Encouraging.com

Jesus, Holy Spirit, Grace, Salvation

When we moved to Texas from southern Ontario some 40 odd years ago, I was so excited about the prospect of planting a vegetable garden, nurturing gorgeous roses, and harvesting pecans from the tree in my spacious back yard. In Ontario I had managed a small plot of veggies and babied along some hybrid teas, considering the short growing season. Why, you couldn’t plant beans until the 9th of June! Sad to say though, in Tyler my efforts were in vain—the pecans were wormy and tough to crack, black spot got the best of the roses, rhubarb couldn’t stand the heat, the carrots were woody. But oh my, how the weeds did flourish. Since I had assigned weed control to my seven-and-eight-year-olds, they hated that garden. After one season of crop failure, we all quit.

Jan 29

Jan 29 Life in the Gardens of God: image-bearing

Holy Spirit, Jesus, Spiritual Growth

As tragic as the loss of the perfection of Eden was, as redeeming as Gethsemane and Golgotha were, as eternal as the garden party in heaven will be, today we live in the garden we are planted in ladies. How best to bloom where God planted me, I ask.

Aug 15

Aug 15 Morality: How Do I Know Right from Wrong?

God's Word, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Truth

Ladies, all the answers to the big questions seem to radiate out from my God belief. Certainly that is true about the moral question: how does one know right from wrong? Standing on God’s truth gives the believer solid footing, compared with the slippery slope of the flat-out untruths and half-truths of secular insight.

Apr 30

Apr 30 Cleaning Up and Cleaning Out

Linda Lesniewski

Grace, Holy Spirit

I scampered for shelter from tending the burn pile. The rumbling thunder signaled the arrival of yet another Spring storm. From my porch perch, I gazed at the darkened sky and marveled at what I saw—birds barely in view calmly soaring in and out of the clouds. With time, my eyes focused well enough to count to twenty-one. I wanted to imagine twenty-one eagles soaring above reminding me that I too could ‘soar like an eagle’ when I trusted in God’s power for my life. I knew better, though.

Feb 25

Feb 25 Pointing To Jesus

Terri Vardeman

Encouragement, Holy Spirit

I grew up in a small Texas town of less than 2,000 people. My parents took me to church faithfully. I would like to say I listened attentively to the pastor’s every word. Truth be told, my best friend and I had other things vying for our attention. We would pass notes, play tic-tac-toe, and draw funny faces on the missionaries’ pictures on the back of the bulletin each week.

Feb 12

Feb 12 In the Feels

Julie Smith

When teenagers want to convey that something touches your heart, they might say that thing "gets you in the feels." Another example is if someone is emotional, or she wants to talk about her feelings, she would be, "in her feels."

Jan 25

Jan 25 When our Hearts Shine

Linda Lesniewski

I have a treasure, and so does every other person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Paul addresses this treasure in 2 Corinthians. He calls it God’s light! He further explains that it’s the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Sep 21

Sep 21 The Perfect Outfit

I enjoy going shopping with my oldest daughter. She has a fun sense of style, and she encourages me to bring color into my wardrobe which gives me a “new look.” Without her encouragement, and sometimes honesty, my closet would be a color range of grays and blacks.

Sep 20

Sep 20 Putting our Belief into Practice

I love this part of Paul’s letter that he wrote to the Colossian church. It reminds me what we as believers are capable of with the help of the Holy Spirit. We have the power to gain knowledge and understanding of God’s word so that we can share it with others. We are instruments used by God to speak His truth and show His love regardless where He sends us.

Sep 19

Sep 19 Mighty Warrior

The nation Israel had turned their heart against God and was suffering the consequences. The Midianites had been ruling over Israel’s land for seven years. They would camp out, wait, and destroy crops and livestock that Israel worked so hard to produce. The Israelites so feared the Midianites that they would try and find shelter in mountain clefts, caves, and strong structures. The Midianites made living conditions so unbearable that Israel cried out to the Lord for help.

Sep 18

Sep 18 Let The Race Begin

My Dad loves watching NASCAR racing. The competition between the mighty roaring engines of speed gets him all excited. He enjoys the anticipation of watching the cars race hundreds of laps, going at top speeds up to two hundred miles per hour, and fighting to gain the ultimate victory.

Sep 17

Sep 17 Blueberries and Fish

My girls love to eat blueberries. Once we get our delicious batch of this fruit we are to wash and look through them to pick out all the shriveled up blueberries. Sometimes there are bad blueberries mixed in with the good ones. The bad blueberries get tossed and the juicy and plump ones get to be enjoyed as a wonderful snack or dessert for the whole family to share.

Jul 27

Jul 27 Divine Mystery . . . the treasures of wisdom and knowledge

Hope, Spiritual Growth, Holy Spirit, Jesus

Ladies, one more clue to follow this week as we unravel divine mystery. We are on our way to experiencing the full riches of complete understanding that Paul wishes for us. Knowing Christ is the essential element—Christ the divine, the reality; Christ in you, the hope of glory. It’s in Christ that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. Let’s do a little digging.

Jul 26

Jul 26 Divine Mystery . . . Christ in you

Salvation, God's Character, Jesus, Holy Spirit, God's Promises, Hope

Ah, and so the riches of the mystery unfolds ladies: Christ in you, the hope of glory! God can be God, Jesus divine; but if you don’t personally unwrap the clues of the incarnation, a perfect life, brutal suffering, death on the cross, the resurrection, think of what richness you will miss out on.

Apr 30

Apr 30 Passing the Torch . . . fan your gift into flame