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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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October 26, 2016

The Standings

Welcome to Week 2 of our Life in Seasons Studies Series!

Discussion Questions:

1. Share with us a time when you felt your faith was smaller than a mustard seed? What scriptures do you lean on as a reminder that Christ has not forsaken you during these times?

2. Can you relate to King David when he cried out, “My God why have you forsaken me?” Do you sometimes feel God has forsaken you?

3. What are some things you can do, when you feel the world is judging you, to remind yourself that you are a child of God and that the battle has already been fought for you?

3. Read Romans 3:24

4. What does it mean to you when you read that through Christ’s redemption all are justified and made in hight standing with God?

As we conclude today’s study I pray that you truly take to heart Romans 8:1, “There is therefore NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!”

Thank you for meeting me at the fence today,

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3 Comments Filed Under: Autumn, Community, Devotionals, Faith, Good Thoughts, Life in Season Tagged With: book, Faith, God, Life in Season

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  1. Gwen says

    October 26, 2016 at 7:51 AM

    When my faith grows small, I’ve written it out to God. Told Him how I feel. I then begin singing hymns that she brings to mind of His love for me. I often read a verse from my devotion or one pops in my head that I’ve memorized. Or my husband or friend will send me a verse to build up my faith.
    I felt forsaken a couple nights ago. I cried out to the Lord though logically i knew I had not been forsaken Yet I’ve felt it lately. I cried tomGod and He heard me and sent friends’ notes or cards or calls to help out.
    I constantly feel judged. It spurs me to,,,Study more and help others see how valuable Gds Word is

    Reply
  2. Janis Hill says

    October 26, 2016 at 9:09 AM

    I cannot tell you how much i enjoy these little lessons.

    ROLLLLLLL TIDE 😉

    Reply
  3. Vicki says

    October 26, 2016 at 11:05 AM

    I have felt forsaken many, many times, and for many years in my life. I know now that God loves me, He will never leave me, and He cares for me. For me in the times of my life, God has been a Mother and a Father to me. I have learned that when I trust and depend on Him, He handles the things that pop up in my life that I cannot handle.

    So good to see you on video today, Heather!

    Reply

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I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 y I've been watching our cherry trees bloom for 12 years now and every year I ohhhh and ahhhh over the blossoms like it's the first time I've ever seen them. I gush and I take photos (that look exactly like the ones I took the year before and the year before that) and I make my family come outside and look at them with me which you know they just LOVE to do. 😉 I think that is one of the main reasons why I love spring so much. On the one hand, it's predictable and yet, on the other hand, it still feels like such a surprise after the long months of barren branches.

And yesterday, as I was staring at the gorgeous blossoms for the umpteenth time, I couldn't help but think that I hope this is how I feel when our lives return to some semblance of normalcy.

I hope that the predictable feels special and that the typical feels anything but. I hope that I ohhh and ahhh over the simple things I've realized I've taken for granted. And, most of all, I hope that feeling doesn't go away for a very, very long time! 💗
Are you living with great expectation friends? Bec Are you living with great expectation friends? Because He is risen!

Happy Easter from my home to yours!
Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to Lemon bars all ready for tomorrow! It’s going to be a different kind of Easter for sure but some things don’t change. Have you been baking and getting ready for tomorrow? What’s one thing on your menu that you have to have every year?
If this is Good Friday, why doesn’t it feel so “good”? It all seems backward doesn’t it?

What could be good about the unspeakable pain he suffered? What could be good about the shame and betrayal?

Easter Sunday is so joyful, bright and cheery. Shouldn’t that be the day we call “good”? It just feels so much better!

But, I don’t know how to rejoice over His resurrection, unless I have felt the pain of His death. I have realized that in life the sweetest victories are the ones which were realized after a pain-filled journey.

And, so it is with Good Friday. I know there will be victory over death, but I can’t skip ahead in the story.

Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what he would experience. And he knew why he would go through it. He did it for me. He did it for you.

Do you know that? Have you felt it down in the very core of your soul? 
Sometimes it makes me squirm a bit. Why would anyone do that for me?

Well, because, I can’t do it for myself!

There is nothing I can do to earn that kind of love and mercy.

That is why it is called GRACE.

His grace is freely given. We don’t have to pay for it. He paid the price for us already.

Do you remember that movie from years ago called “Ransom”? A couple’s young son was kidnapped and the parents went to hell and back trying to find him and pay the “ransom” demanded by the kidnappers.

Well, Jesus is our “ransom”. (1 Timothy 2:6) His life was the payment.

Why is it called “Good Friday”? Because that wasn’t the end of the story….
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Adoration isn’t just sitting at His feet gazing longingly with stars in my eyes. It’s bringing my fears and my sorrows and gray roots in my hair that desperately needs to be colored and my messy house and all of the things that threaten to send me over the edge right now and laying them down before Him, soaking up His word and His presence so that when I stand back up, I am changed for having spent the time adoring the ONE who is... Healer, comforter, peace-giver, deliverer, redeemer.

What do you need to bring to Him today? I’ll share mine in the comments and I’d love to hear from you too!
I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole I’ve always loved evenings, but since this whole lockdown thing began, I’ve come to appreciate this time of day even more.

It feels the most...normal. Daytime is strange and foreign right now. My husband has taken over our home office, I’m suddenly taking over the responsibility of managing my kids’ distance learning and let me just say that teaching 7th grade algebra to my daughter is hugely ironic since I struggled with math all the way through school. I’m trying to do my own work but it feels utterly futile with the constant interruptions which take precedence right now. In the daytime, I’m constantly reminded of how upside down life feels.

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If you don’t absolutely HAVE to make a decision right now, I want to encourage you to wait until life gets back to normal. If you are finding yourself over-analyzing relationships and family dynamics, I want to encourage you to remember that everything seems more dramatic when looked at under a microscope. And, let’s face it, being homebound with our loved ones non-stop makes us all feel like lab rats in an experiment.

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