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God's Beautiful Word

Praise the Lord, and Thank You, Jesus!!!

“For the Father Himself
tenderly loves you
because you have loved Me
and have believed
that I came out from
the Father…
I have told you these things,
so that in Me you may have

perfect peace and confidence.
In the world you have
tribulation and trials and distress and frustration;
but be of good cheer,
take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted!
For I have overcome the world.

[I have deprived it of its power
to harm you and have
conquered it for you.]
John 16:27 & 33 (Amplified)
Praise the Lord, and Thank You, Jesus!!!!!
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Sunday through Sunday – The Week of Jesus’ Crucifixion, Burial, and Resurrection

Compiled from all four Gospels. 

Next week, our family will be reading each of these events on the day they originally occured.  I hope this is helpful to many of you, as you turn your focus to the importance of and celebration of Jesus’ death and LIFE! 

Sunday
The triumphal Entry: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19

Monday
Jesus Cleanses the Temple: Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree: Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14

Tuesday
Jesus Teaches in the Temple: Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8

Parable of the Two Sons: Matthew 21:28-32

Parable of the Tenants; Matthew 21:33-34; Mark 12:1-11; Luke 20:9-18

Parable of the Wedding Banquet: Matthew 22:2-24

Jesus Teaches the Disciples: Matthew 24:1-25:46

Parable of the Fig Tree: Matthew 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-29; Luke 21:29-31

Parable of the Faithful and Wise Servant: Matthew 24:45-51; Luke 12:42-48

Parable of the 10 Virgins: Matthew 25:1-13

Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27

Parable of the Sheep and the Goats: Matthew 25:31-46

Parable of the Watchful Servants: Mark 13:35-37; Luke 12:35-40


Wednesday
The Jews plot against Jesus: Matthew 26:2-5; Mark 14:1-2, 10-11; Luke 22:1-6

Thursday
Jesus is Anointed: Matthew 26:6-13

Judas agrees to Betray Jesus: Matthew 26:14-16

The Lord’s Supper: Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20; John 13:1-38

Jesus Comforts His Disciples: John 14

Jesus Teaches about The Vine and Branches: John 15

Jesus Speaks of the Future: John 16

Jesus’ Prayer for Himself, His Disciples, and All Believers: John 17

Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46

Arrest and Trial: Matthew 26:47-27:31; Mark 14:43-15:20; Luke 22:47-23:25; John 18:1-19:16

Healing of Malchus’ Ear: Luke 22:50-51; John 18:3-11

Friday
Crucifixion, Death, and Burial: Matthew 27:32-66; Mark 15:21-47; Luke 23:26-56; John 19:16-42

Saturday

Sunday
The Resurrection: Matthew 28: Mark 16: Luke 24: John 20

Praising the Lord for Easter week!!!!!

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Assurance for uncertain and flimsy-feeling futures…

(from the book, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young.)

“I am leading you, step by step, through your life.  Hold My hand in trusting dependence, letting Me guide you through this day.

Your future looks uncertain and feels flimsy – even precarious.  That is how it should be.

Secret things belong to the Lord, and future things are secret things.

When you try to figure out the future, you are grasping at things that are Mine.   This, like all forms of worry, is an act of rebellion; doubting My promises to care for you.

Whenever you find yourself worrying about the future, repent and return to Me.  I will show you the next step forward, and the one after that, and the one after that. 

Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence, trusting Me to open up the way before you as you go.

Keep your eyes on Me!  Waves of adversity are washing over you, and you feel tempted to give up.  As your circumstances consume more and more of  your attention, you are losing sight of Me.  Yet I am with you always, holding you by your right hand.  I am fully aware of your situation, and I will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear.

Your gravest danger is worrying about tomorrow.

If you try to carry tomorrow’s burdens today, you will stagger under the load and eventually fall flat. 

You must discipline yourself to live within the boundaries of today.  It is in the present moment tha tI walk close to you, helping you carry your burdens. 

Keep your focus on My Presence in the present.”

A men???  Thanking the Lord for His Word and the Holy Spirit for applying it to our hearts and minds.  Praying for each of you who are feeling like your futures are a little on the flimsy side… From one on the flimsy-futured side right now, I’m finding that it’s kind of nice to HAVE to trust the Lord for everything. 

Love to each of you~ and praying for many of you by name right now…

Jennifer 
Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young.  Feb. 26-27.  It’s a unique little devotional book.  Every day is a treasure.  You can find it at any Christian bookstore, or in most online book sources.  Here is the link to Amazon’s page.

Verses used in these writings:

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” (NIV)

Psalm 32:8  “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you.”  (NLT)

Psalm 73:23-24  “I’m still in your presence, but you’ve taken my hand. You wisely and tenderly lead me, and then you bless me.”  (Message)

1 Cor. 10:13  “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. “ (Message)

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I run to You…Father

The other day, Oprah had the country music group, Lady Antebellum, on her show.  They were singing their beautiful hit “Run to You”.  It’s a catchy song, and as they were singing, I couldn’t help but think of what a great praise offering that would be to sing of the Lord.  What do you think? (I substituted the word “baby” with a few names of God).  Run to You – Written by Dave Haywood / Charles Kelley / Hillary Scott / Tom Douglas)
I run from hate
I run from prejudice
I run from pessimists
But I run too late
I run my life
Or is it running me
Run from my past
I run too fast
Or too slow it seems
When lies become the truth
That’s when I run to you
Chorus:
This world keeps spinning faster
Into a new disaster so I run to you
I run to you {Father}    
And when it all starts coming undone
{Daddy} you’re the only one I run to
I run to you

I love that!  But I love these words even more…

The name of the LORD
is a strong tower;

the righteous run to it
and are protected.
Proverbs 18:10
 
Do you need a place to run to?  Need a place of protection in this season of your life?  Run to your Daddy through the names of the Lord.  
You can find the names of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit throughout Scripture.  Especially in the Psalms, we find the names and characteristics of our God listed in almost every chapter.  A clue in finding them:  Look for phrases that start with “The Lord ___” or “God is ___” or “The Lord/God does ___”.  And usually when the Psalmist is talking TO God and says “You” or “Your”, a characteristic of the Lord follows. 

Keep a running list   {no pun intended :-)} on a piece of paper tucked in your Bible.  That way, when you find one, you can quickly write it down.

I’ve been searching for names of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in Scripture for years, and think I’ve compiled over 600 names and characteristics by now.  A true treasure and tower to run to when I need to feel safe!  (And I run to Him a lot these days!)

If you need a special place of protection in the Lord, I encourage you to search the Scriptures for Who He is that you can run into and find safety. 

For a jump start, Dr. Adrian Rogers gives a detailed list of the Hebrew names of God and their meanings, scripture references, etc. on this web page.  There’s also an incredible list at the back of Henry Blackaby’s “Experiencing God” workbook.

When your world keeps spinning faster… May the Lord catch you as you run to your Father – a Strong Tower… and keep you safe.
Blessings to you on this Monday~
Jennifer

Picture: Google Images

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Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the SNOW is so delightful!!! 

I guess you sisters up north are probably ready to see Spring… but around middle Tennessee, when we get a real snow, it’s cause for celebration!  We haven’t had a big snow like this since January 2003, and it was a doozy.  Thankfully, this time we had a few days’ warning.  School was cancelled, grocery stores were packed, and we all prepared for a few days of R&R at home with the family. 

It’s been wonderful!  We’ve played games, watched movies, stayed in our jammies, and played in the snow.  Like most families, we’ve got our pile of wet coats, pants, boots, gloves, and scarves drying by our back door.  Today Facebook was full of local snow pictures.  And since Smelling Coffee is my virtual scrapbook, here are a few of ours.

Meet Poppy the Penguin – who was supposed to be a snowman.  Abigail and I tried.  We really did.  But the snow was too powdery to stick together, so we piled up what we could, then sprayed it with water.  Kind of worked… kind of didn’t.  So just like in real life, to disguise the lumps and bumps, we added colorful accessories.   
We couldn’t get over how beautifully the snow covered the ground.  Usually when we get snow, the blades of grass and twigs stick up through it, and it’s not too pretty.  This snow was thick and pristine.
Here is a picture of my “angel” making a snow angel.
This was from the first hour of snowfall Friday morning.  I thought the holly bush covered in snow looked so “Christmas-y”, that I couldn’t resist taking a picture through the window.
We’ve collected snow for snow-cream, and plan to make the most of this gift before it melts.

I never see a full covering of snow that I don’t think about what Jesus does to our sins when He washes them as white as snow.  No twigs or grass blades remaining… He covers them all, and we, like the snow in our front yard, are blindingly white and pure. 

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”  Isaiah 1:18

Thanking Jesus for his covering, and praying His blessings on each of you this Lord’s day, and hoping to play in the snow one more time before it melts…

Jennifer 

*Edited to add photos from today~  We were much more successful today at making snowmen!!!

Before we knew we could actually build a real one, we took the top layer of snow and built a “block snowman”.  It worked well enough…

until we realized that today’s snow would actually roll into a ball. 
Never in my life have I been able to make a real snowman like we’ve seen on TV.  I was giddy! 
That worked so well that Abigial wanted to make one in our front yard.  We dolled her up and stuck a sign in her… a shamless plea for someone to buy our house. 🙂
I wonder if it will work.
Nathan and James played football.

We came in, drank hot chocolate, and are about to finish a game of Monopoly we started earlier.  M&M pancakes for breakfast, snowman building, snowball throwing, fort building, and lots of family time… thank you, Lord, for these days and for this family you have given us. 
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