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Karen Sipps Writes

Encourage ~ Equip ~ Empower

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Do you ever have those days when you fully expect Do you ever have those days when you fully expect things to run like a finely oiled machine... except they don’t? Of course you do. Like when you get the bright idea to wash the placemats, and put them in the dryer with the clothes you need to wear THIS MORNING. And then you open the dryer door and find the placemats have broken down into the human equivalent of an ugly cry, and the clothes you need to put on and wear out the door never... actually... got... DRY. Hey guess what? It’s gonna be ok. You’re gonna lose a few placemats in the game of life and even have to untangle the hot mess they created. You might have to put on the semi-dry pants and get out the door, but you’ll be just fine. Remember, NOTHING can stop God’s plan for your life (Isaiah 14:27). Just pick up and keep going. He’s got you. Cheering for you, Karen “For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?” ~ From Isaiah 14:27, a chapter on the future destruction of Babylon and how God intended to redeem Israel. #hopewriters #devotional #encouragement #womenoftheword #bible #oops #laundryday
My Bible reading this week had me in Matthew 28. T My Bible reading this week had me in Matthew 28. The resurrection of Jesus. Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ mother Mary had come to visit His tomb. The angel of the Lord said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Why would Jesus reveal Himself to the women first? Why didn’t he go straight to the disciples’ house? According to the Mishnah (m. Ned 11) - the first major written collection of Jewish oral tradition dating back to at least the 3rd century AD - a woman’s testimony in court was considered suspect or questionable. It was of less value than a man’s testimony. Why would the angel of the Lord choose to reveal the news of Jesus’ resurrection to women, and subsequently Jesus himself meeting them on the road, knowing people may not believe them? Here’s what I know: He meets those who are looking for Him. I think these broken-hearted women longed to be closer to Jesus, even in His death, so they sought Him with their whole (but broken) hearts. Even today the promise given in Jeremiah 29:13 still stands. “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” The beauty of the cross is that we don’t have to visit a tomb to be near Jesus. Pastor Mark Altrogge explains it like this, “To seek the Lord means to turn to God, to desire to be in a relationship with him, and to come into his presence for fulfillment, strength and help.” Because of the cross, we can seek the Lord and meet with Him wherever we are. Living room. Closet. Bed. Car. Wherever and *however* you are, He is waiting for you.
During the “Great Big Southern Snowstorm of 2021 During the “Great Big Southern Snowstorm of 2021,” my daughter and I were driving home from a sporting event. We ended up driving straight into the storm, and had to turn back the way we came because the roads were impassable. The safest choice for us was to wait the remainder of the storm out in a hotel. From our room we watched as this truck driver tried to navigate the snow and ice, slipping and sliding until the trailer eventually crashed down onto the edge of the building. It stayed in this same spot for several days while various tow trucks tried to get it standing upright. I’m sure the truck driver, had he known the outcome, would have chosen a different route. We can’t always see what’s up ahead past the curve though, can we? We often don’t recognize we’ve crashed into a building until we feel the grinding of metal on metal. My sweet friend, take heart. There is one who sees when you take the wrong turn or make the treacherous move, and wants to set you back up on solid ground. The Psalmist says this of God in Psalm 40:2, “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” Getting ourselves into awful situations is never fun, but how encouraging is it to know that God sees the pickle you’re in, and is the steady hand you need to set you back upright again? He never falters, never slips on the ice, never loses His footing... or, His grasp on us. Cheering for you, Karen
Some days Bible study is harder than others. Some Some days Bible study is harder than others. Some days I’ll read and there’s just so much going on in my brain that 20 minutes later if you asked me what I read, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. Not the book. Not the chapter. Not the verse. Not even “well this one time when Mary and Martha were expecting guests...” Those are the days I know I’ve got to find a different way to draw near to God. The funny thing I’ve learned about God is that He’s not Chief of the Checklist Police. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” does not always look like reading three chapters a day. Sometimes loving the Lord with all your heart looks like listening to worship music while you empty the dishwasher, or talking to Him while you watch the waves roll in or sit in the car rider line. Sometimes it looks like journaling, or reading a children’s book about Jonah to your kids for the umpteenth time. A checklist of to-dos doesn’t honor the Lord... it just honors whatever checklist app you’re using. Loving the Lord with all your heart means giving your whole self to whatever act of love you’re doing. So be it reading, talking, singing, or listening, whatever you do, He is worth giving your all. Cheering for you, Karen
Not too long ago, I started transferring notes fro Not too long ago, I started transferring notes from my oldest Bible (which literally fell apart) to my newest. This morning as I was copying pages from Genesis, I happened upon one of my favorite verses, Genesis 6:20. “Two of everything...will come to you.” God had just revealed His plan to save a remnant of humanity to Noah. All of humanity had become wicked, except Noah and his family, who still walked with God. There would be a flood, and every person and creature on the earth would drown, except for whoever (or whatever) was in the waterproof ark. I imagine Noah was initially in shock. I would be. “Wait, what? You want me to build a floating zoo, search for a male and female of every animal, take all the food that is to be eaten for us and for them...” But the Bible doesn’t say that he consulted his friends, pondered in his heart, or set his tasks aside so he could scroll through social media or play Words With Friends. Verse 22 says, “And Noah did this. He did everything God commanded him.” Verse 6 reveals so much about our Father’s provision. “Two of everything will come to you.” ...Start the work, and I will help you. If I’ve asked you to do this seemingly insurmountable task, I will provide what you need to get it done. Sometimes we get so caught up on HOW to do what God asks us to do, that we never actually get started on doing what He asks us. The ark task seems so overwhelming, let alone chasing down the animals. But trust me when I say God would not set you up for failure. If He’s assigned an ark to you, just get started in faith. Just as He did for Noah, He’ll provide everything you need along the way. Cheering for you, Karen
I saw something the other day. A woman was standin I saw something the other day. A woman was standing in the spice aisle of the grocery store, looking for something in particular. A little old lady was standing near her, looking for crushed rosemary. The first woman pointed out the regular rosemary, but the elderly woman said she wanted crushed because she didn’t have anything to crush the regular leaves with to make the pieces smaller. The only bottle the store had was more than she wanted to spend. I got the feeling she was on a fixed income, as she was chatting about coupons and sales, and she had a tiny calculator in her hands. This angel waited for the woman to walk away, and then took the crushed rosemary to the register to pay for it. She came back, walking the aisles until she found the elderly woman with the yellow hair tie around her grey ponytail. She quietly handed her the rosemary with the receipt and wished her a good year. The old lady? She welled up with tears right there in the grocery store. The funny thing is, this spice bottle was $5. But it was enough to speak life into this elderly woman. It was enough to show her people still care. Y’all! Don’t we all have the ability to be someone’s angel? Maybe it’s not $5, maybe it’s an encouraging word, or an anonymous good deed, or smiling eyes squinting above your mask. We can all be someone’s angel. So many people are looking for big acts. Change this law, elect that person, or perform this great miracle. But I’m telling you, seeing this lady with tears in her eyes... small acts from one human to another are EVERYTHING. I hope you get to be someone’s angel today. Cheering for you, Karen #hopewriters #womenoffaith #rosemary #motherteresa #gooddeeds #angelsamongus #speaklife #devotional
I couldn’t pick just one new song to share with I couldn’t pick just one new song to share with you this week and add to the #NewMusicMonday playlist. I started with Fires, but then Terrian happened, and The Comment Section, and well... I just feel like I needed to share all three. 😂🤣 Let me know which one’s your favorite! Spotify link is in my story. #playlistspotify #newmusicalert
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