Treasures of Darkness

YouVersion

2008-08-16T09:55:00.002-08:00

Beyond a devotional site, this is a place to journal and to study Scripture. There are treasures buried here!

God-Hungry = "Relationship-Starved"

2008-05-22T13:24:00.002-08:00

One of my favorite quotes on friendship came from a book by Dan Allender, called "The Healing Path." He told the story of a friendship gone awry, due to misunderstanding. One Sunday after church, Allender made an attempt to reconcile with this friend, to no avail. He wrote, "I watched a friendship drive away." This morning, a very dear friend literally drove away, down the Alaska-Canada highway,

Fitting into Culture (Click this title)

2008-02-12T08:59:00.000-09:00

"Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you" (Romans 12

Caroling, Caroling Now We Go!

2007-12-09T21:24:00.000-09:00

Tonight, we went Christmas caroling around the neighborhood behind the church. You would think that a simple concept like walking around the area homes, singing carols, would be --well, simple! No less than four staff meetings, three volunteer children's workers, and two-full time pastors were involved in bringing about the fruition of one person's romantic holiday idea.It was, quite simply, a

My Song in the Night

2007-03-01T18:51:00.000-09:00

MY SONG IN THE NIGHTSouthern Folk Hymnarr. Paul J. ChristiansenO Jesus my Savior, my song in the night,Come to us with Thy tender love,my soul’s delight.Unto Thee, O Lord, in affliction I call,My comfort by day, and my song in the night.O why should I wander, an alien from Thee,Or cry in the desert Thy face to see?My comfort and joy, my soul’s delight,O Jesus my Savior, my song in the night.My

Out of the Darkness? or not?

2007-01-10T23:58:00.000-09:00

I ran across a fascinating book title the other day: The Light Belongs In the Darkness by Patricia King. It grabbed my attention, because it seemed so wrong to me-- light and darkness do not co-exist. Light forces darkness out, it drives the darkness away.God spoke to me through that title. No, I didn't hear a voice in my head. It just seemed clear to me, almost as if the thought was spoken

Countdown!

2006-10-22T00:14:00.000-08:00

Countdown to Christmas Starr!

a divine arrangement

2006-05-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

67 Originally uploaded by Divine Decor. found this on flickr. by Divine Decor (May 3, 2006)

The Life of a Pastor's Wife

2006-04-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

I really think I should write a book someday, with a title along these lines:THE LIFE OF A PASTOR'S WIFEThe first thing I want to do in this column is to express my love and appreciation to you and offer my prayers for a blessed Holy Week. So many will come under your influence who do not understand the cross — or redemption. Please help those you serve this next week to grasp how "high and wide

Songs that Still My Soul

2006-03-12T18:58:00.000-09:00

The words to some precious old hymns appear on this post, "Words That Shake My Soul". I like to think along the lines of calming, and quieting my soul, rather than shaking my soul. Hebrews 12 talks about an "Unshakable Kingdom", but only after the author urges entering into rest. Hebrews 6:19(NIV) says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."I believe we are in a time

FORTY DAYS IN THE WORD

2006-03-07T09:06:00.000-09:00

I love these promises; and I love God's perfect timing to encourage and excite His people!March 7, 2006: Ask of Me, and I will show you great and awesome mysteries, and I will uncover those things, which have been hidden from your understanding. You will no longer be kept in the dark with a lack of knowledge of that which has caused you to fall short of victory. And, I do call you forth into

"Touch not my anointed one"

2006-02-22T17:02:00.000-09:00

Curt Hendley, "The Happy Husband", has a blog celebrating marriage. He also has a section of the blog dedicated to "ministering to pastors". I appreciate his writings on both subjects, marriage and ministry. Here is an excerpt from his page on ministering to pastors: My request to you is that you respond with a blog post (or a link to a post if you’ve already written one) listing some

"Hey, I resemble that remark!"

2006-01-28T13:06:00.000-09:00

And I believe it is sad, but true.Ted Haggard: "Pastors are the Single Fattest Group of People I Know" brought to you courtesy of Monday Morning Insight Weblog, by Todd Rhoades on For What It's Worth.

True Forgiveness

2006-01-25T10:00:00.000-09:00

My husband, a pastor, both preaches and lives the concepts of true forgiveness. I have heard him pray for people that have deeply hurt him, with words of blessing, grace, forgiveness, and love."Lord, help me to love _____ the way you love _____."I, on the other hand, struggle greatly with holding on to offenses that really were not even directed toward me, but toward my husband. I need to stop

forgiveness

2006-01-24T14:31:00.000-09:00

I'm still working on this...Forgiveness...one step further I heard an interesting addition to the process of forgiveness today. I was watching "Luggage", a Rob Bell NOOMA DVD, and he suggested that until you are able to look at someone who has wronged you and wish them the best in life, you haven't truly reached a state of forgiveness. It's one thing to say "I forgive you". Not that that's an

A Beautiful Testimony

2006-01-22T14:02:00.000-09:00

This is a very good description of what it feels like to be depressed. It is taken directly from a post entitled, "Diving for Pearls" which was posted on my birthday.I was hit with a wall of depression. I was physically and emotionally exhausted. It was at this time that I experienced the real grief and loss of my Dad in addition to all the other areas of loss I was dealing with. I had no

Happy New Year!

2006-01-03T22:22:00.000-09:00

2006resolutions Top Five Priorities:1. Read the Word2. Pray3. Worship4. Witness5. Love Goals and Dreams:1. Continuing Education: maybe start a M. Div. or work towards a counseling license or degree.2. Finding More Treasures in the Darkness: the treasures are God's jewels, His people.3. Seeking more inner healing and soul-care; to learn more about how to reach out to others.4. Get a Hysterectomy:

My "Would-Have-Been" Alma Mater

2005-12-28T19:23:00.000-09:00

I went to Dover High School. My mother and all her siblings graduated from Dover High. My cousins graduated from DHS, as well. But I did not. In the latter part of my sophomore year, my father made a decision that changed my life forever. He took me out of public school and placed me in a private Christian School. That was over twenty years ago.Today, I read that Cal Thomas urged parents to make

Near-Misses and Miss-Communication!

2005-12-16T21:35:00.000-09:00

Although the warm temperature feels nice, it's not a good thing for road conditions.I very nearly had a wreck today on the icy roads in downtown Fairbanks! I slid around the corner into the other lane. (Not speeding, I was at a complete stop at a red light, but the road turned immediately after the intersection, and it was on a slanted, icy bridge!) The other driver and I could have reached

Wacky Weather!

2005-12-16T19:56:00.000-09:00

SWMBLOG

2005-12-13T02:02:00.000-09:00

Check out this blog.

Recent News!

2005-11-02T17:43:00.000-09:00

Well, I got a job! I work 9-3, M-F, at Michael's! I love it! The Christmas music gets a little old; it's been on for three weeks now. I do love the floral arrangements, and last Thursday, I got to help create the Christmas centerpieces! I have unwrapped lots of new ornaments, etc., and decorated some Christmas trees. My favorite part of the job was cleaning out the clearance section, the best

The Greatest Show on Earth

2005-10-14T15:37:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, in a land not very far away, there was a rather large and famous circus—the “Greatest Show on Earth.” People came by the hundreds to see the spectacular shows put on by this circus. Children were awed and fascinated by the funny clowns and feats of bravery; women delighted in the glamorous array of colors and costumes; and men were impressed (but tried not to act too interested)

If your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness...

2005-09-17T14:45:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered about this: What Is the “Bad Eye” in Matthew 6:23?John Piper wrote an excellent article on his website, Desiring God, answering this question.What does the bad eye refer to in Matthew 20:15? It refers to an eye that cannot see the beauty of grace. It cannot see the brightness of generosity. It cannot see unexpected blessing to others as a precious treasure. It is an eye that

Hurricane Katrina: In the Words of My Twelve-Year-Old Son

2005-09-04T21:02:00.000-08:00

My son, Ben (nickname), wrote this poem after hearing his dad's sermon in church, followed by an extended season of corporate prayer for the victims of Hurricane Katrina:It makes me sad that the levy's did not holdPeople died young and oldSome did not heed the wisdom of the evacuationWhat Katrina did hurt the entire nationSure people made it to the superdomeBut now almost all have no home.Getting

Is it worth my time?

2005-08-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

This is a great post, complete with beautiful sunset pictures, written by Paul Egge and copied from the blog, "FISH BOWL":__________________________________________________________Good Bye... Hello everyone... ... Or should I say good-bye.As an economics major you learn many things. Perhaps the greatest concept I learned in education is the value of a concept called "

When time is no more

2005-08-25T22:03:00.000-08:00

The author of this post is gone on Sabbatical (must be nice!) but I'd like to initiate a discussion about these statements, and analyze their ramifications:..."You are never more in ministry than where you are at present." ... God is never more to you and me, we are never more his, nor is the world ever closer to God than at this moment... There is not a greater next than the moment we've been

Be Not Dismayed ... God Will Take Care Of You!

2005-08-21T01:51:00.000-08:00

Have you ever stayed up half the night worrying about finances, wondering how you're going to get through the winter, where the money is going to come from to cover the rising fuel costs, how you're ever going to pay all the bills? Come on, be honest! I know you have.Have you ever been sorely tempted to rob your kids' piggy bank, to "borrow some cash until payday"? Have you ever looked around the

Listen to the clock ticking!

2005-08-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

The house is so quiet today that the clock on the wall is bugging me again. My ADD brain can't filter out the incessant ticking, even though I have tried padding the back of the clock with soft cotton. It's so loud, it makes me synchronize the ticks with the beating of my heart. I swear if I listen long enough, I'd hear my own biological clock marking off the seconds of my life!In a moment or two

Puzzle Pieces

2005-08-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a really neat in-depth Bible study, put together like a jig-saw puzzle. Follow the pieces of the puzzle to each new link.God's Secret TreasureTreasures, Hidden, Riches, and Secret: key words that fit together like a puzzle.When we connect all our puzzle pieces together, this is the picture we see: a treasure chest full of God's secret treasure.©Dee Dee Hall-2001

Where did the summer go?

2005-08-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

We're gearing up for "Back-to-School" this week. After a very busy week at the Tanana Valley State Fair, we had a garage sale! Garage sales are fun to shop, but lots of work to sell. The trouble is when you go to too many garage sales, you eventually must have one to sell all the "bargains" you picked up.We're quickly approaching our week of Fall. Notice, I did not refer to fall season. In Alaska

Treasure Hunt

2005-08-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

ARE YOU ON A TREASURE HUNT?Are there not treasures in the Lord Jesus? Oh! what treasures of grace in His glorious Person! What treasures of pardon in His precious blood! What treasures of righteousness in His perfect obedience! What treasures of salvation in all that He is and has as the great High Priest over the house of God! …… But it is only as these hidden riches of secret places are thus

A Parody of "Cartoons" by Chris Rice

2005-08-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

"I was thinking the other day, what if nursery rhymes got married?They'd be living their days in a whole new way:"Our Life As A Nursery RhymeHE: "Paully-Wolly" SHE: "Cindy-Lou"HE thinks to himself:(Georgy Porgy, pudding and pie, Kissed the girls and made them cry.Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater, Had a wife and couldn't keep her;) . . .so,Paully, Wally, Rootbeer float,(*see comment below) Threw

Tiny Moments

2005-08-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

Every time you make a choice, however small, you turn the central innermost part of you — SELF — into something slightly different than it was before… either more in love with itself or more committed to the services of others, more desirous of gratifying its own hungers or more eager to lay them aside, more intent to feed its independence or looking instead for opportunities to yield that

Words! Words! Words!

2005-08-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

This morning I picked up my son’s Stanford Achievement Test results from last year (6th grade). As expected, his scores were above average and across the board he rated a grade equivalent of 2 to 4 grades higher than his actual grade level. What stood out most to me were his scores in language: above average, Post High-School grade equivalent! Reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling were

Book Reviews

2005-08-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

(I came across this article in a Google search of "Treasures of Darkness")Treasures of DarknessReaching a new understanding of God's sovereignty through sufferingTreasures of DarknessBy Jane GrayshonHodder & Stoughton152 pages. £6.99ISBN 0 340 65624 7The Blessing of TearsBy Julie SheldonHodder & Stoughton134 pages. £4.99ISBN 0 340 65200 4A Grace DisguisedBy Gerald L. SittserHodder & Stoughton184

David Brainerd's Blog

2005-08-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

Entries from the journal kept in 1745 and 1746 by this young minister to the Indian tribes of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.Thanks to Rebecca; this is a really awesome blog. linkFriday, Aug. 1. In the evening enjoyed a sweet season in secret prayer; clouds of darkness and perplexing care were sweetly scattered, and nothing anxious remained. Oh, how serene was my mind at this season

A Glimpse into the Darkness of Depression

2005-08-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

I came across this article while searching "Treasures of Darkness" on the web:Treasures of Darkness: DepressionA Personal Point of Viewby Roger Carswell Click here

Blog upkeep

2005-07-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

I knew it would be just a matter of days until I crashed. I took on too many projects all at once, and became overwhelmed. I started the other blog, then took on the online store site, and tried to add my original blog to several new aggregators. All the while, I knew I was treading in deep waters, messing with html codes I know nothing about. Others were soliciting my advice and help, and I was

We all have issues!

2005-07-19T22:02:00.000-08:00

I got my first negative comment yesterday! I realize that this admission brands me as a "baby blogger". Surely those who have "been around the blog" can remember what it felt like the first time a negative comment was posted. On one hand, it is so exciting to be noticed! Again, I must admit I'm just a "wanna-be" writer, and never have actually published anything. In this magical land of "Blogdom"

Friendship is SO Inconvenient!

2005-07-16T18:02:00.000-08:00

The story is told of a certain culture among the people groups of Bush Alaska. In these isolated villages, boundaries are often loose--too loose. Children run freely day and night, and everybody knows everybody’s business.As the story goes—and this is hearsay, though I believe it to be true—closed doors mean nothing to these villagers. If the door is shut, a person might just open it and walk in.

Why not all?

2005-07-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

A little accountability: Why only some?I was blog-surfing, and came upon this deep theological discussion. This is one of the major themes of my life, struggling with the question of Divine Healing and the Sovereignty of God.Trinka writes: Carol and I have been discussing the idea of God's healing people (physically), and it's given me some interesting food for thought.Mark 1:2 And at even, when

BEYOND OURSELVES First Assembly of God, Fairbanks, Alaska

2005-07-12T21:25:00.000-08:00

BEYOND OURSELVES First Assembly of God, Fairbanks, AlaskaI've added a new post: Perfect Love.

fun personality test

2005-07-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

The World's Shortest Personality Testmy personality description:You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant.Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle.You are great at poking holes in arguments, common beliefs.For you, comfort and calm are very important.You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection.You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.

Cleaning Frenzies

2005-07-07T12:09:00.000-08:00

A Sort of Notebook: J-Hat Cleaning Frenzies for a P-BrainThis is SO ME-EE-EEE! I can't believe there is somebody out there in the world who is so much like me! I've been blaming it all on my ADD. (It's actually, AADD w/o H: Adult Attention Deficit Disorder without Hyperactivity)By definition, "Attention Deficit" is really lack of focus; but I have the worst problem with HYPER-focusing. Maybe I

golden coins

2005-07-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

Not too bad for a logo design, if I do say so myself! From someone as clueless as I am (using Photoshop Elements 2.0) it's not too shabby at all! Now, if only I could figure out how to get it up in the Title box!!!

The Journey of the Heart

2005-07-05T20:07:00.000-08:00

Once before there was time, there was a Deity named "The Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". The Father loved the Son, and the Son was with the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was God. The Trinity was at the center of the universe. [Perfect relationship is the heart of all reality.] The Trinity existed in perfect intimacy, and shared glory.Once before there was time, the Father gave a

link

2005-07-02T02:32:00.000-08:00

"I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name Am the God of Israel." Isaiah 45:3

My Dearest Mia

2005-05-17T16:26:00.000-08:00

My Dearest Mia, You have astonished and amazed me in many ways since you were born. From your beautiful blue eyes and flaxen blond hair to the tender intricate workings of your heart and mind … you are a Masterpiece. You’re delightfully different from me, yet completely a part of me, and I’ll love you forever! You’re a sweet mix of timidity and bravery. A shy pre-schooler who stood on the

Writer's Link

2005-03-08T06:33:00.000-09:00

Writer's Heart Ministries: Think about such things...Check out this great link for writers!

Aloha!

2005-02-14T02:52:00.000-09:00

Here are some favorites from our trip to Hawaii!

Treasures of Darkness: Explanation, Excerpt, Exhortation

2005-01-01T17:15:00.000-09:00

"I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name Am the God of Israel." Isaiah 45:3 1. The Explanation:I chose this verse for the name of my blog, because it is a very dear promise to me from God’s Word. I have struggled with depression all my life, and found even greater challenges to my

My Christmas letter

2004-12-20T08:56:00.000-09:00

Blessings to our friends and family, It’s twenty degrees below zero and pitch black outside (at 9:37AM!). I guess you could call the weather “frightful” up here, but we’ve gotten used to it by now. We’re in our fifth winter in Fairbanks. Alaska winters have been challenging for me, but I’m learning to seek the “treasures of darkness” (Isaiah 45:3). It’s been a year of marking milestones

to feel again

2004-11-17T17:15:00.001-09:00

I’m learning to feel again. I’ve been pondering a revelation that occurred to me while sitting in a room at the doctor’s office. I had been given the preliminary workup by the nurse, (weight, blood pressure, temperature, etc.), and I remember being perturbed by her questioning why I was there to be seen by the doctor. I said that the doctor wanted to see me, so she should just call it a