Category: Uncategorized
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A Heart Like Mary’s
Written by Judy Kenagy Nativity scenes pop up on lawns and fireplace mantels as Christmas approaches. The lights are primarily focused on the baby Jesus laying on straw in the rough-hewn manger, as it should be. But let us reflect on the figure of Mary, the young virgin—Jesus’ earthly mother. We will explore two bookend…
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Hall of Faith: Abraham and Sarah
Written by Sheilah Adkins Introduction: Hebrews 11 is considered the Hall of Faith chapter. This chapter gives examples of faithful men and women to show us that we also can have great faith. One question comes to mind; why were these men and women chosen to be examples of faith for the Hebrew believers in…
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Growing & Sharing
By Annette Halsey Do you ever wonder what you are spreading at church? The last three years during the COVID pandemic, we have been inundated with reminders that people can spread germs to each other and how to take precautions to protect our loved ones and others around us. While I enjoy meeting and talking…
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The Blessing of Thankfulness
By Annette Halsey Introduction: Fresh cranberries are available in the grocery store—which, when boiled with water and sugar make an excellent topping for roasted butternut squash. The air is getting crisp and chill. Once again, November has come, and Thanksgiving is here. Looking Back: Generally, among the line-up of US holidays, I like Thanksgiving. I…
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The Legacy of Storytellers
Written by Judy Kenagy Family Stories: I have lived in the Southwest several times in my life, I have long been fascinated by the Pueblo Indian Storytellers. Colorful pottery figurines portray Native grandmothers or grandfathers seated and surrounded by children. The mouth of the grandparent is always large and opendepicting the sharing of oral history…
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The Power of Gathering
By Kelley Easley As temperatures drop and the leaves change color in the Ozarks, I’m reminded that the holidays are fast approaching. Perhaps more so than at any other time of the year, the holidays beckon us to set aside time out of our busy schedules, and invite us to gather. Each holiday season, people…
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Spiritual Strength Training
By Kelley Easley Who would’ve thought that the Holy Spirit could use the experience of caulking a bathtub to teach me something about the value of trials? For months on end, our bathtub had been a source of stress to me. The grout had largely worn off, and mildew was taking its place. It badly…
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Hall of Faith: Abel and Enoch
By Annette Halsey Who are Abel and Enoch? Why are Abel and Enoch in the “Hall of Faith”? Seriously?! King David is grouped with a bunch of others at the end of the chapter and the prophet Daniel isn’t even mentioned by name, while Abel and Enoch are mentioned in detail. The heroes listed are…
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The Power of Nothing
By Kelley Easley To say that I am not technologically savvy would be a huge understatement. Because my phone is always running out of charge, some thoughtful friends sent me a power bank all the way from another continent. It seemed like a perfect solution except, true to form, I haven’t figured out how to…
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Hebrews 11 Intro
The book of Hebrews is often considered one of the scariest books in the New Testament. Many Christians avoid the book altogether due to the warning passages contained in it (2:1-4, 4:12-13, 6:4-8, 10:26-31, 12:25-29). However, did you know the book was actually written to be an encouragement to its readers? The author of Hebrews…
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