Legalism vs. Love: The Heart of the Matter

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Christian Living, God, Jesus, legalism, Love, relationship

Photo by Vali S. on Pexels.com

Happy fall, readers! I am so excited for autumn to be here and everything that comes with it. Pumpkin spice lattes, brilliant colors, cool crisp temperatures, warm sweaters and scarves. It’s gotta be my favorite season of all.

Meanwhile, I’m feeling really bad about my failure of late to post regularly on my blog, so I’m making up for it with a super long post that has actually been a long time in the draft box being written and rewritten.

This is a topic near to my heart in which I share some of my personal experiences and thoughts that comprised my journey from legalism to love. If you’ve been in a similar place spiritually, then you’ll probably relate to a lot of things in my post.

The Art of Hanging Out with Yourself

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God's presence, God's voice, introvert, personal, problem-solving, quiet, silence, solitude, think

Photo by Pete Johnson on Pexels.com

This week I had a few days off, so my sister and I decided to take this opportunity to go stay at a peaceful, secluded Airbnb in the mountains near where we live and just get some quality rest and relaxation.

This place is seriously an introvert’s paradise. It’s secluded (i.e. private!), but situated in a gated community near a small town, so not too far away from civilization; also, it is quiet. Like, really quiet. Did I mention quiet? Which needs no words of recommendation for the introvert. Plus, it’s beautiful. The living room window and back porch open out to an incredible view over a valley, with pines, oaks, and other greenery scattered around, and frequent wildlife activity. It’s amazing! Peaceful, quiet, relaxing. A much-needed retreat from the daily stress and obligations of life.

I love to be alone. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again. I really enjoy being by myself. Other people might think I’m crazy for wanting to spend an entire day or weekend alone at home, but I thrive on solitude. I think it’s my natural state.

Being alone is so peaceful, relaxing, and non-stressful. You add other humans into the mix, and I start to feel my stress level rising, depending on the specific people involved.

But give me a day or two to just immerse myself in utter solitude, and I feel refreshed, revitalized, and filled with world-conquering confidence.

Maybe that’s not so surprising. After all, I am an introvert (my personality type is INTP, if you’re into that)–and if you consider yourself an introvert, you probably relate to me on some level.

But, whether you’re an introvert or not, there is something special about spending time away from the bustle and noises of the world, away from the constant demands and voices of people and parties, business and machinery.

Are You Missing Out On An Adventure? — Come Awake

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adventure, Christian Living, God, great things, inspiration, ministry

Check out this great post from Come Awake (link below).

Even though our lives as Jesus followers can seem overwhelmingly mundane and ordinary at times, God designed us all to do great things for him! That doesn’t mean that every day will be a red letter day for God’s kingdom, but we also can’t lose sight of the big dreams and goals He has put in our hears. While you’re living your life, don’t get discouraged in the everyday things. Keep going, and as William Carey, missionary to India, said, “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

The other morning my husband and I were walking out to our cars to drive to work. The air was fresh and the sky was a little overcast. My husband looked over at me and said, “Today feels like a good day for an adventure.” And it did. Being the responsible adults that we are, […]

via Are You Missing Out On An Adventure? — Come Awake

Quote of the Week | To Love and Be Loved

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courage, God's love, inspiration, Love, strength

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. ~ Lao Tzu

What would life be like without people to love and to love us back? I’m extremely blessed in that I have never gone a moment in my life without knowing that someone loves me. It’s experiencing a constant and unconditional love like this that fuels my response of loving them back in the same way.

Happy Easter! From A Writer’s Reflections

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easter, holiday, Jesus, reflections, resurrection, risen, Spiritual Reflections, Spring, sunday

Happy Easter/Resurrection Day! Today was a full day of worship, fellowship with my family, friends, and church, lots of good food, and enjoying the blessings that God has given.

Unfortunately that also made me too busy to write my own post commemorating Easter Sunday, so instead I’m sharing this beautiful post below by Anna from her blog Ginger Tea & Sympathy.

Take some time to really think on and consider what happened on this day 2,000 years ago and what it means to you.

“The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” (Matthew 28:5-6 NIV) The Holy Week is past and today we celebrate the resurrection […]

via Joyful Easter — Ginger Tea & Sympathy

My Theme for the New Year

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dialogue, God, inspiration, interactive, new year, prayer, resolution, theme, word

 

 

For the past few years, I’ve been asking God for a special word or theme that He wants me to focus on during the new year. Last year, it was “loving others with an unconditional love and compassion”; the year before that it was “abiding in Christ.”

Asking, Seeking, Knocking: Why Don’t We See Answers?

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answers, ask, asking seeking knocking, door, inspiration, knock, matthew 7:7, opened, scripture, seek

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

~Matthew 7:7-11

Matthew 7:7 may be one of the most quoted verses in the Bible, and yet, ironically, one of the least to be actually understood and carried out in a believer’s life.

Why do I say that? Well, in my limited experience, I’ve heard that verse quoted and seen it engraved on plaques and statues, hung in churches and homes, and adorning jewelry and pictures to no end. But very rarely have I heard a Christian talk about the concepts of that verse as being real and true in their life, about how God has been rewarding their diligent practice of asking, seeking, and knocking.

Ask, Seek, Knock | From The Life Project Blog

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answers, ask seek knock, God, life, prayer, reblog, truth

Hey everyone,

I apologize for being so silent lately on my blog. I promise you I’m still alive and well–more busy than usual actually. Work, travel, random stuff. All of that.

I have been working on several posts recently; I just haven’t been spending enough time to perfect any of them…lol. Anyway, my aim is to change that and actually start getting regular posts out again.

I’ve been working on a post about this well-known verse: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

But recently I also saw this post by Don Merritt on The Life Project blog talking about this same topic and thought it was a really good summary of what Jesus was teaching here. Check it out below!

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“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if […]

via Ask, Seek, Knock — The Life Project

14 Things About Life I Wish I Could Tell My 14-year-old Self

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advice, future, Identity, inspiration, teenager, younger self

By Arkady on Unsplash

I think out of all the awkward teenage years, fourteen is one of the most awkward. It’s just the worst. It’s right in the transition stage between childhood and adulthood; you’re still feeling like a kid in many ways, but your mind and body (not to mention your family, friends, and culture) tell you you’re not one anymore. So you shift hesitantly into “adulting mode,” but the minute you do, you start skidding out of control and bumping into anything and everything with the klutzy grace only a teenager can manage.

Yeah. You need some serious help. You probably have parents waiting to impart a wealth of wisdom and advice, but sometimes there are things about life that just can’t or won’t be learned from parents. Sometimes a true grasp of these things will only come through many years of trial and error in the classroom of life.

At any rate, don’t you wish 14-year-old you could have reached into the future and had a nice chat with your mature, responsible grown-up self? You’d probably have a better chance than anyone else of actually jolting some sense of seriousness into yourself.

Crossing Over the Great Wall of Fear

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anxiety, fear, God, inspiration, Jesus, Love, victory

First of all, uh…no, I did not get this post out when I was planning. Here’s an apology for being over three weeks late. But in my defense, in those weeks, I’ve started a new job, or maybe two new jobs, if you want to get technical; I’ve been planning and preparing for a two-and-a-half week long trip to Europe with my sister that we are leaving for on Tuesday; and just a lot of other stuff thrown in there too. In other words, I’ve been busy.

However, I’ve also spent a lot of time laying out my thoughts for this post, so I really hope it will be an aid and encouragement to you! Winning the battle against fear is a topic that I believe we as Christians need so badly and seems to be often overlooked in our circles as a legitimate problem to address.