tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39955685919022098752025-12-01T20:07:54.628-06:00A space, a place, to collect my reflections and devotions.Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-11173672299606289652022-06-29T21:52:00.006-05:002022-10-28T11:49:13.626-05:00

Hello!Women's Prayer Call Series: Parable of the Lost SonToday I want to share my thoughts on the parable of the lost son which is found in Luke 15 verses 11 through 32.When I read through this parable last week, I felt led to talk about the struggle of feeling mentally lost and insignificant because of where you are right now - whatever those circumstances may be. I want you to look at this

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-82485834920524997042022-04-20T01:26:00.001-05:002022-04-20T01:26:53.142-05:00

Hello! Recently, I participated on a women's prayer call as a speaker. After preparing my notes I realized that the preparation felt a lot like writing my thoughts down for this blog. So, I've decided to start a new category on the blog with my notes from the prayer call. It was so good to get together with other women and encourage each other. I hope some of these notes are encouraging to you

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-68996329316531262352022-02-03T22:06:00.002-06:002022-02-03T22:06:55.373-06:00

Jesus did the craziest thing to show love- He died for usAnd Who’s plan was it for Jesus to do that? God!The God who we think is unreachable, unattainable, mad and tired of our unfaithfulness God knew it would take doing something crazy to bring us back to Him. God wants us. Don’t be fooled- God has always wanted us. It’s us who always find a way to push God away. Ex: Israelites

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-6395022533945027482021-08-20T08:00:00.000-05:002021-08-20T08:00:20.191-05:00

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.Ephesians 5:1Often I believe God designed parenting to be a reminder, or a beacon, showing us how He is a parent to us. God is full of love for us and desires to be with us. He wants our attention. He wants to give us good things. He wants to teach us. He wants us to mature. He wants us to be strong. He wants us to be leaders.Conversely, we can

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-25387637238353215012021-06-05T06:45:00.001-05:002025-12-01T16:37:08.726-06:00

 Sometimes you just need to sit alone outside and have a sit down with Jesus. I was able to rest outside this morning and came across a song I wrote months ago. I recorded it again and jotted it down here, because I don’t want to lose these songs and the joy it gives me to praise Him in my little corner. It’s titled Oh Grace! My Comforter!, and the song link is in the title. Getting to join

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-17073472273663822282021-05-17T22:43:00.001-05:002022-10-28T11:49:34.154-05:00

Sitting outside on a warm night to get some moments of peace. I catch a whiff of a flavorful aroma. Garlic, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. How is my nose able to be so discerning? Well it’s the exact seasonings I dosed my plants in to deter the terrorist squirrels in my neighborhood. I’m sitting here thinking- there’s a lesson in there somewhere. I had such a hard night mothering today.

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-38344658759103211332020-12-30T06:02:00.002-06:002020-12-30T06:05:59.815-06:00

I asked myself today, “How do I show love” when it comes to my children? This seems like an easy question to answer because as a mom, you would automatically say - I show love in so many ways - and list all the things you do for your kiddos from sun up to bedtime. But I’m thinking about showing love after:...correcting your child about something for the 10th time;... your kid does the exact

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-35720631134236909272020-12-17T22:27:00.000-06:002020-12-17T22:27:52.706-06:00

I participated in a Zoom prayer call tonight with other women at my church and at the end I just had that feeling of loveliness. It felt good, it felt connected, and it made me want to connect with God even more. I opened my Bible and read Jeremiah 2:2. Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-31553583427292541382020-12-16T00:43:00.001-06:002025-12-01T16:37:44.830-06:00

 Tonight I spent some time with my prayer group discussing what it means to "cast our cares" on Jesus. How do we let him carry our burdens? Do we actually do it, or do we pick them back up? It was a thought-provoking question that reminded me of reading through my old journals and seeing how I laid my frustrations and fears out on the pages. It is amazing, to look back and see how God had

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-62196337328341664052020-11-16T10:03:00.002-06:002020-11-16T10:03:24.033-06:00

Hello! Hello, hello, hello! So much has happened over the past year. I have a daughter now - thank you God! It has been quite THE year. Life, death, shut-ins, riots... It's been crazy, but one thing has stayed the same. God has been gracious and helps us through everything. I have been blessed and I am thankful. I didn't get to finish writing the summary of my bible study on the book of Peter,

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-63313547423807994502020-07-12T23:40:00.000-05:002020-07-12T23:40:39.892-05:00

Taste of GoodnessHave you tasted that the Lord is good? In 1 Peter 2, right off the bat, Peter makes a side comment that is very interesting. He asks whether we’ve truly ever experienced that the Lord is good? His question makes the point that if we have, this should make us yearn for God and the life sustaining power that God offers. When we have a real yearning for God, we want to be brand

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-20920927150922174872020-06-21T08:32:00.000-05:002020-06-21T08:32:03.623-05:00

While reading the Book of John, I became very curious about the ministry of Peter.  I plan to explore the other books of the Bible to learn about him and I am currently reading through Peter's letters. Similar to how I studied John, I will jot down some of my thoughts from the Books of Peter here. I'm finding these chapters interesting and full of good truths to ponder over. What strikes me

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-8004058497234315512020-06-14T06:00:00.001-05:002020-06-14T06:01:10.493-05:00

I've come to the end of my study of John with this post. I shouldn't have been surprised, but I didn't know I would enjoy reading from John's perspective so much. It's a good exercise to read a whole chapter and sit back to think through what was written. I gained so much from just doing that. There were other thoughts that I reflected on and didn't write down. I plan on doing another study of a

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-17870594845430939042020-06-06T10:25:00.001-05:002020-06-06T10:27:29.746-05:00

Worthiness...That's a word on my mind today as I think about this past week. I've had a few examples of friends showing me that I am worthy of love, at work and at my church. I'm reflecting on that word as I think about how God showed the world his love by sending us Jesus. We are all worthy of love, despite our background and situation. Jesus commands us Christians to love, something the book of

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-38179814505059635112020-05-31T08:00:00.002-05:002020-05-31T21:04:16.975-05:00

Hi there! Here are my thoughts after reading a couple more chapters in John.John 12: True Worship & TestimonyMy first thought is about how I show gratitude. Mary was a perfect example for us to copy. For her family, Jesus had brought Lazarus back to life and probably did other things that we do not know. We do know that they were all close. Mary literally poured out her gratitude to Jesus by

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-74201577365501916242020-05-30T06:59:00.000-05:002020-05-30T06:59:24.925-05:00

Before last night, the highlight of my week was smelling the aroma of lily of the valley from my backyard. I had cut a few stems and brought them indoors to enjoy. These flowers are beautiful and diminutive with bowed heads and a powerful punch of a scent. As I stared at them, I was reminded that when we are bowed down to God in worship, we create a sweet aroma to God.As I said, that was before

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-28789639735857593792020-05-23T10:15:00.001-05:002020-05-23T10:15:57.773-05:00

Another week has passed and I hope it was a good one for you all. One of my highlights was my son waking up super early and looking for me. He found me in the living room reading my Bible and said he would love to join me for devotions! It was just too cute hearing a four year old say that, and super sweet getting some cuddles while reading the Word - before the day really starts and I have to

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-73074107031388195172020-05-16T09:36:00.001-05:002020-05-16T09:36:26.222-05:00

Hi there! I am enjoying reading John a chapter at a time and spending the time to think about the message John is sharing. Below are my reflections from chapters 6 through 8. If you are also reading John, I hope you are enjoying it and that it's provoking reflections of your own too!John 6 - Eat this BreadI kept reflecting on the fact that this was Passover time and the significance of this

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-83215365837596020612020-05-12T06:17:00.000-05:002020-05-12T06:17:40.172-05:00

Lately I've been reading the book of John and have had more reflections jump out of me than I originally thought I would. I've jotted them down in my bible and then realized that I might as well capture these thoughts here too. Out of the four New Testament books about Jesus' birth, ministry, and death, I am most drawn to the book of John. There I can see the beauty in how God's Word is crafted

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-27540598210189011062020-04-21T14:35:00.002-05:002020-04-21T14:35:59.703-05:00

Our small group chatted recently about a comment our pastor mentioned a few Sundays ago. The comment left some of us scratching our heads and trying to understand how we really felt about it. Our pastor said that he's noticed a common thread stated by people who experience hardships. They all said they would not change their bad experiences because they now value the good lessons they

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-88124375584675637662020-03-30T05:37:00.002-05:002025-12-01T16:38:03.297-06:00

Here’s a song that’s been through many evolutions and iterations in my mind and on paper. After worshipping and reflecting on this song, hearing the melody of the saxophone, and the voices from a chorus playing this song in my heart- I realized it didn’t need any other special words. The simplicity says everything. Haven’t recorded it, but drafted it to share. Satisfy My Heart  Verse

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-39610256593422254192020-02-29T03:41:00.000-06:002020-02-29T03:41:02.680-06:00

Slowly, I've been working my way through Lysa Terkeurst book, It's Not Supposed to be This Way and would highly recommend reading it. I love the concept of dust that is discussed to describe our lives and how God is a Master Potter and works with dust -- works on us and our brokenness to make something new and better! Today I was reading my Bible and Moses' prayer in Psalm 90 was a

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-21505426284594502662020-02-01T09:28:00.000-06:002020-02-02T03:49:29.756-06:00

This morning I was reading Job 42 and a series of other scriptures that gave encouragement to trust that God will restore you after your period of suffering. Job, of course, is a pinnacle example of this. After Job suffered, God blessed him with more wealth and with a lot more children and allowed him to live 140 more years- allowing Job to see the next 4 generations! While reading this chapter I

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-57754376069803973122019-12-12T06:13:00.000-06:002019-12-12T06:13:54.183-06:00

Have you ever read a passage in the Bible and get totally blown away? That was me this morning as I read Revelations 7:13-17. This passage describes how the people who washed their robes in the blood of Jesus were able to enter the throne of God. Their robes were white and now they had protection, shelter, food, drink, and peace. I was blown away because of how it confirmed my earlier reading of

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3995568591902209875.post-51127399257679456652019-11-30T01:35:00.000-06:002025-12-01T16:38:07.151-06:00

After Thanksgiving dinner I escaped for some quiet time and reflected on a song I dreamt about a few months ago. In this dream I or someone else (you know how dreams can be funny and confusing) was singing a song that said, "The power of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and their enemies fall down".  It ended with a series of repeated hallelujahs. When I woke up I wrote

Maureen S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00780025333206483155noreply@blogger.com0