Welcome to Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Arise and Shine. Today, Anna is sharing an introductory post on the free will offering of bronze, including a prayer she penned together with Bettie and a link to a Michael W. Smith song.

Take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze; Exodus 35:5

The bronze from the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. Exodus 38:29 NIV

The site Bible History tells us:

“The main use for bronze was in the tabernacle furniture within the outer court, in the places where exceptional strength and heat resistance was important. Bronze has a melting point of 1,985 degrees. Since the altar was a place where intense heat was present it was overlaid with bronze.

Ex 27:1-2 You shall make an altar of acacia wood…

Welcome to Day 5 of Chapter 1 of Part 2 from Arise and Shine. Today, Bettie is sharing a personal story about prayer and God’s redemption. The devotional includes a beautiful prayer and a link to a song that communicates the beauty of God’s eternal redemption.

“I will restore to you the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent among you.

“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.

“You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.” Joel 2:25-27 ESV

In the wandering…

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out,“Ifanyonethirsts,lethimcometomeanddrink.John 7:37 (ESV)

Welcome to Part 2 of Arise and Shine: The Living Water of God. Today, Bettie is opening part 2 with a devotional, including a poem and prayer. She shares a personal testimony on the gift of God’s living water that washes us in the truth and grace of our God.

May God bless you richly today, as you sit at His feet with us to listen and drink deeply of His living water in your weakness and need. May God pour out rivers of living water in our midst, out of each of our hearts, as He awakens fresh faith in us, through the power of His living and active Word.

“Oh, Lord, I will never be washed clean enough!” The words escaped from my lips as yet another sore…

Welcome to Chapter 2 ofArise and Shine: Beloved, You are Mine. This week we invite you to join us, daily, in bringing forward the free will offering of pure white linen: the white garments Jesus has promised to clothe us in, as we overcome in His Name.

Today,Bettie Gilbertintroduces us to chapter 2 and the free will offering of white linen, as she looks at its function in the Old Temple. Through a personal story, she shares how Jesus showed her that this now mirrors Christ’s hemming in, as He lovingly invites us to be set apart unto Him to be clothed in His purity in our surrender to His beautiful purposes.

Exodus 35:5-6 Take a sacred offering for the Lord. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the Lord:blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen

Rev 15:6 And out of the temple…

Welcome to Arise and Shine: Beloved You are Mine. This is Chapter 1: A Dwelling Place of Part 1: The Bread of Life. You can choose to listen to the introduction (read by Anna Smit) and the opening prayer (read by Bettie Gilbert) in the two recordings below, or read on further below.

Have you ever noticed that God gathers us together in the most unlikely ways? Have you ever noticed that every way He sets us apart is His Way of joining us together in His suffering?

Sometimes, chronic illness or trauma can make us start to believe God has sidelined us, set us aside. It can even make us feel like we don’t truly belong in God’s family, or that we are second-rate citizens somehow. We can believe that God’s beautiful…

Welcome to Part 1 of Arise and Shine: Beloved, You are Mine. In the coming weeks, we will be resting in The Bread of Life (Jesus). In each chapter of this part, we will invite Jesus to feed and sustain us through His fresh, warm, living and active Word. Today, you will find the introduction to part 1 and next week, we will publish chapter 1 (which includes an opening prayer, poems and devotionals: material to sit with each day of the week).

Have you also noticed how our God longs for us to receive His fresh warm bread – Scriptures filled with His Spirit breath? How He longs for us to lay down those cold stones (Scriptures wielded in part by the enemy as accusations against us) that we have clung to as God’s condemnation of us?

When we walk through trauma or chronic illness, we are all…

This is 
My Word 
Flowing
Through you 
In truth 
Kissing grace
I'm declaring
My children
Mine.

Each word 
You pen
My song 
Is singing
In Spirit
And truth 
My children 
A hope 
And a future
In every Promise 
I AM
Declaring.

Sealed 
In My blood
And raised 
From the tomb
Feast now
In broken bread
And new wine
Flowing into
New wineskins:
Mine.

For, My goodness  
And My mercy 
Has been 
Chasing you
Beautifully opening you 
More and more
To love
From the hands 
And feet of 
Your servant King
Who loved you 
First.

For, I've 
Anointed you
Not to boast 
In your pride
But in your 
Weakness 
That My 
Perfecting work
May now rise 
To sing.

For, in 
Christ alone 
Your offering 
A free-will 
Offering
Has Become
For I build
My Temple
In truth 
And grace.

Sing of how:

My Body's tears 
I gather
Into joy 
Transforming.

My Body's…