knowing Christ

A 3-Week Bible Reading Plan for Beginners (with printable)

October 7, 2016 by amanda 3 Comments

Do you know very little about the Bible or Christianity? Let’s read through a “skeletal overview” of God’s word!

ALL of God’s word is important to read and know, but until we have a bit of a framework, it can feel challenging to get our bearings when we jump into a new part of the Bible. If you have not heard very much about the Bible, there will be quite a few things in the following chapters that you may not can piece together yet, and that’s okay! You will be able to learn some truths that are vital to a beginning knowledge of God through His word….

The Fourfold Beauty of a Godly Woman

May 16, 2016 by amanda Leave a Comment

A Christian woman has the opportunity to be one of the greatest influencers on earth. The striking beauty of her spirit may win the soul of her unbelieving husband. Her adherence to God’s design in marriage can proclaim the glory of the gospel. Her faith in and knowledge of God’s word can spill over into her spheres of ministry.

However, if a woman does not know her God and his word, and if she is not clinging to its precious promises, she begins to resemble Eve, the mother of her flesh. Her heart can easily be deceived by the enemy’s craftiness, and her affections can be led astray.

We who have trusted in Christ are not only descendants of Eve, but now we are descendants of Sarah, the free woman (Galatians 4:31). We are children of promise and we are no longer in bondage to Eve’s nature. In 1 Peter 3:1–6 and Hebrews 11:11–12, we receive the commendation of Sarah’s faith, and we are pointed to her life as an example of biblical womanhood. As we imitate the faith of Sarah, we can leverage our God-given gender and unique gifts to glorify our God and advance his kingdom….

When God’s Glory Plunders Your Heart’s Affections

April 13, 2016 by amanda Leave a Comment

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10

For the rest of this week, this day, or even in this hour, you and I will be faced with challenges, unexpected sorrows, and fears. We might remind our souls, “Bless the LORD, O my soul,” but sometimes we can’t figure out how to shake the feelings of gloom or meet the day’s shadows with eyes on the unseen. I know what I must do (I must trust the Lord!), but some days I find my courage waning and my heart growing faint.

While we will always battle this flesh until our souls rest in their eternal home, God has provided a shelter and hiding place through the minutes and hours of our days. And that hiding place is His name….

When Women Run the Race that Christ Has Already Won for Them

March 9, 2016 by amanda 1 Comment

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

In Hebrews 11, we read of those “of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38). “By faith,” they conquered kingdoms, obtained promises, and put foreign armies to flight, but they also were stoned, sawn in two, and killed with the sword. Destitute, afflicted, and mistreated, these souls are that great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us.

And then I start to look a bit more closely at that list of faithful men and women, and I see Sarah, a woman who laughed with incredulity upon hearing the promise of God and then lied and denied it when the Lord asked why she laughed. And how did Rahab get into the “Hall of Faith?” She was a prostitute. David made the cut to be on the list, and he was both an adulterer and murderer.

I could continue through the list, pointing to the souls listed and pointing out what the Bible says about their flaws and faults, and it would only serve to bring the message home more sweetly: their lives witness to faith in the Promised Messiah, the Savior of needy, sinful men and women.…

Oh, There’s No Place Like Home {for the holidays}

December 23, 2015 by amanda 2 Comments

Ten years ago last week, with joy too great for words, I welcomed my sweetheart home for the holidays. And ten years ago today, he put a ring on it.

Fresh from Middle Eastern soil, he was thin and tired, but God had brought him home. He was safely back home to his family and to me, and all the world seemed right that Christmas.

Members of the armed forces are not the only ones who dream of being home for Christmas. College students return home to their families, new grandbabies are brought home to proud grandparents, and empty nesters keep watch at the front door for car headlights to top the driveway late on Christmas Eve. Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays.

But the ache for those who are missing home this year is also keenly felt throughout the season. Loneliness is often felt more acutely this week than at any other time of the year. Perhaps money is too tight this season for the flight home, or the job keeps your alarm clock buzzing like usual during Christmas week. Sometimes, going home is just not an option, and the disappointment rubs raw.

Even those who will be waking up Christmas morning to the sights, sounds, and smells of mama’s breakfast or to children’s happy squeals, we too are sometimes surprised by the ache in our hearts for who else we’re missing…..grandmothers and grandfathers who are absent, wombs and cradles found empty, and estranged family members who don’t show up.

In our joy this Christmas, and in our heart’s ache for home, why don’t we indulge our pinings for a bit? Because that familiar ache in your soul to be home is a precious shadow of the eternal home for which we long….

Come Kneel Before the Manger-King

December 17, 2015 by amanda Leave a Comment

Christmas is the most beautiful time of the year, but it’s also a very difficult season for many people. In all the hurry to hang the lights, trim the tree, and fill the stockings, the season knows how to draw out our deepest feelings of loneliness and sorrow.

If you’ll come aside with me for a few moments, my prayer is to point you to the Manger-King in such a way that your heart is filled with hope and peace as you’re reminded of Who this holy infant is. Come kneel beside the manger heavy-hearted, and hear the soul-lifting words of the Messiah….

knowing Christ

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