from a hospital bill that we had overpaid. (This never happens!) The amount of the check was $1,300. In one week, just in me, God sent us $2,000 in the mail.

We were blown away by his goodness.

Have you ever asked God for a miracle? He is the Lord God Almighty - the one who has great and limitless power.

In the story of Ruth and Naomi, they needed a miracle. Without husbands, food, or provision, they moved to Naomi’s home country. In the most amazing ways, God supplied for them: food, shelter, a husband for Ruth, and a precious grandson for Naomi.

God always provides, and He will provide for you!

How do I know? Here are 3 ways I know that God will provide.

First, I know God always provides because the Bible promises us that God will take care of us.

Second, I know God always provides because I’ve watched God provide for countless friends and family members.

Over and over, I’ve seen the miraculous power of God at work in the lives of those around me.  Bills have miraculously been paid.  Rela onships have been restored.  Prodigals have returned home.  Strength has been granted.  Answers have come just in me.

Third, I know God always provides because I’ve personally experienced the provision of God in my own life.

Time and me again, God has provided. As I have prayed, I’ve go en to personally enjoy the miraculous hand of God at work in my life. He has been so good to me!

So, what about you?

Why not invite him to show his power in your life? Why not ask him to bless you in unexpected ways? God is so good, and He wants to pour out His goodness in your life.

R EFLECTION : Are you ready to step out in faith? I want to encourage you to pray bigger, believe bigger, and trust God like you never have before. In the space below, write out 2-3 really brave prayer requests. What would you love to see God do? How do you want him to work?

What miracles would you love to see happen? (restored rela onships, money provided, open doors)

Consider a few of these promises: Philippians 4:19 NLT, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”

Ma hew 6:31-32 NLT, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.”

2 Corinthians 9:8, NLT “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need, and plenty le over to share with others.”

P RAYER : Lord, I limit You so many days. Today, I want that to change. I want to pray bigger, expect bigger, hope bigger, and let You do more in, with, and through my life. Thank You that You are great and mighty!

Thank You for Your goodness and for all You are about to do! In Jesus name, Amen.

MELANIE REDD is an author, blogger, speaker, and podcaster. Her newest book, Just Rest, is available for pre-order on Amazon and other fine retail sites. You can find out more about Melanie & her ministry at www.melanieredd.com.

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God is God...All the time J.E. BERRY

“Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

Psalm 34:8 (ESV)

I'm quite the foodie! Or self plugged at least.. And every me I prepare myself to go to a restaurant I look up all of the reviews to see whether the restaurant is good or subpar or just plain nasty. I read through at least 5 to 10 reviews on each op on just to make sure I can get a good average. But if the average is off I am not going to that restaurant. And I wouldn't care how many people recommended that restaurant to me, if the reviews are bad I'm not going. The main reason for this is because I know that those reviews are based off of experience and facts about what they serve there.

This could be said of your experience with movies, entertainment of many kinds, books, etc. But there is one thing that I know for sure is good without a shadow of a doubt. And that is our great God! His goodness is never determined by our personal experience or the experience of another. Though our hearts would have us believe that some days. His goodness is not determined by anyone's wild reviews, their percep on, or even what they claim to have received from him. Our God is good no ma er what. He is good because that is all He can be. His goodness is a natural manifestaon of His holiness. The Lord only has the best to offer from His clean hands. We can trust that He will always be good and so will His inten ons toward us (Romans 8:28).

The world we live in has made us believe that what we feel and determine to be true is what is right. However, when it comes to the nature of God, we are not equipped to sit on the judging panel to determine His worth. Who He is, is set in stone. He will remain the same and so will his ways. How we feel cannot determine whether or not He is who He says He is. In Scripture we can see that the goodness is not an op on, but more of a declara on.

faith does not determine who God is or isn’t. The situa ons and trauma of this world do not change who He is either. He is not of this world and cannot be measured on our shallow, unbalanced scales. He himself is the measuring s ck of goodness and righteousness. We can trust Him. Though our ways may change and our emo ons run wild, our God stays the same. Who He is will not change and neither will His pure heart toward us. He is a Father who wants the best for His children.

What He has to offer is always an upgrade. There is no fault found in Him. We must put our stake in what we know to be true of Him and what He has revealed of Himself to us. Not in the reviews of the patrons that have claimed to dine at His table. We are sure to dine well and get our fill with Him. “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.“ Psalm 34:8.

God is good….All the me! And all the me…. God is good. Amen!

R EFLECTION : In what areas of your life have you ques oned God's goodness?

What scriptural truth can you hang onto that will reassure you daily?

 “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” 1 Timothy 4:4 ESV

 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 118:1 ESV

 “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” Psalm 145:9 ESV Nowhere in Scripture do we see “God is good because….” There is no need to make a case for what is already certain.

So if somewhere along the line, we have ques oned the heart of the Father toward us, or His intent for us, it is a direct reflec on of our level of trust in Him and we need to repent and realign. Our

P RAYER : Lord God, thank You for Your undebatable goodness! Please forgive me for any areas of my life that I have le open to ques on Your pure goodness. I lay down my earthly balances before You so that I can pick up Your will for me. I surrender my tainted views of You and my carnal perspec ves to You so that You can give me Your thoughts and align my heart with Yours. You are good and holy! Be glorified! I bless Your name and give You all deserved praise. In Jesus name, Amen.

J. E. (JADE) BERRY is a writer/speaker, songwriter, wife and mom to five children, with a heart for seeing people come to know freedom through a relationship with Christ Jesus. Connect with her at JEBerrySpeaks.com.

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Forming Everything from Nothing JODI MELISSA SLAUGHTER

“In the beginning, God created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1 (AMP)

When we are introduced to Elohim (The All Powerful Creator) in the first chapter of Genesis, we understand that God existed well before all things and that He is eternal. Our ini al encounter with him sets the scene for which the very concept of crea on is established. This act of crea on reflects God’s ownership and complete power over all things. God brought everything that exists in the universe into existence by his authority, for his own glory, through his crea ve words.

When He created the heavens and the earth we are told in Genesis 1:2a that, “The earth was formless and void or a waste and emp ness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep...” (AMP). This means that crea on was fashioned out of nothing other than God himself. He spoke the heavens, earth, the sea, and all that is contained in each of those elements into existence from the unseen realm.

thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” Through his Spirit, he gives us access to all that he is!

Remember that…there is nothing too hard for God. He doesn’t need something tangible to create anything. He has proven that in the story of crea on and the miracles, signs, and wonders that his Word speaks of. Today, your faith partnered with your words can create something out of nothing. Hebrews 11:1 states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen” (NKJV).

R EFLECTION : Do you fully understand that there is nothing that He can’t do? He created everything that exists out of his mouth from nothing! You have that same authority…What are you crea ng with yours?

As we look upon all God created we see his character and DNA, through his voiceprint in everything that exists, this establishes evidence of his sovereignty. Why, because his words have crea ve ability and the power and authority that He rules and reigns with manifests through his words.

He is the founda on of the crea on that He created yet he exists outside of all that He created, including me, space, and ma er, even though all that exists only does so through him, this speaks of his omnipresence. While he exists in all of crea on, he is not subjected to it, this is why Colossians 1:16-17 states, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authori es-all things have been created through Him and for Him” (NIV).

We know that on the 6th day, God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the ca le, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth…so God created man in His own image in the image of God He created him…” (Genesis 1:26-27a). Man was the only thing that God created in the beginning that was created out of something. God made man out of clay and he breathed his breath into Adam who became a living breathing soul. Adam’s life reflected the image, likeness, and spirit of God. Although, we are a mirror of God and he is present in all of crea on, He operates in a dimension outside of our natural understanding, this is why Isaiah 55:8 tells us, “For my thoughts are not your

What are your words producing not only in your life but in the earth that reflects the glory of the Lord?

As you reflect upon these ques ons, please pray this prayer: P RAYER : Father, Creator of all, thank you that I am your handiwork and that you have given me all that I need for life and godliness. Thank you that my life is an expression of your goodness and glory in the earth.

May I always remember that you made the heavens and the earth by your power and that nothing is too hard for you In the name of Jesus. Amen.

JODI MELISSA SLAUGHTER is a prophet, counselor, speaker, teacher, radio/TV co-host whose passion is to lead women into uncovering their identity and purpose by helping them heal from past wounds while boldly walking in freedom and confidence!

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The Glory of the Vine ELAINE LANKFORD

"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."

John 15:5 (NLT) I don’t know about you, but no one would ever accuse me of being a “green thumb.” In other words, I don’t possess the skills that some do to grow amazing, beau ful vegeta on. It just isn’t in my wheelhouse. Thankfully, God our Father is the perfect gardener. He knows how and when to plant things in us and how to make them flourish.

Have you ever thought about Jesus as the perfect vine of God? When we accept Jesus into our hearts, He is planted there. Being rooted in the Father’s glory, He can thrive and grow in even the most unlikely soil of anyone’s heart.

John 15:1-8 is a picture of Jesus as a robust and sturdy vine, one that is tenderly cared for by the Father. Our key verse from the passage is John 15:5: “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.

Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (NLT)

bear fruit will be occasionally pruned for the purpose of bearing even more fruit to the glory of the Father.

Today, let’s step back and take inventory of the fruit we have borne in the last few weeks, the last few months, or even the last year.

Keep in mind that Jesus is pleased with us if we are bearing as much fruit as we can at the me. He understands there will be seasons when we bear more fruit than others. But to bear no fruit consistently is an issue. If we go through a season that we produce li le or no fruit, it’s simply me to re-evaluate our connec on to the vine.

Reconnec on could be as simple as prayer, repentance, and a recommitment to walking closer with Jesus.

R EFLECTION : When was the last me you felt extremely effec ve for the Kingdom of God? What were the circumstances and who was involved?

Write about and reflect on this experience so that it can provide mo va on to con nue bearing more fruit!

Interes ngly, John 15:5 is the second of three mes Jesus repeats Himself concerning our remaining in Him and our effec veness to produce fruit. There is significance when something repeats in the Bible, and we would do well to pay a en on.

Jesus’ use of a grapevine was prac cal imagery for His audience long ago as grape vineyards were widespread throughout Israel.

Grapes being a common agricultural product, Jesus’ listeners would have been immediately in tune with His teaching. They would have understood the picture He was pain ng and related to the care needed for a grapevine to flourish, such as pruning.

Interes ngly, in ancient mes, trellises were not used in vineyards.

Instead, a large rootstock, hidden beneath the ground, was allowed to develop. As the vine grew, it and its branches would spread out over the ground. Then inconspicuous green flowers would bloom along the branches, giving off a sweet fragrance. From the blooms, grape bunches would form and mul ply.

Can you see the imagery be er now? Do Jesus’ words make more sense?

Jesus is the vine (the intercessor) connec ng us (the branches) to God’s hidden glory (the rootstock). And without this vital connecon, we cannot grow, spread out into the world, and produce fruit.

Jesus is very clear in the surrounding passages that bearing fruit is an expecta on of His followers. For those branches who bear no fruit, they will be cut away from the vine. However, those who do

If you feel disconnected from Jesus, consider what you will do today to reconnect?

P RAYER : Father God, we pray that we are manifes ng Your glory to the best of our abili es. It is our humble pleasure to bear fruit for You. We ask that You con nue to strengthen and guide us in the direc on You would have us to go. And Lord, we surrender to Your loving pruning when necessary, knowing that it will allow us to produce a larger abundance of fruit for You. Father, gently provoke us when our connec on to the vine, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is weakening so that we can adjust as necessary. We thank you Father that You are the loving gardener that is watching over us day and night.

We seek today to honor You with everything within us. Amen.

ELAINE LANKFORD is an author, a speaker, and a life/leadership coach. Visit her site transformingloveministries.org to learn more about discovering and/or fulfilling your God-sized dream.

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Behold The Great I Am DIANA ROCKWELL

“God said to Moses, “ I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘ I AM has sent me to you.’”

Exodus 3:14 (ESV) Have you ever experienced something unexpected? An experience you have savored and remembered, one so exci ng that you pinch yourself. I've had many--ge ng married, the birth of my children, becoming a nurse, becoming a grandma.

Beloved, I wish I could impart to you how vital this acknowledgment is to us as believers. Some mes we want to humanize God and God is God. God is Spirit. God is the creator; God is love; God is the Great I am.

One memory stands out - an invita on to go to Israel. Yes, the Holy Land. May I say, it was like a light shone down on my pew from heaven; I knew at that moment in me I was to go on this missionary trip—what an unexpected way to serve the Lord. I would share my tes mony in Nazareth.

Why is this so important? Because if God is the “Great I am”, then I do not have to be. I have everything I need to be who God wants me to be. I do not have to do anything to gain his love except accep ng Jesus as my savior.

In Exodus 3, Moses had an unexpected adventure. One day, while tending sheep, he sees a bush is burning, and it does not burn up.

Moses had fled to the desert a er killing an Egyp an. Moses had been born when there was a mandate to kill baby boys. His mother hid him for three months and then set him afloat in the Nile river where he would be found and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter.

However, he embraced the teaching of the Israelites, and when he saw one suffering, Moses killed the Egyp an. So he fled to Egypt, God knew where he was; God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient--God is God. Upon examining the burning bush, he hears a voice commanding him--take off your sandals. "You are standing on holy ground."

This incredible voice was God, and God had a job for Moses. Moses' posi on: deliver the Israelites from Egypt.

Moses listens to God but asks God, who should he say is sending him? The Israelites knew about gods but not necessarily a personal God, one that knew them in mately.

Read with me the verses where God tells Moses His name.

"Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I am who I am." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel: I am has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all genera ons." Exodus 3:13-15. ESV "I am who I am." God declares that He is "I am." The God who created the universe, the God who created you and me, is the "Great I am."

Beloved, I had the unexpectant pleasure to share my tes mony in Israel-- two accepted Christ. Know that we do not have to perform for God's love. On the contrary, once we accept Jesus as our Savior, God gives us the right to be called daughters of the King of Kings.

R EFLECTION : Is there something God is asking you to do today? Is He trying to get your a en on?

Is there something in your life you need to release to God’s control?

Ask him below, to speak to your heart about what your ac ons should be.

P RAYER : Father God, You are the Great I am. You are the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning, and the End. How far and how wide is Your love for us. May I always remember that You are the Creator and Sustainer of my soul? In Jesus's name, Amen.

DIANA ROCKWELL is a wife, mother & grandmother. Accomplishments other than her writing are her marriage, children, retired from nursing and lost over 100 pounds. She lives in Mansfield with her husband and little dog Tory. She is passionate about serving the Lord and sharing that she is redeemed by Christ, living free.

Her blog is diana2rockwell.com.

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P R AY E R C A R D S Cut out prayer cards and tuck in your Bible or display around your home or office; or write an encouragement on the back and share with a friend.

Lord, I worship You seated on the throne, high and lifted up. I magnify Your majesty and splendor. You are worthy to be praised and exalted above all earthly kings, authority and crowns. Thank You for real peace and overcoming the world.

Make my plans, my goals, and my dreams as You would have them in the new year. Thank You that no matter what tomorrow holds, You are good all the time and your goodness never changes. Never.

I cling to the promise that You will crown my year with goodness for in You alone is spiritual abundance. Lord, I crown You with many crowns and lay my earthly crowns at Your feet. In the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Lord, Lately I’ve become more frustrated than ever. I’ve let the difficulties of my daily life penetrate my heart and affect my attitude. Forgive me for focusing on negativity instead of the goodness of your Word.

Instead of complaining and letting bitterness into my heart, I choose to accept your Truth.

Help me understand how much you care about me. Sometimes I struggle to grasp the depth of your love, but Zephaniah 3:17 gives me renewed hope. You delight in me and rejoice over me with gladness. Thank you for this promise! In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

Father God, help me to spend time with You so I can learn Your ways and words before I share my life with this world. Spirit, guide me, and bring Your words to my remembrance as I engage with others. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

Father, thank You for keeping Your promises. Thank You for defending us against those who come against us.

Help us to remember that You are always by our side even when we're hurting. Thank You that You've never once been unfaithful to us even when we were undeserving. Help us to sing Your praise and trust in Your Salvation when enemies mistreat and afflict us.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

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P R AY E R C A R D S

Cut out prayer cards and tuck in your Bible or display around your home or office; or write an encouragement on the back and share with a friend.

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P R AY E R C A R D S Cut out prayer cards and tuck in your Bible or display around your home or office; or write an encouragement on the back and share with a friend.

Lord, I limit You so many days.

Today, I want that to change. I want to pray bigger, expect bigger, hope bigger, and let You do more in, with, and through my life. Thank You that You are great and mighty!

Thank You for Your goodness and for all You are about to do! In Jesus name, Amen.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

Father God, You are the Great I am. You are the Alpha, the Omega, the Beginning, and the End. How far and how wide is Your love for us. May I always remember that You are the Creator and Sustainer of my soul? In Jesus's name, Amen.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

Lord God, thank You for Your undebatable goodness! Please forgive me for any areas of my life that I have left open to question Your pure goodness.

I lay down my earthly balances before You so that I can pick up Your will for me. I surrender my tainted views of You and my carnal perspectives to You so that You can give me Your thoughts and align my heart with Yours. You are good and holy! Be glorified! I bless Your name and give You all deserved praise. In Jesus name, Amen.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

Father God, we pray that we are manifesting Your glory to the best of our abilities. It is our humble pleasure to bear fruit for You. We ask that You continue to strengthen and guide us in the direction You would have us to go. And Lord, we surrender to Your loving pruning when necessary, knowing that it will allow us to produce a larger abundance of fruit for You. Father, gently provoke us when our connection to the vine, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is weakening so that we can adjust as necessary.

We thank you Father that You are the loving gardener that is watching over us day and night. We seek today to honor You with everything within us. Amen.

SWEET TO THE SOUL FAITH

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P R AY E R C A R D S

Cut out prayer cards and tuck in your Bible or display around your home or office; or write an encouragement on the back and share with a friend.

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Ever wonder what God's name is?

Visit Real Women Ministries online to explore THE NAMES OF GOD. Dive into just a few of the many Scriptures of names God calls Himself or the writers of the Bible ascribed to Him. You can also download a short Scripture reading list as a starting place to begin your own study of the NAMES OF GOD.

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The Most

Extravagant

Valentine’s Day KAREN FRIDAY

“I’m skipping Valentine’s Day this year.”

When February 14 comes near, I hear and see the sting of broken hearts disenchanted with the whole “Will you be my valentine?” charm or its absence.

As a young and vulnerable heart, Valentine’s Day without a boyfriend seemed ghastly to me. The Valentine’s Day blues at its peak. A girl in love with love.

There were three valentines I always longed to be.

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A daughter valenƟne. My biological father was absent from my life when I was a young girl, this leŌ me feeling unlovable. So I longed to be my father’s liƩle girl, then his big girl. And his sweetheart as a child and woman dear to his heart.

A friend valenƟne. The sweetheart next door.

Known as the small town girl who’s sweet, kind and loving. Young school days of passing out valenƟnes to all my classmates. But transferring into those yearbook signing days of “To a sweet girl.”

A girlfriend valenƟne. Picked as the sweetheart of someone in school. Especially middle school and beyond. “Will you be my valenƟne? Will you be mine?” One day in college, a boy asked me to be his valenƟne forever. Thirty-six years later, I’m sƟll my husband’s sweetheart.

You see, I’ve always wanted close love relaƟonships with people who really get me. To know my heart as much as a person can know another human heart. Do they know what makes me smile, moves me to tears, causes me to laugh out loud, brings me to sadness or throws me into a Ɵzzy?

To understand me and love me, for me and as me.

And through the years, I oŌen felt unloved. The pit of my heart carried a nagging sense of deep empƟness. This, my friends, is a sad condiƟon on any day.

ValenƟne’s, the day of love, and February, the month of love, can be a jubilant celebraƟon regardless of whether we’ve secured a valenƟne date or the love of our life. No need to totally skip out on the holiday.

Cupid loaded with his bow and arrows is not necessary.

When it comes to true love, Cupid’s always missed

the bullseye. His make-believe persona and pretenƟous match-making are stray arrows that never hit dead center the target of real love.

E XTRAVAGANT V ALENTINE What if there’s a ValenƟne’s Day, and love, unlike any we’ve ever known?

Perhaps your memory bank holds a special ValenƟne’s Day. One that’s near and dear to your heart.

Maybe a special someone entered your life, you received a marriage proposal from the love of your life, or your spouse went over the top to celebrate your love. Even a sweet childhood memory may sƟll capƟvate us.

Or, your memories surrounding this love-holiday uncover feelings of empƟness or a lack of love.

Memories from childhood to the present you’d rather forget. Because many of us have experienced both highs and lows regarding ValenƟne’s Day and regarding love.

But the most lavish, epic and monumental ValenƟne’s Day to ever take place in history, celebrates the best kind of love—extravagant love.

First, let’s look at what love is and what love is not.

The Bible contains some of the most powerful and beauƟful words ever penned on love.

“Love is paƟent, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (ESV)

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When God drew back his bow, he hit dead center the target of real love.

Jesus’ heart was pierced for me and you on Calvary’s cross.

W HAT L OVE

IS

N OT

God’s Word helps us wrap our heads around this kind of love through compare and contrast from 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is not: envious, boasƞul, proud, dishonoring to others, self-seeking, easily angered, keeping a record of wrongs and delighƟng in evil.

I don’t know about you, but my human nature struggles with all these.

Yet, God’s extravagant love remains our only hope for overcoming these unloving aƩributes. And when we truly live the crucified life—Jesus living in and through us—the Spirit wins over our flesh more and more oŌen.

W HAT L OVE

IS

1 Corinthians 13 clarifies the wonderful qualiƟes of extravagant love.

Love is: paƟent, kind, rejoicing with the truth, protecƟve, trusƟng, hopeful, persevering and unfailing.

Although our Lord remains the only one to perfectly love as described here, Paul penned these words through the Holy Spirit. And the leƩer

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was for the church in Corinth and for God’s people today.

The heavenly Father never leŌ us hanging by only cuing us in on how not to love. No, the Creator of love always wanted us to know and show real love.

E XTRAVAGANT L OVE S TORY Merriam-Webster online defines extravagant: “exceeding the limits of reason or necessity; lacking in moderaƟon, balance, and restraint; extremely or excessively elaborate, unreasonably high in price; spending beyond what is necessary.”

Have you ever experienced this kind of ValenƟne’s day?

Whether you have or not, a Ɵme in history marks the most extravagant love-day ever. It exceeded reason and showed no restraint and came at a high price.

M OST E XTRAVAGANT V ALENTINE ’ S D AY E VER “I have loved you with an everlasƟng love; therefore I have conƟnued my faithfulness to you.”

Jeremiah 31:3b (ESV)

A SOUL INSPIRED BIBLE STUDY JOURNAL

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 (ESV) “But God shows his love for us in that while we were sƟll sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 (ESV) “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 4:10 (NIV) When God drew back his bow, he hit dead center the target of real love. Jesus’ heart was pierced for me and you on Calvary’s cross. A day of love. The most extravagant ValenƟne’s Day in history.

I accepted this extravagant love at sixteen. My heart’s been pierced with an arrow of enduring love that Cupid knows nothing about. The piercing love of someone who really gets me. He understands me and loves me, for me and as me.

One who asked me to be his. And he promised to hold me dear to his heart forever.

He pursued me with a proposal, “Will you be mine?” AccepƟng his invitaƟon, I instantly became his daughter, friend, and sweet to his heart. Completely loved and never loveless again. Ever.

The valenƟne I’d always wanted to be, God’s.

How about you?

We love our cars. We love our sports teams.

We love our favorite restaurant.

We love chocolate.

In a world where the word love has become common, how can we know genuine love?

We can know God. We can know God’s love and through him, we can love others.

Jesus is calling, “Will you be mine?”

Do you belong to Him? Do you know His love?

Available on Amazon

He loves you with an everlasƟng love..

KAREN FRIDAY is passionate about showing others they are never far from hope. To discover an undeniable hope in an uncertain world, visit her website, Hope is Among Us, at KarenGirlFriday.com

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J ESUS

SAID TO THEM ,

“I am the bread of life; WHOEVER COMES TO ME

SHALL NOT HUNGER , AND WHOEVER BELIEVES IN ME SHALL NEVER THIRST ”.

J OHN 6:35

On The Menu :

Simplicity MITZI NEELY

Attending a party or fellowship this holiday season?

If so, we’ve made the planning and preparation a snap with these simple and delicious make-and-take dishes.

They are easy, can be made ahead and include shortcuts to help prep go quickly. Each dish will bring rave reviews.

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"Hospitality is not about inviting people into our perfect homes; it is about inviting people into our imperfect hearts."

Just thinking about the holidays can some mes stress you out. Throw in an already overwhelmed schedule, and it's enough to send things spiraling out of control. That's where a simple plan and prep me can save you frustra on and tears.

1. MAKE A PLAN. Keep it simple from start to finish.

It doesn't need to be a 'pie in the sky' event.

Create a system that works for you. Then do one thing every day to check off and make the list manageable.

You don't have to be the 'hostess with the mostest' to provide warm hospitality and genuine fellowship. Leave your fears at the door and open your home to friends and family to enjoy good food, easy conversa ons, and precious memories.

2. CELEBRATE THE JOYS EVERY DAY. Amid the planning and prepara on, take me to laugh and count every blessing. Gra tude and thanksgiving are at the top of the list. Be the glass' half full' kind of girl instead of the glass half empty.

Crea ng a plan is not the be-all, end-all, but it does keep you from ge ng caught off guard or forge ng something altogether. A plan helps you honor the tradi ons you and your loved ones hold dear.

Baking, sending cards, and shopping takes me and organiza on, but it can be done with a few simple steps.

Don't believe the lies that say, "My house isn't clean enough. The decora ons aren't magazineworthy, or I'm not a good cook." Instead, do what you do with a cheerful heart and make it work for you and your family.

So the next me you find yourself anxious, stressed or overwhelmed about invi ng others to your home, here are eight ways to hold on to your joy and peace, and celebrate the goodness of God.

3. CARE ABOUT YOUR PEOPLE. Make me for the special people in your life, but avoid overextending yourself to the point that you no longer enjoy fellowship. Plug into your people more than you do your phone.

4. SIMPLIFY. There are effec ve ways to minimize the stress of any season ~ start with baby steps.

Avoid ge ng caught up in the busyness of what needs to get accomplished, and remember LESS is MORE. Host a fellowship or buffet where everyone brings a dish instead of taking responsibility for the en re meal. When it comes to gi -giving, draw names or, be er yet, make it about the kids.

5. SPEND WISELY. I can hear Dave Ramsey say, "pay for your purchases with cash if at all possible." Emergencies happen, but make a plan to leave the holidays debt-free. There's nothing quite like ge ng sucker-punched with holiday bills. Use your crea vity and talents, while honoring God with your money.

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6. CALL IN THE TROOPS TO HELP. Don't feel bad about asking for help--it's not a sign of weakness; it's a sign of courage. Your helpers will most likely be family members or close friends, but an extra hand or two can make all the difference. Somemes you have to throw in the towel and tell people, "my supergirl cape is in the laundry." There's nothing wrong with needing a helping hand.

7. KEEP YOUR ROUTINE. Many of us operate on a schedule and calendar. S ck to what you have in place. You know your commitments, what you can handle, and what's good for you and your family.

Don't feel bad about saying NO if it intrudes on your family me and down me. Nothing good comes from being burned out, stressed out, and maxed out.

8. FOCUS ON THE CREATOR. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. The holiday season is rooted in rich spiritual tradi ons. Take the me to celebrate God's goodness and His graciousness.

Gra tude is an essen al part of our rela onship with Him. When you sense God's presence, you can feel His power and peace. Make sure your days are wrapped around Christ. You can have the most beau ful of holidays in the simplest of ways.

Give up the runaway train you're on and enjoy your family, friends, and uninterrupted me. Think low-key and find your happy place. Let God's love run through you.

MITZI NEELY is a wife, mom, and grandmother who encourages and inspires women of all ages through her teachings on grace, love, joy, and peace.. She just debuted a new book, Zizi’s Kitchen: Gathering Hearts in Faith-full Fellowship. You can connect with Mitzi at peacefullyimperfect.net

Graham Delights I NGREDIENTS: 15 graham cracker sheets 1 ¾ cups firmly packed brown sugar ½ cup semi-sweet morsels

¾ cup chopped pecans 1 cup bu er or margarine ½ cup white chocolate morsels

D IRECTIONS: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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Separate each graham cracker sheet into 4 crackers; place on a lightly greased jelly roll pan (15 x 10-inch).

Sprinkle chopped nuts over graham crackers.

Bring brown sugar and bu er to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil 2 minutes.

Pour brown sugar mixture evenly over graham crackers in pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Quickly remove graham crackers to wax paper, using spatula, and let cool completely.

Microwave semi-sweet chocolate morsels in a microwave safe bowl at high for 30-45 seconds. S r and microwave for 30 seconds more or un l smooth.

Drizzle over graham crackers. Repeat procedure with white chocolate morsels. When morsels set break into pieces. These are delicious.

Serves: 6-8 Prep: 15 minutes Bake: 25 minutes

Cracked Out Hot Chicken Salad I NGREDIENTS:

D IRECTIONS:

•

1.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8x8 inch pan with non-s ck cooking spray.

2.

Combine chopped chicken, ranch mix, lemon, juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, onion powder, celery, mayonnaise, bacon, and cheese. Mix well.

3.

Spread into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with potato chips.

4.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Serve with crackers, cros ni, or bague es.

• • • • • • • • • •

2 ½ cups cooked chopped chicken (could also use canned or ro sserie chicken) 1 T. dry ranch mix 2 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. onion powder ½ to 1 cup chopped celery (use your discre on) 1 cup mayonnaise 3 T. cooked bacon or real bacon bits ½ cup shredded cheese 1 cup crushed potato chips (Ruffles)

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Ham & Cheese Quiches Serves: 24 mini-quiche

Prep: 1 hour

Bake: 18-20 minutes

I NGREDIENTS: Pie Crust: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tsp. granulated sugar ¼ tsp. Salt 7 T. very cold bu er ⅓ cup sour cream, chilled

Egg Mixture: 4 large eggs ⅛ garlic powder or slightly less ⅛ cup or 2 T. heavy whipping cream Pinch of black pepper ⅛ cup or 2 T. milk ½ cup finely chopped ham ¼ tsp. Salt ½ cup shredded cheese (finely grated) Chopped green onions or chives for garnish

D IRECTIONS: 1.

For the pie crust, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the bu er into the ingredients. With a fork, toss the bu er and flour mixture un l the bu er pieces are coated with flour. Don’t overmix the bu er--just lightly toss.

2. Add the sour cream. Mix the sour cream into the flour/bu er mixture by pressing the fork down into the sour cream, mashing out any lumps. Then use your hands to pull the dough together. Form into a ball. If it feels dry, add a tablespoon of ice water and con nue to form the dough into a ball.

3. Wrap the ball of dough in plas c wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to several days) 4. Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured board or mat to about ⅛ inch thick. Using a 2 inch cookie cu er or glass cut up to 24 circles. Press each circle into a greased mini muffin n. The 2 inch size is perfect for the mini pan.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

6. For the egg mixture, in a medium bowl, whisk all ingredients together except the ham, cheese and green onions.

7. Divide the ham and cheese evenly among the muffin cups.

8. Spoon the egg mixture over the ham and cheese, filling about ⅔ to ¾ full. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with finely chopped green onions or chives. Serve warm or at room temperature.

9. For the pie crust--you can use a store bought crust; just get enough to make 24 mini quiches.

10. Make Ahead: The mini quiches can be made ahead of me, cooled, and refrigerated. You can reheat at 200 degrees. *The dough recipe is delicious and super easy, and the quiches can be made ahead of me.

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Shrimp Dip Serves: 8-10

Prep: 10 minutes

Chill: 2-3 hours

I NGREDIENTS: • • • • •

1 (16 oz) sour cream 1 (8 oz) cream cheese 2 cans of ny shrimp 1 package of Ranch dip Green onions, chopped

D IRECTIONS: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Mix sour cream and cream cheese thoroughly.

Add shrimp and dip, and mix well.

Transfer to a small serving bowl or dip bowl. Top with chopped green onions or parsley for color.

Serve with a variety of crackers, cros ni, or bague es.

Confetti Cheese Ball

Serves: 10-12

Prep: 15 minutes

Chill: 30 minutes/2 hours

I NGREDIENTS: • • • • • • • •

2 (8 oz) cream cheese, so ened 1 package/jar of dried beef, chopped 4 green onions, chopped with stems included ¼ tsp. garlic powder ½ tsp. Liquid Smoke ¼ tsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 handfuls corn/tor lla chips Crackers to serve

D IRECTIONS: 1.

2.

3.

4.

In a medium bowl, combine together the cream cheese, beef, onions, garlic powder, Liquid Smoke, and Worcestershire sauce.

Form in to a ball with your hands, put on a sheet of wax paper and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Crush corn/tor lla chips in a resealable bag. Place cheese ball in the bag of crushed chips and roll to coat or use your hands to help coat the cheese ball.

Place cheese ball on a decora ve or fes ve plate and serve with a variety of crackers.

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I NGREDIENTS : Hot Chocolate Mixes Hot water Whipped Cream or Redi-Whip Large marshmallows Miniature marshmallows Milk chocolate chips Mini-Dark Chocolate chips Flaked coconut Red Hots or Cinnamon Candy chips Peppermint Candy Canes Oreo Candy Canes Oreo Thin Bites White Fudge Dipped cookies Oreo Cookies Heath Milk Chocolate English Toffee Bits Caramel Bits or Peanut Bu er chips Cinnamon S cks Starlight Peppermints (crush some of the peppermints) Chocolate Sprinkles

Hot Chocolate Charcuterie Board D ESIGNING

A

C HARCUTERIE B OARD

1. Gather ingredients, tray or board, and serving dishes.

2. Select a variety of toppings for the hot chocolate--always shop for a variety of tastes. You can use two or three different cocoa mixes.

3. Make a plan for the ingredients. Sketch out where ingredients are going because placement is key-decide what needs a serving dish, what doesn’t; look at size, texture, color of ingredients, etc.

4. About an hour before serving, open ingredients and place appropriately. Fill the board or tray-curb appeal is huge.

5. Take pictures of your charcuterie board so you can check placement. You s ll have me to move the ingredients around before guests arrive.

6. Enjoy!

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Want to thank your hostess for a wonderful gathering?

Here are three simple gi ideas that will convey your gra tude and complement their efforts as well as help them in the future.

KITCHEN TOWEL SET

VINTAGE COOKWARE

DRINKWARE

Choose a kitchen towel, add a wooden spoon and e the set with a pre y ribbon. Makes a great gi and both are appreciated in the kitchen.

Take your make & take dish in vintage cookware which the hostess can then add to her collec on. Pick up one inexpensively at your local thri store.

Choose two cute mugs & add hot cocoa mix and toppings. The mugs can match or choose two that complement one another.

Visit PeacefullyImperfect.net to purchase the featured “Simple Goodness” Kitchen Towel.

Cookbooks also make great gi s all year ‘round, and we are in love with Mitzi’s new cookbook ZiZi’s Kitchen: Gathering in Faith-Full Fellowship.

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Sဣple Hospitality MARY KATHERYN TILLER

THE FIRST TIME I HOSTED THANKSGIVING IN MY HOME, I WAS AN ABSOLUTE MESS. 118 S WEET T O T HE S OUL FAITH | W INTER 2021

As a young wife, I was eager to play the role of hostess! I had spent hours scrolling through Pinterest, pinning new recipes, searching for the perfect table decora ons, and lamen ng my pi fully small budget.

All of that scrolling only served to set a standard of perfec on, a bar that was far beyond my ability to deliver. You see, I’m an introvert. And a procrasnator. And a minimalist. So throwing an extravagant holiday meal that required a great deal of forethought and gadgets and decor for my en re

extended family was not exactly a recipe for success.

I managed to play the part of the gracious hostess that day, but not without suffering several breakdowns in the days leading up to it. For years a er that event, I believed the lie that hospitality was not my thing and I would never be able to successfully host others in my home.

While it’s true, hospitality does not come naturally to me, I cannot deny this desire to invite people in, to put them at ease, and to surround them with beauty. Thankfully, over the years, I’ve learned a secret about true hospitality. At its core, hospitality is more about the state of our hearts than the state of our homes. It’s more about the conversaons we share and the peace we impart than the dishes we serve to impress.

A D IVINE I NVITATION You see, hospitality is an opportunity to display the love of God to our family, our friends, and the stranger, welcoming them in, just as we have been welcomed by Christ.

A quick read through the Gospels shows us just how much of Christ’s ministry is centered around food and fellowship. He was the host and he was a guest. He ate on beaches, beside wells, in wealthy homes, and on breezy hillsides. A clear lover of par es, Christ’s me on earth was spent enjoying the company of people. In fact, The Old Testament prophets tell us that even now, he is preparing a feast for us with good food and great wine!

Through all that He does, Jesus paints for us a picture of divine hospitality: welcoming us as sinners, washing our feet, placing the family ring on our finger, and giving us a seat at his table.

As we reflect on God’s gracious hospitality, it is only natural that we, his children and image bearers, would want to imitate his hospitality by

invi ng others into our own homes. But where to begin? If you’re like me, and hospitality isn’t your natural mojo, I would advise star ng simply and star ng small.

M Y F AIL -S AFE H OSPITALITY H ACK My husband and I have a running joke that I only try new recipes when we’re having guests. That may not sound like much of a joke un l you learn that I never bothered to test these new dishes before I served them... As you can imagine, things didn’t always turn out as I hoped.

Through these frustra ng (and embarrassing) failures in the kitchen, I have learned to adopt a fail-safe hospitality hack: picking a signature dish.

My mother-in-law has three, maybe four, meals she enjoys making and each of them is delicious.

When we visit, I know that no ma er what she serves, it’s going to be wonderful, because they are tried and true dishes that everyone enjoys.

Is there a dish you already know and love to make? Is there a dish that gets rave reviews from your family, every me you serve it? Why not make this your signature dish?

Ditch the desire to do something drama c and create a dish you know and love! I’ll even give you bonus points if the dish is something you can put together the night before and s ck in the oven before the guests arrive!

K EEPING IT S IMPLE , M AKING IT S PECIAL Decora ng the table is yet another area for which I lack a natural ins nct. Try as I may, my efforts always fall short of my vision. Thankfully, over the years, I have learned the beauty of keeping it simple and making it special.

For the tablescape, keep things simple by using what you already have on hand. I have very fond

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O PENING THE D OOR TO D EEPER C ONVERSATIONS .

Whether you’ve gathered your guests around a table or invited them to sit a moment on the steps of your porch, the key to divine hospitality is opening the door to deeper conversa on.

The mes I remember most around my tables or on my porch are the mes my friends and I were able to share honestly with one another. They are mes when we’ve felt seen by the other, where we’ve laughed and cried and fallen silent. This is where rela onships are cul vated and friendships are born!

memories of my grandmother’s thick white tablecloths and was overjoyed when I found one just like it at an estate sale years ago. It’s now my go-to table cloth, no ma er the occasion! Once you have your cloth laid out, you can then layer it with vo ve candles, flowers, and greenery from your own backyard.

Being a writer, I like to use my gi for words, placing a short note on each table se ng in the stead of name cards.

Aside from the table, one of my favorite ways to set the tone for an evening with friends is through aromatherapy! Nothing sets the heart at ease like walking into a home that smells like good cooking.

A quick search for “seasonal stovetop potpourri” can provide a myriad of delicious smelling recipes, many of which use ingredients you likely already have!

Invite your guests to share where they’ve seen the Lord at work. Ask ques ons that allow them to share what’s going on in their lives, and share openly about what’s going on in yours. Of course, this doesn’t have to become an awkward “let’s go around the room” moment. Rather, it’s about crea ng a space by simply showing an interest in what’s going on in their hearts as well as their lives.

This holiday season, I encourage you to think deeply about this amazing mystery Christ invites us into! How we, who were once far off, are now called sons and daughters, and as such are able to extend that very same hospitality to those He has placed around us.

It doesn’t have to be Pinterest-perfect. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Invi ng others in can be as simple as offering a seat at your table, making a well-loved dish, and asking a hear elt ques on. In these simple, ordinary ways we can imitate Jesus and welcome others in. This, friend, is divine hospitality.

MARY KATHRYN TILLER lives in East Texas with her husband, two kids, and thirty head of cattle. She is a writer, speaker, and adjunct professor. Her passion is helping entrepreneurial mamas connect more deeply with Christ so they can thrive in all He's called them to do. You can connect with her on Instagram

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N E W C O O K B O O K F R O M M I T Z I N E E LY

Zizi’s Kitchen was designed to help you create your own special moments around your table. It’s a place where hearts gather in faith-full fellowship alongside amazing recipes to build lasting memories with those you treasure most.

The pages of this cookbook are filled with delicious recipes. All are tried and true and have been made and served countless times. They are taste tested by my own family and friends and are requested many times over. Some may call the dishes I serve comfort food, but more than that, I like to think of it as just good home cooking.

I hope you add Zizi’s Kitchen to your collection today!

It’s refreshing, easy to follow, and filled with beautiful pictures, anecdotes and more.

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Off to the side of our long living room sat the family rocker. Legend reported that this rocker survived a fire and somehow our folks ended up with it. I wish I knew the details of the rocker-

This was our Sunday rhythm, year in and year out, back and forth like our beauƟfully carved rocker.

One thing you can always count on in a rocking chair is that its movement is dependable. My folks did their best to show us their consistent trust in God, like a rocker, back and forth, one hand on His Word, and another stretched out to help another.

Hospitality

rescue, but for now I gain comfort and faith whenever I glance at it siƫng gracefully in our front window. I “got the rocker” when our folks passed on.

Even beƩer, I “got the faith” from watching Mom and Dad live it out day in and day out.

I love my Heavenly Father’s aƩributes of love, mercy, and strength. But my favorite trait is immutability. Consistent and dependable, He will never change. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV).

DOESN’T HAVE TO BE

Dad owned a quiet faith, while Mom’s was more of an out loud kind. Both were consistent, from a child’s point of view. Each Sunday morning, Dad called down the hall: “First bus leaving in 15 My folks’ legacy of faith taught me that. minutes!” As the Sunday School superintendent, he Mom and Dad did their best to show us to MOORE DONALDSON needed to be on Ɵme. If we didn’t want toSUE be late, depend on God’s unchanging nature, and to serve we jumped out of bed, dressed and grabbed a Him with the giŌs He gave them. piece of toast on our way to the “first bus.” Mom, I’d catch Mom reading her Bible early in the mornon the other hand, had one hand in the rice bin ing. I barged in on her prayer Ɵmes with her girland one in the sink, prepping two whole chickens friends. I heard her weeping for my estranged to roast on Ɵme-bake. She wanted dinner most-ofbrother who aŌer nine long years turned his life the-way finished when we got home from church. around and became a full Ɵme missionary.

Not only because she had five hungry kids to feed, but because she might meet a new family who Dad invited his friends over for ping pong and could use an invitaƟon to Sunday dinner. down to the church for Monday night volleyball. He

Complicated

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It was 10 degrees or so one frosty day in Wisconsin when my friend, Laura called me to tell me about her day. “Sue, you won’t believe it!”

She went on to say that another pastor’s wife, Sonja, whom she sees only about two mes a year, had invited her for lunch.Sonja greeted her when she arrived, “Well, Laura, the Lord put you on my mind, and I’ve found that when that happens, that person needs to talk or I need to talk.” Right on both counts. They both talked up a storm, and my friend was elated. This was the first me anyone had invited Laura over in the two-and-half-years they’ve ministered there in the middle of a cornfield—a mostly frozen cornfield in more ways than one. “First me!” she prac cally yelled into the phone. “And guess what we had to eat?” I couldn’t wait to hear—surely a grand lunch with all that excitement.

I was wrong.

She went on to say, “We had canned soup, Subway sandwiches and Pringles. I adore Pringles. I almost told her to just put the whole can on the table.” Sonja explained, “I’m not here to impress you with my cooking, but I was gone all day yesterday, and God put you on my mind, so that’s that!

Now tell me–how are your kids?”

Laura went on to share the hard journey they are on right now with their eldest son and how she had cried just that morning. Sonja was quick to say they’ve experienced a similar heartache with their oldest, and that he had begun to turn around.

They talked, they cried, they prayed. Laura took

notes on the tablecloth (it was paper) and then brought it home with her. She needed the notes and the encouragement.

Sonja didn’t serve a seven-course meal. She just heard God’s promp ng and obeyed, and He used her to bless a friend.

Hospitality doesn’t have to be elaborate to be effec ve. God loves doing His work in and through us at our tables or standing by the kitchen island with a cup of coffee and a muffin, homemade or not.

The invita on is what counts and the love behind it.

MORE THAN WHAT IS SERVED Jesus prac ced hospitality when He invited His friends for fish and bread on the beach: “Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast’” (John 21:12 NIV). What they had to eat wasn’t important.

What they talked about was. Jesus asked Peter three mes, “Do you love Me?” And Peter replied three mes, “Lord, You know I love you.” And, Peter got his instruc ons: “Feed My sheep.”

It’s not what you serve as much as Who you serve while placing a bowl of ice cream in front of your friend who’s had a hard week. Feeding God’s sheep can include your child’s pre-school teacher, your husband’s boss, or the family across the street. We don’t need to complicate things with a fancy menu that makes us too nervous to focus on our guests. And our guests are what hospitality is all about.

What Laura and Sonja had to eat wasn’t what the Lord was concerned about that chilly day in Wisconsin. His menu read, “Comfort, love and faith” and that’s what ma ered. Just ask Laura.

We hesitate to do hospitality when we define it by how we cook (fancy) or how our homes look

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(perfect). When we remember that God wants to use our invita ons to a table or sofa that has seen be er days all so that He can show His love to someone in need, we can begin to open our door with joy and confidence.

RECIPE FOR SIMPLE HOSPITALITY When I list my reasons for not doing hospitality, I can place the le er “P” for pride by most of them. I need to go ahead and invite, anyway—simply, with joy as the appe zer, love as the main course, and listening—or laughter—or both, for dessert. Scripture tells us: “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling” (I Peter 4:9 NIV). Obedience includes joy, not complaining, and when I make things too complicated, I can grumble along with the best of them.

Which step seems hardest? The easiest?

If #6 is the most challenging, when your doorbell rings, repeat: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" over and over on the way to the door. He promises strength in all things.

(Philippians 4:13 NIV)

REFRESH AND REPEAT Paul wrote: “For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you” (Philemon 7, ESV). Paul said we have a job to do and this is it: refresh the hearts of the saints.

We can do that over and over again with simple hospitality. Refresh and repeat.

We don’t need to go to a lot of trouble to make a friend, we just need to make a friend. Invite someone over. Someone needs your table (and maybe your tablecloth) more than they need a culinary feast. Don’t wait two years. It may be your pastor’s wife who needs your Pringles. Refresh those saints. Invite that neighbor. Open that can and next me you’re at the Dollar Store, pick up a paper tablecloth and some markers. You and your new friend may have a lot to talk about.

Do you know someone who may need some “soul refreshment” and some Pringles? It’s not what’s served that makes a kingdom difference, it’s Who you serve. God uses any offering served with love, all for heaven’s sake. It’s not complicated.

SUE MOORE DONALDSON lives in San Luis Obispo, California with her husband Mark. Sue loves connecting people to one another, to God, and to His Word, and has been speaking for the last 20 years or so. She blogs at WelcomeHeart: Knowing and Showing the Heart of God and hosts a weekly podcast: Make it Count: Living a Legacy Life.

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A ND

THE

‘T RULY , I

K ING

WILL ANSWER THEM ,

SAY TO YOU , AS YOU DID IT TO

ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE MY BROTHERS ,

you did it to me.’

M ATTHEW 25:40

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Help Kids Grow in Their Bible Knowledge Through Play RACHEL STALLARD

W HEN MY SON , K YLE , WAS 3 YEARS OLD , I WALKED IN TO FIND A LINE OF HIS STUFFED ANIMALS PLACED THE LENGTH OF MY BED , LEADING TO A BIG STACK OF PILLOWS .

Thinking our only child had finally learned to take turns in Mother’s Day Out, I got behind Toothy, the T-Rex, and asked what we were doing. Kyle replied, “They all went to Heaven and now they’re wai ng to give Jesus kisses.” Yep. I s ll cry thinking about it & he just turned 20.

Watching children at play has always been the best way I’ve found to know what’s going on inside their li le heads - and o en inside their hearts.

Serving in our church’s children’s ministry for almost two decades has taught me that not only does “a cheerful heart do good like medicine” but that we also learn more when it’s given with a dose of fun.

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You don’t need a lot of supplies to teach your kids Biblical truths. A willing spirit, a bit of imagina on, and some very accessible dollar store supplies can take you a long way. Below is one idea to help you get started, then let the kids take it from there.

More can be found on the Sweet To The Soul blog.

You’ll be floa ng down the Nile in no me!

(Figura vely, of course).

God created the world; and made us to be creative too. (Genesis 1) Encourage your budding engineers to build something. The world is a big place - and so are refrigerator boxes. Whether it’s a chariot for Queen Esther or a ship from which to throw an errant Jonah, a box makes a great me travel machine.

If you need something bigger than a box, take in the whole room with a blanket fort. These make great caves to hide David and his rag-tag army.

They can also double as the Israelites’ tents. This is especially popular when snacks are involved — like manna, which in my mind has to be similar to

vanilla wafers. Or crackers. Since nobody really knows, I think this one can be le to the grownup’s discre on.

If your student needs more structure, I have enjoyed introducing plas c building blocks into the conversa on. When Kyle was young, a friend who was moving across the country gave me her older daughters’ Lego® set, assuring me, “You’re going to need these.” They have been a staple in the children’s Sunday School classes ever since. One of my favorite memories was when a group of 1st grade boys spent a month re-crea ng Easter scenes. I had to step in when I saw a band of angels being recruited on a secret mission to rescue Jesus off the cross. While acknowledging that is exactly what a Jedi knight would do, I explained God had a different plan and we had to trust it. It was a great day of rejoicing the next week when we got to bust open the tomb. Another one of my favorite stories was when the four men brought their crippled friend to Jesus and he was lowered down through the roof. Building blocks were made for this kind of scenario!

For older students, building is also good for applying measurements to scale. From re-crea ng Solomon’s temple, to making space for the animals in Noah’s ark, paring down cubits is a great way to find that the Bible is wri en by the ul mate architect.

At our house, stuffed animals became essen al characters in all of our stories. When the bears weren’t up to some kind of mischief (usually a re-enactment of something Kyle had go en in trouble for earlier that day), they were called upon to act out our Sunday School lessons. One of my favorites were the three stuffed lions we used to tell the story of the prodigal son. Shaggy and Kabaggy were the perfect examples of sibling

rivalry as papa lion, Jude, tried to teach his sons about uncondi onal love and forgiveness.

Being a boy mom has taken me places I never would have gone by myself. In par cular, I have come to appreciate the book of Judges. I’m assuming I had skimmed over Ehud, the le -handed Benjamite, in the past because that one caught me off-guard. But now that I teach young women, I realize the lessons are no different. They need strong Biblical role models too. As I looked for a way to relate to our youth girls’ Sunday School class, I sacrificed one of my Wonder Woman collec bles so we could have a meaningful discussion on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). It’s been a few years, but I s ll get regular texts from the girls about sui ng up for ba le. And every fall, we have to compare new boot photos as we talk about lacing up to carry the Gospel of Peace.

Making the armor our own has made a difference in how we mentally prepare for the enemy.

Recently, I began teaching a group of American Heritage Girls at our church. Ranging in age from 5 to 10, we had to explain Jesus’ lineage as delicately as possible. Focusing on the five women listed in Ma hew 1: 1-16, we made a family tree using Fashion Plates® (Another fun discovery from my past that I didn’t know s ll existed!). Even though the girls’ clothing choices for Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary were each different, they all had the same great, long-flowing hair. It made me realize they might understand how gene cs worked a er all.

The most important thing about teaching children about the Bible is to ac vely look and listen for everyday moments you can use to remind them of how much God loves them; and how we can love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, body and mind - even in our play.

RACHEL STALLARD is a freelance writer living in Kilgore, Texas. Her day job is working around students at Kilgore College. She enjoys reading stories of inspiring women and plans to someday write a book.

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ATTRIBUTES

OF

G OD W ORD S EARCH

Take a break and accept the challenge. This word search includes 45 names and/or aƩributes of God. You will find the words in all direcƟons, forwards and backwards, up and down or diagonal. Enjoy!

ALMIGHTY COMFORTER FATHER HIGH PRIEST KING MESSIAH PROVIDER TRUE

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ALPHA AUTHOR OF FAITH DEFENDER DELIVERER FIRSTBORN GARDENER HOLY I AM LAMB LIVING WATER OMEGA OVERSEER REDEEMER ROCK UNCHANGING VINE

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BELOVED EVERLASTING GLORIOUS IMMANUEL LORD PATIENT SHEPHERD

BREAD OF LIFE EXAULTED GOODNESS JUDGE LOVE POWERFUL SHIELD

CHOSEN FAITHFUL HIDING PLACE JUST MAJESTIC PRINCE TEACHER

Original Artwork by: Jana Kennedy Spicer

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An Everyday Act of Worship SUE CARROLL—DOODLE’S 101

“But the hour is coming , and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24 Worship happens in the heart everyday. Moment by moment abiding in Christ by surrender, repentance, obedience, graƟtude and love.

God meets us in our obedience with his presence and provision. Here, we will experience the joy and contentment we long for. Worship includes humbly inviƟng the Lord to be involved in everything we do with graƟtude.

He has good work for us to do in the ‘seemingly’ smallest of tasks.

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DOODLE 101 SUE CARROLL

Use a pencil and take your me. You can always erase lines you don’t need.

When you are finished, go over your pencil lines with a waterproof pen before adding color.

Original Artwork by: Sue Carroll

Each me you create images using simple lines and shapes, it will become more familiar and natural to you!

Prac ce is the key to honing your drawing skills. You can do it!

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Christmas used to be my busiest time of the year. I say “used to” because after many years of over-hype, over-hustle and over-spending, the hubby and I started some new traditions and shifted our focus back to the real reason for this season.

I would love to encourage you to do the same.

"Every Good Gift" is a self paced 7 Scripture based Bible Study Journal focused on the greatest gift of all - Jesus Christ!

Includes devotions, study journal pages, scripture cards, prayer tags, note cards, journaling template, color page and more! • 2 Bonus color pages

D OWNLOAD 132

AT :

S WEET T O T HE S OUL . COM /I NSPIRED -I NBOX

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J O U R N A L I N G T E M P L AT E S / B O O K M A R K S Enjoy these “vintage” designs of some of my favorite Scriptures from when I first began Bible Journaling.

LUKE 1:45

Original Artwork by: Jana Kennedy Spicer

ISAIAH 7:96

ISAIAH 7:96

Color or paint each design then cut our and use as a book mark or add to a journal or Bible as a “Ɵp-in”.

Or transfer or trace each design directly into a journal or Bible.

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Original Artwork by: Jana Kennedy Spicer

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A DDITIONAL C ONTRIBUTORS

SUE CARROLL is a mom of 4 and wife of 36 years. Her chosen forms of creativity come in the way of food, mixed media, creative lettering and photography. The ultimate link to all of these is love. Connect with Sue on Instagram @doodle101s.

TERRI HILL is a mother of five, grandmother of two, wife of one, semi-retired multimedia journalist. She and her husband Darren live on a farm in East Texas with their six dogs, multiple horses, donkeys, chickens and cats.

TYANNE RAKOWITZ is wife to high school sweetheart for 39+ years. Mom to 6; 3 by blood and 3 by love. Grammy to 5 little boys. Humbly serving Christ Lutheran Church as the Office Administrator. And serves as the Business Administrator for Sweet to the Soul. Planner and organizer extraordinaire!

TISHA WALKER is a girl with a heart for Jesus who hopes to use her past trauma to offer hope to someone else going through something similar. She is a former writing teacher with a passion for learning. Her goal is to dig deeper into God's word and help others do the same.

We would love for you to come visit our on-line store

SWEET TO THE SOUL SHOPPE

to see our wide selection of Bible Journaling Resources Books & Journals Digital Downloads & Printables Encouragement Cards Coloring Books Special Book Bundles and more! www.SWEETTOTHESOULSHOPPE.com

Use the coupon code SPLENDOR at checkout for 10% off your order through February 28, 2022

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R ESOURCES

FROM OUR

C ONTRIBUTORS

SweetToTheSoul.com

Faithfullyfollowingministries.org

jeberryspeaks.com

MelanieRedd.com

carmenhorne.com

SweetToTheSoul.com

amyelaine.com

PeacefullyImperfect.net

womensministrytoolbox.com

WelcomeHeart.com

NewMerciesForMoms.com

RealWomenMinistries.org

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DO

YO U K N O W J E S U S ?

God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins and bring us into a rela onship with Him. (John 3:16) Through Christ, we can know the promise of eternal life and experience the joy of knowing God here on earth!

If you would like to have a rela onship with God, the Bible tells us that the first step is acknowledging that we have sinned and that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love (Romans 3:23-26). Next, we believe and confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9) and allow Him to guide our lives.

Where we once wanted to control our own future, we now invite Jesus into our hearts to be Lord over our lives.

Knowing God’s peace, perspec ve and purpose for your life begins with a personal rela onship with Jesus.

Would you like to accept Jesus as Lord of your life? You can pray the following prayer:

Lord, I confess that I have sinned against You and ask You to forgive me. I’m sorry that my sin has hurt You and other people in my life. I acknowledge that I could never earn salvation by my good works, but I come to You and trust in what Jesus did for me on the cross.

I believe that You love me and that Jesus died and rose again so that I can be forgiven and come to know You. I ask You to come into my heart and be Lord of my life. I trust You with everything, and I thank You for loving me so much that I can know You here on earth and spend the rest of eternity with You in heaven.

In Jesus name, Amen

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VISIT US ON-LINE SweetToTheSoulFAITH.com

SweetToTheSoul.com

SweetToTheSoulShoppe.com

SCRIPTURE READING PLANS : Each month consists of a topic-driven reading plan, complete with 31 Scriptures to use in your Bible study and quiet me. The verses serve as a guide to dive deep into God’s Word as you focus on small por ons. Blank Scripture Journal pages are also available for download.

BIBLE STUDY RESOURCES : Soul Inspired Bible Study is about spending me in the scripture with God and allowing the Holy Spirit to give us understanding. These Bible Studies cover a variety of topics and offer resources in mul ple formats including journals, devo onals and more.

INSPIRED INBOX : These free Soul Inspired Bible Studies are delivered directly to your inbox.

Choose from several topics. Just sign up, check your email box, then download and print all your study materials. Study alone at your own pace or invite friends to join you and study the Bible together.

SOUL INSPIRED BIBLE JOURNALING RESOURCES : are designed to inspire your soul and encourage you to use your crea vity during your Bible Study me. Our journaling resources include Bible Journaling Kits, printable templates / colorable bookmarks, coloring pages, scripture cards and more!

COLORING BOOKS : Coloring is a wonderful way to relax and destress. Our coloring books include inspira onal Scripture and encouraging quotes through beau fully hand-drawn artwork.

Be inspired as you spend me reflec ng on scripture as well as enjoying the calming and refreshing benefits of coloring.

SWEET TO THE SOUL SHOPPE : Our on-line shoppe is where you will find all of our Bible Journaling and crea ve resources. Many resources are printable instant digital downloads.

We also have several sets of scripture cards and blank encouragement cards.

Visit swee othesoulshoppe.com to see our full line of products.

Our Bible Studies and Journals are available for purchase via Amazon.

Visit swee othesoul.com for direct links to each of our books or journals.

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Our Prayer Lord, we thank you and praise you and worship you for all that you are.

The cost you have paid for the rescue of our souls is not truly comprehendible by us, how can we ever be thankful enough? The moments of worship we have to offer seem lacking in response, yet you are gracious to us still. Our souls hunger and thirst for the divine nourishment only you can provide, and you do so freely and bountifully each time we seek you, even after we have neglected and rejected you , you always welcome us back with an open heart and open arms. Oh the glorious mercy!

May our hearts overflow! Overflow with an abundance which engulfs all those around us so they too can worship in the bounty of your love, grace and mercy. Lord, take us to the one who needs to receive you this season. Make aware to us, where we can be your hands and feet, where we can give back to you by giving to others.

Oh let our love of others be a worship offering to you.

Thank you for the privilege to love others for you.

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

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S WEET T O T HE S OUL FAITH | W INTER 2021

Prayer by Jana Kennedy-Spicer

Father, the world is such a challenge right now. Even though you see our full life span, from first breath to last, in a single glace, we struggle with life, many times, moment to moment. Many of us are ill, tired, worn out, defenseless, burdened, troubled, grieving and lonely. We know that you have overcome this world, that you are the hope which prevails, that you are our strong defender, that you see and wipe away our tears; so Father we ask, oh please Father, make us aware of your presence, open our eyes to the work of your hands, and let our hearts be filled with the comfort and peace only you can provide.