Revive Us

Today my heart is heavy as two of my priests tested positive with the Corona Virus. My third priest has been sick for weeks and has also been tested.  One of them is on ventilator. COVID 19  has shut down communities and caused anxiety and fear to rise up in many. So how do we […]

Overwhelmed?

Good morning and welcome to Making Space Mondays. Today we face a crisis that many of us never thought we would experience in our lifetime.  Sickness, disease, yes, but a pandemic (definition- prevalent over a whole country or world) probably not.  In an article on the story of influenza, I learned that in the late […]

How to read Scripture

I am often asked how to read Scripture. My response is to allow the Word to read you, to have the Word speak to you as a love letter from God the Father. When I read Scripture, I ask the Lord to speak to me through His Word and journal what I sense He is […]

Master Planner (Video blog)

We would love for you to join us at our Celebration Luncheon, March 26 – 10am, Seacoast Church, 750 Longpoint Road, Mt. Pleasant, SC.  Come and see what the Lord has done through our study of Romans and Following the Call.  Click Here to Register. Bring a friend! Connect with us!   http://facebook.com/drawingneartogod     https://www.instagram.com/joanneellisondng/  […]

Facing Your Goliaths

This week as we continue our Making Space Mondays, my topic is facing our fears– our Goliaths; those things that threaten to take us down. I saw a post this week on our Drawing near Facebook that was so powerful: David, a shepherd boy, one day called to be King of Israel, learned to face […]

God Anoints His Leaders

So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.” I Samuel 16:12     The word anoint comes from the Hebrew word masah, which means to “anoint, smear, consecrate.” It occurs approximately 70 times […]

Set the World on Fire

A few years back I went on vacation with my husband to Yellowstone National park. There were fires everywhere that had started when a camper had not fully extinguished their campfire. It destroyed much of the park. As we drove through the desolate forest, you could see the destruction first hand that a fire of […]

Suffering Has Kingdom Purpose

In a world where we hear so much bad news who wants to read a blog on suffering? I personally would rather go to the dentist and not use Novocaine. I want to get away from the bad news, isolate myself from hearing the tragic stories in the news. Just this week a beautiful 6 […]

Honoring His Name

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Psalm 29:2    The Psalms inspire us to praise and honor the name of the Lord. As we seek God, He will reveal His character to us through His names. Let us learn to honor Jehovah God, […]

Enemy Doesn’t Play Fair but God Does

This morning I am like a dog with a bone on a subject that is near to my heart. Why? Because I have just walked through taking the bait of the enemy. The trap he set for me was discouragement. Anyone been there lately? The enemy doesn’t play fair but God always wins… if we […]