I absolutely love the passage in Galatians that describes the Fruit of the Spirit "against which, there is no law."
(5:23) Although I love them all, one of my personal favorites is the spiritual fruit of JOY! I gravitate toward joy as surely as flowers turn their faces to the noonday Sun! I drink it in. I bask in it! I sing praises to my God in the voice of Joy!
I tell you this to share with you that one of the sources of joy in my life is rapidly becoming this blog! I started this a little over a month ago, believing that God was leading me to write something to speak to the heart of those who are searching for God and to be willing to be a flashlight in the hand of the searcher, pointing the way to Jesus Christ. Secondly, but equally important, I believe God wants to use this little blog to encourage other followers of Jesus to stand up, gird up for the battle, get involved in the work of the Kingdom! For those who are struggling with discouragement in a trial, I want to speak a word of encouragement. We are not alone in all of this. God is with us. Emmanuel!
It gave me a tickle of joy today to discover that I have a new member - my little sister, Teresa Berki!
It made me realize that I want to invite more of you to become members when you visit this site. Just go down to the bottom of the black box to the right of this post. Under '
Followers' click the box that says '
Join This Site'. When you become a member, it enables me to see who you are on the other side of the blog page - something very valuable to me! I really want this blog to be a community gathering place for me and you. I want to meet you and get to know you, as you are getting to know me through my writing. It is my hope that this blog will become, more and more, a two-way communication tool for us to connect over the miles.
I want to know what you are looking for - what encourages you - what are you struggling with in your walk with the Lord? Are you an unbeliever looking for answers about Jesus Christ? Are you going through a trial that is testing all your strength? How can we, as your sisters and brothers in Christ, pray for you? We all have struggles we are dealing with, myself included! The wonders of the Internet are erasing borders, pulling down walls, and connecting us to one another in ways never before possible! We are living in amazing times!
I have decided to periodically profile members of this blog so that you can get to know them and pray for them, as well. Here is a snapshot picture of my newest member, Teresa Berki.
Terry is my sister, the youngest of eight children. She is an obstetrical nurse in the OB department of St. James Hospital in Chicago Heights, IL. She is also a newly licensed Lactation Instructor in her department. (As any of you ladies who have ever tried to nurse a baby knows, someone who can help us with this is a tremendous blessing!) Terry teaches birthing classes to expectant parents at St. James. She is married to my favorite brother in law, Gabe, and is the mother of two adult children, my nephew, Gabriel, and my niece, Meghan (a new bride this year!)
Terry is an extremely hard working and dedicated nurse. I had the great joy of sharing the birth of my youngest grandchild, Ella, with Terry present as a nurse the night that Ella was born. Unbelievable night! I have enormous respect for how hard she works, how skilled she has become, and how much she loves her patients. Lest you think, as I did, that a nurse in the obstetrics department just experiences the fun of having new babies born, I have learned that this is an extremely challenging department to work in. Nurses in this department minister to young single mothers, first time mamas who are scared of the baby! (I was there, once!), still born babies, babies born with heartbreaking diseases, babies born addicted to drugs...and the list goes on and on. This is a unique and challenging calling, to say the least!
I share this with you to give you a chance to be part of the prayer support for Teresa and the nurses who work with her. It is my prayer that God will continue to use her, strengthen her and encourage her on those dark days when it is tempting to give up. Always remember, Terry - You are not alone! God is in it, God is in it, God is in it ALL!
Please sign up to be a member so we can get to know you, pray for you, and connect with you across the miles. Also, leave a comment, telling me what you find helpful or what you are looking for when you come to visit me on my 'virtual front porch'! I have added a Translation Button at the top of the page for those of you whose native tongue is not English! Don't hesitate to leave a comment in your native language - I can quickly translate it to English, using the same button! God has thought of everything to bring us together from around the world, hasn't He? All we have to do is press a button to make it happen!
Blessings to You All in this Beautiful Season of Advent!
Maureen Sebek
Scripture Reference: Galatians 5:22, 23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-contrtol.
Against such there is no law."
