The Quiet Place

This is a good time of year to re-evaluate, to step back for a moment and look at how our relationship with God is and what we can do to grow closer to him. Though the blog has been quite, I have been learning and growing a lot these past few months. So today I would like to share with you some of the most important things I have taken away from church sermons, bible studies, and Holy Spirit reminders.  Recently my pastor spoke on Intimacy with God. He described Intimacy with God to be like a newly married couple driving in an old car. The Husband driving and the wife sitting as close to him as she can. Then one day when they are old, the wife asks her Husband why he is sitting so far away from her. Looking over from the Driver's seat he responds, what do you mean? I never moved. The lesson being that if we are from from God it is because we have moved away from him, not him from us.   We can draw near to God by maintaining Keystone habits. Keyston...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:7-9  Photo Credit Hillary Read 2 Corinthians 4:1-18   Even in the midst of the darkest circumstances God is good.  That is exactly what this passage tells us. And I love how that last part brings the point home... "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.   For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.   So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." I have learned that even in my darkest places God's hope is there shining through, providin...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of are monthly contributors Courtney, she is sharing her heart on this  month's theme Beauty in the Brokenness. You can find out more about Courtney and her blog on the about page.  When I was 12, I was horse CRAZY. Every item of clothing that I owned had a horse on it. Shirts, pants, sweatshirts, and socks were plastered with horses. I spent hours studying horses. I could tell you how many teeth a horse had and where each breed descended from. I was especially fascinated by horse training. If you are not familiar with equestrian lingo, training a new horse is called breaking it. It does not hurt the horse, but the horse is introduced to things that are very scary to it.  Unfamiliar things are put in its mouth and on its back. At the end of the training process, you have an animal that is gentle and ready to ride. As I was thinking about this month's topic, I thought how the Christian life is a bit like bre...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have a guest post from Victoria. You can find out more about Victoria in her bio at the end of the post. Also be sure to stop by and check out her blog !  1 Peter was written by Peter (one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus) and sent out to Gentile Christians who would be facing the terrible martyrdom we read about in our history books that began in 64 AD. When this book was written and sent out in 62-63 AD, Nero was ruling in Rome and things were okay for the Christians except for the verbal abuse and harassment that they had to deal with from their neighbors. I can’t help but think about what this letter meant to many of these people and what it would come to mean in the years to come! Today, I want to share with you a few pieces that really stuck out to me which come from 1 Peter 1:3-9: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the re...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have are monthly contributor Buife, she is sharing her heart on this month's theme Joy. There is a greater degree at which we recognize God's awesomeness and blessings upon our lives when there is a tangible evidence of it. Our testimonies are (usually) more likely to be, 'praise God, I just got a job, bought a house, car, I'm getting married, I'm expecting a baby etc.' than 'I praise God for the soul peace He's been granting me through these trying times.' But at all times, we must be able to recognize that as long as we have Christ Jesus, we are blessed, greatly blessed. 2 Corinthians 1:20 ESV says,  For all the promises of God find their Yes  in Him. That is why it is through Him that we utter our Amen to God  for His glory. The Amplified version reads like this; For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Ame...

Happy July! While it's a little hard to believe, it is the 1st of July. Our theme for this month of Sunshine and Thunderstorms is... Today I would talk to you about joy, but I haven't been feeling very joyful lately. While I'm thankful for what I have and who I am, joy seems to be lacking. I've found myself these past two months being frustrated more than anything else. Frustrated with my circumstances, yet at the same time I don't seem to be in a big rush to undergo another life change anytime soon. Life change takes a lot out of a person, especially if you are like me and dislike undergoing major life transitions. I realized the other night what may be the root of all my frustration. I realized that I was looking to other people to encourage me and fill my heart up. I may have even expected it of some of them. This is where I fell down. Instead of abiding in Christ and asking him to help me as I deal with my circumstances, seeking HIM to fill my heart...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have one of are monthly contributors, Vanessa, she is sharing her heart on this month's theme forgiveness.  In an interesting turn of events, my family and I are moving into my childhood home. This little house was a house I moved into when I was in high school.   Over the years that followed, many members of my family have moved in and out of that little house. My mom moved out, then my dad, then my mom and step-dad moved in with my teenage brother and sister, then my brother and sister moved out, then back in and then back out, then my family moved in while in transition, and now my mom and step-dad are moving out while my family moves back in! (breathe…) My family fell apart in the little house, it grew, it changed, I changed, and we are different. As we are moving back to this little house I sit in reflection. I’m reminded of how God dwells richly in our hearts. He looks at the cracks in the ceiling, and the dirt on the floor...

Founders Note: Today on the blog we have are newest monthly contributor  Buife Nomeh. She is sharing her heart on this month's theme forgiveness. You can find out more about Buife on the about  page. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ( I John 1:9, KJV). 'I am a sinner' Eww! Okay, I know how we love to be humble about our salvation and honestly, we should be remembering that we are saved by grace, not by our own doing (Ephesians 2:9). Having being saved by God through grace in Christ Jesus, I think it is unfair to God and to Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross to still call ourselves sinners. I will understand it when we say I was once a sinner but I AM?...no, no, no. Let's read a few scriptures. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17,  KJV). For w...

Something today made me realize how terrible our would be without forgiveness. Could you imagine a parent refusing to care for their precious child because they did something wrong, or a daughter not willing to accept the apology of her brokenhearted father. The truth is, this world wouldn't survive without forgiveness. Without forgiveness, families wouldn't stay together and friends wouldn't last long, because humans aren't perfect, we make mistakes. We need forgiveness so that we can have relationships, keep families together, and enjoy life-long friendships. God is well-aware of are need for forgiveness. In fact, forgiveness is SO important to God that he weaved his teachings about it throughout the entire Bible. One of these lessons is found in 2 Corinthians Chapter Two. Read it here...  2 Corinthians 2 This passage is a letter from Paul to the church in Corinth. In this section of the letter, Paul addresses the recent scandal which, concerned a man who had be...

Hello Friends! I am excited to share this post with you on are theme this month, rest. When I thought of the theme for this month, John Chapter 15 came to mind. This passage has been coming up a lot in my life lately. My plate has been full these last few months and this passage has brought me so much encouragement. I hope that you find the same encouragement here today as I share about rest with you. So read on my friend... The Vine and the Branches 15  “I am  the true vine,  and my Father is the gardener.   2  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,  while every branch that does bear fruit  he prunes  so that it will be even more fruitful.   3  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.   4  Remain in me, as I also remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5  “I am the vine; you are the ...

Founders Note: Today on the blog, we have Dianna from  Adirondack Girl @ Heart , she is sharing her heart on when she feels distant from God. We contacted her via email to do a guest post, we hope you are encouraged by her words as much as we were. Be sure to check out her blog at the links below! Do you remember the day you responded to the drawing of the Holy Spirit, the day you sensed God calling you to turn from your old life to receive his new life and follow him? I remember it vividly. At first I wept with sorrow over my sin, and then I wept with joy because I had received immediate almost tangible forgiveness. I had such a powerful sense of God's love for me; it was overwhelming.  And I felt that joy and love for days, even weeks. Tozer, in The Pursuit of God , explains that "the moment the Holy Spirit has quickened us to life in regeneration, our whole being senses its kinship to God and leaps up in joyful recognition." It's as if we are finally receivi...