Habits
Lisa Schnedler
They Did What Was Right in Their Own Eyes

Each year, I listen to a daily audio Bible podcast—and complete the Bible in one year. This year marks my sixth year through the Bible.

Why don’t I stop?

Every year, I learn new aspects of the Bible because each year, I am in a different place in my life, and the Holy Spirit speaks to me where I am.

The Bible is always fresh! It is always alive!

It is the only book that has a Living Spirit within it.

Each year, when I get to Judges in the Old Testament, I say, “Oh boy!” because I know what is ahead.

They Did What Was Right in Their Own Eyes
Lisa Schnedler
What Passover Means to Christians

Passover begins this evening.

It is one of the most significant Jewish Holidays, commemorating when the angels of God “passed over” the Hebrews as the firstborn children and animals of the Egyptians were killed—all because Pharoah would not set the Hebrews free as God commanded.

With this final plague on Egypt, Pharoah agreed to free the Hebrews so they might begin their journey to the promised land.

God instructed the Jews to commemorate the first Passover, when they had marked their houses with blood, alerting the angels to “pass over” their homes.

Christians draw parallels in their faith,

What Passover Means to Christians
New/Renew
Lisa Schnedler
The Days After Easter...

This week, I was listening to a minister on the radio who noted that in the days after His resurrection, Jesus did not appear to Pilate to tell him that he had been wrong in ordering His crucifixion.

Jesus did not appear to the Jewish leaders and chastise them for not believing and demanding His death.

He did not appear to the Roman soldiers who nailed Him on the cross.

Why?

The Days After Easter...
Lisa Schnedler
Holy Week

Today, I was drinking in the beautiful hymns of Psalm Sunday. They are majestic, powerful, and inspirational!

Among my very favorites is All Glory, Laud and Honor. When I close my eyes and listen to the lyrics, I can feel all the emotions I imagine those present at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. The hope. The joy. The expectation.

As Christians, we carry the hope, joy, and expectation at our Lord’s second coming. Feel this excitement. Play this song and sing along. It is a wonderful way to enter into the spirit of Holy Week.

What are some of your favorite Holy Week Hymns/ song?

Holy Week
New/Renew
Lisa Schnedler
An Irish Blessing

My mother is Irish—which makes me Irish as well!

One of my favorite blessings is The Irish Blessing, which is a favorite benediction of my forefathers—and so appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day!

It is a great blessing for everyone—even if you aren’t Irish!

An Irish Blessing

The Importance of Christian Hope

The Importance of Christian Hope

What is Christian hope?

And, how is it different from secular hope or a wish?

A wish as defined by Merriam Webster is having a desire for something, often something that is unobtainable.

Hope is defined by Merriam Webster as to want something to happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true.

So, it seems, the difference between hoping and wishing in the secular sense is the difference in the degree we think something could happen.

A wish seems unobtainable.

Hope seems more probable—though not guaranteed.

How do they contrast with Christian hope?

What Are Your Favorite Mealtime Prayers?

What Are Your Favorite Mealtime Prayers?

Familiar prayers are like warm blankets. The bring comfort. They connect us.

Several weeks ago, I blogged on favorite hymns. Recently, when my family and I said our traditional “grace” before our meal, I realized that communal prayers, like hymns, bring us together as Christians—as families—in worship. Other than in church, hymns and prayers offer the only time we “worship” together.

When I was young, my family said this prayer:

Yom Kippur--The Holiest Day in Judiasm --What it Means for Christians.

Yom Kippur--The Holiest Day in Judiasm --What it Means for Christians.

This year, Yom Kippur begins several minutes before sunset on Wednesday, September 15th to just after nightfall on Thursday, September 16th.

It is a day of atonement and repentance. Traditionally, Jews observe this day with a day-long fast and intensive prayer. Often, they spend the day in synagogue services.

“Yom” is translated “day” and Kippur is translated as “atonement.” The day is set aside in Leviticus 23:27, “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord.” (ESV)

The Smooth Handle

The Smooth Handle

n 1811, Thomas Jefferson, at age 68 years, wrote the “Canons of Conduct” – 12 rules of living to his granddaughter, Cornelia Jefferson Randolph, his granddaughter. Number 10 on that list has always intrigued me. It reads, “take things by their smooth handle.” What does that mean?

How to Mourn or to be Present for Those Who Mourn

How to Mourn or to be Present for Those Who Mourn

I didn’t plan on blogging on the Jewish tradition of mourning this week.

But, in one short week, several of the people in my orb have been impacted by the sudden death a loved one—a pastor whose father died, a woman whose son was killed in an accident, and a friend who passed away during surgery. All this week.

So, I did some reading on how Jews of the Old Testament and some today manage grief. What I learned is that the Jews view morning as occurring in stages.