Restoration

Psalm 33:18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

written January 11, 2001:
My 20 year old daughter was sharing with a friend of hers, who was going through some struggles, the principle of restoration. She said that restoration should be like every time she returns to our church because everyone there always welcomes her back with open arms and no questions asked.

I thought it was a very powerful statement and says a lot for our church. No matter where she is spiritually, she always feels welcome when she comes to worship. That is what church is all about ~ Grace!

Grace, grace, God's grace... Grace that is greater than all our sin... 

Not everyone has had as good an experience as my daughter with the church. Some people won’t attend church because they have been hurt. I understand that and I’ve been hurt myself but remember the church is not a building of people gathered on Sunday mornings. We are the church! When we criticize the church and say, “I don’t like church people” it grieves me. Church buildings are filled with all kinds of people. Some are true believers and some are not but what a mission field we have to serve and lead them to Christ! When people say, “I don’t like church people” I know they are talking about the Pharisees but in essence they are talking about “Christ followers.” We should thank God they are in our churches because they also need to hear the truth and the truth could penetrate their hearts and minds. God commands us to love Him and to LOVE OTHERS - even the unlovable!

 This picture was taken in my kitchen March 18, 2012. I picked these Amaryllis from my garden.

The Genealogy of Grace - Bible Study of Genesis Chapter 5

Genesis Chapter 5 traces the lineage from Adam to Noah, highlighting the faithful descendants and their remarkable longevity.

This period is called the antediluvian age which is the time before the flood.

Adam & Eve

Methuselah died at 969 years old

Noah whose family built an ark to prepare for a global flood

Genesis 5 is a genealogy that records the descendants of Adam and Eve through their son Seth.

Verses 1-32

Adam fathered Seth and died at the age of 930

Seth fathered Enoch and died at 912

Enoch fathered Kenyan and died at the age of 905

Kenan fathered Mahalalel and died at the age of 910

Mahalalel fathered Jared and died at age 895

Jared fathered Enoch and died at the age of 962

Enoch fathered Methuselah. Enoch didn’t die but instead God took him at the age of 365.

Methuselah fathered Lamech and died at the age of 969

Lamech fathered Noah and died at the age of 777

Noah fathered Shem, Ham and Japheth and that is where our next story begins with the life of Noah.

The reason that God includes these generations of families in the Bible is because of the promises made in the previous chapters to these families and their descendants. This list is not just records of generations but also evidence of God’s faithfulness to the promises made generations ago.

Help Others

Written 2016:

All of us have had to endure some type of hardship or pain in this life. We can take that negative emotion or pain and hold on to it, be bitter and never heal. One of the best remedies to healing our pain and sadness is in helping others. We are better equipped to help others when we understand what pain and suffering is like for ourselves. Otherwise, it is difficult to understand the needs of others without it.

Writing these blogs is easy for me when I have pain in my life because I am driven to search the scriptures to understand what is happening to me personally. I am burdened by the idea that others are hurting in the same way and how I can help them through their pain and difficulty. I want to encourage others and bring hope when all seems lost because I know God can change everything.

Hope is what everyone is looking for in each crisis. When hope is lost it makes everything seem dark and life not worth living. Hope comes from God and we can find it all through the Bible. Our human minds cannot always comprehend hope in the dark hours but the spirit that lives within us when we have trusted in Christ certainly can restore our hearts and minds.

Whatever circumstances you may be in today no matter how hopeless ~ look around to find someone else who is hurting that may need your understanding today! Difficulty is everywhere for everyone. Reaching out to someone else is the beginning of our journey towards HOPE ~

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

This is a picture taken in the gardens at Bethesda by the Sea on May 2012.