Sure Hope Gazette

[Pro 30:5-6, 8, 11-14, 18-20, 25-26, 28, 33 KJV]   5 Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him.  6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.  ... 8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:  ... 11 [There is] a generation [that] curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.  12 [There is] a generation [that are] pure in their own eyes, and [yet] is not washed from their filthiness.  13 [There is] a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.  14 [There is] a generation, whose teeth [are as] swords, and their jaw teeth [as] knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from [among] men.  ... 18 There be three [things which] are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:  19 The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serp...

Been a while since I said I was going to blog my studying to be accountable. Well, forget the excuses, yah, the excuses. Okay, I will write about them in the next entry :o).    [Pro 27:1, 5-7, 12, 14-15, 17 KJV]   1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. …  *This reminded me of James 4.  [Jas 4:13-15 KJV] 13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14 Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. Pro 27:5 KJV   Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.  6 Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful.  7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bi...

I almost didn't do this...didn't I say that's what happens...good intentions and all. But here I am, thank You God for those heart tugs. Didn't actually do any official studying today but here are some thoughts. Baby Steps... Wasn't sure where to begin but since my goal is to study the entire Bible, it makes sense to start at the "Blue Letter Bible."  is a great study for online/digital users. There is a great lexicon and a bunch of translations, not to mention dictionaries and commentaries. I believe God wants me to focus on asking the Holy Spirit to show me and not depend on the teachings of man.  He has blessed some with the gift of teaching so He can teach us through others. We just need to remember to test the spirits and watch our life and doctrine closely. book f Genesis. The Ready, Set...Study... . Regarding what translation of the Bible I believe I need to use. To date, based on prayer and experience, so far the King James is the main one,...

"Inductive"  simply means  to use logic induction and reasoning by examining the particulars, facts, and essence of a text, such as context and word meanings first before making any conclusions. "  Have you ever listened to or read someone's testimony or teaching about their relationship with Jesus Christ and their words affected your heart, stirring that longing to be as close as you possibly can with Jesus? So you vow from that moment on to get studying and reading, praying and learning. You even buy a new Bible, a note book and some fancy new coloured highlighting pencils! Then the sun rises on the next day and before you even got started, there you are distracted with life. In my case, whatever impulse that has caught my attention, be it sewing, organizing, drawing, yapping, creating, writing, watching cooking videos...whatever it may be. Poof, the sun sets and my new notebook is unmarked. Thankfully, we can't earn favour with God and He knows our hearts...

Have you ever felt that something you heard or read under the banner of "Christianity," just doesn't seem right? It happens too me a lot. It doesn't mean I am right, but it is something that I struggle with often. It is why articles like this appear on this blog. Yes, sometimes I wonder if I am being too "picky" about what is okay to watch, read or listen to, from a Christian stand point that is. A valid query I think, especially in light of how many fellow Christians, leaders and organizations in this world, unquestioningly endorse all kinds of so called "Christian" books, movies and such. Yet when I get these warning signals in my heart and research whatever it might be, more often than not, it turns out I am not alone. There are other brothers and sisters in Christ who also feel like minded. That comforts my heart and convicts me even more to speak out, to share what I have learned. Not because I enjoy critiquing others, but because the Bib...

Joni Eareckson Tada ...even those who aren't Christian seem to know about her. My first "encounter" with her was through an LP  my sister shared with me back in the mid 70s, I enjoyed her voice a lot.  Turned out she also had an autobiography about her life detailing the story of how she ended up paralyzed and all that she had learned thus far. Her life was one that was unlike anyone I had ever heard of before. For an adolescent like me, that was a big deal after all, she and I had a few things in common, she may have been older than me, but we both used a wheelchair, and just like me, she loved to make art and sing. Needless to say, her life inspired me. I learned about living with a disability, how to deal with challenges and over come them, most importantly she affirmed what I always felt, my disability was a gift from God. Having physical challenges would cause me to depend on God's provision. Just like she had to learn by suddenly facing a disability, I was born...

Sure Hope! We always like to share Christian ministries and organizations that others may also be inspired and encouraged by. Paul Flynn from Ireland has quite a life transforming testimony. He was a satanist, and had declared war on God, steeped in the enemy's ways. Just as God transformed Craig and I, Paul Flynn's life was also saved, making him a new creation in Christ. It is always good to be reminded that we can never "earn" salvation or God's favour by being "good" or living what some may say, "properly." Even if we "do" all the right things morally, without Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we have no hope. If you are searching for the meaning of life and are at rock bottom, like we once were, or if you are cruising along believing all is well yet you don't know Jesus as Lord of your life...know that you are loved with a love that no human can offer us. All you have to do is cry out to God and ask Him to show yo...