daddy4ms

My Aunt Kay Jean suggested I start sharing a verse of the day.  I liked her suggestion but decided instead of a verse of the day, I would share a verse of the week.  Be reminded of who God is from His Word. You keep him in perfect peace      whose mind is stayed on you,      because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever,      for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4)

Last year, I wrote a curriculum for our 2nd-4th grade classes at our mid-week program at church called Hide N Seek.  The curriculum focused on who God is. As part of that curriculum, my friend Brittni Rhodes, made images to convey the truth about who God is.  I would like to start sharing these images weekly as a reminder of the good, great, and awesome God we have.  

My Aunt Kay Jean suggested I start sharing a verse of the day.  I liked her suggestion but decided instead of a verse of the day, I would share a verse of the week.  Be reminded of who God is from His Word. 35  On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36  And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40  He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41  And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, ...

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Yahweh Shalom Yahweh is the Hebrew Name for God. It is "I AM". It is used over 6000 times in the Old Testament.  It was such a holy name that the Jews would not even say it.  Shalom means peace. 24  Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. (Judges 6:24) What it reminds me?  When I am anxious and fearful, God offers peace. When life is spinning out of control, God is still on the throne and is all-powerful.  In our busyness and chaos, God can give us peace as we get our eyes up on Him and off our circ...

My Aunt Kay Jean suggested I start sharing a verse of the day.  I liked her suggestion but decided instead of a verse of the day, I would share a verse of the week.  Be reminded of who God is from His Word. 6  For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7  And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9  The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’” (Haggai 2:6-9)

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Yahweh Shalom Yahweh is the Hebrew Name for God. It is "I AM". It is used over 6000 times in the Old Testament.  It was such a holy name that the Jews would not even say it.  Shalom means peace. 24  Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. (Judges 6:24) What it reminds me?  When I am anxious and fearful, God offers peace. When life is spinning out of control, God is still on the throne and is all-powerful.  In our busyness and chaos, God can give us peace as we get our eyes up on Him and off our circumstances. ...

For 2017, the phrase I am focusing on is "in Christ."  Each week, I will post 1 verse that includes the phrase "in Christ". I look forward to growing in understanding of what it means to be "in Christ." 13  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14  For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15  by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16  and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17  He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19  Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and ...

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. The names of God are important because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Yahweh Shalom Yahweh is the Hebrew Name for God. It is "I AM". It is used over 6000 times in the Old Testament.  It was such a holy name that the Jews would not even say it.  Shalom means peace. 24  Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. (Judges 6:24) What it reminds me?  When I am anxious and fearful, God offers peace. When life is spinning out of control, God is still on the throne and is all-powerful.  In our busyness and chaos, God can give us peace as we get our eyes up on Him and off our circumstances. ...

We often forget.  We see throughout history the Israelites and the church forgetting. We need to be reminded often of who God is in Scripture, church history and in our lives and churches. This is a new feature on the blog on the names of God.  Why?  Because these names are not just what God does, it is who He is.  I hope this will encourage you as you are reminded of how good, great, and awesome our God is. Yahweh Shalom Yahweh is the Hebrew Name for God. It is "I AM". It is used over 6000 times in the Old Testament.  It was such a holy name that the Jews would not even say it.  Shalom means peace. 24  Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. (Judges 6:24) What it reminds me?  When I am anxious and fearful, God offers peace. When life is spinning out of control, God is still on the throne and is all-powerful.  In our busyness and chaos, God can give us peace as we get our...

Today I attended the Anabaptist Vision and Discipleship Series at Hesston Collge.  The speaker was Shane Claiborne.  I have heard him speak a couple of times before. Below are a few of my favorite quotes from today: The Christian faith spreads best not through force but through fascination. The commuter church makes community really difficult. We have a God who is loving people back to life.  We often forget the power of God's grace to bring people back to life. Grace is endangered. We need to create a new culture in the church. We need to admit we're not perfect. World is not looking for perfection but honesty. God works through the cracks. God works through our imperfections. As unchurched and unbelievers describe the God they don't believe in, I realize I don't believe in that God either. Some of the loudest voices have not been the most beautiful. The answer to bad theology is good theology not no theology. We can misplace our hope in politics and candidates. We sho...

Below are selected promises of God from Philemon compiled by Kenneth Boa. We have received grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (3). God wants us to grow into a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ (6). Just as we have received God’s love, grace, and forgiveness, he now empowers us to offer the same to others (17-21). The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with our spirits (25).

Because God is Peace Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace . (Judges 6:24 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace . (Isaiah 9:6)  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. (Romans 15:13) The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (Romans 16:20) For he himself is our peace , who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (Ephesians 2:14) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) Therefore we have peace 25  the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26...

Here are selected promises of God from Micah compiled by Kenneth Boa: “He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.   They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.   Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (4:3). “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.   All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever” (4:4-5). “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (5:2). “He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.   And they will live securely, for then his greatn...

This is a excerpt from Everyday Prayers by Scotty Smith. Indeed, more clearly than we see the enemies of beauty, let us see the wonders of your cross. More than we desire to see burning coals heaped on their heads, let us see you, Jesus. The only way we can even imagine overcoming evil with good is by remembering you’ve already secured the utter annihilation of all evil and darkness.  But we confess, Jesus, we’re clueless about feeding hungry, thirsty enemies. Take our hand and show us the way. No one does this better than you.  And Jesus, where we’re just too sensitive, too easily offended, too quick to keep a record of wrongs done to us, too slow to overlook what can and what should be overlooked, have mercy on us, but also be at work within us. Free us to do the right thing, the gospel thing. As far as we are able, as far as it depends on us, show us how to make peace, guard peace, nurture peace with everyone. All of this is simply impossible apart from you, Jesus. ...

Have you hurt someone?  Has someone taken advantage of you recently? The final chapters of Recovering Redemption by Matt Chandler look at how we seek reconciliation in relationships whether we are the cause or recipient. The one who pursed us in making peace also desires that we respond to others in kind...by pursuing peace. Whenever believers are involved in conflict with other people, God remains the authority--not us. What am I supposed to do, God, when somebody like this is working against me all the time? Well, looks like He's already shown us what He would do: initiate and forgive, engage and reconcile, pursue peace at all costs. Why should it be any different in our case? One of the marks of Christian maturity is a willingness to absorb and forgive any ugliness or injustice that's tossed in our direction, and to let our desire for retaliation or rebuttal fall peaceably to the ground. Bitterness is a powder keg. Pay attention to it. It's not ...

Yesterday on the blog, I shared quotes about guilt and shame from Recovering Redemption by Matt Chandler.  Today, I am sharing from the same book on the topic of fear and anxiety.  This is a great book. Go and pick it up at Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton, KS. The gospel of Jesus Christ is still the one reassuring answer to your antsy heart. Eden was, by contrast, a place of peace and prosperity. And so, beginning from that tragic point in time, fear and anxiety began aggravating the human heart, so that even His redeemed children through the ages, down to this very day, would know the cruel feeling of being robbed, of living without the peace and prosperity He'd intended for us to enjoy. For while "Abba" does connote a level of family intimacy, it sends up more of the idea that "my dad can beat up your dad," that our Father is not caught off guard or pushed around by anything that seems too big or oversized for us, no matter what it is. The bottom...

I love this verse from Romans 15:13.  What a great reminder that God fills us and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can share with others out of the overflow. 13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NIV)

Today, I was reminded again of the importance of order as I read God's Word.  First, we must look up.  Then, we can get busy doing.  If you get busy first, you are working out of your own will or own strength. This results in exhaustion and/or frustration.  Instead, if you turn your eyes on Jesus first, you have the power who raised Christ from the dead empowering your actions.  I have always read the passage below focused on doing before being.  The order jumped off the page at me this morning. We need grace and peace in abundance, Christ's power, and God's promises to add the qualities listed in verses 5-8. 2  Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.   3  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4  Through these he has given us his very great and preci...

Listen to Priscilla Shirer's thoughts from her book, God Is Able regarding the truth of God's ability. But you cannot out-ask, out-pray, out-dream, or out-believe in the willingness and ability of God. The Father's ability to give to us exceeds our ability to ask. And when your heart is set on this truth, you're standing on a fact that will never change in a highly changeable and challenging world. It will help you sleep easier, laugh harder, and live more peacefully in the midst of trying times. So as hard as it is to deal with whatever it is you're enduring, you are walking in 100 percent truth when you turn your heart, mind, and spirit all the way toward God's ability. This posture puts you in the most receptive position of all with which to watch Him at work.

Another song that spoke to me at MB Southern District Convention was "Forever Reign" by Hillsong.  It was a reminder of who God is and who we are.  Check out the lyrics below: Verse 1  You are good You are good  When there's nothing good in me  You are love You are love  On display for all to see  You are light You are light  When the darkness closes in  You are hope You are hope  You have covered all my sin  Verse 2  You are peace You are peace  When my fear is crippling  You are true You are true  Even in my wandering  You are joy You are joy  You're the reason that I sing  You are life You are life  In You death has lost its sting  Chorus 1  (Oh) I'm running to Your arms  I'm running to Your arms  The riches of Your love  Will always be enough  Nothing compares to Your embrace  Light of the world forever reign  Verse 3  You are more You are more...