Together ~ One Lord, One Faith

Paul, while in prison writes to the Christians in Ephesus, lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT

The word community identifies a group that shares common interests or beliefs, and in Ephesians the characteristics of unity identify the behaviors of a Christian community. These examples of daily conduct should be visible inside and outside of the community. While differences exist, division should not be the outcome, rather unity with a bond of peace. The definition of 'church' is the body of believers with Christ being the center. Both the individual and collective church should seek God's will and purpose, just as each member of its body. God has designed humanity to be relational, people in relationship with each other, people in relationship with God. The mutual prayers and support of Christian community enhance discernment.

Paul reminds this community (verse 4-5), "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope...one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father...". From the moment of Pentecost, the church of Jesus Christ becomes one body of believers, united in one faith, redeemed by one Grace, loved by one God. Chosen by God, we are His children, called to be representatives of His House, of His Truth, His Kingdom. From accountability to encouragement, from listening to praying, the body of Christ should champion each other in the understanding of God's purpose. The process of discernment needs community, as well as solitude. Called to live a life worthy of God's calling, community becomes the Christian's support system, friends, family, together serving one Lord, one faith in Jesus Christ. Embrace community! ~ dho

** in two weeks: Ministry, as we explore Henri Nouwen"s three areas of "Spiritual Living": solitude, community, and ministry .

In the Silence, Empty and Full

"My soul waits in the silence for God only..." Psalm 62:1 NASB

Henri Nouwen identifies three areas of "Spiritual Living": solitude, community, and ministry. Solitude can be stressful for many people. Because we are overly busy, solitude infrequently finds a place in society. In our busy, we create an illusion of 'full' but in truth, life can be spiritually 'empty'. To be full of the Holy Spirit involves having a deep connectedness with God which fills us up in ways we cannot explain. A relationship with the Holy Spirit is dynamic in nature, and time in solitude with God allows for this to evolve. Listening for the voice of God requires times of silence. The process of discernment implies we are to wait for God, wait with a spiritual surrender and holy desire to know and hear from God. To empty ourselves of the world becomes an offering, a sacred space.

In solitude, God's presence silences the negative thoughts, reduces anxieties, minimizes critical voices. In this sacred space, God reshapes the heart, creates an openness, nourishes the soul. Meditation and contemplation of God's Holy and Living Word expands the soul. Conversations with God form, both listening and speaking. The worldview of busy and hurry loves to deflect God's voice, pretends to satisfy the soul. In the silence, let the soul wait for God, becoming both empty and full, empty of the world and full of God's presence, empty of busy and full of holiness, empty of personal agendas, and full of the Holy Spirit, empty of the 'empty noise' and full of the 'fullness of God'. Experiencing the depths of silence is necessary to find a glimpse into God's immense love. In seeking spiritual discernment, let your soul wait in the silence for God. ~ dho

**next week: Community

Recognizing God's Voice

Make them holy - consecrated - with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. In the same way that You gave Me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world. John 17:17-18 The Message

Believing God designs a plan and purpose for each person, the question then becomes "how can I know the plan?". God's purposes and how He chooses to accomplish these are intricately interconnected. As faith matures, we develop a growing trust in the Holy Spirit, the One who dwells within the Christian. Discernment evolves as we listen to the Holy Spirit; we discover an increased awareness of God's presence. The Spirit's urging continues to invite us into a deeper communion with God. In listening for the voice of God with anticipation, the Holy Spirit reveals God's intimate and divine love for us. Embracing the profound truth that God chooses us and loves us and redeems us, redefines who we can become, gives us a new identity in the world. Just as Jesus prayed for the Disciples the night before His crucifixion, He prays for us, prays for our holiness, prays for our assigned mission.

So often, our judgmental, critical thoughts about ourselves and others interfere with sensing God's immense love. Conflicts and chaos, hate and hurt, anger and arrogance further minimize our communications with God. All these tools of Satan diminish our relationship with God. Spiritual understanding can be found when we choose to discipline ourselves with trust and love, with faith and hope. Fears begin to fade; we become less self-focused. Empathy replaces anger, and kindness melts differences. In complete surrender to Christ, we can know the deepest riches of Gods love and truth while discovering our true selves. Within the mystery of faith, we find our truest identity in Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells with us. Within this inexplicable intimacy, we recognize God's voice. Know God's love...and listen more! ~ dho

Experiencing the Holy Spirit in Ordinary Life

Paul's prayer for the people of the Colossian church, asking that they may "be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9-10 ESV

Discernment is "spiritual understanding" or "perceptive knowledge". Each day we are faced with struggles and stresses calling for greater understanding, for deeper wisdom and bringing new opportunities to share Christ's love, to bear fruit for His Kingdom. Henri Nouwen says this about finding God's voice in everyday, ordinary life:

"We should invite the Holy Spirit into our direct experience, into our thoughts, memories, worries, and plans. Instead of seeking a life free from pain and suffering, we should trust that Jesus is present in our pain and suffering."

During an intensive Survey of the Bible course a few years ago, about 20 of us spent nearly 10 months together for 2 or more hours a week studying. We learned an immense amount of information about God's Word but also experienced a deeper understanding of ourselves and each other. A young couple, Andy and Jillian, were part of that group. Within a year of the study, this dental student and news anchor relocated when Andy began a dental residency with the Air Force, taking with them their new baby girl, Violet. Then - ordinary life changed with a new pregnancy and a Down Syndrome diagnosis. (You can read her blog and their story here!) Faced with this unexpected unknown, raw emotions of disappointment and uncertainty poured out. With soul-searching questions, this family embodied the process of discernment through real-life experience, through pain and suffering.


Nouwen goes on to write, "We need to acknowledge our suffering honestly - our loneliness, regrets, sadness, hopelessness, and anger - then open our hearts to the One who loves us in every detail of our lives." By inviting the Holy Spirit into their heartache and doubt, Andy and Jillian placed their emotions and decisions in God's hands and discovered His peace and hope! Anderson was born on New Year's Eve; a new life, a new year, a new beginning!

Paul's prayer continues, "May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father..." Seeking God's voice requires us to invite the Holy Spirit into all the messy, ordinariness of life and then listen. God's goodness and love never change, and He uses circumstances to make us stronger, grow our faith-walk, teach us dependence on His mercy. God loves us and embraces us as all the details of life unfold. Today marks Anderson's phenomenal recovery from open heart surgery last week to repair two holes in his tiny, 5 month old heart. Bring all your life to the Creator, and prayerfully ask Him how to move forward! ~ dho

What is Discernment?

"We have been brought together by the goodness of God for reasons beyond our own choosing and for the purposes of God." Henri Nouwen

Discernment is a spiritual process that seeks to comprehend God's voice. Utilizing both community and solitude, discernment reaches beyond the ordinary and below the surfaces, through the noise and into the silences of God's presence.  Nouwen says, "We have to know the darkness to be able to search for the light." This process of hearing and understanding God's direction requires us to experience life both as a part of Christian community and with intentional solitude. As children of God, we acknowledge that God has a vision and a purpose for every person. From daily decisions to an unexpected life crisis, somewhere between prayerful petitions and listening for God's reply, each faith-journey evolves.

Discernment involves the core Christian disciplines of prayer, worship, community, and ministry. In seeking greater wisdom, insight, and understanding we must cultivate patience and a deeper knowledge of God. In 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 David explains to his son King Solomon the importance of knowing and serving God "with a whole heart and with a willing heart." God knows all about us, inside and out, and He desires a relationship with us. David reminds Solomon, "Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a home for the sanctuary; be strong and do it." (vs. 10) Just as God chose Solomon to build the temple as a place for worship, a sacred dwelling place for God, God chooses each believer in Christ to become a temple for the Holy Spirit, a place of holiness where we meet God. Discernment must become a way of Christian living, a daily spiritual discipline that seeks, listens and knows the Spirit's leading. ~ dho

Every Purpose, Every Season

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1

"How will we know when to act, when to wait? How will we know when it is our time to lead rather than our time to follow? Discernment calls us to spiritual understanding but also to action." Henri Nouwen

Earlier this year, I spent some time considering discernment; what does discernment mean and how do I apply it to my faith journey. Some of the very questions Nouwen identified above called me to explore discernment. How do I know when to wait? How do I wait? When is waiting just avoiding action? When does following become the easy answer? What if stepping out in action is not God's purpose for this season of life? How can the soul discern God's purpose anyway? The answers are myriad. Perhaps somewhat of a paradox, the path of discernment can be both clouded by uncertainty and fueled by possibility.

In the weeks to come, let's take a journey together as we explore discernment, evaluate where we are in the process, examine how to find God's purpose. Of all the unknowns, this truth remains: God has a plan, a specific plan for every person. God desires us to know His plan for our lives and gives us not only the insight to find the purpose but also equips for the chosen task. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." God will reveal the best plan for our lives, the best purpose for our energies, while we frequently settle for the better way. Let's seek His purpose in this season, whatever that may individually mean. ~dho

"Beauty in the Breaking"

"I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places - firm muscles, strong bones. You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past..." Isaiah 58:11-12 The Message

Nicole Nordeman's new release, "The Unmaking", reminds us that within our disappointments, failures, vain efforts, difficult decisions, and circumstances beyond our understanding God meets us. She writes, God "wanted to sit with me in the silence and the dust, after the wrecking ball, and put His arms around me for a while." Nordeman says God wasn't asking for a new plan of action; rather, "He asked for my vulnerability." 

God desires that we turn to Him, seek His Presence, and allow Him to comfort us! In the mess, the muck, the middle of the ruins of lost hope and broken dreams God is waiting. He always finds us in our need. Nordeman writes, "the rubble is where we have to start." Listen to this beautiful song of sifting through the debris, defining an ending, seeing the hope in a new beginning. Listen to the open, sincere whispers of the heart, "What happens now?...What happens next when all of you is all that's left?...This is the unmaking, beauty in the breaking...sitting in the rubble..." ~dho

"The Unmaking" by Nicole Nordeman (click link to video)

Faith in the Moments

"A waiting person is someone who is present to the moment, believing that this moment is the moment."
Henri Nouwen



Affirmation of faith:
"We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the Lord of yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is the Lord over life and death.
We believe that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. With His help we can remain faithful when tempted, peaceful when troubled, and loving when opposed.
We believe that in all things we can be more than conquerors. For neither death nor life, neither the present nor the future, neither suffering nor trials can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen."

God's love finds us where we are whether we are suffering or shouting hallelujah's! Because God desires a relationship with us, He longs to share in our days, whether they are long and full or hurried and fragile or few and peaceful. God walks with us so closely that sometimes we can miss Him ~ especially when everything seems so easy, so good, so simple. I believe only God can make days like these.

From a familiar hymn, these words remind me to be aware of time:

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.*

In the coming days, whatever comes, I believe we God finds us in these moments. Remain faithful to this Holy God and be aware of His presence! ~ dho
* hymn Take My Life, and Let It Be

Pentecost!

This Sunday marks Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit recorded in Acts 2. This happened during the Feast of Pentecost, a celebration of the Jewish people which occurs "seven weeks after the second Passover seder". This Jewish celebration, known as Shavout, commemorates the "giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai" or what Christians understand as The Law (Ten Commandments) given to Moses. As Believers in Christ, Pentecost for us celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit, promised to come after Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven. Because humanity can never keep the law perfectly, God rescues us. Grace through Jesus completes us, restores us, and reconciles us to God in a way the law could not.

The following will be the last excerpt from my personal Lenten journal this 2015 season:

[Jesus said to His disciples] “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what He promised…in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:4-5 NLT

After the resurrection, Jesus remains for forty days, appearing to the apostles and teaching the disciples. With a certainty of Jesus’ resurrection, their knowledge increases and a deeper understanding about the new promised power of the Holy Spirit evolves. At the end of these days, on the Mount of Olives at Bethany, Jesus ascends to heaven right in front of the remaining eleven disciples. Commissioned with making disciples of all nations, they now wait for the Holy Spirit.

Over the next days, the disciples continually meet and pray together with the other believers, “about 120”. They choose another disciple, Matthias, to replace Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks (50 days) after the resurrection of Jesus, with all the believers together in one place, God sends a mighty, rushing wind comes and then “flames of fire” appear and settle on each believer. All are filled with the Holy Spirit, fulfilling prophesy (Joel 2:28-32). The church of the New Covenant begins with God’s mission to reach all people in all nations.

Spirit of the Living God ~ When I boast of achievement and accept applause or cover my face in failure and weep, You re-define me, re-align my perspective. You open my eyes to truth, to my need for redemption, to Christ who is the Bread of Life. You are Counselor and Comforter. You are the breath my soul craves! Kindle my soul with Holy Fire. ~dho

A Crowd of Unbelief

a personal glimpse into my recent Lenten journey...As we are still in the season before Pentecost, my thoughts continue to reflect on the revelations the Holy Spirit during Lent!

The people began to murmur in disagreement… We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven?’ John 6:41-42 NLT

Unbelief denies even the possibility of Jesus’ divinity. Hostility towards Jesus grows even more during His last months on earth. How could this man, a carpenter from Nazareth, be the Son of God, come down from heaven? Strong rejection of Jesus’ revelation spreads through this crowd. What makes believing so difficult?

Some 2,000 years later, the crowd still struggles to believe in the authenticity of Jesus’ identity. The Good News remains the same today ~ Believe in Jesus and have everlasting life! Some want proof, others want more miracles. Many simply ignore the message, create their own truths. Hostility towards Jesus grows as the days until His return shortens. Christians do not know when Jesus will come back to earth or exactly how that will look, but we do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Living Manna from heaven for a hungry world.

Lord, there are crowds wandering, murmuring unbelief, and its people suffer great injustices. Without everlasting hope, the possibilities are few and the disappointments are many. Starving spiritually and unaware, anger and rage take control. “Lord, always give us this bread.” Help me feed this hungry world. – dho

Focus Point: Christians do not know when Jesus will come back to earth or exactly how that will look, but we do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Living Manna from heaven for a hungry world.

FAITH IS...

Women's Bible Study ~ Snyder Memorial Baptist Church

Fayetteville, NC

From Impossible to Possible!

a personal glimpse into my recent Lenten journey! Donna Oswalt/2005

Throughout the Bible, God does the impossible with less, the miraculous with little. Most of us seldom give sacrificially; seldom do we even give generously. Like feeding 20,000 people with a small boy's lunch, Jesus takes our sparse offerings and multiplies them for the blessings of others. Consumerism stands on every corner luring us to spend money. What a contrast between how much we spend on a TV to watch the world's news and what we give to share the Good News of Christ! With God, the impossible becomes possible! ~ dho

Junk-food of the World

a personal glimpse into my recent Lenten journey! - Donna Oswalt/2015

Spiritual famine happens when we fail to recognize the presence of God in our daily moments, when we no longer find joy in serving God, when we forget God's promises. Self-reliance and self-satisfaction take the place of depending on God. We choose the demons of boredom and anger and disappointment; they consume us, not feed us. Only the Bread of Life can provide the spiritual nourishment that renews hope, strengthens resolve, and conquers evil. People all around us are starving, sometimes even you and me! Remember - God provides! - dho

After The Resurrection

...Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! "Peace be with you," He said. John 20:19

Like many of you, I worshiped Easter Sunday among family and friends, with overflowing crowds, hearing amazing music and the Good News! While I was not at home but at a lovely chapel at the beach, the scenes and sounds and sermon were the same, except the ocean was across the street! There is something different about worshiping on Easter Sunday that refreshes the mind and renews the heart and replenishes the soul. Worshiping among friends emphasizes community just as being welcomed into a chapel by the seashore.

In the days to come, I hope you reflect on your personal journey to the cross this Easter season. As Lent ends, my blogging will return to weekly (or more, but not daily), and I will be sharing some of my personal discoveries this season. Hearing some of your soul revelations would be great, and I hope you will share them here in the comments or on Mangrove Ministries' Facebook page. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! Celebrating the Resurrection is simply the beginning! - dho

Jesus says, "Peace be with you!"

EASTER Sunday ~ God's Faithfulness in Us

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

A life of faith does not consist of acts of worship or of great self-denial and heroic virtues, but of all the daily, conscious acts of our lives.

Oswald Chambers

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True … And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV

The resurrection of Christ invites faithfulness to a new standard. Christ calls us to be people of faith, identifies us as His faithful people, and affords us the opportunity to be faithful in worship, obedience, study and service. God longs for His character and truth to be reflected in the lives of His people. KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, the One who is called Faithful and True, challenges each of us to live faithfully, to live by His own example.

Our faithfulness cannot be limited to religious activities or righteous deeds but must secure its foundation in the faithful promises of God. In Christ, we can love without perfection, have certainty without understanding, experience peace within grief. When God dwells in the hearts of His people, we have new awareness, new insight, and new hope. The Holy Spirit empowers us to see those living on the margins, to offer Bread of Life to a starving world, and to retell the stories of God’s faithfulness.

El Shaddai, Immanuel, LORD of Lords – Hallelujah! Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again! Such an offering leaves my heart in wordless praise, with endless wonder. Great is Your faithfulness! You take me to Your high places of blessing! I pray to stand firm in my faith, to listen for Your voice, to respond to Your calling. Perfect Love, You pour unmeasured Grace over me. Your faithfulness is everlasting! Amen! –dho

Focus Point: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, the One who is called Faithful and True, challenges each of us to live faithfully, to live by His own example.

All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Faithfulness Beyond Death ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

…And by His stripes we are healed…My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities… Because He poured His soul into death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53 NKJV

This is the 4^th Servant Song in Isaiah and depicts Christ as the Suffering Servant. Take time to read the Scripture in full, savor the descriptions, hear the prophecy centuries old. In Isaiah, we learn the Messiah will come as a Suffering Servant and as King. On His first advent, Jesus enters as the servant, the One who bears the punishment for our sins. As Jesus dies, many express disappointment and disbelief that the man nailed to the cross could be the Messiah. Good Friday ends leaving His disciples broken and confused; the body of Jesus is placed in a borrowed tomb. This Sabbath day, they must physically rest from work, but they mourn for what they do not understand.

Prophecy about the Messiah coming as King continues to be unfulfilled. We are still waiting and watching. On His second advent, His Second Coming, Christ will come as King over all. His power will be astonishing, His Light will be radiant, and His judgment will be final. The time for brokenness and mourning will end for all believers. When this end comes, will you know everlasting Sabbath-Rest, will you rejoice in salvation through faith in Christ? Then our eyes shall see the infinite faithfulness of God.  

King of kings, the ancient Scriptures reveal the plan of a holy God. You gently came into the world bringing love and compassion, and left through the violence of the cross. You did this for me, but I can hardly comprehend the offering… He poured His soul into death; I can scarcely imagine the willingness… He bore the sin of many; I can barely hear the words… by His stripes we are healed. Great is Your faithfulness, then, now, and in all that is still to come!  -dho

Focus Point: Messiah will come as a Suffering Servant and as King.

All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Good Friday - Jesus IS God's Faithfulness ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

…they crucified Him Matthew 27:35; …they crucified Him Mark 15:25 …they crucified Him Luke 23:33; ...they crucified Him John 19:18 NKJV

The Via Dolorosa, a remnant of an ancient road in the Old City of Jerusalem once known as Decumanus Maximus, becomes crowded with Christians each year on Good Friday. People walk along this street called the Way of Suffering, following the last steps of Jesus that lead to Golgotha for crucifixion.  Among the stones, shadows of Roman soldiers with swords and whips linger in the mind. On Good Friday millions of Christians all across the world remember Jesus, reflect on His journey to the cross, recall the betrayal, the injustice, the suffering.

More than 2,000 years ago, with huge crowds of people filling the city for Passover and vendors selling their goods, Jerusalem is a city full of noise and energy. Schemes of political and religious leaders call for the crucifixion of Jesus, while the passion of Christ reveals itself in an unexpected fashion. Beaten and weary, wearing a crown of thorns, Jesus is forced to carry His own cross for crucifixion. Blinded by their lost hope of political reform and revival, the masses turn against Jesus. YET – this IS the passion of Christ; the faithfulness of God willingly embraces the suffering for the sins of all.

Lamb of God, that You would be willing to die for me redefines love. The suffering You endured for me redefines sacrifice. The injustice You experienced for me redefines compassion. Your wounds redefine me! Great is Your faithfulness. –dho

Focus Point: Jesus, reflect on His journey to the cross, recall the betrayal, the injustice, the suffering.

All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Maundy Thursday - Faithful Servant ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

[Jesus asks His disciples] “Do you know what I have done for you…I have given you an example that you should do as I have done…a servant is not greater than his master. John 13:1-17 NASB

During Holy Week, the Last Supper paints a picture of traditions and fellowship, of humility and betrayal. These holy moments become markers for new traditions and fellowship, a way to remember the sacrifice of Christ, an opportunity to become the broken bread and poured out wine. One such holy moment comes when Divine Power appears to clash with the humble act of a servant. The disciples reject the idea that Jesus, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, would dare to kneel before them and wash their feet. Jesus demonstrates a lesson of humility and obedience, and becomes the example of holy living.

Jesus comes with an inner Divine identity, being fully God, and takes on an outer human identity, being fully man. In His willingness to enter the world as man, Perfect Love volunteers to submit to the authority of the Father, and at the same time, reveals the Father’s heart. God’s faithfulness comes from heaven and walks among us, sacrifices everything for us. 

Faithful Servant, I struggle with the lessons of humility and obedience. The world does not find humility worthy, often mocks and demeans compassionate and unselfish acts. Goodness often pays a high price, and holiness finds little respect. Great is Your faithfulness; Jesus, teach me more about the order of holy living, about complete surrender, about true submission, about being a servant. –dho

Focus Point: God’s faithfulness comes from heaven and walks among us, sacrifices everything for us.

All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Earthly Faithfulness ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14 NLT

Jesus embodies the glory of the Father and evidences a spiritual glory to His followers. Along with compassion, wisdom, and love, Jesus Christ exhibits other attributes of the Father, including goodness and faithfulness. Jesus, the Son of God, enters the world bringing grace and truth. Although no one has ever seen God, not even Moses who only glimpses the glory of God, Jesus comes and lives among humanity revealing the Father.

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s earthly residence remains within the Temple, but when the Living Word becomes human and dwells among His people, the invisible God stands before the people, full of unfailing love and faithfulness. 

Holy One, Your goodness speaks with kindness, acts with humility, and loves without condemnation. Your humanity experiences weariness and grief, fellowship and friendship, betrayal and pain. Your glory teaches compassion, demonstrates healing, and encourages community. Great is Your faithfulness. Dwell within my heart! –dho

Focus Point: Jesus comes and lives among humanity revealing the Father.

 All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Unbending Hope ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NASB

The sacrificial blood of Jesus rends the veil, once and for all breaks the barrier between God and humanity, and calls those who believe to boldly enter into the presence of God Almighty. In confessing that Christ redeems us through the cross, holiness allows us to grasp tightly a new hope, to embrace confidently a complete assurance that God is faithful to His promises. Grace rebirths us with unbending hope.

Perseverance marks the truly faithful. Persecution and temptation always threaten the believer, but God’s faithfulness remains unchangeable and infinite, beyond reproach, greater than anything of this world. In communion with Christ, mutuality of faith creates community, a place to encourage and to find encouragement, a place to love and to love in return, a place to trust and to be trustworthy. 

Lord, I confess my need to be loved, to feel connected, that I continue to struggle along the narrow path. Great is Your faithfulness; Your awesome wonder, Your extravagant love, Your invincible power make a new way for me to heal, for me to rest, for me to love. You bring unbending hope. – dho

Focus Point:  Grace rebirths us with unbending hope.

All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Faithfulness Calls ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it.                                    

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 ESV

The Greek pistos for faithful indicates dependable, reliable, and trustworthy character. God is faithful, and He is calling! God “invites” or calls everyone, calls us to salvation, calls us into fellowship with Jesus, calls us into the likeness of Christ. By faith in Jesus through grace we find salvation. As God sanctifies us, or makes us holy through Jesus Christ, our personal relationship with Him grows deeper through prayer, studying the Bible, sharing within a community of believers, and taking Christ into the world. Do my commitments, thoughts, words, and deeds give evidence of holy living? God calls my whole being into holiness.

This holy calling is rooted in God’s sacred purpose for individual redemption and His unfailing compassion. God’s grace calls us to embody the humility, gentleness, and patience of Christ and to embrace each other with tolerance, love and peace. Faithfulness invites us to experience the blessed assurance of Christ, calls us into the wholeness and perfection of God. God will surely be faithful to His promises! 

Faithful Father, a holy promise invites me to Your throne of righteousness. Amazing grace covers my frail and flawed humanity. Great is Your faithfulness! Your unfailing love calls me to become more, to become whole and holy. –dho

Focus Point: God is faithful, and He is calling!

All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”