Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Feb 3, 2012, 12:10 pm
Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful w...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Jan 27, 2012, 11:34 am
Life. Such an amazing gift. Unfortunately, in our sinful state of humanity, we view this gift as ours. Like two-year olds, we boastfully claim, "Mine, mine, mine." But nothing could be further than the truth. He is the generator of our life in every sense. ‘For in Him we live and...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Jan 20, 2012, 11:02 am
God desires fellowship and communion with Him. (See last week's post.) He is to be our focus and He is the ultimate reward. But above and beyond that, He blesses us with even more when we choose to make Him our dwelling place. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most H...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Jan 13, 2012, 10:41 am
Our most special relationships on earth are those which are intimate. Within these relationships we find a closeness and a level of trust and understanding that are missing in our casual friendships. How mind-boggling it is that our God desires an intimate relationship with u...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Jan 6, 2012, 2:03 pm
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. ~Hebrews 12:15, NIV The squirrel buried the pecan in the soft soil. I watched from a nearby window and heaved a heavy sigh. That nut would become yet anoth...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Jan 2, 2012, 2:34 pm
ABOUT THE BOOK: A timeless classic on the strategies of Christian warfare. This book is a manual of arms for the Christian soldier. It is not a devotional reader for the believer who has gone AWOL. It is a deadly serious guidebook for dedicated Christians who are on the battlefiel...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Dec 31, 2011, 1:01 pm
A new year always brings thoughts of things we'd like to change or accomplish in our lives, but for those who belong to Christ, our task is a daily one as we put off the old and put on the new. As I meditated on the following passage, I realized how much I need the work ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Dec 24, 2011, 11:43 am
Can you picture it? A poor, young teenager, recently engaged. The most unlikely person for God to use. Why would the God of all creation choose someone like her to bear His Son? Why was she "highly favored" by God over all the other women on the earth? Well, for one thing, &#...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Dec 14, 2011, 11:13 am
The disciples' request was simple: "Teach us to pray." Jesus responded with a simple prayer. This, then, is how you should pray:    "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name,   Your kingdom come, Your will be done,    on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread.  And ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Dec 9, 2011, 4:19 pm
I normally try to only post devotional thoughts on my website, but because of delayed plans in publishing the third book in the Miller's Creek series, I felt like I owed readers a word of explanation. It was my original intent to have the third book out in 2011. It's pretty &...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Dec 1, 2011, 8:55 am
I watched breathlessly as a majestic eagle carved lazy circles in the sky. He soared effortlessly as he allowed the wind to suspend him in mid-air. The words of Isaiah took on fresh meaning. Do you not know?    Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God,    the Creator...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Nov 22, 2011, 10:42 am
Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instea...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Oct 31, 2011, 3:28 pm
Before our recent move, friends of ours gave us a beautiful wall hanging which says: Walk by FAITH, have HOPE always, LOVE others. As I hung the rustic picture above the fireplace, I noticed the H in FAITH was a little difficult to read, so I found a marker and fill...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Oct 24, 2011, 9:29 am
If the truth were told, we could probably all admit to trust issues. We've all been burned in relationships with others, and because of our burn scars we find it difficult to know who to trust. But our heavenly Father is completely worthy of our trust. Because He made us ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Oct 20, 2011, 7:18 pm
I've always imagined that adopted children must surely grow up with a keen sense that they were especially chosen by their adopted parents. What a benediction of peace, joy, and love that must bring to their lives! The adoption process is the perfect analogy of what God has&#...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Oct 17, 2011, 6:54 pm
No two ways about it--my life is a product of prayer. I grew up knowing that my grandmothers (& others!) prayed for me. I shudder to think how differently my life would have turned out without those prayers. When I consider the above paragraph, I realize with fresh intensity ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Oct 13, 2011, 11:47 am
A recent status update on Facebook changed my day. It was simply this: "What if God blessed you tomorrow based on what you thank Him for today?" Astounding thought,isn't it? We are so quick to take our problems and requests to God, and we certainly need to. But we're &#...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Oct 10, 2011, 11:05 am
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;    don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;    he's the one who will keep you on track. ~Proverbs 3:5-6 (MSG) When I wrote my last book, A Path Less Traveled (book two ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Oct 3, 2011, 6:30 pm
No, I'm not talking about Superman. I'm talking about words. As a writer I've learned the importance and power of not only words, but the right words. As Mark Twain so aptly puts it: "The difference between the almost right word & the right word is really a large matter...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 29, 2011, 2:06 pm
If there's anything we can be assured of in this life, it's this: Conflict is gonna happen. Most of the time these conflicts are compounded by a lack of communication, and this is just as much a problem for believers as it is unbelievers. Thankfully, the Bible is not on...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 26, 2011, 11:38 am
Once more the Philistines raided the valley; so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, “Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move&...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 22, 2011, 12:59 pm
A shiny penny winked at me from the pavement. As I stooped to snatch it up, I realized it was embedded in the asphalt. I puzzled over the penny. This was my regular walking route. I had literally traveled this same path thousands of times. Why hadn't I seen the penny years ea...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 19, 2011, 12:57 pm
I watched both movies in the same weekend. The Lord must have wanted me to get the message. I did. The movies I'm referring to are The Help and The King's Speech. My hubby and I were enjoying a weekend excursion and saw The Help at a movie theater. When we returned home the n...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 15, 2011, 12:56 pm
Messages are being hurled at us from every direction, and in the chaos of life, we often take them in without much contemplation. At other times, we're attracted to a particular message because it's what we want to hear, regardless of its truth. For those of us who struggle w...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 12, 2011, 6:40 pm
God, in His infinite wisdom, has ordained a time for everything, even things we might classify as bad. It's difficult for our human brains to comprehend why some seasons of our lives turn out the way they do. Consider the following: There is a time for everything,    and a season...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 8, 2011, 10:36 am
We walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV) We humans are so tuned in to our senses. We put great stock in all we see, hear, feel, taste and smell. But we would be wise to remember that everything our senses take in is temporary, and only the spiritual real...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 5, 2011, 4:39 pm
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, ESV) As I work on my novel, The Way of Grace, a story about a goody-two-sho...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Sep 1, 2011, 11:27 am
“I promise not to be distracted by…ooh, shiny!” I posted the above comment to my status on Facebook and received numerous comments and “likes.” We all laugh at this because we know how easy it is to be distracted by the smallest things despite our good intenti...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Aug 30, 2011, 3:56 pm
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 (ESV) Notice the correlation between tasting and trusting. When we’ve tasted God’s goodness by putting our trust in Him, we’ll want even more. Our craving for God will intensify ex...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Aug 30, 2011, 3:46 pm
Sorry to appear so wishy-washy, but I can't seem to transfer my feeds from WordVessel to my new website. So instead I'll be posting in both places. Hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone! =)
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Jul 1, 2011, 10:09 pm
As promised in the last post, I've moved my blog and website to another host. You can find me at www.CatBryant.com. (Blog and website have been combined into one.) I've tried to figure out how to transfer those of you who subscribe to WordVessel either by e-mail or RSS feed, but it has me bamb...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Jun 23, 2011, 6:25 pm
Hi friends! Just wanted to let you know that I'm moving to a new location in the near future. Once the new website/blog is up and running, I'll send out one final post to let you know. Hope you'll stop by for a visit!
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 24, 2011, 9:00 am
The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, “I will wip...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 23, 2011, 8:34 am
All of us humans are creatures of our senses. By that I mean that what we see, hear, taste, feel and smell becomes our reality. But the truth is that there is a greater reality, and for those of us who belong to Christ, we're both surrounded and indwelled by it. The color spectrum is act...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 20, 2011, 7:00 am
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand....When Pharaoh heard of this, he ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 19, 2011, 9:00 am
When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, “I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus 2:10, NIV)  Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may wors...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 18, 2011, 9:00 am
Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the w...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 17, 2011, 9:00 am
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2, NIV) Have you ever stopped to consider that we're only a generation away from complete godlessness...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 16, 2011, 9:00 am
Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the c...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 13, 2011, 9:00 am
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:30-31, NIV) As this post is published to cyberspace, I ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 11, 2011, 7:00 am
Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - May 10, 2011, 12:01 pm
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12, NIV) A recent lesson in the children's Sunday School class I teach used the Golden Rule as the memory verse. As we sat and discussed why the rule was important and how ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Apr 22, 2011, 11:09 am
They began to be sorrowful and to say to him one after another, “Is it I?” (Mark 14:19, ESV) Jesus had already told His disciples what was about to happen, though in their humanity, they still didn't quite realize the full impact and importance. Now he adds another element. "One of y...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Apr 21, 2011, 10:44 am
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10, NIV) All of us want to be wise, and wisdom begins with fearing God. We cannot be wise without a reverencing Him. This reverence necessitates that we remove ourselves, with our pri...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Apr 20, 2011, 10:32 am
Whether we care to admit it or not, pride motivates much of what we do and is a huge part of who we are. But the Bible reveals that it is also one of the things God hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). Anytime we feel hurt, rejected, defensive, troubled, resentful, bitter, jealous, or angry, we would be ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Apr 19, 2011, 9:13 am
We don't like to hear the words: "There's nothing we can do." Why? First of all, the statement implies that all our striving has been in vain. That the battle is over and finished. Secondly, our society has taught that with enough willpower and intestinal fortitude we can accomplis...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Apr 18, 2011, 9:11 am
It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Apr 13, 2011, 10:55 am
Not one person wants to be unsuccessful. We all desire to reach the end of our life and say, "I've had a successful life." But the Biblical standard of success is different than the world's definition. The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered....his master saw that the LORD was with him and that th...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Apr 12, 2011, 11:24 am
What a joy to see a fellow believer live out his faith in front of an audience of millions on the hit reality show, Survivor. Matt Elrod has unashamedly confessed his faith and dependence on God throughout trying times and opposition. He has remained victorious. Even if Matt ends up not ...
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Cathy Bryant posted an article on WordVessel - Apr 11, 2011, 11:06 am
On Survivor, Rob has played longer than any other person in the show's history. He knows how to play the game, and he's good at it. I don't know Rob's spiritual condition, but he made a very revealing statement during the last episode, right before he masterminded a plan to return unashamed Ch...
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