Morning Briefings

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/1edd31da/god-speaks-just-imagine-what-he-might-say-122522 Merry Christmas!  There is a hush in my home as I sit down this morning. No matter that the temperatures are low, the hens are awake, so I must open their coop and bring out water (theirs is solid ice). Ha, the dogs barely lift their heads, cozy and warm, as I sit down with my Bible and Luke chapter two one more time.  Luke 2 link: https://www.biblegateway.com/passag

Why, Yes! A Gift for the Savior.  podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/35fbc2ae/wait-one-last-gift-christmas-eve   Sometimes gift giving can feel overwhelming, and for various reasons. Mall parking lots are busy, jammed with people; lines are long, clothes once neatly folded are strewn as weary shoppers struggle to find that right 'thing'. Why do  we feel compelled to give gifts at Christmas? Ah, gifts... Because the greatest Gift giver gave us the gift of his

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/ee8ad748/the-god-of-the-impossible-comes-through-advent-2025 With God, Nothing is Impossible! just ask these three people... Sometimes in life, we need God to come and do the difficult.  God loves to do the difficult thing in our lives when we are trusting him ~ truly, nothing is difficult for him. I think of David's words Delight yourself in the Lord,  and he will give you the desires of your heart. 1 Sometimes we need Go

tap to listen to this podcast~ It is Christmas week --the fourth week of Advent, LOVE . As such, I would like to take you on a journey to a distant land where it all began--the land of Jesus' birth, life and ultimate sacrifice. It was on my first trip to Israel in 2016, traveling with a large Southern California church group, my awareness exploded. As is often the case with large groups, the itinerary did not include travel to Nazareth or Bethlehem. 'But,' my mind railed, 'ho

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/269e0431/dont-give-up-on-this-joy-advent-2025 JOY . . . People want it.   People want to know how to get it. People want to be around those who have it. What is joy, really? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Is there really such a thing? And, what’s the difference between joy and happiness? It is more common to talk about happiness, and the pursuit of it, than the pursuit of joy. But, somehow JOY does seem to

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/429ffbd8/making-room-for-joy-advent-2025 With the angelic announcement of the birth of the Savior, Jesus is linked with joy for all time. But that is because JOY! comes from the very heart of God. Hmmm... a God of joy ? That truth about the nature of God was a long time coming for me because I grew up with the view of a harsh, sometimes punitive God. *yet another reason to get your understanding about God from the Bible,

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/25dbd2cf/who-is-god-speaking-to-right-now-advent-joy-2025 God speaks   in unusual places, sometimes to those we consider unusual people... to those we would be tempted to look right past.  "Jesus I know something about ... God, not so much," I heard a woman say as I walked past her table at Bible study. And she was not alone. Over the years, people have offered the same sentiment. Yet if we take note of the details surroun

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/305551d9/peace-is-it-possible-advent-2025 It was an austere, stark night of contrasts in Bethlehem, when the angels announced to the shepherds that our Savior had been born, bringing peace to earth. Peace, not the absence of war, but peace to our inner worlds and to our souls. A well-ordered mind, a mind at peace . . . is it possible to have such a thing, no matter what is going on around us?   The book of Proverbs has a l

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/5ae82dbb/a-christmas-miracle-advent-2025 Merry Christmas, Friends! This morning, being the 9th day of the month, I looked to Psalm 9 to see if there were words I could pray ... and not surprisingly, look at verse one: I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done . Why, yes! How apt is the Word of God. You see, t oday marks the five-year anniversary of a very strange event

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/f9837af2/in-the-middle-a-prayer-peace-advent-2025 Sometimes our lives do not get the message that this is supposed to be both a holy and joy-filled season of the year. The fact is--trials do not let up. For starters, in the last week, I have had the privilege of praying for two young women battling cancer.... did I say 'young'? It is mine to pray and also to fan the flames of faith-filled hope in our loving, miracle-workin

podcast: https://www.pastorwoman.net/podcast/episode/25e5cb0d/the-hope-of-christmas-and-every-day-advent-2025 How do you start your day? With optimism or something less?  As a child, I remember one of my first thoughts when my eyes fluttered open was 'what do I have to look forward to today?' Okay, maybe that is still one of my first thoughts. Because of that, not long after my feet hit the floor I choose to land on this thought: This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejo