Cross My Heart Ministry

Happy New Year! This is the day many of us typically make a New Year’s Resolution–an annual tradition that’s more akin to a “wish” than a “resolution.”

Would you like to make this year different? I’m not talking about losing weight, calling your mother, painting your bathroom or hitting the gym (although all those might be worthy goals).

I want to challenge you to make a choice with eternal significance.

This decision has the potential to impact every other decision. I’m talking about choosing to become a woman of the Word. It’s a decision that can change your relationships, use of time, attitude, actions, and behaviors.

Yes, that’s a big claim. I can make it because it’s been my reality. God’s Word has profoundly changed me–and continues to change me–from the inside out. I know it will do the same for you.

When the Israelites journeyed through the wilderness after escaping Egypt, they didn’t just wander aimlessly and without direction. God guided them:

By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud
to guide them on their way
and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,
so they could travel by day or night.
Exodus 13:21

Cool, huh? How amazing would it be to look up and just follow the light to make the best decision! While God may not provide a cloud or fire in the sky, He does provide light—the light of His Word! Psalm 119:105 says:

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

If you are ready to choose to follow the light of God’s truth, we want to help you get started! Our ‘Write the WORD’ bookmark for January includes a daily verse or passage featuring the word light. We hope you will download your own copy, look up that verse in your Bible each day, and then write it out in a journal. Think, mediate, and pray over this verse. Allow the Spirit of God to use the Word of God to teach you, prompt you, and change you.

Are you ready to walk in the light? Why not give it a try for 31 days?

In this week’s devotional video, Laura introduces our January ‘Write the WORD’ topic: LIGHT. We hope that you will choose to start off 2023 in God’s Word, joining us as we read, write, and dwell on Bible verses containing the word, “light.”

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).
Matthew 1:23

He came.

Christmas – more than anything else – is a time to joyfully celebrate the familiar, but also astonishing, truth that Christ came.

God came to Earth. Immanuel means God with us.

Jesus, the holy perfect Son of God, took off His royal robe of glory and set it aside. He willingly put on a robe of human flesh. He was born a baby, lived a perfect, sinless life, and died a death He didn’t deserve for crimes He didn’t commit.

It is marvelous … but unimaginable.

Fantastic … but unfathomable.

Wondrous … incredible … life-changing.

Don’t let the familiarity of Jesus rob you of the wow and wonder of Jesus.

It’s Christmas morning. The gifts have been wrapped, the cookies are baked, the Christmas cards are sent. With the physical preparations complete, I encourage you to take some time this morning to prepare your heart to worship our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Be still. Thank Him for coming. Acknowledge His presence. Be filled with His grace. Abide in His peace. Lean into the wonder. He is the Prince of Peace. His presence is the best present of all.

Do you know Christ Jesus as your Savior? Do you bow to Him as your Lord? Is the babe in the manger also your resurrected Savior?

As we celebrate Christmas, do we also rejoice as we look ahead to Easter? Does your hope for eternity rest completely in a baby born over 2000 years ago in a stable?

Immanuel. He came. And He’s coming back.

Merry Christmas to your house from mine!

In this week’s devotional video, Laura shared a brief message to encourage each of us to make time to ponder the wonder of Christmas, and all it means for now and for all eternity!

As this year draws to a close, we are excited for the opportunities God will provide in 2023, for Laura to share the love of Christ by ministering to women and enouraging them to love God and love His Word.

Through this final week of 2022, we’re offering a FREE set of next year’s Write the WORD bookmarks, printed in full color and mailed to you, for readers who make a tax-deductible gift to support the ministry of Cross My Heart. (Given the cost to print and mail the bookmarks, we kindly request, but do not require, a gift of $20 or more to offset our expenses.)

Donations can be mailed to:
Cross My Heart Ministry, 1310 Scout Trail, Siloam Springs, AR 72761.

To donate directly from your bank account through Zelle, please use email address cross.my.heart@cox.net.

Luke 1:26-38 records a conversation between the angel Gabriel and Mary. The birth of Jesus is foretold to this teenage girl: the Holy Spirit will overshadow and, though still a virgin, she will miraculously be with child. Gabriel concludes with these powerful words: “For nothing is impossible with God.”

Mary responds with confident faith in the God she loves, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

Mary’s attitude is one of acceptance and humility.

She not only accepts this startling news, but writes a beautiful hymn of praise to God in response. These beautiful words, found in Luke 1:46-55, are known as Mary’s Song or The Magnificat (meaning “glorifies”).

Why does Mary have cause for praise?

She is a not-yet-wed teenager, engaged to a man but pregnant with a baby he knows is not his. In male dominated first-century Jewish society, the possible consequences of Mary being found with child included death by stoning.

Most of us would describe her situation as difficult, at best.

How does Mary respond? How would you have responded? What do we find Mary doing?

Perhaps we learn more by what she is not doing:

• She is not wringing her hands.
• She is not wailing, “Why me?” or “What will people think?”
• She is not asking or advice from strangers on the internet or social media.
• She is not downloading multiple self-help books onto her Kindle.

Mary is praising God. Her first statement says it all: “My soul glorifies the Lord!”

Mary is not just surviving her crisis; she is thriving. And we, too, can thrive in challenging circumstances when we remind ourselves why we are here. Our purpose, as found in Isaiah 43:7, is this:  we were created to bring glory to God.

That fact is our true north when the storms of this life blow us off course.

You may not find yourself unwed and pregnant this Christmas, but perhaps time with family is challenging. Perhaps the holidays magnify political, ideological, or religious differences between family members. This season may strain relationships, and bring reminders of memories not made (or some you would like to erase).

Whatever your situation or circumstance, check your compass.

Take some time to get focused. Pray for the E.G.R. (“Extra Grace Required”) folks in your life and in your family — and for an extra dose of patience and wisdom when interacting with them. Ask God to help you own your contribution to strained relationships. Pray some more. Ask Him to work through you to love them well and bring glory to Him. And then praise the One who made you.

As you acknowledge God’s gift of grace to you, it will be easier to release grace to others.

Even if you don’t say it with words, may your actions speak loudly: My soul glorifies the Lord!

With two weeks left in the year, we are looking forward to 2023 with great anticipation of the opportunities God will provide to encourage women to love God and love His Word.

Through December 31, we’re offering a FREE set of 2023 Write the WORD bookmarks, printed in full color and mailed to you, for those who make a tax-deductible donation to Cross My Heart Ministry. (Given the cost to print and mail the bookmarks, we kindly request, but do not require, a gift of $20 or more to offset our expenses.)
Donations may be mailed to:
Cross My Heart Ministry, 1310 Scout Trail, Siloam Springs, AR 72761.

To make a donation directly from your bank account using Zelle, please use email address cross.my.heart@cox.net.

In addition to year-end donations, you can help support our ministry year-round through the Amazon Smile program. Simply choose us as your designated charity, and Amazon will donate to Cross My Heart Ministry every time you make a purchase at Smile.Amazon.com or using the Amazon Shopping app — at no additional cost to you!
Click here to sign up today: smile.amazon.com/ch/46-4702149

“and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7

Surely, the only thing worse than making an 80-mile trek while pregnant and riding on a donkey is finding a “No Vacancy” sign greeting you upon arrival. My Bible footnote says the journey would have taken at least three days; some sources suggest upwards of a week. Not a pleasant trip, even if you aren’t nine months pregnant.

But Caesar declared a census and the whole world complied. The really interesting part is, although Caesar issued the decree, God gave the prophecy 700 years earlier:  the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Our great God is the best chess player of all. He works through natural events and circumstances to fulfill His plan … and often surprise and delight us in the process.

I’ve decided we’ve given the innkeeper a bad rap down through the centuries. I’ve pictured a big, burly, pompous, rich guy booming, “There is no room!” Somehow I’ve suspected there really was a room back there somewhere and he just didn’t offer it. But let’s be realistic: the man was an innkeeper. That was his livelihood. If there was a room, wouldn’t he have rented it?

In actuality, he did make room. It wasn’t the nicest place—a stable can’t replace a firm mattress, clean sheets, and an Andes mint on the pillow—but it was shelter.

The innkeeper offered what he had available.

And isn’t that all God asks of us? How often have I turned on the “No Vacancy” sign because I can’t offer what I perceive to be the best?

Would meatloaf suffice if I don’t have (and have no idea how to prepare) prime rib?  Go ahead and invite the new neighbors over!

Would a box mix work if I have no time to do made-from-scratch?  Go ahead and bake cookies for the college students!

Could I send a card when driving an hour each way for the hospital visit feels impossible ? Send the card!

It occurs to me that too often I’ve had the “perfect” idea, only to realize that it requires more than I can deliver. Because there is no room—time-wise, money-wise, or even ability-wise—to do it, the follow-through never happens. Have I been duped? Has pride kept me immobilized? When I can’t do the great big thing I want to do, does that stop me from doing the reasonable and appropriate thing I can do?

Perhaps we could learn a little lesson from the innkeeper:  just give what you have, do what you can, and trust God with the rest.

Maybe it’s time to make some room, or look for where we really had a little room all along.

Time to pull down—and maybe throw out—that “No Vacancy” sign.

God, show us where and how to make room!

In this week’s devotional video, Laura shares 12 ideas to help all of us have a “MARY” Little Christmas — and a MARTHA Christmas, too! For most of us, the Mary/Martha tension is a continual challenge. Finding the right balance between the eternal and the temporal is a daily dilemma that often feels especially heightened during the holiday season. We hope you’ll listen as Laura shares ideas for blurring those lines, as we do our Martha tasks with a Mary heart and mindset!

If you have not yet subscribed to our newsletter, we hope you’ll sign up today. It only takes a moment to ensure that you’re notified each time we publish a new article on our site. And if you enjoy Laura’s YouTube videos, you can become a subscriber there, too … all it requires is a Gmail address and a moment of your time.

As this year draws to a close and we look forward to 2023, we are excited for the new opportunities God will provide, for Laura to minister to women and encourage them to love God and love His Word.

For the rest of 2022, we’re offering a FREE set of next year’s Write the WORD bookmarks, printed in full color and mailed to you, for our readers who make a tax-deductible donation to support the ongoing ministry of Cross My Heart. (Given the cost to print and mail the bookmarks, we kindly request, but do not require, a gift of $20 or more to offset our expenses.)
You can mail donations to:
Cross My Heart Ministry, 1310 Scout Trail, Siloam Springs, AR 72761.

To make a donation from your bank account through Zelle, please use email address cross.my.heart@cox.net.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy,
 God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.
 The virgin’s name was Mary.
Luke 1:26-27

In chapters 1 and 2 of Luke’s gospel, Joseph is mentioned by name five times compared to Mary, who is mentioned 15.  That probably says more about her significance than his insignificance, but I’ve always felt Joseph was more of an add-in to the Christmas story … a supporting actor rather than leading man.

But for today—before we look at Mary, the shepherds, the wise men, or even Jesus—I’d like to pull Joseph into the spotlight.

Please flip back to Matthew’s gospel and read verses 18-25 of chapter 1.

Here we learn that Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph and was found pregnant. Being “pledged” was serious business to the Jewish people.  It was legally binding, requiring a divorce to be nullified.

A first century Jewish man (or a man of any century or nationality) would be angry, humiliated, disappointed, and/or grieved to be planning a wedding only to learn his betrothed was pregnant by another man. Keeping the law would perhaps bring bitter satisfaction, as well as an outlet for the anger. Not to mention that keeping the law was, for Jewish men, not only encouraged, but expected.

But instead of rule-keeping, we get a picture of grace-giving. Joseph unfolds as a man of real character. It has been said that character is defined by what we do when no one is looking. Joseph proves himself a giant among men where character is concerned. Perhaps this is why God chose him to be the earthly father for Jesus. Let’s consider (and be spurred on by) Joseph’s actions and decisions.

In verse 19 he is described as a “righteous man,” which suggests he kept Jewish law. But that same verse also reveals he “did not want to expose [Mary] to public disgrace.” In this situation, the choice to be both righteous and compassionate brings a dilemma. Should he keep the letter of the law, or extend grace to a woman who appears to have betrayed him?

Joseph was big enough to set aside his own hurt and wounded pride and find compassion for Mary. He could have had her publicly exposed, humiliated, and even stoned. Instead, he planned to “divorce her quietly.”

Sometimes, when we do the right thing, we want others to know about it. Pride tempts us with the promise of praise for our virtuous action, but real character sets aside the need for personal affirmation. Real character chooses to walk in love and compassion whether anyone else knows or not.

It’s only after Joseph’s selfless decision that the angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and reveals the child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit (see verse 20).

Joseph’s example challenges me to be selfless, to set aside my right to be right—that tendency to desire commendation when I act honorably, or retribution when I’m wronged—and to make good choices even without getting the credit. I hope his life inspires you to do the same. Perhaps the Christmas season more than any other provides opportunities to live like Joseph.

How might the Holy Spirit be prodding you and me to let go of our right to be right, and instead release love and grace to those in our world?

In this week’s teaching video, we’ve reached Chapter 8 in our I Corinthians study. This chapter covers the issue of meat that was previously sacrificed to idols, as Paul continues answering questions sent to him from the church at Corinth.

Before answering the question, he lays out some basic (and timeless) Christian principles. By the time we complete Chapter 8, we realize it’s not really a food issue at all — it’s a love issue! As you listen to Laura tie together the lessons in Chapter 8, pay special attention to the nugget of truth found in verse 4, reminding us that we are both KNOWN and LOVED by God!

As this year draws to a close and we look forward to 2023, we’re excited about the opportunities God will provide for Laura to minister to women and encourage them to love God and love His Word.

For the rest of December, we’re offering a FREE set of next year’s Write the WORD bookmarks, printed in full color and mailed to you, for readers who make a tax-deductible donation to support the ongoing ministry of Cross My Heart. (Given the cost to print and mail the bookmarks, we kindly request,
but do not require, a gift of $20 or more to offset our expenses.)
You can mail donations to:
Cross My Heart Ministry, 1310 Scout Trail, Siloam Springs, AR 72761.

To make a donation directly from your bank account using Zelle, please use email address cross.my.heart@cox.net.

In addition to year-end donations, you can help support our ministry year-round … simply by shopping with the Amazon Smile program. Amazon will donate to Cross My Heart Ministry every time you make a purchase when you choose us as your designated charity, and shop at Smile.Amazon.com or the Amazon Shopping app — at no additional cost to you! Click here to sign up today: smile.amazon.com/ch/46-4702149

“The LORD will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.”
Psalm 85:12

Our Lord is good. He gives us good things. Do you and I acknowledge those good things?

James 1:17 reminds us:

Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not change like shifting shadows.

What gifts have come down from above into your life? Have you thanked Him for those good gifts?

Christmas is a time for gift-giving and gift-receiving. We compile lists of our wants, to make it simple for those who are shopping to buy just the perfect gift. As we make those lists, it’s convicting to ask, “Are the things I desire, think about, and long for good things? Do they spur me on in my affection for Jesus?”

We are never more vulnerable to the traps of consumerism, materialism, and narcissism than at Christmas. The endless sales, ads, coupons, and bargains propel us on to keep wanting, shopping, and buying. But are those all good things?

Before we jump to make our list of wants, perhaps it would be helpful to push the pause button and take a moment to make an already-have list.

Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote Count Your Blessings in 1897 — over 100 years ago! — but the lyrics offer timeless truth to us in the 21^st century:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

On this weekend after Thanksgiving, perhaps a good challenge for yourself is to make an Already-Have List before making a Christmas list. How about one item for each year of life?  If you have children or grandchildren at home, a seven-year-old could identify seven blessings — while 57-year-olds can be challenged to list 57 good things! If that’s too much, start off with a list of just ten things. Filling out the list could be a personal exercise, or something you do together as a family.

It’s always the season to count your blessings and acknowledge the good things God has provided.

Have you ever considered the question, “What is God’s will for my life?” The apostle Paul addresses that question in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 and in this week’s devotional video, Laura expounds on his answer!

As this year draws to a close and we look forward to 2023, we are excited for the new opportunities God will provide, for Laura to minister to women and encourage them to love God and love His Word.

For the rest of 2022, we’re offering a FREE set of next year’s Write the WORD bookmarks, printed in full color and mailed to you, for our readers who make a tax-deductible donation to support the ongoing ministry of Cross My Heart. (Given the cost to print and mail the bookmarks, we kindly request, but do not require, a gift of $20 or more to offset our expenses.)
You can mail donations to:
Cross My Heart Ministry, 1310 Scout Trail, Siloam Springs, AR 72761.

To make a donation from your bank account through Zelle, please use email address cross.my.heart@cox.net.

Did you know that Amazon will donate to Cross My Heart Ministry every time you make a purchase? Simply choose us as your designated charity, shop at Smile.Amazon.com or the Amazon Shopping app, and Amazon will donate a percentage of your eligible purchases — at no additional cost to you! Click here to sign up today: smile.amazon.com/ch/46-4702149