Christian Paradigm Shifts

There is no one like our God..... At Your Name (Yahweh, Yahweh) by Phil Wickham

Today's lesson is about the wedding at Cana from John 2:1-11. This is the place where Jesus performed the first miracle of His public ministry. Jesus, His mother, the servants and the disciples were present. The wedding hosts had invited Jesus to this wedding. He probably knew the bride and groom very well. Jesus' mother declares that they have run out of wine. To run out of wine would have been a tremendous embarrassment to the couple. Therefore, Mary tells Jesus that they have run out of wine. He replies, "Woman, why are you saying this to Me?”. His mother calls the servants over and tells them, "“Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus tells the servants to fill the ceremonial washing jars with water. There were 6 of them which held about 20-30 gallons. They did as they were told. Jesus then told them to "...draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so. The master of the banquet, who did not know the origin of the wine, marvelled at the qual

First Candle Color: Purple Theme: Hope First Sunday in Advent Second Candle Color: Purple Theme: Love Second Sunday in Advent Third Candle Color:Pink Theme: Joy Third Sunday in Advent Fourth Candle Color: Purple Theme: Peace Fourth Sunday in Advent Optional Center Candle Color: White Theme: Christmas Christmas Day  

This is an easy and inexpensive meal to make for your family. It is also very delicious. Prep Time: About 20 minutes Cook Time: 2 1/2 - 3 hours on high in crock pot (if using an oven, an hour & 15 minutes on 375 degrees) Serving size: 8-10 Cost: $11 Ingredients: 2 pkgs of frozen cheese ravioli (25 oz each) 2 jars pasta sauce 1 pkg of Mexican shredded cheese (12 oz) (If you want to spice it up, you can put a few slices pepper jack cheese) Directions: 1. Spray crock pot with cooking spray 2. Put a little sauce to cover the bottom of the crock pot 3. Empty the contents of 1 pkg of ravioli into the crock pot 4. Cover ravioli with sauce (not too heavy though) 5. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the ravioli & sauce 6. Empty contents of  2nd pkg of ravioli into the crock pot 7. Cover ravioli with sauce (this is why you may need to jars) 9. Again, sprinkle shredded cheese over the ravioli & sauce 10. If doing the pepper jack slices, place slices over the top 1

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Today many are out shopping for "black Friday" deals. I must remember that Christmas is not about giving and getting gifts. It is about the Savior coming into the world to save sinners. This season I intend to savor the Savior. This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. I am setting up an advent wreath. I am also going to use the free advent devotional by Ann Voskamp from A Holy Experience. Here is the link: http://www.aholyexperience.com/free-advent-devotionals-jesse-tree-book/

I'd like to recommend this Bible study to all my blog readers. This study is given by Pam Gillaspie, the writer of Sweeter Than Chocolate Inducitve Bible Studies. It is a 6 week study with PDF lessons and video presentations. The best part - it's free!! http://deepandwideblog.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/ignite-introduction/ Ignite - Introduction from Pam Gillaspie on Vimeo .

I want to wish all my blog readers a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!! I am thankful that you have joined me on this blogging journey. Here are two songs that are fitting for this wonderful day of celebration!!

The name that is above every other name.....

Jesus did many things. In fact, John uses hyperbole to describe the many things -  "that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." [John 21:25] John wrote his Gospel for the express purpose so we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing in His name we would have life [John 20:3]. John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, carefully selected every word written in his gospel. John was an evangelist. He wanted the people to hear the Good News of the Gospel. He knew that salvation happens when one believes who Jesus is and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world. John's focus is on belief. He uses the word "believe" [pisteuo] 98 times. His goal is to have the reader believe or place their trust in Jesus Christ. Belief is important because it is through believing that we become the children of God. John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who recei

In the last lesson we saw the apostle John living a life of obscurity in Ephesus. He gave up looking for fame and notoriety. He sought the one who loved him dearly. After all, he was the "beloved disciple". The theme of John's gospel, his epistles, and Revelation center on a common theme - to love and be loved. This was John's main purpose for living. I want this to be my purpose and passion, too. I want Jesus to become the main focus of my life. I love the quote by Augustine - " You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." The Psalms declare -  "Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him." [Psalm 62:1] Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." [John 10:10] The Greek word for full is perisson which means "over and above, more than enough......generally superabundant...much, great." Jesus wants us to have a great life! But we sh

I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving week!! Enjoy your preparations for the holiday!!

I first heard of tater tot casserole while watching "19 Kids and Counting". This is one of the Duggar family's favorite recipes. I make this dish in the oven and in the crock pot. It is a quick and easy dish to make. Most people have these ingredients already on hand. Prep time: About 20 minutes Cook time: 3 hours on low (crock pot)  or 1 hour if using oven Serving size: 6-8 Cost: About $8 Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef 2 cans of corn 32 ounces frozen tater tots 2   (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup 1 packet dried onion soup mix 1/4 cup 1% milk (optional) Mexican shredded cheese Directions: 1. Brown meat, drain and set aside 2. Spray crockpot with cooking spray 3. Empty the entire bag of frozen tater tots into the crockpot 4. Drain cans of corn and place corn over the tater tots 5. Mix the hamburger, cream of mushroom soup, milk, and died onion soup packet in a large bowl. 6. Place hamburger mixture over the corn (if using the option of shredded ch

Today's lesson is about the Apostle John and his  days of obscurity. In Acts 12:2 it tells of the death of James, John's brother. This is the last time we hear of John. While the book of Acts mentions the many exploits of Peter and Paul, there is very little mention of John. His ministry work does not get much attention. Many historians believe that John moved to Ephesus and even travelled to Rome at some point during his lifetime. R. Alan Culpepper states, " While the New Testament never mentions the activities of the Apostle John in his later years, early Christian writers, though not unanimous, furnish strong evidence that he spent several decades in residence in Ephesus. Ephesus was the place where people worshipped gods and goddess. The most important goddess was Artemis [or the Roman equivalent, Diana]. She was the goddess of fertility. The people built a temple in her honor. This temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. The city's commercial and re

When storms come....Jesus is there..... Linked up at Women Living Well Wednesdays -

Beth Moore, back in October, posted this video on the Living Proof blog. Great teaching on strengthening marriages! http://blog.lproof.org/2011/10/lets-fight-for-our-marriages.html

Today's lesson is about Paul's interaction with the disciples after his conversion. In Acts 9, the disciples react to Paul's attempt to visit with them. They were afraid that he was not really a disciple. They thought he was only pretending. The reason for this was Paul's reputation. He persecuted the church. He was breathing out murderous threats. He consented to the death of Stephen. While on his way to arrest believers in Damascus, Paul had a conversion experience. About 14 years later, Paul and Barnabas come to Jerusalem to get advice from the apostles. They wanted to know if the Gentiles needed to be circumcised, as some were falsely teaching. This time John is present. John is described as being a pillar of the church. Paul states that "James, Peter, and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. [Galatians 2:9] Let's take a look at the men gathered in this meeting: 1. James, Jesus' half brother, was a

Service and worship go together.....

On Saturdays I will be sharing recipes. These recipes will either be my own creations or recipes from others that I have tried and enjoyed. My goal is to provide quick, inexpensive, family friendly meals. My husband named this creation of mine - Cheesy Pepperoni Chop Suey Bake. Prep time: About 20 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes Serving size: 4-6 Cost: About $13 Ingredients: 1 pound of hamburger or turkey burger - I use either in this recipe 1 pkg of pasta - I use Penne or Cavatappi - any brand 1 jar of pasta sauce - I use Aldi brand sauce 2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese 4 oz. of pepperoni (regular or turkey) - I just eye it to see if it is enough. 5 slices of Pepper Jack cheese (this is optional but it gives the dish a nice spicy flavor) Italian seasoning to taste Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Boil pasta to box directions. Drain and set aside. 3. Brown hamburger/turkey burger. Drain and set aside. 4. Spray 9 x13 pan with cooking spray 5. Pour p

The focus of today's lesson is the Apostle John and the tragedy he experienced. Acts 12:1-10 ~ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell

Acts 8:14-17 ~ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. As we learned in John 4. The Jews and the Samaritans had no dealings with each other [John 4:9]. The Jews would even avoid traveling through Samaria. This hatred went back to the days of exile. When the northern kingdom was exiled to Assyria, King Sargon repopulated the area with captives from other lands. The intermarriage of these foreigners and the Jews who had been left in the land complicated the ancestry of the Samaritans. The Jews hated the Samaritans and considered them to be no longer "pure" Jews. Jesus, however, had no such bias. [NKJV Nel

This is my theme song......

Today, in Acts 3, we meet Peter and John about to enter the temple for afternoon prayer. They see a beggar, who has been crippled from birth [a better translation would be "from the womb"]. This man was taken to the temple on a daily basis. This crippled man called out to them -  "When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money." Peter and John did not rush past this man to get to their prayer meeting. The Holy Spirit met the man's need through them. Sometimes we can rush right by the hurting world. We get so caught us in our own lives without taking a moment to see those in need. Something happened in my life recently which brought this to my attention in a very applicable way. I was heading to work listening to my local KLOVE station. My daughter was with me. We were singing along to the tunes when the song Give Me Your Eyes by Matthew West came on. I was pointing out to my daughter about the hurting world and how much they need Jesus.

Today's lesson was on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost [Acts 2]. Jesus, right before He ascended into heaven, had told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem to receive the promised gift. He said, "...in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? Jesus tells the disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. [ Acts 1: 8]" The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to be witnesses for Jesus.  What does this truly mean? The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 4:7, states that we have this treasure [the Holy Spirit] in earthen vessels. The goal of this is to show that the all-surpassing glory is from God and not from us. I am a believer in Jesus. I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me to empower me to follow God and live in service to Him. I have the power to unders

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 1 Corinthians 15:14

Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour tonight!

I am finding that it is in the valley where I cling to the Lord and find that His ways are higher than my ways.

Today's lesson is about Jesus' third post resurrection visit with the disciples. This is from John 21:1-25. Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples after their long night of fishing. By the way, I love this event. Can you imagine the resurrected Lord cooking you breakfast?  It was a tremendous display of love and service. What an amazing sight it must have been!! During breakfast, Jesus begins to ask Peter about how much he loves Him. He asks him the question three times. Each time He asks, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” After the third time of Jesus inquiring of Peter's love, Peter feels hurt. But Peter is now restored to fellowship with the Lord. Jesus goes onto discuss the manner of Peter's death and how his death would glorify God. Well this brought up a question for Peter. Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus a

I am a new blogger and I love to glean from seasoned bloggers. I also enjoy "meeting" others who are new to the blogging journey. Linking up is a great way to do just that. I "met" so many nice bloggers on Courtney's Blog Bash and now I've linked up for the Wednesday Link Up Party. Let the party begin!!!

I am doing a Bible study at www.wendypope.org . Our memory verse is - “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galations 2:20 Here is a Bible memory song to help memorize the verse. Enjoy!!

Just wanted to share some pictures of our trunk from last night's church event. We had an awesome time!! We can't wait for next year!!!