Poem Purposefully by Rachel E. Appelt / Photo by iStock/YsaL Dear Reader, For the past month, I have forgotten all about the characteristic of God for this month. In my defense I knew it was one of the “omni”s, I just didn’t know which one, or what it meant in simple terms. However, God did not forget, and even though I didn’t understand how the things I have been learning about this past month went with this newsletter, God knew exactly what I needed to know. So when I saw the words...
almost 2 years ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, Last year I had the opportunity to drive the Skyline Drive through Virginia. I ended up stopping at nearly every pullover to take a picture of the view and admire the beauty of God's creation. One time, weary from my stop and go, I sat and considered the bees busily working on the flowers. Another time, I took note of the mountain range I could see across the valley. Interconnected, they traveled across the horizon out of view. I was struck for the first time just how large the...
almost 2 years ago • 5 min read
Hello Travel Companion! I don't know about you, but I grew up in a church where the God of the Bible was powerful. While He was still mighty to save, the God I grew up knowing no longer worked miracles like He used to, He no longer spoke like He used to. In some ways maybe that is true, but I realize that doesn't mean God doesn't still work wonders and that He doesn't still speak. God is Omnipotent God is all-powerful; His strength is unlimited. Mat. 19:26 / Job 42:1-2 / Jer. 32:27 - Aubrey...
almost 2 years ago • 4 min read
Hello Travel Companion! I hope you had a great Easter! Mine was squished between two late snow storms. But spring is now coming along and I hope spring is also coming to where you are. I must confess, I was completely unprepared for this newsletter, the reason for its lateness. I realized I understood nothing of God’s mercy. For what right had God to show mercy when, somehow, in my mind I had gotten turned around and believed that it was Satan who was judging us and proclaiming us guilty....
about 2 years ago • 5 min read
Hello Travel Companion! Happy Easter at the end of this month! Have you ever considered the process of a sunrise? I’m a night owl by nature, so I don’t tend to see many sunrises. This morning, though, I happened to be up early and figured I would go ahead and get my day started. As I went about my morning routine, I kept checking the progress of the sun to see if it was visible yet. I should already know that much time passes between when the first rays of light brighten the sky until the sun...
about 2 years ago • 7 min read
Image by Racool_studio Hello Travel Companion! I hope your winter is going well and you are staying healthy and warm. Learning how God is just has been good but hard, especially as I seek to live a more obedient life. So learning to trust that when He leads me to say no to an opportunity because He has something better planned for me has been difficult but also a great relief for someone like myself who is driven to perform. So i hope you learn something valuable from this newsletter or even...
about 2 years ago • 4 min read
Hello Travel Companion! Happy New Year! Between being sick and having a minor surgery, these past weeks have flown by and I haven't had the attention or memory to study God's jealousy more and explain anything better. For this may have also been the most difficult characteristic for me to wrap my head around, and I feel as though I have only scratched the surface. And if my focus has strayed off of jealousy, I hope you will forgive me. But I pray you learn something new or are challenged with...
over 2 years ago • 7 min read
Hello Travel Companion! December is here and already upon us. The end of the year, just around the corner. Truly, I’m not so sure where most of this year went. I pray your Christmas season isn’t stressed but blessed with the time you get to spend with family and remembrance of the greatest gift we have from God: His Son Jesus. Who came not just to be born, but so He could die for us. This plan was from the beginning and never changed, but each piece carefully revealed in the passing of time,...
over 2 years ago • 5 min read
Hi Travel Companion, Approaching God’s holiness has been a struggle. I had to fight the fear that my sin and dirtiness would contaminate His perfection. I had to fight through a mind fog where I just could not understand or articulate His holiness. I listened to a number of Timothy Keller’s sermons on God’s holiness, and one in particular I will be quoting because I felt he explained it better than I ever could. However, I must remind myself again, that this isn’t about getting a perfect...
over 2 years ago • 7 min read