No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15 ESV
The other day I had this conversation with my Friend:
ME: Yes, Lord. We are friends ... we go way back, don't we?
Read MoreMotherhood is filled with emptyings -- from the emptying of the womb in childbirth to the emptying of self in child-raising to the emptying of the nest, the ultimate goal. The stripping is hard, every step along the way.
And eventually, it may mean being alone on the day when moms have always been lauded and honored. This happened to me early on in the empty-nesting process. It could have shattered me were it not for my Abba Father's loving gifts to this hurting mama.
Read MoreThis moved me to tears this morning...especially as it gets toward the end. This is for grandpas who have a little bit harder time than grandmas with the chaos involved -- it's so worth it because of those precious babies, little now, but too soon to be big, people who are the future of the world …
… In the meantime, they are the freshest and fairest you have. After you're gone, it is mainly because of them that the earth will not be as if you never walked on it.
You are the salt of the earth.
But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again?…
Salt! What a prolific commodity!
In the past salt was valuable and rare. But now it is cheap, always there, on the table, in the cupboard ... available. And so taken for granted -- by me, at least ... UNTIL a few days ago.
Do you ever feel like there are holes in your soul? I do. In fact, right now I feel a bit like a piece of Swiss cheese. And I don't mean "baby swiss." No, the real holes kind.
The interesting thing is that nothing bad is going on right now in my life. It's all good stuff! But the constancy of the schedule with a newborn (darling first granddaughter!), a two year old (energetic boy, I might add!), two older boys (awesome, each one!), plus sleep deprived young parents (getting ready for a military move next month, I might add), and two aged, also sleep-deprived, grandparents (John & me!) has been hard and delightful at the same time. But to be honest, we adults are all living "on the edge" of something (I just drew a blank as to what).
Read MoreThe people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. (Daniel 11:32 ESV)
The above verse became familiar to me when I began to lead Precept Upon Precept Bible Studies back in "the day." Kay Arthur would often punctuate her messages with this gem of truth. And yes, it made me want to know my God even more.
And over the course of my life I have benefitted by teachers and trainings, workshops and witness, conferences and conventions. But now I'm slowing down and realizing that it's really all about my Abba Father GOD. It's all about my Lord Jesus CHRIST. It's all about my indwelling HOLY SPIRIT ... my Triune GOD. And I want to know HIM purely and fully, more than ever ... as much as a human on this earth has spiritual capacity to do so. How about you, my friend?
If so, here is a short devotional by a formerly unknown, but now beloved, devotional writer of the past. This may be a good way to begin a new week or to walk a new path. It may also be helpful in decisions to soon be made about registering for upcoming conferences or studies. Is it God's appointed time to meet Him there or is it just frenetic busyness and not wanting to "miss out"?
Read MoreFor everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die...
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a,4a (NLT)
Time, that fleeting commodity that holds us while on this earth! Yet, we can't hold onto it! And for all of us, time is ticking away. We are closer to the end of our earthly journey every second that we live.
Read MoreLord, bring Your Peace into the room as we go.
So I pray as we enter the hospice facility. Jesus can bring peace because He IS Peace! And how much darkness could be ready to rush in when souls are hanging between life and death.
For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I AM there in their midst.
Matthew 18:20 NASB
And so HE is here!
In the room a sweet, familiar voice speaks the eternal Word:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Read MoreIs there anything too small for the Lord?
OK, that's not how the verse goes:
Is there anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17; 32:27; Luke 18:27)
But maybe the first is a question we should also ask. Let me share why...
The other day I was taking my daily walk down our hill, through the nature path, alongside the horse farm, through a park area with the baseball fields and grove of trees...then back again. Many times this walk is when I commune with the Lord....listening to praise music, talking with my Savior and Friend.
And other times, I commune with friends or family via my cell phone. Also lovely and meaningful.
Read MoreIf we believers are temples of God (and we are),
if we hold the glory of the Lord in the earthen vessel of our body (and we do),
if we live unto Him as we walk out our lives (and we can),
then can anything we do ever be "secular"?
All we do and are is sacred, isn't it?
The Glorious GOD lives in ME, little ole broken me!
... So can I spell out for us an amazing thought:
the Glorious God of Creation;
the Arresting God of the Burning Bush;
the Blinding God of the Desert Mountain;
the Still, Quiet God of the "behind me" Voice;
the Gentle God of the Judean Hillside;
the Truth-filled God of the Living Way;
the Compassionate God of the Overflowing Well;
the Caring God of the Secure Sheepfold;
the Life-filling God of the Fruitful Vine;
the Resurrecting God of my Salvation;
the Fire-tongued God of the Holy Spirit
... lives in ME!
and YOU too, my sister and brother, by grace through faith in the glorious Son, our Lord Jesus Christ!
Things aren't always what they seem to be. Take, for example, an ugly fruit -- all gnarly on the outside, but incredibly luscious and sweet on the inside. Who knew?
Or how about a middle school aged boy, like my grandson Evan -- an ordinary (except to his parents and grandparents, of course) young man, ...
And what about a bush? I imagine the Old Testament patriarch Moses just thought the bushes on the backside of the desert where he tended sheep back in the day were just ordinary bushes. ...
Well, who knew that a particular rock could be more than a rock in Arizona ...
Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road...? Luke 24:32
Carter and I have this thing goin' -- walkin' n talkin'...n talkin' n walkin'...n walkin' n talkin' n....on and on and on.
It's pure delight for both of us, because Carter is 3-1/2**...and I'm Carter's Babci (Polish for Grandma). I know it won't last forever -- he'll grow up and become interested in many other things. But for right now, we have each other and walkin' n talkin' n talkin' n walkin'!
Read MoreQuestion: "What is Palm Sunday?"
Answer:Palm Sunday is the day we celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, exactly one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1–11)....
Question: "What is Passion Week / Holy Week?"
Answer: Passion Week (also known as Holy Week) is the time from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). Also included within Passion Week are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday...
Read MoreHe isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.
Matthew 28:6 NLT
Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.
John 14:19 NLT
That was the saying on a balloon I saw at Kroger. And it was also the sentiment in the elementary school we kids went to in New Jersey. St Matthew’s was an Irish parish (maybe because the founding pastor was Irish, Fr Duffey), so our sports teams were the “Fighting Irish.” Anyway, the sentiment was that everyone was Irish on St Patrick’s Day. I remember us Renner girls (mom’s maiden name = Galuszka; so you do the “ethnic” math ) spraying our hair green, putting on our already green uniforms, and heading next door to school. (Yes, we lived next to the church and school!). We FELT Irish…even if we were really German & Polish!
Everyone was indeed “Irish” at St Matthews on St Patrick’s Day, except for the few rebellious students and even teachers who wore orange instead of green.
Read MoreA mature young Christian woman goes to her regular adult Bible study class. The teachers of the class are experts in Biblical counseling. Week by week they share from the Scriptures answers to common problems faced by individuals and families in today's culture. One Sunday after learning the "formula" for solving a particular problem biblically, our mature young woman asks, "But where is the Holy Spirit in all of this?"
A member of a sound evangelical church is a student in a class on Christian church history. He reads some articles ...
Read MoreI can't believe it. A branch in the Vine is seven years old this month! THANK YOU, dear readers, for reading and encouraging me to keep writing! You have blessed me beyond measure. Can I share a little of the story behind it all?
Eight years ago, I started to be aware that some young women in my life (among whom was my daughter-in-law Cortney) were writing blogs ... quite effectively, I might add. I thought to myself,
"I'm too old to do a blog, but if I weren't, I would call it A branch in the Vine."
Read MoreThis month is a special month. This month I celebrate my darling son and his amazing, godly life that our sovereign Father God spared 20 years ago ... and not only spared, but brought to abundant fruitfulness inside and out! Can I tell you the story?
Twenty years ago on February 13, 1998, my beautiful baby boy, Jeremy John Loyd, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. OK, he wasn't a baby at the time...he was 20 years old and a sophomore at Grace College. But as every one of you moms knows, your baby is always your baby.
Read MoreFinding REST, yes! Oh yes!
Rest is my "word of the year," yet it is still a quest for me. You too? Actually, rest is both a gift and a quest while on this earth. Let me explain.
When we come to Christ by faith, He gives us rest, in fact He Himself IS our Rest -- rest from the penalty and power and one day, the presence of sin. As a result, we are totally acceptable to God, born into His family, beloved children of His who live by His indwelling life. I am IN Christ, and He is IN me. And this rest is a free gift ... given! Not earned!
Read MoreJanet Renner Loyd has been a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ most of her life. Her formal education includes a degree in education from the University of Arizona and also a degree in Bible & Theology from Moody Bible Institute. For more than thirty years, she has been involved in teaching and leading women’s Bible studies, retreats, and meetings…most notably Precept upon Precept and various studies that she has personally developed. Professionally, Jan recently retired from teaching language and writing to GED and adult ESOL students.
About her life, Jan says, “The most important thing about me is my relationship with my Father God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I am forever grateful to Him for His love, mercy, and grace to me and my family and friends...and the world.”
Jan has been happily married to John Loyd for more than forty years. They have two adult, married children and five lively young grandsons.
