Thursday, January 3, 2013

Switching to a New Blog!

Please come follow my new blog on my website at http://maryelizabethhall.com/. I'll be closing out this one soon.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

New Article!

Come check out my new article on Creation Studies on Home Educating Family's blog! My next one - on training our children to use their talents to honor God - will be posted in the upcoming issue of Home Educating Family Magazine!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Fables for Japan Book Three is Now Available!

“Fables for Japan” is a set of 3 anthology books collecting fiction, poems, sequential (comic books) stories, and artwork. These are original works by writers and artists from around the world. 100% of the sales from these books will benefit the March 11th earthquake victims.
My story Healer is in Book One, along with Kristen's illustration. I was a contributing editor on Books Two and Three, and my daughter Kristen did a story with an illustration in Book Three, along with spot illustrations in Book Two. These e-books are truly beautiful, and only $3.95 each - come support this worthy cause! Click here to visit Fables for Japan.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Keeping Holy in Holidays

I felt convicted recently when our pastor Jim Britt asked, "Are we too busy celebrating the King of Kings to spend time with Him in the mornings?" While I do have devotions every day, I've been as guilty as anyone lately of speeding through my precious time with God so I can get on with the task of speeding through all the other tasks and events of the holidays.
Our friend Uk Chong, serving God in Thailand, wrote on his family's Christmas card this year, "We wish you the ability to focus on the birth of Jesus like the Wise Men did when they followed the star on their long journey. May all the distractions fall into the background and may the most glorious Christmas gift shine His light into your life."
Charles Spurgeon wrote the following for December 25 in Morning and Evening, "It ought not to be true, but it is true, that our days of feasting are very seldom days of sanctified enjoyment, but too frequently degenerate into unhallowed mirth." Thankfully, he also wrote, "Have you been forgetful of your high calling?...Then confess the sin, and fly to the sacrifice...This is the best ending of a Christmas - to wash anew in the purifying fountain. Believer, come to this sacrifice continually; if it is so good tonight, it is good every night. To live at the altar is the privilege of the royal priesthood."
Let us celebrate our Lord's birth and enjoy our precious time with friends and family. But let's never forget to honor Him in our hearts through every bit of it.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Frodo Meets Nemo

My hubby and girls put this together - hilarious!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCXNZQYDP2Y

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Prodigal God - Part 2 - The Elder Brother

According to Tim Keller in The Prodigal God, the elder brother in the prodigal son parable seeks happiness through moral rectitude rather than by the way of self-discovery like his younger brother. The problem isn't that he seeks to act rightly, but that he expects his righteous behavior to pay off for his benefit. While the younger brother defies his father by acting according to his own desires outside of his father's direction, the elder brother rejects the father by failing to honor him. He does not address him with respect, but treats him with scorn. Why does he do this? Consider the inheritance. The younger brother squandered his inheritance. What remains? Only that which is designated for the older brother. He has served his father faithfully and views the fatted calf as belonging to him. Does it? What do we claim is righfully ours because we have served faithfully? Health? Security? Children who bless us? It's also interesting that the parable doesn't have a neat ending. The younger brother comes in to the celebration, but the elder brother remains outside. He rejects both the father and the repentant sinner who has returned home. I would add that he also rejects all the others who have come to celebrate with them. Let's make sure we don't do that.