Monthly Archives: December 2010

Mr Strong and Mrs Siewert

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Psalm 51:10-Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me (Amp).

Most of us are familiar with Strong’s Concordance, but did you know that Dr. James Strong spent 35 years preparing this remarkable dictionary of the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Testament before it was published in 1890? Or that every word was researched manually? The Christian Herald (September, 1947) called it ‘a book to defy description.’

In 1950, Mrs. Siewert didn’t have much training in Hebrew and Greek but she got the idea to produce a Bible that ‘amplified’ the true, original meaning of the Word. With some financial help from the Lockman Foundation and Zondervan publishers, the Amplified New Testament was published in 1958 and the Amplified Old Testament in 1964.

What is your dream or your vision? What plan has God placed before us? Is it too hard? Are we disappointed because we expected it to come to fruition in just a few weeks? Are we upset because we are still pushing toward the goal and it seems farther away than ever? Do we have family and friends telling us to just give up?

Will we be making the same old tired excuses this time next year? Or will we be moving steadily in the right direction, no matter how long it takes?

Or do we have the Strong/Siewert perseverance? Of course we do. If we asked Jesus into our life, His Holy Spirit lives in us. He’s ready and waiting to help us get started.

Brenda J. Wood

http://heartfeltdevotionals.wordpress.com

Let’s Start a New Cut-off Date.

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Are we ever really ready? It’s a good job there is a cut-off date – December 25th- or we would be buying, baking and decorating for ever. After years of learning better habits, I still tend to occasionally fall into the same mess.

Right now I am making serviettes for our dining table. Red with white machine embroidery on each. They will be pretty as is but if the cut-off date doesn’t come too soon, I might also embroider each person’s name on one.. See what I mean?

I wasn’t going to bake much but hubby wanted cookies for his friends..so I made one batch of Do-Dos. But one batch alone on a plate looks a little sad and the cut-off date isn’t here yet…—  See what I mean?

I am making a new cut-off date. It is today! Want to join me?

Thank God that He doesn’t make a cut-off date for us. He generously extends and re-extends time for us to ask Him into our lives.

He came into this world as a baby…..God became man…so that He could die on the cross for our sin, our wrong-doing,  and make a way for us to be in fellowship with Him.

But He is a Gentleman. We have to ask Him into our life.

Because what if He suddenly decided on a cut-off date? And we missed Christmas in every way?

Brenda J. Wood

blog: http://heartfeltdevotionals.wordpress.com

Santa is NOT the Key to Christmas

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We spend so much time getting our children to believe in Santa when we would be well advised to spend that time introducing them to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Forget trying to get Christ back into Christmas….it’s us that need to get back to Christ…

Brenda J. Wood

http://heartfeltdevotionals.wordpress.com

Finished! Finished! Finished!

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Can you guess? It is FINISHED! My new book, Meeting Myself, Snippets from a Shattered Mind is on its way to agent Kelly Mortimer.!

It’s  hard to write about what pains you. It’s hard to tell the world about your addictions. It’s hard to face the truth about yourself….but I did it!

Abuse? Bulimia? Recovery? It is all in there and soon I hope it will be in your hands to read…..

Now I am going to celebrate by having a hot bubble bath. We’re snowed in and I gave up chocolate—so my celebration is low key for the moment…

If you like you may celebrate with me by signing on to my blog and leaving your congratulations.

Brenda J. Wood

http://heartfeltdevotionals.wordpress.com

 

Do You Have the Stomach for This Book??

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No it is not 365 ways to cook turkey or make crafts. On This Day in Christian History is a daily devotional about those who made a difference by delivering the Gospel, no matter the cost.

Do you know about  Fabian, the 19th Bishop of Rome ,who was the first to die under the persecution of ruler Decius Trojan? Decius decided his kingdom would prosper if all the Christians were dead. He died the next year, but the church continues!

Or what of Nicholas Owen, designer of ‘hidey-holes’  for Catholics when ‘Good Queen Bess’ was on a search and destroy them misison?

Orr Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, missionaries to the fierce Cayuse Indians of the American west in 1835. Narcissa was the first white woman to cross the west. Twelve years later they were blamed for a measles outbreak and tomahawked.

What of John and Hanna Hunt who went to Fiji when the people still boiled and ate two-thirds of their children and did the same to their old folks? Their sacrifices left Fiji described as ‘a jewel in the missionary diadem.’

So again I ask, do you have the stomach for this book? If you will take the time to read it, your own walk  with Jesus will be changed.

Brenda J. Wood

http://heartfeltdevotionals.wordpress.com

 

For Fast-Acting Relief?

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Actress Lily Tomlin suggests that for fast-acting relief, that we just slow down..

Ouch. If I did that, my feelings would catch up with me. I’d feel the despair of my abusive past, the pain of rejection and the fear of the unknown. That is, unless I also slowed down into prayer, a Psalm or two and a quiet half hour or so with the Lord.

Are you going too fast? Give yourself a break. Let Jesus catch up with you and sooth the savage beast within..

Blessings, Brenda J. Wood

blog:   http://heartfeltdevotionals.wordpress.com