Good stuff from BLOGGY WORLD

I enjoy following a number of special blogs in BLOGGY WORLD. Most of the blogs I follow are random people who God has led me to through blogging. We share common interests, common struggles, common goals and we encourage one another. We interact in bloggy world and over time, develop friendships. I love how God's hand is directing our paths to cross in this way; even if we are thousands of miles apart, God has ordained our time, our friendship and our interaction. Thank you God for my blog friends!

Some of the blogs I follow are "ministry blogs". These blogs are more one sided, but very special none the less. They contain devotionals or insights about the Christian faith. I was just peaking through the blogs I follow and read this post from Lysa Terkeurst blog about "My Jesus in 5 Days". Lysa is the president of the Proverbs 31 Ministries and has an easy to read approach to writing that is always life applicable.

I know many of my friends in bloggy world love the Lord and want nothing more than draw closer to Jesus. This post encourages me to do draw closer to Him this week and I hope it encourages you to do the same as well. Check out Lisa's post My Jesus in 5 Days... and be sure to leave a comment for her if it ministers to you.

MEMORY VERSE #8

Continuing on with The Beatitudes from THIS POST...

"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you." (Matthew 5:4 MSG)

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4 NIV)

SSMT Verse #8

Less is More~

Once asked to write a full story in six words, legend has it that novelist Ernest Hemingway responded:
"For Sale: baby shoes, never worn."

In six words he packs an emotional wallop and tells us everything we need to know.

I’d like to challenge bloggers and friends to tell me a story, and leave it in the comments section below. But here’s the catch: IT CAN ONLY BE SIX WORDS!

Here's mine:

"Loud shriek. Bloody dog. Kitten won."

added 4/12- (to ease any one's mind, my German Shepherd (Heidi) wanted to play and be dominant with our new kitten, Cherokee. Cherokee scratched Heidi's face as a defence and since Heidi was persistent, Cherokee scratched her in multiple places. Heidi wanted to play, but Cherokee wanted to fight and put the dog in her place- both animals are o.k. Heidi is healing fine having learned a lesson to leave the new kitty alone.)

Not Just a Bunch of Words~ SSMT Verse #7

The point of memorizing Scripture isn't to fill our heads with a bunch of words and wonderful "quotes", but to take ownership of the verses, to allow them to shape who we are, to teach us new things about God, to encourage us and to equip us for this journey called "life". Scripture from the Holy Bible is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12), it is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-18) and LIFE CHANGING if we live by it.

Since I became a Christ follower 9 years ago (traded in "religion" for actual "relationship"), God has revealed Himself a multitude of times through Scripture that has "blessed" Him and me. I have been memorizing Bible verses off and on for the past 9 years because right off, I recognized they are not just a bunch of words, but they are power in my life when I plant them in my mind and heart. Scripture brings me closer to oneness with the Lord.

Over the next couple months, I will be memorizing The Beatitudes from the Message translation paralleled to the NIV. The Message has such a down to earth, easy to understand and apply message, that I want to plant both translations in my mind and heart.

The Beatitudes is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus "saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them." (Matthew 5:1-2 NIV). The Beatitudes shares when we are "BLESSED". Blessed means more than happiness... the experience of hope and joy not connected to outward circumstances; blessed is the deepest form of eternal happiness like those who are in God's kingdom experience. I love this because I've lived these verses and they're true!!! My prayer is that we all are blessed today in an indescribable Jesus happiness.

Here's my first verse of The Beatitudes (verse #7 SSMT), Matthew 5:3~

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule." (MSG)

(Same verse in NIV) “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "