Isabell Bowling

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So far Isabell Bowling has created 4 blog entries.

The Christmas Star

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalms 19:1

When Jesus was born, God Himself was incarnate. This was a tremendous moment. He became the physical image of God, His righteousness and the outbeaming of His glory. The face of Jesus carries all the beauty of heaven in it. The birth of Jesus is one of the most powerful moments in history.

So, it would make sense that the stars would announce His birth. The heavens shifted to declare His birth, rejoicing that the earth was blessed with the gift of Christ. The Christmas star was seen by the wisemen, and they immediately set out to find Jesus. They had heard from some of their wise counterparts about the prophecies surrounding the birth of the Messiah, so they set off. The star brought them to Jesus.

Matthew 2:9-11 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The miracle of Jesus’s birth is extravagant. Creation itself rearranged itself to appropriately celebrate the most important birth in history. How are you celebrating the birth of Christ? We all have our traditions and Christmas is such a special time to celebrate, but what about in your own heart? We can put on a good show for our families, but in private, how do we respond to the truth of the miracle of His birth? The wisemen saw the star and they rejoiced, and then when they saw Jesus they fell down and worshipped Him. How are you responding? The miracle of Jesus’s birth should fill us with joy and cause us to worship Him. But, the wisemen were led to the Lord by the star. It was the evidence that they needed to believe in Christ.

What is your Christmas Star? What is the evidence of Jesus in your life that you can celebrate and remember to lead you into a heart of worship? I know for me, when I see my children and grandchildren serving the Lord, I am reminded of God’s goodness and His faithfulness, and I am so grateful to Him.

So, today, look around you? Where are the blessings of God that lead us to thanksgiving and worship?

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

2023-12-06T11:57:18-07:00December 25th, 2023|

What Is Peace?

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

This verse tells us that God will keep us in perfect peace when our mind is on Him. But, the questions is what is peace?

In simple words, peace is a state of rest and calmness for your soul. It is when your soul isn’t full of anxiety or worry, but when it is at rest. But what does peace look like? What does it feel like? How do we know if peace is from God? These are all good questions, let’s look at what the Word says about peace.

Here is what peace is:

  • It passes all understanding (Phil 4:7)
  • It brings rest to the weary (Ps 119:16)
  • It has no confusion (1 Cor 14:33)
  • It comes through believing (Rom 15:13)
  • It is a part of the “blameless man” (Ps 37:37)
  • It is given by God (John 14:27).

When you know what true peace is, when you are overcome by it, there is no mistaking it. If you are wondering if you have peace from God, ask yourself “Do I have rest? Am I believing for peace? Is there confusion in my mind? Or, is it still, like quiet waters?”

But, the Bible doesn’t only tell us what peace is, it tells us what peace is not.

Here are some examples of what peace is not. Peace is nothing like what the world can give. Isaiah 57:21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “For the wicked.” There are people and organizations that claim to offer peace. But, the truth is that real peace only comes from God. What comes from other sources is not peace. It can be calm, it can be a break, but peace can only come from God. True rest, which has no confusion, is what Jesus leaves to us.

Peace is also not temporary. It’s not written on paper, it is written on the tablets of our hearts. Peace from God is not something that can pass away or be burned up in a refining fire. Real peace is always there, we just need to remember that we have access to it. God has not called us to live in chaos or wondering what is going to happen or to live in anxiety. He wants to give you lasting peace.

Peace is a good gift from God. It never goes away and it is all encompassing. Remember that God has given you peace and choose to walk in it today!

2023-12-06T11:57:55-07:00December 18th, 2023|

A Tradition of Silence

Isabell Bowling, Guest Blogger

Isabell is the daughter of Sarah Bowling and the granddaughter of Marilyn Hickey. She graduated from Oral Roberts University with her bachelors in Historical and Philosophical Theology and received the award for Theology Student of the Year upon graduation.

She is excited for what this next season brings and is looking forward to learning and growing under the tutelage of her mother and grandmother. In the future, she also hopes to continue her educational journey by seeking a graduate degree in Europe.

We pray Isabell’s blog post blesses you today!

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

I absolutely love the season of Hanukkah and Christmas. In college, I minored in Hebrew, so studying the culture and story of the miracle of Hannukah has always fascinated me. More than the story, I love the traditions that surround it. In this season of the year, my absolute favorite thing to do is to uphold our family traditions. For me, there is a comfort that is held in traditions.

When I was in high school, I took a trip to Europe to learn about my roots as a Christian. This meant that we spent a lot of time in Catholic Churches, at holy sites around Europe, and attending different kinds of church services. Experiencing “high church” services and the myriad of traditions brought a reverence to my walk with God that I had not known before. The main thing that I loved was the silence. The hushed voices of whispered prayers, the long, quiet pauses in the middle of service, and the moment of anticipation before the organ boomed out the chords for the next hymn felt like holy moments. About two years later, I was able to visit Israel and dive even deeper into my roots as a Christian. To my surprise, the trend of silence continued. We had multiple opportunities to sit quietly and reflect on the goodness of God. The silence of the waves at the Sea of Galilee, the rustling of the olive tree leaves in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the quiet tears rolling down the older women’s faces while they prayed at the Wailing Wall are key moments where I remember feeling the presence of God deeply.

The power of silence is a beautiful thing. In the story of Hanukkah, the light of the miracle menorah shone for 8 days and nights when the Jews of the time only had enough oil for one night. Think about it: the gold menorah shining its light while they slept, the miracle continuing to shine through their silence. Or think about the miracle of the birth of Christ. We sing the song, Silent Night, every year, but let’s pause and reflect on the moment of silence, where the exhausted Mary lay back on Joseph, as Jesus slept in her arms and her husband bent his head down to comfort her. The silence of that moment is beautiful.

So many times, we are uncomfortable with silence, because we are afraid that we aren’t saying enough. There is a fear that we might not be praising God enough, so we say more and more things. Or, there is a fear that we aren’t doing His will, so we go out and try and volunteer for everything, or start rushing around trying to solve everyone’s problems for them. But, Isaiah 26:3 says that God will keep us in perfect peace, because we trust in Him. We can trust that He is able to do His will while we are still. We can trust that He will speak when He wants to, and that He treasures time with us, not just because we are able to worship Him with our voices, but also with our silence. When we worship Him with silence, we are being quiet and still, reverent in the face of the Almighty.

In the holiday season, we can get caught up in trying to maintain the traditions and cook all the meals and buy all the gifts. But how many of us have silence as our tradition? One of my favorite Christmas traditions that my church has is the candlelight service. On Christmas Eve, we have a moment in service where we light the candles and then we sit silently. The pause and the power of this moment overwhelms me with joy every year. But, for me, when it snows at night, I go outside and sit under my porch light and watch the snow fall.  Maintaining this private tradition has been one my most treasured honors, and when I began to understand that God lives in our silence, that knowledge has made my time with Him all the more special.

This year, as we think on the miracles that dictate this season, the miracle of Hannukah and the miracle of the incarnation of Christ, let’s remember that silence plays a beautiful part in these traditions. Silently sitting with God, allowing His presence to inundate your moments throughout this season can be your newest tradition:)

-Isabell

2023-12-06T12:00:06-07:00December 11th, 2023|

Light Bearers

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

At the end of this week, the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins. This holiday remembers the miracle of the light of the menorah, which shone for eight days and nights, when the Jews at the time only had enough oil for one night. This was a real miracle of provision for the people! In fact, we know that Jeus celebrated Hanukkah, or the Feast of Dedication, because he was in Jerusalem during the Feast in John 10:22.

At the time of the Hanukkah miracle, the land of Israel and the Jewish people were under siege by a man who sought to eradicate any idea, image, or tradition of God. In the middle of all this attack, God still provided light and hope, and saved the Jews from his evil plans. The light of Hanukkah represents the miracle of peace and hope for His provision.

You know, years ago I got to go to Bethlehem around Christmas time, and we got to see the large, gold menorah that sits in the Jewish quarter. This large lamp stands as a reminder for the miracle of the lamp, and God’s deliverance of the Jewish people.

As we consider the state of the world, let’s remember this miracle and keep in mind His perfect peace will overcome in every situation. God has called us to be lights to the world, so today, ask the Lord how you can bring peace. Is there a situation in your family, workplace, or friendships that needs the miracle of peace? Ask God to use you to shine your light into the dark places of trouble and remember the miracle.

We are called to be bearers of the light of God. How can you stand as a reminder of hope and peace for those around us? Well, you have to rely on God and to be filled with His hope and peace!

I believe God has a special anointing to give you hope, just like He renewed hope to the Jews by providing them with their miracle. I know that God has miracles for you, but today I want you to ask God for the miracle of hope. He is faithful to give it!

2023-12-06T12:02:21-07:00December 4th, 2023|
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