LIVING from a Reservoir
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You cannot impart what you do not possess!This was a favorite saying of Dr. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary.
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Teaching from a Reservoir
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For my dear Teacher Friends
…Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38
In the early fall of 2000, John & I were blessed by a visit from Dr Marvin Mayer and his wife Shirley. Dr. Mayer had just retired from many years of teaching Bible and Theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. John & I were students at MBI in the 1970′s. Dr. Mayer fast became one of my favorite professors and “spiritual father,” with a continuing relationship over the years.
On this particular visit, I got up early so I could walk with Dr M in the morning before he and Shirley left to return home to Illinois. As we walked and talked, he spoke of his years of teaching and made a statement that grabbed my attention: “I teach from a reservoir.”
Read MoreA Pantry for my Soul
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Are you in the midst of a long stretch of life when you feel like you have nothing? It has been survival day after day. Maybe you are a mother of multiple preschoolers; a person in chronic pain; a cancer patient going through chemo; a husband or wife, a son or daughter, a sister or brother grieving the sudden death of your loved one; or maybe a caregiver of some kind. You don't have enough time or energy or mental clarity to replenish your own resources…
Read More"Where is the Holy Spirit in all of this?"
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A 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 MoreRead My Mail: Clues to Getting Free of Legalistic Living
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For the past five years, I have been leading a small group of maturing sisters in the Lord. We call ourselves “Branches,” from the metaphor Jesus uses of Himself and His people in the gospel of John, chapter 15 — “I am the Vine; you are the branches.”
Our unifying theme is “living from our union with Christ.” We all long to understand and experience the freedom and fullness of our indwelling Lord Jesus through His Holy Spirit living in us and through us as us. And so we study and share and pray with and for each other.
In the course of our meetings and discussions, I was moved to write the following email. Maybe you would like to “eavesdrop” and read our mail. Feel free to jump in and respond. We can learn from each other.
Also be sure to check out our reading list and related blogs.
Read MoreGrowing Old with the Ancient of Days
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For some reason, I’m feeling my age this year.
Up to this point, I hadn’t felt old… I have just felt “me” — a little slower, a little more forgetful, a little more “invisible” to those around me. But just an older “me.”
Maybe it’s been my multiple bouts of pneumonia OR maybe it’s my believing the enemy’s lie “you’re too old to ______” ( I’ll share my thoughts on that in a coming post).
Read MoreThe Glory of Being "Babci" -- a Polish Grandma
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I come from a long line of Polish grandmothers — incredible women who sacrificed and loved and put their “babies” ahead of themselves.
My Babci came over to the US on a boat at the age of 15 by herself from Poland through Ellis Island. Her mom (my “Great-Babci”) began to send her kids one by one out of Poland to the US before WWI. She could see the conflict brewing….
Read MoreHappy Dependence Day 2025
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Here at A Branch in the Vine, we are proclaiming our Declaration of Dependence! We are celebrating that every day is Dependence Day for those of us who "live from the life of Another."
Read MoreIn the Meantime: Sunrises say "Glory" in Scripture and Song
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Reflections from Past Sunrises beginning August 2014
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
This "Branch" is going "Down the Shore" Again
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From my very first year of blogging and many years since, I’ve been blogging my journeys to my “happy place”…the Jersey Shore.
A portion of this blogpost is a trip into yesteryear —one of my early Jersey shore blogs, Aug 2016.
And actually in a couple days, we will again be on our way to that favorite place on earth for me. It’s not just the ocean that calls me. It’s my roots — the precious loved ones (family and friends) and memories of my growing up years. So off we go for another adventure…
Read MoreA Blessing for Aging ... Trusting and Flourishing
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Aging is hard. When we are young, aged people are often “invisible.” Life is so busy for parents of growing families, adults who are building careers, even middle aged people who are young enough to travel and serve. They all have “big, busy lives.”
As we get older, our lives can get smaller. Our capacity shrinks and much of our time, attention, and energies are absorbed by health issues. Life gets hard and can feel hopeless.
Read MoreTurning 78: Growing Old with the Ancient of Days
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For some reason, I’m feeling my age this year.
Up to this point, I hadn’t felt old… I have just felt “me” — a little slower, a little more forgetful, a little more “invisible” to those around me. But just an older “me.”
Maybe it’s been my multiple bouts of pneumonia OR maybe it’s my believing the enemy’s lie “you’re too old to ______” ( I’ll share my thoughts on that in a coming post).
Read More[FlashBack] Trinitarian Benediction -- Enjoying the Dance
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2 Corinthians 13:14 is one of the most glorious benedictions in Scripture. It is a blessing celebrating the fullness of the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Read More[FlashBack] A Favorite Hymn: To Write the Love of God Above!
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Do you have a favorite forgotten hymn? I almost forgot this gem of a hymn until someone commented on an old post containing the song. And then this Sunday our choir at our church sang it and sent my heart soaring!
The hymn? -- "The Love of God."
The metaphor in the third stanza absorbs my mind and imagination:
Read More[New Post] My "Under Stress Mantra" Transforms My Every Day
/![[New Post] My "Under Stress Mantra" Transforms My Every Day](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/564e2a34e4b0ad118963f571/1748995195068-IRDHDYH8RZPUPT02C9FX/stones.jpg)
… In the midst of my first bout, I had already been scheduled at my church to share my journey with Jesus. My “Stones of Remembrance” (as I called it) was designed as an activity for ladies to think through and begin to journal their own journey with God.
I got the OK from my doc to do the meeting if I felt up to it. I did feel up to it. I was prepared. My only concern was would my voice and body and energy last. So as I sat with my Abba early in the day of the presentation, He gave me my mantra, which I live …
Read More[New Post] Mottos and Mantras: Words of Wisdom Over the Years
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This past winter, I spent almost three months hibernating in-between bouts of pneumonia. Lots of time to clean out my extras and get rid of many “unnessaries.”
In the course of it all, I pulled out an over-large storage container filled with my old notebook-journals. They date back from the 1970’s to the present. These gems and mundane thoughts are from years of recording into whatever notebook was at hand at the time.
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Mentoring at its Best: Attachment that Detaches
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Several years ago, I had an interesting conversation with a friend about mentoring. We marveled at how so many Christians we know, who have matured in the Lord through the help of a mentor, end up being rejected by that same mentor for not agreeing with them on minor points of doctrine or practice, or for moving on in a different direction in ministry, or for some other difference of opinion. How sad. But how common!
Well, there is good news! There is a gem of a spiritual father tucked away in the gospels, one of my heroes of the faith, John the Baptist! He shows us what a true mentor is like. John is not only a clear example of "letting go," but also a stellar model of attachment to his Lord Jesus Christ.
Read MoreCalled to Be Spiritual Fathers/Mothers
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If we are followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, siblings in the family of God, we are called to mature into “spiritual fatherhood/motherhood” in the family.
Is that a surprising thought? Let's think together about this idea of "spiritual parenting."
In his first letter, the fatherly, aged apostle John penned a tenderhearted passage on the growth stages in a believer's life.
Read MoreAbba's Little Girls: Mama-Sisters
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Motherhood is a Sisterhood...unrivaled by any other (except perhaps, Grandmother-hood). So if you are a mom, you are my beloved sister...
And sometimes we mama-sisters just need to be daughters...Abba's (Hebrew for Daddy) little girls.
So this Mothers' Day, let us hear these restful words of promise from our Abba:
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