Our Celebration Gathering is cancelled Sunday (1/25) due to bad road conditions and will be moved to a virtual meeting. Members, please refer to your email for details. 

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Growing up in a Christian home, the Bible has always been an important book in my life. I was in sixth grade when I first felt a conviction to read it on a daily basis. I was also in sixth grade when I first felt a struggle in my heart. The struggle to read my Bible became a legalistic issue almost when it became a conviction. Reading and studying God's word became something that I knew I should do, and when I didn't, I felt condemned. Yet, in the midst of what would be a 27-year struggle, God used his word in my life in powerful ways. God's word taught me and spoke to me through many times and seasons.

...Toward the end of the seminar, he made a very simple statement that had a huge impact on the way I read my Bible. He said, "When you read the Bible, always look for the gospel." That's it, no magic formula, just an admonition to look for the gospel. He had, of course, prior to that statement spent time teaching us how the Bible is God's story of redemption and that it all points to Christ....

In our world, particularly southern Ohio, we find very little literal wilderness. We are not surrounded by land that is dry, deserted, lonely, or lacking life. As I sit by the window of my home and look out I see rain, green vegetation, blooming flowers, birds, and a steady stream of cars passing by that remind me that people are never far from me. But despite the realities of life in nature, and a population of people nearby, most of us walk through the wilderness at times.

David teaches us that being discouraged is part of the life of faith but he also teaches us what do in those times of discouragement.

This past Sunday Steve preached on the Ascension of Christ. The glorious truth about Jesus being in heaven as my representative before the Father made me want to weep. The enormity of what Jesus had done, and is still doing for me, is so overwhelming. It can be easy to hear a sermon and then go on as usual afterwards without letting the impact of the word affect our lives. James calls this being a hearer of the word and exhorts us to also be doers.

Biblical Resources to encourage you in the task of mothering.

Perhaps you don't think much about a new year because life just goes on as it always has. Perhaps the extra eating, lack of routine, and money spent over the holidays has you longing for order. Perhaps you look at the new year as a chance to improve. Perhaps you look at a new year with an attitude of defeat as you consider all that is going wrong in your life or in the world. Perhaps this new year brings about some regret for all the ways you didn't change last year or the failures that you see. Perhaps this new year brings about a anxiousness and fear of the unknown. Or perhaps you are an optimist and have high hopes and expectations for this year and have joy and confidence as you think about it. I relate with pretty much all of these thoughts. I expect that life will march on much the same as it has yet I do long for more order and improvement and, I am tempted to worry about what this year may hold. I am not much of an optimist but I know that I can face this new year with joy and confidence no matter what my own thoughts and fears may be.

Growing up in a Christian home, the Bible has always been an important book in my life. I was in 6th grade when I first felt personal conviction that I should read it on a daily basis. I was also in 6th grade when a struggle began in my heart. The struggle to read my Bible became a legalistic issue almost as soon as it became a conviction. Reading and studying God's word became something that I knew I should do and when I didn't I stood ready to be condemned. And yet, in the midst of what would be a 27-year struggle God used his word in my life in powerful ways. I had many seasons of growing from what I learned in God's word and many times that it spoke to me directly.

George Mueller, famous for his faith in God to provide for the many orphans he cared for, is said to have stayed in his time with the Lord each morning until his soul was happy in Jesus. And the scriptures remind us that God's mercies are new every morning because of His faithfulness so we have been given a recurring gift from God to start each day with joy in the morning. Not the kind of joy that is based on how we feel about the circumstances of the day but an inner joy that comes from being accepted by the Father through Christ's sacrifice for our sins and a trust in God's faithfulness!

In just three days my oldest daughter will be married. How did we get here so fast? As I looked for an old blog post to share with you all today this one reminded me, though I am now in a different season of life, to cling to Jesus in the midst of whatever situation I find myself in. That I am reconciled to God through the blood of the cross and have the Spirit living and actively at work in me is truth I don't want to lose sight of - even in the midst of busy wedding preparations!