beencouraged 4 - Barbara Lynn Seibel

August 31, 2025August 30, 2025

Does How We Live Matter to God? | 1 Kings 9:1-9

Are you a faithful follower?

No, I’m not talking about social media.

Although who and what we follow on social media can reveal what matters to us most.

But the question I’m asking is deeper than surface interests such as being an animal lover or decluttering expert.

(I’m the first, not the second, although I’m working on that.)

Seriously, I’m asking, are you a faithful follower of God?

And I’m asking whether how we live out this faithfulness matters to God.

Join me in studying 1 Kings 9:1-9 to consider an answer to these questions.

August 24, 2025August 23, 2025

Proverbs 25:20 |How a Heavy Heart Began to Sing Again

I’ve previously shared that I didn’t return to public worship for several months after experiencing the tragic death of my husband back in July 2024.

Although I streamed worship services in the privacy of my home during that time, I often crumbled into a pile of anguished tears and sobs during the music portions of the service.

Often, music can be a balm in times of discomfort. But I didn’t experience this.

Instead, all music, not just worship music, made my grief more intense.

Although I physically returned to public worship services in January 2025, just hearing the music still made me crumble into tears. It was exhausting to fight them while in public.

There was no way I could add my voice to the singing or even hum along.

My heart was still too shattered.

There were some who couldn’t grasp why taking part with music was so hard for me.

But God understood.

August 17, 2025August 16, 2025

How Obedient Are You? | A Study on Genesis 12:1-9

Years ago, my late husband and I owned and lived in one side of a duplex. The other side of the duplex was also owner-occupied. Our agreement with each other in the event either were to move included giving the other owner first chance at buying before listing.

We had moved to this duplex because we had gotten in over our heads on a single-family home financially. So, when our neighbor told me she was preparing to list her side of the duplex, I immediately sought God’s advice whether we should attempt to buy her out.

In my mind, it could have been an opportunity to have rental income to speed up our financial recovery. Provided we could afford the additional mortgage, that is.

When I sought God’s advice, I got the following response in that still, quiet voice that you know is not your own mind speaking: “No, you will be moving.”

Although startled by this response, I told our neighbor we weren’t interested in buying her side.

I’ll share more about this after we look at God asking Abram to move in Genesis 12:1-9.

July 16, 2025July 16, 2025

Brief Time Away Needed

This is just a quick note to explain why I missed my usual posting last Sunday.

The week before, I needed to limit my screen time because of an intense headache and light sensitivity along with fatigue.

I spent one entire day in a dark room just resting.

People keep asking me if I get migraines.

I respond that I’ve never received an official diagnosis of migraines.

But I frequently get barometric pressure headaches. The worst headaches are when it threatens to rain but then it doesn’t.

Thus, I try to eat an anti-inflammatory diet most of the time. But I’m certainly not perfect at it.

This past Monday, I resumed working on a post hoping to get a study posted today.

But then that afternoon, an intense wave of grief shut me down again.

July 6, 2025July 4, 2025

A Study on Luke 5:1-11

Have you ever been fishing?

My first memory of fishing is with my dad.

He cast a line with a rod and reel, then handed it to me to hold.

A bit later, I felt a tug on the line. We tried to reel it in, convinced there was something big on the line.

Turns out it was a baby turtle that had chomped on the bait and then wound the fishing line into a tumbleweed under the water.

Not the catch we were expecting.

Interestingly, my dad never took me fishing again.

Simon Peter also had an unexpected fishing experience.

June 29, 2025June 27, 2025

Humble Attitudes Yield God’s Favor

Back in my high school days, I received the opportunity to be part of a state honor band.

Even though I knew I was running a fever, I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to miss the experience.

At the first rehearsal, I was playing a wrong note but didn’t realize it. The conductor eventually went one by one through the flute section to find the offending player.

I realized right before he got to me I was in the wrong, so I played the correct note instead of admitting my error. The conductor glared at me but said nothing at that moment.

Later in the rehearsal, when I was late on an entrance, the conductor stopped the rehearsal, pointed at me and said, “You are not a leader, and you never will be.”

What does this have to do with the fact that humble attitudes yield God’s favor?

I’ll explain more at the end of the post, but first join me in studying 1 Peter 5:1-10.

June 1, 2025June 1, 2025

Sometimes I Need to Rest

Rest.

Something we all need, but many of us struggle to do.

I certainly struggle to rest.

Sometimes it is an emotional rest that I need.

At other times, physical rest is critical.

Then there is also mental rest that is required.

And yes, sometimes we need spiritual rest, too.

Today I think I need all four areas to rest.

Why do I need rest?

May 25, 2025May 24, 2025

Called from Darkness to be Living Stones

Do you recognize the plant in the picture above?

It is a lithop.

I was thrilled when I first learned about these little succulent plants that look like stones or pebbles many years ago.

They even produce a flower.

When I first learned about them, it took a while to find a local plant nursery that had some for sale.

I do not have any right now, but after studying our passage for today, I might get me one or two again.

Why, you ask?

Our passage today talks about the ultimate living stone, and tending to some lithops could be a fun visual reminder of this passage.

May 11, 2025May 12, 2025

How Do We Know God Cares?

In September 2024, a hurricane affected the area where I live.

As I was watching the rain, I saw a tree fall that just barely missed hitting my balcony and fence in the back of my home.

Once the rain had cleared, I discovered that five trees had fallen, and another one was leaning against my neighbor’s home.

Given the amount of devastation that this hurricane caused throughout the area, it wasn’t until late April 2025 that the trees behind my and my neighbor’s homes were finally cleared.

This past week, as I was surveying the tree stumps that remain, I realized that the trees going down were a provision of God’s care for me in a way that I truly needed last fall.

And yes, it has something to do with the kittens in the picture above.

I’ll explain this as we study 1 Peter 1:3-9.

May 4, 2025May 3, 2025

Are You an Obedient Exile?

This question is not about physical exile per se.

Rather, it is a question of whether you are obedient to your faith when the stakes become higher than you expected.

Are you aware there are more martyrs for Christian faith today than at any other time in history?

If this startles you, it is probable that you live somewhere where Christianity or being a follower of Jesus is not under outright persecution.

It may also startle you if you are not someone who keeps informed about the state of God’s mission to redeem people from every group across the globe.

Today, we will study the opening two verses of 1 Peter from the New Testament.

I hope these two verses will encourage you to consider deeply what it truly means to be an obedient exile no matter where you live.