Christian Paradigm Shifts

This is the third week of the Good Morning Girls Ephesians study. This video is by Gene Getz from the HCSB Life Essentials Bible. I thought it would be a great way to dive into this week's study.

Today is day 4 of Week #2 Thursday Ephesians 1:20-21 Ephesians 1 - Holman Christian Standard Bible Audio - http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mcconachie/hcsb/Eph.1.20-Eph.1.21 Scripture: He (God) exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that can be invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Today is Day 3 of Week #2 Wednesday Ephesians1:18-19 Ephesians 1 -ESV Audio -   http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Eph.1.18-Eph.1.19 Scripture: I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength

Today is Day 2 ofWeek #2 Tuesday - Ephesians 1:17 Ephesians 1 - TNIV Audio http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/multi/tniv/Eph.1.17 Scripture: I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. TNIV Observation: "Paul wanted the Ephesian believers to understand what great spiritual resources were theirs in Christ. Revelation refers to the insight and the discernment the Spirit brings to the mysteries of divine truth. Paul wanted his readers to have a spirit of wisdom so that they might get to know God more completely. God has given believers wisdom ( vv. 8-9 ), but Paul prayed for the church not only to understand but to experience these blessings." *Quotation from HCSB Study Bible Notes Application: "Paul is asking that we might know God better. That we might look beyond appearances, to see the Church as God does - a people transformed to display His glor

Today is Day 1 of Week #2 Monday - Ephesians 1:15-16 Ephesians 1 - NIV Audio - http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Eph.1.15-Eph.1.16 Scripture: For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all his people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. TNIV Observation: Since I heard about your faith : Most likely Paul wrote and sent the letters to the Ephesians, the Colossians, and Philemon at the same time. Philemon 5 indicates that Paul recently had received word about the faith of the believers in the region of Asia Minor. Never stop giving thanks : Paul particularly was thankful for his readers' faith and love. Faith finds its focus in Christ and expresses itself in love to others. Such love is the evidence of genuine faith ( Gal 5:6 ). *HCSB Study Bible Notes Application: Paul prayed for the believers to know God better. How do you get to know someone? By reading biographical informat

I'm a day late but better late than never. I plan to make this recipe for the first time this week. My family loves all the ingedients so I'm sure it will be a hit. Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes or until heated through Serving size: 6 Cost: $8 - $10 Ingredients: 1 jar (24 oz.) spaghetti sauce 1 tsp. Italian seasoning 1 tsp. crushed red pepper 3 cups shredded cooked chicken 2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided 1/2 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese 2 eggs, beaten 12 rinsed cooked lasagna noodles Directions: 1. HEAT oven to 375ºF. 2. MIX first 3 ingredients; combine 1/2 cup with chicken, 1 cup mozzarella, Parmesan and eggs. Spread 1/4 cup onto each noodle; roll up. 3. POUR 1/2 cup of the remaining sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish; top with lasagna rolls, seam-sides down. Cover with remaining sauce and mozzarella. 4. BAKE 25 min. or until heated through.     Serve with salad and garlic bread. This recipe was taken from the Krafe

Unfortunately, after several attempts to notify the winner of the giveaway, she has not come forward to comment on the blog or to contact me in anyway in order to claim the prize. Therefore, I have again used random. org's true random number generator to chose another winner. The new winner is....Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!!! Please contact me within 24 hours to claim your prize. You may leave a comment on this post to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you within 24 hours, another winner will be chosen from those who have already entered the contest. Thank you.

Today is day 5 of Week #1 Friday - Ephesians 1:13 - 14 Ephesians 1 - NASB Audio - http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mcconachie/nasb/Eph.1.13-Eph.1.14 Scripture: And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. Observation: Our salvation is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit. The Amplified Bible says it this way: "That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the first fruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it--to the praise of His glory." He is the assurance of our salvation we will one day fully possess. Application: The Holy Spirit is at work in us to transform us now and what we are experien

Today is day 3 of Week #1 Wednesday - Ephesians 1:7-10 Ephesians 1 - TNIV Audio - http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/multi/tniv/Eph.1 Scripture: In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,  to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. TNIV Bible Observation: God is lavish ~ The Ephesian believers were surrounded by the industry of idolatry. Many unbelievers made huge profits in the nearby temple of Diana. So Paul reminded the faithful Christians of the spiritual treasures God has lavished on them: redemption trough His blood, forgiveness of sins and the riches of God's grace. God is a lavish giver, but His best gifts are often invisible: redemption, forgivenes

Tamara Sallee!!! She is the winner of her choice of either one regular or large print NLT One Year Chronological Bible, paperback edition!! Congratulations!!! Tamara, please contact me within 24 hours to claim your prize. You may leave a comment on this post to claim your prize. If I do not hear from you within 24 hours, another winner will be chosen from those who have already entered the contest. Thank you. *I used the true random number generator at random.org to pick the winner. That's why I provided the number and name list in order of entries on the giveaway blog post.

Today is day 2 of Week #1. Tuesday - Ephesians 1:5-6 Ephesians 1 - HCSB Audio - Dale McConachie http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mcconachie/hcsb/Eph.1.5-Eph.1.6 Scripture: He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved. Observation: We have been chosen [selected as a kindness or favor] before hand to be adopted into Christ's family. We are chosen for God Himself. His grace [unmerited favor] has made us accepted in the Beloved, Jesus Christ. Application: I am an adult adoptee. I know how much my parents love me as if I were of their own flesh. This helps me to know that the Father adopted me into His family with even greater love, the giving of His One and Only Son as a sacrifice for my sin. Prayer: Father, help me to rest in your love and grace. When I am feeling unloved or unlovable, remind me of your great love for me in Christ. In Jesus

I am so excited!! The giveaway is closed and it is time to give everyone who entered comments on the their number. I will input the number of entries at random.org. It will generate the winning number. I will announce the winner this evening at 6:00 so be on the lookout of the announcement.   Entries: 1.           Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 2.           Tamara Sallee 3.           Yasmin Alberto 4.           Yasmin Alberto 5.           Yasmin Alberto 6.           Yasmin Alberto 7.           Yasmin Alberto 8.           Yasmin Alberto 9.           Maddie 10.       Yasmin Alberto 11.       Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 12.       Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 13.       Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 14.       Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 15.       Karen Alberto

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway. It closes at Midnight tonight. For all the details, see this post - http://teachmetheancientpaths.blogspot.com/2012/01/giveaway-to-help-you-dig-into-gods-word.html .

Today begins our Ephesians study. Hopefully you've been just as excited about this study as I am. Ephesians is about the community of believers. It tells of what God has done for us in His Son. Because of Christ's work on our behalf, Ephesians encourages believers how interact with one another. Remember the time spent in God's Word is never wasted! Monday - Ephesians 1:1-4 Ephesians 1 - ESV Audio - Max McLean http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Eph.1.1-Eph.1.4 Communities of Faith - Gene Getz - http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/QR/GetzBible/1294/ S.O.A.P Scripture: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will: To the faithful saints in Christ Jesus at Ephesus. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight

I just wanted to remind my readers that the Good Morning Girls Winter Bible Study begins on January 15th. I've done two previous studies with GMG and it is a wonderful way to dig into God's Word and build friendships with other sisters in the Lord. The Good Morning Girls Study uses the SOAP method. You can download the study guide here: http://www.goodmorninggirls.org/2012/01/winter-2012-ephesians-downloadable-documents/ . The wonderful thing about this study is that it is free. All you need is your favorite Bible, a pen, and a notebook. I'll also be supplementing the study with Ephesians: Enjoying Right Relationships by Gene Getz & Claude King. I am really looking forward to this study. Last year, my pastor completed a study on Ephesians. His focus was the Body of Christ. He used the following verses from Ephesians 4 ~ Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibilit

Friends, my husband loves dishes made with stuffing. He can't get enough of them! One of his favorites is the following recipe. It is quick and easy. This recipe is from "Stove Top Recipes". Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Serving size: 4-6 Cost: Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of hot water 1/4 (1/2 stick) butter or margerine, melted 1 Pkg of stuffing mix for chicken 6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2) lbs) 1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup 1/2 sour cream Directions: 1. Mix hot water, butter and stuffing mix. Set aside. 2. Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken, cook on medium heat 5 minutes, on each side. 3. Mix soup and sour cream; pour over chicken. Top with stuffing, cover. Cook on low heat 10 minutes, or until chicken is done. Serve with vegetables,  salad and dessert. Enjoy!! If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turned out.

1 John is all about having an authentic relationship with God. God knows all about us. EVERYTHING about us. The amazing thing is that he still loves us! 1 John 3:1 KJV states, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God..." To behold means to look, see, perceive, and understand. We need to be fully aware of the Father's love for us. If we have repented and put our trust in Jesus for salvation, God calls us his child. He calls us to understand His tremendous love for us. Ephesians 3:18-19 describes that love. A love that is immeasurable. Paul says, "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God". We can't define God's love, but we can behold,

 John wrote his letter with fellowship in mind. Today, in the minds of most Christians, fellowship means gathering around food. While there is nothing wrong with this type of fellowship, the Apostle John means something a little bit different. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, which means partners and partakers. We are to be partners and partakers with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  That fellowship then extends to other believers in the faith. The Amplified version puts it this way ~ What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [ which is a distinguishing mark of Christians ] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). I love that!! Our fellowship with the Father and Jesus is a distinguishing mark!!  Our distinguishing mark should mean that we are noticeably different. We are set apart for God's serv

As a way of saying thanks to all my current readers, facebook  and twitter   followers, I'm having a giveaway of the NLT Chronological Bible. I will giveaway ONE NLT Chronological Bible, paperback edition. The winner will have their choice of either the regular or large print paperback edition. This giveaway will be open until January 16, 2012. Mandatory Entry: Comment about why you love reading the Bible and share your favorite Bible verse. Optional Extra Entries: ( only after completing mandatory entry) You can do any or all of the following entries below for one extra entry each. Please leave a separate comment below for each one you do. Don’t forget to leave your email so I can contact you if you are the winner! “Like” Teach Me the Ancient Paths on Facebook or tell me you already do. Mention this giveaway on Facebook using the share button below. Follow me on twitter   or tell me you already do. Tweet this giveaway using the button below this post. (This you may onl

The following recipe is from my Kraft Magazine, Food & Family. I tweaked it a little for our tastes and family size (original recipe  -http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/better-than-ever-beef-enchiladas-90553.aspx). My family loved this recipe!! My husband wants me to definitely make it again! Photo by Kraft Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20-23 minutes Serving size: 6-8 Cost: $10 - $12 Ingredients: 1 lb. extra-lean ground beef 2cup each chopped green and red peppers 3 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa, divided (I use any brand) 2 cups KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided (I use any brand) 12 Sante Fe Homestyle Whole Grain tortillas (about 6 inches) Directions: 1. Heat   oven to 400°F. 2. Brown   meat with peppers in large nonstick skillet. Stir in 1 1/2 cups salsa; simmer 5 min., stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in 1 cup cheese. 3. Spread 1/4 cup of the remaining salsa onto bottom of 9 x 13 inch baking

Today's post is based on the NLT Chronological Bible reading for January 7th. I want to focus on the following verses from Genesis 22:9-14 ~ When they arrived at the place where God had told them to go, Abraham built an alter and arranged wood on it. Then he ties his son, Isaac, and laid him on the alter on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham! “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”   “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”   Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.  Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the L ord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On th

God is my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my God, my Strength, my Shield, my S alvation, my High Tower. ~ Psalm 18:1-2 "While God is the owner and possessor of all things, He freely invites us to be possessive over Him as we desire." ~ Beth Moore I would like to share two videos. The first is by Wendy Pope ( www.wendypope.org ) on January 6 2011. She encourages women to remember what the Lord has done for each and every person who has put their trust in Jesus. The second video is the song "Jesus is Mine" by Alvin Slaughter. Remember all the day long to sing your song ~ Jesus is mine, Jesus is mine, everywhere I go, everywhere I be; oh Jesus is mine.

 Courtesy of  ChristArt.com "Jesus knew the that the Father has put all things under His power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God." John 13:3 Jesus relationship with His Father meant everything to Him. Jesus came to do the will of the Father [John 6:38]. He only did what the Father instructed [John 14:31]. He came to convey the love of the Father to us [John 15:9]. Everything the Father has belongs to Jesus, too [John 16:15]. Our relationship to the Father should also mean everything to us. We, too, should do the will of the Father [Matthew 6:39]. We, too, should only do what the Father instructs us to do [1 John 2:3]. We should convey the love the Father has for us to others [John 15:12]. Everything the Father has given to Jesus belongs to us, too [Romans 8:17]. If we have repented and put our trust in Jesus for salvation, we are children of God. You are a daughter of God. I am a daughter of God. You and I have been given the Spirit of adoption

I thought this would go perfectly with yesterday's post.

Before I begin my blog post today, let me state that I believe in the complementarian position between men and women. Each have differing biblical roles and responsibilities. Men and women are not meant to compete with each other. They are meant to complement each other. Jesus interacted with women. He still interacts with women. He values women. He sees their role as important. Let's look at a few women Jesus interacted with and how He impacted their lives. Jesus brought tenderness and compassion to Mary when she was weeping for missing Savior. He turned her mourning into joy. He brought affirmation to the Mary and Martha. He affirmed Mary by stating her worship was not a waste of time. He affirmed Martha by stating her service was important, it just wasn't something to fret over. For the woman who anointed Jesus for his burial He offered acceptance and commendation. He told everyone at that banquet her story would continually be told. For the Samaritan woman at

Jesus loves us the same way the Father loves Him. Jesus commands us to remain in that love. He wants us to obey his commandments as a sign of remaining in his love. He wants our joy to be complete. He wants us to love others as He has loved us. [John 15:9-12] The Message states it this way: "I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love. I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you." Jesus' love is complete. It is true. It is pure. It is never failing. We can draw on that love to give us the strength to love others, even those that may seem "unlovable". In order to rely on this love, we must remember that without Him we can do noth

Per my December 29th post, I am about to begin another journey with the NLT One Year Chronological Bible. I did a portion of this last year. Unfortunately, Wendy Pope of Walking with Women Through the Word, is not leading an updated study of the NLT this year. She is beginning a new study on the Psalms, which I will also be following. One can sign up for the new Psalm study on her website -http://wendypope.org/psalm-study/. She has, however, made the archived videos of the NLT study available. She has a link at the top of her website under online studies. Click that link and a drop down menu will appear. Hover over Read Thru the Word and click on RTW - 2012. I thought I'd share the first archived video in case any of my blog readers would like to do this NLT Chrono study. Here are links to the instructional videos for reading through the word - http://youtu.be/qYm-0CmCzng   and http://youtu.be/haYEJFkk478