Them Bones

Written by Gail Morris

Are you waiting for God to answer your prayer? Today’s exercise will give you a fresh perspective as you wait on God. 

“He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out.” (Ezekiel 37:2, NLT)

For several months now I’ve had health issues from the neck up.  I’ve had issues with my ears, eyes and teeth.  I’m feeling particularly weary of the mess and continue to pray for resolutions. Reading Ezekiel this morning, I found myself reading Ezekiel 37:2.  This verse describes my current situation.

But despite this dry bone period, I remain hopeful. I’m weary, but hopeful. I know this season will not last forever. Whether I’m healed on this earth or in heaven, I’m certain it will end. How do I know? God’s promises appear throughout His word.

The physics of why there are no vampires at the North Pole

ESTHER INGLIS-ARKELL

The Novaya Zemlya Effect has to be one of the reasons why there is a scarcity of vampire polar explorers. The effect happens near the poles, where atmospheric physics and the sun combine to make sunrise and sunset a little more unpredictable than other places. We'll tell you about the physics of sun mirages, and how extreme they can get.

The picture directly below is not, actually, a picture of the Novaya Zemlya Effect. The effect happens at the poles, generally only during certain seasons, and is subject to atmospheric conditions. As such, it's very hard to get on camera. This is a picture of a sun mirage in a very dark sky. Odds are, the sky is dark because the sun, though visible, is already down. Almost everyone has seen sun mirages. There have probably been times when you've seen a tiny pool of light spread below the sinking sun on the horizon. At other times, the sun may have seemed distorted into a square or a rectangle, or there may have been bright spots of light above it as it rose or set.

Serving God in a Dry Season

J. LEE GRADY

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(© Jasenka | Stock Free Images )

While Hurricane Sandy’s floods dominated recent weather headlines, a very different weather pattern has cost us more than the superstorm’s $50 billion in damages. The United States actually needs rain—and lots of it. 

Forecasters say our nation is experiencing its worst drought since 1954. As of this week, 60.1 percent of the nation is in drought, with six states—Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado and Iowa—entirely in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Lakes are drying up, crops are dying and ranchers are scrambling to feed their cows. 

Some people figure this prolonged dry spell is just the result of cyclical climate patterns. Maybe so, but the Bible suggests that droughts and famines can be linked to spiritual realities. Sometimes the natural world reflects our spiritual condition. Man’s pride, greed, injustice and idolatry can actually disturb nature.

God in the Winter

Written by Charles Spurgeon

“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.” Psalm 74:17

My friend, as we begin on this wintry month, begin it with God. The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind us that God keeps His covenant in day and night, and assures us that He will also keep the glorious covenant which He has made with us in the person of Christ Jesus. God, who remains true to His Word during the turning of the seasons in this poor sin-polluted world, will not prove unfaithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved sons and daughters.

Winter in the soul is often an uncomfortable season. If now you are facing uncomfortable circumstances or discouraging experiences, it will feel very painful to you. But there is comfort in the fact that the Lord makes both summer and winter. He knows your pain. He sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation. He scatters the frost like ashes over the once lush meadows of our joy.

The God of Your Buried Dreams

Photo by Rebecca Barlow Jordan

God is not only the God of your buried dreams. He’s also the God of surprises.

Whether you’re writer, a reader, a parent, a grandparent, a single, a spouse, or a senior–I hope you’ll find a piece of encouragement in this short post that will lift you up. At the end of the blog, I’ll explain the picture from my garden that inspired it.

The God of Your Buried Dreams

by

Rebecca Barlow Jordan

A Supernatural Cycle of Blessing

"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days." (Ecclesiastes 11:1)

One of the most exciting things I ever discovered about God's law of sowing and reaping was the fact that financial harvests are not seasonal. If you plant year round, you can be receiving year round.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying your harvest will come instantly. It usually won't. You may have to wait for it for several months. What I'm saying is, if you'll keep planting consistently, you'll receive just as consistently. If you'll continually cast your bread on the water, eventually it will come in on every wave!

Of course, some people never get to enjoy that kind of constant blessing. That's because, instead of giving, they keep waiting to receive. They stand on the beach saying, "I wonder where my prosperity is? As soon as it comes in, I'll start giving."