by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Prayer is a gift that far surpasses the fleeting bliss of a February day.
While I plan to post several gift ideas for the literary lover in your life later this week, today is about blessing our husbands (or future husbands!)
Below are a few specific ways:
Lord,
- Give him strength to lead (Joshua 1:7), time to know his family (John 10:14), and a passion to manage his home (1 Timothy 3:4).
- Bless his work and show him daily how to honor You in his attitude and spirit; confirm the work of his hands unto Your purpose (Psalm 90:16-17; Daniel 6)
- Protect him physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Psalm 28:7-9; Psalm 41; John 17:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:3).
– taken from “Praying For Your Husband” pamphlet, Summit Church
To learn 31 more ways to pray for your husband, visit The Time-Warped Wife. Awesome site!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Kyle Estepp continued our series on life practices we want to develop individually and corporately, with this week’s focus being on our own grace story. (2 Peter)
“Without Christ, we were all victims of a massive hijack and were being held hostage by our own sin and the power of Satan. The place of our
captivity was called “futile ways.” All was futile, the blowing up of bubbles that burst. Life may have been full of business and building, but it all signified nothing and would have ended in an eternal whimper. But Christ paid the ransom. He purchased our freedom by his own life.
As 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” And now nothing that we do in his name is futile, but it all has eternal significance.” – John Piper
- Conversion to Jesus Christ is not simply due to believing some facts but about a new person being born of the imperishable Word of the Gospel.
- God makes eternal somethings from futile nothings.
- Conversion doesn’t mean that we’re perfect but it does mean there will be a hunger for Christ. The more we taste of Him, the more we desire. Our appetites may wane during spiritual dry times but our thirst for Him prevails.
- Our power to give a compassionate witness about Jesus to unbelievers will grow in direct proportion to how precious Jesus is to us.
- Jesus gives us a new story. It’s only in the Gospel where our stories find their meaning.
Is our storytelling of the grace of a loving God? What’s the story we’re actually telling through our lives?
If you’d like to listen to the entire sermon, please visit Summit’s sermon archives here.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Our Word Weavers group couldn’t be prouder of Marcia Moston!
If you missed her book signing today at
Fiction Addiction, you missed a delightful time. Balloons, books, friends, fellow writers, and the most remarkable cake you’ve ever laid eyes on. Her book cover, made of edible paper, was propped atop chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Enough said.
It was a blessing to see Marcia surrounded by family and friends. If you would like to purchase a copy of her debut memoir,
Call of A Coward, click
here and then please consider leaving a review. After all, there are many ways we can show our support for one another.
Congratulations, Marcia!
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
When the new bakery Inn the Oven opened just across the street from my Weight Watchers meeting place, I knew I’d be calling on some mad self-discipline skills.
I called — but no one answered — so Brian and I headed over after dinner last week. He had “the best ice cream ever” and I enjoyed a generous slice of homemade chocolate cake with thick-cooked chocolate icing like my grandmother used to make. Remember the tiny bit of sugar-crunch you taste when biting into homemade icing? Oh yes, it’s all there.
While I can’t enjoy a generous slice of chocolate cake (or any of their other delectable desserts) on a regular basis, I can head over any time for lunch, where they serve home-made chicken salad and Build-Your-Own-Sandwiches.
I love supporting locally-owned businesses—especially those that remind me of my grandmother’s cooking.
Visit Inn the Oven on Facebook to “like” and find out more information.
by Cathy Baker | Faith |
Wafting aroma of well-worn books greeted me like an old friend when I recently stumbled into BookQuest, a local jewel but mere miles from my home. The only thing missing from my Christmas in July experience
was Bing Crosby playing in the background.
I marveled at the multitude of shelves filled with used and rare books, many with seasoned autographs inscribed on their flyleaves.
Among my finds that day…a book by a local poet, Bernard Meredith, a late 1800’s poetry book by George Eliot, and a petite paper-bound book of beautifully illustrated poems that may just end up framed on my wall.
BookQuest is located in downtown area of Fountain Inn, SC. If you live nearby, I encourage you to stop by and support this local find — but if you live a little too far away to enjoy this bookstore, be sure to explore a nearby town in search of your own jewel.
