Hi Brian!

What a great win! The word for this week is "maker". It's found only one time in the New Testament. Hebrews 11:10:

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. KJV

This is the Greek word "demiourgos". Strong's Concordance says: a worker for the people, i.e. a mechanic (spoken of the Creator). Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: the author of any work, an artisan, architect, framer, builder. I LOVE that it says 'a worker for the people'. That is exactly what JESUS came to do! God planned, before He ever created mankind, the WAY to redeem us WHEN we fell! He created us with the right to choose, KNOWING that at some point we would fail. His plan was to legally buy us back from the enemy by the Blood of JESUS, so that we could have an even better place than Adam had in the Garden! Adam walked with God in the Garden, but WE walk with GOD IN US! THAT is what this Builder and Maker accomplished in and for us! And it was HIS plan all along! How much confidence we can have in Him when we KNOW to what lengths He had to go to release us from the hands of the enemy! Nothing that happened took God by surprise. HE took the enemy by surprise with His ingenious plan, fooling him into thinking that he had the upper hand! The TRUTH of the matter is found in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8:

7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. KJV

I am exceedingly glad that this same ‘Architect’  has plans and purposes for us that are above and beyond what we can even imagine and that HIS timing is perfect! Jeremiah 29:11 says this:

11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

I have all confidence that with anything and everything that we have coming up in our lives this next year, “God's Got This", and that there is nothing for us to do but to believe and receive! Here is a new Christmas song from Hillsong's "The Peace Project" called "Arrival":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "incarnate". It's found in the Amplified Bible in John 1:14:

14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.  AMP

The dictionary definition of incarnate is: a : invested with bodily and especially human nature and form b : made manifest or comprehensible. So, when we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating the birth of the ONE Who set aside the glory that He had with The Father to become a human being Who was subject to all of the same temptations that we all face. He represented mankind completely and perfectly. He also represented Heaven perfectly! In His incarnation, JESUS  revealed  God in ways that allowed the people to comprehend His true nature, and to dare to believe that what was promised He was able to carry out! One of the things I love the most about studying the Bible, especially word studies, is the more intimate understanding I get of His true nature! Psalm 103:7 says this:

He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

I love that we are also able to know God's ways. Not just what He does, but why and how He does it! That gives us such a stronger basis for our faith to grow. I believe that we are going to need to keep our faith strong and active in this coming year, but that the results and rewards are going to be even better and more abundant that anything that we have experienced up to this point! 2018 promises to be a most excellent year! We are praying for all good things for you and Kristine and your lovely ladies! Here is Hillsong with a new Christmas song called "Prince of Heaven":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "tenderhearted". It's found in only one verse in the New Testament. Ephesians 4:32:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. KJV

This is the Greek word "eusplagchnos". Strong's Concordance says: well compassioned, sympathetic. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: compassionate. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: of good heartedness. Webster's Dictionary defines compassion as:  sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it. While the world, in general, seems to care very little for the real needs of others, God sees tenderheartedness as a very strong character trait and is calling us to have this attitude. You have a calm, quiet strength about you that gives all of your princesses the confidence that they are loved, protected and provided for. At the same time, they all, including Kristine, have the freedom to be themselves and the encouragement to be the very best that they can dream of being! That is my picture of what strong tenderheartedness looks like! Here is Chris Tomlin with "Good, Good Father":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is Messiah. It's found in only two verses in the Bible. Daniel 9:25-26:

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. KJV

This is the Hebrew word "mashiyach". Strong's Concordance says: anointed, a consecrated person. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon says:  The anointed one. Vine's Expository Dictionary says this: First, mashiach refers to one who is anointed with oil, symbolizing the reception of the Holy Spirit, enabling him to do an assigned task. Second, the word is sometimes transliterated "Messiah." After the promise to David (2 Samuel 7:13) mashiach refers immediately to the Davidic dynasty, but ultimately it points to the "Messiah," Jesus the Christ: "The kings of the earth [take their stand], and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed..." Psalm 2:2. In Daniel 9:25 the word is transliterated: "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince...." The New Testament also attests the word in this latter meaning John 1:41. Most frequently in the New Testament the word is translated ("Christ") rather than transliterated ("Messiah"). Transliterate means: to change (letters, words, etc.) into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

 So, the word Hebrew word "mashiyach" is translated anointed in many parts of Scripture, but in Daniel it is the transliteration that refers only to THE Messiah of Israel, Jesus (the ) Christ! He is also OUR Messiah because, as born again believers, we have been adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5). As strange and difficult as some of the things going on in the world now seem to be, these are as nothing compared to what is to come about on the earth AFTER our Messiah's appearing to take HIS people from here before the worst of what is to come happens. As believers, we should take all of these things that we see as incentive to simply keep living that life that shows off Who HE is, and to keep being the Light that leads others to HIM! The love and light and the favor and anointing of God are so evident in your life and that of your family! You all SHINE! Just keep being YOU! It's working well! Here is Hillsong with "Behold - Then Sings My Soul" where the last verse refers to when He does come for us! 

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

Now THAT was a nice win! The word for this week is "inheritance". We'll be looking at these New testament Scriptures:

Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. KJV

Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, KJV

1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, KJV

In all of these instances "inheritance" is the Greek word "kleronomia". Strong's Concordance says: heirship, a possession. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: property received (or to be received) by inheritance, what is given to one as a possession. In the natural world, in order for someone to receive an inheritance, someone else would have to die. JESUS was the One Who died for OUR sin, and His death, burial and resurrection gave us the inheritance spoken of in these verses. We ARE heirs of God, and joint (equal) heirs with JESUS, Who is the executor of His own will. When we dare to stand on the promises in God's Word concerning our inheritance, then HE is free to bring those things to pass in our lives! Just as your beautiful daughters KNOW that their needs are met by you and Kristine, WE should never doubt that our needs are met by OUR Father in Heaven! And the example that you two have set for your girls of blessing them with things that they like, enjoy and desire gives us a glimpse of how the Father feels towards us all! He LOVES to bless us even more than you both love to surprise and bless Avery, Ellsyon, Georgia and Reagan!  And, just as you both know the individual gifts, talents, abilities and desires of your girls, our Father knows each and every one of us! We are, of all people, MOST blessed with such a wonderful 'inheritance' to share together! Here is Hillsong with "Splinters and Stones":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!