Tag: Bible

The book of Hebrews

~ Brianne Turczynski ~ Leave a comment

“As has just been said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” -Hebrews 3:15

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In the verse above it is referencing Deuteronomy where the Israelites rebelled after they heard the voice of God. Sometimes we do this too. We hear a voice or He guides us—we feel His hand on us but we deny that it is His hand or His voice or that miracles still exist. Then the touch dies away or we get caught up with the things of this world and we forget He is there waiting for us to listen. This verse is telling us to listen this time and not shut the voice out.

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#bibleverse #biblejournaling #christianity #religion #episcopal #episcopalchurch #hebrews #bookstagram #book #bibliophile #bookphotography #writers #writersofinstagram #readersofinstagram

Memoir & Remains of Robert Murray M’Cheyne

~ Brianne Turczynski ~ Leave a comment

Said to be the calming pastoral voice for Robert Louis Stevenson, The Rev. Robert Murray M’Cheyne was a Presbyterian minister in Edinburgh, Scotland in the early 1800s. Although very passionate in his vocation to ‘Save’ individuals and bring them to Christ, almost obnoxiously so, M’Cheyne’s writing is beautiful and his love & passion for his “flock” is felt throughout his work. One thing he writes that stuck out to me was that we should not just read scripture but try to FEEL the words we are reading. I thought this was very good advice. This work is edited by his good friend Andrew Bonar.

The entire work is a compilation of letters, full sermons, his memoir and his ‘Daily Bread’ calendar, which gives a bit of scripture to read everyday. Some quotes of his I have collected are below…

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“One gem from that ocean [the gospel] is worth all the pebbles of earthly streams.”

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“You know that a lighted lamp is a very small thing, and it burns calmly and without noise; yet “it giveth light to all that are within the house.”

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“Pray that you may pray to God, and not for the ears of man. Feel His presence more than man’s.”

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#bookish #preacher #robertlouisstevenson #edinburgh #history #memoir #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #library #religion #inspiration #advice #writing #readersofinstagram #writersofinstagram #bookishescape #christianity #bible #bookphotography #bibliophile #booknerd #bookgeek

The book of Joshua

~ Brianne Turczynski ~ Leave a comment

I have no authority to teach you about these stories, you might disagree with me and that’s OK! 👇👇👇

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I enjoyed reading Joshua. It’s filled with action, and I especially loved the story about Rehab the prostitute, an unexpected hero in worldly terms.

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In this book, Joshua takes the reins after Moses dies and leads the Israelites on the rest of the journey to conquer the promise land. They are able to do this if they keep God close. He will help them achieve their freedom. Much like what I spoke about last week in freedom from whatever may be oppressive in our lives, but now Joshua must finish the job Moses started. We are called to teach our children (younger generations) well to remain always with a sense of what freedom means and how it can be achieved: with God’s help or living in the Spirit of Love and mercy. We do not need to lean on our “parents” forever as someday we will have to be responsible for our own beliefs and actions and discern whether or not what we’ve been taught is even good or right.

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#bible #biblejournaling #christianity #bookshelf #library #booknerdigans #readersofinstagram #writersofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #religion #jesus #catholic #episcopalian #episcopalchurch

The book of Deuteronomy

~ Brianne Turczynski ~ Leave a comment

I have no authority to teach you about the books in the Bible. You might disagree with me and that’s OK. 👇👇👇

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“Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordon to posses.” -Deuteronomy 11:8

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In Deuteronomy we hear from Moses himself about the journey into the promise land. But if we take this from a symbolic viewpoint, we see that he is telling that the journey is hard even for the ‘chosen’. Hardships and sacrifices will surely come when we decide to truly follow a holy path—not perfect, but living in the Holy Spirit, recognizing God’s presence in our own being. People will try to make ‘war’ against you when you live this way, because naturally you will become a more gentle and tender person. They might not think you’re fun anymore. They may try to make you feel like you’re lame or boring because you won’t join in with the gossip or masochistic recreation (whatever that may be; little acts of hate can damage the soul). We might have to kill many relationships that are damaging in order to truly follow a new clean path and live in the Spirit—“the land that we are trying to possess”. We may have to cut ties with relationships that may be unheathly and fight against what we’re trying to obtain in a clean mind, body, and spirit. We may have to cut ties with those who fight against a new ‘us’ even if it means cutting ties with parts of ourselves.

#bookish #bibleverse #biblejournaling #bible #bookphotography #bibliophile #christianity #love #episcopalchurch #episcopal #church #reading #writing #writingcommunity #readersofinstagram #writersofinstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #book #reader #god

Making my Christmas List

~ Brianne Turczynski ~ Leave a comment

Making my Christmas list already. How about you? .

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One meaningful person will lead you to the next. I was introduced to Thomas Merton through the writings of Richard Rohr. Ever since I read the Bible I can’t seem to go too long without reading something with a rich spiritual foundation, or I seem to lose my connection to the wonderful spiritual (otherworldly) dust that floats in the ether all around us and within us. I love novels and secular historical reads but have to supplement it with theological works lest I die of thirst.

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#spirituality #religion #christianity #bible #church #episcopal #episcopalian #catholic #monk #franciscan #thomasmerton #richardrohr #bookshelf #bookstagram #reading #read #bookstagramer #library #readersofinstagram #writersofinstagram #bookloversofinstagram

Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

~ Brianne Turczynski ~ Leave a comment

Let your conversation be always full of grace, ‘seasoned with salt’,
so that you may know how to answer everyone.” -Colossians 4:6

‘Salt’ is one of the most significant words in the whole Bible. We usually hear it in reference to God’s people – ‘salt of the earth’. Because of salt’s preservative nature, Christians, generation after
generation, preserve His name. Also, salt was hard to come by and expensive; Christ’s followers are rare and priceless to Him as He is to us. The words of God give us balance and purify our life as does
salt, as it balances the taste of food, bringing out all the subtle elements which make a flavor more delicate, synchronized, and desirable. Salt is also a necessary nutritional element to life itself; God is also—if only to enjoy in full capacity your life here on earth. Paul is saying here that when we speak, we should have a
little of this good salt on our lips or at least peace, love, and understanding, a balance, a purity. It will make difficult things
easier to say, and it will give mundane conversations life. Because I think to ‘live’ is to recognize that every day is a significant opportunity to cultivate a greater understanding of life, and share
the conundrum of its complexities with one another using the salt on our lips to do so. And in that, even discussing the weather will have as much significance as giving birth to life itself.