Category Archives: Bible

Truth for Today #2

Thursday January 13

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during the week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth this year!

2 Peter 1: 16-21

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father , and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 

Isaiah 55: 9-11

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it will accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

From Maristella:

Deuteronomy 31:8

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

From Vera:

Jeremiah 9:23-24

“Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

From Winneyb:

Psalm 27:1-5 (AMP)

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life—
Whom shall I dread?

When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.

Though an army encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
Even in this I am confident.

One thing I have asked of the Lord, and that I will seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life,
To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.

From Nikkipolani:

Psalm 50:3

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, And it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.

From HappyOne (Karen)

Job 19:25

For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.

From Cheryl:

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

From Willow:

Isaiah 41:10.

Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.

 

Truth for Today

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during the week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth this year!

Thursday January 6, 2022

Isaiah 40:26 ~ Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 

2 Timothy 2:19 ~ But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”

Philippians 3:20 ~ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

From Sue:

Philippians 3:20 ~ But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

From Vera:

“And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭9:12-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Whenever I see a rainbow not only does it remind me of this promise but it also reminds me that God is so trustworthy.”

 

Hello December Hodgepodge

It’s Time My Friends for Wednesday Hodgepodge hosted by the lovely Jo From This Side of the Pond!

1. When it comes to gift giving are you more of a ‘create something from scratch’ or a ‘buy something in a shop’ kind of giver? Tell about a favorite homemade gift you’ve given or one you’ve received. 

I am a ‘buy something in a shop’ kind of giver. My favorite homemade gifts these days come from our little grands.

2. Do you have the ‘gift of gab’? Is that a blessing or a curse? 

Simple answer is no, I do not have the gift of gab. There are times when I’m worked up that I can go on and on but usually I can be pretty boring in conversation.  Coming out with one liners is more my style. A blessing would be that I might not say more than I need to say and end up offending.

3. What’s something you have going on that you need/want to ‘wrap up’ this month? 

I need to buy some items for the church kitchen before the end of the year and submit the receipts so the expenditures are taken out of this years budget.

4. A food you love that is ‘wrapped’ in some way?

Blintzes, burritos, tacos…

5. December is upon us…share something here (quote, verse, poem, song lyric, your own thoughts) related to the word hope. 

I’ve been going through a commentary on 1 Peter after reading 1 Peter for a month and this section of Scripture on Hope is where I would focus my meditation.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

And from the commentary on this section of Scripture;

“Peter goes on to declare that regeneration results in believers receiving a living hope. The unbelieving world knows only dying hopes (Job 8:13; Prov. 10:28; Eph. 2:12) but believers have a living, undying hope (Pss.33:18; 39:7; Rom. 5:5; Eph. 4:4; Titus 2:13; Heb. 6:19)  that will come to a  complete, final, and glorious fulfillment (Rom. 5:2; Col. 1:27). It is hope that Peter later described when he wrote, “according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. This hope is what prompted Paul to tell the Philippians, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. At death believers’ hope becomes reality as they enter the glorious presence of God and the full, unhindered, joyous fellowship with the Trinity, the angels, and other saints. (Rom. 5:1-2; Gal. 5:5)

The means of Christians’ appropriating this living hope and eternal inheritance is spiritual birth, and the power for that appropriation was demonstrated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. …Christ rose from the dead, forever securing the believer’s living hope in heaven by finally conquering death.

~The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 1 Peter.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Slowly, slowly the Christmas decorations are being put up here. This week is starting out slow for me physically and mentally. I’m blaming it on the turkey! Welcome December!

O Blessed Hour ~ Hymn

O Blessed Hour

O blessèd hour when first I knew
Jesus, my dear Savior,
When to the cross my soul He drew,
Jesus, my dear Savior;
’Twas there I found sweet peace and rest,
A trembling joy within my breast,
A precious Friend, a heav’nly Guest,
Jesus, my dear Savior.

He rolled the burden from my soul,
Jesus, my dear Savior,
He made my wounded spirit whole,
Jesus, my dear Savior;
He banished all my grief and pain,
He washed away my guilty stain;
He made my heart rejoice again,
Jesus, my dear Savior.

What can I do for this kind Friend,
Jesus, my dear Savior?
I’ll love Him, serve Him to the end,
Jesus, my dear Savior;
And when at last my work is o’er,
And I shall reach the heav’nly shore,
I’ll sing His praises evermore,
Jesus, my dear Savior.

Words: Charles T. Groenendyke, 1898.

The Ark Finale

Today I’m wrapping up my Ark Encounter posts with a hodgepodge of photos I took inside the three level Ark. If you ever find yourself in Kentucky you really should put a stop at the Ark in your itinerary! The next overnight stop on our Land That we Love Tour was Berea, Kentucky.

Possible water storage on the ark.

There is a lot about the whole Ark experience that Noah and his family had that the Bible does not spell out. The Ark Encounter made it clear when they were taking artistic license.

A devotional popped up in my email about the time of Noah that I’ll share parts of here. It’s from Drawing Near by John MacArthur.

Genesis 6:5 says, “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Before moving in judgment against the most evil and corrupt society in history, God appointed Noah to build an ark, which became a symbol of life and salvation to all who believed God. For those who disbelieved, it represented impending death and judgment.

Concurrent with constructing the ark, Noah preached about coming judgment. Peter called him “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5), and every board he cut and nail he drove in was a living illustration of the urgency of his message.

God’s warning was stern and His message horrifying, but His patience and mercy prevailed for 120 years. As Peter said, “The patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark” (1 Pet. 3:20). The people had ample warning of judgment, but they chose to disregard Noah’s message.

As sad as the account of Noah’s day is, perhaps the greatest tragedy is that man’s attitude toward God hasn’t changed since then. Jesus said, “The coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:37-39).

After 120 years of diligent work and faithful preaching by Noah, only eight people entered the ark. But God’s purposes were accomplished and the human race was preserved.

For your information there are many attractions on the Ark Encounter grounds. Ararat Ridge Zoo, camel rides, kangaroo walk about, Rainbow Gardens, The Village Smokehouse (food), Emzara’s restaurant (food), Southwest Grill (food), Zophar’s (food), Free Fall Tower, Zip-Line Tower, Truth Traveler Virtual Reality Experience (separate ticket for this event along with the Screaming Eagle Zip Lines and Aerial Adventure), Family Playground, Noah’s Village has pizza, burgers, hot dogs, soft serve and hand dipped ice cream and funnel cakes. Strollers and wheel chairs along with motorized wheel chairs are available.

Monument Walk at the Ark Encounter

On the way to the entrance of the Ark you walk through these monuments.

So much Biblical history illustrated and memorialized at the Ark Encounter!

For those of you following our Land That We Love Tour I’m sure you’ve noticed the amazing weather we’ve had all along the way. This ‘Encounter’ was on the 27th of September.  One more hodgepodge of a post is coming from our Ark Encounter. Thank you for following along.

Sunday the 14th was a full morning until early afternoon for us as we were in charge of facilitating from the kitchen an all church potluck breakfast for about 200 people. It all came together nicely and we even had leftovers. Always hard to know what will happen at a potluck. Favorite conversation of the morning with a young lad newer to our church, “Is this all free?” and I answered. “Yes it is.” And he countered with, “when we go to restaurants everything costs money”. And I said, well…this is not a restaurant, this is a church, all of this is free.” 🙂  My feet, legs, and back are recovering from our time on Sunday. Hope you had a good weekend.

The Ark Encounter Continued

The 7 D’s of Deception. The Fairy Tale concepts of Noah’s Ark.

One of the displays/sections of the Ark that really struck me was the section they had displayed as Fairytale.

The 7 D’s of Deception

This made me think and examine how we teach Biblical events.

We purchased a children’s book about the Ark that was faithful to the whole story.

This is a very busy weekend for me with my responsibilities in the church kitchen. I’ll be putting my feet up on Sunday evening.

Have a great weekend.

This is a continuation of our Land That We Love Tour.

 

Inside the Ark~The Door

There were several displays inside the Ark that were so meaningful to me and one in particular that was a wake up call to me. I’ll be sharing more in the days to come as I’m able to upload the photos.

Back at our country internet I’m having challenges in uploading some of the photos in the order that we saw them but this display about the door was so meaningful to us that I uploaded the photos at our hotel in Kentucky with decent internet service.

There was only one door in the Ark. Noah’s family and the animals entered the Ark that would save them from the destruction of the world through that one door. We also enter the door provided for us for our salvation and that one door is Jesus Christ.

John 10:9 ~ I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved.

We were at the Ark Encounter on Monday September 27th as part of our Land That We Love Tour.

The Ark Encounter

This was a highlight on our Land That We Love Tour. We had this encounter 6 weeks ago on Monday September 27th. We drove 31 miles north of our hotel in Georgetown, Kentucky on Interstate 75 to the Williamstown exit. We got off the interstate and found the parking lot for the Ark Encounter. We bought our tickets (2 seniors 85.76 total with tax) and boarded the bus to take us to the Ark.

We followed God’s promise to get into the Ark grounds.

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark, it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” Genesis 9:8-17 (ESV)

510 feet long, 85 feet wide, 51 feet high

Largest timber-frame structure in the world. Made with a variety of woods, including Engelmann spruce, Douglas Fir, radiata pine and bamboo.

3.3 million board feet of lumber.

On July 5, 2016, the Board of Directors of Answers in Genesis and Ark Encounter laid these 12 stones to signify that the life-size Noah’s Ark was built to remind coming generations and the whole world of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s Word.

From Joshua 4:3, 6-7, 24 in the Old Testament of the Bible: “Take twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan…When your children ask someday, “What do these twelve stones mean to you?” you shall tell them…these stones are a memorial…that everyone on earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty and that you may fear the Lord your God forever.

Dressed and ready for our tour.

After walking through Monument Walk we were ready to enter the Ark. That will be for another day. There was so much to see and so much to read and learn or re-learn about Noah and the Ark and so much more.

Enjoying the Light Hodgepodge

1. Three things you’re grateful for this first week of November? 

*The two Bible studies I’m in. One on Mondays in the book of 2 Timothy and a ladies Bible Study on Thursdays in 1st and 2nd Kings on Trusting God. Both are real good and I’m thankful for the teachers and the content of the studies.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

2 Kings: 18:5-7 “He trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD. He did not depart from following him, but kept the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; wherever he went out, he prospered.

*Dear painted our storage closet and that involved emptying it out and then organizing things better when we put the stuff back in.  We were able to transfer stuff to my garage instead of keeping it in the house. Neat and tidy for now! Here’s a peek in the door. I’ll show more photos at another time.

*Thankful that we can trust in God especially while the world is going down the wrong path.

2. Is Daylight Savings Time a thing where you live? Do you think we should continue setting the clocks forward and back? Why or why not? If you could add an extra hour to your day would you want it added morning-noon-night? Do you think it likely you’d be more productive or more likely that you’d just waste more time? 
Yes, the manipulation of the clocks is a thing here. I think we should leave well enough alone. It just messes with our internal clocks. Given the choice I’d take an extra hour in the morning. I am more productive in the morning for sure. I’m more productive when in a pinch so the extra time would probably be easier to waste.
~
3. Who is  your favorite author? Your favorite book by your favorite author? 
I don’t think I can narrow it down to just one. I have different favorites in different genres.
In the world of fiction: George MacDonald ~ Sir Gibbie
Fiction: Elizabeth Goudge ~ The Dean’s Watch
and Historical Fiction: Stephen Lawhead ~ Byzantium
In the world of fantasy: J.R.R. Tolkien ~ Lord of the Rings (3 volumes) and C.S. Lewis: Narnia Series
Christian Authors: Devotionals: Any by Charles H. Spurgeon, Doctrinal books: by John MacArthur ~ The Gospel According to Jesus and by Alistair Begg ~ Pathway to Freedom
~
4. It’s National Sandwich Day…will you celebrate? How often do you eat a sandwich? What’s your favorite? 

We don’t eat sandwiches regularly anymore. The last sandwich I had was a turkey sandwich. I love a good Salami sandwich and a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwich, too.

5. Have you started your Christmas shopping? If so when did you start? If not when will you start? Do you give more or fewer gifts than you did five years ago? 

We bought some small things on our trip across the U.S.A. in September. In October we bought a couple more gifts. We give more gifts now than 5 years ago because we have two grandchildren now!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Fun times in October!

Our grandkids and our daughters-in-law enjoying all the sunshine they can get. We all love it when Auntie Lolo comes to visit. These are all photos that she took.