Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Thursday, May 07, 2015
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
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
Thursday, April 30, 2015
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
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
Saturday, April 18, 2015
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!"
Sunday, April 05, 2015
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
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 ~
“May you be
blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”
Saturday, April 04, 2015
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
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 4th 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 ~
“May you be
blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”
Friday, April 03, 2015
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
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 ~
“May you be
blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”
Thursday, April 02, 2015
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
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 ~
“May you be
blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”
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