tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17232720275904052102012-02-16T00:57:14.940-08:00Our desire for this blog is to communicate a love of Scripture. It is our prayer that God might use what is said here to ignite a passion and a hunger for His Word; that what is said may encourage Christian women to better understand and apply the Word of God in their everyday lives. Furthermore we pray God might use the various links and resources to equip women with the skills needed to effectively study the Bible.LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-88364680395804878692010-11-13T17:54:00.000-08:002011-09-25T18:00:58.889-07:00

After much prayerful consideration we have decided to take a short break from writing for this blog. The reasons for this is mainly due to three of our four authors going through major life changes: - Meredith is getting married very soon after which she will be moving to England! - Taliah has a new baby boy - Laura has a new baby boy Margret also is engaged in many ministry opportunities with

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-37331394154105351202010-11-02T00:41:00.000-07:002010-11-02T00:44:52.911-07:00

Praise the Lord for the safe arrival of Caleb Jonathan! Laura tired but doing well. Congratulations to the family. May God bless you and keep you all.

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-73426508029218540762010-10-28T02:25:00.000-07:002010-10-28T03:04:37.524-07:00

Colossians 3 [NASB] 12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15Let the peace of

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-7470436861151467122010-10-14T13:20:00.001-07:002010-10-14T13:53:22.339-07:00

Earlier this week I was very challenged when I read the following entry on prayer written by my dear sister in Christ, Asia. I am excited to share it with you for this week's new entry and I hope you will also be challenged to spend more time in prayer. I remember when I was in high school, I was challenged to get up early in the morning to pray. I decided that around 5:30am, I would get up and

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-47363090267853202982010-10-11T07:59:00.000-07:002010-10-11T08:50:26.868-07:00

Last Sunday I was once again impressed by the impact of practicing biblical relationships. I heard that people at church had been praying for me the previous week, and quite a few of them (both women and men!) approached me with sincere inquiries. They were truly concerned, and someone even got me a chair cushion (for my back). We have not been at that church for long, so I was really surprised –

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-84091378571426005562010-09-25T04:00:00.000-07:002010-09-25T04:04:13.545-07:00

Colossians 3:1-111Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.5Therefore consider the

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-28965465824590941822010-09-19T13:48:00.001-07:002010-09-21T19:52:29.243-07:00

I thought this devotional from 1 John was very good and worth sharing for my entry this week. It is written by Dr. Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries."By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-70196431458005079662010-09-12T15:59:00.000-07:002010-09-14T18:57:46.262-07:00

Many a time while reading the Word, God impresses upon me how contrary He is to the wisdom of the world (1 Corinthians 1:20) and my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). One such passage that jumped out at me these past weeks talks about pride and humility. It seems to me that these words have taken on very different definitions in our present culture of individualism and self-love. Yet we need to

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-40001509679312276792010-08-31T02:17:00.000-07:002010-08-31T02:29:50.939-07:00

Hello everyone. I have tried several times to write my next blog posting and I feel at the moment that it would not be doing the passage justice to quickly put something together so I am leaving it for this month. When I next post it will be on Colossians 3:5-11, a rather confronting passage so we shall see how I go with the self examination aspect of my preparation! For now I offer these photos

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-14035747830903841612010-08-22T21:43:00.000-07:002010-08-22T18:48:52.807-07:00

Over a year ago I heard a sermon on Colossians 1:15-19 that has come back to my memory many times since then. As I have been considering the insights I gleaned from this sermon, I thought I would share some of my notes and thoughts."He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-8233685657642485352010-08-15T05:24:00.000-07:002010-08-15T06:05:46.798-07:00

Today I listened to a sermon on Revelation that was particularly disappointing. Why? Because some very plain passages foretelling the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy were simply spiritualised away. That propelled me to post this particular study because I believe that the Bible is to be understood in a literal sense (which, of course, does not exclude the normal use of metaphors, analogies

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-78065383353824107712010-08-08T21:04:00.000-07:002010-08-10T22:21:56.239-07:00

“There is none holy as the LORD” (1 Sam. 2:2). To worship God properly we must know something about Him. True worship must be based on a deep heartfelt appreciation of who God is, what He has done for us, and what He has promised to do: it must be based on truth rather than the inconsistency of our feelings. “They that worship [God] must worship Him … in truth” (John 4:24). Today I just wanted

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-1853977455813466572010-07-21T04:15:00.000-07:002010-07-21T04:19:47.261-07:00

1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.Last study we looked specifically at the

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-50654356505440495572010-07-18T19:50:00.000-07:002010-07-18T16:55:59.308-07:00

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend a Christian conference promoting life and families. As I have recalled the many sessions held throughout the weekend, covering everything from Haitian adoptions to euthanasia to embryology, one small point mentioned in passing by one of the speakers has stood out to me beyond any other. The woman being interviewed, Mrs. Michelle Duggar, mother to

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-19822871308296575022010-07-11T07:09:00.000-07:002010-07-11T08:38:34.255-07:00

I have come across quite a few women lately who believe that generational curses affect Christians today, and that these curses need to be dealt with before change can occur. But is this true?All too often, well-meaning believers simply take on board what they are taught. In an ideal world that would be commendable, but in a fallen world, where our old nature still exerts itself, we need to be

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-26974242139454006462010-06-26T04:14:00.000-07:002010-06-26T04:21:57.233-07:00

Colossians 2 [NASB]8See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,10and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;11and in Him you were also

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-8467872194032391252010-06-20T15:36:00.000-07:002010-06-20T16:51:31.322-07:00

Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-12098259939677718782010-06-15T08:58:00.000-07:002010-06-17T10:14:03.936-07:00

Hi Everyone,I am so sorry that there haven't been any posts for the past three weeks! The first week was the extra Saturday in May which we hadn't allocated :-), then Laura was VERY sick with the flue when it was her turn (and she is still not well - please pray for her and baby), and this past weekend I have been sick as well. Slowly getting better, so I will post something tomorrow. Thanks for

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-78407807553726819072010-05-21T19:39:00.000-07:002010-11-10T02:26:37.828-08:00

Last time we looked at Paul’s example to us in his suffering with rejoicing, the fulfilling of his God-given stewardship and his glorying in the mystery now revealed to us in Christ. We concluded that we need to proclaim Christ as Paul did, warning, stimulating, encouraging, teaching every man. We need to work hard, to strive and labour, in God’s strength which works within us. As we go on in the

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-3073874927924655052010-05-16T17:10:00.000-07:002010-05-19T07:13:04.455-07:00

Recently I have been thinking about the disconnect between orthodoxy and orthopraxy that often prevails within the church. James 1:22-25 convicted me of this in my own life:"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-8057124333024281432010-05-08T09:01:00.000-07:002010-05-08T09:22:27.400-07:00

Today is Mother's Day, so first of all I would like to wish ALL mothers who read this blog a wonderful day of joy and thanksgiving! It would have been easy to choose a typical 'motherhood topic' for today's entry, but somehow I felt led instead to highlight the sin of self-will that so easily besets us - children as well as mothers. And often it's not even big things, but so many 'little' things

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-57646732485735882032010-05-04T16:39:00.000-07:002010-05-04T16:42:03.473-07:00

Okay, I'll admit it, I have been slack... In an attempt to get this house tidy, combined with the joys of pregnancy, I haven't written anything for this week... I know! Its terrible! I hope you will accept the following as a peace offering: I have taken this from one of my favourite books of poetry, "The Collected Work of Felicia Hemans" T'was early Day, and sunlight streamed Soft through a

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-58003645047124228762010-04-22T01:30:00.000-07:002010-11-10T02:22:05.793-08:00

Colossians 1 [NASB]24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions.25Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,26that is, the mystery which

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-78563699310689364352010-04-17T17:26:00.000-07:002010-04-17T20:41:20.500-07:00

Since my last entry, I became engaged to a godly, wonderful man. Throughout our courtship, God's great faithfulness has proven itself to me again and again and I am so excited to share our story. Although this entry is not a typical "Bible study" post, it is my prayer that my testimony of God's faithfulness may be an encouragement to others who may also be clinging tightly to His Word as they

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-57216545663753993992010-04-11T01:01:00.000-07:002010-04-13T23:48:06.072-07:00

Thank you so much for sharing about hiding God's Word in our hearts, Laura, and the hearts of our children. When our own were small, we did much the same thing and looking back over the years, God certainly blessed those efforts.Today, we might have a look at a tiny book in the Old Testament. Haggai is the second shortest O.T. book, but it is powerful. Have you read it? Could God use it to speak

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-88580449329746803732010-04-04T21:10:00.000-07:002010-04-06T22:34:40.694-07:00

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word... Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:9,11. There are many reasons to memorise scripture yet I wish to speak specifically of the power to triumph over sin. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the word of God speaks directly to you? Maybe you are

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-57992842988781202212010-03-27T01:07:00.000-07:002010-03-27T18:26:40.599-07:00

Colossians 113For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers of authorities – all things

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-43157215618369639662010-03-18T16:19:00.000-07:002010-03-18T16:58:00.680-07:00

Hello Everyone :) This is a quick extra post to report on the major events happening in our writers lives: both Taliah and myself (Laura) are pregnant with our second children, and Meredith is engaged! Stephen and MeredithShane and TaliahJoshua, Samuel and Laura (me) I decided to write something about this because who we are and what God is leading us through in our lives will effect and

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-66888991335694218062010-03-07T21:35:00.000-08:002010-03-11T18:32:23.699-08:00

Proverbs 31:11 “The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So he will have no lack of gain.” It is a sad testament to where we are as the Body of Christ that this cannot be said of most husbands today. Many husbands cannot say they unreservedly trust their wives (conversely, neither can wives admit to trusting their husbands). Being able to fully trust your marriage partner is one of the

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-13962344475611184792010-02-26T21:26:00.000-08:002010-03-03T13:50:09.812-08:00

I was glad to see Meredith’s post from last week was on prayer –she shared with us many scriptures which encourage us to pray and assure us of God’s hearing of our prayers. In my last posting I looked at Colossians 1:1-14, and I will be taking the time now to specifically look at the prayer in this section. I would like to look at at what scripture has to say about each of the things Paul

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-38865491738487305072010-02-21T21:08:00.000-08:002010-02-21T18:15:10.916-08:00

I feel that prayer is among the most neglected areas of my spiritual walk so I have been eager to study about the purpose of communication with God through prayer so I may have a better understanding of the importance of this spiritual practice. I pray when I need wisdom, direction, and guidance and I pray when I have a specific request to bring before the Lord, (whether it is relating to me

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-77416860580573498782010-02-12T13:50:00.000-08:002010-02-12T14:24:55.332-08:00

Hello Everyone… This is going to be short because I am having problems with my back and can’t sit for long :-)Last week’s post by Laura resonated quite strongly with me (I, too, have been guilty of speaking too hastily!), so I am hoping that the following slideshow with more communication verses from Proverbs may benefit us all as a reminder of what we have read many times before. I composed

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-33926754176898152132010-02-06T01:30:00.000-08:002010-02-09T01:48:18.540-08:00

Proverbs 29:20, "Seest thou a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope of a fool than him." (KJV) I realize that I did previously say that I was going to look at the virtuous woman passage of Proverbs 31 yet I have decided to change my mind at the last minute (not something terribly unusual for me) and write about something else. This issue has been impressed upon me heart for the last

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-47423861185339346112010-01-30T02:57:00.000-08:002010-01-30T04:01:27.537-08:00

Tomorrow is my birthday, so I volunteered for this post because I had in mind to write a bible study on birthdays in Scripture. But what I found was discouraging: birthday celebrations are mentioned expressly only twice – and each time someone died! So my mind went from birthdays to children, to child rearing, and finally to the molding of their character and conscience. Being a Christian

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-77329553201711605042010-01-21T02:10:00.000-08:002010-11-10T02:16:33.607-08:00

I want to share with you a few things from the book of Colossians, we will see how far the Lord takes me through but I hope to cover the book this year. The first section I will look at is chapter 1, verses 1 to 14, but first a little background.This book was written by the apostle Paul when he was first imprisoned in Rome around 60-61AD, at the same time that he wrote to the Ephesians and to

Taliahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00255241622309139535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-63456494146275320372010-01-16T19:40:00.000-08:002010-01-16T16:45:27.141-08:00

I am so excited about this new Bible Study endeavor. I thoroughly enjoyed Laura and Margaret's studies and look forward to the future entries.For my first entry, I would like to share some thoughts regarding the journey God has taken me on as I have been learning to accept criticism from others when the Lord has called me to an unusual path. While my specific situation of being an "

Meredith Ivynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-54398859412931055212010-01-07T08:51:00.000-08:002010-01-08T07:29:19.428-08:00

Thank you for your study, Laura! What an appropriate beginning for this blog. It made my mind travel along the lines of, “This woman sounds so wonderful – how could I ever be like her? How could I glorify God through my very being?” Pondering your three-step process, the following words sprang to mind: “I am week but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong. I’ll be satisfied as long as I

Margaret Lepkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147233663724759684noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1723272027590405210.post-83118288254823189342010-01-01T18:14:00.000-08:002010-01-07T12:26:59.953-08:00

The character of the woman of Proverbs 31 is one of exemplary moral virtue founded on spiritual and practical wisdom. It is set forth as a prayer as told to King Lemuel (who is generally believed to be King Solomon) by his mother for her son’s future wife. I read recently that the ancient Jewish rabbis called sages thought that Ruth who was Solomon’s great-great-grandmother was the inspiration

LauraWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01406457096757052714noreply@blogger.com0