Land of the Giants ---Discouragement

Here's the link to the Bible study by Dr Jeremiah on the topic of "Discouragement." Again, this is well worth your time. I know you will learn a lot from it.

**The word discouragement can be found in the bible under other terms such as: lose heart, faint, or grow weary**

I.  Recognize Discouragement in your Life

• Discouragement Factor # 1 "Fatigue"
• Discouragement Factor # 2 "Frustration"
• Discouragement Factor # 3 "Failure"
• Discouragement Factor # 4 "Fear"

II.  Respond to Discouragement in your Life

• Cry out to God
• Continue the work that God has given you to do
• Concentrate on the Big Picture
• Claim the encouragement of God's promises
• Carry someone else's burden

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/lotg/GiantWatchListen.aspx?giant=discouragement

My favorite Bible verse from this study:

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" ~Galatians 6:9

May you draw strength and encouragement from the Lord... 

The Strategy of Satan--Chapter 1

In every chapter, Mr. Wiersbe uses an Old Testament person to demonstrate the point which he is trying to make.  He gives biblical references that back up each occurrence. He lays out Satan's target, weapon and purpose. Lastly, Mr. Wiersbe empowers us with a defense to each particular attack.

 Chapter One ~ The Deceiver

Layout

1. Old Testament Example: Eve
2. Satan's Target: Your mind
3. Satan's Weapon: Lies
4. Satan's Purpose: To make you ignorant of God's Will
5. Your Defense: The inspired Word of God

My Summary 

God communicates with us and reveals His will for us through our minds-making this a great target for Satan.  If Satan can get through our minds, then he will easily be able to control what we say, think, and what we do.  The easiest way to attack our minds is through doubt.  Having us question ourselves as to our "correct" interpretation/understanding of the Scriptures and  "planting" the seed of doubt in our minds has been his weapon since the beginning of times.  He did it to Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis chapter 2). Not only did he make her doubt herself  (as to what she really head the Lord tell her) but he also quoted Scripture to her and omitted key words.  Satan knows the Scriptures better than you and I.  He knows exactly what is written on it and at times he will add to it and at times he will omit "key" words that make a world of a difference. Since God uses our minds to communicate His will to us than it makes perfect sense that the purpose for Satan to attack our minds is so that we will become ignorant with God's will in our lives.  By doing so, Satan is robbing us of our glorious blessings, we will make bad decisions and get involved in sinful activities, we will be a bad influence, we wont grow to our full potential, and lose enjoyment and peace in our lives. The GREAT news is that there is a defense to his attack: The inspired Word of God.  Notice that Jesus, when approached by Satan, always answered him with the Word of God-Jesus quoted Scripture! In order to defend ourselves with the Word of God, we must first fill ourselves with the Word of God. Bible study is not a luxury...it is a necessity!  There is no reason why we should be ignorant of God's Word.  We can read it, hear it via radio, television, preachers at church and/or study it in Bible study groups. We must make time to learn His Word.  You see, Jesus quoted Scripture because He had the Words in Him, we can do the same.  We can fight Satan with God's Word, however, we can not "quote" what we never read-so it is imperative that we seek to memorize Scripture so that, at the opportune time, we may be able to recall them.  Christians must be saturated in God's Word so that when a situation or temptation arises, we can automatically remember the Scripture that refers/applies to the situation.  The Holy Spirit will bring God's Word to the believer's mind when we need it but again, the Holy Spirit cannot remind us of something we never learned.  Satan knows the Bible and can quote it...as children of God we should too!

The Strategy of Satan by Warren W Wiersbe

I was going to start a study on Spiritual Warfare by Dr. Jeremiah.  I ordered the CD pack which came with a study guide, a book marker, the cds and a book called The Strategy of Satan.  I opened up the first couple of pages of the study guide (to get ready) and sure enough I had a "task" to perform before I could get started....I needed to read the Strategy of Satan and The Practice of the Presence of God (by Brother Lawrence) prior to starting with the CD study.  Well, I had read the second book at the beginning of 2011 (and loved it) so I only had one book to read and then I could start my study.

For anyone that knows me, I am one of those readers that when I start reading a book I kind of get so into it, that I can't put it down and therefore finish it quite quick.  Well, this was not going to be the deal with The Strategy of Satan because in the Foreword Dr. Jeremiah specifically states that we should read this book sloowwlllyy and then in the introduction Mr. Wiersbe states "please do not speed read these pages."

So I started reading the book in August (2011) and I am still reading it.  I am taking their advise and reading every page very carefully, taking notes as I go along.  At times, I want to read continually because the subject matter is so interesting but I stop myself so that I can soak it all in.

I will be posting what I have learned so far in each chapter.  Just so you know, I have checked every Bible verse written (I do that with all the books I read-no offense Mr. Wiersbe) and have found Wiersbe's take on this subject matter accurate and biblical sound.

I hope you enjoy reading what I am learning on this subject~I know that I will enjoy sharing it with you....God Bless You!

Note: you may click here to be directed to Dr. Jeremiah's website to learn more about the Spiritual Warfare Study.



 **if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**

Land of the Giants -- Worry

Here's the link to the Bible study by Dr Jeremiah on the topic of "Worry."  Again, this is well worth your time.  I know you will learn a lot from it.

Learn how worry is:

• Inconsistent
• Irrational
• Ineffective
• Illogical
• Irreligious

Learn to fight worry with:

• A system of priorities
• A strategic program

My favorite Bible verse from this study:

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6-7

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/lotg/GiantWatchListen.aspx?giant=worry

May the Lord continue to bless you and keep you.....

Land of the Giants -- Fear

Dr. David Jeremiah has a study on "Slaying the Giants in our Lives."  It is an excellent bible study.  The first 20 minutes of the video consist of songs and hymns from the church choir where Dr. Jeremiah is giving his sermon.  Although they sing beautifully, I tend to download the whole 60 minutes but I skip the singing.  My time is limited (with my 5 kiddos keeping me busy) so I just get right to the point where Dr. Jeremiah starts the Bible study.

I can't recommend this study enough.  It is excellent!  The link below is for the one on FEAR~ I hope that you can check it out, you will be blessed by it.

Learn how fear:

• Disregards God's plan for your life
• Distorts God's purpose in your life
• Discourages God's people
• Disbelieves God's promises
• Disobeys God's principles
• Demands a Biblical response

Fight fear by:

• Confronting your fear honestly
• Confessing your fear as sin
• Claiming God's promises of protection
• Cultivating a closer relationship with God
• Commit your life to Jesus Christ

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/lotg/GiantWatchListen.aspx?giant=fear

My favorite Bible verse from this study:

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind" ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

May you receive the message the Lord has for you through this study.....

Applegate Psalms Project: Psalm 47 Worship Video

The Psalms Project is a a great band that only writes/performs songs from the Psalms~~ If you love the Psalms, check them out.....Psalm 47 is one of my Faves! Enjoy

The Greener Grass Conspiracy

I have been blessed with the opportunity to review a book called "The Greener Grass Conspiracy" by Stephen Altrogge.  The author, a Christian pastor from Pennsylvania, offered a free copy of his book to anyone on his Facebook friend's list who would read and review it before it's actual release date of April 30th.  I love his posts on Facebook because they are very funny and very insightful, so I quickly answered the request and anxiously waited for my book to arrive.
For starters, this book is written in a humorous, down-to-earth manner, which makes it not just an easy read but also an "I cant put this book down" read.  You never feel as though you are getting a lecture or you are being singled out as the only discontent person in the world. Altrogge is very candid about his own struggle to stay focused on being content.  This makes it easy to relate to him and therefore reading the book feels more like having a conversation with a good friend than anything else. I loved how every time he pointed out a negative characteristic of the discontent Christian, he quickly followed it up with advise as to how to attack it head on. His methods for change are all based on Scripture-quoting lots of verses throughout the entire book-which I love.
The entire book is great.  Each chapter has it's own important message, however, personally  the chapter called "Bloody Contentment" was the one which most impacted me.  In this chapter, the focus is on Christ and all that He did on our behalf.  This chapter really opens your eyes as to how our "complaining" and our "discontent" is coming across to the Lord. Altrogge puts it this way:

"When we complain, we're loudly saying that the blessings of the gospel aren't enough.  We're saying that the death of Christ isn't enough.  We're saying that eternal fellowship with God, purchased at great cost to God, isn't enough to satisfy our souls.  We're saying that forgiveness of sins and peace with God is nice, but not that nice.  We're saying that God "[has] not wisdom, or power, or mercy enough" to provide for us.  We're saying that God himself, who is the very definition of goodness, isn't good enough. We would like a little something more, if you don't mind. God plus [insert desire of choice] should do the trick.  When we complain, we accuse God of being stingy, of not giving us enough" (page 72).

This book is for everyone, Christian and non-believer alike.  I highly recommend it.

Check out the book on Amazon by clicking here.

Balancing Life's Demands Week #1

Wow! The first 30 minute video was full of information and lots of "eye opener" moments.  Chip Ingram is very good at getting your attention with lots of thought provoking questions.  This first 30 minute dvd session focuses on the "Six symptoms of misplaced priorities," which are as follows:

1. Busyness-The Activity trap 
2. Emotional stress and pressure
3. Low grade nagging
4. Financial debt
5. Prayerlessness-"leaking in the devotional life"
6. Escapism behavior

Mr. Ingram goes into detail about each one of the above stated symptoms and opens your eyes to what may be occurring in your own life.  After going down the line with lots of explanations and examples, he tells us not to panic if some (or all) of the above "misplaced priorities" apply to us.  He is very candid about his own personal experience and struggles with keeping his own life in order, and assures us that (although it won't happen overnite) we too can organize our life in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.  So, he then moves on to show us "an overview of biblical priorities."   His comments and suggestions are backed up by Scripture and here they are in order:

An Overview of Biblical Priorities

1. God  (Read Colossians 3:1-7 &  Ephesians 5:1-20)
2. Mate  (Read Colossians 3:18-19 & Ephesians 5:21-33)
3. Family (Read Colossians 3:20-21 & Ephesians 6:1-4)
4. Work  (Read Colossians 3:22-4:1 & Ephesians 6:5-9)
5. Ministry  (Read Colossians 4:2-6 & Ephisisans 6:10-20)

 Personally, I really could relate to the Ephesians readings, especially in Ephesians 5: 15-16  where it states: "See then that you walk circumspectly (cautiously) not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."  Here, Paul is talking about taking advantage of opportunities for service.  We all have a limited time on this earth and Paul is telling us to use it wisely-not being wasteful of any opportunity to share the Gospel.  Mr Ingram explained in detail about the above listed biblical priorities and explained how both books (Colossians and Ephesians) were written in an orderly manner which  follows the "priority" pattern of God first,  Husband/Wife are second, Children and family are third, Work is fourth (our first ministry being that we spend so much time @ work/homeschooling) and Ministry last.  I had never noticed that before, but now it is very clear that both books were written with the same order and message.
After his detailed explanation of the "symptoms of misplaced priorities" and the "outline of biblical priorities" we are left, as a group, to discuss, share and really dig deep and confess our short comings.  Thankfully, I am blessed to be doing this study with two great friends and sisters-in-Christ, so it is very easy to open up and state out loud what I'm feeling convicted about.  There are 2 pages of thought provoking, self analyzing questions to answer and discuss.I know this is the first DVD session, however, I already feel like I've learned a lot. I'm looking forward to the next one!

I love quotes and there are several of them that were presented in the DVD and in the book.  I'd like to share two with you:

"Emotion is no substitute for action and action is no substitute for productivity" ~ Dawson Trotman

and my favorite:

"The urgent is rarely important and the important is rarely urgent" ~Dwight Eisenhower 
   

Jesus' Last Supper

 This is from my "Bring One to Christ" post for today (04/21/2011)

On this day our Lord Jesus Christ had His last supper (a Passover meal) with His disciples. This day is full of important and meaningful events.  For starters, as soon as they sat down to eat, He announces that "One of you who eats with Me will betray Me" (Mark 14:18).  Having the knowledge that one of your closest friends is going to hand you over to be killed can not by any means be anything that any normal human could handle, but Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace, not only sat and ate with Judas but washed his feet as well. Yes, He humbled himself and washed the disciples' feet.  Here's the Son of God washing the feet of men!! He did this, among other things, to demonstrate the meaning of servanthood.  He tells them that if the Teacher and Lord can wash your feet, then you also are to wash one another's feet (John  13:13-15).  Now, He knows that His time on earth is coming to an end, and that He will have to suffer much before ascending into heaven with the Father.  That alone would be unbearable, now add to that the fact that he is sharing a meal with the "traitor of all traitors....Judas! Can any one person endure all that? Only Jesus! For He was put on this earth to bear the sins of all men.  To suffer, to be persecuted and to be crucified like a common criminal, when all along He was without blemish.  After supper, Jesus goes to Gethsemane to pray.  He is, at this point, feeling exceedingly sorrowful (Mark 14:34). The crushing realization of having to bear the sin of the world and to lose, even temporarily,  the fellowship of the Father was nearly more than Jesus' soul could bear.  Yet, He does something that shows His true character, His divine, true self; He prays for God's will to be done and not His own (Mark 14:36).  Even to the point of death (which is inevitable) He chooses to be obedient to whatever the Father wills.  Reflecting on all that Jesus had to go through, all the anguish and betrayal that He felt.  The extreme sadness of being separated from His Father for a short while, not to mention the horrific physical punishment He would have to endure is so humbling.  After all, none of us are deserving of salvation, and yet we can all obtain it by proclaiming that Jesus is our Savior! and that He indeed died on the cross for our sins!

**To visit the "Bring One to Christ" group in Facebook click here

Balancing Life's Demands

I am so excited to share with all of you the great news that this Wednesday two great friends of mine and myself will be starting a small bible study at my house.  It is called "Balancing Life's Demands" and it comes from Living On the Edge Community Ministry.  The founder and pastor of this great program is Chip Ingram.  This small group bible study consist of 10 (30 minute) DVD lessons with 30 minutes of discussion and answering questions in a study guide book each person gets.  This whole course is suppose to help us prioritize life (and the hundreds of  demands we are faced with daily) under biblical standards.  I am very excited to see what the Lord will teach me through this wonderful time of learning and fellowship.  Our hope is to continue with other bible studies after we finish this one. (I am currently still doing the Truth Project DVD bible study which I recommend to everyone.) I will post what I am learning weekly.

If you would like to check out this and other small group bible studies, and hopefully start one in your home, please click here to be directed to Living On the Edge Community.

Events of Holy Week

The Final Week of Jesus' Earthly Ministry

Sunday:

The triumphal entry into Jerusalem  (Mark 11:1-11)

Monday: 

Cleanses the temple in Jerusalem (Mark 11:15-19)

Tuesday:

The Sanhedrin challenges Jesus' authority (Luke 20:1-8)
Jesus foretells the destruction of Jerusalem and His return (Matthew 24, 25)
Mary anoints Jesus at Bethany (John 12:2-8)
Judas bargains with the Jewish leaders to betray Jesus  (Luke 22:3-6)

Thursday:

Jesus eats the Passover meal with His disciples and institutes the Memorial Supper (John 13:1-30)
Prays in Gathsemane for His disciples (Mark 14:22-26 & John 17)

Friday:

His betrayal and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:43-50)
Jesus questioned by Annas, the former high priest (John 18:12-24)
Condemned by Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:53-65)
Peter denies Jesus three times (John 18:25-27)
Jesus is formally condemned by the Sanhedrin (Luke 22:66-71)
Judas commits suicide (Matthew 27:3-10)
The trial of Jesus before Pilate (Luke 23:1-5)
Jesus' appearance before Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6-12)
Formally sentenced to death by Pilate (Luke 23:13-25)
Jesus is mocked and crucified between two thieves (Mark 15:16-27)
The veil of the temple is torn as Jesus dies (Matthew 27:51-56)
His burial in the tomb of Joseph Arimathea (John 19:31-42)

Sunday:

Jesus is raised from the dead (Luke 24:1-9)

  

The Gospel and Prayer

My sister gave me a subscription to a monthly Christian magazine called Table Talk which is published by Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul.  This is great reading material.  It has some articles to read whenever you want and then it has daily Bible readings with a commentary from different theologians. I would like to share the one for March 26 & 27 with you, it is about the Gospel and prayer.  I would normally try to summarize what I've learned, but honestly, I don't want to do that with this one because I think every word in this article is worth reading.  It is a little long, but I think it's well worth the time. Enjoy!

The Gospel and Prayer

By: Donald S Whitney 

(from:Table Talk monthly magazine March 2011 edition)

Because I teach and write about spirituality, occasionally I'm asked to comment on scientific studies about the efficacy of prayer.  The research always seems to include the assumption that one person's prayers are essentially as acceptable as another's.  One of the flaws with such studies is that they do not associate prayer with the gospel.  No on can begin to understand prayer until he grasps what the gospel teaches us about prayer. 

The Bible, rather than assuring everyone that God hears their prayers, slams heaven's door against all who think God will hear them despite their sin: "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear" (Isa. 59:2).  In one sense, of course, God hears everything.  But in this text we're told that God does not hear with a view to answering those who sin against Him. And, of course, since every person except Jesus has sinned against God, the hopes are dashed of everyone who thinks all it takes for God to hear is for them to pray. 

In fact, the Bible is even more shockingly counter intuitive in Proverbs 15:8: "The sacrifice [which includes the prayer] of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord."  Many people seem to think, "It's true, I'm not a dedicated Christian; but if I get into a difficult situation and humble myself to pray, and I am really sincere surely God will accept my prayer."  Or they believe, "Even though I'm not really a follower of Jesus, if God is merciful and loving, He will look favorably on the prayers of those who come to Him when they're in real need and pray hard enough."

But this text tell us that, instead of being impressed, the Lord actually abominates these prayers.  Why? Because such people believe God should hear their prayers based upon their temporary humility and piety.  In other words, they believe their own righteousness-in this case, expressed in a short-lived acknowledgment that they need God's help- obligates God to answer.

Instead of being honored to receive the momentary sincerity of those who want something from Him, God is insulted by their prayers, for they imply that the work of Jesus wasn't necessary.  It's as though they're saying, "The life and death of Your Son weren't needed in my case; it was all a big mistake.  I believe You should hear me based upon what I have done-especially in these prayers- and I don't need what Jesus did in order to be heard by You."  Could anything be more offensive to God?

When it comes to knowing God and being heard by Him, Jesus was unequivocal: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).  Confidence that you prayers are heard cannot come from our sincerity, humility, or need; rather, "we have confidence to enter the holy places [the presence of God] by the blood of Jesus" (Heb 10:19).  Until people come in repentance to God through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ-who alone can remove the sin that separates us from God-their prayers will not be answered.

Does God ever answer the prayer of a non-Christian? Many stories claim that He does.  In reality, are these "answered prayers" simply God doing in His providence what He was going to do regardless of the prayers?  The clearest ground biblically is this: except for those prayers leading to salvation, we can give no assurance to anyone outside of Christ that God will answer his prayer.  It is only through the gospel that we truly begin to pray, for only then- after Jesus has made us and our prayers acceptable to the Father- do the promises of prayer in the Bible apply to us. 

Once we respond to the gospel in repentance and faith and are adopted into God's family, our newly begun relationship with our heavenly Father becomes markedly prayerful.  No longer is prayer just an obligation or a hoop to jump through to get what we want, for the gospel makes prayer a desire and not a mere duty.  Through the gospel we receive the Spirit who causes us to cry, "Abba! Father!" (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6) with a new heavenward, Fatherward orientation. In other words, the Spirit of God causes us to want to talk to God. 

Prayer should still remain a discipline, for even with the God-given desire to pray, it's easy to be distracted from habits of prayer by the crush of responsibilities.  But thanks to the grace of God in the gospel, our prayers are always welcome.

(If you are interested in TableTalk 

 devotional magazine, you can go to 

 their website by clicking  here.)

Noah Webster 1828 Dictionary

I have been wanting to purchase the Webster 1828 dictionary for a long time, but because of the price, I had to hold off.  Well, on my birthday, I was blessed with an Amazon gift card from my sister Monique and her family.   So I finally have my copy of this wonderful dictionary at home.  The Noah Webster 1828 is published by the Foundation for American Christian Education.  I absolutely love this dictionary.  It has the proper definitions for word such as: marriage, sin, education, etc. And it references the Bible a lot!  This gift came to me at the perfect time, because this year I had committed myself to looking up any word I did not understand (or had a question about) while doing my daily bible reading.  I've looked words up, that I thought I knew the meaning to but was curious to see the 1828 definition of it, and was surprised at the differences in the "modern" version of the dictionaries and the definitions listed in this one.  

I will be posting words and definitions under the title "Webster 1828." Bear in mind, that English is my second language (I'm from Argentina), so I look up a lot of words :)   

The Joy of Forgiveness

Psalm 32 is a Psalm of wisdom and a great penitential one as well.  There is so much happening within its eleven verses.  It is believed that David wrote the Psalm following his infamous affair with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11). The psalm starts off with a description of blessings:

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered (atoned)*. 

Blessed is the man to whom 

the Lord does not impute iniquity, 

And in whose spirit there is no deceit. vv 1-2

Then David shifts gears a bit and talks about how he has kept silent about a sin he has committed.  This is not to say that the Lord doesn't know about the sin, but that he has failed to confess the sin to the Lord.  We all know that the Lord doesn't need us to tell him what we did wrong, He knows exactly what we did wrong, but he wants us to confess our sin-acknowledge our wrong doing and repent. 

When I kept silent, my bones grew old

Through my groaning all the day long.

For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;

My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. vv 3-4

Now David realizes the consequences of the failure to confess...so he finally confesses in verses 5-6:

I acknowledged my sin to You,

And my iniquity (immoral behavior)* I have not hidden.

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,"

And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. 

He is feeling much, much better now that he confessed and is forgiven.  He knew, like we do, that when we don't confess our sin, we are separating ourselves from the Lord.   Then, overjoyed because the load of "hidden sin" was taken from him through his confession/repentance, he decides to warn people to do the same and then quickly changes to address the Lord and acknowledges His protection:

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You

In a time when You may be found;

Surely in a flood of great waters

They shall not come near him.

You are my hiding place;

You shall preserve me from trouble;

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. vv 6-7

Then the speaker (David) changes and the Lord "comes in" the psalm to also instruct the people.  

I will instruct you and teach you 

in the way you should go;

I will guide you with My eye.

Do not be like a horse or like the mule,

Which have no understanding 

Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,

Else they will not come near you. vv 8-9

The Lord is asking us to trust Him and let Him teach us the way which we should go.  He is mentioning "mules" and "horses" (which are both stubborn animals) and tell us not to be like them.  He wants us to respond to Him quickly and on our own accord-not being dragged or forced.  Lastly, David ends the hymn by contrasting the many sorrows of the wicked with the joy of the believer and instructing the believer to praise the Lord:

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;

But he who trusts in the Lord,

mercy shall surround him.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;

And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!  vv 10-11

Like I said, this psalm has it all: Praise, Acknowledgment of sin and the consequences of hiding it; Confession and repentance; Warning to the righteous; More praise; The Lord's warning; Comparison of wicked and righteous; And finally, instruction to praise the Lord.  I just LOVE this psalm.

We've all tried ,at some point or another, to hide our transgressions from the Lord (as if we could) and have paid dearly for it-mostly in the fact that we are "not right" with Him.  When we confess our sin, the "earthly" consequences of our actions don't necessarily disappear, but our relationship with the Lord is restored and we must rejoice and praise the Lord for that!

  

* definition added~ word in parenthesis are not part of the the Psalm.

The Need to be a Part of a Church Family

(From My Bring One to Christ Post of June 16, 2010)

Is there a need for us to be a part of a church family? I will start with the meaning of the word “church” and hopefully answer the question as I go along. When you look up the word “church” in the dictionary you will find that the first definition states that it is “a building for public worship, especially in the Christian religion.”  When you ask people to define the word “church” most will tell you the same thing. I found this very interesting because that is not the correct meaning of the word yet most of us use it in that manner and our dictionaries describe it as such.  In the New Testament the Greek word “ecclesia” appears approx. 115 times and it has been translated as “church” in these passages.  Ecclesia was a common Greek word that meant “the gathering of people” or “to call people together” it never stood for a building or a place of worship.  As a matter of fact, most of the “gatherings” in biblical times occurred at believer’s residences, outside by the water or on mountains (as Jesus did during his sermons).  Why is knowing the meaning of the word so important? One reason is because we use it often but most importantly because we should not assume that if a person does not attend a “building of worship” they are therefore, not attending “church” or that they are not part of a church.  I know a family that is doing amazing missionary work in Nepal, bringing the word of our Lord to a country that is in much need of it.  This family goes to villages that are a couple of hours away from their residence, to preach the Word of God and to have fellowship with the natives there.  This family is gathering an assembly of believers in Jesus’ name. That is, in my opinion, the true meaning of the word “church.”  So if you are gathering at a beautiful building, someone’s residence, by a lake or in the mountains it is extremely important and even essential to continue (or start) do so.  Christians need to gather together in Jesus Christ our Lord, we need to encourage one another in His Name.  We need our Christian family to hold us accountable for our actions and we need our fellow brothers and sisters-in Christ to lift us up when we are down. We need their prayers and they need ours.  We live in this world, but as children of the Most High, we are no longer of this world.  Depending on where you live, you could be very much outnumbered, making the need for fellowship and prayer even more crucial. Find what “church” setting works for you and your family and do it. The people you will meet (or have already met) will change you, support you, share with you, love you and pray for you…who wants to miss out on that?

                                                                                                                               

***To visit the "Bring One to Christ" group in Facebook click here

Where to Find Comfort & Encouragement in the Psalms

When you feel abandoned--------------------------------------------->Psalm 10
When your world seems to be falling apart---------------------->Psalm 46
When you are afraid------------------------------------------------------>Psalm 23;91
When you feel guilty------------------------------------------------------>Psalm 51
When your family gets on your nerves----------------------------->Psalm 127;128
When you are facing a daunting challenge----------------------->Psalm 27
When you are discouraged by the apparent prosperity
of the wicked---------------------------------------------------------------->Psalm 37;73
When you do not feel very thankful--------------------------------->Psalm 107
When you feel as if God has forgotten you---------------------->Psalm 139
When you are tempted to lose faith in God--------------------->Psalm 62
When you have lost your eternal perspective------------------->Psalm 90
When you feel like you are barely hanging on------------------>Psalm 86
When you are wondering what God expects-------------------->Psalm 15
When you want to know God better-------------------------------->Psalm 42;63
When you need to be reminded of the goodness of God--->Psalm 103
When you need to recommit yourself to serving God-------->Psalm 116
When you need wisdom------------------------------------------------>Psalm 119
When you need a reminder of God's mercy--------------------->Psalm 136
When you feel like celebrating--------------------------------------->Psalm 95-100

I copied this from my new bible (which I love). 

The Practice of the Presence of God

This book is amazing.  It is based on letters and spiritual maxims of Brother Lawrence.  If you never read it, I highly recommend that you do.  This humble, servant of the Lord (Brother Lawrence) has a very simple way of explaining what he was able to accomplish~to have a continual presence of God in his life.  He gives many examples of how we can all obtain this great blessing, but he warns us that it will not come easy.  We need to want it and seek it.  We must work hard at it, failing at many times, but not allowing that to discourage us or to turn our focus from it.   He explains how we should have a continual conversation with the Lord-not one of with strict rules and many fancy words.  He talks about how our minds will wander off at first and how we are to not feel discouraged because of it but we are to re focus and move on. Another advise he gives is to say a little prayer before, during and after we are "interrupted" from our continual conversation (be it for work/children/chores, etc).  And when we are done performing whatever task we had done, we are to analyze "how" we did it.  Did we do anything that was displeasing to the Lord? if not, then give praise to Him for allowing you to do your job well, and  if we did sin in any way, humbly ask for His forgiveness and move on.  I wish I could write down all my favorite quotes, but if I did, I would have to copy most of the book...so here's a few that stood out for me:

1. "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."
2. "We ought to help one another by our advice, and yet more by our good examples."
3. "Believe me, count as lost each day you have not used in loving God."

 

**if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**

Have You Lost the Company of Christ?

I was doing my daily devotional and this day's message was really good. I want to share the whole thing with you, it's not that long.

January 19th "Morning by Morning" 


"Tell me where you lost the company of Christ, and I will tell you the most likely place to find him.  Have you lost Christ in the closet by restraining prayer?  Then it is there you must seek and find him.  Did you lose Christ by sin? You will find Christ in no other way but by the giving up of the sin, and seeking by the Holy Spirit to mortify the member in which the lust doth dwell.  Did you lose Christ by neglecting the Scriptures?  You must find Christ in the Scriptures.  It is a true proverb, "Look for a think where you dropped it, it is there."  So look for Christ where you lost him, for he has not gone away.  But is is hard work to go back for Christ.  Bunyan tells us, the pilgrim found the piece of the road back to the Arbor of Ease, where he lost his roll, the hardest he had ever traveled.  Twenty miles onward is easier than to go one mile back for the lost evidence.  Take care then when you find your Master, to cling close to him.  But how is it you have lost him?  One would have thought you would never have parted with such a precious friend, whose presence is so sweet ,  whose words are so comforting, and whose company is so dear to you ! How is it that you did not watch him every moment for fear of losing sight of him? Yet, since you have let him go, what a mercy that you are seeking him, even though you mournfully groan,  "O that I knew where I might find him!" Go on seeking , for it is dangerous to be without they Lord.  Without Christ you are like a sheep without its shepherd; like a tree without water at its roots; like a sere leaf in the tempest-not bound to the tree of life.  With thine whole heart seek him, and he will be found of thee; only give thyself thoroughly up to the search, and verily, thou shalt yet discover him to thy joy and gladness."

Salvation

(from my Bring One to Christ post of June 3, 2010)

Salvation can only be obtained one way: By accepting Jesus into your heart and proclaiming that He is your Savior. That sounds simple enough, and in some levels it is, however, you can’t just speak the words and leave it at that. . Becoming a believer means striving to have a close and intimate relationship with our Lord. Just like any other relationship in your life, you must invest time and effort into it to make it work. You must act on your new faith. You need to spend time reading the Bible, making some changes in your life, having fellowship with other believers, you need prayer time, you must repent of sin and most importantly you need to be baptized in water and Spirit (born again). In John 3:3 Jesus states that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. You were born once in a physical nature through your mother’s womb and now, in order to enter the kingdom of God (be saved and have eternal life), you will need to be born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). This “new birth” or “spiritual birth” is the beginning of the re-creation or transformation that you will go through to become a child of God. The scriptures tell us that once we are baptized we will receive the Holy Spirit (Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as “The Counselor” and “The Spirit of Truth”) and this is when your new life, the ultimate journey, the best part of your life begins. The Holy Spirit will help you along the whole way. He will be your guide, your translator when reading scripture, he will be your Counselor, he will speak truth into your life, and he will help you to speak, listen and live differently. This change, this new life, is by far the most wonderful thing that can ever happen to a person. There is only one way to Salvation and no one can say it better than Jesus did when he spoke the following words: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John14:6. If you want to be saved, have eternal life, and enter the kingdom of heaven you must accept Jesus as your Savior TODAY!

***To visit the "Bring One to Christ" group in Facebook click here ***

Distressed? David's Approach (Psalm 25)

Five Step Approach When You're Distressed

1. Turn to the Lord, lift up your soul to Him and trust him (v. 1)
2. Ask Him to show you/teach you/guide you in His truth & put your hope in him (vv. 4-5)
3. Repent & humbly ask for forgiveness although the iniquities (immoral behavior) of your youth and now may be great (vv. 7,11)
4. Stay focused on the Lord-Your eyes are ever on the Lord (v. 15)
5. Take refuge in the Lord! (v. 20)

This Psalm is all about humbling ourselves before the Lord, acknowledging His greatness and His forgiveness. Asking for forgiveness for our past (and present) transgressions, and seeking Him to teach us, guide us, and show us the way to the Truth. Taking refuge when we feel lonely, afflicted and distressed. We must keep our hope in Him.

No Fretting-Yikes!

I've been reading through the bible and a couple of weeks ago I was reading about the Israelites and their 40 years of roaming around-waiting to get to the promised land. It's almost comical how they seemed to be going around and around aimlessly-complaining, fretting, always dissatisfied. Miracles are being performed in front of their eyes, and yet they are blind to it. In the kid's LIFEPAC bible books it actually shows a map of their "roaming" days and you gotta wonder, what were they thinking? Then I was talking to a very good friend of mine, a devoted believer who shared with me something that she was feeling while reading through the same passages. She told me how she was so grateful that the Lord had taken her out of her "version" of Egypt. That she was in a state of "slavery"-as all non believers are-and she was grateful for His mercies-His forgiveness. We went on to talk some more about that and then it happened....my eyes were open to my "version" of roaming around in the wilderness, let me explain...

If you don't know my story then here's the short version of it. My husband has been building our house, literally, building the house for the last 10 years. It sits on 25 acres of sheer wilderness. He had to start from zero-even the driveway (of dirt) had to be cleared out. It is beautiful here, just breath taking but I have to tell you it is hard to build a house when you are not a contractor or have never worked in construction (my husband is a cardio-respiratory therapist). When we started this project, we moved in with my mother who lives in the property next door to where we are building. We lived there for about 3 1/2 years. Then we moved to our old house (which we had sold to my twin sister and was vacant-it was her vacation house) about 4 blocks away from my mother's house. We lived there for about 3 1/2 more years and then we bought our travel trailer and moved to our property (where we are now). During our "roaming" years we were sometimes fretting, sometimes envious of other people having what we wanted, and more times than not, disappointing because of the slow progress-sounds familiar?? We moved 3 times within a 1 mile radius all along fretting and dissatisfied.

As I mentioned earlier in my posts, I have been studying the psalms. Psalm 37 is totally devoted to teaching the believer that fretting is not for us. It talks about the believer's attitude toward the apparent success of the wicked and the hardships of the righteous. It talks about how the ungodly will eventually lose all they acquire on earth, whereas the righteous (who remain loyal to God) will have his presence, help and guidance on earth and will inherit salvation and the promised land. It tells us that we are to trust in the Lord and commit our ways to Him. We are to refrain from anger and turn from wrath. Most importantly, it tells us "do not fret-it leads only to evil." Since thoroughly studying this Psalm, I have made it a point to stop my fretting, and when talking to my dear friend, I realized that my past "complaining" nature may have been the snare that was keeping us from completing our house. Our trailer is parked right next to the house-just a foot or two away, just like the Israelites where steps away from the land of milk and honey. It takes a changed-repentant heart, a devoted believer and a trusting "no fretting" soul to realize the greatness of our Lord-I aim to be all that and more! I love the way the Lord is using my learning of the Psalms along with the blessings of the knowledge of other believers to open my eyes and see the miracles that He has performed on my behalf. During our "roaming" years, I have been blessed to have given birth to 2 adorable boys (Ramzey and Maverick) and in addition, to have been able to raise and homeschool my two daughters (Andrea and Bethanie) and Will Jr (my oldest son). My husband and I have had surgeries during those years, and came out of them healthier than before. Our Lord never forgot us, He never put us aside although my devotion and praise for His blessings was less than desirable. No! instead He continued to bless me with a wonderful family, great friends, and all that I needed. He has patiently waited for me to "get it" and thanks to the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit and my friend..I think I do get it. Thank you Lord!!

Choosing Forgiveness

I was looking at the Amazon website to purchase a book for my friend, when at the bottom of the screen a book called "Choosing Forgiveness" popped up (amazon gives you suggestions on books you may be interested in from the same author or same topic as what you are searching). This book caught my eye and I felt I had to read it. So, I purchased my friend's book and this one as well. When I received it, I picked it up and just couldn't put it down. It is a very well written book, with lots of biblical references-actually the whole theme is about how true forgiveness can only be accomplished with God. It was an eye opener. I thought I had forgiven some people in my life but while reading through this book, I quickly realize I hadn't. I have never been a person that holds grudges or plot revenge and therefore I thought that I did not resent anyone and had forgiven all wrongs performed against me-I was wrong. I had some wounds that hadn't healed because of my lack to forgive the offense.
This is an interactive book, that asks you questions at the end of each chapter-important questions that help you search deep inside the core of your feelings, your heart, for answers that will reveal where you stand in the "forgiveness" meter. She also has a couple of checklists that help you evaluate your progress in the forgiveness cycle.
An interesting thing happened to me when I reached page 93. I was reading, highlighting, thinking when all of a sudden I felt that the Holy Spirit was talking to me, telling me to give this book to 5 people and the names of these five ladies popped into my head. I quickly wrote it down on that page and kept on reading. Sure enough, the next day I started searching where I could purchase these 5 books at a cheaper rate. God, being great in small/great matters, allowed me to find these 5 books at a price I could totally afford (this book costs about $13.oo (new) x 5 = 65.oo + shipping). Although I didn't have the 65.00 I was going to be obedient to the "voice" inside of me and buy them, but like I said, the Lord loves an obedient heart so I found them "new" for $2.00 each!!! I was able to be obedient and not have to juggle money to do it-God is awesome!! The story gets better...I was talking to one of the recipients last week and she told me that she was reading through it and commented to her co-worker about the book and it's context. Well, the co-worker, who is having marital issues, asked her if she could borrow the book after she was done!! Isn't that amazing! Only God could have orchestrated that!
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

**if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**

The Bible~God's Holy Book

This Book contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's charter.

Christ is its subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.

It is given to you in life, will be open in the judgment, and be remembered forever.

It involves the highest responsibility, rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy precepts.

- Author Unknown

Delighting in the Lord

Psalm 1

I love the way this Psalm starts, it's direct and to the point:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night.
(verse 1-2 ~I added the emphasis)

Psalm 37

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(verse 4~I added the emphasis)

What does it mean to delight?

To "delight" in something means to get pleasure out of it or to enjoy. However, when applied to the Lord, the word "delight" takes on a bigger, deeper meaning. It means to love, obey, seek, quote, think about, praise and yes-to enjoy! Psalm 1 states that we should delight in Him and on his law~ and meditate (reflect) on it day and night. We can't just read the Word and put it aside, we are being told to reflect on it all day and all night. When we meditate on the law then we can truly start to understand it. Once we understand it, we can act on it. It should be apparent to anyone you come across that you are a child of the Most High. Your actions, your deeds, your words should be a reflection of Him. So, delight in Him and his law~you will be blessed by it (like it says in the beginning of the Psalm).

I have read Psalm 37:4 many, many times and I have quoted it even more. But it was not until this year, while doing a deeper study in the Psalms that I really understood it, let me explain:

I've been reading how you should "delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart" right? but my head registered something else (easier to accomplish too-how convenient of me). I understood it as "become a believer and He will give your the desires of your heart." Funny how we read the words but only register in our heads what we want to hear. It is way easier to just be a believer and "ta-da" you get the desires of your heart, rather than delighting in the Lord to get what you desire. Like I said earlier, you can't just read the Scriptures-you have to meditate on them-then you'll understand it's message. Now I know that I have to delight in Him-which like I mentioned above means: Read the bible, sing praises, meditate on the law, obey his commands, love the Lord, seek him day and night, act on what I've learned, quote Scripture in my speech, etc.

Honestly, I am enjoying my delighting in the Lord and hope you do too. Maybe the blessing I am receiving is the pure, honest joy of immersing myself in Him!

Why Me?

(From my Bring One to Christ post of May 26, 2010)

“Why me?” is a question that has been asked since the beginning of time. Moses, one of the best known characters of the Bible, asked this very question to God. When God chose him to be the one to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses’ response was exactly the “Why me?” question. Not only did he ask that question but also went on to tell God why it should not be him. In Exodus 4:10 Moses tells God how he is not eloquent, and slow in speech and tongue. And in Exodus 4:13 Moses pleads with God saying “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”

It is probably during these “Why me?” moments in our lives that our Lord is preparing us to do something great, to make a change or to reach a higher place. Moses could not fathom the idea that anyone would pay any attention to him let alone take him seriously and let him leave Egypt with the Israelites. Yet, he was able to do it. If you are going through a difficult situation or if God is calling you to do something don’t ask yourself “Why me?” ask yourself “Why Not Me??” Because you see, when God call us to a task, he will give us the means and ability to fulfill it.

***To visit the "Bring One to Christ" group in Facebook click here

My Daily Walk with the Lord

I will be posting, under this tag, what the Holy Spirit is revealing to me through my daily reading of the Bible. In 2009 my family and I started reading through the Bible under a yearly schedule from the One Year Bible Online website. I also created a group on Facebook (Let's Read the Entire Bible in One Year Challenge!) where members could join, ask questions and encourage each other in the Lord. That year was one of the greatest years of my life. I learned so much! I had read most of the Bible before, but never every word. We loved it so much that in 2010, our family decided to do it again. Well, you guessed it, we were so blessed by it in 2010 that we are reading through it again this year. For me, this will be something that I commit to do for the rest of my life. I will read the entire Bible every year until I breath my last. I will be posting some of my favorite verses as well.

Chosen By God

Okay, by now you have noticed a little thing about me, two in fact: 1) I love to read and 2) I am a bit of a multi-tasker. So I read lots of books (and the Bible) at the same time. I don't wait to finish one book before I start a new one-I just spread them out throughout the day so as to read a bit of all of them daily.
Like I mentioned on my earlier post (the 30 day Psalm post) towards the end of 2010 I felt a real, deep need to look into the "elect" in the bible. This, I know, is a sore and controversial subject for most people, including me. But last year I couldn't escape it. Although I had read through the Bible once before, I had not really "noticed" all the different references to the "elect." Although I do find the subject matter interesting, I have to admit that it troubles me. This is a personal journey for me to understand (hopefully) what is meant by the elect. At no time during my journey will I be trying to convince anyone of what I believe to be true-I will just be sharing what my interpretation of the verses are.
While visiting my sister, Monica, in December I mentioned to her how I was looking deeper into the subject of the elect and predestination. She recommended a book called "Chosen by God" by RC Sproul. I have been reading this book since December. I am not in a position to really stand firm on either the Reformed view or Arminian view (I am not much of a title seeker so even when I have a better understanding on the subject-I will not be labeling myself one or the other), however, RC Sproul has helped me understand some other topics of the bible which I will share later. So this one might be a "rocky" road for me-mostly because I want to believe with all my heart that the Lord has "elected" all of us, but Scripture might open my eyes to discover something else.

**if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**

A 30 Day Walk With God in the Psalms

This is a funny story...God is funny! Every year I feel that the Lord is wanting me to learn something, to grow in the knowledge of the Scriptures. Last year, towards year's end, I felt that the Lord was leading me to look deeper into Revelations and the "elect" mentioned in the Bible (more on those two subjects later). Anyhow, I try to be obedient to what the Holy Spirit is telling me to do, where He is guiding me towards and so I was super excited to see what He had in store for me in 2011!
I didn't have to wait much to find out what my first "assignment" for the year was. My family and I were visiting friends and family for New Years in the Los Angeles area. We were ready to start heading back home for our long 12 hour drive north when (while saying my good-byes to my dear friend Tammy) I was surprised with a gift. Tammy went to her bookshelf and told me that she had a book for me. I glanced at it, thanked her (told her I would read it), hugged her and headed towards the car in a hurry. When we got settled and started driving I took a better look at the book and couldn't believe my eyes... It was a 30 day study of the Psalms. Here's where I have to give you some background history.... I am a Proverbs girl! I LOVE the Proverbs. They are quick, to the point and almost always a "one liner" you can remember. I had never really enjoyed the Psalms-didn't get them. If you look at my Bible you would see just about all of the Proverbs highlighted (my faves get highlighted) and Psalms...wellll not much highlights there. So there it was...January 1st and my first "assignment" was the Psalm (told you-God is funny). Without great enthusiasm (but obedient never the less) I started the devotional as soon as we got back home and settled.
Words can not express how I felt after finishing my first day in this book. I can truly tell you that I fell in love with the Psalms! The book starts with Psalm 1 and covers 29 other Psalms. It literary dissects each Psalm with a question/answer format that digs deep into your soul. Although the title states that it's a 30 day study, the author encourages the reader to take as long as they want to finish it. I am doing about 3-4 Psalms a week. I like reading them, answering the questions and pondering on what I've learned for the next few days before I start on a new Psalms. This book has definitely changed my mind and heart on the Psalms-so much so that I bought the Lisa Harper study of the Psalms to keep studying and learning the beautiful words that have been written. Truly, the negative misunderstanding of the Psalms was all on my head. They are beautiful, insightful praises filled with emotions, human circumstances, valiant displays of faith and some of the most inspirational words I have ever read. God, in his ultimate wisdom, knew that I needed to see the Psalms for what they were and not for what I had so wrongfully depicted them to be. He used a dear friend of mine, Tammy, to bless me. I am and always will be so grateful to the Lord for giving me what I need, when I need it despite of the fact that I didn't ask. He knew what was missing in my walk with Him while I had not a clue.
I will be posting what I am learning in this devotional and what the Lord has so graciously revealed to me through the Psalms.


**if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**

A Perfect Mess

While listening to a Christian radio station the other day, I came across a very funny, talented lady. Her name is Lisa Harper. She was talking about the ladies of the Bible. She definitely got my attention with her witty way of teaching the Scriptures. I was laughing and learning at the same time. She earned a Master of Theological Studies with honors from Covenant Seminary in St Louis. She is a speaker and an author.
I decided to buy one of her books called "A Perfect Mess: Why You Don't Have to Worry About Being Good Enough for God." It is a study of the Psalms with a humorous twist. She shares lots of funny stories from her life and applies them to some of the Psalms. Every chapter has questions at the end and there are lots of good facts about the Psalms, in general, throughout the book.


I will be posting what I am learning in this book. It is meant to be studied alone or with a lady's bible study group. I am doing it alone. Let's see what I learn....


**if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**

Bring One to Christ-Facebook Group

I have had the pleasure and privilege to have been invited to write for the "Bring One to Christ" group in Facebook. Trish, the creator, organized this group to entice believers and nonbelievers alike to have open discussions about the Bible and our walk with the Lord. Trish sends out a letter to all the members once a week stating the subject of the week. There are designated writers for each day of the week (mine is on Thursdays) however everyone is encouraged to write on the site. I will be posting some of my old posts (I am not much of an impromptu writer and so I write them on my word document before publishing them on FB). I will also post the current ones. I put a link for this group on the top left hand side of this blog. Please visit the site and become a member. I am sure we will all be blessed by your input.

** You may go directly to the group by clicking on this link: Bring One to Christ **

Morning by Morning

I just received a beautiful book from my sister (Monica) for my birthday, it is called "Morning by Morning" by Charles H. Spurgeon. It is a daily devotional that was first published in 1860. Back then, daily devotionals did not really exist, in fact, Mr. Spurgeon pioneered the "daily bible format" in which we are now so blessed to find everywhere. I will be posting quotes from the book and sharing my opinion of the matter at hand as well as how it relates to my personal life.



**if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**