If we are followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, siblings in the family of God, we are called to mature into “spiritual fatherhood/motherhood” in the family.
Is that a surprising thought? Let's think together about this idea of "spiritual parenting."
In his first letter, the fatherly, aged apostle John penned a tenderhearted passage on the growth stages in a believer's life.
Read More… The interesting thing is I had years before read the book The Blessing by Gary Smalley & John Trent. In that wonderful book, the authors explore our human need for approval and validation. They show how this need was met in the Biblical blessings given by fathers to children. But they shared how we could also do this for our children today and for others we care about.
The authors listed 5 elements to the Blessing:
The parent-child relationship is perhaps the most critical metaphor of our relationship with God. Why? Because it’s in our relationship with our earthly fathers that we begin to form our concept of God our heavenly Father — for good or for ill.
But all is not lost if our concept of God is askew, filled with false beliefs of what God is really like. There is an Abba Father who fathers us with unconditional love and acceptance, tenderness, and the “loving sternness” that comes with parenting in truth.
Read MoreAnyone who is thirsty may come to me!
Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!
For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’
My husband is not my source of unconditional love and I am not his source of unconditional love! It’s nice when we hit it right and make each other feel loved, but even that is short lived if we are looking to each other to fill our tank of need for love.
Many of us have gone through horrendous things, not of our own doing. Others of us have made some disastrous choices with very hard consequences. And all of us have had times when we have wondered, “Where was God in it all?”
We need to know and embrace the truth that He was there … every time, every place. And He still is.
Read MoreThe big things aren’t too big for God’s power
and
the little things aren’t too little for His LOVE!*
Do you ever feel like nobody cares about you and all the in’s and out’s of your life? And that includes God… maybe especially God. He’s too busy keeping the world spinning to care about your everyday stuff.
But God does care . . even about your little mundane stuff. I’d like to tell you about a time when I learned this in a surprising way.
Read MoreMuch of my life I lived under the "frown of God," or so I thought. I wasn't a bad kid; in fact, I was quite religious and moral. But I wasn't perfect for sure. (For one thing, I was a terrible big sister, mean and self-centered toward my siblings.) But I knew God required perfection, so I was always working my way down a spiritual "to do list" of some kind (depending on the Christian group I was with. They each had their own, you know).
In fact even as Christian adult, I made up lists of my own to make me "spiritual," pleasing to God so that He would love me more and not frown so much . . .
Read MoreMotherhood is a Sisterhood...unrivaled by any other (except perhaps, Grandmother-hood). So if you are a mom, you are my beloved sister...
And sometimes we mama-sisters just need to be daughters...Abba's (Hebrew for Daddy) little girls.
So this Mothers' Day, let us hear these restful words of promise from our Abba:
Read MoreMotherhood is filled with emptyings -- from the emptying of the womb in childbirth to the emptying of self in child-raising to the emptying of the nest, the ultimate goal. The stripping is hard, every step along the way. . . .
For a dear sister of mine, my mama-sister Blondezena, this is a hard one. She has just launched her “baby boy” Michael into military service. Thank you, Michael … but also thank you, Blonde, for YOUR service. May this post be a comfort to you and to all those mamas who are hurting in what could be a very hard time in their mothering.
Read More… the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.” Ezekiel 48:35
Early one recent morning, John was up, dressed, and on his regular Tuesday morning ZOOM call with his guys’ Bible study group. I was in the kitchen pouring my morning coffee into my favorite mug, ready to begin my own personal devotions and Bible study.
All of a sudden, I heard banging and crashing coming from John’s office….
Read MoreWhere do you go to commune with God?
Do you go to a chapel or a church? to a favorite place near a stream, at a mountain retreat, or on a beach? Do you go to a "prayer closet," a special place in your own home?
… Can I tell you about how I began to learn about this place of communion ... this “deep place where nobody goes* or can go? For me it was at a very dark time in our family.
Read MoreThe imago Dei [image of God] is that in man
which constitutes him as him-whom-God-loves. John Piper
There is a God Who is the sovereign Creator of all things.
And this sovereign, creator God LOVES His creation.
And who can blame Him, especially this time of year with the flowers and trees blooming and the birds singing, the sun shining and poof-y clouds accenting a gloriously blue sky.
Read MoreDid you know. . .
the most important thing about you is what you think about God?
the next most important thing about you is what you believe He thinks about you?
These are basic to who you think YOU are. And they will also influence how you think and live your life.
And in reality, what you believe about God and yourself in relationship to Him are based either on God’s truth or on lies instigated by the enemy of your soul. Those lies are most often perpetrated by significant people in your life who have been believing and living by these same lies for themselves — parents, family members, friends and “enemies,” the “culture,” and even religious leaders.
Read MoreWe know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
1 John 4:16a NLT
I have an adorable three year old granddaughter named Claire. She lights up my life. The sad part though is that she lives miles away, so I don’t get to see her very often, certainly not as often as I would like (as in “every day”)! When I do get to visit with her, we like to walk together, holding hands and chatting about all kinds of things along their street — birds, houses, street signs, holiday decorations — you get the idea.
Read MoreBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,…
Read MoreToday I have the absolute delight to introduce you to one of my favorite people in the whole world, Theo Hale, my current “Guest Branch.”
I met Theo a couple years ago at our grandson’s basketball game in Kettering. As I observed Theo that day in the bleachers of the gym, I came to realize that this is a special young man. EVERYONE seemed to know and love Theo. And I could see why as I got to know him. Theo is friendly, kind, helpful, interested and interesting. There is never a boring conversation when you are talking with my friend Theo.
It didn’t take me long to discover that Theo loves bikes and trains and people. And he travels many miles by bike to spend time with people and even to view trains and other sights.
Read More…We are not cowed into timidity by death and life. Were we forced to rely on our own shabby resources we would be pitiful people indeed. But the awareness of Christ's present risenness persuades us that we are buoyed up and carried on by a life greater than our own.
Read MoreA few years ago, I came across an inspiring cartoon in my "Easter" file (See enlarged image below). I think my husband John, who had been the family reader of the Sunday funnies in years gone by, cut it out and gave it to me back in April 2001. So there in my file, this little treasure has been tucked away for all these years.
For those of you who have been following the Lenten Meditations on a branch in the Vine, this piece serves as a fitting climax during Holy Week.
Read MoreFrom the hosannas of the fickle crowd to the hallelujahs of the grateful, faithful ones, because of our King…praising HIM forever:
To the King who gave everything for me
Who's body crucified, high on Calvary's Tree
Who's redemptive blood makes way for me . . .
Just this today . . . just THIS!
Read MoreJanet Renner Loyd has been a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ most of her life. Her formal education includes a degree in education from the University of Arizona and also a degree in Bible & Theology from Moody Bible Institute. For more than thirty years, she has been involved in teaching and leading women’s Bible studies, retreats, and meetings…most notably Precept upon Precept and various studies that she has personally developed. Professionally, Jan recently retired from teaching language and writing to GED and adult ESOL students.
About her life, Jan says, “The most important thing about me is my relationship with my Father God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful to Him for His love, mercy, and grace to me and my family and friends...and the world.”
Jan has been happily married to John Loyd for more than forty years. They have two adult, married children and five lively young grandsons.
