Heart Hope by Olga

How can anyone experience the miracle of birth and not believe in the Divine Creator? When you think that two minuscule groups of cells join together and then grow and multiply forming hearts and lungs, a skeletal system, fingers and toes in just the right places, it is not just something that could have "just happened." It had to have been intricately designed by an all knowing, all powerful, creative God, because if one thing had been left out or forgotten there would be no baby. Yes, there is definitely a miracle each and every time a new baby is born. We saw that on January 9 when Thomas Froeschle Blake arrived in this world weighing 5 lbs. 14 oz. and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. But there is another miracle of new birth that can happen...it's when a person comes to know Jesus as their Savior. God takes a sinner and begins the transformation of their lives. Whether is it a foul mouth, sinful desires and thoughts, a heart filled with hatred, jealousy, unfo...

After viewing the Sea of Galilee from the cliffs of Mount Arbel, the next morning we were able to get up close and personal by taking a boat ride on the historic body of water. Bright and early while the air was still cool, our vessel arrived at the port to pick us up for the ride to the end of the lake. The crew with their "I Sailed the Sea of Galilee" shirts welcomed us aboard. The first order was to raise the American flag next to the flag of Israel while playing the national anthem while the passengers all sang along. Then they sang the Israeli anthem.  This most moving gesture impressed upon me the importance of solidarity that must be maintained between the two countries. Israel has always been God's chosen people; even though they have faced hardships God still loves them and has plans for their future. The United States should not be on the wrong side of that conflict if we want to be blessed. On the boat we were taught a folk dance, tried to c...

Last week I left the house while it was still dark. As I drove through the mountains, the sky began to get lighter. Through the ups and downs and the twists and turns, I was listening to K-LOVE. The morning show topic was the WOW of Christmas—the miracles of the event. Some of the ones that they mentioned were: The visits by the angels to Mary, Joseph, Zechariah and the shepherds The virgin birth The star leading the wise men to the baby Jesus But as I listened to the talk show hosts I realized that I was experiencing a WOW as I drove. The simple fact that every morning when I get out of bed, I can be assured that the sun will come up. This is a miracle. I didn’t have to question if the darkness would be broken by daylight that morning; I knew it would be. If there were no God holding the world together making it turn with precision, our lives would be chaos. We would not know when the sun might appear and the moon would have no pattern to its waxing and waning. The farmers woul...

Do you expect the unexpected from God? That is what Priscilla Shirer has been teaching us in our One in a Million study this fall. Last week I had an opportunity to experience it first hand. I had a long travel day ahead, so I settled in and began reviewing my lesson for the week. It first said “Start expecting more out of God than ever before.” Then it taught us to “Expect that God is positioning you to see Him work in your life in a unique and unusual way.” And to finish it out, we were told, “In the midst of our pain, God makes a way for us to see and experience His greatness.”   Therefore when my flight was delayed due to maintenance, I told the Lord that I couldn’t wait to see what great things He was going to do.  My journey had actually begun six days earlier. I had left our Bible study that morning reflecting on the day’s lesson as I drove to Denver to catch my flight. Priscilla had asked us to look around and see where God was manifesting Himself in our daily live...