Author: Amy C. O’Reilly
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The World Could Not Contain Them
“Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.“ John 21:25 NLT These are the last two sentences in John’s gospel. His closing reflection of an intimate narrative about Jesus’ earthly ministry and they paint a fascinating visual.…
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Does the Bible Really Say?
Since my last post was a tad heavy-hearted, I decided to lighten it up a little (sort of) with a game I like to call, “Does the Bible Really Say?” Read through the ten points below and see what you think: 1. “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” 2. “Ask…
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Who is the King of Your Heart?
Last Wednesday morning as I got ready for the day, God gently placed a song in my thoughts. Not the whole song though, just the first several words. Let the King of my heart . . . That was it. Just the first six words to be exact. As I tried to sing the lyrics…
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Empty or Full?
In Philippians 2, Paul writes that Jesus emptied himself. The One by whom all things were made and find their being. The One in whom all things are held together and the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. The One through whom we are reconciled to God and made holy and blameless in His…
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Faith, Family and Football; Written by a Tar Heel on Black Friday
Not my usual blog, but here we go! In America, Black Friday is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving during which retailers make enough profits from Christmas shoppers to transition from the “red” to the “black” bottom line, accounting wise. However, if you are a Tar Heel fan in 2022, it is the day your football…
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Be Encouraged, Evil has an Expiration Date!
Satan and evil have an expiration date. This is not conjecture, wishful thinking, or a nice platitude. This, my friends, is part of the Good News! Yet, only God holds the time stamp. The One who ushered in the Kingdom through a holy conception and quiet incarnation in a sleepy town called Bethlehem. The One…
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What’s In Your Suitcase? – Unpacking Ephesians 5 for Wives and Husbands (Part 2)
If Ephesians 5:22-33 were to manifest themselves inside of a suitcase, it would be full of dancing clothes in preparation for the sacred tango of love and respect between husband and wife. A marriage relationship quickly becomes a perpetual dance between two willing partners. However, in marriage, we tend to choose one of two dances.…
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What’s In Your Suitcase? – Unpacking Ephesians 5 for Wives and Husbands (Part 1)
*Disclaimer, this blog is not meant to suggest nor encourage anyone to remain in an abusive or threatening relationship. Have you ever been held captive by a verse of Scripture? Like when you hear the silent voice in your head rehearse a verse that instantly locks you in, forces your eyes to circle back, and…
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Prepare the Soil of Your Life for The Good News
In a world plagued by bad news, bad ideas, and, let’s be honest, an abundance of bad attitudes, we find ourselves craving even the tiniest morsel of good news. By beckoning slivers of hope in the form of somewhat trivial pleas, we pray for something (or anything) to go our way. Please let my teenager…
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Letting God Off the Hook and Placing Him On the Throne
I was four years old when I threw the temper tantrum of a lifetime. The one that would trigger every emotional meltdown for decades to come. The fit in which every four year old fear would later ignite every teenage insecurity, every twenty something stupidity, every thirty something full-circle moment, and every forty something failure…
When Only Faith Remains 