by Connie Terpack, Faith Filled Friday 4/8/22
“Trials teach us what we are; they dig up the soil, and let us see what we are made of.” – Charles Spurgeon
1. Teaches Us Patience
I made this number one because it was a dumb mistake I made years ago. I often asked God why he allowed so many problems in my life. I used to pray for patience and kept getting trials and problems. Most of the time it was small annoyances. I finally had to ask him why. His answer was that he was helping me learn patience. I stopped asking for patience and those trials stopped. Maybe this article should be titled Be Careful What You Wish For.
Romans 5:3,4 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
2. Builds Our Perseverance
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Hebrews 10:35-36 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
3. Makes Us Humble
1 Peter 5:6-8 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
4. Gives Us Discipline
Hebrews 12:5,6 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
5. To Perfect and Strengthen Us
1 Peter 5: 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
Proverbs 3:12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
6. Help Us Understand Others
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
Galatians 6:2 Bare ye one other’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
7. Teach Us to be More Thankful
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God’s in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Ephesians 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
8. Help Us to Learn God’s Word
Psalm 119: 75-77 I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to the word unto thy servant. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live for thy law is my delight.
9. Keep us Focused on God
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
10. Helps Us Trust God
Proverbs 3:5 -7 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
These Bible verses about how God is helping us even when it looks like he is doing just the opposite were a huge help to me. I got this blog idea from a site called Bible Reasons. You might want to visit them and check out their vast library of articles.
Faith Filled Friday, April 1, 2022
by Connie Terpack
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, businesses, notably restaurants, posted “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Entry” signs on the front door. This phrase soon became the accepted norm.
If you’re like me, you figured those signs were for the patron’s safety. I would hate to step on an ice cube, someone’s spit, or an oily spot. However, that was not the reason businesses posted those signs.
It was because businesses did not want hippies coming into their shops and eateries. Since Hippies were noted for going barefoot, it was an easy way to keep them out.
Nowadays, no one thinks twice about it. Many beach front restaurants do not mind barefoot and shirtless guests.
Fortunately, there will not be a “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Entry” at heaven’s gate. You will be required to have Jesus in your heart. Not simply an acknowledgment of who he is, but His saving grace in you.
I’ve shared a few Bible verses that talk about clothes and doors or gates.
John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture.
Acts 14:27 And when they were come and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.
Psalm 24:7,8 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
John 20:19 then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. [see also verse 26]
Ephesians 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Revelations 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
Remember Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
This is such a clever idea!
One of my party tricks is knitting onto toothpicks! It’s quite fun, and it makes the teeniest tiniest little knitting project you ever saw. And it isn’t that hard!
You do need your reading glasses, though… It’s very small work!
This is the video I shared on my very first monthly newsletter! So if you’d like to see more of this kind of thing, definitely sign up!
At the very beginning of this video, you can’t see the actual knitting, but I realize that quite quickly and get everything into view for you. If you decide to give it a try, get in touch and show me your tiny knitting projects!
I hope you’re also a fan of my books! If you haven’t taken a peek through my releases yet, here is where you can find them all together, sorted neatly by miniseries, because I care.
Happy reading!
View original post 1 more word
By Connie Terpack March 25, 2022
In Genesis 18 we have the story of Abraham and Sarah entertaining guests. My Bible explains that one of them was the Lord, Yahweh (verse 1), and the other two were angels.
One of them asked Abraham where Sarah was (vs 9). In verse 10 the man said, ‘I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah they wife shall have a son.’ And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
Explanation: The phrase according to the time of life, means this time next year.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
Explanation: That verse tells us that both Abraham and Sarah were too old to have children of their own.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, ‘After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’
Explanation: This verse tells us that Sarah laughed within herself. She did not laugh out loud. She probably smiled as she thought about getting pregnant at almost ninety years old.
13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, ‘Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, ‘I laughed not;’ for she was afraid. And he said, ‘Nay; but thou didst laugh.’
Considering they would have known that God created the world and man, why would they doubt a little thing like Sarah getting pregnant? Abraham would be 100 years old when his son was born.
Genesis 21:1-3 tells the happy ending.
1 And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him
3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
Sarah doubted the Lord, both His truthfulness and His ability. Haven’t we done the same? Haven’t we disbelieved the Lord’s power to do what He says He will do in His Word?
Read Genesis 18:14 again – Is anything too hard for the Lord?
I like that she uses the children’s own challenges for story ideas.
Today is my stop on the blog tour for Princess No Knots by Deborah Dillon, Illustrated by Matt Richards.
Here’s the blurb.
Princess No Knots LOVES her long golden hair as much as she LOVES her bath time, but she does NOT love having it brushed. When her flowing locks end up in knots, the King tells her they will have to be cut and takes away her crown. Enter a world of determination, sprinkled with a small dose of magic, to find out if the strong-willed Princess finds a way to get back her crown, keep her name and save the hair she so loves. A must read rhyming picture book for any parent who struggles with the dreaded ‘hair wash’ night! Available on amazon.co.uk.
Review
Princess No Knots is a lovely little book about a Princess who absolutely hates to have her hair brushed.
She must quickly…
View original post 380 more words
by Connie Terpack March 18, 2022
Many people don’t believe in God anymore. They call me a fool for believing in Jesus, God, and salvation. They can think what they want, but why take away my beliefs? I feel sorry for them. They are missing out on a love that no one else can give them.
I have shared my faith with others. When they tell me they’re not interested I let it go. I did my job by sharing with them what will happen later on. If by some slim chance I’m wrong, then neither one of us has lost anything.
Believing in Jesus and serving him is not hard. Some don’t want to give up their drinking, stealing, cussing and whatever else. I could think of worse things to give up. Losing my home in heaven would be the worst thing for me.
Some say we evolved from a single cell that crawled out of the water. Yet they don’t know where the water, earth and plant life came from. Their usual answers are that it was just there or we’ll figure it out later.
So why is it easier to believe that some of creation was “just there” and not believe in a God that was, is, and always will be? (Genesis 1:1)
I believe in Jesus Christ. He said deny me in front of your friends and I will deny you in front of my Father. HE’S COMING BACK…
Greatest man in history had no servants, yet they called him Master. (Matthew 23:8, 10)
He had no degree, yet they called him Teacher.
He had no medicines, yet they called him Healer.
He had no army, yet kings feared Him.
He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world.
He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. (John 19:16-37)
He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today. (John 19:38-42; 1 Corinthians 15:55)
He was of humble birth, yet is Lord of Lords. (1 Timothy 6:14-15)
His name is Jesus. (Matthew 1:21)
by Connie Terpack March 11, 2022
I have always preferred the King James edition of the Bible. It has a certain beauty to its word choices and some of the phrases used. While their sayings were common back in their time, some make little sense to us today. Sometimes the Bible can be confusing to understand, but the Lord is good about explaining it to you when you ask.
I enjoyed fishing but have not done it in years. I have trouble keeping the worm on the hook and rarely caught a fish but I still enjoyed the day out. My husband usually caught several fish and we had enough for our meal.
I came across the following verses while I was looking for ideas for my Faith Filled Friday blog. I read the verses and giggled. I pictured Peter and Andrew hauling in a person on the end of their line! How heavy a rod did they need to use? What kind of bait is best – chocolate candy or chicken bites?
Matthew 4:19-20 (No bible edition was given.)
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
The King James verses for this are easy to understand and did not need any corrections or translations as far as I was concerned. I’m starting with verse 18 since it sets the scene. Read and see the difference.
Matthew 4:18-20
18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19 And he saith unto them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 And they straightway left their nets and followed him.
There is a slight difference between ‘send’ and ‘make,’ the way I see it. Using send makes it sound like Jesus is the boss and gives them a work list. Using the word make implies that Jesus is teaching, showing, and building them into fishers of men.
Also, it would be helpful to define straightway: 1: in a direct course: directly, fell straightway down the stairs. 2: right away, immediately, straightaway: straightway the clouds began to part.
I had to look up this word because I always thought it was straightaway, like straight away, not straight way. It seems it can be written either way without changing the meaning. Please note that I separated the words so you could easily see the difference in spelling, but they should be written as one word.
A Little History about the King James Bible
In 1604, England’s King James I authorized a new translation of the Bible aimed at settling some thorny religious differences in his kingdom—and solidifying his own power.
But in seeking to prove his own supremacy, King James ended up democratizing the Bible instead. Thanks to emerging printing technology, the new translation brought the Bible out of the church’s sole control and directly into the hands of more people than ever before, including the Protestant reformers who settled England’s North American colonies in the 17th century.
Link for Bible history: Why the King James Bible of 1611 Remains the Most Popular
https://www.history.com › news › king-james-bible-mo…
Apr 16, 2019 — In 1604, England’s King James I authorized a new translation of the Bible aimed at settling some thorny religious differences in his …
It’s lonely out there.
In the event that you missed the previous post, Cpl. Smith serving in the 11th Airborne during WWII, was attempting to visualize his first experience at standing guard duty in a combat zone to his mother in a letter.
At one point, the situation appears critical and the next – a comedy of errors. Nevertheless, this half of the letter describes his four-hour rest period and the following two hours of standing guard. Hope you stick around to see how he does.
***** ***** *****
Guard Duty (con’t)
“As soon as your relief man comes along, you strut back to your tent feeling as proud as all hell knowing that you are a conqueror of the night and a tried and true veteran of the guard. You are supposed to get four hours of rest or sleep before going on for your second shift, but for…
View original post 777 more words
by Connie Terpack, March 4, 2022
As a young girl I often played hide and seek. Most of our hiding places were obvious, but it was still fun to play. Once I hid in my room to avoid a spanking from my dad. I guess he thought staying in my room was punishment enough because I never got the spanking. I don’t remember if I apologized for my smart-alack remark or not.
Genesis 3: 1-10 tells us the story of Adam and Eve hiding from God after eating the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden. I was surprised by how many other times humans tried to or wanted to hide from God.
Jeremiah 23:23, 24: Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and the earth? saith the Lord.
Since God is everywhere and knows all it would be difficult to hide from him. Hebrews 4:13 tells us that there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of God.
Moses hid his face from God, but not from fear of doing wrong. He was in awe of God. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. Exodus 3:6
Revelation 6:16,17 shares about hiding from the wrath of God: And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
Job asked God not to do two things: Only do not two things to me: then will I not hide myself from thee. Job 13:20
God knows us, better than we realize, as we learn in Psalm 139. Here are the first two verses: O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
He knows our past and our future: Psalm 139:5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Through the rest of Psalm 139 David tell us that wherever he is, God is there also. He considers God’s thoughts precious (vs 17).
It’s nice to have God with me all the time. I like being able to talk to Jesus whenever I feel the need. There’s no schedule to keep, appointment to make, or times when His ‘office’ is closed.
Please share your comments.
The eighth in a series of posts about my family tree.
Inspired by Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks
Prompt: Courting
What is courting? Conventional thinking, and the dictionary, describe it as “paying special attention to (someone) in an attempt to win their support or favour.” This could be the wooing of someone into marriage/romantic relationship, or a business arrangement or a political scheme. In the case of romance or even friendship it often involves a flurry of grand gestures and promises fuelled by hopping hormones, intense desire and a need to be needed. Those of us who have been run through that mill know that once the fuel runs out so too do all the pronounced overtures. Promises made are either broken or never materialize. Perhaps it’s the cynic in me speaking, but I’ve seen it all too often in many areas of life. It is a…
View original post 1,262 more words
quirkywritingcorner 