Is it Greek to You?
Have you seen the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding? It has been my life. In 1992, I married my Greek husband, Mike (aka Minas). Little did I know what I was getting into. On our wedding day, I had an Egyptian friend bring a pan of his famous baklava to my wedding reception as a gift. Watching all the Greek women surround that pan of baklava, smelling it and holding it to the light as they whispered in Greek, … Continue reading →
God’s Favorite Christmas Gift
My favorite Christmas was the time I put my name on every gift under the tree. I have a large family with five sisters plus my mom and dad. My aunt and uncle came over Christmas Eve to stay the night with us. While everyone was busy preparing for Christmas Day, I sat on the floor by the Christmas tree with wrapping paper, scissors and a pen, making new gift tags with my name on them for each one. …
Continue reading →
O Holy Night
“O Holy Night” is one of my favorite Christmas songs. . . . The Sacrifice God knew exactly where and when His Son would be born, although it probably didn’t seem that holy to have Mary birth Him in a cave with sheep around. Levitical shepherds who raised the sacrificial sheep for the temple priests surrounded baby Jesus—they were the ones angels told first. The shepherds washed the newborn lambs with saltwater and swaddled them in pieces of old priestly … Continue reading →
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…
Continue reading →
The Blessedness of the Meek
The poor in spirit recognize their position as beggars who are in absolute dependence on the Father…
Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: Joy Comes in the Mourning
A few weeks ago, I explained the meaning of the phrase Blessed are. It means, O the blessedness of, the gladness of, or we could say happiness is…
Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: Do You Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness?
The hunger mentioned in Matthew 5:6 is not this kind of hunger but means a poor person who works to fend off starvation. The Hebrew word for this kind of hunger is reab and it means famine, dearth (the scarcity of something), and hunger….
Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: Lord, Help my Unbelief
When we struggle with unbelief or putting our love for God in the right order, He understands! …
Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: The Offering
If you had lived in the Garden of Eden, what do you think your offering or gift to God would’ve looked like? Would the offering have been the most beautiful flowers from your flower garden, or vegetables from your vegetable garden, or maybe the most perfect animal you raised? Have you ever thought about why God had a problem with Cain’s offering in Genesis 4? Why did He react one way towards Abel’s gift and the opposite towards Cain’s? What … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: Happiness is…
We have been looking into the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. Recently, I read Psalm 32 and noticed it begins with the same wording as Matthew 5. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ~Psalm 32:1-2 ESV While looking for a commentary about these verses, I came across an article from “Working Preacher” called The Pursuit … Continue reading →
Stephanie Pavlantos: Happy are the Pursued…
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ~Matthew 5:10-11 ESV Years ago, a recruiter contacted me because he saw my resume online, asking me to interview for a state-of-the-art histology lab–even offering the salary I desired. This company pursued me for my skills. We use the word pursue in many ways. Pursue is one … Continue reading →