Author: Amy
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Working towards peace (as a parent of a teenager) is hard! Ephesians 2:17
Peace. It sounds awesome and effortless, doesn’t it? Peace makes me think of calm, of a candle flickering, or a soft, comfortable smile, or of simplicity and joy. Peace, to me sounds like it should be easy. But I am learning that is not the case at all. In Ephesians 2:17, Paul writes: And he…
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Reflections on Christmas Dinner 2015
I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas, in whatever level of wonderfulness was possible for you. Yesterday we tried something new for Christmas. My husband and I prepared our fancy Christmas dinner just for us and our children. On Christmas Eve we celebrated with my husband’s family, which was very nice, as it…
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PEACE and breaking down barriers… More from Ephesians 2
Thanks to those of you who jumped over to follow me on Instagram yesterday. I appreciate it. We are past “that” number now. Thanks! This morning I read Ephesians 2:11-22 several times. That passage is so power-packed. It’s possible I’ll revisit it tomorrow or Saturday, as there is so so much in there. This morning, though,…
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I’ve got 666 followers on Instagram… HELP!
A friend just sent me a note telling me that I have 666 followers on Instagram and that I had better get at least one more. Can you help a girl out? Please click over to my Instagram feed and consider following me there. I’d like to think I’m follow-worthy there, too. You’ll find all…
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Ephesians 2: A change in plans and some thoughts on being achievement-oriented
Good morning, friends. To be honest, I am having a real hard time with the reading schedule for Ephesians. You may have noticed that with my lack of regular posting. I think that because I typically read bigger passages at a time, I am having a tough time with the smaller morsels. I see incredible value…
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Ephesians 1: 22-23: Jesus is the head of the church. Let’s follow HIS example of ruling with love, mercy and service.
This morning when I woke up and began thinking about reading or assigned reading of Ephesians, I really wanted to linger in yesterday’s scripture. I am away from home, but wanted to write yesterday’s scripture on notecards (which are sitting on my nightstand at home) and was thinking about doing that when I get home in…
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Ephesians 1: 15-21: He has some SERIOUS power. This prayer calls it forward.
Good morning, friends. Today’s reading really packs a powerful punch. I cannot pick out just one verse, it is all so gorgeous and super relevant. Bear with me as I modify my SOAP plan and pretty much SOAP the whole thing. This passage is an ideal one to pray for your children, or really anyone you care about,…
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Ephesians 1:12-14: He loved me right away, before I did one thing
Good morning from New York City. I flew in Wednesday for a quick trip here and am now at the airport, awaiting my flight back home. It may have been a short trip, but it was action-packed with great meetings and even a little bit of Christmas shopping. You m ay remember from Wednesday that I…
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Ephesians 1:1-6: He chose us before we did (or didn’t do) anything
Good morning, friends. I am taking a break from the Psalms for a bit and reading Ephesians over the next 27 days along with Candace over at His Mercy Is New. It seems that both Candace and I are feeling a pull to gird ourselves more aggressively in the armor of God. In doing so,…
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James 1:5- Ask Him to guide you
This morning I’m going rogue. I read the Psalm that was next up, Psalm 87, and, as much as firmly believe every word of the Bible is in there for a reason, I had a hard time rallying around one particular verse in there to SOAP today. Instead, I started thinking about James 1:5, which…
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Psalm 86: Glorifying His name
Good morning. I’ve been sitting in Psalm 86 since yesterday, reading and re-reading. The whole thing talks about God’s power and strength and how much the Psalmist appreciates both. I felt this one summed it up best: Scripture: Psalm 86: 12 I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and…
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Psalm 85: A Prayer for Restoration
You may have noticed that I didn’t post yesterday. I read Psalm 85 over and over yesterday morning, but couldn’t determine what to write. Today I am still a little stuck, as I cannot settle on one verse, but I think I am closer to what His message for me might be. I’m going to…
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Psalm 84: Does getting your strength from Him mean you can have anything you want?
Scripture: Psalm 84: 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Observation: Those who listen, lean on and follow the Lord are blessed. Application: Finding strength in God means really going to Him in prayer and then really listening to His guidance and then really taking…
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Psalm 83: A prayer for peace
Scripture: Psalm 83:1-3 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. Observation: Um. Oh WOW does this feel…
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Psalm 82: Please rescue the weak and needy, Lord. And that is ALL of us!
Just jumping right in with SOAP from Psalm 82 today… Scripture: Psalm 82: 4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Observation: I don’t think this one even needs to be restated. It’s so very applicable now as it was when written. Application: This is a prayer to be…