InstaEncouragements Blog

“Are We There Yet?” The Question God’s Children Need to Stop Asking

1/17/2020

This past Christmas, my husband and I traveled for 15 hours in a car with my 3-year-old nephew, Jackson. The repetition of all variations of the phrase “are we there yet?” still rings in my brain. Parents of young children laugh at how often their kids ask this question. Only now do I realize that they’re laughing to avoid tears.

In a way, the question “are we there yet?” defines the perspective of a child. If they aren’t wishing away the hours of a road trip, they’re wishing away the days until summer begins, the months until Christmas, or the years until they can move away from home. That all-encompassing desire for the next “big thing” in life fuels a child’s excitement. Lately, I’ve been wondering if any of us really outgrow this mindset.

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New Garments of Spirit-Filled Change and Humility

1/10/2020

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New Garments of Spirit-Filled Change and Humility

“These are new things I am teaching, and they can’t be reconciled with old habits. Nobody would ever use a piece of new cloth to patch an old garment because when the patch shrinks, it pulls away and makes the tear even worse.” Mark 2:21

A New Year. . . 365 days. . . a new start, a fresh page, a clean slate. We have all heard the many clichés about the new year ahead. They bring a sense of hope, endless possibilities, and growth. The feeling of potential accomplishments and true change surround us. We begin to embrace the positive outlook that is portrayed.

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Mary: Submission Rarely Is It An Easy Thing

12/27/2019

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How could she expect anyone to understand? She was a young girl who was engaged. Now she was expecting a baby that was not her fiancé’s child. In her culture that could mean death by stoning. How could she explain that the angel of the Lord had appeared to her and asked her to be part of a holy miracle that had been determined before creation?

Mary was willing to do what God asked of her, but she had no idea what all was involved when she would become the mother of the Messiah.

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Joseph: The Man God Chose to Raise His Son

12/20/2019

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“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother, Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’

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A Rossiterville Christmas: 28 Tried & True Traditions

12/6/2019

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A Rossiterville Christmas: 28 Tried & True Traditions

Lights, tinsel, carols, hot chocolate, and eleven faces eagerly awaiting what they will receive. What an amazing and magically time filled with family and memories. Only a God of love and compassion would turn His ultimate sacrifice into a day of gifts for all mankind. Christ, the greatest gift, is still giving today!

That being said, materialism and the hunt for the latest and greatest has tarnished, as it always will, the heart of this season. The fight to keep the focus both Christ-centered and ordered with moderation has all of us going against the flow of society.

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Who Doesn’t Like a Good Hallmark Movie?

11/29/2019

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It’s that time of year when our senses are flooded with familiar sights, sounds and smells, which can make us nostalgic and emotional. We enjoy kicking back with our hot cocoa and festive cookies to watch the many feel-good movies available. They have a way of getting us into the holiday spirit. We know their formulas and anticipate the happy endings usually sealed with a kiss.

Although our movie watching can be enjoyable, the stories are often a mix of reality and fantasy. It is way too easy for us to be in a relaxed state and let fiction or anti-biblical philosophies become a part of our own thinking. Can we enjoy a good movie even if it includes fantasy? Sure, but we need to view our entertainment through a lens of discernment. Let me give you a couple examples of what I mean.

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