Category: Christian
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Coronavirus Came in Like a Wrecking Ball
Ugh, hey friends. Has anyone else’s life been turned upside down by this pandemic and the resulting panic? I spent the first half of the week hauling SASS to finish up the next newsletter for my district of United Methodist Women. Then, on Wednesday, Coronavirus was officially deemed an epidemic. We had a mission study…
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Life Updates: Teaching a Lay Leadership Course, my Writing Career & What I Gave Up for Lent
Hi, friends. Stay tuned to see what’s going on with Retrospective Lily… 🙂 The last few weeks have passed by in a whirlwind. I tend to put blogging on the back burner when life gets crazy, but I guess that’s okay, since it’s been more quiet around here lately. [Or maybe I’m not taking time…
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Three Reflections from Reading the Old Testament for ~1.5 Years
Hi, friends. Click this post if you want to read about the good, bad, and ugly (or more like the strange, inexplicable, and wonderful) things about reading the Old Testament. 😉 In this time frame, I’ve read: Genesis Exodus Numbers Deuteronomy Leviticus Joshua Judges Ruth I & II Samuel I & II Kings I &…
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Doing What God Has Called Me to Do…Begrudgingly
Hi, friends. Today’s post is sort of off-the-cuff since my brain feels like a pinball machine lately, ha! For the last few weeks, I’ve had my nose to the grindstone working for United Methodist Women, a women’s mission organization in the UMC. I serve as the Communications Coordinator for our district, which includes about 150…
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Why Small Groups Are Vital in a Church
Hi, friends. Today’s post centers on the importance of small groups in the church. Many of those who still attend church nowadays prefer mega-churches with auditorium seating and thousands in attendance. I don’t have a problem with mega-churches in theory, but I am concerned that those church-goers can bypass all intimacy. However, even the members…
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How Does God Speak to You? (& Sharing my Experiences)
Hi, friends. In today’s post, we’ll discuss how God speaks to people, and I’ll reflect on my own experiences. God speaking in the Bible In the Old and New Testament, God speaks to people in a variety of ways. For most Biblical figures–Moses, David, Samuel, Elijah, Paul, Gideon, Jonah, etc.–direct speech from God is mingled…
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Books I Read in 2019 (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Christian & the Bible + Best of 2019 in Each Category)
Hi, friends. As 2019 winds to a close, let’s look back on my reading this year! My habits fluctuated throughout the year. I didn’t spend enough time reading for the first few months…in my opinion, anyway (about 30 minutes a day, frequently skipping days). I grew weary because finishing books seemed to take forever, which…
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Christmas: The Story Behind “Mary, Did You Know?”
Hi, friends. Today’s post is the last installment of my annual Christmas series. So far, we have analyzed the expectation of a messiah in Israel and tied the hymns “O Come O Come Emmanuel” and “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus” to that concept. As we celebrate Christmas Eve, we will glimpse at one more hymn. The…
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Christmas: The Story Behind “Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
Hi, friends. This is the second installment in this year’s Christmas hymn series, and as with “O Come O Come Emmanuel,” I’ll detail some of the song’s history and connect it to the theme “the expectation of a messiah in Israel.” History of the hymn Charles Wesley was the brother of John Wesley, and the…
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Christmas: The Story Behind “O Come O Come Emmanuel”
Hi, friends. This is the first hymn of three that we will analyze as Christmas swiftly approaches. The theme we are working with this year is “the expectation of a messiah in Israel.” [Please read the linked post if you are unfamiliar with this topic in order to understand my interpretations.] History of the hymn…
Retrospective Lily 