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The Daily Memo | December 29, 2021 | A Deeper Experience of God
Everyone is trying to find their way to joy, and if not joy, at least happiness. That’s a good desire, by the way: It fuels our search. It keeps us moving forward. Folks who give up even wanting to be happy are deep into what might be called depression. But in Christendom there seems to be this perennial debate about how to get there. One camp, rising in popularity for obvious reasons, promises a life above and beyond suffering. If we just worship/believe/proclaim,…
Categories: The Daily Memo, The Hope of Healing, Knowing & Being Known | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/29/2021
How Ya’ll Feelin’ ‘bout 2022?
If you’re like me, looking ahead to next year and what may be on the horizon seems a bit overwhelming. A whole lotta trepidation. What do I mean by that? Well, let me see. An ongoing worldwide pandemic, job security, heating bills, the cost of gas, inflation in prices of almost everything I buy, supply chain problems (if you need something you can’t find), being isolated again (maybe), going back to the office, shortage of help in my business, school for me or…
Categories: Walking With God, Identity Security, The Hope of Healing, The Reality of Our Present World | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/28/2021
The Daily Memo | December 28, 2021 | Arranging Our Days
How we arrange our days and spend our time is central to becoming the kind of king to whom God can entrust his creative power. It is this slow and steady exercise—or better said, consistent practicing over time—that produces the kind of king God intends us to become. What is the relationship between the kind of human Jesus was on earth and how he spent his time? We can draw from several foundational truths expressed through his life. We know he spent time in.…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Practicing His Presence, Knowing & Being Known | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/28/2021
The Daily Memo | December 27, 2021 | Beautifully Broken
Our bus finally arrived at our much-anticipated destination—an archaeological dig in Israel where we would actually do some excavation work of our own. The site’s director explained that anything we might unearth had been untouched for thousands of years. Digging up broken shards of pottery, we felt as though we were touching history. After an extended time, we were led to a workstation where those broken pieces—from huge vases shattered long, long ago&mdash…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Restored in Him, The Hope of Healing | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/27/2021
Merry Christmas to All
From all of us here at Embracing Brokenness Ministries to our partners, our affiliates, and our friends - have the most amazing Christmas. We thank God for each and every one of you. For the engagement and the support you've provided as we live out the calling our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has placed on our lives here in the ministry. Blessings to you in this most wonderful time of the year as we celebrate the birth of God's Son. Steve & Colleen
Categories: Understanding Love, EB Ministries | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/24/2021
The Daily Memo | December 24, 2021 | There is a Larger Story
Walk into any large mall, museum, amusement park, university, or hospital, and you will typically meet at once a very large map with the famous red star and the encouraging words "You are here". These maps are offered to visitors as ways to orient themselves to their situation, get some perspective on things. This is the Big Picture. This is where you are in that picture. Hopefully you now know where to go. You have your bearings. Oh, that we had something like…
Categories: What We Were Created For, The Daily Memo, The Reality of Our Present World | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/24/2021
The Daily Memo | December 23, 2021 | Seek His Stillness
Have you ever sensed the Holy Spirit prompting you to take a break from the holiday preparations and sit for a while in Jesus’ presence, only to brush it off and focus on the next task on your list? I know I have. We often push ourselves at breakneck speeds, waking early and staying up late, squeezing every daylight hour for all its worth. Then we’re so exhausted by our hustle, we can hardly savor the beauty of the season. And sometimes, this busyness is really…
Categories: Walking With God, The Daily Memo, The Hope of Healing, Practicing His Presence | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/23/2021
The Daily Memo | December 22, 2021 | A Necessary but Challenging Lesson
There are many lessons for us to learn in the Christian life, and one of the hardest involves patience. When we have a problem, we want an immediate solution, but that’s not always God’s will for us. He wants us to trust Him and leave the timing in His hands. As you read today’s passage from Psalm 27, notice that David coupled the admonition to wait upon God with encouragement to be strong and courageous (Psalm 27:14). In our culture, people are quick to…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Practicing His Presence | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/22/2021
The Daily Memo | December 21, 2021 | Why We Need Rest at Christmas
“Deck the halls with boughs of holly,” the well-known carol begins. And so we do. Some of us prepare for Christmas at the first hint of cold weather, while others postpone the inevitable as long as possible. But at some point we all get caught in a vortex of activity—most of it fun and festive but exhausting nonetheless, leaving our souls feeling both stuffed and empty. Often, it’s in the midst of this hubbub of holiday cheer that we quietly wonder, &ldquo…
Categories: The Daily Memo, The Hope of Healing, The Reality of Our Present World, Practicing His Presence | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/21/2021
The Daily Memo | December 20, 2021 | What Was the Star of Bethlehem?
The star of Bethlehem is associated with the birth of Christ and the visit of the magi (wise men) as recorded in Matthew 2:1–12. The text implies the star of Bethlehem appeared only to the magi in the East (most likely the area of Persia, or modern-day Iran). There is no biblical record of anyone else observing the star of Bethlehem. The magi in the East saw something in the heavens—the star of Bethlehem—that alerted them to the fact that the Jewish…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Understanding Love, Restored in Him, Safe People & Safe Community | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 12/20/2021