Women of Intelligent Faith

Best thing about Christmas after remembering Happy Birthday Jesus, is time with loved ones.

The holiday season can be a joyful and festive time of the year for some people, filled with parties, celebrations, and gatherings with family and friends. However, for others, it can be a very difficult time, filled with sadness, disappointment, loneliness, and anxiety about the future. It can be especially hard for those in unresolved broken relationships or those with unmet expectations. They get a bit of the holiday blues or experience more severe forms of depression. The Scriptures tells us Jesus is the "Prince of Peace." (Isa 9:6) And God's peace "surpasses understanding and will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:7 How can we experience this peace during the Holiday Blues? Here are a few recommendations: 1. Pray ("Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray..." James 5:13) 2. Confide in others so they can pray for you ("Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. T...

I loved my recent trip to Iowa to get sworn into the practice of law. I loved seeing my sister and her family. I loved cozying up by the fire with my husband for a rare moment of rest. I loved finishing Joel Rosenberg's new book The Tehran Initiative . I loved the snow. I even loved the cold. As Christmas approaches, I am reminded once again of the Reason of the Season---God became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ. He was born to die. For us. For me. Not because I deserve it. Not because I am worthy. I don't deserve it and I'm not worthy. And yet, Jesus died for me so I could be saved from the penalty I deserve for my sins, that is, death. Thank you, Jesus, for revealing the Father to us, and for giving us the Spirit to guide us and empower us to do what we could not do on our own. Apart from you we can do nothing. John 15:5 Through you all things are possible. Phil. 4:13

Now licensed to practice law in Iowa in addition to California!

Conflict is all around us, and even in us. Would you like to know how you can have God's peace in your life? Come find out this Wednesday night at "Life Streams." Last week, Pastor Tae Shin began a short three weeks series on Conflict Resolution. I had the privilege of joining him and Pastor Don Barkely in a panel discussion with the audience about sources of conflict. I'll be joining the pastors for the next two weeks as we discuss styles of conflict and forgiveness & moving on. Come join us for a delicious dinner and stimulating topic discussion. Check out the Life Streams website for more info for location and time.

This morning I was studying Hebrews chapter 5 with my Bible study group. I keep pondering verse 14: "But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."  Constant use.  If we want to mature as believers, move beyond "milk" into "solid food," we must constantly use biblical teaching, especially teaching about righteousness (v. 13). What is "constant"? Not only is it every day, but it is continually throughout each day. Train themselves. OK, so we can't use the excuse that we don't have formal Bible school training or a seminary degree. The writer of Hebrews tells us we can train ourselves. We can study the Scriptures ourselves. We don't need a priest to tell us what the Bible says and/or means. The Holy Spirit teaches us through the Word. (John 14:26; John 16:13-15; 1 John 2:27) I've found the more I study the Word, the more I love the Word and want to study it! Disti...

"Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one." Deut. 6:4  In Judaism, the Sh'ma is an important part of daily prayers, and it includes reciting Deut. 6:4-9.   "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your house and on your gates. " The photo above is a charming necklace John gave to me for my birthday while we were in Israel. It was handmade in Jerusalem in the Old City. Its unusual shape is a pomegranate, one of the delicious fruits cultivated in Israel. The ruby red stones are garnets. The engraving is the Sh'ma in Hebrew-- He...