NEWEST! Narcissism and Christianity

      Married to God   Principle of the Law

Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?
The Eternal Perspective

French Fries   Anchor of the soul   The Harvest Field

Mirror of God's Word   Throne of Grace   Milk or Meat?

Seeing God   The Beauty of Holiness   All Things are Possible

Joy    The Power of Prayer    The Gates of Hell    Oasis

The Father's Heart    Howdy Stranger!     Seeking    Devoted

God's Yearning Heart    A Proper Fear of God    Prepping

Let there be Light    A Shanty or a Castle?    No Privacy

The Great Mourning    A Wise Man and Many Miracles

The Love that Saves    Glorified by Love    Transformation

Real Love- I John 4:8   Twenty Minutes a Day    True Worship

The LORD our Righteousness    The Spirit of Preeminence

Test the Spirits    Qurarantined with Jesus    Pandemic

Compassion, Anger and Grief    I Am with You Always

A Tale of Two Kitties    Miracle at the Mall    Volcano

Ignoring Lazarus    Jesus Holds the Future    Bananas

Of Servants, Slaves and Friends    The Martyrdom of Job

Preferring The Precepts of Men    The Box     Shoes

They Know Not What They Do    Seek    Distractions

Go and Make Disciples    Come to the Mountain    Gardeners

God Speaks Today    An Icy Ride    Value the Intangibles

Fullness of Joy    Forever Young    Build Your Ark    Pigs

A Royal Priesthood    Nowhere Else to Go    Be Converted

Why Do The Heathen Rage?    The Passage    Beggars

Communion - The Bread that is Broken    The Merciful God

A Lively Hope
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. – I Peter 1:3

The Apostle Peter begins this verse with praise, “Blessed be” – praise be to God for His abundant mercy and the “lively hope” given to us because of the glorious resurrection of Jesus, our Messiah, from the dead.
    The word in the Greek for lively is zao (dzah-o) which means, “To live, breathe, be among the living, not lifeless, not dead.” In other words, zao is the exact opposite of that which is lifeless or dead.
    The King James translators chose the word “lively” as the English equivalent for the Greek zao. Some translations use the word “living” instead. However, that which is living can be alive, yet motionless, or inactive. The word “lively” suggests something that is alive, yet has movement, and is active.
    We try to imagine the exhilarating joy that Peter and the other apostles experienced when they witnessed their resurrected Lord for the first time and realized that death had been vanquished. Their hope was indeed lively and invigorating, as is our hope in Jesus is today. It is a twirling, dancing, pirouetting, skipping, leaping, celebrating, joyful, exuberant hope that cannot remain motionless or inactive. This hope propels us into the streets to share the Good News with others, joyfully compelling them to join in the dance and partake of the celebration of the gift of eternal life that frees us from the bondage and fear of death.
    Our hope is indeed lively and was never designed to be contained within the walls of a church building. How beautiful upon the mountains are the dancing feet of those who publish peace and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others! - Copyright 2013 by H. D. Shively

Safe Trees to Sleep In

Transcript

Every Idle Word

Transcript

Miracles Happen when you
Pray Without Ceasing

Never Give Up

Your Life is a
Testimony

It's Impossible to
Leave God Behind

An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth

Definition of a Hypocrite

Driving into the Storm

Praise from the Mouths of Babes

Trying the Reigns of the Heart

Seek and You Shall Find

M y husband and I had to take a short ferry ride across the James River in Virginia. We arrived at the dock and as we drove onto the ferry we decided to turn on the car radio. It happened to be tuned to a classical station and as the ferry slowly drifted away from the dock, a beautiful theme began to play. It was a lovely accompaniment to our short journey.

I am always a little apprehensive of boat rides in general. I cast a wary glance at the life boat next to our car. I was glad it was there just in case, at the same time I didn’t want to be reminded that there is always the possibility it might be needed.

I turned my attention back to the water and the sky. The boat churned through the river and a flock of sea birds sailed by making lyrical maneuvers that seemed to match the melody flowing from our radio. We relaxed, enjoying the music and the beautiful scenery.

We eventually arrived at the other side of the river. As the boat glided into its berth, the familiar first movement of the piece we were listening to that had launched us, repeated as a finale which perfectly coincided with the end of our brief trip as the ferry came to a stop and the music faded into silence.

We broke out into laughter as we realized the music had been perfectly timed to match the beginning and the end of our ferry ride. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is the music that God has provided that accompanies us along our journey through this life, even in those times when a life boat is necessary. As we glide through our appointed days, we are never alone, and the beginning is as perfectly orchestrated as its end. But when we reach the end of our travels in this world, the music won’t dissolve as we arrive. It swells and grows grander as it accompanies us into our Father’s waiting, loving arms.