Safe // Mary Swafford

This is the final blog in the “Romans Road to Salvation” blog series and I have to say, these have been THE most difficult blogs to write for me.  I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve gone about 3 weeks without a blog and that’s totally MY fault.

Not only am I a procrastinator, as I’ve shared with you before, but every single time I dedicate time to reading and praying over what to write my day goes to pot.  I’m so tired I can’t stay awake, I have sinus crud, I’m so stressed I’m a ball of nerves or my emotions are all over the place and I just want to sit in a dark corner and cry.  My son has promised to watch the puppy quietly in the other room so I can concentrate, but all I can hear is him squeaking her toys, yelling because she’s chewing on something or complaining about her smelly farts.  Yes.  I just mentioned farts in a women’s ministry blog.  

But this is SO important.   This message is SO important.  This ministry is SO important.  God’s word is his love letter to his people.  The book of Romans is Paul’s love letter to God’s people and this blog is my love letter to you.  

God’s promise was ALWAYS to bring a savior for EVERYONE.  

In our first blog of this series, we discussed Romans 3:23 and how we are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory, but because of God’s love for us we can rest in the fact that;

“God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” 
Romans 3:24.”

And the penalty of our sin was death.  That’s what we deserve.  God knew that we could never measure up on our own.  There aren’t enough laws or good intentions that will ever get us into eternity with God.  So he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross, taking our shame and guilt in our place and nailed it to the cross with him.

“He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.”  
1 Timothy 2:6

We have freedom in Jesus.  All of us.  Everyone.  And the good news is that this freedom is available to you and to me.  

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
John 14:6

He bought the ticket and he stands ready to hand it over to me and to you.  And you know how we receive it?  We must receive him.  We must believe that he is the son of God.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 
Romans 10:9

That’s it.  YOU.  Right here.  Right now.  Get right with God.  It’s as close as your mouth and your heart.  For it is with your heart you believe.  And it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  It’s so simple.  But why is it so important for these two things to occur?  Think about it.  Your heart directs your life.  It’s your decision driver.  And your mouth is your commitment maker.  Proclaim Jesus as Lord of your life and that’s all it takes.  If you believe that Jesus is alive and that he conquered death then you are saved.

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 
Romans 10:13

Just like Paul wrote in the beginning of chapter 10, I paraphrase for you.  

Dear sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the women of Shaken & Stirred, Sand Springs and beyond to be saved.  Some don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself.  They refuse to accept God’s way.  They cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to follow rules or keep up appearances.  But Christ Jesus has already done the work.  As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God. 

This is my prayer for you today and every day.  Whether I seem to have it all together and I’m getting things done or I’m stuck talking about puppy farts with an 11 year old boy.   I love you! 

Mary Swafford is the founder of Shaken & Stirred, Meals that Matter, Coffee Talk, and a Co-Owner of Boulder Coffee in downtown Sand Springs. She is a wife, a mother of 3 beautiful children, but most importantly a daughter of the most high God. You are likely to find her chugging or serving coffee, sitting in a tattooist’s chair, or making friends out of strangers.

Photo by Becca Tapert on Unsplash

Confess

On a winter night, 25 years ago, I was snuggled into my warm comforter on the top bunk. I remember looking up at the popcorn ceiling and thinking. “God lives on that half of the ceiling and Satan lives on that half” my arm sweeping through the air marking out the boundaries between the two places. You see,I was still trying to understand the concept of where, physically, God and Satan lived. 

Not long after, I asked Jesus to live inside my heart. I’m going to be honest though, I don’t really remember the event. At times, I worry. Does Jesus really live inside my heart? I actually confessed this fear to my Husband when we were dating.

We were heading west down 71st street and I shared my worry. 

“Maybe because I can’t pinpoint the exact hour in my mind, I never was truly saved.” 

He gave me a look and said, “Well, do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?”        

“Yes.” I replied

“Do you want him to live in your heart?”

“Of course!” 

“Then you are saved.” He said with a nod. 

Romans 10:9 says, 

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

God knows my heart and knows the year, the day, the hour, the minute, the second, the millisecond I became his daughter. Even if I can’t recall for the sure. Does that make me less saved? No, I don’t believe so. Does it make my story different? Yes. It is harder for me to know if my life is different from the time before I was saved to after I was. I hadn’t done that much living yet. But I do know that when I’m not pursuing God in his Word or in my prayers, I feel the difference. 

Have you seen a difference in your day to day life when you read the Bible and pray? Have you ever had a moment where you questioned your own salvation? You are not alone. Go to God and have a chat, talk it out. He is always there waiting to grab you up and say, “Welcome home, Daughter”.

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Adrian Infernus on Unsplash

Gift

This is the perfect time of year to be thinking about gift giving. There are so many opportunities or obligations depending on how you look at it: Toy drives, food drives, clothes drives, work/church/friends Christmas parties. December is a month where we give, and receive, to the point of excess. If we are also honest with ourselves there is also that feeling like you have to reciprocate if someone buys you a gift you didn’t expect.  

I’m going to be the first to admit that I get weary of all the giving. I dread Christmas parties because it can take a toll on the finances and it can be hard to know what to buy for. At this moment, I know of at least 3 gift giving obligations in the next 3 weeks and honestly, I’m not all that excited about receiving the gifts. I do look forward to the looks on the faces who receive my gifts and hope that they are excited. But what I really look forward to is being with friends and having the time to sit down and hang out. If it’s with a mug of coffee/tea/hot cocoa and a blanket all the better! 

But you know what is wonderful about this time of year? It’s a time when we can reflect on the biggest gift that was ever given and cannot be repaid. In Romans 6:23 it says, 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

Last week Mary Swafford discussed the birth of Christ and how He came to die for our sins. But there is more to it. He came to both die for our sins and bring us eternal life with him and the Father.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
Isaiah 9:6-7

How do you repay two gifts like that? I know that the gift of forgiveness and life are items I can never hold or pay. And God will never ask us to pay him back. God only asks us to receive the gifts He has freely offered. 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6

Have you given a thought to the gift God has freely offered? God has given you a gift that can be accepted all year long, whether it’s Christmas or not. His gift did not come wrapped in sparkling paper or bows, it didn’t come from the store or the re-gift closet. As you bustle about this Christmas season mull over the concept of the only truly free gift that counts. It came in the form of a baby boy born 2,000 years ago in the springtime in a town called Bethlehem. His name was and is still: Jesus. 

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Erica Marsland Huynh on Unsplash

What You Need to Hear // Heather Dillingham

Have you ever asked a friend a question knowing their answer was something you needed to hear but didn’t necessarily want to hear? You listen, nod along, annoyed that they aren’t as fired up as you are or ‘on your side.’ Inside you know they are right but outwardly you don’t want to let it go, to forgive. I found myself in this spot recently.

My sister has gone through a lot and through it all we have continued a relationship. Sometimes stunted, but always there. One night in July however, that ended because of a misunderstanding and an overreaction. Less than a day later, my sister reached out to repair the relationship.

For context, I usually let things roll off easily but in this instance, I was blindsided by the events, angry, and full of hurt. I didn’t want to let it go. I didn’t want to forgive and heal. I wanted to be angry. I wanted to hold a grudge.

In this anger, I turned to a friend and before even telling her, I knew what would happen and without missing a beat, she calmly told me exactly what I didn’t want to hear. She said that God forgave us. She said if He was providing an opportunity to restore this relationship, I need to take it. And she said forgiveness is part of being a Christian, but the forgiveness God showed us, and the forgiveness He tells us to show others.

Ephesians 4:32 says, 

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

At this moment, I needed this. The hard knock. The grinding.

Proverbs 27:17 says, 

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

You see, at that moment, I needed sharpening. I was dull with anger. But part of forgiveness and being a person who can forgive well, is surrounding yourself with others who will sharpen you when you are dull.

Friends who will annoyingly remind you to be kind and compassionate. Someone who will say exactly what you DON’T want to hear but exactly what you NEED to hear.

To learn to forgive well, you need people who will help you learn to open your heart and let go of the hurt even when it’s hard. You have to use the tools God has given you to sharpen yourself and your compassion. To deal with the grinding and know it’s for your good.

That night I let myself feel my anger, I prayed, and I forgave. I can’t say the relationship is perfect, but because of God’s grace and the people He placed in my life to sharpen me, the relationship still exists.

Who are the people around you who will sharpen you? How have they worked in your life to remind you to be kind and compassionate, and helped you forgive?

Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) toddler. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be seen taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.

Photo by michael schaffler on Unsplash

Modeling Forgiveness // Heather Dillingham

Asking for forgiveness is hard! Like really hard. Which is funny when you think about it. As children, one of the first things we learn is to ask for forgiveness.

But as adults, we push against the idea of becoming vulnerable, sometimes leaning on the preface of fear, but often stuck in our own pride.

This has never been more clear to me than it is now that I have a toddler who not only says what I say but does what I do.

If I yell at the dogs, she yells at the dogs. If I say a word I shouldn’t or respond poorly, she says a bad word, and the next time she is in a similar situation she responds exactly as I did.

It’s a constant reminder that I am incredibly flawed and that the way I show forgiveness affects more than just me. We are called as Christians to not only model forgiveness but to be willing to ask for it when we have messed up.

In these moments, it’s up to me as a mom and a Christian to apologize for the words and to ask for forgiveness for my actions. But in this flawed game of monkey-see-monkey-do, I am so thankful that God has given us the perfect model of forgiveness.

“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”
Luke 23:34

At this moment, Jesus was literally being put to death. His clothes were picked apart like quality antiques at a garage sale. He was in pain, hurting, tired, and broken. And yet, He didn’t get angry or lose His cool. Instead, He requested that God forgive them.

This action gives me hope (and sometimes conviction) that this is the example I am supposed to be for my daughter and my family. That no matter how tired or hurt I feel, I can either choose to bless or curse my family with the way I respond.

God never said forgiveness was easy. In fact, He showed us a perfect example of how forgiving is NOT easy. But never-the-less, forgiveness is what He has called us each to do. Not only by forgiving others but by being willing to let go of the fear and pride in our hearts and ask for it when needed.

So how are you modeling forgiveness? Is there someone you need to forgive or do you need to ask for forgiveness? How has Christ’s example impacted how you may respond?

Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) toddler. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.

Photo by Paul Green on Unsplash

Pray Through Psalms

For the month of August, my inspiration for the blog was that we need to pray through the Psalms. I believe there are many of you that are familiar with this concept and that is perfect.  But for those that aren’t I just wanted to share why I love doing this:

1.      Focuses Prayer

2.      Allows God to speak

3.      Easily repeated

My ultimate prayer is that by going through the next 5 weeks you will be inspired to do this in your own quite time.

…

Psalm 119:129-136

Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.

Lord thank you for your Word. Thank you for giving us reminder after reminder of your faithfulness and love. Your words create light where darkness lived previously. God, I pray that you help us to not only remember your words but to help us to understand them. We thank you for the insight that we’ve received already in reading your word and wait anxiously for more.  

I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments. Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.

God, I pray that you give us an insatiable craving for you and your presence. Father, help us to understand that we only need you. When we search and search for peace, it can only be found in your arms. Make your presence known in both the purposeful times and in the busy moments.   

Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. Redeem me from man’s oppression, that I may keep your precepts.

Lord, please just guide us in these troublesome times. Keep us safe from the enemy as he prowls around looking for openings in our lives. Set your angels around us and guard our minds from the lies of the deceiver. Jesus thank you for your sacrifice in dying for our sins and redeeming those who choose you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

Father, please allow us to feel your presence. God help us to be like David and give us a longing to share your love with the people around us. Soften our hearts for those that are suffering and give us the courage and nudging to help.

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

 Photo by Jasmin Ne on Unsplash

To Be A Witness

A couple of weeks ago, Amanda Hall preached a sermon on unity. Near the end she spoke about the three step process in Matthew 18:15-20 concerning sin in the church and how to resolve it. But she took it one step further and talked about how the three step process can also relate to conflict resolution between people in the Church. 

Today, I want to focus on the 2nd step found in Matthew 18:16. 

“But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” 

In Proverbs, there are many wise sayings that help turn us away from sin and back on the path towards God. I believe they can also help us be wise in choosing the person who could be a witness in a conflict. 

1. “Better is open rebuke than hidden love.” Proverbs 27:5 

Find someone who you trust to be truthful. Someone willing to call you out if you are in the wrong. If you have a friend that is willing to call you out when they see you sin, that is a friend that truly loves you. They would also be a person who could be impartial and not take sides. 

1. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” Proverbs 10:13

A witness needs to be a person who will not break your confidence. Remember, you are bringing them into a situation that could be sensitive. Make sure that you and the other person can both trust the witness to not talk behind your backs. 

1. “Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.” Proverbs 17:9

Once the matter has been addressed it cannot be brought back up out of context. This situation is not meant to be a weapon in a later argument. All parties must agree that the topic will only be spoken about within context. Because, let’s face it, the matter is probably not fully resolved if someone still feels the need to bring it up in an argument. 

Could you see yourself being asked to be a witness in an argument or confrontation? Would you be able to approach a situation with love? 

I would like to encourage all of you, if the day comes and you are asked to be a third party in a disagreement. Take a deep breath, pray, and listen without speaking. Allow God to use you in the moment and let him speak through you.

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Just Praise

Less distraction, no judgment, freedom to move. That is why I choose to sit on the front row. Because let’s face it, we all have our own way to worship the lord. Mine includes a need to dance and move so I like having space and the ability to tune things out. If I sit in the back I’m distracted by what other people are doing and find it hard to concentrate on just praising God.

I’ve mentioned before in a post called “Twirling Dancer” that I used to dance in church as a little girl. What I didn’t get into is that as a teenager I could barely raise my hands in worship. Why? Because I was embarrassed and felt like I was being judged by my friends. I didn’t want their opinion of me to change, so I changed myself to fit in with them. 

In John 12:1-7, we come across a story where Jesus visited the family of Lazarus, not long after Lazarus had been raised from the dead. 

“Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.” 

(John 12:2-3)

Each one of the siblings was honoring Jesus in their own way. I will even say they were praising him. Of course Mary’s praise was probably the strangest to both us and the people around her. It was normal to wash a visitor's feet with water, but insane to use expensive perfume, worth a year's income, and your own hair. But she didn’t care. Mary had her eyes on her Lord and savior and didn’t let the opinions of the disciples, her siblings, or anyone else deter her. She humbled herself and simply worshiped. 

My prayer is that you will be encouraged by Mary’s example and be daring in your praise and worship like her. I was reminded of Mary while singing in church on Sunday, “I just want to kneel here at your feet” (“Nothing Else” by Cody Carnes). Can you be daring and humble yourself before the Lord for his sake? Do something different this coming Sunday or in your own worship time during the week: dance, kneel, sway, raise your arms to the lord. Just praise HIM. 

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Darya Ogurtsova on Unsplash

Audaciously Bold

What does it mean to be daring?

When I see or hear that word, I think of action movies where there’s a person who needs to jump out of a plane, or leap from roof top to roof top, or even dive into an ocean. Inevitably, they always make a save even though it should be impossible.  

The definition of Daring is to be “adventurous or audaciously bold.”

This year we are focusing on being daring with our faith. Without faith we are lost. Without daring we can’t act on that faith.

In Hebrews 11:1-3 it says,

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

Think about that for a second, it is only through faith that we can understand the world we live in. It is only through faith that we can believe in the promises that God has given us. Take Abraham and Sarah, God gave Abraham an impossible promise that his offspring would be to numerous to count.

“And so a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead— a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them.”
Hebrew 11:12

In the end, Abraham never saw his numerous offspring. But he did see his son Isaac, the beginning of the fulfillment of the promise. He had to have faith as he was dying that God would see his promise through to the end.

We have the privilege of seeing not only the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham but knowing that God’s ultimate promise has been fulfilled because of his promise to Abraham. We have Jesus in our lives because of that promise.

You and I have the privilege of knowing what the plan is and an idea of where we are going. We also know what our ultimate calling is to reach everyone we can with the message of Jesus our savior and the love his father has for all of us.

So, I want to call each of you to be daring. Take a deep breath and share Christ with the people around you. Pretend that you are an action hero jumping out of a plane to save someone fighting off sharks in the ocean blue. Be daring.    

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Sammie Chaffin on Unsplash

Reaching for the World or Jesus? // by Heather Dillingham

In my life I have turned toward many things to give me joy, comfort, and healing. Things like food, entertainment, and the newest health fads. But the truth is, not once have any of those things made me feel complete, whole, or even slightly better. 

 Doubtless I’m not the only one who has done this. This world teaches us through constant ads, streams, and posts that it has all the answers. Through the world we can become stronger, smarter, and prettier. It (the world) is all we need.

Before my miscarriage I lived selfishly by the world. I went to church, but left God at the door on Sunday. I felt like I had a gaping whole in my life and I used the world to try to fix it. Even my attempt at getting pregnant was an attempt to lean on the world. “Oh if I just had a baby, life would get better. I’d be happier.” Losing my child hurt. But I know God used tragedy to remind me that this world can not and will never be what I need to feel whole.

Let’s take a look back at our story. I encourage you to read back through Mark 5:25-34 (NIV) with this weeks question in mind:

“What did we learn about mankind?”

Mankind tries to solve problems through the world before going to God

Just like us, the bleeding woman believed in the world. She spent all that she had on ‘experts’ who convinced her they had all the answers. Instead of the world saving her, it chewed her up and left her to die penniless, in pain, and alone. It was only after she stopped looking to the world to heal her and looked to Jesus that she was healed.

This passage teaches us that mankind is flawed in our view of the world. The world was made by God, yet we too often allow it to become our god. Our protector, our healer, our comforter. We seek a solution we can hold in our hands instead of lifting our hands. And it doesn’t stop there.

The world is persistent in its efforts to get us to seek it first. When Jesus turned to the crowd to ask who had touched His cloak the woman was afraid. She turned back to leaning on the world and what it told her, which was that she was unclean and unwanted. But that isn’t what Jesus saw. He saw a woman filled with faith and blessed her with peace because of it.

Just like her, I still struggle with leaning too hard on the world sometimes. But God is always there to nudge me back to Him like the wonderful shepherd He is.

Have you been leaning on the world instead of on God? What are the truths He says about you? What other things did you learn about mankind from this passage?

Heather is a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a believer, a wife, and a mother to a wonderful (and sometimes crazy) one-year-old. She enjoys reading, playing video games, and listening to podcasts. She can usually be taking care of the home and playing on the floor with her daughter.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Woman at the Well

Have you ever noticed that in church we talk about things like our testimony, or evidence of proof? When this happens there’s a tendency to start at the beginning of your “walk” with Christ. This can make for a really long testimony if you asked Jesus into your heart at the age of 3, like I did. I’ve actually never loved my testimony, because it feels like nothing has happened in my life. Nothing that could help someone see Jesus anyway. In college, someone told me that my story reminded them of Esther. That while Esther never heard God speak directly to her, she still had faith in Him and that faith gave her the courage to save her people. This really encouraged me and made me more likely share that part of my testimony.

I’ve realized something though in the last few years. My testimony doesn’t have to include my whole walk with God. My testimony can be as simple as a struggle that should, according to the world, make me into a bitter, unpleasant person. The Samaritan woman does what each of us should do when we have any kind of encounter with Christ. Share that moment with the people around us.        

Last week we read John 4:4-42 and we asked the “Question: What do we learn about God?”. This week please read through the story again and ask yourself the question:   

What Do We Learn About Man?

Mankind is Skeptical

After Jesus told the woman who He was, the Messiah, she had to spread the word. She told everyone she met about her encounter with Jesus and because of that people believed: 

“Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony […]. So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them […] And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, ‘We no longer believe just because of what you said;
now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
(John 4:39, 42)

But note, it was not until they heard from Jesus, himself, that some honestly believed. This is a great example of what each of us should do after we’ve come to know Jesus. Go out and proclaim who he is to us and to the world. There will be people though that need more than just a testimony. Remember, every time we share the Gospel we plant a seed of hope. But until a person goes to the source, the Bible, they won’t truly know God.

I encourage each of you, take a moment today and write down an encounter you had with God. This encounter could be something that happened in the past or something that happened recently. It doesn’t have to be “big”; it could be as simple as a verse you read in the Bible or an encounter you had in the grocery store. Think about what God is telling you through that moment and share it with someone who might need encouragement.    

…

Please leave a comment about what you learned about man in this chapter.

Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.

Photo by Hannah Morgan on Unsplash