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Review: Welcome to the Shivoo!
“Why do Christian creatives struggle to find belonging?” This is the first question asked by author Laura Bartnick in “Welcome to the Shivoo! Creatives Mimicking the Creator.” It’s a question I’ve struggled with as I navigate my way through blogging and now wading into the waters of fiction writing. Laura explains, “the term Shivoo is borrowed from Australian lingo meaning a boisterous party.” My first reaction was “Yes!” I want my writing to be like a party, a celebration, a fun thing I get to do to glorify God with the talents and opportunities He’s given me. “Welcome to the Shivoo!” is unique. It’s friendly and conversational, more like a…
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6′ of Hope
That’s me in the blue sweatshirt, hugging my friend Alison, just a few weeks after they diagnosed her 5 year old daughter with leukemia. Her world has been upside down and social distancing since Christmas. The rest of the world is catching up with the understanding that our germs might harm someone else who can’t handle them. I’m a hugger, and the thought of not hugging people anymore is really making me so sad. I was honestly having a hard time this afternoon and got a little weepy. It made me think about the studies they did with orphan babes and how the ones that had little to no human…
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Faith vs Fear: Praying with King Jehosephat
“I don’t know what to do!” How many times has this been my cry to God? So very many. How about you? In the face of overwhelming circumstances, fear and anxiety threaten to choke out my faith. Imagine my surprise when I heard my own distress call echoed in Jehosephat’s prayer. In this study of 2 Chronicles 20 we’ll learn how Jehosephat prayed and was able to stand in faith despite his fear when three nations attacked. Let’s let God’s Word encourage us and teach us how to overcome fear by setting our eyes on God. 2 Chronicles 20 1After this the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of…
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Outnumbered: Praying with King Asa
Think about the word outnumbered. It means more in number. Pretty simple right? When we face problems we want simple solutions, like math. If my enemy has 100 soldiers, theoretically I can defeat them with 101. But that’s not how God math works. In Psalm 118 David compares his enemies to being surrounded by bees but declares that help comes from the LORD. Before the time of Asa’s reign the kingdom had split in two. Asa became King of two southern tribes known as Judah, and Baasha ruled ten tribes in the north called Israel. The northern tribes had neglected God and served idols while Asa tore down false idols…
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Summer Fruit Devotion: Joy Day 5
Joy in Christ “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you,…
