All in Salvation

I Have A Friend In God

I Have A Friend In God

Charity Ourso
Salvation

The Lord blessed me with my best friend, Misti, for over 30 years. We met each other in the 4th grade and instantly became friends. We shared many memories together such as braces, pimples, boyfriends, weddings, and childbirth. We also experienced very difficult times together, such as teenage arguments, death of loved ones, and moving away from each other. All through these transitions our friendship stayed strong. I knew that Misti was a friend I could trust, who would listen, and always provide the encouragement I needed.

The Stamp

The Stamp

Charity Ourso
Salvation

Valentine’s Day was just a week away and it was time to make cards expressing our love and appreciation to those close to us. Another fun event that we also participated in during this holiday was partnering with our local Chrisitan radio station and making Valentine cards for the children and seniors in the hospitals.

Life in the Gardens of God: Eden reclaimed

Life in the Gardens of God: Eden reclaimed

Nancy Paul
God's Promises, Hope, Salvation

In the beginning, in Eden, the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden (was) the tree of life (Genesis 2:9). At the end of time the fruit of the same tree of life will be ripe for the picking by God’s redeemed (Revelation 22:14), Edenic life theirs—the curse of sin over and done with, for all nations. 

Life in the Gardens of God: tending to the weeds

Life in the Gardens of God: tending to the weeds

Nancy Paul
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.

Utmost Anxiety

Utmost Anxiety

Susan Partida
Salvation

Our first grandchild, barely over a year old, had somehow broken a front tooth. We could not figure out how it happened because his tooth had barely come through the surface of his gums when our daughter discovered it.

Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes

Of Redwoods and Rivers and Sand Dunes

Nancy Paul
Salvation, Hope, Grace, Jesus, Faith/Trust

Hop aboard, ladies. We’re taking a ride up the Oregon coast this week to see some amazing sights in God’s creation. First stop, a touch of grandeur in Redwood National Park. The California or coastal redwood, scientific name sequoia sempervirens, grows only in a narrow strip of land from northern California through Oregon, close to the coast yet not too close as it doesn’t like salt spray. Plentiful rainfall and summer fog of the region are just what they need—fog drip accounts for 30% of the yearly water supply. The “redwood” name comes from a bright red, fibrous bark when freshly exposed. They boast the tallest—Hyperion, at 379’—but cannot match the 102’ girth of the General Sherman, a non-related sequoiadendron giganteum in the Sierra Nevadas.*

PEACE JOURNEY

PEACE JOURNEY

Jill Hendrix
Salvation

No suspicion of a cancer diagnosis was in my mind that day—it was just a routine checkup. The shock of the radiologist’s brief clinical explanation caused me to sense a surreal atmosphere. I visualized to-do lists and calendar pages flying through the air like paper airplanes landing directly into the wastebasket. Recovery from ​shock was gradually realized in a few days when a reservoir of inner peace began to flow.

An Unexpected Adventure

An Unexpected Adventure

Jan Burkhart
Faith/Trust, Salvation

Nestled in the middle of the Psalms are three verses that describe the blessed life of a believer. The psalmist begins by describing a believer’s heart. Blessed are those….who have set their hearts on pilgrimage (Psalm 84:5). In other words, blessed are those who have a longing in their souls and a determination in their minds to journey through life with Jesus. 

An Unexpected Adventure

An Unexpected Adventure

Jan Burkhart
Salvation

Our friends told of an unexpected adventure on their vacation while in southwest Oregon. They were staying in Grants Pass and traveled west to Gold Beach. After checking a map of the area, they determined to return a different route. And so, they headed toward Agness. As they traveled, they passed a sign indicating Agness was straight ahead. The further they went, however, the worse the road conditions became. First the two-lane road became extremely curvy.  Eventually, it turned into a one-lane road, which led straight to the sign in the picture above: This is it! Agness. Welcome. Population: small. What you can’t tell from the picture above is that the road was a dead end. There was no city; there was nothing but trees.The road they had been traveling led to nowhere. As they turned around, they saw another sign that said, “Come back!”

It’s Not Complicated

It’s Not Complicated

Karen Sims
Salvation

Almost daily, while at work, I encounter a tedious battle. It’s the battle of gaining access to websites. First, I enter the website address. Once there, I type in my username and password.  Then I find out that I must reset my password because I haven’t visited that site in over thirty days. I’m running out of new password options (and patience), but I try one more time. After my password is accepted, a verification code is required. I must choose to receive the code by cell phone text or email.  I choose by text because it’s faster.  I wait for the text to come through, then enter the several-digit code into the appropriate box before it expires and finally click “OK”. Next, the security questions must be answered correctly. Finally, I’m at the Home page and I must remain active on the site so that I’m not automatically logged out.

Origin: How Did I Come into Being?

Origin: How Did I Come into Being?

Nancy Paul
Salvation, God's Word

The apostle Paul is on a roll. The city of Athens was a junkyard of idols(Acts 17:16, MSG), befitting the myriad of gods they represented. Add to that this detail: “The Athenians had a foolish notion that they were self-produced, and were the aboriginals of all mankind…that the first men sprung up in Attica like radishes.”* Laugh not, ladies. One wonders if our culture has taken a step back in time—oh, not graven images, but idols of fame, fortune, and self; not radishes per se, but persistent theories of evolution.   

A God Who Searches

A God Who Searches

Linda Lesniewski
God's Character, Salvation

Jesus told a short story to a group of grumbling religious leaders to illustrate a poignant point—God will intensely search for those who need His love and salvation. He used a desperate woman, of all things, for his story. She’d lost a coin worth a day’s wage. She had only ten and one was lost. She lit a small oil lamp, the only source of light in her small windowless home, and searched carefully until she found it. She then invited her women friends and neighbors to rejoice with her. Jesus adds in verse 10, “I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God over one sinner who repents.”

Be Contagious

Be Contagious

Jan Burkhart
Hope, Salvation

What goes through your mind when someone with a bad cough sits beside you? Do you pray, Lord, don’t let me catch what he has! Being in public while physically contagious isn’t good. But believers are all called to be spiritually contagious. We are to go forth and spread the gospel of Jesus.

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