72 replies to this topic

[dogmom4]

Hi everyone! The Good Morning Girls group is starting another bible study starting on Monday. It's a four week Advent study on Keepin Our Hearts Focused on Jesus. If you'd like to join in I'd love to do the email group again but will also post on the forum each day as well. If you'd like to participate you'll need a bible, the reading plan, the Advent e-book ( a download availabe to subscribers), and 4 candles ( to light each week).

Edited by dogmom4, 24 November 2012 - 11:42 PM.

[Annarchy]

Me? I've been meaning to ask if I could join.

.... off to get the necessary references.....

[lumabean]

Me too

I printed off the e-book yesterday, and just need to get the candles out some time today. I'm really looking forward to the study.

[dogmom4]

Yay! If anyone else wants to be on our email group let me know.
This was posted on the GMG blog today:

The word Advent means “the waiting on the arrival of something important” and for us as Christians, it’s waiting on the arrival of the day we will celebrate the birth of our Savior. Advent is a 4 week preparation time FOR Christmas that focuses on celebrating Christ’s birth, looking forward to His second coming and finding strength in His presence in our lives right now. Seeing God in our past, our future and our present. It’s about preparing our hearts and minds on HIM…..the “reason for the season.” Advent is a deep daily focus on Jesus. Many believe that it is the deepest form of worship at Christmas..not celebrating Christ’s birth and life one day but rather for the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas.

Looking forward to start it tomorrow!

[dogmom4]

Luke 1:26-38 New International Version (NIV)

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called [a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.


I got chills when Mary said she was the Lord's servant....may His word be fulfilled in him.... Her simple faith and obedience has changed so many lives...

[dogmom4]

Here is the Week 1 Devotional from the GMG blog.

Week  1}-‐  Hope  Devotional  
We  live  in  a  day  where  people  are  searching  for  hope  in  their  lives.  Some  turn  to  money,  thinking  possessions  like  having  the  right  house,  right  car,  right  clothes  or  large  bank  account  will  give  them  the  hope,  peace  and  stability  they  are  seeking.  Some  turn  to  politicians  with  their  promises  of  hope  and  a  better  life  only  to  be  later  disappointed  in  the  outcome.  While  others  seek  relationships  or  drugs  to  fulfill  the  void  that  God’s  hope  offers.  
What  they  don’t  realize  is  hope  is  here.  Our  hope  came  wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes  and  was  placed  in  a  manger  that  very  first  Christmas.  The  Christmas  story  is  more  than  just  a  story  about  the  birth  of  a  child  into  our  world,  but  about  the  birth  of  the  world’s  Savior,  the  birth  of  hope  entering  our  world  that  long  awaited  night  so  many  thousand  of  years  ago.  
What  was  God’s  gift  to  us  that  very  first  Christmas?  

The  gift  of  His  precious  Son……our  Redeemer…..our  Savior……..our  hope  for  a  better  tomorrow.  God  gave  the  hopeless  world  the  gift  of  hope  that  first  Christmas…..and  He  continues  to  every  year  after.    Looking  at  the  story  of  Christ’s  birth  we  see  hope  came  even  when  our  world  wasn’t  perfect,  and  it  still  does.  Even  when  things  don’t  seem  to  be  going  our  way……the  gift  of  hope,  that  only  Christ  can  offer,  is  still  here.  

Take  a  peak  with  me  at  the  night  our  sweet  Lord  was  born.  What  do  you  see?  A  husband  and  his  young  wife,  nine  months  pregnant  and  about  to  have  a  baby,  both  of  them  tired  from  traveling  late  into  the  night.  Poor  Mary  and  Joseph….nothing  seemed  to  be  going  their  way.  Traveling  nine  months  pregnant  I’m  sure  wasn’t  on  Mary’s  list  of  things  to  do  before  she  delivered  Jesus…..especially  riding  on  a  donkey.  Giving  birth  in  a  stable  with  “no  where  to  lay  His  head”….not  exactly  what  she  had  envisioned  either  when  the  angel  appeared  to  her  that  special  night  nine  months  earlier.  Mary’s  life  was  messy.  But  God  loves  to  do  His  greatest  miracles  in  the  middle  of  our  messes,  and  that’s  exactly  what  He  did  that  special  night  thousands  of  years  ago

Hope    came  into  our  world!  
Hope…..that  God  can  still  use  this  broken  life  and  make  something  beautiful  out  of  it. Hope…..that  we  don’t  have  to  be  perfect  to  be  loved  by  Him.  
Hope…..that  the  best  is  yet  to  come.  
“May  the  God  of  hope  fill  you  with  all  joy  and  peace  as  you  trust  in  Him,  so  that  you  may  overflow  with  hope  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.”-‐  Romans  15:13

[Annarchy]

O – “The light shines in the darkness”


This morning, I woke up at 3 am and was unable to go back to sleep, went out and sat on my porch swing, noticing a neighbors porch light shinning brightly. Normally, it is off. I noticed when I ducked down where the light was out of sight, a distant street light caught my eyes. Pondering how the light draws us, I looked up at the sky and gazed at the stars thinking how “God is Light and there is no darkness in Him.”

Fast forward a couple of hours, here I am, reading… “In him was life, and that life as the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”

A – Light expels darkness. Turning on a light allows us to see. Reading the Word, brings life and light to us. Most importantly, Jesus IS the light of the world.

P – Father, thank You for Your Word and Your Son and giving us hope.

[dogmom4]

Today's verse that stood out also was "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."

I spent a lot of time this past week around people who do not understand what God has to offer them. It can be difficult to tread lightly around people you love....to try and be the light shining in the darkness that God wants us to be....and see clearly the ones who do not understand. There are so many in this world who do not understand.

Father God, thank for being that beacon of light in this very dark world. Thank you for this light as it gives us hope for each day.

[lumabean]

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” The light stands out to me, the illumination. Things become more clear, we can see, up close and at a distance. I’ve noticed that with God’s Word – each word brings about more light, more knowledge/illumination, more understanding, and the darkness gets pushed back a bit more. In the darkness I fumble around, grasping and while intentions may be good, I don’t really know what I’m reaching for or where I am headed. I do that more than I like to admit. When I am stressed or scared or unaware, I reach out, trying things, with no real focus. It’s not until the “light” begins to shine that things get more clear and in focus, the more I pray and read the Bible, the light comes in, and I can see things more clearly and even if I don’t understand things, or see the path (I tend to miss the trees for the forest at times) the darkness is still dispelled to the degree that I can see that He is always with me. I sort of see it as the more I focus on the Word, and the closer I try to draw toward God, it’s kind of like turning the dimmer switch higher, the light becoming brighter.

[dogmom4]

We are lighting an advent candle each week....

1st CANDLE – (purple) THE PROPHECY CANDLE or CANDLE OF HOPE – We can have hope because God is faithful and will keep the promises made to us. Our hope comes from God. “And again, Isaiah says, ‘The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.’ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:12-13)

[dogmom4]

I found a direct link to the advent book and the bookmark with the daily verses if anyone is interested.
http://www.goodmorni...dvent-Ebook.pdf
http://www.goodmorni...AP-BookMark.pdf

[dogmom4]

This morning verses 10 and 11 stood out to me. It is so incredibly sad that God created this world, came back to save us in human form and so many still don't believe. And not only do they not believe...they mock those who do believe. Just sad.
But, those of us who do believe have hope. The hope that comes from knowing that we are children of God. It's a great way to start the day knowing this, huh?


John 1:9-12 New Living Translation (NLT)

9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

[mommato3boys]

Verse 12 stood out to me.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

If we are to become sons of God then we will have the light. With the light comes power and with power comes responsibility. I am reminded of the children's song This Little Light of Mine.

(paraphrased)
This little light of mine I am going to let it shine
Hide it under a bushel no
I am going to let it shine all around town.
This little light of mine.

[lumabean]

⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

I read the verses in the morning and my thoughts kept coming back to this – “the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him”. I thought of how much care He had to have put in to creation, everything just as it needed to be – then offering Himself as sacrifice for us. The amount of love God has for us is hard to comprehend, even after Creation caused so much pain. True light also stands out to me – not false or artificial. There’s so much artificial “light” in our world leading people away, but the true light still outshines them all, being a beacon to those who receive Him.

Edited by lumabean, 27 November 2012 - 03:55 PM.

[Annarchy]

“to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Through our belief, we are adopted and become children of God. This month’s Anchor devotional has focused on ‘The Family of God’. One thing has prominently stood out, we have been adopted into God’s family. Like the naturally born child, an adopted child is given the same rights, privileges, and inheritance.

Thank You, Lord, for giving us the right to become Your children.

[dogmom4]

"The days are coming, declares the LORD,". ....How many times have we heard that in different ways? The end is near....get prepared for what may come....TEOTWAWKI. Except that when God said it this time it wasn't in this negative light....it was something exceptionally good! Something to fill us with hope. He was going to fulfill a promise that had been made long ago...to send someone to do what is just and right. I am so thankful for a God who fulfills His promises.

Jeremiah 33:14-15 New International Version (NIV)

14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

“‘In those days and at that time 15 I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.

[lumabean]

14 “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.
15 “‘In those days and at that time
I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
he will do what is just and right in the land.

"when I will fulfill the good promise I made" really stands out to me today. It fits so well with the hope theme of the week's study. We all hope for the best, our leaders promise things they probably know they can never fulfill, and hope is never really based on anything in this world. It's reassuring to know that we can always count on God to fulfill His promises.

Today's verse sort of fits in with a verse that has been comforting to me for awhile now ... Isaiah 55:11(so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it). When I begin to wonder about things (as in doubt) I remind myself of that verse, and how ALL of God's promises will be fulfilled, nothing He has spoken will return to him void or unfulfilled.

Edited by lumabean, 28 November 2012 - 11:38 AM.

[Annarchy]

“I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.’

God made a promise He fulfilled when Christ Jesus came. I have seen so many promises broken, and yet, looking at the Word of God, His promises are fulfilled, and will be fulfilled when our Lord comes again. One of our pastors made the comment, “God said it, that settles it.” Not like humans who say they will do something and never do.

The other statement that stands out to me this morning is, “The Lord Our Righteousness.” There is nothing righteous in my earthly body, but by the grace of God, Christ dwells in me, giving me His righteousness, which I can never attain with out His indwelling Holy Spirit.

Thank You Holy Lord, for fulfilling Your promises.

[mommato3boys]

Today's verses fill me with joy. First God is saying he will full his promise...14 "The days are coming" declares the Lord, "when I WILL fulfill the good promise. God is a man of his word. His promises are not made in vain. "When I will" should fill each of us with hope.

As we read the bible we know through history that God has fulfilled his promise and sent forth the branch. And that Branch made a promise also..."I will come again"

I had an old testament professor say that the we were the real reason for the season. Because without our sin Jesus would not have had to come and be the lamb. It took me a while to grasp what he was trying to say but I soon realized that it was God's way of shouting to the world that he loved you and me. That He wanted to give us hope. People will endure just about anything if they have hope.

[dogmom4]

Good morning ladies! Mine is going to be short and sweet this morning. I didn't sleep well last night and overslept this morning).

"the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.... I'm so glad to have the reminder that God promises to end the bad times on this earth....it gives me hope...and the strength to carry on each day. I'm so thankful for this reminder!
Have a wonderful day!


Isaiah 60:19-20 New International Version

The sun will no more be your light by day, 19 nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun will never set again, 20 and your moon will wane no more; the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.