| March Contest!! |
After you read Living on the Edge of Town, simply post a blog comment. Just copy and past your favorite point in the devotional into a blog comment or share your own insight. I'll enter the names of each person who comments into the drawing for a $10 gift certificate at Panera Bread.
Don't forget to include your email address so I can contact you if you win.
Winners will be announced in my next newsletter, approximately 2 weeks from now. |
| Decorating Therapy |
|
Last weekend I really needed to make something. For me, there are times when creating is a necessity. It's therapy! For some of you, you totally understand what I'm talking about and the rest of you are just scratching your heads, but there is a refreshing that comes from creation.
Want to see more pics? Besides Jesus, there's hardly anything I love more than sharing my love for decorating!
|
|
Looking for a Speaker? |
|
Inspiring Women
Restoring Hope
Christy Johnson, award-winner writer, speaker and former "woman at the well" is passionate about imparting hope to women drawn to unhealthy relationships.
I never open Christy's blog that my heart is not blessed! Nancy
Christy is the complete package--super wit, beautiful inside & out, fun, smart, strong and creative. She is one amazing chick! Peggy
Christy, your message is so needed. Than you for your honest and heartfelt words. Myrna
| |
|
| Hey Friend, |
I love it when God speaks a fresh word through a story I've heard over and over. And then how He confirms it by speaking the same message through conversations with friends, sermons and even through songs on the radio. Ever happened to you?
It seems whenever God wants me to listen, He gives me plenty of opportunity to hear. And that's a good thing, because rarely do I "get it" the first time.
I hope God brings fresh revelation to you through an age-old story. You may not be a leper, but maybe you've felt like an outcast or a reject, isolated on the edge of town.
You may have hated living there, but just maybe...being broken down and living on the edge of town...is exactly where God wanted to meet you.
He's the Yoke-Breaker!
Need more encouragement? Read these:
|
| Living on the Edge of Town |
|
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17:15-16).
I used to admire the young girls in my church raised by Godly parents who affirmed them and brought them up in peaceful environments. I saw the edge they had on life as they left home for college, free from the strife of disfunction and chaos. Okay, maybe "admire" is not really the right word. Jealousy is a more accurate description of what I felt.
Truth is, I wanted what they had because growing up, I felt like a loser. As I compared my life with these young women, I often caught myself wondering, How would I would be different today if I were raised in a functional Godly family? Would I have spent two decades of my life uncovering the debris of abuse and the effects of my resulting sin?
Apparently God was concerned about my lack of understanding. "Whatever I've allowed in your life, Christy, I meant it for good. Adversity played a role in making you who you are today. Being made whole is better than just being clean."
That's sounds like the story of the ten lepers.
In chapter 17, Luke tells the fate of ten "losers" who sat far off on the edge of town. They were the rejects, the cast-aways, the forgotten of society. Evicted from their loved-ones and communities, their contagious disease was so shameful they were forced to live in seclusion. No one had hope for their recovery, but one day they saw Jesus coming. They had heard about this man and how he healed people. "Maybe he can deliver us," they said. As he walked by them on the road, they cried out, "Jesus, have mercy on us."
And he did. But look at what he tells them. "Go show yourselves to the priest." He didn't heal them right there on the spot. He didn't even say he was going to heal them. He simply told them to go. They didn't have to go. They could have just sat there in the dust and refused to budge until they saw they were changed. They could have complained and lingered in leprosy. But Jesus wanted them to take action. Without effort and participation, their faith would be worthless. It took some trust for them to go to the priest before they saw evidence of any reason to go. But check this out:
As they went, they were cleansed.
I can imagine the joy they must have felt as they ran back to their families and communities. They were cleansed from a disease that made them life-long members of the Lonely Hearts Club. But now, loved-ones embraced them in marvel and astonishment. Rejoicing surrounded them wherever they went. Celebrations were held. It was time to par-tae!
But One had something else on his mind... read the rest
|
| Audio Messages |
Have you erected a tombstone over your failures? Rise up and breathe new life on the dead things!
Based on Hosea 2:15, learn how to tap into the power of God that can transform a grave of failure into a door of hope!
Your testimony was so powerful! I bought all 3 cds and I listen to the Esther one over and over. Tierra
Click here to listen
| |
