Just A Second: church

Showing posts with label church. Show all posts

Saturday, June 4

Scripture and a Snapshot - Pentecost

For this reason, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray 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 his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also int he one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

~Ephesians 1:15-23~

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©2008-2022 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

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Saturday, April 2

Scripture and a Snapshot - Built On The Foundation

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

~Ephesians 2:19-22~

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Wednesday, December 23

Wordless Wednesday - Gifts of Advent

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This post will be linked at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea Scribbles.

Pictorial Tuesday

©2008-2020 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

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Saturday, November 14

Scripture and a Snapshot - Enable Your Servants

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them . . .

"Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of the possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.

~Acts 4:24, 29-34~

The early church heard the threats and warnings of the authorities who said they were to stop preaching the name of Jesus, and instead of reacting with fear or worry, they went to prayer. And asked for more boldness, more healing, more miracles through the name of Jesus. And God answered their prayers powerfully.

When we are faced with threats or difficulties, what do we ask God for? It's fine to ask that the roadblocks be removed, but maybe we should also be asking for boldness and increased faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

I also link up at Sunday Scripture Blessings, hosted by Peabea's Photos 'n Scribbles; and at Selah, hosted by A Spirit of Simplicity.

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Tuesday, October 27

Share Four Somethings - October 2020

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Time for the October edition of Share Four Somethings, where participants focus on Something Loved, Something Read, Something Treasured, and Something Ahead.

Something Loved

I tried out a new thing this past month - Crio Bru Brewed Cacao. It's chocolate that is roasted, ground, and brewed like coffee in either a coffeemaker or a French press. I got a sampler pack to try it out and we've had it a few times now. Our favorite so far is to brew it in the coffeemaker along with coffee, so it's like a mocha. Different and delicious!

Something Read

I've only completed two book so far this month, but I think I have four that I'm reading right now and will be finished soon, as well as at least two new review books that I will be reading shortly. Lots on my bookstand, even though not many completed and put away! You can see more about my reading in my Monthly Bookshelf Review for October 2020.

The Red Ribbon by Pepper Basham

The Viscount and the Vicar's Daughter: A Victorian Romance by Mimi Matthews

Something Treasured

Work, working vehicles, and working things out with the family. We've had to be creative quite a few times to get six people to the various places they need to be with only three vehicles! The kids bought a used minivan a few weeks ago, and the hope was to get that working so that we'd have one more vehicle to use. So far it's not working! And to make things even more interesting, our son's truck broke down this past weekend so we're temporarily down to two vehicles. We're so very grateful to friends who have offered to help with rides and even with loaning us a vehicle this week to help out. We're glad we all have jobs - it's a good problem to have, I guess, that we all need to get to our jobs! And so glad that everyone is flexible and easy-going!

Something Ahead

In our area there are baby steps being made back towards normal in the wake of the covid lockdowns. Oh, how I wish we would go faster and that the mask mandates would be lifted! Our church has been having two services on Sunday mornings - one outdoors so masks can be optional, and one indoors. Well, it's getting colder and that outdoor service won't be an option much longer, so there are changes coming. We'd love to be able to do more of our ministries, and resuming those is going in baby steps. We are having a modified Trunk or Treat event this week, which is very exciting since this is one of our really big annual outreach events.

Pray for churches as many are still in uncharted territory as we try to accommodate the restrictions while still doing ministry.

Schools here just started reopening in hybrid models. A huge number of students have been struggling with virtual learning, and it's created many challenges. Pray for students and teachers as they go back, as they adjust, and that all the tensions would be eased. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the entire education system would actually put the needs of children first?

This post will be linked at Share Four Somethings hosted by HeatherGerwing.com

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Wednesday, October 7

Wordless Wednesday - Church

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What church looks like these days - one service outside and one inside. And my talented daughter helping to lead worship:

photo credit: LS

This post is linked at Pictorial Tuesday, hosted by Peabea Scribbles.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Wednesday, September 18

Wordless Wednesday - Quiet Moment

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This post is linked at Wordless Wednesday, hosted by Life on Chickadee Lane.

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Saturday, June 8

Scripture and a Snapshot - The Day of Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

~Acts 2:1-4~

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

I also link up with Sunday Scripture Blessings at PeaBea Scribbles.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Saturday, March 9

Scripture and a Snapshot - Better Is One Day

How lovely is your dwelling place,

LORD Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and my flesh cry out

for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young -

a place near your altar,

LORD Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they are ever praising you.

Better is one day in your courts

than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the LORD God is a sun and shield

the LORD bestows favor and honor;

no good thing does he withhold

from those whose walk is blameless.

LORD Almighty,

blessed is the one who trusts in you.

~Psalm 84:1-4, 10-12~

I love being with other believers, worshiping together. But it's not just physically being at church that is what draws me. Or it shouldn't be just that. It's the presence of God that we long for, that our hearts cry out for. Those that observe this traditional Lenten season seek God in a special way during this time, but all of us that are Christ-followers should always be looking to draw closer to our God and to remember that he IS present with us always.

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

I also link up at Selah, hosted by A Spirit of Simplicity.

This post is also linked at 40 Days of Seeking Him, hosted by Day by Day in Our World.

Sunday, November 4

Recent Reads - Disruptive Witness

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Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age by Alan Noble - This book about living out our faith in a perpetually distracted and "buffered" world is thought-provoking and challenging. Author Alan Noble draws on the work of a Canadian philosopher, Charles Taylor, to describe the way most of western society views the world and how that impacts how we live and how we interact with each other. It also impacts how we Christians live out our faith and how the gospel is likely viewed by our neighbors.

In our secular age, we are increasingly distracted and "buffered" from deep thinking, so we are largely unaware that we hold shallow and often incongruous worldviews. Everything we do tends to be related to our individual identity and how we present that identity to the world. The secular age has put forth the idea that all beliefs are equally viable, and without meaning to, we often present the gospel in that light. It's very easy for others to see us as just living out a personal lifestyle choice. The book's title is an indication of what our witness should be - disruptive, in the sense that it should stand out as different and hopefully cause us to see the transcendence of Jesus; to dig deeper and reflect on our part in the larger story of the gospel.

Part One of the book is a rather intellectual and philosophical discussion of how we think (or how we avoid deep thinking!) and how we tend to have shallow beliefs that are more about how we wish to present ourselves to the world. Part Two takes that foundation and talks about how we live as Christians, and how the church functions. Because the church is made up of people, it has, in many cases, become reflective of our distracted and shallow ways of interacting. Noble invites us to consider how the liturgical and evangelical practices of the church could become more "disruptive" by pointing worshipers and observers to that larger and more transcendent view of God, faith, and our place in the world. In other words, we need to realize that we are participating in worship that is not about what we prefer or what makes us look good, but is focused on the beauty and majesty of who God is. Even the ways in which we live our daily lives - saying grace, honoring the Sabbath, appreciating beauty in creation, and most of all, taking opportunities to think deeply about the truth of God - can bear disruptive witness to the world that we are not just making a personal lifestyle choice, and that faith in Jesus is an imperative need for everyone.

This book is a Non-fiction Hobby Book for the Full House Reading Challenge 2018 hosted by The Book Date; and a book recommended by someone with great taste for the 2018 Reading Challenge at Modern Mrs. Darcy.

©2008-2018 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.