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Hope and Comfort for Uvalde, Texas

By Angela Wittman Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.  ~Psalm 30, Verse 5 (NKJV) Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. ~Romans 12, Verse 15 (NKJV) As Christians, we are called to offer hope to a dying world and that hope is Jesus Christ. We are to pray, show compassion and to weep with the brokenhearted. But as followers of Christ, we also know with certainty that we have a Christian hope to be reunited with our loved ones who have died in the Lord, and that hope is to be shared with those grieving.  I sincerely pray that we will be lights shining in this dark world and that we will rise to the occasion by offering comfort and the blessed hope only found in Christ Jesus. News Links:  Outrage at Shooting Uvalde, Texas  (Veritas Domain - The Domain for Truth) SBTC dispatches ministers in wake of Uvalde elementary school shooting  (Baptist Press) Gunman Kills 19 Children in Texas School Rampage  (AP - CBN)  19 Students, 2 Adults Killed in

Wisdom from Elisabeth Elliot: "Let Me Be a Woman"

Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot "This is what I understand to be the essence of femininity. It means surrender. Think of a bride. She surrenders her independence, her name, her destiny, her will, herself to the bridegroom in marriage. ... The first woman was made specifically for the first man, a helper, to meet, respond to, surrender to, and complement him. God made her from the man, out of his very bone, and then He brought her to the man. When Adam named Eve, he accepted responsibility to “husband” her—to provide for her, to cherish her, to protect her. These two people together represent the image of God—one of them in a special way the initiator, the other the responder. Neither the one nor the other was adequate alone to bear the divine image. God put these two in a perfect place and—you know the rest of the story. Eve, in her refusal to accept the will of God, refused her femininity. Adam, in his capitulation to her suggestion, abdicated his masculine responsibility f

Encouragement for Today: 'Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.'

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. ~ Psalm 90, vs.1 (KJV) Don't underestimate the power of God working through small rural churhes; I remember as a new believer thinking we should be building mega churches to glorify the Lord. But that view has changed down through the years as the good Lord placed me in several small congregations. I'm presently in a small Baptist church near my home in the Missouri Ozarks. We might have had a dozen or so worshippers this past Lord's Day and while we were but a few in attendence, the pastor preached a powerful sermon on Psalm 95. It's a message I will always treasure in my heart. Be encouraged to know God is at work even in unassuming small places. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Psalm 95 (KJV) O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3 For the Lord is a great God, and

Encouragement for today: 'Look and Live'

 Today's post is from CH Spurgeon's Daily Checkbook which is Featured at Sermon Audio . It's quite appropriate for me this morning as I grieve and hate my sinfulness... But, I belong to a risen Savior who has born my sin and made me clean. I will join Mr. Spurgeon and look to Christ this morning. - Angela Wittman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shalt come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live" — Numbers 21:8 This is a glorious gospel type. Jesus, numbered with the transgressors, hangs before us on the cross. A look to Him will heal us of the serpent-bite of sin; will heal us at once -- "When he looketh upon it, he shall live." Let the reader who is mourning his sinfulness note the words -- "Everyone that looketh upon it shall live." Every looker will find this true. I have found it so. I looked to Jesus and lived at once,

Encouragement for today: "He blesseth the habitation of the just" - C.H. Spurgeon

  That house is most blest in which the master and mistress are God-fearing people; but a son or daughter or even a servant may bring a blessing on a whole household. The LORD often preserves, prospers, and provides for a family for the sake of one or two in it, who are "just" persons in His esteem, because His grace has made them so. - C.H. Spurgeon From Today's Daily Checkbook : Home Blessings "He blesseth the habitation of the just" — Proverbs 3:33 He fears the LORD, and therefore he comes under the divine protection even as to the roof which covers himself and his family.  His home is an abode of love, a school of holy training, and a place of heavenly light. In it there is a family altar where the name of the LORD is daily had in reverence. Therefore the LORD blesses his habitation.  It may be a humble cottage or a lordly mansion; but the LORD's blessing comes because of the character of the inhabitant and not because of the size of the dwelling.  That

Encouragement for today: Exodus Chapter 15

  15  Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the   Lord , and spake, saying, I will sing unto the   Lord , for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 2  The  Lord  is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. 3  The  Lord  is a man of war: the  Lord  is his name. 4  Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea. 5  The depths have covered them: they sank into the bottom as a stone. 6  Thy right hand, O  Lord , is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O  Lord , hath dashed in pieces the enemy. 7  And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. 8  And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as

Encouragement for Today: "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy"

Heavenly Alchemy  By Charles H. Spurgeon   "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy" — John 16:20   Their particular sorrow was the death and absence of their LORD, and it was turned into joy when He rose from the dead and showed Himself in their midst. All the sorrows of saints shall be thus transmuted, even the worst of them, which look as if they must forever remain fountains of bitterness.  Then the more sorrow, the more joy.  If we have loads of sorrow, then the LORD's power will turn them into tons of joy. Then the bitterer the trouble the sweeter the pleasure: the swinging of the pendulum far to the left will cause it to go all the farther to the right.  The remembrance of the grief shall heighten the flavor of the delight: we shall set the one in contrast with the other, and the brilliance of the diamond shall be the more clearly seen because of the black foil behind it.  Come, my heart, cheer up! In a little while I shall be as glad as I am now gloomy. Jesus tells m

Cultivating a Gentle Quiet Spirit

By Angela Wittman Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;  While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.  Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;  But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.   For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:  Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.  (1 Peter 3:1-6 KJV)  Something about the latest controversy of women teachers in the conservative Reformed churches has been bothering me, but I just couldn'

Encouragement for today: "He will keep the feet of His saints"

By C. H. Spurgeon, the "Prince of Preachers" and posted at Sermon Audio as a Daily Devotional for January 24, 2020 : Care of Our Feet "He will keep the feet of His saints" — 1 Samuel 2:9 The way is slippery and our feet are feeble, but the LORD will keep our feet. If we give ourselves up by obedient faith to be His holy ones, He will Himself be our guardian. Not only will He charge His angels to keep us, but He Himself will preserve our goings.  He will keep our feet from falling so that we do not defile our garments, wound our souls, and cause the enemy to blaspheme.  He will keep our feet from wandering so that we do not go into paths of error, or ways of folly, or courses of the world's custom.  He will keep our feet from swelling through weariness, or blistering because of the roughness and length of the way.  He will keep our feet from wounding: our shoes shall be iron and brass so that even though we tread on the edge of

Encouragement for the Ladies: 'BETTY ZANE AND THE SIEGE OF FORT HENRY, SEPTEMBER 1782'

Written by Eric Sterner and posted at Journal of the American Revolution : "The military stores in Ebenezer Zane’s house were achingly close, but still too far to easily reach without passing through a long gauntlet of hostile warriors, soldiers, and gunfire. The fort’s defenders held a council and decided that one of them should run the gauntlet to retrieve gunpowder from Zane’s house. The colonel’s younger sister, Elizabeth Zane, volunteered. When some objected that a man could make the trip with less risk, she allegedly replied, 'and should he fall, his loss will be more severely felt. You have not one man to spare; a woman will not be missed in the defence of the fort.'[21] The men agreed. She removed clothing that would slow her down, then charged out of the fort when the gates were opened. Her gender reportedly stunned the attackers, who did not feel compelled to attack a woman. They may not have realized the purpose of her dash. Reaching the cabin, Ebene

What kind of 'Digital Footprints' are you leaving?

By Angela Wittman Q. 1. What is the chief and highest end of man? A. Man's chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever. ( Westminster Larger Catechism )  Due to recent deaths in our family and the natural progression of age and (hopefully) maturity, my husband and I recently had a conversation about planning for our eventual deaths. As we discussed how to best protect our sons inheritance by hiring an estate lawyer, etc., we also began talking about what type of funerals we wanted. My husband is an outdoors man - he wants his ashes spread on his favorite hunting spot - yes, really! I'm somewhat of a history buff, so I want a traditional grave site that's easy for future generations to find and document my birth and death. As I expressed my pragmatic desire, my husband responded with telling me I didn't need a physical marker because I was leaving a huge "digital footprint." This observation by my husband got me to thinkin