Christmas 2017
In the year of our meager manger, a snowman made of sand, a lone shepherd, and two sheep showed up for the annual frenzied day-of-decoration at our home.—Sans Mary, Joseph, Jesus, or anyone else.
Continue reading “Missing from the Manger”~Second Wind~
With Christmas days away and money scant for gifts, I determined to live up to my nickname, the Queen of Make-Do.
Continue reading “A Second Wind & Christmas Clementines”Vulnerability doesn’t come easy for me. But God calls us to live boldly and open-faced. Love requires we truly give of ourselves.
Continue reading “Bold & Vulnerable”“God,” I said, “why is this so hard lately?” Sweat beaded on my forehead and panic set in. I usually take several hours to write the questions to lead the live Bible-based discussion, but less than 90 minutes remained before the start, and I had yet to write one. I’d attempted to write them a few times in the weeks before, to no avail.
Continue reading “When Can-do Won’t Do”What an adventure, an education, and blessing to converse with the lively and jovial Rabbi Henry Morse of the Sha’ar Hashamayim Messianic Congregation in Stoughton, Massachusetts. I first encountered the Rabbi as he led his merry band of people down the hill after the If My People prayer event at the National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 2021.
Continue reading “Road to Rabbi: A Messianic Jew’s Journey to Jesus”Darkness enveloped me. A chill gripped my chest, hope ebbed, and weariness set in. Obviously, I’d taken a turn off the favored road. I’d trudged the circuitous miserable miles to nowhere only to wind up stuck, deep in the mire, when someone called out to me.
“Hey, do you want help? Do you desire to be free?” the voice said.
Continue reading “May the Source Be with You”We rob ourselves when we skim the surface of scripture rather than exert the effort to dig deeper for the treasures of truth embedded in God’s Word. Bible study leader and award-winning author Stephanie Pavlantos mined God’s Word to bring us a greater understanding of the intersection of Old Testament prophecies about Jesus, (God incarnate, the Messiah) and His New Testament fulfillment. Stephanie brings to light the fascinating Hebrew religious law and culture, the many intricate events leading up to, and the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Did Jesus really die on Good Friday? What is the significance of the Passover feast and the Passover lamb? See God in the details, how He overlooks and wastes nothing and much more in this faith building thought provoking presentation. And there’s more!
Continue reading “Did Jesus Really Die on Good Friday and Other Fascinating Questions”Disappointment set in when there was no response, but I figured the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association had thousands of correspondence to monitor a day and probably wouldn’t see mine.
“Lord, I just want some of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association team to see my article and be blessed by what I said about Billy and their magazine.” I prayed when I tweeted the link to my 2018 blog post entitled What #BillyGraham Meant to Me in answer to a #HealthyFaith Chat question on Twitter.Â
Several days later, I was stunned to receive the following message from BGEA’s Twitter account:
“Hi Rachael! I’m a website writer at Billy Graham. My team recently came across your incredible testimony involving Decision magazine, and we’d love to have an interview with you and write an article. Is that something you’d be willing to do?… — Lizzy Long”
Continue reading “How a Mail Carrier’s Mistake Saved Me from Suicide”Four hundred years after pilgrim and American forefather Edward Winslow settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts, his descendant returns to lead the charge to battle for the soul of our nation.
Pastor Greg and Suzanne Winslow, former missionaries to Mexico, church planters, and founders of If My People New England and Hidden Manna Ministries from NH share about their upcoming adventure and the part you can play. They also cover the state of the Church and America, how to navigate these turbulent times, the power of prayer, and more in this video interview. (Welcome back, Pastor Greg and Suzanne.) 🙂
Continue reading “#IfMyPeople ~ Battle for the Soul of a Nation”My word of the year for 2021 came early again—last August. So you’d think I’d have posted this sooner, but that’s another story.
“Okay, but God,” I said, “I don’t think I like the implications of that word.”
“Adapt.” He said
“Can You take that one back? May I have a different one? — Or perhaps You can add to it please, Lord?”
“Trust. Follow.” Jesus said.
Adapt doesn’t mean compromise truth, change the goal, or deviate from the message and call God gave us. But sometimes the route may require prayer and re-reckoning. We may need to adapt our sails to the change in wind. The only thing certain is uncertainty—that and God’s faithfulness.
Continue reading “Peace in Pandemic & Pandemonium”
Tattoo It On Your Heart 