Ada Brownell's Blog, page 28
May 11, 2016
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT SEX?
By Ada Brownell
During the hippie era evangelist Billy Graham visited a college campus and asked students what they would like to talk about.“Let’s talk about sex!” yelled one uncouth student.“Sure,” said the evangelist with a smile. “That’s how we all got here, isn’t it?” Then he explained sex is a wonderful thing between two married people, and marriage is endorsed by God.
God invented sex.
In Genesis 1, the first book of the Bible, we’re told, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness ... So God created man in his own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.“Then he blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it’” (Genesis 1:26 and 27).How can you look at the anatomy of the male and female bodies without knowing God designed it? Reproduction is among the most awesome evidence of a Creator.
God believes in romance
If you don’t believe God supports romance, study the Song of Solomon.How Isaac and Jacob found their wives are examples of real love that lasts, and the stories of their love are written in the Bible.Abraham arranged the marriage for his son, Isaac, and a servant actually picked her out in the story related in Genesis 24 (NLT). But the servant asked God to show him the right girl out of the dozens of women who came to a well to draw water.“Help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey,” the servant prayed. “See, here I am, standing beside this spring, and the young women of the village are coming to draw water.... I will ask one of them for a drink. If she says, `Yes, certainly and I will water your camels, too!’ -- Let her be the one you have appointed as Isaac’s wife. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”As he was still praying, a young woman named Rebekah arrived with a water jug on her shoulder.... Now Rebekah was very beautiful and she was a virgin.... She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. Running over to her, the servant asked, “Please give me a drink.”“Certainly, Sir,” she said, and she quickly lowered the jug for him to drink. When he had finished, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough!”So she quickly emptied the jug into the watering trough and ran down to the well again. She kept carrying water to the camels until they finished drinking.The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether she was the one the Lord intended him to meet. Then at last, when the camels finished drinking, he gave her a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists.They were acquainted; the servant stayed with her family and told them about how his prayer was answered. So the father gave Rebekah to the servant, but only after Rebekah agreed to go.Isaac was taking a walk out in the fields meditating, when he looked up and saw the servant coming home, he ran out to greet them.When Rebekah saw him coming, she dismounted, covered her face with a veil, and went to meet him.Rebekah became Isaac’s wife and he loved her very much, the Bible says. She was a special comfort to him because his mother had just died.In Old Testament times, most marriages were arranged. Jacob met Rachel at a well and was so smitten with her he kissed her. Perhaps it was on the cheek, who knows?Jacob stayed with Rachel’s father, Laban, a month, working for him like a ranch hand. Finally, Laban asked what Jacob expected to be paid, and Jacob told Laban he was in love with Rachel and he agreed to work seven years for her.Finally there was a wedding feast, and after the ceremony, Jacob discovered the veiled bride was Rachel’s older sister, Leah.He protested, and Laban said he couldn’t give the younger daughter before the older daughter was married.Jacob worked another seven years to get Rachel.There is a reason arranged marriages work: falling in love is an act of the will.
Sex is expected part of marriage.
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge (Hebrews 13:4).
Marriage is expected to last until death parts the couple.
From Matthew 14:1-6 “He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’”
The powerful bond of intimacy
“Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7: 1-5 ESV).
A COMMAND TO LOVE
“Wives submit yourselves to your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22).
“Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).
WHAT ARE THE SHALT NOTS OF SEX?
1. You shalt not commit adultery. From the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and verse 14. Counselors today define adultery as any kind of sexual sin.2. Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16-25). Specific sins are listed.3. Jesus sums it all up in the last book of the Bible. “Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter into the gates of the city (Heaven).“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.“To the spirit and the bride say, ‘Come,’ and let him that heareth say, “Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:12-27). “I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my child. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers and idolaters, all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death” (Revelation 22: 6-8).Notice, God allows us to choose.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
During the hippie era evangelist Billy Graham visited a college campus and asked students what they would like to talk about.“Let’s talk about sex!” yelled one uncouth student.“Sure,” said the evangelist with a smile. “That’s how we all got here, isn’t it?” Then he explained sex is a wonderful thing between two married people, and marriage is endorsed by God.
God invented sex.
In Genesis 1, the first book of the Bible, we’re told, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness ... So God created man in his own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.“Then he blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it’” (Genesis 1:26 and 27).How can you look at the anatomy of the male and female bodies without knowing God designed it? Reproduction is among the most awesome evidence of a Creator.
God believes in romance
If you don’t believe God supports romance, study the Song of Solomon.How Isaac and Jacob found their wives are examples of real love that lasts, and the stories of their love are written in the Bible.Abraham arranged the marriage for his son, Isaac, and a servant actually picked her out in the story related in Genesis 24 (NLT). But the servant asked God to show him the right girl out of the dozens of women who came to a well to draw water.“Help me to accomplish the purpose of my journey,” the servant prayed. “See, here I am, standing beside this spring, and the young women of the village are coming to draw water.... I will ask one of them for a drink. If she says, `Yes, certainly and I will water your camels, too!’ -- Let her be the one you have appointed as Isaac’s wife. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”As he was still praying, a young woman named Rebekah arrived with a water jug on her shoulder.... Now Rebekah was very beautiful and she was a virgin.... She went down to the spring, filled her jug, and came up again. Running over to her, the servant asked, “Please give me a drink.”“Certainly, Sir,” she said, and she quickly lowered the jug for him to drink. When he had finished, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels, too, until they have had enough!”So she quickly emptied the jug into the watering trough and ran down to the well again. She kept carrying water to the camels until they finished drinking.The servant watched her in silence, wondering whether she was the one the Lord intended him to meet. Then at last, when the camels finished drinking, he gave her a gold ring for her nose and two large gold bracelets for her wrists.They were acquainted; the servant stayed with her family and told them about how his prayer was answered. So the father gave Rebekah to the servant, but only after Rebekah agreed to go.Isaac was taking a walk out in the fields meditating, when he looked up and saw the servant coming home, he ran out to greet them.When Rebekah saw him coming, she dismounted, covered her face with a veil, and went to meet him.Rebekah became Isaac’s wife and he loved her very much, the Bible says. She was a special comfort to him because his mother had just died.In Old Testament times, most marriages were arranged. Jacob met Rachel at a well and was so smitten with her he kissed her. Perhaps it was on the cheek, who knows?Jacob stayed with Rachel’s father, Laban, a month, working for him like a ranch hand. Finally, Laban asked what Jacob expected to be paid, and Jacob told Laban he was in love with Rachel and he agreed to work seven years for her.Finally there was a wedding feast, and after the ceremony, Jacob discovered the veiled bride was Rachel’s older sister, Leah.He protested, and Laban said he couldn’t give the younger daughter before the older daughter was married.Jacob worked another seven years to get Rachel.There is a reason arranged marriages work: falling in love is an act of the will.
Sex is expected part of marriage.
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge (Hebrews 13:4).
Marriage is expected to last until death parts the couple.
From Matthew 14:1-6 “He answered, ‘Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’”
The powerful bond of intimacy
“Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Corinthians 7: 1-5 ESV).
A COMMAND TO LOVE
“Wives submit yourselves to your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22).
“Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).
WHAT ARE THE SHALT NOTS OF SEX?
1. You shalt not commit adultery. From the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and verse 14. Counselors today define adultery as any kind of sexual sin.2. Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16-25). Specific sins are listed.3. Jesus sums it all up in the last book of the Bible. “Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give every man according as his work shall be. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter into the gates of the city (Heaven).“For without are dogs, and sorcerers, whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.“To the spirit and the bride say, ‘Come,’ and let him that heareth say, “Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:12-27). “I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my child. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers and idolaters, all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death” (Revelation 22: 6-8).Notice, God allows us to choose.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
May 9, 2016
HOW SEXUAL SIN ENDANGERS YOUTH
By Ada Nicholson Brownell
Moral depravity and the underlying lack of faith in God cause greater risk to the under-40 crowd today than the economic and political earthquakes shaking our nation. Somewhere hidden beneath the heartache of virginity lost, beneath dead or diseased bodies of people who died or suffer from sexually transmitted diseases, beneath the millions of babies aborted, beneath children born into poverty because their unwed mother couldn’t provide for them, and beneath the tormented conscience, is one of the most special things God created for humankind—intimacy between a man and woman. God didn’t plan for it to be abused. Yet, today’s evils revolve around immorality. What happened?Of course, sin happened. Sin began in the Garden of Eden and trails every generation. It seems evil encroaches over the United States today like a deadly gooey fungus threatening to contaminate our whole society.“This might be the most wicked generation in history,” said Jim Bradford, General Secretary of the Assemblies of God.
In a sermon while he was pastor of Central Assembly of God in Springfield, MO Galatians 5:19,21 Ephesians 6:10-17 Moody Publishers, 2008
May 1, 2016
DO YOU HAVE A CAREGIVER PERSONALITY?
By Christine Lindsay
There are a number of personality traits and one that is very familiar in my family is that of “caregiver.” Other personality lists will describe this type of personality as a “savior” type, or supporter. Doctors and nurses frequently have this trait in their complex personalities. It’s not a bad thing.
In my family I am so used to the savior or supporter personality. Some of us have it to a fault. I did.
How can one be faulted for having strong desires to help others? What’s wrong with being a person who expends a lot of energy being of service to others or bringing them comfort? Not much really…
Unless your kind of service, your fixing of the situation, actually hinders God from doing what He wants to do in that person’s life. Have you ever stopped in the middle of helping your kids or a friend out of a jam, and thought, maybe it would be better if they took their lumps and learned from their sad situation.
As parents, don’t we often use a “time out” or some other type of discipline to teach our kids important life lessons? So does God teach us through the disciplines of life.
This particular truth inspired my latest historical romance Sofi’s Bridge . The hero and the heroine in this book are both “savior” or “supporter” personality types. In Sofi’s Bridge, they both had to learn the same lesson that I had to learn in my life—that we cannot save our loved ones. Only Christ can do that.
Sometimes that will mean letting our loved one go through a difficult time and not manipulating the circumstances to alleviate their discomfort.
In Sofi’s Bridge, Sofi Andersson and Dr. Neil Galloway learn to let the Lord work through the sufferings of the ones they loved.
Here is a brief excerpt of when Neil learns this important spiritual lesson:
Back when Neil and Jimmy were only lads, the two of them hanging on to their father’s hand as they walked to church on a Sunday morn. Bells chimed all over Belfast. Inside the gray stone building, Neil had listened to the minister preach of what Christ had done on the cross for all mankind, taking the punishment that people like him deserved.
Now in this jail cell, Neil sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees. His hands dangled between them like heavy weights. As a boy he’d believed in what Jesus had done. But as an adult he’d demeaned that sacrifice. Instead, he’d tried to be Jimmy’s savior. But how could he save anyone, him a fallible human being?
Lord, I’ve been a fool. He dropped his face into his hands.
It’s not easy to stand back and not fix the problem your loved ones are going through. But you are not alone. Your loved ones are in the best of hands when we leave them to God.Click HEREto read chapter one of Sofi’s Bridge.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father’s death. Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them. But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions? And can Neil, the gardener continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.
ABOUT CHRISTINE LINDSAYTwilight of the British Raj, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, and the explosive finale Veiled at Midnight.
Christine’s Irish wit and joy in the use of setting as a character is evident in her contemporary romance Londonderry Dreaming. Her newest release Sofi’s Bridge features a dashing Irish hero, and her current work in progress is set on the majestic Irish coastline. Aside from being a busy writer and speaker, Christine is the happy wife of David of 35 years, mom to four grown kids, and Nanny to five grandsons. She makes her home on the west coast of Canada, and in Aug. 2016 she will see her long-awaited non-fiction book released, Finding Sarah, Finding Me: A Birth Mother’s Story.
Please drop by Christine’s website www.ChristineLindsay.org or follow her on Amazon on Twitter. Subscribe to her quarterly newsletter, and be her friend on Pinterest , Facebook, and Goodreads PURCHASE LINKS FOR SOFI’S BRIDGE:AMAZON.COM
This book can also be purchased on Barnes & Noble, Pelican Book Group, and Christian Books.Com
There are a number of personality traits and one that is very familiar in my family is that of “caregiver.” Other personality lists will describe this type of personality as a “savior” type, or supporter. Doctors and nurses frequently have this trait in their complex personalities. It’s not a bad thing.
In my family I am so used to the savior or supporter personality. Some of us have it to a fault. I did.
How can one be faulted for having strong desires to help others? What’s wrong with being a person who expends a lot of energy being of service to others or bringing them comfort? Not much really…
Unless your kind of service, your fixing of the situation, actually hinders God from doing what He wants to do in that person’s life. Have you ever stopped in the middle of helping your kids or a friend out of a jam, and thought, maybe it would be better if they took their lumps and learned from their sad situation.
As parents, don’t we often use a “time out” or some other type of discipline to teach our kids important life lessons? So does God teach us through the disciplines of life.
This particular truth inspired my latest historical romance Sofi’s Bridge . The hero and the heroine in this book are both “savior” or “supporter” personality types. In Sofi’s Bridge, they both had to learn the same lesson that I had to learn in my life—that we cannot save our loved ones. Only Christ can do that.
Sometimes that will mean letting our loved one go through a difficult time and not manipulating the circumstances to alleviate their discomfort.
In Sofi’s Bridge, Sofi Andersson and Dr. Neil Galloway learn to let the Lord work through the sufferings of the ones they loved.
Here is a brief excerpt of when Neil learns this important spiritual lesson:
Back when Neil and Jimmy were only lads, the two of them hanging on to their father’s hand as they walked to church on a Sunday morn. Bells chimed all over Belfast. Inside the gray stone building, Neil had listened to the minister preach of what Christ had done on the cross for all mankind, taking the punishment that people like him deserved.
Now in this jail cell, Neil sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees. His hands dangled between them like heavy weights. As a boy he’d believed in what Jesus had done. But as an adult he’d demeaned that sacrifice. Instead, he’d tried to be Jimmy’s savior. But how could he save anyone, him a fallible human being?
Lord, I’ve been a fool. He dropped his face into his hands.
It’s not easy to stand back and not fix the problem your loved ones are going through. But you are not alone. Your loved ones are in the best of hands when we leave them to God.Click HEREto read chapter one of Sofi’s Bridge.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father’s death. Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them. But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions? And can Neil, the gardener continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.
ABOUT CHRISTINE LINDSAYTwilight of the British Raj, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, and the explosive finale Veiled at Midnight.
Christine’s Irish wit and joy in the use of setting as a character is evident in her contemporary romance Londonderry Dreaming. Her newest release Sofi’s Bridge features a dashing Irish hero, and her current work in progress is set on the majestic Irish coastline. Aside from being a busy writer and speaker, Christine is the happy wife of David of 35 years, mom to four grown kids, and Nanny to five grandsons. She makes her home on the west coast of Canada, and in Aug. 2016 she will see her long-awaited non-fiction book released, Finding Sarah, Finding Me: A Birth Mother’s Story.
Please drop by Christine’s website www.ChristineLindsay.org or follow her on Amazon on Twitter. Subscribe to her quarterly newsletter, and be her friend on Pinterest , Facebook, and Goodreads PURCHASE LINKS FOR SOFI’S BRIDGE:AMAZON.COM
This book can also be purchased on Barnes & Noble, Pelican Book Group, and Christian Books.Com
CAN WE SAVE OUR LOVED ONES?
By Christine Lindsay
There are a number of personality traits and one that is very familiar in my family is that of “caregiver.” Other personality lists will describe this type of personality as a “savior” type, or supporter. Doctors and nurses frequently have this trait in their complex personalities. It’s not a bad thing.
In my family I am so used to the savior or supporter personality. Some of us have it to a fault. I did.
How can one be faulted for having strong desires to help others? What’s wrong with being a person who expends a lot of energy being of service to others or bringing them comfort? Not much really…
Unless your kind of service, your fixing of the situation, actually hinders God from doing what He wants to do in that person’s life. Have you ever stopped in the middle of helping your kids or a friend out of a jam, and thought, maybe it would be better if they took their lumps and learned from their sad situation.
As parents, don’t we often use a “time out” or some other type of discipline to teach our kids important life lessons? So does God teach us through the disciplines of life.
This particular truth inspired my latest historical romance Sofi’s Bridge . The hero and the heroine in this book are both “savior” or “supporter” personality types. In Sofi’s Bridge, they both had to learn the same lesson that I had to learn in my life—that we cannot save our loved ones. Only Christ can do that.
Sometimes that will mean letting our loved one go through a difficult time and not manipulating the circumstances to alleviate their discomfort.
In Sofi’s Bridge, Sofi Andersson and Dr. Neil Galloway learn to let the Lord work through the sufferings of the ones they loved.
Here is a brief excerpt of when Neil learns this important spiritual lesson:
Back when Neil and Jimmy were only lads, the two of them hanging on to their father’s hand as they walked to church on a Sunday morn. Bells chimed all over Belfast. Inside the gray stone building, Neil had listened to the minister preach of what Christ had done on the cross for all mankind, taking the punishment that people like him deserved.
Now in this jail cell, Neil sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees. His hands dangled between them like heavy weights. As a boy he’d believed in what Jesus had done. But as an adult he’d demeaned that sacrifice. Instead, he’d tried to be Jimmy’s savior. But how could he save anyone, him a fallible human being?
Lord, I’ve been a fool. He dropped his face into his hands.
It’s not easy to stand back and not fix the problem your loved ones are going through. But you are not alone. Your loved ones are in the best of hands when we leave them to God.Click HEREto read chapter one of Sofi’s Bridge.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father’s death. Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them. But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions? And can Neil, the gardener continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.
ABOUT CHRISTINE LINDSAYTwilight of the British Raj, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, and the explosive finale Veiled at Midnight.
Christine’s Irish wit and joy in the use of setting as a character is evident in her contemporary romance Londonderry Dreaming. Her newest release Sofi’s Bridge features a dashing Irish hero, and her current work in progress is set on the majestic Irish coastline. Aside from being a busy writer and speaker, Christine is the happy wife of David of 35 years, mom to four grown kids, and Nanny to five grandsons. She makes her home on the west coast of Canada, and in Aug. 2016 she will see her long-awaited non-fiction book released, Finding Sarah, Finding Me: A Birth Mother’s Story.
Please drop by Christine’s website www.ChristineLindsay.org or follow her on Amazon on Twitter. Subscribe to her quarterly newsletter, and be her friend on Pinterest , Facebook, and Goodreads PURCHASE LINKS FOR SOFI’S BRIDGE:AMAZON.COM
This book can also be purchased on Barnes & Noble, Pelican Book Group, and Christian Books.Com
There are a number of personality traits and one that is very familiar in my family is that of “caregiver.” Other personality lists will describe this type of personality as a “savior” type, or supporter. Doctors and nurses frequently have this trait in their complex personalities. It’s not a bad thing.
In my family I am so used to the savior or supporter personality. Some of us have it to a fault. I did.
How can one be faulted for having strong desires to help others? What’s wrong with being a person who expends a lot of energy being of service to others or bringing them comfort? Not much really…
Unless your kind of service, your fixing of the situation, actually hinders God from doing what He wants to do in that person’s life. Have you ever stopped in the middle of helping your kids or a friend out of a jam, and thought, maybe it would be better if they took their lumps and learned from their sad situation.
As parents, don’t we often use a “time out” or some other type of discipline to teach our kids important life lessons? So does God teach us through the disciplines of life.
This particular truth inspired my latest historical romance Sofi’s Bridge . The hero and the heroine in this book are both “savior” or “supporter” personality types. In Sofi’s Bridge, they both had to learn the same lesson that I had to learn in my life—that we cannot save our loved ones. Only Christ can do that.
Sometimes that will mean letting our loved one go through a difficult time and not manipulating the circumstances to alleviate their discomfort.
In Sofi’s Bridge, Sofi Andersson and Dr. Neil Galloway learn to let the Lord work through the sufferings of the ones they loved.
Here is a brief excerpt of when Neil learns this important spiritual lesson:
Back when Neil and Jimmy were only lads, the two of them hanging on to their father’s hand as they walked to church on a Sunday morn. Bells chimed all over Belfast. Inside the gray stone building, Neil had listened to the minister preach of what Christ had done on the cross for all mankind, taking the punishment that people like him deserved.
Now in this jail cell, Neil sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees. His hands dangled between them like heavy weights. As a boy he’d believed in what Jesus had done. But as an adult he’d demeaned that sacrifice. Instead, he’d tried to be Jimmy’s savior. But how could he save anyone, him a fallible human being?
Lord, I’ve been a fool. He dropped his face into his hands.
It’s not easy to stand back and not fix the problem your loved ones are going through. But you are not alone. Your loved ones are in the best of hands when we leave them to God.Click HEREto read chapter one of Sofi’s Bridge.
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Seattle Debutant Sofi Andersson will do everything in her power to protect her sister who is suffering from shock over their father’s death. Charles, the family busy-body, threatens to lock Trina in a sanatorium—a whitewashed term for an insane asylum—so Sofi will rescue her little sister, even if it means running away to the Cascade Mountains with only the new gardener Neil Macpherson to protect them. But in a cabin high in the Cascades, Sofi begins to recognize that the handsome immigrant from Ireland harbors secrets of his own. Can she trust this man whose gentle manner brings such peace to her traumatized sister and such tumult to her own emotions? And can Neil, the gardener continue to hide from Sofi that he is really Dr. Neil Galloway, a man wanted for murder by the British police? Only an act of faith and love will bridge the distance that separates lies from truth and safety.
ABOUT CHRISTINE LINDSAYTwilight of the British Raj, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, and the explosive finale Veiled at Midnight.
Christine’s Irish wit and joy in the use of setting as a character is evident in her contemporary romance Londonderry Dreaming. Her newest release Sofi’s Bridge features a dashing Irish hero, and her current work in progress is set on the majestic Irish coastline. Aside from being a busy writer and speaker, Christine is the happy wife of David of 35 years, mom to four grown kids, and Nanny to five grandsons. She makes her home on the west coast of Canada, and in Aug. 2016 she will see her long-awaited non-fiction book released, Finding Sarah, Finding Me: A Birth Mother’s Story.
Please drop by Christine’s website www.ChristineLindsay.org or follow her on Amazon on Twitter. Subscribe to her quarterly newsletter, and be her friend on Pinterest , Facebook, and Goodreads PURCHASE LINKS FOR SOFI’S BRIDGE:AMAZON.COM
This book can also be purchased on Barnes & Noble, Pelican Book Group, and Christian Books.Com
April 29, 2016
HOW I WROTE A NOVEL. From Conception to Birth: My Story’s Journey
By Dawn V. Cahill
Picture this: Author wannabe just received professional feedback on her first novel. Not good! Wannabe feels downcast, and thinks, Maybe I just need to take a class. So she signs up for an online Fiction Writing course from Fiction Master himself, Jerry Jenkins.
In Assignment 1 she’s told, list a half-dozen ideas for novels you hope to write some day.
That author wannabe was me, and here’s one of the ideas I came up with.
“Twin sisters own a dance studio. One of them becomes a Christian and suddenly she feels differently about so much. She wants to start using Christian music in their lessons. She no longer feels right about some of the ‘shortcuts’ she and her sister took to reduce costs and hide income on their taxes. Her boyfriend doesn’t understand her new convictions, and they break up. All this creates a huge conflict between her and her twin. How will she handle it?”
And thus, Sapphire Secrets was conceived.
Next assignment: Character biographies. And somehow, a bit of myself creeps into the supporting character of Scott. Like me, he loves Christian hip-hop. Yet he comes across as strait-laced - a serious-minded engineer who can’t stand his teenage neighbor’s subwoofer. This little quirk led to an entire subplot between Scott and his neighbor that I never saw coming!
Then came the lesson on dialog. I was to think up dialog between two completely different characters. Not as easy as it sounds, especially when you challenge yourself, as I did, to think up as odd a character as possible. That’s how Vienna came to be. She’s an opera-loving wild child, the foil to Scott.
Again, a whole new situation that just seemed to write itself.
As the book grew and developed, eventually it grew legs – a plot. And arms – an inciting incident. And a heartbeat – emotion and conflict. A brain – plot twist. By the time it was born, it had taken on a life of its own, and turned into something I didn’t know I was capable of.
The book almost wrote itself.
Funny how that happens, isn’t it? It’s as though Sapphire Secrets’ story was already there, dying to be told, and just happened to use me as the instrument.
And I’m so glad it did.
Book Summary
Twins Livy and DeeDee McCreary open a dance studio in honor of their late mother, whom they lost when they were six. Problem is, Livy remembers nothing of the day her mother died. The more she questions her family about that awful day, the more she suspects she’s been lied to all her life. While she’s seeking answers to what really happened, she keeps crossing paths with handsome engineer Scott Lorenzo, who compels her to question the New Age philosophy she was raised on. What if there is a personal God out there who cares about her?Before Livy can discover answers, a brutal accident interrupts her search. Her life flips upside down as she faces a future she is not prepared for. Yet the unanswered questions continue to haunt her. Can she find the strength to keep on with her quest, even if it means losing the two people most dear to her—her twin, and the man she loves?
2015 Finalist, ACFW First Impressions Contest
MEET AUTHOR DAWN V. CAHILL:
Author Dawn V. Cahill writes “Stories of Victorious Faith
for the 21st Century,” stories of ordinary Christians following hard after Christ in a world of terror and violence, of upside-down morality, of hostility to Judeo-Christian values.She also blogs about puppies, substance abuse, and single parenting. She has written several newspaper articles, two Christian contemporary novels, and more limericks than she can count. Email her at dawn@dawnvcahill.com, or find her on Amazon. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Website: dawnvcahill.com.
April 18, 2016
ADDICTIONS: THE CRUEL VENOM OF ASPS
By Ada Brownell
Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
Deuteronomy 32:32-34
In the early 1920s, Rita Shpeherd took an axe and discreetly followed her husband to the bootlegger’s still, hidden in the trees near a lake.When he and his boss left, Rita, 21 years old, stuffed most of the bottles in gunny sacks and whacked them with the axe. She stuffed several full bottles into the shed’s chimney and then she dragged one sack of unbroken ones into the water. Those would be evidence for the Revenuers, who policed and prosecuted bootleggers during Prohibition, when liquor sales were illegal.That afternoon, the bootlegger knocked on Rita’s door.“I’ve been expecting you,” she said and pointed to an empty chair. “You should be ashamed of what you’ve been doing—taking food out of children’s mouths, clothes off their backs, and the sense out of their father’s heads.”The redhead when on about the evils of strong drink. “The Bible says, ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging and those who are deceived thereby are not wise.’”The next day, Rita and her husband, Joe, had to run for their lives, carrying and protecting their baby, Virgil. Rita was my mother. But it wasn’t spunk or her abilities with an axe that gave me a healthy desire to stay away from intoxicating beverages. As with anyone who grows up, my mother’s principles weren’t enough for me. I needed my own convictions about the matter. When we lived in a tiny town where most of the 100 residents lived for the weekend to drink and party, one of our friends discovered I’d never tasted beer. He grabbed a can, snapped it open, grabbed me and tried to pry my mouth open so he could pour the stuff in. Redhead that I am, the wildcat personality came forth and I didn’t taste a drop. In the 1960s as a young newspaper reporter I attended a company picnic. A photographer, already tipsy, noticed I had no beer. When I told him I didn’t drink, he emptied his beer on my clothes—“so I’d smell like I had a good time when I went home to my husband.” I wasn’t even tempted to drink. At one staff meeting in the managing editor’s home where they had a “dutch lunch,” I asked for a soft drink in advance. While I walked around with a Coke, I noticed some brilliant co-workers who drank one beer after another begin to act as if they were mentally challenged. I thought, What’s the fun in that? A time came, however, after I quit work and stayed home 15 years with my children that I worried I could be tempted to drink socially. I’d been back to work a short while and we attended a church where I discovered the deacons drank wine and a youth worker had beer in his refrigerator. I heard someone took beer on a youth outing. I thought, Who am I to condemn them? They appeared to love the Lord. Yet, I still had four children at home, and in the news business for me I knew temptation to drink would be more of a problem after I discovered people in my church imbibed. After praying and worrying about it, I resigned the youth class I taught, and we changed churches. My problem wasn’t to try to change brothers and sisters in Christ, but do for our family what I thought was best. I did not want my children to grow up thinking intoxicating beverages were all right, and I didn’t want to break down my own resistance to them. A special person to me found the barrier breached between being a teetotaler and partaking at a church picnic where beer was offered along with soft drinks. That was about 40 years before she died, her liver severely affected and her esophagus eaten by Vodka. My reasons for not drinking intoxicating beverages go way beyond my experiences, however. It’s rooted in my commitment to Jesus Christ. Two other factors: so I won’t be a stumbling block to others and so that I will not become a slave to sin.Here’s a verse I think of: For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—(Romans 6:6). The quickest way to become a slave to sin is to practice something that is habit forming and destructive. There is no sense to partake in anything that affects the way I think and what I do. Sure, it’s legal. as is marijuana in Colorado and perhaps soon other states and then dangerous habit-forming drugs. But so is rat poison and lye. That doesn't mean I should consume it.
©Copyright Ada Brownell
SLAVERY STILL EXISTS FOR THE ADDICTED
By Ada Brownell
Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
Deuteronomy 32:32-34
In the early 1920s, Rita Shpeherd took an axe and discreetly followed her husband to the bootlegger’s still, hidden in the trees near a lake.When he and his boss left, Rita, 21 years old, stuffed most of the bottles in gunny sacks and whacked them with the axe. She stuffed several full bottles into the shed’s chimney and then she dragged one sack of unbroken ones into the water. Those would be evidence for the Revenuers, who policed and prosecuted bootleggers during Prohibition, when liquor sales were illegal.That afternoon, the bootlegger knocked on Rita’s door.“I’ve been expecting you,” she said and pointed to an empty chair. “You should be ashamed of what you’re been doing—taking food out of children’s mouths, clothes off their backs, and the sense out of their father’s heads.”The redhead when on about the evils of strong drink. “The Bible says, ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging and those who are deceived thereby are not wise.’”The next day, Ritaand her husband, Joe had to run for their lives, carrying and protecting their baby, Virgil. Rita was my mother. But it wasn’t spunk or her abilities with an axe that gave me a healthy desire to stay away from intoxicating beverages. As with anyone who grows up, my mother’s principles weren’t enough for me. I needed my own convictions about the matter. When we lived in a tiny town where most of the 100 residents lived for the weekend to drink and party, one of our friends discovered I’d never tasted beer. He grabbed a can, snapped it open, grabbed me and tried to pry my mouth open so he could pour the stuff in. Redhead that I am, the wildcat personality came forth and I didn’t taste a drop. In the 1960s as a young newspaper reporter I attended a company picnic. A photographer, already tipsy, noticed I had no beer. When I told him I didn’t drink, he emptied his beer on my clothes—“so I’d smell like I had a good time when I went home to my husband.” I wasn’t even tempted to drink. At one staff meeting in the managing editor’s home where they had a “dutch lunch,” I asked for a soft drink in advance. While I walked around with a Coke, I noticed some brilliant co-workers who drank one beer after another begin to act as if they were mentally challenged. I thought, What’s the fun in that? A time came, however, after I quit work and stayed home 15 years with my children that I worried I could be tempted to drink socially. I’d been back to work a short while and we attended a church where I discovered the deacons drank wine and a youth worker had beer in his refrigerator. I heard someone took beer on a youth outing. I thought, Who am I to condemn them? They appeared to love the Lord. Yet, I still had four children at home, and in the news business for me I knew temptation to drink would be more of a problem after I discovered people in my church imbibed. After praying and worrying about it, I resigned the youth class I taught, and we changed churches. My problem wasn’t to try to change brothers and sisters in Christ, but do for our family what I thought was best. I did not want my children to grow up thinking intoxicating beverages were all right, and I didn’t want to break down my own resistance to them. A special person to me found the barrier breached between being a teetotaler and partaking at a church picnic where beer was offered along with soft drinks. That was about 40 years before she died, her liver severely affected and her esophagus eaten by Vodka. My reasons for not drinking intoxicating beverages go way beyond my experiences, however. It’s rooted in my commitment to Jesus Christ. Three big things: so I won’t be a stumbling block and so that I will not become a slave to sin.Here’s a verse I think of: For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—(Romans 6:6). The quickest way to become a slave to sin is to practice something that is habit forming and destructive. Another huge reason is there is no sense in partaking in anything that affects the way I think and what I do.Sure, it’s legal as is marijuana and perhaps soon other dangerous habit-forming drugs. But so is rat poison.
©Copyright Ada Brownell
April 7, 2016
ARE YOU HAPPY?
By Ada Brownell
ARE YOU HAPPY?How about joy unspeakable and rivers of living water
When my siblings began giving their hearts to the Lord the year I was born, it scared Mama. My sister, Marjorie, went to the Holy Roller church!
Mom went with her the second time and was so afraid she sat on the step outside and listened. Finally, got up nerve to go inside.
Actually the people weren’t swinging from the chandeliers (there weren’t any, but when Marjorie committed her life to Jesus she was so changed my parents noticed. Other siblings, invited by their friends, joined her.
I grew up attending that Pentecostal church and I’ve been Pentecostal all my life. Although I’ve witnessed many miracles and changed lives, I never saw anyone roll in my church.
But I experienced the joy in our house, which was filled with singing and music. My siblings had a purpose to their lives and went on to establish businesses, and to higher education and productive careers—all the time filled with contentment and joy.
I can’t figure out why the people who coined the phrase “Holy Rollers” didn’t come to figure out about why people were joyful. Our singing in the church used to get pretty loud and sometimes people shouted when they knew their sins were wiped away, or their deaf ears were opened or another healing occurred, or a loved one came to the Lord.
People used to peek in the windows of our church to see what was going on. Some came inside weeping and gave their lives to Christ.
I tell the story of my family’s conversion, how I came to a commitment, miracles, signs and wonders, and what it was like being Pentecostal in my book, Confessions of a Pentecostal, first published in 1978 by the Assemblies of God’s Gospel Publishing House and released in April as an e-book. An epilogue reveals some of what has happened since 1978.
Confessions of a Pentecostal is available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088OP460Joy is a byproduct of knowing God. Here are a few scriptures that speak of joy.
Continue to the next post for a list of scriptures about joy.
Copyright Ada Brownell
***
ARE YOU HAPPY?How about joy unspeakable and rivers of living water
When my siblings began giving their hearts to the Lord the year I was born, it scared Mama. My sister, Marjorie, went to the Holy Roller church!
Mom went with her the second time and was so afraid she sat on the step outside and listened. Finally, got up nerve to go inside.
Actually the people weren’t swinging from the chandeliers (there weren’t any, but when Marjorie committed her life to Jesus she was so changed my parents noticed. Other siblings, invited by their friends, joined her.
I grew up attending that Pentecostal church and I’ve been Pentecostal all my life. Although I’ve witnessed many miracles and changed lives, I never saw anyone roll in my church.
But I experienced the joy in our house, which was filled with singing and music. My siblings had a purpose to their lives and went on to establish businesses, and to higher education and productive careers—all the time filled with contentment and joy.
I can’t figure out why the people who coined the phrase “Holy Rollers” didn’t come to figure out about why people were joyful. Our singing in the church used to get pretty loud and sometimes people shouted when they knew their sins were wiped away, or their deaf ears were opened or another healing occurred, or a loved one came to the Lord.
People used to peek in the windows of our church to see what was going on. Some came inside weeping and gave their lives to Christ.
I tell the story of my family’s conversion, how I came to a commitment, miracles, signs and wonders, and what it was like being Pentecostal in my book, Confessions of a Pentecostal, first published in 1978 by the Assemblies of God’s Gospel Publishing House and released in April as an e-book. An epilogue reveals some of what has happened since 1978.
Confessions of a Pentecostal is available at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088OP460Joy is a byproduct of knowing God. Here are a few scriptures that speak of joy.
Continue to the next post for a list of scriptures about joy.
Copyright Ada Brownell
***
SCRIPTURES ABOUT JOY
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8).
Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart” John 7:38).
Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (Psalm 5:10-12).
You will show me the path of life;In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:10-11).
For His anger is but for a moment,His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
Sing to Him a new song;Play skillfully with a shout of joy (Psalm 33:3).
Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God (Psalm 43:4).
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit (Psalm 51:12).
Shout with joy to God, all the earth! (Psalm 66:2).
The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing (Proverbs 10:28).
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3).
But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead (Isaiah 26:19).
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:10).
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12).
To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joyfor mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).
So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word” Matthew 28:8).
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth” (Luke 1:13-15).
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people (Luke 2:10).
To here
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:9-11
And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
Luke 24:51-53
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joymay be complete.
John 15:10-12
So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
John 16:21-23
So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
John 16:21-23
Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."
Acts 14:16-18
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:23-25
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joymay be complete.
John 15:10-12
whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
1 Peter 1:7-9
We write this to make our joy complete.
1 John 1:3-5
It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.
2 John 1:3-5
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—
Jude 1:23-25
For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?
1 Thessalonians 2:18-20
Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart” John 7:38).
Nehemiah said, "Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10).
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (Psalm 5:10-12).
You will show me the path of life;In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:10-11).
For His anger is but for a moment,His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).
Sing to Him a new song;Play skillfully with a shout of joy (Psalm 33:3).
Then will I go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God (Psalm 43:4).
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit (Psalm 51:12).
Shout with joy to God, all the earth! (Psalm 66:2).
The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing (Proverbs 10:28).
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3).
But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead (Isaiah 26:19).
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away (Isaiah 35:10).
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12).
To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joyfor mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).
So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word” Matthew 28:8).
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth” (Luke 1:13-15).
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people (Luke 2:10).
To here
Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15:9-11
And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
Luke 24:51-53
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joymay be complete.
John 15:10-12
So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
John 16:21-23
So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
John 16:21-23
Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."
Acts 14:16-18
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:23-25
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joymay be complete.
John 15:10-12
whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
1 Peter 1:7-9
We write this to make our joy complete.
1 John 1:3-5
It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.
2 John 1:3-5
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—
Jude 1:23-25
For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you?
1 Thessalonians 2:18-20
April 6, 2016
Problems with a stepmother?
By Ada Brownell“I hate her! My dad does all sorts of nice things for her he never did for Mom.”I’d spiritually mentored Sue
Not her real name 1 Corinthians 14 Acts 3,4
