InstaEncouragements Blog

The Cradle of the Gospel: Sea of Galilee

5/28/2019

My husband and I have had the awesome privilege to travel to the Holy Land several times. It is hard to choose a favorite spot since each location has a particular Bible significance. But, of all the places we visited, the Sea of Galilee would have to be at the top of my list.

The size of this area, where Jesus spent two thirds of His earthly ministry, was surprisingly quite small. When standing on an overlooking hillside, you can see the entire shoreline of the sea (which is really more like the size of a small lake than that of a sea).

So many things happened around and on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus preached in the synagogues, healed the sick, cast out demons, fed thousands, recruited His followers, preached on the hillside, walked on the water, calmed the sea, and ate on the shore with His disciples after His resurrection. And for this reason it has been called the cradle of the Gospel.

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The Heroes of Faith from Hebrews 11

5/28/2019

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The Heroes of Faith from Hebrews 11: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, David... Hebrew 11 is filled with men and women whose moral and spiritual failings, depravity, sin, and faith give us great hope that only through Christ, in Christ and because of Christ are we accepted into the Kingdom of God.

When I was in the third grade, I memorized Hebrews 11. The whole third-grade class memorized it. All 40 verses! I can still recite much of that passage today. It made a huge impact on my life!

Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah... Hebrew 11 is filled with men and women whose moral and spiritual failings, depravity, sin, and faith give us great hope that only through Christ, in Christ and because of Christ are we accepted into the Kingdom of God.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

For by it the people of old received their commendation.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

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Glory from the Ground Up

5/24/2019

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Today I caught such a sweet glimpse of God revealing His glory in the beauty of His creation. I walked outside the doors of my church and spotted one of the most exquisite creatures I’ve ever seen. It was a giant moth. Now, I don’t normally find moths of any sort very attractive, but this one was an exception. My son and I stopped to look at it and we were awed by the glorious display of its wings moving to avoid our touch. Its wings were a vibrant green, about 3-4 inches across and had two sets of brown eye spots at the top. At the bottom was a billowing tail that looked delicate, almost like ribbons on the end of a kite. Its body was white and furry, with feathery antennae. I was enthralled. Some friends came out to see the moth with us and one said, Oh, that’s a Luna Moth.

Having never heard of Luna Moths before, I had to find out more.

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Praying Proverbs Over Your Child

5/21/2019

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The Ultimate Guide to Praying Proverbs Over Your Child: It's our responsibility as parents to teach our children to be more like Christ. We need help with this daunting task. Proverbs is God’s textbook for that task. Let me introduce you to the best child-rearing book ever written--the book of Proverbs. Read it, study it, meditate on it, teach it to your children, and PRAY IT OVER THEM! This is a great resource for character building!

It's our responsibility as parents to teach our children to be more like Christ, and we need help with this daunting task. The book of Proverbs is God’s textbook for the task of child-rearing.

"The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.... Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart." Proverbs 29:15, 17

Let me introduce you to the best child-rearing book ever written—the book of Proverbs. Read it, study it, meditate on it, teach it to your children, and PRAY IT OVER THEM! This is a great resource for character building!

There are so many ways to use the book of Proverbs to raise godly children. Besides the list here, there's also the chapter-a-day way. There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs.

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The Ministry of Ordinary Places

5/17/2019

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I feel sure that I have highlighted more parts of this book than I've left unhighlighted. It's just that good! Reading The Ministry of Ordinary Places has changed me in a way I didn't know I needed to be changed. It has reminded me of the value of paying attention and loving my neighbor— those who cross my path on this journey we call life. The book has given me eyes to see and a heart to love people like I never had before.

I realized early on, in the very first chapters of The Ministry of Ordinary Places, that my calling wasn't to somewhere I haven't arrived yet, my calling is right here where I am. This place, this ordinary place—this is my calling and everything up to this point in my journey has prepared me for it!

"If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me. 'I will be found by you.' says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:13-14

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Heather's Story: I Will Hope in Him (Part 4)

5/14/2019

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Heather's Story: I Will Hope in Him (part four) So many questions. So many whys. So much pain. I stopped and had an honest conversation with the Lord. I told Him exactly how I felt. It was painful, but healing to finally express the anger, confusion, and pain. However, at the end of the conversation I told the Lord despite how I feel betrayed and let down, I trust You!

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore, I will hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” Lamentations 3:21-25

My friend Heather has graciously allowed me to share her story in a four-part blog post series title Heather’s Story: I will hope in Him. As you read the lines of this post you will see that this is really more God’s story than it is Heather’s. It is raw and gripping, and still being written. However, her journal entries are so encouraging for anyone who is in the deep, deep well of grief. This season has just begun for Heather and her sweet family, but they have hope. They live hope. They express hope. They KNOW HOPE!

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4 Precious Truths About My God

5/10/2019

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4 Precious Truths About My God: God’s character is found in the details of life. God shows that our obedience must resemble a detailed approach. The same God that chooses to reveal Himself through details and expects detailed obedience, can handle those details that seem undone or unaccomplished in my life. God is detailed about His care and personal knowledge of me, His child.

Details…details…details...

As a wife and mom of eleven, the word details seems to haunt me in my sleep.

What size shoe does this one wear?
Who has a project due this month?
Where is their next game?
Do we still have toothpaste and toilet paper?
What is for supper?

The list that is continually running in my mind resembles the ending credits to a movie playing at fast forward speed.

The last two weeks, my Bible reading has placed me in the final chapters of Exodus. The construction of God’s Tabernacle consisted of details upon details. Words like height, width, staves, rings, and colors, paint for us a very vivid and exact description of the place where God’s presence was to dwell.

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