Tag Archives: God’s love

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Have you ever felt the rain?

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. [John 5:6-9]

Whether we are struggling mentally, physically, emotionally or spiritually, Jesus comes to us with the same question, “Do you want to get well?” As the man with the condition was called to action, so are we.

This week in class I spoke with my students about the reason for the season of Lent and the many treasures that are found in the Scriptures. With strips of paper, tape and a pen, we linked together a chain of H.O.P.E, reminding us to Help One Person Everyday. Through this activity we learned what our very own call to action is. That prayer, fasting, and almsgiving offers us all a very special opportunity to grow in our relationship with God and that the love, mercy, kindness and healing touch of Jesus can work in and through us.

For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the Name of God’s One and Only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. [John 3:16-21]

God is calling us in a very special way to receive His incredible gift this Easter. His love is like gentle rain, bringing a multitude of benefits and opportunity for us to grow and learn in many different areas of our lives. This creating reason to feel better about ourselves, along with the strength needed to reach out and help others, while intimately connecting with our God who created us and cares so much about us. This truth is found in the Cross. After all, it truly wasn’t the nails that kept Him there, it was the eternal love He has for you, me and everybody.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. [2 Corinthians 13:14]

A teacher is not so much responsible for what our students know, but more so for the seeds we plant to help them grow.

Father in the Name of Jesus, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, be with us, direct our path, fill us with the riches of Your grace, transform our mind with a healthy balance that is good for our body and soul. Guide us with Your gracious love, that we may press forward to being all that You created us to be. In Your Holy Name we pray… Amen

Sweet blessings always,

Deanna Danielle

Deannadanielle.com 

James 1:17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

The Color Purple

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We have only just begun

As our eyes behold God’s creation, we see magnificent color. Color is essential In a designers’ world. Understanding color can help us gain a deeper understanding of the beauty in God’s design. Let’s take the colors blue and red, together they make a majestic purple.

The color red is an intense color. It represents blood, fire, love, just to name a few. Red pigment made from ochre (a natural clay) was one of the first colors used in prehistoric art.

The color blue by way of example, represents the seas, the sky and peace. Of all the colors, it is not only favored by both men and women, but even so, beyond half of the countries on earth have blue in their national flags.

The color purple presents a great deal of prestige and brings forth a powerful history. It was the most expensive dye in the Bible. A well known pigment of choice for those of noble or royal birth. It holds the most intimate secrets of the Bolinus brandaris, (a medium-sized predatory sea snail) found on the beaches of the eastern Mediterranean, to the emergence of synthetic dye. What once serviced only emperors and Popes now service of all humanity.

I believe there is an even deeper lesson here for our times as well. As a people, our history defines who and what we are. As an individual, we are known by our actions. Just as blue and red, together make a purple; genetics, environment and attitude are some of the main ingredients that make a single human being. As each individual has their own strengths and weaknesses, what we choose to do with those strengths and weaknesses, are up to us. God’s word is known as the Living Word that provides us with the essential, “basic instructions before leaving earth.’ Take the first letter of each of these words, it conveniently spells out, BIBLE.

As each of us has a personal responsibility toward God, and all He has given us; our free will gives us the capability to choose between different courses of action. As in all good decorating jobs, a conversation with the decorator is indispensable, as is our dialogue with God. Saying YES to God is the most important choice we will ever make. This is where the beautiful accessories come in; out of living the life we have been given, even if it may not seem as though it is so lovely sometimes. God waits for our permission to unfold His incredible plan in our lives. We have great value because each of us is made in God’s image and likeness.

“For each will have to bear his own load.” [Galatians 6:5]

From our personality, inherited characteristics to our physical appearance, genetics, set the stage. As it takes a village to raise a child, our environment, is the stepping stone, that help us share stories that echo to one another, God’s gift of love. Attitude, seals the deal; that little thing that makes all the difference.

By the grace of Christ, here are some tools for our shed: * Overcome evil with good.” [Romans 12:21] * Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [Proverbs 3:5] * Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” [Ephesians 4:32]

Words of Love: * God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. [Genesis 1:27] * I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. [John 10:10] * Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good…” [Genesis 1:31]

Our Lord, our God, Our living King, how merciful and kind is He! His word tells us that, He is the Vine and we are the branches. [John 15] ~ The branch produces fruit, but it is the vine that nourishes the branch. Without the vine and the branches dead but being one with the Vine it is nourished. How do we begin to thank God for the privilege to be nourished in Him, by His beautiful and Holy Word. How do we thank the Father, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, by the power of His Holy Spirit, as He so desires to come into our lives. Let us pray that God will continue to teach us, nourish us and be with us in all we do.

Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” [ Luke 13:6-9]

From the history of the color purple, to the mystery of the fig tree, we have only just begun to discover and experience some of the incredible hidden treasures, in the breathtaking agape love of God.

A teacher is not so much responsible for what our students know, but more so for the seeds we plant to help them grow.

Let us ask the Father in the Name of Jesus, by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, to open our eyes, ears and hearts, so that we may see His reflection and peaceful harmony, in all that He has created for us!

Sweet blessings always,

Deanna Danielle

Deannadanielle.com

Photo by ~ Deanna Danielle ~ Purple Rain

You Are The Cool Kids

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New beginnings have always been an energy booster. Whether it’s a new year, a new job, tool, or outfit, something about fresh and new seems to be a great time to do our best, be our best, even go an extra mile.

After speaking about this with my class and asking if they had any New Year resolutions, I heard a lot of inspiring thoughts. They answered with, doing better in school, keeping their rooms clean, and many other wonderful and positive thoughts.

I shared with my class that it is a great time for us to get closer, and learn more about God’s love for us. Somehow, through our conversation we ended up discussing doing what’s right, responsibilities, and cool kids.

I just had to ask, “What makes someone a cool kid?” It was pretty interesting to listen to their thoughts. My passion for teaching about our faith welcomes these conversations. It is an awesome opportunity to share the truth with them, when it seems as though so much of our world through television, social media, and false teachings bombards them. They are given a credit card before they learn how to save money, drugs before they have any idea of the long term effect, and a vision of what cool kids look like, without even knowing the individuals personally.

How we live our life, treat others, and invest in knowledge that is beneficial, is essential. The greatest thing we can do this year is to get closer to God and to learn about His truths and how great His love for us is, so that we may be victorious on this journey set before us. I said to my class, “Always remember, YOU are the cool kids!”

“These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31

Blessings always,

Deanna Danielle

Teach me Your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor You. – Psalm 86:1

 

 

 

Unto Us a Child is Born

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We are surrounded by gifts, not only at Christmas, but all through the year. Every day the greatest gift of all waits for us to receive Him.

During our last class before Christmas break, I incorporated some treasurable stories. I started with a story about one of my sons. When he was younger, we walked along one of the beaches on the west coast of Florida. After viewing some beautiful seashells, starfish, sand dollars and many other interesting things, he asked me why there were more treasures in the sea than on land. I explained how sometimes we get so used to seeing all the treasures around us, that we tend to take them for granted. Just as the little mermaid, Ariel, thought that there was so much more on land.

Very often, people will express themselves with something tangible. Pretzels have been around for many years. History has it, that in A.D. 610, a baker in a monastery in Europe twisted leftover strips of bread dough into the shape of a person’s arms crossed in prayer. They began offering the warm, doughy treats to children who had memorized their Bible verses and prayers. The monks called these treats pretiolas, which is Latin for little rewards.

Over the years, many people have also used the candy cane to share God’s love. Explaining that, the white base color of the candy cane symbolizes the purity of Jesus, the red stripes symbolize Jesus’ blood when He died on the cross, and the J shape represents the J for Jesus.

After giving our class pretzels and candy cane treats, I asked them to share with me what Christmas meant to them. With all the beautiful answers, Gianluca summed them all up with, “Christmas is about how Jesus was born, and we celebrate that.” For unto us a Child is born, and His gift is everlasting.

God’s word reveals, “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then He adds, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

May we receive the greatest gift of all this Christmas and let His love shine throughout the world.

Blessings always,

Deanna Danielle

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Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words! – 2 Corinthians 9:15