Merry Christmas!


Merry Christmas!

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Seeds

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SEEDS By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly Spring is fading and summer is nearly here.  The skies are alive with the songs of birds and the landscape is full of life. Just about every living thing comes from seeds—plants, animals, and even people, started out that way.  And once fertilized and planted, they take root.  From a little seed as small as a grain of sand, a huge mustard plant grows, and a giant oak rises up from a tiny acorn. Planting and harvesting are mentioned throughout scripture, not simply as a lovely aside, but because they are principles inextricably woven into the tapestry of life on this planet. We reap what we sow. I may not have a green thumb, but I still plant every day.  So do you.  We have a variety of seeds from which to choose—seeds of compassion, love, generosity and kindness.  We also can plant selfishness, hate, greed and cruelty. We may not see them, but once seeds disappear beneath the soil, they aren’t gon...
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Unshakeable Hope

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  UNSHAKEABLE HOPE By: Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” - Psalms ‭139:23  ‬NIV As the times we are in are heating up, our eyes search for HOPE and comfort.  We look longingly over our shoulder at the “Good Old Days”—simpler times, old relationships and habits—people and things that, in the past, brought momentary relief.  But, more often than not, we find that the fleeting well of comfort found there has since dried up. ‬ We have not been abandoned to fend for ourselves, however. God, Himself, will be our refuge!‬ When everything else is shaking, we have been given a glorious hope.  God is immovable, and when we put our trust in Him, so are we!  ‬ “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” – Psalm 125:1-2 NIV Beloved, let’s not until the worl...
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When Silence Is Golden

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WHEN SILENCE IS GOLDEN By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly “Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.” – Matthew‬ ‭27:13-14‬ ‭NIV Have you every wondered why Jesus was silent when He went before Pilate and the charges were read against Him?‬‬ For the longest time it perplexed me why the sinless Son of God wouldn’t stand up for Himself, call down His angels and put these puny humans in their places.  But He didn’t.   The silence of Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” – Isaiah‬ ‭53:7‬ ‭NIV It wasn’t weakness that kept Jesus silent.  On the contrary, His silence displayed meekness —a powerful display of controlled strength.  We make a great mistake to confuse...
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