The Name of Jesus

“She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus…” Matt. 1:21

Aloha Girls!

Christmas is right around the corner. And so is our Women’s Annual Christmas Dinner and Marketplace! It sold out in one week’s time! First time ever… and it reveals how eager we all are to gather 2gether. The theme this year: ‘Unwrapping the Names of Jesus.’ I hope you were able to register and will be joining us for an evening full of wonder + inspiration! 

SOOO…. Are you excited about unwrapping your presents? I am, but to be honest, as I have grown older in my years, I’m more excited to watch my family unwrap the gifts from under the Christmas tree. After we read the Christmas story, we first unwrap the items in our stockings. Emotions and wrapping paper are flying high! We have the tradition with our family, to pass out the gifts under the tree, one by one to each person. It’s amazing to me that my grandkids go for this idea, (I never would have as a kid!) But because of doing it this way, we can all enjoy seeing the gift that was unwrapped and share in the thrill of it all! 

Have you ever gotten a gift from someone and you were utterly speechless? There were no words to express your joy and delight? How do you describe the gift of Jesus? 2 Cor. 9:15 says; “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” That’s a perfect description of Jesus. A gift too wonderful for words! But…

Did you know there are over 100 different names and titles for Jesus? That’s a lot of words☺ What’s in a name, anyhow? My parents named me Karen Sue and my sister Cindy Lou because they rhymed. Some people like all ‘S’ names! Names given in Bible times were chosen because they had special meaning. Each name of Jesus tells a story and is packed with significance by describing His character and His attributes. Below are a few of the names and titles of Jesus. What a wonderful name it is. What a powerful name it is. The Name of Jesus. His name is above all names! May you take great delight as you unwrap His names one by one and deepen both your love + affection for Him. 

Merry Christmas, Karen

The Name of Jesus: Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, The Word, I Am, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, The Way, Truth, The Life, The Good Shepherd, The Vine, Bread of Life, Rock, Light of the World, Creator, Alpha and Omega, Faithful and True, Redeemer, Savior of the World…

“Lord there is no one like You! For You are great, and Your name is full of power.” Jeremiah 10:6

It is Good to Give Thanks

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, 

O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, 

and Your faithfulness every night.” Psalm 92:1-2

Hey Girls!

Giving thanks is always in season. Gratitude has tremendous benefits! Did you know that counting your daily blessings can boost your health? As you give thanks, your mood begins to improve. I’ve seen this happen in my own life. And there’s been research done that showed people who are grateful had less depression, stress, lower blood pressure, more energy and greater optimism. But there is more☺! It also claims that gratitude has the ability to slow down the aging clock (yes, please) as it puts the brakes on cortisol (the stress hormone). Such great benefits should impact your daily life!

Asaph, the writer of Psalm 92, encourages us to give thanks to the LORD, (Divine name of God, YHWH)). His reasoning was simple… “for it is good”.  We saw that being grateful has many physical health benefits which are good. Giving thanks to the LORD has tremendous spiritual benefits, too. Gratitude is a response to the goodness and mercy of God. Making a habit of being thankful does wonders for your outlook on life. Gratitude to the LORD helps us look beyond ourselves and our circumstances and see a Most High God who is sovereign and in charge of it all. Giving thanks can help guard against my wrong attitudes - to be selfish, grumble or complain. We are commanded to be thankful in ALL things. I’m not full of joy and grateful for the difficult trials in life, but I can give thanks and rejoice, for God’s presence and sustaining grace in the midst of it all. I’m thankful for His promises to help me cope. Giving thanks brings joy and peace to our hearts.

Take time this month to count your many blessings - name them one by one and boost your heart health, reduce your stress level and gain more energy! Who doesn’t need this? Let’s also be intentional while giving thanks to the LORD, and singing praises to His name. He is large and in charge. We can declare the LORD’s lovingkindness in the morning, and His faithfulness at night. Such a great way to begin and close each day. He is worthy to be praised. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Karen

Prayer Can Change Things

“Therefore, He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood

before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He destroy them.” Psalm 106:23

Aloha Girls!

It amazes me that our Loving, Almighty, Powerful, Wise and Sovereign God, chooses to use everyday people to accomplish His purposes. At times, I have wondered, why doesn’t He just get the job done without us? It would be waay easier, cleaner and quicker, too! That statement reminds me of times past, when each of my grandkids were little. I would invite them to help me bake cookies. What a mess was made! Flour everywhere possible. Unwanted egg shells in the bowl. Too many sprinkles… You get the picture. But what joy there was in that mess! I was experiencing intimacy + relationship with each of my grandkids. At first, the mess was a distraction for me, but quickly and thankfully, I realized how unimportant that was and the connection that was created with them was gold. 

In the same way, God chooses to use our lives to deepen our relationship with Him. Sure, He could get the job done without us, but where’s the fun in that? That’s not His plan. I Cor. 1: 26-29 is all about God choosing the weak, foolish things of this world to confound the wise. He uses our flawed lives to accomplish His will. Part of our responsibility as Christians who love the Lord is to intercede for others by standing in the gap/breach for them in prayer. Esther stood in the gap with prayer and fasting for her people, saving them from certain death by those who wanted them destroyed. Her intercession on behalf of her people brought forth a different outcome: life, not death. Prayer can change things! 

The verse above from Psalm 106:23, was in my reading plan in my devotions a few weeks ago. It really was highlighted on my heart. I read that Moses begged God, standing in the breach, not to destroy the Hebrew people when they had worshipped the golden calf. God was planning on destroying them. He told Moses He would wipe them out and make a nation from Moses instead. I would have responded – “Yes, just do it Lord! These people are a complaining, rebellious, ungrateful bunch.” But Moses didn’t respond that way. He stood in the gap and prayed for the rebel people, in order to turn away God’s anger, so that they were spared. Life, not death. Prayer can change things!

Sooooo thankful for the truth of God’s Word from Heb. 7:25; that Jesus stood in the gap for us and now lives to make intercession for you and me. Simply amazing that Jesus is praying for God’s will in our lives. And you and I have the privilege of interceding on behalf of our families, friends, the gals on this prayer list, and those who don’t yet know Jesus. Let’s follow the example of Moses and Esther and stand in the gap on behalf of our nation and others. We can cry out to God, to deliver, just like they did in the days of Judges. I like this prayer from Habakkuk 3:2… “I have heard all about You Lord. I am filled with awe by Your amazing works. In this time of our deep need, help us again as You did in years gone by. And in Your wrath remember mercy,” Prayer can change things!

God bless you, Karen

Praying God's Word

“Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth!

Grant me an undivided heart, so that I may fear Your name” Psalm 86:11

Aloha Girls!

Psalm 86, was written by David. God called him -- A man after His heart. What a remarkable statement to

make about one’s life! Especially because we know David wasn’t perfect. He was a man of weakness and

failures just like us. Aren’t you glad flawed people are all thru-out the Bible? We can learn from their

mistakes and their successes. David knew how to make things right with confession of his sin then getting

back on target in his relationship with God. I’m reminded of the song – “prone to wander, Lord I feel it….”

I’m sure David could relate to that tune too!

Yes, by nature, we are prone to wander, but it doesn’t have to be that way! David prayed this simple

prayer here in Psalm 86:11; asking the Lord to instruct him and teach him His ways. He wanted to follow

God’s path of righteousness (right-living by God’s standards). He didn’t want to be led down the path of

the world (doing what’s right in your own eyes). In this simple prayer, David is asking God to grant him an

undivided heart. He wanted to honor God in all that he did.

Where in your life do you need God’s wisdom and instruction? You can use this simple heartfelt prayer

from Psalm 86:11, AND pray Scripture back to God. We talked about this subject in our recent H2P

celebration. There is power in praying Scripture back to God. Ever been at a loss of what to pray for

yourself, your situations or others? Try using Bible verses as your inspiration in prayer. Pray for the ladies

on your list. Thank you so much for being involved in this prayer ministry.

Dear Lord, thank you for hearing my prayer…

I come boldly to Your throne of grace, to receive grace + mercy in time of need. “Teach me Your way, O

Lord, and I will walk in Your truth.” I ask to be teachable. Soften my heart to receive Your words. Show me

where I’m not listening to You. Open my ears to hear Your voice. I desire to be led by Your truth, the Holy

Spirit in me and not my feelings. Thank you for Your divine power source living in me, leading me and

teaching me Your ways. Open my eyes to behold wonderful things as I daily read Your Word.

“Grant me an undivided heart, so that I may fear Your name.” Sooo many distractions clamoring for my

attention. I pray to wholly follow after Your heart and not the things of this world. Help me to reverence

Your name and honor You in my daily life. I look forward to Your soon return. “Now to Him who is able to

keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.

Amen. Jude 1:24-25

God bless you, Karen

Obstacle or Opportunity?

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us,

so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures,

and the encouragement they provide… we might have hope.” Romans 15:4

Aloha Girls,

I am so thankful we have God’s written Word. It’s alive and powerful and able to encourage us in these stressful times. The world we live in presently is SOOOO different than what my Grandma experienced and - that wasn’t very long ago. This scripture in Romans 15:4 tells us that the Bible is to teach us and give us hope as we wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled. God’s Word helps us to endure; to keep on keeping on when the days are long and hard. The Bible is filled with stories that really happened! These old stories of days past aren’t made up fairy tales, but real live stories full of intrigue, conflict, drama, discouragement, romance, successes, failures, and redemption… all for the purpose of inspiring faith in God and to fill us with hope! Are you reading your Bible? Got hope?

I know many of you, as well as myself included, have been facing particularly difficult situations. I have had past health issues rise up again with no explanation. We also had 3 major electrical appliances break down, one right after the other, which can be so discouraging! Our outside freezer was the worst but Mike’s scroll saw was a close contender. One of my first reactions, when squeezed into a tight place with no escape route, is usually to blame it on the enemy as spiritual warfare. Right? It’s easy to put the blame on the enemy of our soul and see our situation, as an obstacle that needs to be plowed through and removed. Yet at times, those very obstacles, the discouraging circumstances that are right smack dab in front of us, are there because the Lord has led us to this place. He is using the obstacle as opportunity for us to acknowledge our dependence upon Him in a deeper way. 

Remember the story in Exodus when God had just delivered the children of Israel from the Egyptians? He led them right into the wilderness in front of the massive Red Sea. There they were… boxed in on all sides, literally a dead-end predicament; there was no place to go. The enemy was behind them, chasing after them, and the Rea Sea was before them, making it a dead-end situation! The solution to escape was out of their control, and that was the exact spot where God had led them. BUT…the Lord went before them by day in a cloud and at night by fire to lead their way and to give them light. His presence was leading and guiding them at all times. We know He performed a miracle right before their eyes. He did this over and over again on the journey to the Promised Land.

Do you find yourself squeezed into a tight place with no escape route in sight? My tendency at these trying times, can be to complain and panic. Let’s instead choose to look up and depend on God by remembering stories of old. Open your Bible and allow God’s Word to nourish your soul. Let His Word inspire hope to persevere in your present circumstances! 

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord, Yes,

I will remember Your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all Your works

and consider all Your mighty deeds...” Psalm 77:11-12

God bless you! Karen

Hope through the Battle

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and reliable and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us..” Hebrews 6:19-20a

 Sisters in Christ,

            We’re halfway through the year, and it’s a great time to take an inventory of the first 6 months of 2022.  How many new habits or continued resolutions are we holding on to? How’s our Bible in a year plan going and how many victories have we had so far?  How many prayers have you seen answered, and how many times has God proven Himself faithful in just this first half of the year?

            It can be so hard in the day-to-day routines of life to stop and see how God has been so faithfully moving around us.  We may notice His faithfulness in hearing our children singing songs of praise on their own, realizing a friend has been healed and is feeling better, or seeing that person we’ve been praying for and reaching out to actually wants to hear more about this Jesus who can change lives.  Sometimes the people and the things we’ve been praying for can become drenched in the darkness of needs and hurts, and these prayer requests may be heavy enough to bog us down into disappointment or complacency of stagnation. Dear sisters, I pray that we would stop even now and think back to the times God has shown His steadfast love, sometimes answering our prayers in ways that we could never expect. 

            In Hebrews 6:13 we see God’s faithfulness in making and keeping His promise to Abraham and then in verse 15 we see that Abraham patiently waited, and obtained that promise.  Abraham waited for years through barrenness, land struggles, family dramas, political issues, and many things that could bring despair and discontent, but he patiently waited on the Lord to be faithful to His word and His promise.  Abraham was anchored in his hope of God’s faithfulness, and even on that side of the Cross, Abraham trusted that God would not lie (Heb 6:18) and that he could take refuge and have strong encouragement to hold on to the hope of God’s faithfulness. 

            Today, we know that God’s faithfulness is shown so perfectly in Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice and victory on the Cross. He paid the penalties for our sins and defeated death and the holds of the enemy, and this Jesus has gone before God the Father on our behalf beyond the veil (Heb 6:19).  Let us hold fast to this Hope of Jesus and His faithfulness on our behalf, being strongly encouraged in our walks and prayer-lives that as He is our anchor, we will not be moved or shaken, but will see God’s promises fulfilled and hope assured.

Looking to Jesus,

Jaime Angel

Beautiful.....in His Time

 “He makes all things beautiful in His time” Ecclesiastics 3:11

 Aloha Girls!

I have always liked the idea behind this verse in Ecclesiastics; God makes all things beautiful in His time. The phrase sounds lovely. Yet, at times, it’s hard to swallow its truth!  I can forget I’m a work in progress. I’d like God’s plan to unfold now. I don’t like to wait. Sure, we know God has a plan + purpose for everything in our lives but sometimes His plans are taking waaay too long. They can involve people you don’t want to be with. Let’s speed up the process. Move things along… Can you relate?

You may be in a good place right now. You love how God’s plan is unfolding in your life. That’s a great place to be! For others; you don’t like the plan; too much pain, too many irritating circumstances that you’d like to remove! But the Lord doesn’t want us to grow weary in our waiting. We can find encouragement in His Word.

Eph. 3:10 states an incredible truth to claim. We are called God’s workmanship! That means we are His careful work of art, an original one of a kind. His masterpiece! Have you ever viewed yourself as God’s masterpiece? God IS the Master Craftsman. As an artist: He wants to express Himself on the canvas of your life. He uses the full spectrum of colors both dark and light to make something beautiful. As a potter: His desire is to mold and shape you into His image. Life can feel like a lump of clay. You are placed on a spinning wheel, with lots of pounding and prodding, then the hot oven, the glazing… All part of the process to make a beautiful work of art. Mike has told me often, “Karen, enjoy the process… you can’t skip steps!”

Maybe you wonder, how can God possibly use ALL things in my life; this frustrating, irritating, painful thing? Well, last week we walked Sadie to Alii beach and a sticker got lodged in my shoe. I knew it was a sticker not a small pebble because every step I took, it was poking prickly pain in my foot; up and down and all around. My natural reaction: STOP and remove it! You don’t keep walking with a sticker poking pain in your foot. You get rid of the irritation however you can. BUT what if I’d had a blister instead. You can’t remove that! But you could put on a band aid to cover it. To protect it until it heals.

Reminds me of the story of how a pearl is formed! Did you know pearls are the product of pain and irritation? I had forgotten this! J A pearl begins its story, inside an oyster shell. It starts with a struggle of some kind from a foreign substance, like a tiny grain of sand slipping between the mantle and the shell. It’s very irritating for the oyster like getting a splinter - OUCH! The Oyster’s natural reaction is to cover up the irritant to protect itself. It doesn’t try to remove the splinter like we would do. Instead it covers the irritant with layers of a substance called ‘Nacre’ and as a result – a beautiful dazzling pearl is formed. BUT… it takes years of applying layers upon layers of this substance to form a beautiful pearl. Some say 3-6 years! In the same way: God often allows irritating things in our lives to create beauty. Sometimes they are left, for weeks, months, even years with no resolution and they try the very fiber of our being!

“Consider it pure joy, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect + complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:2-4

James isn’t saying, just pretend to be happy, but to consider your trial as opportunity for joy. Why? Every irritation that enters our lives, every little thing we fret about, is another opportunity to make a pearl; to become more like Christ! Rather than trying to remove the irritant, let’s acknowledge our dependence upon HS to help us respond rightly. To protect ourselves by coating each situation in prayer, layer upon layer with love, with kindness, forgiveness…layer upon layer forming a beautiful thing. Sounds impossible? Worship is a powerful weapon against the enemy. We can add layer upon layer of praise to God protecting our heart from bitterness + unbelief. Love the song: I Raise a Hallelujah. Let’s surrender it all to Him. Allow Jesus to make ALL things beautiful in your life.

Blessings, Karen

No Longer Slaves

“Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.”

 Philemon 1:20

Sisters in Christ,

May day is Lei Day in Hawaii Nei!  I pray we’re all enjoying the beauty of this transitional month that is filled with blooming flowers and foliage after all our much-needed April showers. It is so uplifting after the rains to see the new sprouts and growth flower the landscape with colors.  Many times, after the rains of life, we can really use the blossoms of refreshment around us.

            Philemon was a Christian brother known for refreshing the “hearts of the saints” (Philemon 1:7).  Paul had heard of Philemon’s love and faith towards the Lord and all the saints, and he continually prayed and thanked God for him.  Philemon’s heart and faithful reputation were well known, and yet Paul made a plea to him for this love he was known for to be stretched and further grown.

            In his past, Philemon had a servant worker that had wronged him and run away from his duties, a slave named Onesimus.  Philemon had probably anticipated that Onesimus would complete his duties faithfully rather than leave him in the dust.  However, instead of being someone Philemon could depend on, Onesimus ran from his life and duties to find his own sense of freedom in Rome. I just can imagine the hurt, shame, and betrayal Philemon might have felt when the one who was supposed to be there for him went astray.

            Now Paul, as a prisoner in chains himself, was writing a letter specifically asking Philemon to receive back this wandering bondservant as a brother in Christ. Onesimus, seeking freedom from his master, ran away only to find himself just as much in bondage to sin and the world.  At some point in his quest for freedom, Onesimus ran into Paul, and after hearing the Gospel, he finally found true freedom in Jesus Christ.

            Paul appeals to Philemon in verse 20 to “refresh his heart in Christ”.  The Greek word for refreshing the hearts of the saints is “anapauo” which signifies the rest that an army takes when on the march, to regain strength for the renewal of warfare. It was a call for Philemon to remember that his battle wasn’t against Onesimus, or flesh and blood, but that it was against the spiritual forces of evil and the powers of this dark world (Eph 6:12).  Philemon could either respond to the rains of the past hurts through the flesh or battle those forces of evil through the love of the Spirit of God within him.  As Philemon had refreshed the hearts of the saints, so Paul asked him to refresh his heart by forgiving and accepting Onesimus.

            Let’s pray for our sisters this month to refresh one another’s hearts from the battles and hurts of this world in Christ’s love.  I pray that we would regain strength after the showers of past offences and see the transitions of the Lord’s love and forgiveness  blooming in our lives this season. May we be known by our love for one another.

 In His grace,

Jaime Angel 

Benefits of Patient Waiting

Hey Girls!

The devotion below was taken from a book I enjoy reading called: Streams in the Desert, by Mrs. Charles Cowman. I recently read the one below that spoke to me about patient waiting on the Lord and the outcome it can bring in my life. Patient waiting sounds like an oxymoron at times, doesn’t it?  Here are some words of wisdom on this subject. It’s almost Easter! A time of hope. May God continue to strengthen your heart with His resurrection power as you learn to ‘wait patiently’ upon Him.

 “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him”. Psalm 37:7

Have you prayed and prayed; waited and waited, and still there is no manifestation? Are you tired of seeing nothing move? Are you just at the point of giving it all up? Perhaps you have not waited in the right way? This would take you out of the right place the place where He can meet you.

"With patience wait" (Rom. 8:25). Patience takes away worry. He said He would come, and His promise is equal to His presence. Patience takes away your weeping. Why feel sad and despondent? He knows your need better than you do, and His purpose in waiting is to bring more glory out of it all. Patience takes away self-works. The work He desires is that you "believe" (John 6:29), and when you believe, you may then know that all is well. Patience takes away all want. Your desire for the thing you wish is perhaps stronger than your desire for the will of God to be fulfilled in its arrival.

Patience takes away all weakening. Instead of having the delaying time, a time of letting go, know that God is getting a larger supply ready and must get you ready too. Patience takes away all wobbling. "Make me stand upon my standing" (Daniel 8:18, margin). God's foundations are steady; and when His patience is within, we are steady while we wait. Patience gives worship. A praiseful patience sometimes "long-suffering with joyfulness" (Col. 1:11) is the best part of it all. "Let (all these phases of) patience have her perfect work" (James 1:4), while you wait, and you will find great enrichment.  --C. H. P.

Blessings, Karen

Seek First

 “.. But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

 Matthew 6:33

 Sisters in Christ,

            Do you ever wonder to yourself what you wanted to be ‘when you grow up’?  Have you ever thought of what God’s will for your life was? In our new ohana group series, we are going through the book study, Experiencing God. It has been chocked full of insight into how God moves in the lives of his people. As Christians, we usually start our walks by asking God what we should do with our lives, but through this study, we find that we should instead ask God how we can join in what He is doing.

            God is always moving around us, but all too often we can be so focused on our own needs or schedules that we get distracted from what He is doing right in front of us.  Jesus was always about the Father’s will and we can see this in John 5:17, 19-20:

            “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working. I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.”

            Jesus, our High Priest and perfect example, always looked to His Father and followed what God was already working on. In His darkest moments he called out to the Father, “..not my will, but Your will be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus was perfectly surrendered, was constantly seeking where His Father was working, and was quick to join in what the Fathers will and work was. We see that this joyful obedience was a result of the love between the Father and the Son (John 5:20). 

            God, our Heavenly Father, loves to show what He is doing and what He is about. When we humble ourselves, release our worries and anxieties to Him, and then truly seek His Kingdom, it is then that we are able to join in His Will and the amazing work He is accomplishing in and around us.  As we look to Him and His righteousness, then we will follow in the footsteps of Jesus and find our truest joy, love and fulfillment in walking with the Father.  Let’s pray for our sisters this month to lay aside the distractions, and to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, knowing that it will lead to the life that Jesus promised, life to the fullest.

In His grace,

Jaime Angel

Valentines Love

“How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” Ephesians 3:18 

Hey Girls!

 It’s that time of month again. When love is in the air! February, (specifically Valentine’s Day), is known for being the month/day filled with heartfelt messages of love. These words of love can be inscribed on the most beautifully decorated cards that come in all shapes and sizes; handmade or store bought. They are wonderful expressions of love and affection, along with chocolates and roses, balloons, jewelry, candle-lite dinners - right? Symbols of love. Not sure how this tradition of showing love on February 14th got started.

 Yet, none of these ways can even come close to the most beautiful expression of love that has been recorded in history for everyone! It’s found in the Gospel of John…

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

 I love you to the moon and back! Have you ever said those words to someone you love? Or maybe you’ve heard someone else say them. Your heart is trying to put into words, the depth and intensity of your love. After all, the moon is over 238,000 miles away from the earth! That’s a whole lotta of love. And God has a big heart of love for you and for me; He says ‘Be mine’…

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” Is. 43:1

 God loves you to eternity and back! And you can times that love by forever and forever! God’s love is infinite, it’s out of this world and you can NEVER come to the end of it. Flowers will eventually die, balloons will pop, chocolates will be eaten and gone. God’s love endures. His love never fades or diminishes.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed - yet,

My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,"

says the LORD, who has compassion on you. Is. 54:10

 Are you missing your loved ones during this special season for love? It’s good to remember that Jesus loves you! He wants to be your Valentine. He loves you so much that He left His home in heaven, in order to come to Earth for you. Let His message of love transform your heart. Look for ways to show kindness to those you love – everyday, not just on February 14th. I read this somewhere: Picture yourself as God’s living Valentine to a world that needs His love. Happy Valentine’s day!

God bless you, Karen

Begin in the Word

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

 John 1:1

Sisters in Christ,

A new year, and a fresh start!  We can all breathe a sigh of relief to know that 2021 is behind us (until tax season rolls around) and that we have a new, blank calendar year to fill and plan through.  If 2020 and 2021 are any indicators though, we know by now that we can’t always anticipate what the future may hold.  But as the saying goes: ‘we may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future.’

            I love that in the beginning of all beginnings, from Genesis 1:1, God takes a dark and empty void and speaks Words of life to create the world and everything in it. The Creator spoke life, light, and truth into existence and turned the darkness into a lush, thriving garden. We can see a blank slate being transformed into a beautiful work of the Lord through His very Word, and I pray we would follow this perfect example as we begin this 2022 year.

            When we allow God to speak His Word in our lives, He brings life and light to areas of darkness.  Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “The word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Through His Word, He brings growth and beauty to otherwise empty and void places in our hearts.  For those of us that feel unsure of the future year ahead, we can trust that His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105) that will bring us nearer to Him. 

            Let’s get started with this year on a firm foundation, through inviting God’s Word into our lives everyday.  I pray that we can walk together through this year seeing how His powerful, living Word will bring newness of life, joys, victories, and endurance to our walk as Christians.  While we seek His Word as the light of our every day paths and plans, let's pray for and share His life-giving Word with the sisters we are praying for this month. I can’t wait to celebrate the gardens of victory the Lord and His Word will bring out this year! 

In His grace,

Jaime Angel