What’s In A Name?

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Greetings from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert near Palm Springs. What’s in a name? Ask the clerk at the Los Angeles Superior Court, where, for a fee and the cost of filing a legal advertisement, anyone over the age of 18 can have his name changed. A newspaper article published years ago gave some examples of the name changes. Georgia Ricotta wanted her name changed. After all, who would want to be identified with a cheese? Her new name? Anna Novelli. “I picked my last name from a TV series,” the new Anna says.

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The Prayer Warrior: The Syrophoenician Woman

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Hello! It’s Kathy Collard Miller from the Southern Californian desert in the Palm Springs area. From Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30, we learn about the Syrophoenician woman who truly represents a prayer warrior. Her request is dire for her and her daughter. What’s amazing is she is a Gentile. In this account, Jesus goes to the region of Tyre and Sidon, on the Mediterranean coast. This is the only time Scripture indicates Jesus left the land of Israel. Just as he had to go through Samaria to meet the needy woman at the well, so he needs to leave his…

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Welcome to The Waiting Club

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By Dianne Barker Dianne Barker here to extend a welcome. You’ve been tapped for membership in an elite group, The Waiting Club. I’m a long-time member myself, and I’d love to show you around. You’ll recognize familiar names.

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Growing Pains

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By Dianne Barker It’s Dianne Barker with reflections on growing pains. Looking back, many of us recall stages of awkwardness as we left childhood for adolescence and then adulthood, each phase bringing growth and change. After a few stumbles, we got our footing and moved ahead, walking in confidence. The process is much like our faith journey—stages and stumbles as we learn and grow. I’m thinking of 2 Peter 3:18. “Grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah)…” (The Amplified Bible).

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Believing God for the Impossible

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Dianne Barker here…just thinking about my biblical friend Abram. The Lord had given him huge promises. “I will make you into a great nation…To your offspring I will give this land” (see Gen. 12:2, 7). He kept talking about the future (Gen. 13:14-17), but nothing seemed to be happening.

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An Opportunity Is Not Necessarily God’s Open Door

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Hello from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert where it actually can get cold! As I visited with my friend who complained about everything going on in her life and all she felt compelled to do, I could sense she expected me to volunteer to help. My heart went out to her but I’d really been seeking God’s will rather than responding to every need of others. It took every fiber of my trust in God to not offer to take some of the load from her, but in my heart, I knew God wasn’t calling me to this…

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Yes! Have the Breakfast Too!

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Hello from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert where it’ll soon be cooler weather! “Mommy, I’m ready to go over to Irene’s!” I cried out. I had my pajamas and toothbrush! It was going to be my first overnighter at my best friend, Irene’s house, across the street. I could hardly contain my excitement. I felt like such a big girl to be able to spend the night at someone’s house. A big step for a first-grader! My mother accompanied me across the street and Irene and I had a great time that evening. We didn’t go to…

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They Were Dropping Like Flies

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Hello from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert where it’s finally cooling down! It was so hot that even the bees were dropping like flies. In our desert area of Southern California, my husband, Larry, and I get used to the soaring summer heat and we thought the insects would too. But we kept finding dead bees by our front door. We thought, “Can’t do anything about it and it can’t be anything too serious,” so we just ignored the strange phenomenon. Until we also noticed a dark spot on the wall near the ceiling—a wall that was close…

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The more setbacks, the more hope for our readers…

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Hola from Janet Perez Eckles…Igniting Your Passion to Overcome Life gets rough; family falls apart. Our health betrays us. Facing all this, how can we possibly inspire, educate and change the hearts of those who read our writing? They expect to read great things. But we sit at the computer, our mind blank. And restlessness makes our creativity fade. The strength we had suddenly turns to weakness. The apostle Paul knew this feeling. And what God said to him, He is saying to us too: “My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly…

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Surprise Encounter In An Airport

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Hello from Kathy Collard Miller in the Southern California desert where it’s starting to cool down! Some time ago I was waiting in the airport for my connecting flight, minding my own business while enjoying reading a novel. I looked up and noticed a small food counter nearby where a woman was serving customers. I continued reading when unexpectedly the Lord’s still small voice within my heart whispered, “Go talk to that woman behind the counter about Me.” My reaction was unfortunately one that I usually make: “Oh, Lord, you know I don’t like doing things like this. Please! No!” I…

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