Lauren Sparks

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Artisan Collection Bible Review… and Grace and Truth Link Up

April 10, 2020 by Lauren 25 Comments

During this time of Lent/ coronavirus isolation, I have been spending extra time in God’s Word.  I honestly can’t tell you if it’s the extra time at home or Easter preparation behind it, but I am thankful none the less.  As a Bible Gateway partner I received the opportunity to review a new Artisan Collection Bible and knew this was the perfect time.  I chose the NRSV version because I don’t currently own a copy and waited with bated breath for it to arrive in the mail.  (What else do I have to do?  Actually that is a joke.  I have been filling my socially distant time with all the things I haven’t had time to do while working – to the point of exhaustion and stress.  Pray for me.  My inability to relax is definitely a condition.)

 

I am so delighted with this beautiful version of God’s Word.  The stunning cover art work and golden gilt edged pages feel luxurious.  As does the patented Zondervan NRSV Comfort Print typeface for these aging eyes.  The lightly ruled, wide margins are perfect for journaling, reflecting, taking notes and creating unique, inspired art.  I, personally, have trouble making stick figures look good.  But maybe you are more creatively blessed.

 

You should Easter treat yo’ self to this gorgeous Bible or another in the series.  Easter is not canceled just because we can’t meet in a building.  And maybe you have no excuse for a pretty new dress this year, but this stylish Bible could fill the void.  Or gift one and start a new Easter tradition.  I would be so excited to add this to my collection of Bible study materials – if my teenage daughter hadn’t claimed it the minute it left the box.  I will enjoy watching her study and fill it’s margins.  And since I’m starting to feel a little envy about that, I may just have to order one for myself.  We can find it here.

 

I am so appreciative to the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid for gifting me this Artisan Collection Bible for my review.  And my prayer is that you use this Bible or another of your choosing to spend time with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this Easter season.  May you celebrate His return from the grave and look forward to His return to claim His throne forever!

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it;

for the time is near.

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Revelation 1:3
Announcement:  Congrats to Kim Hill for winning a copy of Melanie Shankle’s On the Bright Side!  I will be in contact to get your info and get that book in your hands.  And thank you and welcome to all of our new subscribers!  You have no idea how much I appreciate you being a bloggy friend.
And now for this week’s featured post!
I am pleased to point you to When the Answer to Prayer is Bad News by Barbara Lee Harper of Stray Thoughts.  I love how she drew lessons so appropriate for the trial we are all experiencing in COVID-19 from the Old Testament Book of Habakkuk.  And she even linked to our own Grace and Truth Link Up host Lisa Burgess!  God’s Word is indeed alive and active and speaks to us today.  Hop over to soak up this wisdom.
Now for this week’s link-up! Let’s bless and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.
Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link Up

Grace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement every week. If you’re a blogger, we hope you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader, we hope that you’ll encounter new bloggers that love Jesus as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.

Join us each Friday for the Grace and Truth Link-Up!

To receive a weekly reminder of when the link-up goes live subscribe to laurensparks.net in the right hand column of this page.

Heather Hart & Valerie Riese

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Maree Dee

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Lauren Sparks

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Lisa Burgess

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
1.)  Following your hosts via their blog and social media channels is not mandatory, but appreciated!

To receive a weekly reminder of when the link-up goes live subscribe to laurensparks.net in the right hand column of this page.

2.) Leave 1-2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. Please do not link DIY, Crafts, Recipes, etc. We will delete these links. We also reserve the right to remove articles that don’t align with the theme or are deemed by the hostesses to be inappropriate.

3.) Visit 1-2 other links and leave a meaningful comment! We want to encourage community among us, so please don’t link and run!

4.) We sort all links randomly – feel free to link as early or as late as you’d like. The playing field is even!

Featured Post Requirements

5.) Grab a button or link back to encourage new linkers. It is not mandatory, but it is required to be featured.

6.) Each host will choose one link to emphasize and promote via their social media channels next week.

Grab a Badge and Link Back to this Post.

And now, let’s link up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.

 

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Recognizing the Sacrifice

April 3, 2020 by Lauren 20 Comments

“I did not intend to give up this much for Lent!”  I stole this from a friend’s facebook feed because I think we all relate.  What initially felt like a little extra vacay now feels like a never ending groundhog day.

 

As a born and raised Southern Baptist, I wasn’t really taught to observe Lent.  For Easter itself we decorated, hunted eggs, cooked a ham and got new dresses (often homemade).  We also told the story of Jesus’ resurrection and invited others into it with us.  But the days leading up to Easter were just like any other.  As an adult, I have chosen to observe the tradition some years and others, not.  I have freedom in how I choose to remember Jesus.

 

Lent is defined as a solemn religious observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends six weeks later with the celebration of Easter Sunday.  The purpose is said to be the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, doing penance, mortifying the flesh, repentance of sins, alms giving and self-denial.  At least that’s what Wikipedia says.  Here in the western world we mostly talk about what we are “giving up” for Lent.  Believers abstain from something that will be a sacrifice for a number of reasons:  to participate in a small way in the sacrifice Jesus made for us, to learn to be more dependent on God, or to simply remind us of Him as we miss what we are missing.

 

I decided this year to give up sodas for Lent.  It may not seem like a huge deal to you, but it is.  The love I have for a beautiful, big ice cold Sonic Route 44 Diet Coke with Vanilla is real and it is deep.  Whew.  My mouth just filled with saliva.  I also made the commitment to spend more time in prayer and Bible study every day and do an extra devotional just for the season of Lent.  The time has been rich.  And I can’t wait to daily sit at His feet.

 

One of the themes I’ve really been camping on is the depth of Jesus’ love for us leading to the depth of His suffering for us.  For me.  Isaiah 53:3 says:

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.  Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.  NIV

 

I cannot get the last few words of this familiar verse out of my mind.  They hit me fresh and square in the face.  “we held him in low esteem”.  That not only refers to those alive to hear Isaiah’s words.  Jesus wasn’t even born then!  “We” is the people who refused to believe that He was God’s Son.  “We” is those who imprisoned Him and beat Him.  “We” is the official who sentenced Him to die as well as the soldier who actually hammered His flesh to the tree.  “We” is all today who don’t believe.  “We” is those who profess Him and yet deny His power in their own lives.  “We” is me!

 

Every time time I fail to seek Him I hold Him in low esteem.  Every day I’m too busy to spend time with Him I hold Him in low esteem.  Every time I fail to share the good news of salvation through Him I hold Him in low esteem.  Every little thing I turn to for comfort proves I hold Him in low esteem.  I love Him, I need Him and I am so grateful to Him.  But to be confronted with how little I actually think of Him is enough to make me weep.

 

Father God, please show me anything and everything that I hold up as more important than you.  Help me put to death the things that hold your rightful place.  May I learn more every day how to give you precedence in the heart that you have redeemed from sin and suffering.  Forgive me for failing you in this way.  I praise you and lift you up above all else.  Keep your praise flowing from my lips and fingertips until it is second nature to me.  I love you and thank you for sending your Son to die for my sins.  Amen. 

 

And now for this week’s featured post.

 

I was so encouraged to read Your Testimony After These Hard Times by Sarah Geringer because God has been impressing so many of the same things on me.  God does not waste our hard things!  Oh the stories of His faithfulness we will have to share if we just lean into Him now.  Click here to read the post and show Sarah some love for linking up with us.

 

Now for this week’s link-up! Let’s bless and encourage one another in our walk with the Lord.

Grace & Truth : A Weekly Christian Link Up

Grace & Truth exists to point people to Jesus! We hope this link-up will be a source of encouragement every week. If you’re a blogger, we hope you’ll use this space as a way to meet new friends within the Christian blogging community. If you’re a reader, we hope that you’ll encounter new bloggers that love Jesus as much as you do! Most of all, we hope you’ll meet Jesus here.

Join us each Friday for the Grace and Truth Link-Up!

To receive a weekly reminder of when the link-up goes live subscribe to laurensparks.net in the right hand column of this page.

Maree Dee

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Lauren Sparks

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Heather Hart & Valerie Riese

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Lisa Burgess

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
1.)  Following your hosts via their blog and social media channels is not mandatory, but appreciated!

To receive a weekly reminder of when the link-up goes live subscribe to laurensparks.net in the right hand column of this page.

2.) Leave 1-2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. Please do not link DIY, Crafts, Recipes, etc. We will delete these links. We also reserve the right to remove articles that don’t align with the theme or are deemed by the hostesses to be inappropriate.

3.) Visit 1-2 other links and leave a meaningful comment! We want to encourage community among us, so please don’t link and run!

4.) We sort all links randomly – feel free to link as early or as late as you’d like. The playing field is even!

Featured Post Requirements

5.) Grab a button or link back to encourage new linkers. It is not mandatory, but it is required to be featured.

6.) Each host will choose one link to emphasize and promote via their social media channels next week.

Grab a Badge and Link Back to this Post.

And now, let’s link up!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Sharing is caring! If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

To find some great places where I might be sharing this post, click here.

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About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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