redemption – Tattoo It On Your Heart

Grit & Grace: Michael Duncan ~ Author, Pastor, Master of the One-Line Sermon Returns

Feast on a banquet of truth from one who greets life’s challenges with grit & grace. Michael Duncan: author, pastor, master of the one-line sermon returns as my guest interviewee. Undeterred by threats, he shares wit, wisdom, and some wild stories including the unlikely setting in which Jesus saved him.

No Record of Wrongs

Unforgiveness, like a dam, hinders the flow of God’s Spirit and leads to spiritual stagnancy.

How freeing it is when we practice love and keep no record of wrongs as Scripture instructs in 1 Corinthians 13:5. If I want God to use my life and words to refresh a thirsty world, I must forgive.
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Sometimes it’s a struggle to forgive though, especially when the person who hurt us is unrepentant.

Missing from the Manger

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.

Road to Rabbi: A Messianic Jew’s Journey to Jesus

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.

May the Source Be with You

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.

Did Jesus Really Die on Good Friday and Other Fascinating Questions

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!

Angelina Lives! ~ A Hope Filled Pro-life Story

We live in a time where many demand their rights, but few rise to their responsibilities. In some ancient cultures, they sacrificed their children to pagan gods. Today, many sacrifice their children on the altar of convenience, self-preservation, and pleasure. Man’s short-term solutions based on his desires and emotions often cause more significant problems in the long term.

Fourteen years ago, I witnessed a young mom withstand a tirade of angry faces, phone calls, angry words hurled in public places.

“Get a *?#*!#! abortion!” they said.

“No!” the mama said. She would not take the life of her child. — Angelina lives! I took her newborn pictures, and today I have the joy and honor of introducing you to her via this inspiring 12 minute video conversation below, followed by some engaging resources offering help, hope, and healing to those in similar situations.

Part 1 ~ Law Enforcement Series: A Master Police Officer, Veteran, Former Atheist, and His Extraordinary Wife

Master Police Officer Lewis has served in Virginia for 15 years. He was an active duty U.S. Naval officer for eight years and then in the reserves. He is also a former atheist. Officer Lewis and his wife Mickey adopted their two children from South Korea. Their son is on the autism spectrum. Mickey is a complex trauma survivor and a licensed professional counselor in practice for 15 years. She specializes in trauma treatment: working with abuse victims, sex trafficking survivors, and first responders—those struggling with PTSD.

How a Mail Carrier’s Mistake Saved Me from Suicide

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.

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”

Now (Guest Post on Southern Ohio Christian Voice)

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Some words get thrown around like confetti in January— “Happy New Year! What’s your New Year’s resolution?”

But what about when it’s not happy? What about when you don’t know which way is up, and what if you can’t see any resolution for issues in your life, much less make a resolution? While some began the new year with fireworks and hope, others look out on the future through the fog of uncertainty. What then? Continue reading “Now (Guest Post on Southern Ohio Christian Voice)”