Hi Brian!

So here is another word that I can't believe we never covered! "Joyful"! We'll be looking at Psalm 100!

1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. KJV

This is the Hebrew word "ruwa". Strong's Concordance says: to split the ears with sound, to shout for alarm or joy. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Concordance says: to shout, to raise a sound, to cry out, to give a blast, to shout a war-cry or an alarm of battle, to sound a signal for war or a march, to shout in triumph (over enemies), to shout in applause, to shout (with religious impulse), to shout for joy. One thing that we can be certain of: we are NOT to be silent! I LOVE praise and worship! Most of my very favorite songs are praise and worship songs! Participating brings me much joy and peace! Greg and I are SO blessed that our Christmas present from our Ewer granddaughters is tickets for us and Jessi to go to the April Brandon Lake concert in St. Paul! 

So hear is one of my favorite songs from one of his concerts called "Rest On Us":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

 Hi Brian!

This week I was greatly blessed by Charles Spurgeons morning devotional from my PC STUDY BIBLE!

The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power."— Nahum 1:3

Jehovah "is slow to anger." When mercy cometh into the world she driveth winged steeds; the axles of her chariot-wheels are red hot with speed; but when wrath goeth forth, it toileth on with tardy footsteps, for God taketh no pleasure in the sinner's death. God's rod of mercy is ever in His hands outstretched; His sword of justice is in its scabbard, held down by that pierced hand of love which bled for the sins of men. "The Lord is slow to anger," because He is GREAT IN POWER. He is truly great in power who hath power over himself. When God's power doth restrain Himself, then it is power indeed: the power that binds omnipotence is omnipotence surpassed. A man who has a strong mind can bear to be insulted long, and only resents the wrong when a sense of right demands his action. The weak mind is irritated at a little: the strong mind bears it like a rock which moveth not, though a thousand breakers dash upon it, and cast their pitiful malice in spray upon its summit. God marketh His enemies, and yet He bestirs not Himself, but holdeth in His anger. If He were less divine than He is, He would long ere this have sent forth the whole of His thunders, and emptied the magazines of heaven; He would long ere this have blasted the earth with the wondrous fires of its lower regions, and man would have been utterly destroyed; but the greatness of his power brings us mercy. Dear reader, what is your state this evening? Can you by humble faith look to Jesus, and say, "My substitute, Thou art my rock, my trust"? Then, beloved, be not afraid of God's power; for by faith you have fled to Christ for refuge, the power of God need no more terrify you, than the shield and sword of the warrior need terrify those whom he loves. Rather rejoice that He who is "great in power" is your Father and Friend.

I was so blessed by this because when I first received JESUS as Lord and Saviour, there was so much pressure put on us to bring people to JESUS. This was definitely my great desire, but I have never been a 'people person'! it has never been easy for me to talk to people I don't know. I would always feel like I wasn't doing enough. When I first read 2 Peter 3:9 I was encouraged!

The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.

I believe that this is what Charles Spurgeon is emphasizing above! When we show the goodness of God through our lives, HE causes people to see what they need personally to see! He is not in a hurry to judgew, but is patient for everyone to have the opportunity to SEE Him! I LOVE that about HIM! Among many, many other wonderful things! Here is  one of my faavorite oler songs by Hillsong called "God Is Able":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys! 

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "impute". It's found in the New Testament in Romans 4:8:

8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. KJV

This is the Greek word "logizomai". Strong's Concordance says: to take an inventory. Thayer's Greek Lexicon adds: to reckon, count, compute, calculate, to take account. So this promise is that even though we do sometimes sin after receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour, God does not count it to our account, but to JESUS! 2 Corinthians 5:21 says this:

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. KJV

The Amplified Bible says it this way:

21 For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]. AMP

The moment that JESUS became sin with our sin, He accomplished what He came to do! The moment that WE received Him as Lord and Saviour, we BECAME the RIGHTEOUSNESS that belonged to JESUS! When we sin, and we have and will, it is NOT put to our account, but to the ONE Who already paid it all! 1 John 1:9 tells us this:

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. KJV 

The Amplified Bible has a more accurate rendering as the word 'confess' means to acknowledge or admit! SO, when we acknowledge that we sinned, God acknowledges what JESUS did on our behalf! 

9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].  AMP

When we are with Him in Heaven, we will no longer have our flesh nature and will never sin, but while we are here, this wonderful, powerful PROMISE is that our mistakes are never credited to our account! We just recieve the forgiveness and continue to grow up in Him! HOW BLESSED WE ARE! Here is an older song from Hillsong Worship called "Across The Earth":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

 Hi Brian!

The word that I had for this week is not found directly in the Bible. The word is "anthem". The Webster Dictionary says this about the word: a song or hymn of praise or gladness, a psalm or hymn sung antiphonally or responsively, a sacred vocal composition with words usually from the Scriptures. When I looked up the word in regards to the Bible, this was one answer they gave me:

While the word "anthem" is not in the text of the Bible, several passages are frequently described as anthems by biblical scholars, theologians, and liturgical traditions. These are typically songs or declarations that celebrate God’s character or a major national deliverance. Here is one example:

 Psalm 136: Known as the "Great Hallel," its repetitive refrain—"for his steadfast love endures forever"—is treated as a liturgical anthem of praise. 

Here is that Psalm:

1 O GIVE thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.
2 O give thanks to the God of gods, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever —
4 To Him Who alone does great wonders, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
5 To Him Who by wisdom and understanding made the heavens, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
6 To Him Who stretched out the earth upon the waters, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
7 To Him Who made the great lights, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever —
8 The sun to rule over the day, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
9 The moon and stars to rule by night, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
10 To Him Who smote Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; [Ex 12:29.]
11 And brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; [Ex 12:51; 13:3,17.]
12 With a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
13 To Him Who divided the Red Sea into parts, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; [Ex 14:21,22.]
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
15 But shook off and overthrew Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
16 To Him Who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
17 To Him Who smote great kings, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
18 And slew famous kings, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever — [Deut 29:7.]
19 Sihon king of the Amorites, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; [Num 21:21-24.]
20 And Og king of Bashan, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; [Num 21:33-35.]
21 And gave their land as a heritage, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever; [Josh 12:1.]
23 To Him Who [earnestly] remembered us in our low estate and imprinted us [on His heart], for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
24 And rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
25 To Him Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever;
26 O give thanks to the God of heaven, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!
AMP

This is a powerful declaration of GOD and Who He is! I LOVE this! Anthems can, and I believe SHOULD,  be powerful! Many people with wonderful voices have sung our National Anthem for diffferent events, but the one that I prefer was sung by Dave Bray and is a FIGHT SONG, which I believe it should be! (Here is a link to that one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RALmt2IeWmA ). 

My message for this week came about because of a song that Holy Spirit reminded me of from a few years ago by Hillsong Young and Free called "World Outside Your Window". This is a reminder that the GOSPEL is a POWERFUL weapon of SPIRITUAL WARFARE! And WE WIN! Here is that song:

Love Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The 'word' for this week is "truth". I was surprised that we hadn't used that one yet, but I guess it is for such a time as this! We'll be looking at two portions from John.

John 8:31 So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. AMP

John 16:12 I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now. 13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. AMP

This is the Greek word "aletheia". Thayer's Greek Lexcion says: verity, truth. The dictionary definition of "verity" says this: In the Bible, verity means absolute, divine truth, reality, or a fundamental, steadfast principle, often translating the Hebrew "emeth" (truth, faithfulness) and Greek "aletheia" (truth, reality). It signifies more than just factual correctness; it's about God's eternal, unchanging truths, embodied in Jesus Christ, found in His Word, and experienced through faith, encompassing integrity and sincerity. 

I believe that the reason Holy Spirit wanted us to look at this now is partly because of all of the misinformation that is being spewed about the situations going on in America these days! There has been a LOT of gross misinformation. To our natural minds it has become so muddled that unless we have a better source of TRUTH, we will be misled into believing and then acting on lies! The key in all of this is found in those two portions of Scripture! Holy Spirit lives IN us to bear witness of the TRUTH that we need to know to operate correctly in this life. So as we seek HIM for the REAL TRUTH, He WILL lead us to it so that we can operate in obedience to HIS will and plan and purpose! Right now, GOD HIMSELF is causing to happen the things that He spoke through ministers and prophetic voices several years ago! So TRUST HIM and HE will give you PEACE concerning these times we live in! Here is Brandon Lake with a new song called "On The Truth":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

Today's "Evening Meditation" by Charles Spurgeon is SO clear!

"All they that heard it wondered at those things." — Luke 2:18

We must not cease to wonder at the great marvels of our God. It would be very difficult to draw a line between holy wonder and real worship; for when the soul is overwhelmed with the majesty of God's glory, though it may not express itself in song, or even utter its voice with bowed head in humble prayer, yet it silently adores. Our incarnate God is to be worshipped as "the Wonderful." That God should consider His fallen creature, man, and instead of sweeping him away with the besom of destruction, should Himself undertake to be man's Redeemer, and to pay his ransom price, is, indeed marvellous! But to each believer redemption is most marvellous as he views it in relation to himself. It is a miracle of grace indeed, that Jesus should forsake the thrones and royalties above, to suffer ignominiously below for you. Let your soul lose itself in wonder, for wonder is in this way a very practical emotion. Holy wonder will lead you to grateful worship and heartfelt thanksgiving. It will cause within you godly watchfulness; you will be afraid to sin against such a love as this. Feeling the presence of the mighty God in the gift of His dear Son, you will put off your shoes from off your feet, because the place whereon you stand is holy ground. You will be moved at the same time to glorious hope. If Jesus has done such marvellous things on your behalf, you will feel that heaven itself is not too great for your expectation. Who can be astonished at anything, when he has once been astonished at the manger and the cross? What is there wonderful left after one has seen the Saviour? Dear reader, it may be that from the quietness and solitariness of your life, you are scarcely able to imitate the shepherds of Bethlehem, who told what they had seen and heard, but you can, at least, fill up the circle of the worshippers before the throne, by wondering at what God has done.

I have found at various times in the 46 years since I received JESUS as LORD and SAVIOUR that I was operating on previously received knowledge and NOT on currently meditated on TRUTH! I then remind myself, rather forcefully, that for my FAITH to remain powerful, strong and current, I must stay consistently in the Word of God AND in fellowship with like minded believers! As I am NOT a 'people person' this can be hard for me sometimes! My prayer for you concerning this is that HIS voice will become even clearer to you than it has ever been! That is so needful in these times when so many people have an opinion and they want to share it! Holy Spirit is ALWAYS present IN US to help us discern HIS WILL rather than the ideas of society! In times like this, I like to go back to some simple kids praise! So here, for YOU, are Hillsong Kids with "I Give You My Hallelujah!":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

As I was praying for you and your family I was impressed, again, with how much you and Kristine pour yourselves into your girls and give them every opportunity to succeed, especially allowing them to try different things that interest them! This brought to mind again this verse that I am sure we covered before, but is always a good reminder! 

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. KJV

This is a GREAT promise, but in the Amplified Bible it is even better!

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it.  AMP

The underlined part is my very favorite part! God MADE them so unique and individually gifted to do GREAT things in their lives! What a great promise! HE celebrates our diversity! He did NOT want clones, but individuals who would love and serve HIM from our own individual personalities. HE desires that WE be uniquely US! You have given each of your girls the space opportunity and freedom to explore those things and find out! I will continue to pray for great WISDOM for you both so that you will have CONFIDENCE that you are doing a GREAT job and that HE is WELL PLEASED! Here is that verse from The Passion Translation!

Proverbs 22:6 Dedicate your children to God and point them in the way that they should go, and the values they’ve learned from you will be with them for life.

And here is another song for you in keeping with that theme! Brandon Lake and Benjamin William Hastings with "More" because when we seek Him first, He is ALWAYS doing MORE! 

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

 Hi Brian!

I apologize again for missing the blog! These holidays really messed up my timing! So we will pick up again now with our first post of 2026! We will be looking at a devotional by Charles Spurgeon that has been very encouraging to me! 

"I have prayed for thee." — Luke 22:32

How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never- ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and when we are not praying, He is advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers. Notice the word of comfort addressed to Peter—"Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but"—what? "But go and pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but it is not so written. Neither does he say, "But I will keep you watchful, and so you shall be preserved." That were a great blessing. No, it is, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." We little know what we owe to our Saviour's prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns malice. Mark, He does not say, "Satan hath desired to have you." He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in the bud. He does not say, "But I have desired to pray for you." No, but "I have prayed for you: I have done it already; I have gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an accusation is made." O Jesus, what a comfort it is that you hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence.

NOTHING in our lives ever takes HIM by surprise! He knows what we face. He knows what we are going through. In fact, He KNOWS what we face even before it happens. And HE has already provided the next step for us to take when we spend time with Holy Spirit and the WORD! Reading this brought to mind this song by Hillsong from a few years ago called "Oceans". I have always loved this song because it is an encouragement to me to step out in faith for each new thing KNOWING that HE is leading, guiding and directing my ev ery step! And YOUR, too! Here is that song! I hope that you are as blessed by it as I am!

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!