According to a survey performed by the website Statista.com between Oct. 25 and Nov. 2, 2022, the top 5 New Year’s resolutions for 2023 have not changed from the year before: Exercising more is No. 1, followed by eating healthier, losing weight, saving more money and spending more time with family and friends. Certain elements are undoubtedly crucial to accomplish goals: Perseverance, self-control, and determination are at the top of the list. Likewise, challenging our self-imposed Continue Reading
All Articles by Patricia Holbrook
Grace is amazing. Breathtaking… Empowering… Everlasting… All-surviving… Grace makes you soar.
And as you browse through my messages,
Come Soar with me!
A Christmas Dare
Years ago, when our oldest daughter was in fourth grade, her public school's music teacher put together a "holiday musical" as part of the elementary school curriculum. As I browsed the script that my daughter brought home, I saw a variety of holidays celebrated in traditional songs. From Hannukah to Kwanza, from Bodhi Day to Yule, songs celebrating various cultures and religions filled the score. When I got to the end of the music sheet, I could not believe my eyes. To my great surprise, not Continue Reading
God’s Silence doesn’t Mean He is Absent {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
There are approximately 400 years in Jewish history unaccounted for in protestant canonical scriptures. This time is known as the intertestamental period - the years between the Old and the New Testament from Nehemiah until the birth of Jesus Christ (c. 430 – 5 BC). Due to the absence of prophetic revelation, scholars call this period the “Silent Years.” However, this era is anything but silent when it comes to historical and cultural changes. Social and political events during this time were Continue Reading
31 Days to Discover God’s Love for You
When we think about the gods of most religions, certain attributes echo as truth to their faithful followers. There is no doubt that the followers of most religions of the world would deem their gods wise, powerful, omniscient, just, etc, etc. However, there is undoubtedly one attribute of Yahweh, the One True God of the Bible, that stands out as the trait that no other "god" possesses: Yahweh is a Loving God. Not only does He have love for His children, He IS Love. (1 John 4:7-8) And we Continue Reading
The Best Christmas Gift You Can Give {Recharge Wednesday Linkup}
Decorating our home for Christmas on Thanksgiving weekend has become a mother-daughter tradition since our oldest was about 2. I remember the first time I gathered the Christmas ornaments and gave her the assignment of placing the smallest ones on the tree's lower branches. With Christmas carols playing on the surround sound system, she squealed with delight, mumbling the words of the songs while carefully placing about 20 ornaments on one single lower branch — a memory I captured Continue Reading
Prayer as a Constant Conversation with God {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution}
“Churches are good for prayer, but so are garages and cars and mountains and showers and dance floors.” — Anne Lamott Anne Lamott and I hardly have any commonality other than identifying as born-again Christians. But her quote about prayer resonated with me. Perhaps one of the verses in Scriptures that most challenges my flesh is found in Psalm 46: “Be still and know that I am God.” With a type-A, restless personality, I often struggle to sit still for a long time; therefore, in the Continue Reading
