Stephanie Pavlantos: Joy Comes in the Mourning
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 ESV When was the last time you mourned over someone or something? There are days my heart is heavy over the things I see in this world–in politics, in the church, or in our country. I have mourned over the death of family members and pets, and the loss of relationships. Sometimes as I mourned, I felt Jesus mourning with me, and other times … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: The Passover Lamb
Growing up, I loved Easter Sunday. We dressed up in our new dresses, ate the candy from our Easter basket, went to church, and spent the day with family eating a lot of food. I grew up hearing the same story every year of Jesus’ crucifixion, death, and resurrection. I’m not sure how much it really meant to me until I was out of college. I remember hearing a song called Watch the Lamb by Ray Boltz in the late 1990s. It … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: The Betrothal
After four months of dating, my boyfriend got some of our friends together and planned a three-day cruise. There were eight of us total, four guys and four girls — two rooms (one for the guys and one for the girls). Then, off we went to the Bahamas. On the last night of our cruise, there was a formal dinner with great food, friends, and fun. At the end of the night, Mike took me to the top deck overlooking … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: The Poor in Spirit
And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Revelation 5:10 ESV Biology was and is my favorite subject. I loved learning about the different plants, animals, cells, and fungi in the world, especially how we as humans fit into it all. This world belongs to our Creator and everything in it He made it with a purpose—except mosquitos….I’m not sure of their … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: Fear has a Voice, but We don’t have to Listen.
Fear is a stronghold. A stronghold is like an iceberg–the sea of our thoughts and emotions hide the majority of it. The ten percent we show to those around us is no indication of its depth and size. …
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Stephanie Pavlantos: The Gift of Gab
When God called me to write I felt obligated to explain to Him that I was NOT a writer. He seemed unconvinced…
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Stephanie Pavlantos: Lord, Help my Unbelief
Have you ever had a very sick child? Or worse, maybe you found out your child would be diabetic, deaf, blind, autistic, or have some other type of physical disability. Since my son was premature, he didn’t hit developmental milestones on time. He was taking his time crawling; he did more rolling to get where he wanted to go. When we felt like he should be walking, we held his hands while helping him stand. But he did not want … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: A Sign and a Seal
Pentecost or the Feast of Shavuot is celebrated fifty days after Passover and the death of Jesus/Yeshua. In the Christian church, we think of it as the day the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples waiting in the upper room. But the first Pentecost occurred for a different reason. Exodus 19:17-20 tells us the first Pentecost was when God came to Mt. Sinai to meet with the people. God called Moses to the top of the mountain so He … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: His Name
Do you know the meaning of your name? My name, Stephanie, comes from the Greek word, stephanos which means crowned. Revelation 19:12 (ESV) says of Jesus: His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems [stephanos], and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. ~Revelation 19:12 ESV I really don’t like to be called anything but Stephanie, meaning I don’t like my name shortened. It ends up sounding like stuff … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: The Aleph and Biet of Christianity
Do you ever find the Bible difficult to read and understand? I think most of us could answer this with a Yes. The Bible was written over a span of 1500 years by Jewish men who lived in Jewish culture and spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, and sometimes Greek. No wonder we can have trouble. The Bible is filled with Hebrew idioms which are hard for us to understand without their proper context. If I told my Iranian friend, “Don’t count your … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: The Coat, the First Couple, and the Lamb
One Sunday after church I was talking to friends and one commented on my husband’s leather coat. She said it reminded her of the ’70s. I laughed and told her it was that old. My husband throws nothing away. But he has taken very good care of this coat so it does not look old at all. Somehow our conversation drifted to Adam and Eve. My friend commented about God making clothes to cover Adam and Eve and the blood … Continue reading →