Get Your PRAISE On! and Psalm of the Cross are now on Amazon.

What a grace gift from God!!

An interactive praise devotional designed to help you find your praise and focus your attention on praising and thanking God for who He is and all that He’s done. Each letter of the alphabet is used as a guide to help you in your offerings of thanksgiving to God. Along with each doodle letter you will find a characteristic of God and a Scripture verse to go along with the characteristic given. Be sure to get your FREE companion Scripture Memory Cards here.

Psalm of the Cross: a seven day journey at the foot of the cross will reach down to the depths of your heart and reveal to you the love your Savior has for you, His precious child. Travel through the pages of Psalm 22. Gaze upon the cross of Calvary. Behold what your Savior did for you. Journaling space is provided so that you can journal your thoughts as you journey at the foot of the cross.

^“God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son,
so that by believing in him,
anyone can have a whole and lasting life.”

John 3:16, CEV &  the Message

God’s love

personified through the giving of His

One and Only Son.

So that I might live.

So that YOU might live!

Live an abundant life

with Him

In.The.Now.

And with Him

in future glory.

God’s love.

Magnificent.

Life-giving.

Selfless.

Full of grace.

Full of mercy.

Amazing.

And true.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

*edited from archives

It was a OneVerse Blogger challenge. Gather all the Bibles in your home. Stack them up and take a picture. And so, the gathering began.

32

Thirty-two

22+10

30+2

ten plus ten plus ten plus two

It doesn’t matter how you write it, it’s still 32.

Multiply these 32 Bibles times the 66 books that make up the Bible and you have…

~2,112 individual books written by chosen men.

~Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of words penned in order to encourage, train, discipline, inspire, bring healing, foster hope, change lives.

~Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of chapters following after the lives of countless men and women, boys and girls who make up His story.

~A myriad of stories and miracles and teachings of the One who came to redeem the captive, heal the wounded, rescue the lost, feed the starved.

There was an atmosphere of excitement and giggles as the kids and I gathered up this manna, our daily bread.

“Mom, what are we doing?” he said as he gathered another stack of life-transforming words in his arms.

 

“Can I stack them up?” her four year old voice asked as she looked at the many Bibles before her.

 

“We have a lot of Bibles, don’t we?” remarked the oldest. I could see the wheels spinning in that “beyond her years” mind.

I looked at the stacks. Paperbacks and hardbacks. Leather bound and bonded leather. NIV, NKJV, NAS, ESV, The Message, and other translations. Study Bibles. Key Word Bibles. Thin-lines and pew Bibles. So many Bibles.

Bibles that have traveled with us through different seasons of our lives. Seasons of feeding and growth. Seasons of coldness and callousness. Seasons of falling away and wondering aimlessly. And seasons of burning hot passion for more of Him.

“You know guys, there are people in the world who don’t have Bibles. And not only do they not have Bibles, there aren’t Bibles written in their language for them to read. There’s a people group in Africa called the Vidunda. The Bible hasn’t been written in their language so they’re unable to read the Scriptures and really understand what they’re reading.”

 

“You mean, like we have our Bibles in English? They don’t have a Bible in the Vidunda language?” my twelve year old asked. “They don’t have a Bible to read?”

 

“Exactly. They don’t have God’s Word in their own language.”

 

Concern filled her eyes, “That’s really sad.”

 

“Hey, we could send them some of our Bibles,” my son said.

 

“We could, but they wouldn’t be able to read them because our Bibles are written in English. The Vidunda people need the Bible in their own language so they can read and understand it,” I reminded him. “That’s why we’re partnering with OneVerse. Because OneVerse is doing everything it can to get Bibles to people in their own language so that they can read and study and learn about how much Jesus loves them.”

********

Gathering up our Bibles and stacking them high did two things to me:

1. Made me thankful for the Bread of Life that has fed my soul, made me rich in Him.

2. Saddened me as I thought about countless peoples who don’t have this life-changing Word to feed upon. People who are starving for Jesus.

There are 340 million people in the world who don’t have God’s living and active Word in their own language. Let me say it this way, out of the nearly 7,000 languages that make up the world’s voice fewer than 500 have a WHOLE Bible in their language.

There are 56,000 Vidunda people who live in Tanzania, East Africa. More than 60 percent affiliate with Christianity. However, most still fear witchcraft and engage in many kinds of animistic rituals along with their non-believing neighbors. Many Christians still hang amulets on their children to protect them from evil spirits and curses. Because they’ve been hearing Scripture in a language foreign to them, most Vidunda people have little idea what it actually teaches.

The Scriptures in their mother tongue will offer believers tools for deliverance from the bondage of fear. It will also support personal spiritual growth and provide a solid foundation from which to reach out to others.

Friends, we are blessed. And we are rich with God’s Word. If you don’t believe me, go and gather all the Bibles in your home. How many do you have? Ten? Five? Only one? That’s still one more than the Vidunda have.

The OneVerse Bloggers are on a mission to end Bible poverty for the Vidunda people. Will you help us? Visit  the OneVerse Vidunda Language Project to find out how you and your family can help!

I’m linking up today with other OneVerse Bloggers as we work together to end Bible poverty for the Vidunda people.

 Another little tool to help you implant the Word, embrace the Word, and enact the Word into your daily life.

becoming a true beauty, a Memorization of Proverbs 31:10-31, niv

Twelve weeks to memorize Proverbs 31:10-31. Two verses each week, checking off days as you go. And being held accountable by a friend who will listen as you recite those Words you’ve implanted, embraced, and enacted.

If you are interested, simply do the following to implant Proverbs 31:10-31 deep within your heart. (Other Scripture Memorization Booklets can be found on our freebies page. More coming soon!)

1. Download and print out cards and cover by clicking here. Purchase spiral bound 3 x 5 index cards or 3.5 x 5.5 moleskine ruled journals. (We’ve found both at our local Target and Wal-mart.)

2. Cut out cards and glue them inside your booklet. Cut out and glue cover on the front.

And there you have it! A Scripture Memorization Booklet all your own. Both the spiral bound index cards and the moleskine journals work beautifully as Word holders.

I pray life-transformation as you implant, embrace, and enact God’s precious Word deep within your heart.

Click here to download becoming a true beauty, a Memorization of Proverbs 31:10-31, niv

“Oh, to have “the word of Christ” always dwelling inside of us;—in the memory, never
forgotten; in the heart, always loved; in the understanding, really grasped; with all
the powers and passions of the mind fully submitted to its control.” Charles H. Spurgeon

The Word became flesh to dwell among us. And the beauty of His dwelling is this…His dwelling isn’t limited to being among; the dwelling of the Word longs to be in–in our hearts, in our minds, in the deepest depths of our beings. The One who brings us out from our Egypts, our captivities, our pits, and our prisons, desires that we open wide and allow Him to fill us richly full with the Bread of Life. He invites us to feast on this manna. To ingest it deep. To implant, embrace, and enact His Words so they become the whole of who we are.

I recited it every summer in Vacation Bible School…

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word, I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path and will hide its words in my heart that I might not sin against God.

From early on I heard of the importance of hiding God’s Word in my heart, but I didn’t grasp the weight of this importance until my life crumbled and Jesus, the Word who had became flesh to dwell among us, shook me to the core fighting to dwell in me.

I was starved for sustenance. My heart, my mind, my dark places growled loud for Life Bread. I began actively eating, feasting, ingesting and digesting His Word. It was the Word that brought healing, wholeness, and fullness to my famished being.

I gathered around the table with the Bread of Life as my main course and began implanting the Word deep within. I chewed long and at times swallowed hard the healing Words. I repeated often His Words. I wrote them in rainbows of colors, taped them to bathroom mirrors, highlighted them in my Bible, and carried them with me on post-its or napkins or grocery receipts. There were even times the palms of my hands became the canvas upon which I wrote.

Embracing those life-transforming Words became my blanket of warmth as I clung hard and long to each of them. I clinched them tightly and made extra sure they were implanted deep.

And then I prayed, almost begged, that He would, through the power of the Holy Spirit, enable me to enact life change in the every day. “Help me Lord, to live Your Word. May this nourishment fill me full and spill over into every area of my life.”

Implant the Word. Embrace the Word. Enact the Word.

Does it make a difference? Oh, dear one, feasting on the Bread of Life, ingesting and digesting, holding tightly to Life Words, and living out His message encourages, transforms, and heals. Having the living and active Word of God deep within has awakened my soul and given me energy to press onward.

I shared with you a few why’s, some how’s, and even a few what’s a while back with “Diving Deeper into Scripture Memorization.” Today I’d like to share with you a practical little pretty that will help you to implant, embrace, and enact the Word.

Trust the LORD, a Memorization of Psalm 91, nas

For years I’ve used spiral bound index cards to write out the Words I was implanting, but this year I was inspired by Ann Voskamp to do things a tad bit differently. The concept is still the same, the process more intentional. Twelve weeks to memorize Psalm 91. One to two verses each week, checking off days as I go. And being held accountable by a friend who will listen as I recite those Words I’ve implanted, embraced, and enacted.

If you are interested, simply do the following to implant Psalm 91 deep within your heart. (Other Scripture Memorization Booklets with pre-made verse selections coming soon. Also, blank template Scripture Memorization Booklets will be available so that you can fill in the passages you desire to memorize.)

1. Download and print out cards and cover by clicking here. Purchase spiral bound 3 x 5 index cards or 3.5 x 5.5 moleskine ruled journals. (We’ve found both at our local Target and Wal-mart.)

2. Cut out cards and glue them inside your booklet. Cut out and glue cover on the front.

And there you have it! A Scripture Memorization Booklet all your own. Both the spiral bound index cards and the moleskine journals work beautifully as Word holders.

I pray life-transformation as you implant, embrace, and enact God’s precious Word deep within your heart.

“I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture. . . . No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitudes and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.” Chuck Swindoll

Click here to download Trust the LORD, a Memorization of Psalm 91, nas

It was undeserved love for the sinner that freely flowed from the perfect Lamb of God as He was beaten beyond recognition.

It was unconditional love that empowered Christ to place one foot in front of the other as He walked the path to Calvary’s hill.

It was and is God’s love that continues to give even when it gets nothing in return.

And because we belong to the family of God our love is to be a reflection of His perfect, amazing love…

freely given,

unconditional,

and

never-ending.

Walk in love!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join me today at the Internet Cafe for more inspiring graphic devotions.

Your heart will be blessed and filled to the brim with the richness of God’s powerful Word!!

*edited from archives

It was my fourth semester of Old Testament. I sat in the second row, forth desk inside a room covered from floor to ceiling with painted maps of the nations of Israel, Abraham’s journeys, the Exodus, and many other pertinent Old Testament happenings. But that week the maps didn’t distract me. My thoughts, eyes, and heart were completely focused on the professor as he stood behind the lectern, tears streaming down his face, and taught through the book of Hosea. I was deeply moved as we took this journey, but wouldn’t completely grasp its true meaning until years later when my own husband would suffer long for my affection and love for him.

I’m serving at the Marriage Counter today on Internet Cafe Devotions. I’d love for you to join me there.

Coffee.

Just the thought of it makes me smile.

Mmmm…coffee.

Every morning my favorite mug sits ready for me to brew of fresh cup of coffee into her; I think the warmth and richness of it makes her smile too!

After Jesus and my man, I’d have to say that this delicious beverage is my next best friend.

Coffee, oh how I heart thee!

But here’s the deal…I do NOT like, love, nor remotely consider sipping on a cup of “blah!” coffee.

By “blah!” coffee, I mean bitter, flavorless, icky coffee; it makes me gag.

“Blah!” coffee has got me to thinkin’ about something. My life; my sometimes “blah!” life.

I know God loves me with an “everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT) and I know Jesus came to “give me a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10, NLT), but sometimes I don’t feel so loved or rich or satisfied. Sometimes I just feel “blah!”.

To read the rest of today’s devotion, I’d love for you to join me over at Internet Cafe Devotions where I’m servin’ up a bit of Jesus on this rainy Friday.