beencouraged 3 - Barbara Lynn Seibel

December 1, 2025December 1, 2025

Have You Prepared Your Heart for Christmas?

Part One

In the United States and many other cultures, it’s hard not to know that the annual celebration of Christmas is coming thanks to the retail industry.

Not to be outdone, the entertainment industry also makes sure the culture is aware.

But neither the retail nor the entertainment industry is what I’m referring to by asking, “Have you prepared your heart for Christmas?”

I’m desiring to look past the tinsel, gifts, and frivolity to something much more personal and enduring.

Join me in exploring some thoughts from Micah, where a promise was given regarding what our hearts need most.

November 23, 2025November 22, 2025

Something Only God Can Do

My late husband was normally not an early riser.

But when he went hammock camping, he always offered to be the one to get up to make cowboy coffee for the group.

I asked him once why he did this when he wasn’t normally a morning person.

After all, he used to say he preferred the morning to start at 2:00pm most days.

His response was that he enjoyed the quiet time of solitude when no one else was up yet, watching the sunrise, and listening to the birds sing while enjoying his first cup of coffee.

I also think he secretly enjoyed being in control of the coffee. 😊

One of the most touching things the hammock club did after learning he had passed, was to put up an empty hammock with a stock pot and a twig cross nearby in honor of their fallen friend for the duration of their camping event.

Today, our passage talks about God’s power to transform the world much like a sunrise opens the dawn of a new day. Whether it’s morning or evening, take some time to enjoy your own quiet time of solitude with the Lord’s transformative power.

November 16, 2025November 15, 2025

Are You Dating or Preparing to Marry God?

This feels weird to write about.

Why?

From an earthly perspective, having become a widow in 2024, the thoughts of dating and marriage are very far from my mind.

After all, I’m still recovering from the shock of this earthly loss.

But the title question is not about earthly relationships.

It is asking what type of relationship you have with God.

Is it a relationship where you’re just testing the waters? Curious but not committed?

Or are you preparing for a relationship to last for eternity?

Further, what is God’s role in this?

November 9, 2025November 8, 2025

Are You a Person of Integrity?

Integrity.

How do you define integrity?

Merriaum-Webster.com has three definitions for integrity.

Firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility
An unimpaired condition: soundness
The quality or state of being complete or undivided: completeness

Do any of these definitions align with your own?

Who has taught you the most about the definition of integrity?

If you were to measure yourself on a scale of one to ten, with one being least and ten being greatest, how strong is your personal integrity?

We’ll come back to these questions after considering a narrative about the reign of Jehu from 2 Kings.

November 2, 2025November 1, 2025

The Power of Simple Obedience to Transform a Heart

I’ve shared in other posts that I’ve been reading the Bible through yearly for some time.

No one told me to do this.

It isn’t a rule or obligation.

Instead, it is a simple act of personal obedience to make sure I am staying connected to the Lord God I say I worship.

When I first began this habit, I struggled with understanding who God truly is.

Before I share more about this, join me in a study of a Syrian commander who also struggled to understand God.

October 26, 2025October 25, 2025

Learning about God through Ahaziah and Elijah | Part Two

Who do you lean on when overwhelmed or uncertain about your future or a decision on a course of action?

A parent?
A sibling?
A spouse?
A friend?
A colleague?
Other?

Several years ago, my employer asked me to accept a role change I knew was wrong for me. I was so distraught when I saw the initial rough draft of the job description that I fell to my knees in tears.

Instead of getting ready for work, I kept following my now-late husband around the house.

Just as he was about to step out the front door, he realized he needed to pray for me regarding this challenge. As he embraced and prayed for me, I felt a sense of peace blossom. Afterwards, he also told me that, although it would be better if I had another job lined up, he would support me if I quit rather than accept the role change.

Before I share more about this, let’s continue our study Learning About God Through Ahaziah and Elijah | Part Two.

October 19, 2025October 18, 2025

Learning about God through Ahaziah and Elijah | Part One

Having lived away from where I grew up for over twenty years now, I can easily forget how much I still have mannerisms and other things that were modeled for me by my parents.

When my father passed in 2024, a friend remarked about the picture of my dad used for his obituary that she could see him in me by the way I held my head. Previous pictures she’d seen of him had failed to reveal that to her. I never noticed this detail until she pointed it out.

What I notice the most when I’m with my mom is how much my sense of humor and laughter is like hers. And we both enjoy good Bible study discussions.

Besides my parents, there are others who have influenced me over the years. Various teachers, friends, and colleagues come to my mind.

What does this have to do with learning about God through Ahaziah and Elijah?

Keep reading.

October 12, 2025October 11, 2025

Influential Relationships and Their Impact on Worship

When you read the words “influential relationships,” what comes to mind first?

Networking for career advancement?
Healthy living advice?
Political clout?
Other?

Some influential relationships I’ve had include parents, siblings, extended family, friends, coworkers, teachers, counselors and my late spouse.

The level of influence varies, as well as whether it was a positive or negative influence.

By pairing these words with “and their impact on worship,” I hope your thoughts move towards relationships that have helped shape your understanding of spiritual matters.

Today’s study considers the introduction of a king of Israel named Ahab.

As a king, Ahab was at the top of society with the authority to influence an entire nation on many levels.

October 5, 2025October 4, 2025

God Rescues a Rebellious People

A Study of Isaiah 53:4-6

For many months I have wondered if there was something wrong with my refrigerator that was purchased in June 2024.

It seemed louder than I recalled, but it was still working fine.

The internet research basically said refrigerators can make loud noises randomly and that if it was working properly otherwise, there was nothing wrong with the appliance.

But I still felt something was wrong.

So, I asked the opinion of every person who came to my home who I knew was mechanically minded about it.

None of them seemed overly concerned about it since it was such a new appliance.

In July 2025, my in-laws vacuumed the coils for me and agreed it might be wise to have it checked out if it continued to sound loud to me. But they too felt it wasn’t an urgent issue.

What does this have to do with a study of Isaiah 53:4-6 and God rescuing a rebellious people?

I’ll explain after we review the passage.

September 28, 2025September 27, 2025

Why Do We Falter in Our Worship?

I faltered in doing my daily stretching this past week four days in a row.

Along with this, I spent those four days toting around a heavy backpack while at a conference for my work.

When I resumed my stretching routine on the fifth day, my body was extremely tight and less flexible.

I also suffer from DOMS: delayed onset muscle soreness. This is one of the primary reasons I practice a daily stretching routine.

Thus, the consequences of my faltering yielded a cranky low back and stiff joints throughout my body on the sixth day.

I know better, and yet, I still faltered.

But this is a Bible study blog, not a fitness blog.

Still, the example above reveals that there are consequences when we falter in our daily habits.

The study below reveals the consequences of when we falter in our worship.