“X” – A to Z Challenge

April 28th, 2016 dsisler

 

I find that “x” is the most difficult letter to write about during this A to Z Challenge. I use words that begin with “q” or “z”…maybe not every day, but there are common words that begin with these letters. Not so with the letter “x.”

 

xFor instance, when was the last time you had a conversation about Xerxes? Or when did you last use the word xi in a sentence? Or when was the last time you Xeroxed something? Not so common.

 

I will admit that I think of Xenia more often. That’s where my son and his family live. And I might be more apt to read about Xanthan Gum or Xylitol as I read an ingredient label. But do I really know what these ingredients are? No.

 

So you see, “x” is a toughy. So now that I have the challenge out of the way (I wrote about the letter “x”), I can now write about something that is closer to my heart.

 

I’m heading to our final gathering of Women’s Bible Connection today. There will be a beautiful banquet awaiting these ladies and we will enjoy one another’s company during this spring brunch. I will miss the time spent with these ladies each week. But will embrace the friendships and bonds that have been created through these months of Bible study together. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) reminds us to “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Thank you for your encouragement and “spurring.” It’s been a blessing.

 

This weekend at Rocky is our annual Baptism Celebration. I am so blessed when these services come around. We have a large group of folks who have already signed up for this service. I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for Rocky on this exciting day.

 

Another exciting day coming our way is Mother’s Day. We have a guest speaker coming to share with us. Elisa Morgan, was CEO of MOPS International for over two decades and has written more than 25 books on mothering, spiritual formation and evangelism. Elisa co-costs a daily radio program (Discover the Word) and is a dynamic speaker. I can’t wait to hear this special Mother’s Day message at Rocky.

 

Finally, I am looking forward to a trip to Phoenix next week to re-connect with Senior Administrative Assistants all across the US. I learned a lot last year and met so many wonderful ladies…I’m sure it will a huge blessing to me again this year.

 

So there you have it. Some of the things that are close to my heart this morning. If you can come up with a word that begins with the letter “x” that you use in your day-to-day living, I’d love to hear about it! For that matter, I’d love to hear from you about anything you’re thinking about. Why not drop me a line?

 

Until tomorrow and the letter “y”, have a blessed day!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“W” – A to Z Challenge

April 27th, 2016 dsisler

 

One of my “new” favorite things to do is write Scripture. It is the first thing I do each morning. This morning for my Scripture writing exercise, I wrote Matthew 6:25-34.

 

wOver and over, I wrote the word “worry.” What a great reminder for me (and maybe for yourself) to trust God with every portion of my life.

 

Today, I want you to read this passage of Scripture. If you are tempted to worry, perhaps you’ll think of these words and instead of worrying, you’ll pass that along to our heavenly Father. Do you job and let God do His. What a perfect relationship this really is!

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34 – NIV)

 

What a great reminder! I pray that you will have a worry-free day!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“V” – A to Z Challenge

April 26th, 2016 dsisler

 

I sure wish today’s letter was the letter “u” because I could talk about umbrellas! It is raining and storming here this morning. But it’s not the letter “u” I’ll be writing about today. Today is all about the “v.”

 

vI was a gardener years ago. I loved to be in the garden. I loved the process of gardening. I loved the produce harvested from the garden. I loved the garden.

 

When I moved to Colorado nearly 12 years ago, we attempted a garden. What I found here though, was that it was a lot more work! With the dry climate and the drought, there were always plants to water in the garden. That large garden only happened one time.

 

So I thought I’d try a few tomato plants…and then I finally gave up. It’s just too difficult for me to grow a single thing in Colorado. Or perhaps my desires have changed. Regardless, I don’t garden any longer.

 

One thing that I do remember about gardening is that when you plant a vegetable that grows on a vine, you better give it lots of space. Those vine will twist and turn and climb and grow. They are amazing plants.

 

Another thing I remember about vines is that there are always hidden vegetables under the leaves. If you miss a yellow squash or zucchini you can count on getting a fairly large vegetable that is big enough to feed an army.

 

So with the craziness that comes with vines, I wonder why Jesus referred to Himself as the Vine in John 15:5? I think I have an idea.

 

Even though the branches of these vines go crazy and wild, the vine itself is well-rooted and established. As followers of Jesus, we can be attached to the Vine and receive all the nutrients and stability it provides, but sometimes we just go crazy and wild. Sometimes it’s a good thing and other times, not so much. This is an area where we need to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and allow His to move in the direction God has already prepared in advance for us.

 

Another thing about the branches are they go, go, go. As believers, we are to do the same. Go. Where? Wherever the Lord takes you. It may be across the street, across town or across the world, but we must go. We cannot keep this beautiful message to ourselves.

 

Which brings me to the hidden fruit on the branch. We cannot keep the fruit of the Spirit hidden. We must produce fruit and we must show our fruit to others. Are you hiding a talent or a skill that God could use for His Kingdom? You know that’s not why you have that talent or skill, right?

 

Are you hiding some bad fruit? You know those secret sins that you don’t want anyone to know about? If so, those sins need to be brought out into the light and dealt with. There’s no hiding from God.

 

And finally, when a branch is cut from the vine, it will die. The life is in the vine. This is such a vital piece to this analogy. We cannot survive unless we are connected to Jesus Christ and His people. Don’t isolate yourself from the Lord or others. Get connected and stay connected. That is where you will find abundant life.

 

As we go through our day today, let’s think of the many ways we can represent Christ (the Vine) as His Church (the branches) by being His hands and feet, by moving throughout our community, by showing the fruit that is produced in our lives and by staying connected.

 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 – NIV)

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“U” – A to Z Challenge

April 25th, 2016 dsisler

 

We’re coming to the end of this A to Z Challenge. I pray that you have found some interesting, encouraging and spiritually uplifting words through the month of April. I will miss April!

 

uWe have made the rounds to the letter “u.” Umbrella. Understanding. Unchanging. Unfailing. Unwholesome. Unproductive. Unity. These were all contenders for my theme of the day, but they all fell short as I remembered some of Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians. Today let’s talked about unnamed saints.

 

A while back, I read through the Epistles and I recalled how this passage from 2 Corinthians 8:18-19 (NIV) impacted me.

 

“And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.”

 

Paul never mentions this servant of Christ by name. Apparently there was no need. This person was known among the churches for what he was doing and therefore needed no mention.

 

And then if that were not enough, Paul continues to describe the traveling troupe. “In addition, we are sending with them (Titus and the unnamed servant of Christ above) our brother who has often raved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you.” (2 Corinthians 8:21 – NIV)

 

A zealous brother in Christ would be stopping by as well. But again, this no-named servant was given great praise, but not specifically called by name.

 

These two men were well known. Perhaps these little clues were all that the Corinthians believers needed to know.

 

However, do you suppose there was discussion among the Corinthian church as to who these men might be? Surely there were more than just two who fit these descriptions.

 

The obvious might be Barnabas. He was known for his encouragement of others. He was a partner with the apostle Paul. He was also known for his travel. Maybe it was Barnabas.

 

Or maybe it was Paul’s friend and companion Luke. Luke traveled with Paul to gather information for the Book of Acts. Luke was present for many miraculous acts and numerous messages shared by Paul. Imagine the stories that could have been told by Luke (oh wait, we have a 28-chapter book with much of this information).

 

We know it wasn’t Titus, he is mentioned in this passage.

 

If we look back to Acts 20:4 (NIV), we read who were traveling with Paul to take the offering gathered from the churches to Judea. I would say these two men are mentioned in this list.

 

“He (Paul) was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychius and Trophimus from the province of Asia.”

 

These are virtually unknown men to us, but apparently they were great leaders of the early church. These were the men who made things happen in the first century. They loved Jesus. They served Him faithfully. They were generous. They were men of integrity. They were willing to go into harm’s way. They were leaders.

 

And these men were also humble. Humble enough that their names were not mentioned in the Corinthian letter.

 

What are you known for? When others speak of you, do they need to mention your name or are you known by your characteristics? Are you a person of integrity? Do you serve faithfully? Are you a generous giver? Are you humble?

 

I would love for my name to be missing from my tombstone and these words written instead. “She was praised by all the churches for her service to the gospel.” And when these words were read that they would know exactly who was buried there. This almost seems unimaginable.

 

But for these men of Paul’s day, it was possible. These men had offered their entire lives to god for His use. They had given themselves unselfishly to be used in God’s Kingdom. They had allowed God to work through them to do His will.

 

Perhaps we will never know who these unnamed saints were until we meet them face-to-face in heaven. These are just two more I’ll have to add to my list to visit with in eternity. I cannot wait!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Kindnesses of the Lord

April 24th, 2016 dsisler

 

“I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.” (Isaiah 63:7 – NIV)

 

August 2004 Trip2 018mWhat beautiful words from the prophet Isaiah! And what a great reminder for us to tell others of all the good that the Lord has done for us. When is the last time you told someone of just one good thing the Lord has done for you? Maybe this is a lesson for each one of us. I pray that there will be an opportunity today for you and me to share the goodness and kindness of our heavenly Father.

 

I’m so excited to share today’s repeat blog post. I pray that you will find some encouragement and hope in the words that follow.

 

Encouragement and Hope

 

As you may know, our lead pastor and a few others on staff are giving daily Bible readings to ponder through the summer. On Monday, we receive a listing of five passages to read each day. We’ve been given the S.O.A.P. method for reading and meditating on these verses. It’s been such a joy to be in God’s Word in this manner. Today’s passage was especially meaningful.

 

Romans 15:1-4 is the passage of the day. These four verses are packed with wisdom. Bear with one another. Encourage the weak. Please our neighbors for the good it brings out in us. But then there is this little gem.

 

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 – NIV)

 

If you’ve read my blog for any period of time you know my love of Scripture. It’s even more endearing to me after reading this verse.

 

Life is tough. Junk happens. And to be honest, sometimes seeking guidance from God’s Word is the last thing we do. But when we are at the end of our rope we can find encouragement and hope through God’s Word. The Bible contains the sweetest words we could ever read.

 

Another little thing I read this morning was a reminder to use Scripture to fight off the attacks of the evil one. When we face these battles with the words, “It is written,” the devil must flee. He knows the power of God’s Word. When we use Scripture against him, he’ll find another to attack.

 

I believe God’s Word holds the key to every difficult (or lovely) situation in our lives. They may not be specific words, but as we’ve seen in Romans 15:4, we will find encouragement and hope by spending time in God’s Word. And sometimes that is exactly what we need.

 

If you are facing a battle today, pick up your copy of the Bible. Read Romans 15:4. Let the evil one know that you aren’t going down without a fight. Be specific. Speak it out loud. Don’t be afraid of the one who wants to destroy your faith. God is bigger and stronger and more powerful than anything the deceiver will throw at you. Ever.

 

I’ll be praying for you today. Oh, I don’t know specifically what is going on in your life, but God does. I don’t know each name of those who will read my blog, but God does. And God will work in your life, because His Word says He will.

 

It is written.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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    "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19


    I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in southwest Ohio.

    I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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    In September 2012 I went to SE Asia on a service trip. For more information, check out preachitclearly.blogspot.com.

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