Dying to Self

    For years when I heard in Christian circles the words dying to self, I wanted to say surely there is something else we can talk about. It isn’t my feel good place if you know what I mean. But is Christianity about our feel good place or is it about laying down our lives […]

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 […]

What a Difference a Day Makes

Good morning and welcome to Making Space Mondays! Many of you are part of our Drawing Near to God community and some are not. Please join us as we journey together to grow in Christ and live our lives fully engaged in making Him known. I went for a walk today on the beach near […]

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/  […]

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 […]

Just Take the First Step

Welcome to making space Mondays! This morning I want to share with you how to make space in your life to step out in faith when you sense you are called to do something- whether it is to make a change, do something that is a stretch, or challenging, or a shift in your thinking. […]

Unwavering Faith

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was about a hundred years old – and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet […]

Waiting on God’s Promises

In preparation for this week’s lesson that I am teaching titled “God’s Promises Stand” we are focusing on Roman chapter 9. By the way, you are welcome to join us live or online anytime. In my quiet time this morning as I read through this chapter, I imagined Paul writing to his friends, his Jewish […]