A Life of Jesus: Stacy Duplease

Showing posts with label Stacy Duplease. Show all posts

Friday, March 21, 2014

Matthew 11:28-30 and Times of Trial and Challenge: The Tough Stuff of Life

Matthew 11:28-30 / Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

28 “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.(A) 29 All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me,(B) because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.(C) 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Cross references:

-- HCSB: Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Matthew 11:28-30 / The Message (MSG)

28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11:28-30 / GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

28 “Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Place my yoke[a] over your shoulders, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble. Then you will find rest for yourselves30 because my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Footnotes:

Matthew 11:29 A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.

Matthew 11:28-30 / Expanded Bible (EXB)

28 “Come to me, all of you who are ·tired [weary] and ·have heavy loads [overburdened; T heavy-laden] and I will give you rest. 29 ·Accept my teachings [L Take my yoke upon you] and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in ·spirit [heart], and you will find rest for your ·lives [souls; Jer. 6:16]. 30 ·The burden that I ask you to accept [L …because my yoke] is easy; ·the load I give you to carry [L and my burden] is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 / New Living Translation (NLT)

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

-- NLT: Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

REFERENCES:

1 http://biblehub.com/matthew/11-28.htm

2 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/11-28.htm

3 Etc.

(Image credit: Microsoft images online 2008-2014.)

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Question to Ponder

Question to Ponder:

How are you intentionally living a life of Jesus today?

And, how will you do it all day, throughout the day and night, tomorrow?

You might want to prayer journal your answers.

(Top Image Credit: Microsoft Images Online 2008-2014.)

Monday, March 10, 2014

A Life of Jesus Springpad Notebook: A Resource Link

A Life of Jesus Springpad Notebook: A Resource Link

Here are articles, journal entries, blog posts, and chapters of A LIFE WITH GOD: A JOURNALING MEMOIR OF READING THE 4 GOSPELS EVERY MONTH FOR A YEAR.

http://sprng.me/j8s9v

HINT: (And a wink.) I would check this link at least once a day, if I were you, and if I wanted to get as much Jesus in my life today as possible. It will have lots of Christian resources on it.

What Led to This Blog: Part 2

WHAT LED TO THIS BLOG: PART 2

I want to know Him more. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. This, I do not doubt at all. Never have. But, I can sure get to know Him more. And, I can sure model my life in, for, around, through, and including Him.

A Life of Jesus.

What Led to This Blog

WHAT LED TO THIS BLOG: IT'S COMPLICATED AND SIMPLE BOTH

What led to this blog is--complicated. But, it's also, oh, so simple at the same time.

The truth of the matter is the reason that brought me to starting, writing, and keeping this blog, and writing my journeying memoir, is something which I am still trying to fully grasp. It's so big and shocking, but shouldn't be, that I'm finding it a challenge to comprehend what I've learned.

I know this much:

My life has thoroughly changed.

I also know this:

It shouldn't change a thing.

But, it does.

WHAT DID I LEARN: WHY IS IT SO SURPRISING?

Let me give you some backstory in order to answer that question

MY FAMILY TREE JUNE 14, 2012 TO MARCH 01, 2014

On June 14, 2012, I started to work on my family tree. I started to become an amateur genealogist. I discovered many amazing things. For instance, I had three family members who came to the U.S. through Jamestown in 1607, and several thereafter. Also, through Plymouth.

More discoveries made through the many months were how I was a distant or an indirect descendant of the following: Charlemagne, Nero, the Plantagenet Family, the Tudors, several of the Fulks, several Kings of the Franks, several Kings of England, Hungary, France, and Jerusalem.

MARCH 02, 2014, SUNDAY: MAYBE? AND A NEW POSSIBILITY FOR MY FAMILY TREE

Historic Jamestowne is my favorite history site to visit. I think it's my most favorite site ever, as a matter of fact.

Why?

It's the real birthplace of the United States of America.

All others are impostors and are not based on truth or fact. After all it's at Jamestown, Virginia that was the first permanent English settlement.

That being said, my husband, B, and I try to go visit there whenever we can. From our home, we take the Colonial Parkway from Olde Yorktown through Williamsburg, and then to Historic Jamestown. It's a beautiful drive of roughly thirty-five miles or so each direction. We try to go there at least once a month, sometimes more during the summer months. We are fortunate to live so close to it and the drive along the Colonial Parkway is so relaxing and refreshing. It gets rid of all of our stress and refocuses us.

We will make the drive, take the archaeological tour and grab a cup of coffee or something more at the cafe--as we sit along the James River and are quiet and just present with one another and with God.

Therefore, it's a very special place to B and me.

We were there on March 02, 2014, Sunday, and hear how on April 4th and 5th, 2014, they are having an reenactment of the wedding of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. Therefore, we looked at one another and determined we would go.

So, we went home and that night, I decided to look up more information about John Rolfe and Pocohantas. As I did, I saw how his mother's name is: Dorothea Mason.

Mason.

That's a family name. From England and Jamestown.

Huh!

Is he a relative?

I knew then and there I had to go to Ancestry.com and work more on my family tree and see what I could uncover.

MARCH 03, 2014 MONDAY

So, the moment I work up on Monday, March 03, 2014, and started to work on my family tree. By the end of the day, I found nothing to confirm if I am a relative of John Rolfe--or not. But, I found more interesting discoveries.

MARCH 04, 2014 TUESDAY

So, the moment I work up on Tuesday, March 04, 2014, and started to work on my family tree. By the end of the day, I found nothing to confirm if I am a relative of John Rolfe--or not. But, I found more interesting discoveries.

Then, at the very end of the day, through use of a program called, THE FAMILY TREE MAKER, I decided, for the fun of it to see who my oldest ancestor was. This was what started a very interesting journey.

I discovered an ancestor from 200 something BC.

Huh!

I had no idea.

So, I decided to check our relation--and discovered I was a DIRECT DESCENDANT of the individual. I'll be honest here. The name didn't ring a bell. Then again, my history knowledge isn't the best. (Although, it's changed since moving to Virginia.)

Needless to say, I decided to look at each relative from that one, down in the family to me, the lineage. And I was stopped in my tracks.

There was a name I never saw before in my family tree.

But, it was there.

JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA.

JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA IS THE RICH MAN WHO GAVE JESUS HIS TOMB

Joseph of Arimathea is the rich man who gave Jesus his tomb.

HOW SURE AM I OF HIM BEING MY ANCESTOR?

The next day, I started over with my family tree. Is tarted a new one and working like crazy for two days, I was able to trace the branches again.

So, I am 75% sure.

I want to do it one more time--just to make sure.

I've been able to look at history books and other family trees and confirm that Joseph of Arimathea, and my family tree, are accurate and he is my relative. I am his direct descendant.

Now, do you see why I am so surprised, dumbfounded, astounded, amazed, bewildered, astonished, and thunderstruck?

Do you see how this changes things for me? It doesn't change my faith, but deepens it. But, it sure changes the importance of my faith. I realize it shouldn't. My faith should have already been that strong to begin with.

That being said, can't we always grow deeper in our faith?

WHY THIS BLOG?

I want to get to know Jesus in a much more intimate way. I want to know Him more.

What better way than through the 4 gospels?

And, I sure what to live a life of Jesus.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, is My Savior and Redeemer. I believe.

One Word for 2014: Living a Yearly Theme or Focus Word or Phrase

ONE WORD FOR 2014

I decided this year to live by one word as the theme for 2014. It's supposed to be my main focus all year long.

Well... The word I started with hasn't stuck. Sigh.

So, I'm having a do-over. My new word is:

Gospels

After all, this what I want to focus on for the rest of 2014 and to February 28, 2015, at least.

My longer summary, a three word year theme is:

Living 4 Gospels

Or, my 6 word theme is:

Living the Four Gospels this year.

Or, my 12 word theme is:

Living A Life of Jesus, as I live the Four Gospels.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

What about you?

Please prayer journal your response to each of the word themes I listed above. What are yours, in other words?

Book Cover

Here is the book cover for:

A LIFE OF JESUS:
A JOURNALING MEMOIR OF READING THE 4 GOSPELS EVERY MONTH FOR A YEAR

(Image courtesy of graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

WHY CALL THIS BLOG "A LIFE OF JESUS?"

WHY CALL THIS BLOG "A LIFE OF JESUS?"

I want to life a life of Jesus.
I want to live a life with Jesus.
I want to life a life for Jesus.
I want to live a life through Jesus.
I want to live a life where every day, I try to grow and become more Christlike, through being in Him and bearing fruit.
I want to live a Jesus-centered life.
I know Jesus lives in me.
I want to learn everything possible about Jesus.
I want to spend every second with Him and focused on Him.
It's all about Jesus. After all, he was born, he lived, he was crucified and murdered, he was buried, and He was resurrected and lives again.
We are waiting for Him to come again and end this world so.we can start eternity with Him and his Father.
Hence, I want to live a life of Jesus. A Life of Jesus is a summary of everything I just mentioned.
A Life of Jesus.
That's what it all about.
How simple.
How blessed.
A Life of Jesus.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

A Life of Jesus: Welcome to a Study of the Four Gospels Every Month for a Year

A Life of Jesus: Welcome to a Study of the Four Gospels Every Month for a Year

WELCOME TO A JOURNALING MEMOIR AND MONTHLY STUDY OF THE FOUR GOSPELS FOR A YEAR
Welcome to a new blog and a year-long and monthly reading and study of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I plan on far-reaching them every month for the next year, at least. This will be my journaling memoir thereof, where I share my thoughts about the reading, what it means for my life, and how it transforms my life (or doesn't) over the next year at least.

IT ISN'T ENTIRELY TRUE
What I just said isn't entirely true, I must admit up front. So, what is is the full truth?
My goal is to get to know Jesus as much as possible, so I can live A Life of Jesus. Hence, I will look at the prophecies about Him, as well, those fulfilled, and those unfulfilled yet. I will also look at every verse in the Bible that talks about Jesus and living a life of Jesus, which means the entirety of the Bible.
The Epistles will probably be my next yearly study, where I re-read them every month, and so on. I will go from there. The New Testament will be my original main focus, then the Old Testament. Hence, this will be a lifelong study, not just the next year.
But, during the next year, I will look at first and foremost the four gospels, then at the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus so far. The gospels, though, will be the main focus.
Let's be realistic, this could be a year-long study of the four gospels, or it could easily turn into several years or even a lifelong study. I will remain open.

GOAL
In short, my goal is to become intimately acquainted with the four gospels.
For at least the next year, I will re-read them and study them each and every month as I absorb them.