Bridget A. Thomas's Blog, page 17

The Importance of Winter

In the U.S.A. we are currently in our winter season. I know some of you reading this are in summertime. But winter doesn’t necessarily have to mean literal timeframes. Sometimes in our lives we feel like we are in a winter season, no matter what the temperature is outside. I was recently reflecting on the value in winter and wanted to share some thoughts with you.

As you might know, winter is good for nature for several reasons. Plants actually benefit from shorter daylight hours and lower te...

Learning to Let Go

Entering into a new year fills us with hope. We think about the things we want to accomplish in our lives, dreams that are in our hearts, or goals we want to work towards. Often times we look at what we can add to our lives, such as exercising more or learning something new. But we can also approach it from another aspect by analyzing what we might let go of.

A few weeks ago I was reading from If We Could Have Coffee which is a devotional by Holley Gerth. I highlighted something that spoke to...

My One Word for 2022

Many of you have heard me talk about this before. But for anyone who is not familiar with this, picking a word for the year is a way to anchor yourself through the days ahead. The word you pick could be something you want to focus on or something you want to keep in mind, as you step into each new day. Just to give you an example, my words from the past three years were: seek, grace, and cultivate.

And in 2022 my one word for the year is … ABIDE!

Some years the word is easy to pick. You ju...

Cultivating My Way Through 2021

As you might recall, my one word for 2021 was cultivate. I loved this word and feel that it really helped me to focus on the right things.

Here on the blog we cultivated prayer, gratitude, time with our Savior, reverence towards God, forgiveness, and so much more.

In my own life, I also cultivated trust in God, a deeper faith, praise, fasting, and walking with God. But on the other hand, I also cultivated a slower pace, time for the little things, and embracing contentment.

There is on...

Conclusion of the 2021 Gratitude Challenge

Hello, Friends! As you might know, I normally post on Tuesdays. But today is a special day, so I am interrupting the regular schedule. On Tuesday, September 21 we started a 100 day gratitude challenge. And that makes today day 100 of that challenge. Congratulations! You did it! You made it though!

Now what? Should we dismiss gratitude and go on with our lives? Personally, I plan to keep gratitude in my heart, and I hope you do too.

Every day is a gift from God. And gratitude is a decision ...

Luke 24

Read Luke 24 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here. I can’t believe we have reached the end of the book of Luke! I sure hope you have enjoyed going through this journey with me!

A few days after Jesus’ death, some of His friends had the privilege of seeing Him again. Jesus is alive!! While Jesus’ death is important, His resurrection is even more significant. If we do not believe He was raised from the dead, then we do not believe the Gospel.

Why is it so important? For one thing, it ...

Luke 23

Read Luke 23 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

There are a couple of things in this chapter that reveal how magnificent God’s grace is. What Jesus did on the cross means we have access to the unmerited favor of God. Although we deserve the worst, we can have the best, if we accept Jesus. The grace of God is the most amazing and precious gift we will ever receive. And in this chapter there are a couple of incidents that show us how big His grace is.

One example is in verse 34 whe...

Luke 22

Read Luke 22 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. – Luke 22:42-44

In this part of the story, Jesus’ death is approaching. I can only imagine the torment that He went through, knowing what He was facing. Yet, for several reasons, ...

Luke 21

Read Luke 21 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” – Luke 21:1-4

Christmastime is about giving. People seem to be more generous around this holiday...

Luke 20

Read Luke 20 in your Bible. Or you can also read it here.

In Luke 20 we see different instances where the people tried to trick Jesus into saying something wrong. These people were from an influential group during that time, yet they often disagreed with Jesus and His views. They should have been a group that was respected, but Jesus warns us against them.

In verse 20 it says, “Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere.”

And in verses 46-47, Jesus said, ...