Manna #7

Change of Perspective

It is impossible for us to stop sinning 100%

Sin entered the world through Adam and as long as we are in this world we too carry that sin nature.

However, God sent His son so that through the one man we can be forgiven and redeemed from the punishment of sin. 

When we believe in Jesus Christ the incarnate son of God, who lived a sinless life, suffered death, burial and resurrection, and accept Him as Lord! We step into redemption. Our sins are forgiven and will continue to be forgiven. 

However, we live in a fallen world and still inhabit a body that has been ravaged by sin. As believers we now make a choice to be obedient to the Lord. 

Its not that we stop sinning. More importantly, it’s the choice to obey. 

We will make mistakes and sometimes we still sin. Even Paul says, “For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am made out of flesh, sold into sin’s power. For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭7:14-17‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

As believers it’s time to stop focusing on not sinning but rather focus on obeying Gods Word. 

Obedience means accepting the Lords authority in your life. 

In the garden the serpent asked Eve, “Did God really say....?” She listened to the serpent and questioned God’s divine authority. We need to stop questioning his authority by asking “Did you really say....?” (Yes, he did say it, its plainly written. Study it for yourself, he encourages it! Acts 17:11)

We live in a corrupt world and need to step under the authority of our Lord and obey him, not question him.

Will we stop sinning in this life? Not likely. But what we can do is start obeying. Take Gods Word in our hearts and treasure it. “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.” Psalms‬ ‭119:7-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬. 

The more we obey the less we will sin. 

Should we overlook our sin? No. Do we accept sin? No. Should we be grieved in our hearts because of our sin? Yes. Do we live under the condemnation of that sin? NO! 

As a believer our redemption has been sealed. It is complete when we pass through those pearly gates. The promise is already…and not yet. 

We carry on in the hope of our salvation. 

Will we sin? Yes. Should we like it? No. How can we stop? We won’t. 

What can we do? OBEY! We can obey God every day of our lives. We can obey him in everything. We can obey him in our sadness, we can obey him in our anger, we can obey him in our desperation, and Obey him in our temptations. 

Come against your sin nature with obedience to the Lord! 

That’s all he ever wanted. Our obedience! How does he know we love Him? When we obey. “If you love me keep my commands.” John 14:15

Don’t let his grace be an excuse to sin. Rather than seeing yourself as a sinner saved by grace, remember who you are in Him and see yourself as a Saint who sins sometimes. 

Maybe if we stop trying not to sin, and instead try to do what is right and OBEY, there will be no room left in our lives for sin. 

Hopscotch #6

The Vest

My Favorite Vest

Oh, how I wanted to give you something really fun in this Hopscotch, but I am knee deep in homework. Wednesday Bible study homework, Thursday Bible study homework, college homework, and house work (which literally means I’m buried in dog hair!). In school I am taking a class on Daniel and Revelation, and it really has my attention.  The dog hair, not so much my attention, but my disgust. The only thing I really have for you is this: In a world where everyone is offended by everything, I had to find some humor. I was shopping with Cha-Chi in a department store looking for a black winter vest. The one I have worn for the past ten years disappeared and I miss it. We looked in the ladies’ coat department but no luck. Then she suggested we look in the ‘women’s’ section because I’m not a skinny-mini. I just had to wonder, why is the women’s section its own section? All of a sudden I felt discriminated against because I’m (deep breath, slump of my shoulders) fat. I am offended. I am offended that women and ladies are different. Ok, well eye-roll city. Can you sense my sarcasm? I’m not offended, I really don’t care. I also guess there are probably some pretty good reasons. Either way, it made me laugh. Still no black vest. If you happen to see a black-insulated, Woolrich vest in a size 2X, manufactured before 2009, let me know because winter just isn’t going to be the same without it!

Manna #5

Remain in His Presence

In my first Hopscotch post I told you we would have to revisit Galatians 5:4. Guess what? After I looked back at Galatians 5:4 I had to read a few verses before and few after. However, if you have a scripture addiction like I do, you must know I had to read the whole chapter. Oh my! It’s a great chapter. Galatians 5 is all about the freedom we have in Christ. Paul not only explains the freedom but he also addresses the ways we still find ourselves in bondage to sin. You should read it! Okay, okay well I may just have to write a lot about this chapter.

            For now, I’m going to quickly focus our attention to 5:4. “You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.” I don’t know how much you know about grace but I’m going to give you a quick definition and contrast it with mercy because some people get them confused. Grace means receiving something you did not earn and do not deserve. Mercy means withholding something you deserve (usually something bad). To become a Christian, we must acknowledge and accept the salvation that Christ offers us by grace. Now that we understand grace we can see that salvation is not something have earned or deserve. And quite honestly, there is nothing we can do to earn it. Isaiah 64:6 says, “All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Even the good things we do are not worthy of the Lord. In turn, when Christ offers us this salvation by grace he is extending us mercy. He mercifully withholds the punishment of eternal death that we deserve for being sinful people. We will come back to all this.

            Moses wrote a couple of books that are located at the beginning of the Bible that are referred to as the law. Jewish people were given the law by God. What do we generally know about the term law? Most of us would say they are rules that we must follow that are enforced by a government or some type of authority over us. Keeping the law signifies someone that is good or righteous, and breaking the law signifies someone that is not good, bad even, and below the law keeper in status. Do you ever find yourself comparing your sins to another? Do you compare all the good things you do to what some else does? People who try to find justification for themselves by upholding God’s laws are people that reject God’s grace. Paul actually says they have “Fallen from grace,” (v.4). He tells us that people that try to uphold the law for the sake of being justified are actually “alienated” from Christ. If a person has fallen from grace that means they are no longer covered by the grace offered. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be alienated from Christ, ever. Also, I need all the grace I can get.

            There is nothing we can do to earn our place in heaven. God has provided his own son Jesus, the Christ, as the sacrifice for our sins. By grace, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior we are imbued with His righteousness. That is all the justification we need. I want to make a quick point. Not only do we acknowledge that Jesus is who he says he is, but you must: “Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved,” (Romans 10:9). This confession is turning away from our sins and stepping under the Lordship of Christ. I want to remind you that Satan agrees that Jesus is who he says he is, but he certainly hasn’t made him Lord of his life.

            Galatians 5:4 is for those of you that are trying to earn your way into heaven. The ones that work and work to do everything they can to appear good enough for God. It’s for those of you that judge other people by their good works or past mistakes and compare yourself to them. Neither you or your brother can ever do enough good things or obey enough laws to earn a place in heaven. God expects perfection if you plan to live by the law, but because he knew you couldn’t, he provided His son. Jesus is the only one who could live a perfect life and uphold every law.

            There is some  really great stuff we will have to go over in this chapter. It explains that you can’t live a sin-filled life and expect to inherit the kingdom of God. But for now, I want you to stop working your way into heaven. If you are alienated from Christ you will never make it. Take a deep breath and thank God for all the blessings in your life that you don’t deserve. Thank him for his gift of life. It is given to you even though you don’t deserve it. Confess your sins to him and stop sinning. And above all, sit back and enjoy his presence!

Hopscotch #4

What’s in a Nickname?

Eēb, Putch, Rēēb, Mom, Eye-a, and Pop

            I was contemplating the nicknames that have passed through my life in one way or another. Do you have a nickname? Was it given lovingly or was it a joke that stuck?  Does it describe you or did it just roll of someone’s tongue?  Nicknames are not usually something we pick for ourselves but sometimes we end up cherishing the little tag that someone we were close too thought we deserved.  My Dad (Pop) handed out nicknames that made little sense, he called my older brother Eēb, and I was Rēēb...which sometimes morphed into Rēēbart. My older sisters were Putch and Eye-a, and to be honest I don’t know if I’m spelling any of them correctly. To anyone else they seem like gibberish but to the person who was labeled that nickname can bring back the fondest of memories (or maybe the worst).

            One of my favorites came from the mouth of my sweet little boy who was learning to speak. He loved his Auntie but he couldn’t pronounce her name, it came out Cha-Chi and from that time forward (18 years or so) the whole family continues to call her that. Cha-Chi once told me that his little voice calling her that melted her heart and she has loved it ever since. She just got her first grand-baby, I wonder if she will be Gramma Cha-Chi?

            Oh, believe me, not all nicknames are so delightful. Can you guess what several people have called me? I hesitate to tell you, but if you can rhyme I’m sure it won’t be hard to guess. I promise that it does NOT relate to my character in any way. Yep, you got it…Heidi-Ho. My brother-in-law who passed away many years ago thought it was fun to shorten it to Ho(e). Only He, could get away with that one!

            My bearded brute has a knack for nick-naming people things that are less than complimentary. If he shared them with the world I’d think he was a big meanie, but he usually only shares them with me so I think I’ll let this indiscretion of his pass. He is rather funny sometimes. We have a Delicious, a Puff-a-Lump, a Fuzzy Face and a Bobble-Head to list a few. He came up with one for me too but thankfully it was pretty random, rather than pointing out one of my flaws. However, I personally don’t want anyone else in the world to call me by that name, so I will leave that one for your continued curiosity.

Guess who is one the left? Guess who is on the right?*

            Nicknames have been on my mind just recently because out of nowhere I remembered a nickname I had for my bestie growing up. She was my very best friend, we grew up next door to each other and spent as many waking minutes together as possible for about 10 years. We were so close that we determined that “Best” was not adequate to describe our friendship. We, in fact, were “Best-est” friends. The sad thing is that we live on opposite ends of the country and I haven’t seen her in years. She has a place in my heart that will never belong to another, but some of our childhood antics are tucked away in a memory that escapes me now. One day as my daughter and I were walking through the Home Depot parking lot…BAM! A nickname popped into my head, a name for my bestie that I hadn’t thought of in decades! Chink*…yep, I called her Chink. I don’t know why. Nope, she wasn’t Chinese, she didn’t even look Chinese. It sometimes morphed into Chinese Woodpecker; Chinese Wopeck for short when I was addressing one of those puzzle-folded notes with the tail that said pull, with an arrow (You remember those, right?). It sure makes me reminisce about good ole Chink and what a great friend she was to put up with such nonsense. Maybe she will read this one day and comment on the equally weird name she came up with for me in retaliation. But to be honest she never used mine as much as I used hers, it just rolled off the tongue.

Woodchip*

            Speaking of rolling off the tongue, most of the names my kids have received have been just that. Taylor’s middle name is Brooks and one year she was a Bee in a ballet (she stole the show!), after that she became Taylor Bee! And sometimes Brooksie, or Brooks-the-dooks depending on the caller. Gabe has become Gabe-the-Babe, Gabey-Baby, and after being dressed-up by his sister…Gabriella. Berg, can you guess some? Ice-Berg, Bergie-Butt, Ham-Bergaler, Berg-alicious, Bergeena (his girl name), and his football cheering section called him Beef-Cake Berg. I’ve saved Oakley Joseph for the end because he has received a new nickname just this week.  He has formerly been known as Oak, Oak-a-Lee Doke-a-Lee, Oak the doke, Oakley Joe, Oakie, Oaktree (of course), Oakley-Anna (his girl name; sorry people but when the sister is the oldest, she dressed the boys up and they needed a girl name!) and today he has been awarded with “Woodchip!”  This kid has cut and split more wood this week than a Norwegian Lumberjack!

            I know, I know, you’re sick of all my personal sentiments. These nicknames don’t mean much to anyone other than the one who is tagged or maybe the tagger. My point is….drum roll….You should take the time and reflect on the nicknames that have passed through your life. Whether they be your nickname or one of a loved one. They bring back some pretty fond memories and it sure can’t hurt to reminisce on the things that made your life unique and special. God has brought people into our lives so that we can love them and be loved by them. Take some time this week to think about those nicknames and the people associated with them!  Your assignment: Write them down, tuck them in your Bible and when you know you need to pray and don’t know where to start, take out that list and pray for your people. If you have a story worth sharing please do so in the comments. This blog doesn’t have to be all about me and Jesus, you’re worth mentioning too!

Joy to you,

Hopscotch Heidi

P.S. God had a bunch of (nick) names, do some research because it’s worth knowing.

Manna #3

What is the Bible and Where Did We Get It?

Manna #2 is in response to two separate quandaries. I had a group of young people that wanted to know more about the Bible as a book. So I did some research and compiled some information to help them understand how the Bible came to be. The second was a question from a friend about how to choose a translation. They converge in this post and hopefully bring some clarity to some of you.

The Bible is God’s word. It’s one of the way he reveals himself to us. It’s important to know God and reading scripture is one of the best ways to get to know Him.

There is a lot of theological and scholarly information out there that explains the different ways God reveals himself to man and I will try to explain a few in the easiest language possible. (So, if you are already a theologian, please look further for your education).

God reveals himself through:

         General Revelation: Through creation. The beauty, wonder, and complexity of the world he designed. This could also be our inner morality.(Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:19-20, Job 38:4-11, Romans 2:14-15).

1)      Can you think of a part of creation that shows how great, powerful, wise, or beautiful God is? What do they show about God and how do they do it?

2)   Have you ever noticed that little voice of your conscience within you warning you not to do something wrong or encouraging you to do what is right?

         Special Revelation: God speaks. He reveals himself in special ways. I believe he can do this thought the Holy Spirit but largely he does it through his Word. God divinely inspired men to write his word so that we could know him and his plans. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Peter 1:20-21).

1)      How important is it to believe the Bible is fully God’s word, even though it was written by Men?

2)   If we believe the Bible is God’s word, what should our attitude toward it be?

What should we do with it?

The Bible is more than a book but a Library

         ~The bible is composed of 66 different books (Protestant Bible…more on this below)

                  39 Old Testament books, 27 New Testament books

                           Different Genres

                           Narrative/History

                           Law

                           Prophets/Prophecy

                           Poetry

                           Wisdom       

                           Letters

         ~It was not compiled in a chronological order.  (Some of the books overlap time periods in the narrative/story, the compilation is by genre for the most part, holding to some orderly time line.)

         ~The bible was written by 40 different authors.

         ~Written over the course of 1500 years.

         ~Written on 3 different continents.

The Bible covers time: 2000 years from Adam to 400 years before Jesus, Then the Birth of Jesus to 100 years after (Covering the birth of the church).

The Old Testament is considered the Hebrew Bible or Jewish Scriptures (as referred to in the New Testament).

         ~Was divided into Chapters 1200 AD (about 800 years ago)

         ~Divided into verses in the 1500’s

         ~Even though the Bible was written by 40 authors over the course of 1500                        years on 3 continents in 3 different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek)                       there is incredible unity, with no contradictions of substance.

What does the Bible say about itself?

~Verbal Plenary=Inerrancy of Scripture as written in the original text.

~According to John 1:1 the words themselves are true not just the concepts.

Proverb 30----Sufficient (The word of God is sufficient for understanding God’s plan, and for salvation. While there may be depth and mysteries it communicates a message that is sufficient for us.)

         Isaiah 55----Its Effective

         Psalm 19----Its Perfect

         Psalm 119----Its a Guide

         John 17----Its True (Jesus tell us this!)

         James 1----To be Obeyed

         Luke 16----All we Need to Know God

         Hebrews 4----Its Living and Active

         Acts 17----Its a Standard-Measuring Rod on how to Live our lives

         2 Timothy----Written by God through human authors

 3800 times the bible says, “This is what God says!” (paraphrase)

How did we get the Bible/Library?

~It’s called a Canon, and the process of compiling the books included in the canon is called Canonization. The canon was compiled in totality in 367A.D.

~The Old Testament was accepted long before Jesus was born, but was confirmed because Jesus quoted or talked about every book in the Old Testament (It was his Bible).

~The early (first) church only accepted as scripture writings that were from the Apostles and within a time frame, no scripture written after John died was accepted.

The Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical: are writings (that are included in some bibles such as the Catholic bible) that were written between the testaments (intertestamental) but never accepted as scripture by the Jewish people even though they may have been seen as valuable (books of the church rather than scripture). Some were written much later than the first church, so they were not thought to be scripture.  One indicator of the intertestamental writings as not being scripture is because they were not quoted or referred to by Jesus, and some of them contain themes that are not cohesive with the rest of scripture. I am not an expert in this area and refer you to this website for more specific details: https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-is-the-apocrypha-are-apocryphal-books-really-scripture.html

Translations: Bibles were translated from their original language so the common man could read the bible for himself. (Jesus worked from a translation-he used a Greek Bible that was originally written in Hebrew).

         Then: Scribes would work tirelessly in groups to translate scripture. They would even go so far as counting words and letters, they were very meticulous.

         Now: Our translations (even though there are many) are not translations of translations. They are translated from the original. The Bible is the most Peer/Scholarly reviewed document in history.  (for example: The New International Version [NIV] translation group consisted of 15 Biblical Scholars using Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts, they worked with a team of over 100 scholars, and the translation took 10 years to complete. The focus is accuracy in producing a modern English language text. (99.5% accurate).

         Many: There are many translations to choose from now, the same message is consistent but the vocabulary is different to make ease of reading or to be more specific for study. My favorite is the NIV (New International Version) for memorization and first choice for someone beginning to study. I would choose the NLT (New Living Translation) for reading or for younger people. I am currently using the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible) just for a change. I want to add that there are many options for electronic Bibles for your devices. My favorite is the YouVersion App . You can access numerous translations at your fingertips, which can be helpful when trying to understand a certain passage. Look a verse up and read several translations to gain a full understanding of what is written. Just keep in mind that some are translated for readability and some are translated for serious study.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjQ446ix7blAhUBNH0KHcdTCDEQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fradicallychristian.com%2F5-things-you-need-to-know-about-bible-translations&psig=AOvVaw2p3EYyLd0WKzLcYCvI9tGG&ust=1572063546868478

Other terms:

Septuagint: First Greek Translation of Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament)

Pentateuch: First 5 books of the Jewish/Christian Bible (Penta=5).

Dead Sea Scrolls: Found 1947, dating back to the 3rd Century B.C.-A.D. 68, they contain copies of writings that are currently in our Bible, as well as some that are not.  While the other writings are valuable and possibly helpful to understand history, they will never be included in the canon of the bible.

How then do we respond to the Bible?

         Through the course of study and thoughtful contemplation I believe that the Bible must be taken as a whole, and as the inerrant word of God, sufficient for life and salvation.

         When people pick and choose parts to believe and parts to dismiss they will run into serious problems because the truth is not subjective. If I choose not to believe some of it, I might as well not believe any of it, who is qualified to change the word of God? If I (or you,) were to pick and choose some parts to believe and other parts not to believe…it doesn’t remain to be Christianity but Heidi-anity! It would be a made up religion with no power over death, no power to bring any of us into salvation and eternal life.

         It is very important to read and study the Bible within the context that it was written and should not be quoted out of context to suit a certain situation (This is called proof-texting).

         I shall then organize my life, my beliefs, and my worldview around the truths presented in the Bible.

Amen!

Hopscotch #2

    Hopscotch and the Rancher’s Wife       

My day started in the Word…my favorite place! I happened to be in Galatians 5 and had to halt and back track to this little gem, 5:4 “You who are trying to be justified by the law are alienated from Christ; you have fallen from grace.” What? This says that if someone is trying to be justified by keeping rules (the Hebrew law) they are instead separated from Jesus and they have fallen out of grace! Oh man…I can’t wait to unpack this one for you! This could be manna in the near future. Let’s keep moving on to the hopscotch for this week.

            After my walk in the Word, I was called to do a few errands for my bearded brute and ended up in the local coffee shop for a cup of joe. While in there, a tiny little lady, about 60, who was dressed like your typical Montana rancher’s wife wearing  jeans, a plaid shirt and a pair of Ariats,  burst through the door. She was clearly excited about the manila envelope she was clutching in her hands and waving around. (Remember, I don’t know her, and the lady making coffee has only helped me a handful of times). The rancher’s wife grabs a chair in the little shop and tells us the exciting news…her European Vogue magazine just arrived! If you know me, you can imagine the look I must have had on my face (I will never play poker), complete and utter shock! This lady, as cute as she was, looked like she never wore a smattering of make-up even once in her life, and was dressed in the most ordinary of clothes with her dishwater brown hair pulled back in a low pony tail.  She was so excited about this Vogue magazine she could hardly contain herself. She was bubbling over about the cost of that early bird edition that came as a gift because she wouldn’t pay the $98 fee she found on the internet.  What? She wouldn’t pay $98 for a European Vogue  magazine (I’m dripping with joyful sarcasm now)? I’m sure I looked like a deer in the headlights as I tried to understand her excitement. I listened as she told the barista and myself why this particular edition was so exciting, but I could see that the barista was lost in the same puzzle as me. I decided it was time to depart. I said a few pleasantries and the rancher’s wife quickly introduced herself and said goodbye as I walked out the door.

            I hopped into my VW,  put it in gear and thought about the scene the whole way home.  I don’t think I could ever be that excited about a Vogue magazine, or any magazine for that matter. If only 10% of Christians were half that excited to tell others about their Bibles our world would be a different place!

            I had a similar package waiting for me on the porch when I got home.  When I pulled that card board zipper open I slid out a pretty new bible study workbook.  A workbook I get to share with 3 other ladies. I’m actually more excited than the rancher’s wife with her Vogue.  Maybe I should run back to the coffee shop and share my excitement like the rancher’s wife, it might be an excellent step toward sharing the Gospel here in my new town.

Manna #1

Manna and the Fear of Man                                                      

            I will be taking a deep breath as I press the key that makes Hopscotch and Manna visible to the public. This blog has been on my mind and heart for such a long time. Everything indicates that it’s the right time to begin writing and sharing my thoughts and education with others. God has poured his word into me and I have scoured the scriptures for a long time now. The funny part is that the more I learn and the more certain I am about the things God’s word teaches—I’m overly aware that there is so much more for me to learn. I am not an expert but a 40 something woman who is still a student of the Bible, a disciple of Jesus.

            I have to battle the “fear of man” in order to take each step forward. I have found myself so afraid of someone pointing out my mistakes and failures that I have been slow to move on this page. Today, I spent some time in the open-air praying to God, and I kept thinking of the verses that remind me to “Fear not.” I bet you can relate. We let fear dictate so much in our lives, especially the fear of man (or the fear of what others will think). Proverbs 29:25 states, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts the Lord is kept safe.” I don’t want to fear man and neither should you. The one we should want to impress, the one we should fear is the Lord. Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us to: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them (man), for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.” I reminded myself that the only one I really need to please is God.

            One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 139, and verses 23-24 say “Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” God knows my heart and he knows my anxiety and I will trust that he will lead me in writing as I try to share the things I know with you. I can’t promise I won’t make mistakes but I encourage you to search the scriptures for yourself and see if what I tell you is true. Paul compliments the Bereans in Acts 17:11 for searching the scriptures to see if what he taught them was true. He says they are of noble character because they did that. I feel strongly that I should teach you the things I have learned because Jesus commands it. In Matthew 28:19-20 he states, “Go and make disciples (students of His word) of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age.” See… God commands me to encourage you to be students of His and to learn the scriptures and obey His commands. And He promised He will be with me when I do it.

            It’s time for me to obey his command and throw off the fear of man as I work instead to please the Lord and love His people. I have found such fulfillment in Him that I can’t stop talking about Him and I just want to share this amazing gift with anyone who reads this blog. I happened across this scripture one day and I felt like I could relate to Jeremiah as he writes: “If I say, ‘I won’t mention Him or speak any longer in His name,’ His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones. I become tired of holding it in, and I cannot prevail,” (Jeremiah 20:9).

            As the fear dissipates I look forward to the fun we are going to have here and the precious news I get to proclaim. I hope it is joy for your spirit and bread for your soul!

Grace be with you all,

Heidi