The Altar

April 3rd, 2016 dsisler

 

My very first blog post was about fear. I was fearful to put my words out there for the world to read, but overcame that fear with the Lord’s help.

 

Colorado Sunrise

I was perusing Ezra recently and came to this verse. “Despite their fear of the people around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices.” (Ezra 3:3 – NIV)

 

They were fearful. There were plenty of folks around them who didn’t want to see the temple rebuilt and especially didn’t want to see the altar in use again. But despite their fear, they relied on the courage of the Lord and built the altar.

 

What are you fearful of? What is keeping you from following through on God’s Word to you? Will you allow fear to keep you frozen in place? I pray that you, like these brave men in Ezra’s day will move past your fear and do what God has asked of you. Remember, He is with you and will give you the courage you need to remove fear from your life.

 

Today’s repeat blog post will inspire and encourage. Blessings upon your day!

 

He Is

 

I heard a song years ago that I thought was unique. The songwriters went through the Books of the Bible and mention how Jesus was presented or represented or even what He does in each book. I heard it again yesterday.

 

So today, I bring you the lyrics to this and a link to where you can listen to it as well. I pray that you will be encouraged by this piece of music and that perhaps it is one way to memorize the Books of the Bible. I pray that you might also be encouraged by the many characteristics of our Savior.
“HE IS”

 

In Genesis, He’s the breath of life
In Exodus, the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He’s our High Priest
Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He’s Moses’ voice

 
In Joshua, He is salvation’s choice
Judges, law giver
In Ruth, the kinsmen-redeemer
First and second Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He’s sovereign

 

Ezra, true and faithful scribe
Nehemiah, He’s the rebuilder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He’s Mordecai’s courage
In Job, the timeless Redeemer
In Psalms, He is our morning song

 

In Proverbs, wisdom’s cry
Ecclesiastes, the time and season
In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover’s dream

 

He is, He is, HE IS!

 

In Isaiah, He’s Prince of Peace
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
In Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, He’s the call from sin
In Daniel, the stranger in the fire

 

In Hosea, He is forever faithful
In Joel, He’s the Spirits power
In Amos, the arms that carry us
In Obadiah, He’s the Lord our Savior
In Jonah, He’s the great missionary

 

In Micah, the promise of peace
In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He’s pleading for revival
In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage
In Zechariah, our fountain

 

In Malachi, He is the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

 

He is, He is, HE IS!

 

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God, Man, Messiah
In the book of Acts, He is fire from heaven
In Romans, He’s the grace of God
In Corinthians, the power of love
In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin

 

Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servants heart
In Colossians, He’s the Godhead Trinity
Thessalonians, our coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon He’s our mediator and our faithful Pastor

 

In Hebrews, the everlasting covenant
In James, the one who heals the sick.
In First and Second Peter, he is our Shepherd
In John and in Jude, He is the lover coming for His bride
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

 

He is, He is, HE IS!

 

The Prince of Peace
The Son of Man
The Lamb of God
The great I AM

 

He’s the Alpha and Omega
Our God and our Savior
He is Jesus Christ the Lord
and when time is no more
He is, HE IS![i]

 

If you want to listen to this song, click here. What I find wonderful about this link is that the person who put this Youtube video together took the time to reference each term or characteristic in that particular book. For further study, you could look up each reference.

 

Who is Jesus to you? Perhaps one of these phrases spoke clearly to you today. Perhaps the author of this song missed your favorite description of Jesus. If so, I’d love to hear about it.

 

I pray that you have found encouragement today through this piece of music. I was certainly encouraged yesterday and again today as I listened to it. What a wonderful Savior Jesus is!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] “HE IS,” Words by Jeoffrey Benward & Jeff Silvey, ©1994 Star Song

 

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“B” – A to Z Challenge

April 2nd, 2016 dsisler

 

I have struggled with reading through my life. I don’t know if my brain has a glitch in it (you can insert your remarks here if you’d like), but in the past, there would be times when I could not figure out what was on the written page.

 

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I suspect it has to do with my crazy migraine stuff (that’s another whole blog post), but most recently, I am able to focus and comprehend what is in a book.

 

Now I’ve never had difficulty with reading the Bible. It has always been the one book I’ve been able to read without struggling. But throw in a text book, or a commentary, or a self-help book, or any other book for that matter, and then I would struggle.

 

And here’s the thing. I love to learn. So I would have loved to enjoy reading all those years. I could have had so much more in this little brain of mine.

 

So can you imagine how excited I was when I picked up my first book and really understood it? When I could didn’t struggle to pick out one word from another? When at the end of paragraph or page I knew what I had read?

 

Well let me tell you, it was exciting. My brain had finally clicked into the right position for me to get the most of our reading a book. And I have fallen in love with reading.

 

I am going through Stephen Ministry training right now and there is a moderate amount of pre-class reading each week. Five years ago I would have probably given up by now or it would have taken me hours to pour over the words on the page. But now, I am able to whiz right through the reading assignments and love that I can understand what I’m reading.

 

Now you’re probably wondering, “what made the difference?” Crazy thing…my migraines cause memory loss. My doctor figured it out and then gave me a migraine preventer to try. I was so amazed at the change. And it was quick too.

 

Somehow, something has changed in my brain. And life is much easier because of it.Psalm

 

I had been praying and praying for this to be fixed and God answered my prayer. He placed Dr. Wanner in my life and in her brilliance, she was able to figure out this craziness in my head. God answered my prayer for understanding what I read in books. God answered my prayer for my memory to be restored (well most of it anyway). God was so good to me through this time of my life.

 

When this huge change happened, I felt like I had been given a second chance. So I began writing…a lot! I started writing novels and a blog and Bible studies. And it hasn’t stopped.

 

Now when I pick up a book, I am blessed with all the information that is pouring into my brain. I love the fact that I can read a page, understand what it says and then retain the information. It’s not something that I take for granted.

 

God’s Word has come alive for me. I recall passages much easier and I remember where many are (that’s a pretty big thing too). So today, I want to share a couple of verses from Psalm 119 that speak about God’s Word (the Bible or His Book) and how they affect my life. I pray that you are touched by these verses as well.

 

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 – NIV)

 

“May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word.” (Psalm 119:41-42 – NIV)

 

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm 119:103-105 – NIV)

 

And one more from Psalm 130:5 (NIV). “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.”

 

You may not have found such a miraculous change in your life as I have, but I pray that in the midst of what you are dealing with that you are able to hold tight to the Bible and God’s promises. Know that God is with you. Know that He loves you. Know that He desires good for you. Know that you are always on His mind. What great love the Father has for you.

 

I pray blessings upon your day.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“A” – A to Z Challenge

April 1st, 2016 dsisler

 

Today is April 1st which can mean something different to each individual. Of course, April fool’s day comes to mind automatically. For others, it could mean the end of one venture and the beginning of the next adventure. And still for others, it might be just another ordinary day.

 

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April 1st has come to be a welcomed day for me. For on this day, I accept a challenge to write something that corresponds with a letter of the alphabet. I’ve followed this A to Z Challenge since 2013 and it’s fun to see what I might come up with for each letter each year. This year is no different. So let the challenge begin!

 

The plan this year is not to have a plan. I’ll choose a word that begins with the letter of the day and write about it. However, there really is a plan. I already have my alphabet in place with words corresponding to the letter, so really I do have a plan. I just won’t know what I’ll write about for each day.

 

So today is the letter “A” and the word of the day is “appreciate.”

 

Boy do I have a lot to be appreciative of. Here’s my short list.

 

My husband – I just don’t know how I would get through this life without Mason. He is so supportive of all my desires. Even the ones that don’t make sense. I love him to the moon and back!

 

My kids and grandkids – How blessed I am with three beautiful children, their spouses and all the grandkids that come with them. They make me laugh, they make me cry, they give me great stories to share on my blog, and they bring such joy to my life. I will never be able to share how much I appreciate them…I love them so much!

 

My mom and dad – These two are my balcony people. They encourage me. They give advice. They have equipped me to be who I am today and each of them deserves the highest appreciation from me. These two are very special and hold very big portions of my heart. Love you Mom and Dad!

 

My family – While they drive me crazy at times, I know that when I need help or a hug or a prayer or a laugh, these are the folks who will do ANYTHING for me. Y’all are so appreciated. I pray that you know it.

 

My friends – Some have come and gone. Others are still within a shout when I need an encouraging word. Wherever you land in my friendship circle, I appreciate your acceptance of this friendship. I appreciate you and how you interact with me. You are the BEST!

 

My church family – Rocky has been so wonderful to me. How blessed I am to be part of this thriving community of believers. Thank you for taking me in! And an extra loud “thank you” to Shan for believing that I could assist you well. What appreciation I have for your leadership and friendship.

 

My God, my Savior, my Helper – Above all of these, I appreciate my heavenly Father, His Beloved Son and His Holy Spirit that dwells within me. Through God’s grace, Jesus’ sacrifice and the Holy Spirit’s nudging, I am able to call myself one His chosen, a part of His holy priesthood and one who belongs to Him. How blessed to be living in His wonderful light (these are all references to passages in 1 Peter 2).

 

Sometimes I forget how appreciative I am of all that I have, but today, it’s all about appreciation. Over and over in Scripture we are called to be thankful. You can take a look at a few: Psalm 28:7; Psalm 69:30 Colossians 2:6-7; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; and Hebrews 12:28-29.

 

Yes, there are plenty of things to appreciate today. I pray that you too will take the time to appreciate those who have blessed your life.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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“Because He Lives (Amen)” – Musical Musings in March

March 31st, 2016 dsisler

 

I know it’s late, but I wanted to be sure to get something out there for you all to listen to today…especially since today is the last day of March! Tomorrow begins the A to Z challenge! Yay! Another favorite month for me.

 

I thought I would share an uplifting, encouraging song for the last one this month. So what could be more encouraging than the thought that we have abundant life because Jesus lives? I can’t think of anything!

 

So as this day closes, let’s praise the One who has given us eternal life. The One who has triumphed over the grave. The One who calls you and me to come closer in our relationship with Him.

 

Hallelujah! Jesus is alive!

 

“Because He Lives (Amen)”[i]

 

I believe in the Son

I believe in the Risen One

I believe I overcome

By the power of His blood

 

Chorus:

Amen! Amen!

I’m alive, I’m alive

Because He lives

Amen! Amen!

I’m alive, I’m alive

Let my song join the one that never ends

Because He lives

 

I was dead in the grave

I was covered in sin and shame

I heard mercy call my name

He rolled the stone away

(Chorus)

 

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives every fear is gone

I know He holds my life, my future in His hands

(Chorus)

 

Another great song to listen to. Click here!

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] “Because He Lives (Amen),” words and music by Bill & Gloria Gaither, Matt Maher, Jason Ingram, Ed Cash, Daniel Carson and Chris Tomlin, Hanna Street Music, Sony/ATV Tree Publishing, I Am A Pilgrim Songs, Open Hands Music, Alletrop Music, sixsteps music, Worship Together Music, SDG Publishing, 2014

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“Your Grace Finds Me” – Musical Musings in March

March 30th, 2016 dsisler

 

Grace is a word that is used a lot in our Christ-follower circles today. We sing about it, we talk about it, we hear sermons about it. This word is found on our walls, on birth certificates and on journaling pages. Seems like “grace” is everywhere.

 

sunrise 1-28-15I pray that it hasn’t become a word that has lost some of its impact in our lives.

 

If someone were to ask you, how would you define grace? I suspect you might recall the acronym for grace: God’s Righteousness at Christ’s Expense. But does that really define grace? A Bible dictionary will give the definition of grace as the unmerited favor of God toward man.

 

Paul provides a beautiful picture of grace in Romans 3:22-24 (NIV). “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

 

A pretty cool thing about grace is that it is simple and yet thought-provoking. It can be explained to a child and yet scholars continue to study this word and concept.

 

But the best part is that God’s grace is available for any who choose to accept Jesus as their Savior. John 1:16 (NIV) tells us that “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.” The NASB version puts it this way. “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” I loved that. Grace upon grace.

 

I want to share a song about grace. Matt Redman recorded it and there are some beautiful pictures of grace in this song. I pray that you will find God’s grace in your day-to-day living. You really don’t have to search too hard to find it.

 

“Your Grace Finds Me”[i]

 

It’s there in a newborn cry
There in the light of every sunrise
There in the shadows of this life
Your great grace

 

It’s there on the mountain top
There in the everyday and the mundane
There in the sorrow and the dancing
Your great grace
Oh, such grace

 

From the creation to the cross
There from the cross into eternity
Your grace finds me
Yes, Your grace finds me

 

It’s there on the wedding day
There in the weeping by the graveside
There in the very breath we breathe
Your great grace

 

It’s the same for the rich and poor
The same for the saint and for the sinner
Enough for this whole wide world
Your great grace
Oh, such grace

 

There in the darkest night of the soul
There in the sweetest songs of victory
Your grace finds me
Yes your grace finds me

 

Your great grace
Oh such grace
Your great grace
Oh such grace

 

So I’m breathing in Your grace
And breathing out Your praise
I’m breathing in Your grace
Forever I’ll be

 

Your grace finds me
Yes Your grace finds me

 

You can listen by clicking here.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

[i] “Your Grace Finds Me,” words and music by Matt Redman and Jonas Myrin, Thank You Music, sixsteps Music, wowrshiptogether.com Songs, Said And Done Music, Shout! Music Publishing, 2013

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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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