Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts

Wednesday

I Love Reading - A Dose of Encouragement








The greatest thing about Reading is the fact that it is
one of the easiest hobbies to have.

I was encouraged to read at a young age because my mother was an avid reader using the library as if it were her own personal set of book shelves.









Everyone who worked in the library knew my mum.

When the library started to really confine each person to only 4 books at a time it wasn't good enough for my mum so she got a library card in my gran's name and one in my dad's name and took out the extra books for herself using them.  Of course the librarians knew and just let her do it - all books were always returned and quickly as she needed to come for her next fix of reading material.

We also had several books at home because she used to go to house auctions and buy box loads of books.

So I was intrigued by the books of Enid Blyton such as the The Faraway Tree and of course the Famous Five and the Secret Seven to start with and then on to The Chalet Girls by Elinor Brent-Dyer and Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield.

Eventually I got caught up with Agatha Christie mysteries and fell in love with Miss Marple and Poirot.   I believe that my enjoyment of her novels are one of the reasons why I mostly still tend to pick out Mysteries and crime novels to read.

But that was all years ago so what about my love of reading today.




Why do I read?

Because even though many years have passed it still gives me great pleasure 
to sit down and read.


I get so engrossed in a good book that time slips by so quickly and what do they say?


"Time flies when you are enjoying yourself"

So I am obviously enjoying myself.









Where do I read?

Anywhere at all provided I have something to read.

In the summer months I like to sit in the back garden and read.

I know that some people have a particular place in the house to sit and read but I will sit anywhere although I quite like to be in one of our recliner chairs or have my feet curled up under me on the couch.
I like my comfort!





What do I read?

I'm not a newspaper person at all.

I'm not really a magazine person either.

It used to be books but then it became ebooks as well.






When we travelled we used to have to think about space and weight in our suitcase because of the books we wanted to take on the trip.

When I was going out for the day I wanted to make sure I had a handbag that would hold my current book.

Now with ebooks things have changed and I just have to make sure my handbag is not too small that I can't have my kindle in it






or my iPad because of course I have the Kindle app as well.



But now I am also into reading blogs.

As I mentioned previously I tend to read a lot of crime or murder or mystery stories but with reading more blogs now I get a lot more of a mixture of topics with much more non fiction and how-to tutorials.

However the main book I come back to all the time is the Bible 
because I believe it is God's Word 
so therefore 
it is the most important book to read.





When do I read?

When I am in bed - I am rather a night owl so propping up the pillows and a cold drink beside me is ideal.  My lighted cover for my kindle is good for this so that I don't disturb Fred as he falls asleep.



When I am relaxing by the pool or on the beach on holiday - in fact that is almost all we do on some of our holidays.






When I am waiting for something to cook - unfortunately I get caught up in the story and I am known for burning the sausages!


When I am waiting to meet someone in a coffee shop.


When I have to spend time waiting in the car.


When I am in front of the computer supposedly writing my blog - I can be easily distracted.


Anytime I have some time.





Who do I read?

Well I don't think I can remember the last time I read Enid Blyton.

But I do still read Agatha Christie as you can see in my blog post
  I Love Poirot


I am also fond of books by:      

Randall Arthur
Lynwood Barclay
Terri Blackstock
Sigmund Brouwer
Davis Bunn
Brandilyn Collins
Nelson DeMille
John Grisham
Dee Henderson
Karen Kingsbury
Frank Peretti
Penelope Stokes



I have had the pleasure to meet Randall Arthur (although that is his pen name) when he accepted my request for him to come and speak at a Ladies Brunch I helped to lead in Belgium once a month.

Just like his books he is a lovely, gracious man.


I was also pleased to be involved in the launch of one of 
Davis Bunn's books







Most of the authors listed above are Christian authors and I do prefer to read Christian fictions because of the bad language that I find in most other books and the terrible unhealthy descriptions of despicable acts that people seem to think must be included these days.

Because of that type of thing I stopped reading a book, after a few chapters, one day as I rode the tram home in Belgium and threw the book into the rubbish bin.

I do not believe in putting things into my mind that are 
disgusting or brutal.



So What Would I Recommend?



Often when another woman would ask me to suggest a novel my first thought will be the first one I read by Penelope Stokes called                       
The Blue Bottle Club     
I loved that book and have gone back and read it twice since.



         


Another book I would tell others about is the first one 
I read by Davis Bunn called                   The Presence               

and when you read it you will understand the title.






A non Christian book that my daughter and I both loved and talk about with great affection is 
The Time Traveller's Wife  
and some day I will read it again and review it on the blog.


I have reviewed various books on my blog so if you are looking for a book to read do have a look at the Book Reviews Page  and then enjoy a good read.






I can not finish this blog post without recommending the most important book of all, the book that can change your life forever and I truly mean forever 
- that book is the Bible.


That book can be found in most of the bookshops and libraries.
That book can be found freely on the internet.
That book can be read on a kindle
That book can be read via an app on your or iPad or any other tablet.


There is no excuse for not being able to get a copy of the Bible now but if you would like some advice or help in starting to read it then just head over to Reading The Bible which is my page with help and tips about reading the Bible and the books of the Bible.


You can also have a look at the very short 321 video at the top of my side bar.


If you enjoy reading in apps then you might like to try some of the Bible Apps available for phone and if you like to listen to audio books you could also try the Bible App read by David Suchet 






*I am not compensated by anyone or any organisation mentioned in this blog post



Death, Guilt, Sin & The Saviour's Grace - A Dose of Encouragement







EASTER is just one of the items on the Church Calendar each year.

Or is it?






When we are young Easter may centre around those chocolate eggs and everything that seems to depict cuddly little yellow chicks.

When we are young Easter may centre around a family roast and little egg hunts.

When we are young Easter may centre around one of those twice a year visits to church.

When we are young and actively involved in church Easter may centre around pictures of an empty cross and tomb.



But what about now that we are older?


Are the chocolate eggs and yellow chicks forgotten?


Do we still get together as a family for that big meal?


Do we still go to church on Easter Sunday?


To some of those the answer may well be - YES?

but

Do we still focus our thoughts on the cross & the tomb?



Most of us will not have been able to grow up without hearing about the cross and the tomb but did we really pay attention to the  WHY?



The first "Why" I want to look at is the DEATH.

We know he died and his body was put into the tomb and then we know that the tomb was found empty but often our thoughts of Easter stop right there at the empty tomb and we forget to go on and see what it means for us.  What it has meant right from that resurrection day until now and will continue to mean for all of us for the rest of our lives and for eternity.





Jesus through His DEATH and RESURRECTION defeated DEATH forevermore.
He defeated DEATH for us the ones who deserved death as the punishment for our sins.
He defeated DEATH so that the fear of it would not have to hover over us and taint our lives.
He defeated DEATH so that the devil would not have that to use to control us.




The second "Why" I want to look at is the GUILT.

We know Christ died because people hated Him and would rather He be killed than someone who had already been found guilty of terrible crimes.  Jesus was the one who took Barabbas' guilt there and then that day as the people watched the truly guilty person walk away.  






Jesus through His death and resurrection also took our GUILT that day and we need to remember this.  We the guilty were replaced by the true innocent one, Jesus was and is the true, perfect sacrifice once and for ever for our sins. 

Jesus stepped into our place for us the GUILTY ones who deserve death as the punishment for our sins.
He wiped away our GUILT so that it would not have power over our minds. 
He took our GUILT on himself so that anguish, worry and stress would not destroy us.




The third "Why" I want to look at is the SIN.

We know Jesus was "without sin" from the following verses  


"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
2 Corinthians 5:21
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
Hebrews 4:15
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
Hebrews 9:28
"Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:"
1 Peter 2:22 
"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."
1 John 3:5
 
 
But 
Do we really believe that we are sinners?
Do we really believe that Jesus died for us?
Do we really believe that Jesus was a willing sacrifice?
Do we really believe that Jesus took on our sin?

 


AND
If we really understand & believe that we are sinners.
If we really understand & believe that Jesus died for us.
If we really understand & believe that Jesus was a willing sacrifice.
If we really understand & believe that Jesus took on our sin.


THEN    
We can trust that Jesus did this all to bring us into God's family.
We can trust that Jesus is the only Saviour of the world.








THEN    
We can trust that the Saviour's grace to us is real.


So what is the grace of God?

people often say it is "undeserved favour" from God

but I would like to add a quote from John Piper here 

“Well, it appears that the word grace in Paul’s use not only refers to God’s character trait or disposition or inclination to treat people better than we deserve, but the word grace also refers to the action or the power or the influence or the force of this disposition, which produces real, practical outcomes in people’s lives, like being sufficient for good deeds or enduring the thorn in the flesh or working harder than everybody else, which Paul says about his own apostolic work.”


which directs us to the fact that the Grace of God is an active effect on our lives to change us.






NOW    
We can understand the reason for cross, the punishment, and the Grace.



 








Remember the Death
Remember the Guilt
Remember the Sin

Then 
Remember the 




What a wonderful time is the celebration of Easter regardless of who we are, where we are, who we can see and what we can do.

To dwell in the knowledge that Jesus was the sacrifice for us and had the power to overcome death so that we do not have to carry the sin and guilt but instead we have experienced our Saviour’s Grace when we trusted in Him.









10 Bible Verses of Encouragement about Thanksgiving


We all need encouragement and the best place to go is to the Bible.

In this blog Post I have tried to gather some Bible passages or Bible verses which will encourage about Thanksgiving








I do believe that we should not just grab a verse and read it on its own but we should always lift our bibles and read a passage of scripture to make sure that we know the real meaning and context of each of the verses we are putting our trust in. 

I pray that you will do the same and only use this list to guide you as to where you may find help.



So here are 10 Bible verses or short passages for us to read and consider about Thanksgiving




1.   Colossians 3 v 16 - 17    

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do in word or deed do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through Him”







Such a great 2 verses that cover thankfulness within us and then that thankfulness flowing out to God. 




2.   1 Thessalonians 5 v 16 - 18
 
Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, 

in everything give thanks; 

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.








This passage is brief and to the point with 3 exhortations to us about things we should do and look it has always been God's will for us to be thankful in everything!





3.   Ephesians 5 v 20 

 giving thanks always and for everything to God


 




Just in case we didn't get the full message in the previous verse this one points out the always as well as in everything - no excuses!





4.   Colossians 2 v 6 - 7

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

 






When we are following Jesus thanksgiving is very important because it part of the process of walking with Him and in faith.





5.   Jonah 2 v 9   


But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving;

  I will pay what I have vowed.   

Salvation is of the Lord.








Sacrifice may be hard for us but we are still instructed to remain thankful in this act of obedience.




6.   1 Chronicles 16 v 34


Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; 
for His steadfast love endures forever!






His goodness to us and His love for us should always be on our minds and we must be forever thankful to God for these great attributes.



7.   Philippians 1 v 3 - 4

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,  always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.




We don't just have to thank God for all His attributes but we must remember to thank Him for the others we have along side us in our Christian Walk?





8.   Philippians 4 v 6 - 7


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." 

 





So often we can get caught up with the needs of ourselves, family, friends, church and others that we forget to thank God in our prayers but they must not centre around petitions all the time but rather on God and how He is faithful to answer our prayers.





9.   Colossians 3 v 15

"Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." 




 


Allowing God to give us His peace and rest should bring thankful expressions from us.









10.   2 Corinthians 9 v 15



"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"







We have so many things to be thankful to God for but we must never forget that the greatest of these is the Gift of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to die in our place.