Friday, December 21, 2012

Merry Christmas!!

Signing off for now, as we will be on the road for the next two consecutive Sundays... but I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Remember the Reason for the Season.

Love you all!!!

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Isaiah 46-50:11

Even in the midst of tragedy, we mustn't forget God loves us.

Perhaps, sometimes, He loves us in ways far beyond our understanding, but He's still there. Forever and for always.

Isaiah 46:3
Isaiah 49:5
Isaiah 49:25

"Since the day you were born, I have carried you along. I will still be the same when you are old and gray, and I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe." -  Isaiah 46:3-4

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Isaiah 34-44:2

Isaiah 35:10
Isaiah 38:5
Isaiah 38:14
Isaiah 38:17
Isaiah 40:11
Isaiah 41:13
Isaiah 42:6
Isaiah 43:4

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Isaiah 26-33:24

Although this has been a very tough year, I still have a lot to be thankful for. Actually, I have never had quite this much to be thankful for.

One of the many blessings in my life right now happens to be a little girl whose middle name is Joy... and whose sweet spirit is helping me get through these months without my favorite aunt, whose name was also Joy.

God never gives us more than we can handle. Sometimes he gives us joy...

Joy © Leia Jobe, November 2012


Sunday, November 4, 2012

Isaiah 13-16:14

PEACE.

It's almost all I think about these days... how I like things to be calm and happy.

So I love this verse the most! :)

Isaiah 14:7 (photo @ Leia Jobe)


Sunday, October 28, 2012

Isaiah 10:6-12:6

Long, long day today, which started off wonderfully (albeit a bit chaotically) in a Church classroom full of adorable 2-year-olds. :)

I ROUTINELY spend time caring for large groups of little children, and I know what it is like to be in their midst. Sometimes you are swarmed with hugs and overwhelmed by the quiet peace of happy smiling children... other times you must sprint to lift a wayward child off of the top of a rickety table before they fall over backwards. It's the nature of childcare.

And so I am struck today by a couple of verses, but the one that absolutely captures my image-filled heart is this one:

"Leopards will lie down with young goats, and wolves will rest with lambs. Calves and lions will eat together and be cared for by little children." -Isaiah 11:6.

Can you imagine a lion in the midst of a classroom full of 2-year-olds? :) A calm lion?

I wish I had time today in my busy day to find a lion, photograph it, and photoshop it into a classroom full of kids... but you know, it still wouldn't be as incredible as the real thing. Can you imagine? A lion being cared for by a little child? And not just one... little children, plural. Have you ever seen 2-year-olds fight over tasks?

Imagining a group of little children caring for and feeding a lion just AMAZES me... I long for the peace and comfort of a moment like that, when wild animals are docile and trustworthy in the face of innocent children... I long for the peace of the One who can make that happen... I long for that day.

Meanwhile, (because photoshopping a picture of a lion into a classroom full of children just does not do any justice to the actual possibility), I focus today on this verse:

Isaiah 10:27
And again... I love the feeling of peace within these words.

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Isaiah 1-10:5

I've been trudging through Isaiah with my very tired eyes for the better part of three hours now... and I keep pausing to collect my thoughts and come back to this verse, back near the very beginning: "I, the LORD, invite you to come and talk it over." - Isaiah 1:18. 

It's just incredible, on so many levels. 

Think about it.

Isaiah 1:18

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Ecclesiastes

Most Sundays I do my Bible reading and then go on a little photo excursion to take some pictures that correspond with the words I read... but today I am not offering my own photographs to you on this blog.

Today, instead, I want to pay tribute to the man in this video, and to our church pastor, Dr. David denHartog, who introduced our congregation to this video this morning. Please watch.



Also I wanted to take this opportunity to tell all the people in my life that I love them VERY much and that I appreciate all the millions of things they do or have done for me. I hope that I am making a positive difference, in your life, too.

And now, for my Bible reading: today while reading through Ecclesiastes, I was especially touched by two passages.

The first, of course, you probably already know:
"Everything on earth 
has its own time 
and its own season. 
There is a time 
for birth and death, 
planting and reaping, 
for killing and healing, 
destroying and building, 
for crying and laughing, 
weeping and dancing, 
for throwing stones 
and gathering stones, 
embracing and parting. 
There is a time 
for finding and losing, 
keeping and giving, 
for tearing and sewing, 
listening and speaking. 
There is also a time 
for love and hate, 
for war and peace." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Also, having just finished hearing a series of sermons about Biblical love (yes, Pastor Dave, we hear you, and we remember what you say), I am struck by this verse: '...Some people don't have friends or family. But they are never satisfied with what they own, and they never stop working to get more. They should ask themselves, "Why am I always working to have more? Who will get what I leave behind?" What a senseless and miserable life!' - Ecclesiastes 4:8

It is better to have a friend... and love the people around you... than to have all the riches in the world.

(p.s. Dear family: I love you. Dear Granny and sweet Aunt Joy: I miss you.)

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Proverbs

I wore a lovely hat and pretty necklace to church today. It rained, and my hat and necklace seemed bright and happy against the greyness of the sky.

I came home to do my Bible project and immediately stumbled upon these words:

"My child, obey the teachings of your parents, and wear their teachings as you would a lovely hat or a pretty necklace." Proverbs 1:8-9

We must wear our wisdom and our faith as if they were bright, shining necklaces and beautiful, lovely hats... And then they will shine into the darkness. :)












A few more selections from my reading that I absolutely loved were:
"Singing to someone in deep sorrow is like pouring vinegar in an open cut." Proverbs 25:20

"Good news from far away refreshes like cold water when you are thirsty." Proverbs 25:25

"Don't eat too much honey or always want praise." Proverbs 25:27

"Gold and silver are tested in a red-hot furnace, but we are tested by praise." Proverbs 27:20

"But you must defend those who are helpless and have no hope." Proverbs 31:8

"With her own hands she gladly makes clothes." Proverbs 31:13

"And she always works hard." Proverbs 31:17

"She does her own sewing, and everything she wears is beautiful." Proverbs 31:22

Sunday, September 23, 2012