A friend shared these words of wisdom that I found inspiring and beneficial to reflect upon. I hope you will too.
Continue reading “CHANGING THE PRESENT”
Category: Inspiration
THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
Have you viewed the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as just a fun tune, thinking of the physical gifts mentioned, or have you viewed it through a spiritual lens? Thanks to a prayer group I’m involved with, I became more aware of the spiritual meaning behind the song, which I found interesting.
The Twelve Days of Christmas is a festive Christian season that starts with the celebration of Jesus’ birth on December 25 and runs for twelve days. The twelfth day celebrates the Epiphany, which is when the Magi visited baby Jesus, bringing the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The twelve days were a time of rededication and renewal. Children received small, simple, and usually symbolic gifts of faith.
What are the hidden Christian symbols found in The Twelve Days of Christmas that we can reflect on? Continue reading “THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS”
THE LAST DAY OF OUR GREECE PILGRIMAGE
Welcome back to the final day of our pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul! We will explore some places in Greece that, though not directly related to Paul’s missionary journeys, are too beautiful not to share. Some of the sites have biblical references.
DELPHI
One of my favorite places to experience God’s beauty in nature was in Delphi, Greece, which is about six miles from the Corinth Canal and north of Athens. Delphi is situated between two towering rocks of Mount Parnassus known as the Phaidriades (Shining) Rocks. It became an ancient religious sanctuary in the 8th century B.C. dedicated to the Greek god Apollo. The Oracle of Delphi was an ancient oracle that was believed to deliver prophecies from Apollo at the Temple of Apollo, but the oracle was always a woman who spoke on behalf of others. There is a theater above the Temple of Apollo, and even further is the stadium where the Pythian Games, the second most important games in Greece after the Olympics, were held. The view is breathtaking, especially upon the descent. Delphi declined with the rise of Christianity. Continue reading “THE LAST DAY OF OUR GREECE PILGRIMAGE”
CHRISTMAS TO-DO-LIST
Since the holiday season is upon us in full force, we’ll delay our last day of Paul’s second missionary journey until the New Year and focus on a ‘Christmas To-Do-List’ this week. When I saw this picture, I thought it was perfect to share. This ‘Christmas To-Do-List’ is what I want to focus on—not just on Christmas, but every day.
Rather than just BUY PRESENTS—BE PRESENT!
Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” –Luke 9:62 (NIV)
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” –Matthew 6:34 (ESV) Continue reading “CHRISTMAS TO-DO-LIST”
JOURNEYING WITH PAUL TO EPHESUS
Greetings, my dear pilgrims. We leave with Paul from Corinth as we travel to Ephesus, which is located in Turkey. Turkey is unique in that a small portion is located in Europe while the majority is in Asia. Ephesus, currently known as Kusadasi, is near the west coast of Asia and is the fourth largest city of the Roman Empire. Its spectacular Roman structures still possess glory two thousand years later. It was a major seaport in Paul’s time for both the Greek world and then the Roman Empire.
Our early morning arrival to Ephesus (Kusadasi)
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. –John 19:25-27 (NIV)
We know that when Jesus was on the cross, He entrusted the care of Mary, His mother, to the beloved disciple, who we believe is John. Jesus, even while suffering, was concerned that His mother would be taken care of after His death; it was an important part of the culture. Continue reading “JOURNEYING WITH PAUL TO EPHESUS”
JOURNEYING WITH PAUL TO CORINTH
Hello, my fellow pilgrims. As we continue with Paul on his second missionary journey, we leave Thessalonica and make a quick stop at a site Paul did not see when he sailed the seas. The Corinth Canal was 2500 years in the making! It is an artificial canal in Greece that connects the Gulf of Corinth to the Ionian Sea in the west and the Saronic Gulf to the Aegean Sea in the east. It separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland, making the peninsula an island. The first attempt at building the Corinth Canal was in 67 AD, when the Roman emperor Nero began the canal. The work ceased when he encountered a revolt, ran out of money, and died shortly thereafter. Work on the canal began again in 1882 and was completed in 1893, which brought economic benefits to the area. The Corinth Canal is about four miles long, has a water depth of about twenty-six feet, and the width ranges from a minimum of sixty-nine feet at the bottom to a maximum of eighty-two feet at the water’s surface, making it quite narrow. A highway crossing the canal connects Athens and the Peloponnese. Continue reading “JOURNEYING WITH PAUL TO CORINTH”
JOURNEYING WITH PAUL TO THESSALONICA
Greetings, my fellow pilgrims. I hope you enjoyed our visits last week and are ready to travel on. As we continue to follow in St. Paul’s footsteps on his second missionary journey and leave Lydia’s house in Philippi, we head a little northwest and make a quick stop at Amphipolis, in Greek Macedonia.
Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. –Acts 17:1 (NLT)
We know that the next major town that Paul and Silas went to was Thessalonica. To get there, they had to go through Amphipolis and Apollonia. Since the Scriptures do not give us any other information on the two towns, it is probably safe to assume they did not preach at either place on this journey. Continue reading “JOURNEYING WITH PAUL TO THESSALONICA”
PAUL’S STORY
Our pilgrimage in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, which will focus on his second missionary journey, will officially start next week. Today we will focus on an overview of his life. Paul’s given name when he was born in AD 5 was Saul which is of Hebrew origin. He was an Israelite, from the tribe of Benjamin, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, which is considered part of Asia Minor, known as Turkey today. Saul was considered a Roman citizen because his father was a Jewish Roman citizen.
At a young age, Saul lived in Jerusalem, studying the Hebrew Law with the Jewish scholar Gamaliel. He excelled in his studies and became a devout Pharisee who is someone who believed a person must keep every one of the traditions of Judaism, as well as all the commandments. He was very legalistic. Continue reading “PAUL’S STORY”
AUTUMN LEAVES
The last few weeks in upstate New York have held the most beautiful array of colorful leaves displaying God’s glory at its finest. In fact, I have found them breath-taking, especially with the many yellow and red trees. I thought about the life cycle of the leaves throughout the four seasons and some parallels with our lives and our faith.
When we first come to know about Jesus and start that personal relationship with Him, our faith is like the budding trees in the springtime. We are like newborns in our faith journey, slowly emerging like the new buds. Continue reading “AUTUMN LEAVES”
MOONLIGHT
I have returned from a beautiful, grace-filled pilgrimage, walking in the footsteps of St. Paul’s second missionary journey. In the near future, I hope to bring you, my dear reader, along on some of the adventures and places we visited.
The pilgrimage included a three-day cruise to a few of the Greek Isles. The last night of the cruise, I was walking around the upper decks of the ship, enjoying solitude as there was no one else around. I was mesmerized while looking at the almost full moon, seeing the light it produced on the Aegean Sea. At one point, the moonlight lit up a wider area on the water, which fascinated me even more. It was a special time gazing on the moon and water while being in God’s presence as His beloved, and in oneness. Continue reading “MOONLIGHT”