Category: Reviews

Search for a perfect pastor

In Search of the “Perfect” Pastor

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Pastors are People, Too

Our church has just begun the adventure of searching for a new pastor. It’s a daunting job when you look for the perfect pastor. Basically, because there are no perfect pastors because pastors are people, too.

there are no perfect pastors.

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Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow

Hymn Favorites – The Doxology

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Write 31 days: Prompt: praise

This morning I rose to see that today’s praise is PRAISE. The word alone brought joy to my heart. My first thoughts went to the Doxology. A song we sang every week at the United Methodist Church I grew up in.

Today in the YouVersion Bible app the Verse of the day was about praise as well. It was King David’s prayer as the people brought their offerings as they collected for building the temple. It’s a beautiful prayer found in 1 Chronicles 29. Go read the entire prayer. I’ll give you a piece of it here. Continue reading →

Mayo Clinic – How Healthcare Should Be Done

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Inside the Doors of Mayo Clinic

As soon as we entered through the doors at Mayo Clinic, we felt peace and hope. We had never experienced anything like the atmosphere and the love and care we felt when we arrived.

When we turned the car onto the campus we felt peace. We saw beautiful landscaping with trees and flowers and water fountains as we drove onto the campus. We drove right up to the building we needed to check into. Continue reading →

Fully Alive Book Review

Book Review: Fully Alive

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NOTE: I received this book at no charge in exchange for writing this review. These words are my own opinion and I have not been compensated to say them. 

Dare to Hope again

Have you been losing your hope lately? What is it that is pulling you down into

despondency?

Dare to Hope Fully Alive

Susie’s Larson’s new book

Sickness?

Fear?

Guilt?

Worry?

Grief?

Discouragement?

Insecurity?

Selfishness?

Look up because there is AlWAYS Hope in Jesus.

Continue reading →

Movie Review: Breathe

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What a beautifully, inspiring movie!

“Breathe” is an inspiring true story. After being paralyzed by polio at age 28, Robin Cavendish refuses to be immobile and with his loyal wife, Diana, becomes an advocate for the severely disabled. “Breathe” is the feature-film directing debut of actor Andy Serkis.

I love to see how others have made their way through trials. And this movie fast became a great biography. Celebrating the lives of ones who made a huge difference for the severely disabled. So many good takeaways from the movie. The first being, “Don’t sell yourself short. Your life isn’t useless.” And then especially the loyalty and commitment of his wife and other friends. We can all learn something from this life.

Deeply Touching

“Breathe” deeply touched my heart by the determination of Robin and Diana to never give up. Even though things seemed hopeless or they had no one backing them, they moved forward and made things happen. In the end, they helped countless severely disabled people have a fulfilling life instead of one of depression with no hope.

This movie also gently spoke of allowing terminally ill patients the privilege of dying on their own terms but not only that but also that a change of venue can bring an amazing change of view on one’s viewpoint of life for the severely disabled. Each life has value and should be treated that way. It isn’t right to put people away from view in a hospital ward just because they are severely handicapped. We should be doing whatever we can to make life better for them.

In the end, Robin chose to end his life because his body could not take any more from artificial breathing. But he lived a fulfilling life for twenty years. His son got to know him and love him. He was able to die gracefully with his family nearby without a traumatic ending.

I was spellbound by this movie, cheering at times and crying at other times. Beautifully done.

Definitely a MUST SEE FILM.

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The Solid Rock

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

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Write 31 Days: Prompt: Hope

If it weren’t for Hope in Jesus I would be lost. Here’s one of my favorite hymn selections

Hymn: The Solid Rock

Author: Edward Mote

Edward Mote was born in Upper Thames Street, London, Jan. 21, 1797. Edward MoteThrough the preaching of the Rev. J. Hyatt, of Tottenham Court Road Chapel, he underwent a great spiritual change; and ultimately he became a Baptist minister. For the last 26 years of his life, he was pastor at Horsham, Sussex, where he died Nov. 13, 1874. Mr. Mote published several small pamphlets; and also:-

Hymns of Praise. A New Selection of Gospel Hymns, combining all the Excellencies of our spiritual Poets, with many Originals. By E. Mote. London. J. Nichols, 1836. The Originals number nearly 100.

As Edward Mote was walking to work one day in 1834, the thought popped into his head to write a hymn on the “Gracious Experience of a Christian.” As he walked up the road, he had the chorus, “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” By the end of the day, he had the first four verses written out and safely tucked away in his pocket. Later that week, he visited his friend whose wife was very ill, and as they couldn’t find a hymnal to sing from, he dug up his newly written verses and sang those with the couple. The wife enjoyed them so much she asked for a copy, and Mote went home to finish the last two verses and sent it off to a publisher, saying, “As these verses so met the dying woman’s case, my attention to them was the more arrested, and I had a thousand printed for distribution” (Lutheran Hymnal Handbook). Almost two centuries later, we continue to sing these words of hope and assurance, our declaration that in the midst of all trials and storms, we will cling to the rock that is our Savior.

The Lyrics

1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

2 When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
in ev’ry high and stormy gale
my anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

3 His oath, His covenant, His blood
support me in the ‘whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

4 When He shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found,
dressed in His righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

Source: Hymns to the Living God #216

Take a LIsten and Sing Along

 

Other Hymn Favorites

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

Living by Faith

 

I Belong to the King

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Write 31 days: Prompt: Belong

Praise God, I belong to Him. I am His child forevermore.

Hymn: I Belong to the King

Author: Ida L. Reed

Ida Lilliard Reed, 1865-1951 Born: November 30, 1865, near Ar­den, Bar­bour Coun­ty, West Vir­gin­ia. Died: Ju­ly 8, 1951, Ar­den, West Vir­gin­ia. Buried: Eb­e­nez­er Meth­odi­st Church, Ar­den, West Vir­gin­ia. Reed is said to have writ­ten 2,000 hymns in her life­time. In 1939, the Amer­i­can So­ci­e­ty of Com­pos­ers, Au­thors and Pub­lish­ers re­cog­nized her “sub­stan­tial con­tri­bu­tion to Amer­i­can mu­sic” by award­ing her a small “week­ly bo­nus.” © The Cyber Hymnal™ (www.hymntime.com/tch)

 

 

The Lyrics

1 I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
I shall dwell in His palace so fair;
For He tells of its bliss in yon heaven above,
And His children in splendor shall share.

Chorus:
I belong to the King, I’m a child of His love,
And he never forsaketh His own;
He will call me some day to His palace above,
I shall dwell by His glorified throne.

2 I belong to the King, and He loves me I know,
For His mercy and kindness, so free,
Are unceasingly mine wheresoever I go,
And my refuge unfailing is He. (Chorus)

3 I belong to the King, and His promise is sure,
That we all shall be gathered at last
In His kingdom above, by life’s waters so pure,
When this life with its trials is past. (Chorus)

Source: Hymns of Faith #188

Praise the Lord, I belong to the King!

Other Hymn Favorites

His Eye is On the Sparrow

The Love of God

Book Review

What I Learned from The Pain Companion

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I was given this book, The Pain Companion, as a gift. In return, I am writing this review. I am not otherwise being paid and the thoughts on this post our my own.

Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. 

What if there was no pain.

For some of us that would be like heaven. But really? Do we want there to truly be no pain? We might want to rethink that. What if you touched something hot but felt no pain. What if you kept pushing yourself to work, run, play without feeling pain? Not exactly a good thing, right? Continue reading →

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

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sunbeam

photo credit: GuentherDilligen @ Pixabay Modified by Mandy

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace

 

After a prompt from Five Minute Friday, my thoughts went directly to an old hymn favorite, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. I haven’t written on a hymn in a while so…

Let’s do a quick hymn study.

O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free

I know that I am weary and tired of the struggles we have been facing for the past 2-3 years. At times, you wonder, “When will it all stop?” But I know that my Jesus is working, even when I can’t see it, He is there through it all. He promises a life abundant and free. If we will just turn our eyes to Him. Get our focus away from the storm around us. Then the waves will calm and our hearts will relax.

 

More Than Conquerors

Turn your worries over to God

Photo credit : AZBoomer @ Pixabay modified by Mandy

 

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there
Over us sin no more hath dominion
For more than conquerors we are

Praise the Lord!

We are more than conquerors! He has been through the tumultuous times just as we have been. And He understands what we are going through. His Word says that “in this life, we will have troubles” but He is in control and if we stayed focused on Him, He will turn everything for our good!

 

His Word Shall Not Fail You!

Turn the pages of your Bible

Photo Credit Pedrovia @Pixabay

His Word shall not fail you, He promised
Believe Him and all will be well
Then go to a world that is dying
His perfect salvation to tell

Are you into the Word every day? Are you telling others about Him?

His Word is dependable. It does not fail! Trust it! Memorize it. These words will come to you when trials arise and you will be able to resist and lean on Jesus! 

 

Mandy Farmer

Have You Settled the Question?

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I Have Settled the Question, Hallelujah!

Prompt: Settle

Five Minute Friday

When I heard this week’s Five Minute Friday Prompt, I was reminded of an old hymn of the church, “I Have Settled the Question“.  I settled the question with the Lord in July of 1970 at Sebring, Ohio Holiness Family Campmeeting.

My family had spent the week at family camp. Mom was running the little bookshop. My friends and I sat in the back of the tabernacle for most of the services. We didn’t particularly like the one preacher. We thought his cadence was choppy and boring. I remember that we called him “Popcorn” because we thought his speech jumped around.

But on the final night, that voice caught our attention. He spoke of the fiery lake of hell and how if we weren’t right with God, we would end up in this very horrible place. I’m not sure if it was because I have recently lost my grandfather, but death had somehow become a real thing to me. So my friend and I both walked the aisle, down to the altar to receive Christ as our Savior.’ You can read more about it on my memoirs blog, Raised in a Barn.

There were other times when I stepped even closer and more committed to my relationship but this was the day that I settled the question. I placed my life under His control that day. And things have never been the same since.

I wonder, have you settled the question? Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Friend? He’s waiting for you to come to him, confess your sins, and allow Him to take control of your life. If you want to know more just click here.

Have a Blessed Day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy this old hymn from the GaitherVEVO

Have You Settled the Question?

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Have you Settled Your Account with God?

I would love to hear about it in the comments.