encouragement - Barbara Lynn Seibel

April 27, 2025April 26, 2025

Why Did Jesus Walk to Emmaus?

In the immediate days following a tragedy, we are at first in shock.

Bewilderment is a common expression along with questions of why and how this tragedy could have happened.

The followers of Jesus experienced all of this after his crucifixion on a cross. (Luke 23:26-49)

But then something remarkable happened that caused even more bewilderment.

The women who went to anoint his body with spices according to their burial customs discovered an open and empty tomb. (Luke 24:1-3)

Angels appeared and informed the women that Jesus was alive, so they went and told the disciples and others. (Luke 24:4-10)

But the apostles did not believe the women. (Luke 24:11).

Peter, investigating their report, discovered things just as they said, but no angels appeared to him at the tomb. Thus, he then went home marveling at what this meant. (Luke 24:12)

Luke then turns his attention to two followers of Jesus, who left Jerusalem for Emmaus, sharing that Jesus joined them on their journey. Neither of these two were part of the lead apostles.

The question is, why did Jesus walk to Emmaus with these two followers?

January 21, 2024January 21, 2024

Seeking Prayers From You

Yes, I said I would have part two of Why Did They Turn to Idolatry this week.

When I last posted, I knew with a brief trip coupled with a busier-than-usual workload at my day job, I would not have time to post something last Sunday.

Then, last Monday my husband and I said goodbye to our sweet dog of 14 years after having said goodbye to our sweet cat of nineteen years just back in September.

And the next two weeks will be unusually busy at my day job as we host a huge conference.

July 30, 2023July 29, 2023

Psalm 23:1-6 | You Are With Me

I recently spent a month away from my home. Then, two weeks after being back, I traveled to a conference related to my day job for a week.

The first trip involved traveling solo, but upon arrival, I was constantly with family except for the occasional errand or taking a stroll in the evening.

I traveled with two coworkers to the conference that had over 600 attendees but had a room to myself at the end of each day.

Although both travel experiences varied, I had the same sense of longing during both.

I wished my husband and my pets were with me.

What does this have to do with Psalm 23:1-6?

February 6, 2022February 6, 2022

STILL WAITING

Did you get the pay raise or promotion when you were promised or are you still waiting?

How about promises made by friends or other family members?

What about promises you made to yourself?

Is there any value in being in a state of “still waiting”?

December 12, 2021December 3, 2021

Christmas Tree: Part Two

Last week we learned the first verse of the carol O Christmas Tree is celebrating the birth of the Christ child we as Christians are named after.

The tree we use to celebrate this birth by decorating it and singing about reminds us of the loyalty our Heavenly Father has demonstrated by sending Christ.

The color of this tree reinforces our hope in our Heavenly Father who has brought to fulfillment promises made concerning the arrival of the Christ child.

What can we learn from verse two of O Christmas Tree?

October 31, 2021October 29, 2021

TRANSFORMING PRAYER

For whom do you pray?

Yourself?
Family members?
Friends?
Coworkers?
Government officials?
What about those who are antagonistic toward you or seeking to injure you?

October 17, 2021October 17, 2021

CONSTANTLY DEVOTED

What relationship in your life would you describe as constantly devoted?

What other words would you use to describe the relationship in addition to constantly devoted?

Persistent?

Faithful?

Loyal?

Others?

What elements of the relationship make it one that is constantly devoted?

Are you someone else’s constantly devoted relationship?

What does Romans 12:12 have to do with being constantly devoted in relationship?

September 26, 2021September 26, 2021

EFFECTIVENESS IN PRAYER

Several years ago, my husband hung a large birdfeed er from a tree limb in our yard.

We were eager to see what birds would find their way to this bountiful buffet of seeds.

Yes, we got birds, but we also got squirrels.

These squirrels, and possibly one specific rodent, were quite effective at getting seed from the feeder even though it had a rounded dome on top that was meant to deter them.

They were quick to figure out that if they simply chewed through the wire that the feeder was hanging on it would drop to the ground causing the domed lid to come off and spill all the seed on the ground.

My husband even hung the feeder with a stainless-steel cable that they chewed through before trying an 6- gauge copper wire.

This last wire was looking good for a while. But then we noticed that a squirrel was trying to chew through it too.

What does the effective tenacity of these squirrels have to do with effectiveness in prayer as discussed in James 5:16?

September 19, 2021September 19, 2021

What Does it Take to Succeed in Prayer?

Have you ever watched a chickadee learn to land on a feeder?

One morning when I looked out our window to check the status of our bird feeder, I had the opportunity to see baby chickadees attempting to master this exact skill.

They would sit on the tree branch nearby and ruffle their feathers several times before making each attempt to land on the feeder.

Mostly that day they kept missing the mark, skidding, and fluttering down to the ground.

But then, after a moment to compose themselves, they would swoop back up to the tree branch and try again.

Yes, at times they would miss the tree branch too!

I marveled at their tenacity and resilience to keep trying.

Even more amazing, by the next morning these tiny creatures had mastered this new skill.

It was astonishing to see them zipping from branch to feeder to branch to ground and back again looking like total experts at what just the day before was filled with so much failure.

What can we learn from the example of the chickadees above and Matthew 21:22 to succeed in prayer?

September 5, 2021September 1, 2021

THE IMPORTANCE OF RECIPROCITY

At the end of June 2021, we began a series about prayer starting with the followers of Jesus asking to be taught how to pray. (See Teach us to….)

We then turned our attention to Matthew 6:5-13, taking a verse per week of Jesus’ instruction, first on how not to pray, that is then followed with an example of how to pray.

Today we turn our attention to Matthew 6:14 where Jesus elaborates on one of the petitions within the sample prayer we refer to as the Lord’s prayer. (See Matthew 6:12.)

We will learn a surprising principle of the importance of reciprocity applied to forgiveness.