The Follow Up Talk

Hi there! Here are my thoughts after reading a couple more chapters in John. John 12 : True Worship & Testimony My first thought is about how I show gratitude. Mary was a perfect example for us to copy. For her family, Jesus had brought Lazarus back to life and probably did other things that we do not know. We do know that they were all close. Mary literally poured out her gratitude to Jesus by giving him an expensive and precious gift and by serving Jesus in one of the most humblest of ways- anointing his feet with oil using her “crown of glory”. Her actions remind me of Revelations 4 where it depicts rulers bowing before God and laying their crowns down to him. This was Mary’s way of laying down her crown and honoring Jesus. How do I honor Jesus? What is most precious and valuable to me? How can I lay it before Jesus to show that I am thankful he’s my God? How can I use it to honor him, in private and in public? These questions are worth asking to help bring us to a place of tru...

Before last night, the highlight of my week was smelling the aroma of lily of the valley from my backyard. I had cut a few stems and brought them indoors to enjoy. These flowers are beautiful and diminutive with bowed heads and a powerful punch of a scent. As I stared at them, I was reminded that when we are bowed down to God in worship, we create a sweet aroma to God. As I said, that was before last night. Last night our church had a Zoom "Ladies' Night". It was supposed to be a time of fun and enjoyment, but our leaders decided it would be best to change it into a time of prayer. I grew up being surrounded by prayerful people, but in my older years had left some of that atmosphere behind. I wasn't attending prayer meetings as much as I had done in my teens - mainly because of laziness and because it just didn't seem like I saw people doing it as much, so when I saw a special meeting for it, I would shy away. When our ladies night was turned into a prayer night o...

Another week has passed and I hope it was a good one for you all. One of my highlights was my son waking up super early and looking for me. He found me in the living room reading my Bible and said he would love to join me for devotions! It was just too cute hearing a four year old say that, and super sweet getting some cuddles while reading the Word - before the day really starts and I have to wrestle him to get any extra cuddles! Here are some of my thoughts while going through a few more chapters in the book of John. There are so many things to talk about in each chapter, but I focused my thoughts on the first things that jumped out at me. John 9 - God's Purpose in our Weakness Here we see an amazing miracle of Jesus giving sight to a man who was born blind. The disciples asked Jesus - whose sin caused this man to be born with blindness? Jesus replied - neither; his blindness was meant to fulfill God’s purpose. ( verses 2-3 ) What is confusing for today is whether the answer Jes...

Hi there! I am enjoying reading John a chapter at a time and spending the time to think about the message John is sharing. Below are my reflections from chapters 6 through 8. If you are also reading John, I hope you are enjoying it and that it's provoking reflections of your own too! John 6 - Eat this Bread I kept reflecting on the fact that this was Passover time and the significance of this setting. Crowds of people left their homes to seek Jesus- who later became the ultimate sacrificial lamb slain for all our sins. Passover is a time to remember the miracle God did for the Israelites. God saved their firstborn children and allowed them to finally escape Egypt. It’s a time where Israelites are careful about the bread they eat in order to recognize the significance of their escape. Here in this passage, we have crowds seeking Jesus and being fed with bread. We see them seeking more bread on the following day - as Jesus comments that they only wished for more food. As Jesus expla...

Lately I've been reading the book of John and have had more reflections jump out of me than I originally thought I would. I've jotted them down in my bible and then realized that I might as well capture these thoughts here too. Out of the four New Testament books about Jesus' birth, ministry, and death, I am most drawn to the book of John. There I can see the beauty in how God's Word is crafted together. John doesn't just tell what he saw, he points out the deeper purpose and connection that Jesus has to the Old Testament, to God, to Israelite traditions, and to the creation of the world! I invite you to journey with me as I chronicle my musings on the book of John! John 3 - Nicodemus - Born Again It's interesting how this chapter starts with Jesus teaching Nicodemus about the Spirit - how you need to be born in it and how it moves in ways unknown and unseen - then ends with John the Baptist teaching his disciples that Jesus has the Spirit! John 4 - Samaritan W...