Category: Personal
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Joining in Creation’s Song of Praise

“Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound. Let the fields and everything in them celebrate. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy” Psalm 96:11-12 If you have spent any time with me in the last 18 months, then you have…
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Joy in Colder Seasons

Winter still comes around every year. Seasons change and I cannot change them. Summer always leaves and colder air blankets my skin. So when winter’s blustery winds blow in, do I simply take a hiatus from joy or serenity or activities I enjoy? Do I hunker down and pray that spring comes quickly?
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My Top 5 Favorite Christmas Family Traditions

It’s Christmastime, the time of year where we all get wrapped up in various activities surrounding the festivities and celebration of the season. One of the things I love most about this time of year are the activities we do simply because we’ve done them for years. Most of the time, the reason behind our…
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The Magic of Thanksgiving

Confession: I love Christmas music more than the average person. Yes, my Spotify Christmas playlist is currently slightly less than 38 hours long and, no, it does not include all of the Christmas music I listen to every year. Yes, I start listening to Christmas music in the early fall. No, it is not disrespectful…
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Immanuel. God with us.

“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you[c] a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel,” Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel. God with us. There are moments in our lives when we feel abandoned and alone. Lost. Hopeless. That feeling of loneliness is haunting. It sucks the life right out of you…
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Jesus Gives us Peace

This week is National Suicide Prevention Week. Its purpose is to inform and help prevent suicide. Suicide is a leading cause of death in many age groups. Depression and anxiety are serious medical concerns but Christians don’t seem to want to address them. Yes, many Christians struggle with anxiety and depression and some succumb to…
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Teaching our Children to Worship

I was standing in the middle of our Sunday morning church service. The worship team was leading the congregation in a familiar song. I enjoy worship through singing and I knew the song well. My eyes were closed and my hands were positioned open in front of me. As I sang along, my heart was…
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How My Kids are Teaching Me Self-Acceptance

Confession: I am not the most confident person. I struggle with self-doubt and self-deprecation. I am anxious about how I am perceived. My self-image could do with some improvement. But slowly I am learning self-acceptance. I am growing in my ability to be comfortable in the skin I was created to live in. I am…
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Knowledge is Power…

“His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3 I’ve been meditating on this verse a lot recently. It speaks of receiving life and godliness through the knowledge of Christ. Later on in the passage…
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Welcome to my blog!
Hello there! My name is Jacob Orr; it’s great to see you! Welcome! Here on my site you’ll have the opportunity to be encouraged and refreshed in your walk and ministry. It is my goal you are challenged while simultaneously find strength and godly wisdom. Much of my ministry over the past 20 years has…