Encouragement For Women

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31,32 (NIV) I cannot recall how many times I've been told how "nice" I am. Or when I was younger, "you're too sweet." I know that I've heard it enough that I believed it and it grew into pride. Thinking of it now seems a bit ridiculous, but seriously - I really have an issue with it. I work with much ambition to be seen as nice and kind. I work at being nice and kind. Imagine my shock to heart that some of my kindness is fake! Many years ago a woman from Calvary Fellowship Seattle gave me this small booklet with a yellow jacket. The title was, "How To Be Free From Bitterness." Truly it was a work God was doing even then, though I scoffed at the title and tucked it away on my bookshelf. It is also safe to say that I don't know ...

If you are interested in some amazing gift ideas that improves the lives of others, please check out the Christmas Catalog on Gospel for Asia's website: http://gfa.org/gift?motiv=WA7A-GFGC Here you can purchase livestock for families to take care of for their own food or food like milk or eggs to sell to make a living from. You can purchase a sewing machine or the like to help support a livelihood and family. If you are thinking it is too expensive... you could buy a water filter for a family for $25 or blankets to help keep people warm $5/each. Last year we purchased some animals in the name of some friends and family members. Though our culture makes these types of gifts awkward, they are beautiful in that they keep on giving and blessing others. In light of the coming season where we Americans are bombarded by -buy, buy, buy! Please consider making a difference with what you buy. In Christ Elizabeth

Real Truth - Honesty We hide many things, lots of things from others. Sometimes it is to "protect" them, sometimes ourselves or others. I recently came across an online posting of secrets. People sent a man postcards with only their secret and his mailing address. He collected them, turned them into books and a website. Being curious in nature, I checked it out and at first was rather entertained. Then heartbroken. Secrets from crushes, lust, uncontrolled fetishes/desires, abused/abusers, mourning over deeds done and many people whose lives are obviously shadowed by these and many more secrets. Funny to me is how myself and others who are believers in Christ try to hide things from God. I say funny because there is nothing that is hidden from God. He is and was and will be. All time has past before him and he knows even man's own heart and knew us even in our mother's womb. So, though we may have others fooled, God really knows everything we've ever thought, said,...

This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD Almighty is his name: Amen! In Christ, Elizabeth

My day began waking up to my youngest son, tending to his needs then some time for reading my Bible. It should be noted that I have been slacking off on this important task and I have reaped what I have sown. I usually read at night before snoozing off, but like a pastor friend (John Aydelott ) of mine once said, "...it doesn't give you much time to apply it to your day nor to meditate on it." Well said John. Here is what I read: (Luke 18:1-8) 1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that...

"I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love." -Henry Ward Beecher There is a passage in the Bible that is often completely misunderstood, made fun of and the like. It is the account of Abraham taking his son Isaac up the mountain as a sacrifice to the L ORD . I read it totally different. Here I see a Father who had waited what seemed like an eternity to have a child willing to loose his greatest joy for honoring God. Many say that Abraham was a freak or hateful and how dare God ask him to do such a thing. A God like that isn't worth any of my time say others. However, the request is to reveal Abraham's heart - not to take from him his life's treasure, his son. It is also to reveal how God feels in regards to when he gives up his son for many. Abraham is a man who loves God and desires to honor him with his life - all of it. My favorite part is highlighted in purple. Here I read that Abraham was willing to take his son, but knew that God would pr...

Psalm 89 5 All heaven will praise your great wonders, L ord ; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. 6 For who in all of heaven can compare with the L ord ? What mightiest angel is anything like the L ord ? 7 The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne. (New Living Translation)