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The Daily Memo | May 5, 2021 | The God of All Comfort
Radamenes was just a kitten when his owner dropped him off at an animal shelter, thinking he was too ill to recover. The kitten was nursed back to health and adopted by the vet. He then became a fulltime resident at the shelter and now spends his days “comforting” cats and dogs—just out of surgery or recovering from an illness—through his warm presence and gentle purr. That story is a small picture of what our loving God does for us—and what we…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Understanding Love, Restored in Him, The Hope of Healing | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/05/2021
The Daily Memo | May 4, 2021 | Hindrances to Prayer
Is God answering your prayers, or does it seem as if He’s not listening? Hearing no reply can be very discouraging, especially when you really need His help. Although it’s not always possible to know why God is silent, James offers some possible reasons: Sin (James 4:1-2). Unaddressed sin hinders communication with God. This may have been the case with the recipients of James’s letter, who were quarreling and feeling animosity. Wrong Motives (James 4:3).…
Categories: Walking With God, The Daily Memo, The Reality of Our Present World, Spiritual Warfare | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/04/2021
38. Safe People - Safe Community - The Pathology of Trust Podcast
We all need people in relationships that are safe. Safe to talk with and converse about the most difficult issues that surround our lives daily. From there we can then develop a safe community of several folks that can walk alongside us helping in any way the Holy Spirit guides. People that we can trust to have our back without judgment are often hard to find. But God..... will do that for us. He'll guide us to those that He deems safe and we can also. Colleen does a…
Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/03/2021
The Daily Memo | May 3, 2021 | Ask God
Peter was one of Jesus' closest friends, one of only three that were invited into his innermost circle. In Gethsemane, at his hour of greatest need, Jesus again took Peter aside, poured his heart out to him; he looked to Peter for strength. Three years of this, and who knows how many other stories. Peter must have known, I have a special place in Jesus' heart. So, how do you suppose Peter felt after he denied Christ—not just once, but three times? It must…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Identity Security, Understanding Love, Restored in Him, The Hope of Healing, Wounded Healer | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 05/03/2021
The Daily Memo | April 30, 2021 | Peace Be Still
“Peace. Be still.” Have you ever needed to hear someone in authority say those words over your fearful, frantic feelings? Maybe your mother or father calmed you in such a way after a bad dream or during the stress of final exams. Jesus’s disciples heard these words, too, in a most unusual manner. Try to put yourself into the scene: You are finishing up a long day listening to Jesus teach the crowds. He’s tired, you’re tired, and everyone needs…
Categories: Walking With God, The Daily Memo, Safe People & Safe Community | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 04/30/2021
Ease, Comfort, and Pleasure Anyone?
I get the local newspaper in an email from my inbox every morning. Not because I necessarily like reading the news, but my Mother still gets the paper delivered to her residence and I get the online version as a benefit. Many years ago I stopped reading the paper regularly due to the bias evident in almost every so-called news story - depending on the author or the delivery method. If I want news I’ll usually look at my BBC app or phone a friend. It must have been a…
Categories: What We Were Created For, Identity Security, Understanding Love, The Reality of Our Present World, Wounded Healer | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 04/29/2021
The Daily Memo | April 29, 2021 | Is God In Every Circumstance?
As we grow in our Christian faith, we move from the milk of elementary truths to the meatier issues of Scripture that challenge our heart and our thinking. One of those deeper concepts is the question of whether God is involved in every circumstance. Spiritually, it gives us a lot to “chew on” because the answer goes against our natural reasoning. For example, Joseph was treated cruelly by his brothers, suffering enslavement and imprisonment in Egypt because of…
Categories: The Daily Memo, The Reality of Our Present World, Knowing & Being Known | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 04/29/2021
Clean Conscience - Pastor Joe Focht
Pastor Joe reminds us that our internal compass is designed to help discern right and wrong. God wants us to follow that conscience as we choose to be fully engaged in our Christian journey. We serve a living God that wants a relationship with us, not our to-do list completed. Christ died once and for all. The veil was torn to bring us restoration in Him. We have access to a deep intimacy with God so that our conscience, through the Holy Spirit, can be renewed. He'll…
Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 04/28/2021
The Daily Memo | April 28, 2021 | Do Not Give Way to Fear
The reason we fear to step out is because we know that it might not go well (is that an understatement?). We have a history of wounds screaming at us to play it safe. We feel so deeply that if it doesn’t go well, if we are not received well, their reaction becomes the verdict on our lives, on our very beings, on our hearts. We fear that our deepest doubts about ourselves as women will be confirmed. Again. That we will hear yet again the message of our wounds, the…
Categories: The Daily Memo, Identity Security, The Hope of Healing | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 04/28/2021
The Daily Memo | April 27, 2021 | How to Develop Intimacy With God
The life and ministry of the American pastor, John Wimber, has had a great influence on many other churches around the world. He said, ‘The ability to hear what God is saying, to see what God is doing, and to move in the realm of the miraculous comes as an individual develops the same intimacy with and dependence upon the Father [as Jesus had].’ How did Jesus do what he did? The answer is found in his relationship with the Father. How…
Categories: Walking With God, The Daily Memo, Practicing His Presence | Authored by: sparrowwebsites | Posted: 04/27/2021