The Linzey Team

by Tanya Linzey  God  In Focus   At the start of this New Year, my husband and pastor of our church presented a theme for our church entitled, “Applying God’s Word”. He presented it through a message about “Vision” using the verse in Proverbs 29:18 which says, “Where there is no vision , the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. He then went on to explain that vision is beyond just us seeing but it involves hearing also. Back in the Old Testament in the days of the prophets and in 1 Samuel 3;1 it says, ”The Word of God was precious in those days, there was no open vision (meaning no message or direction from God.) Putting the two thoughts together, it basically means that without God’s Word the people perish!    God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (Psalms 119:105) In the New Testament and in 2 Peter 1:19 God tells us that “We have a more sure word of prophecy; which is the word of God: whereunto, ye do well that ...

With what is commonly know as “April fool’s day” having just passed, the powerful assurance of the Resurrection strikes my heart even more so as we quickly approach what our family has come to call Resurrection Day. I once heard a preacher comment on April fool’s day saying, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1) But, my friend, I’m telling you, there is a God in heaven just as surely as there are rocks outside!   The story of God coming down to earth as a little baby to grow up in the home of a lowly carpenter’s family, whose feet would collect the dust of the streets in his home country of Israel, Whose voice would be heard with carnal ears, Whose garments would be sought after by dirty hands, and Whose miracles would be beheld with unbelieving eyes…is a story that seems too good to be true. God became Man? Yes!   And this same God, who spoke the worlds into existence, has given us enough evidence to make belief in Him a most reasonable thin...

 By Christina Right now, take a moment and think of the top three things that you personally think you are identified as. And no reading further until you have come up with these three things! (I had to say that because I know what kind of person I naturally am😉.) Okay...now, list the top three things other people usually tell you that you are. Do you feel like the two brief lists are similar? In what ways? How do you see them differ? Do you feel confident in this identity? Or perhaps, you might honestly feel insecure and rather useless because of the contemplative answers...? As I was doing a little study for a ladies’ fellowship time, I was emphatically struck with something that I hadn’t noticed before in a rather common biblical account. In fact, my Oxford KJV Bible’s study notes helped to greatly highlight it (...you’ve gotta love a wholesome study Bible with the Scofield Study System👍)! Ruth. Who was she? Who did she see herself identified as? Who did others perceive her t...

  Posted b y Christina   W hat comes with seasons? We all have gone through, are going through, and will be going through seasons of life. Seasons of beauty, comfort, delight, and rest (Spring). Seasons of hardship, heat, dryness, and trials (Summer). Seasons of death to visions and passions; gathering the fruit of what has been sown previously, yet at the same time, wondering anxiously about what will be sown in the future (Autumn). As well as seasons of coldness, fogginess, unclarity, and just emptiness (Winter).  As autumn has come, I have been reminded of the representation that this process gives. One way to look at this time is in one simple word "change". Change from one stage of life to another. I don't know about you, but I am a person that so easily gets hooked on the process of change, while neglecting where and what it leads to. But while I am sitting and concentrating on the eye-to-eye point of view with all the overwhelming and "bigger than us"...

  By Anna From wedding bells ringing to welcoming a new little life into our family; from older ones learning the ins and outs of balancing family life with outside responsibilities to young ones just being ushered into the realm of learning how to learn; from senior high school students seeking what the Lord would have them to do concerning the next step in life to elementary students wondering if they are doomed to academic study for the rest of their existence; from joyfully living life as close friends to patiently mentoring toddlers in training... Our family has it covered, and yet it's still hard to let go of "Life as we have always known it."  Autumn is my favorite season of the year. The crisp air, the cooler weather, the brilliant colors, the cozy holiday preparation, the festivity of get togethers with friends and family gatherings, the special once-a-year treats that are brought out for sharing, the music of celebration and rehearsing the memories o...

Posted  by Elisabeth Have you ever felt like God could not see you? Perhaps, you were trying to run from Him. Or, maybe, you were simply secluded in a circumstance and thought that He was unaware of your whereabouts. Here is a poem our grandfather wrote which shares a message that I pray will turn your eyes upon our Father--for He does, indeed, see you right where you are. THE LIZARD A young lizard came into my shop today; Left to himself, I thought he’d go away. But he just stood there looking at me, Hoping beyond hope that him, I wouldn’t see. Earlier that day it had been quite warm, And to open the door would be the norm. Then the rain began, and I love the sound. It was then that I saw my friend on the ground. I looked in my shop, but no food was in sight To give to my friend. But I understood his plight: It was storming outside and he had discovered A place of refuge. He knew he’d be covered. I tried to catch him and take hi...

By Elisabeth         Living in a large family has given me a very real perspective about life. I do not dream of a fairytale wedding because I know that marriage goes far deeper. I look at "great ideas" though the eyes of practicality and nurturing maturity. I see babies as the next generation of men and women who will lead in tomorrow's battles.     In many ways, I would lose so much Biblical and spiritual inspiration if I were to step out as a single independent. I would not know the joy of waking up every morning and smiling at each of my eight sisters all crowded into the same room. I would not know the laughter that takes place around our over-crowded dinning table while sharing half of a chair with one sibling and half of a chair with another. I would not know the thrill of sneaking cookie dough to five brothers. I would not hear the "cafeteria" chatter at lunch and smile because they're all ours. I would miss out on the joy of squeezin...

By Anna "Our house is a mess (toys scattered everywhere, beds unmade, dirty dishes piled high and traveling back on the counter, food that needs somebody to do something with it...), and it needs a cleaning to help it smell better. We have lots of learning to do in our schoolwork and yet we are behind in our studies. We need help to understand and to prepare for our tests. We have house projects that need most of us to help with. There's other people that want us to come over and babysit for them. We are staying up late trying to stay on top of our homework and not getting enough sleep, and therefore waking up late and not having enough of our day to fix all of the above. Wow! What should, can, do we do !?" (Laura Linzey, 10/9/15) Have you ever had a day in your life that you felt overwhelmed? When it felt like every time you tried to take one step forward, it seemed as though you took two step backwards instead? When you had too much to do at the end of the day a...

By Elisabeth Squirrel mannaged to find his way back into his cage last night. But, since we had already decided to return him to the wild, we took the cage out this morning and offered him his freedom. If you've ever been out driving in the country, you are probably well familiar with how indecisive these little rodents can be. It took a good while, along with extra probing to get the little guy to actually leave his confinements. He had chewed several bars in his cage and was already working on another way of escape when we brought his cage out and opened the door. But, despite his ability to wriggle his way to freedom through extraordinary measures, he could not acquaint himself with the fact that the obstacle hindering his frantic jumping around was a gaping whole through which he had but to step out. It was only when he lost his footing and tumbled out that he realized to his amazement that he was free--like really and truly free! However, though he was now li...

The Lord is so good to take us where we are, to tenderly point out the areas in our life that need attention, to help us through His pruning process and with a loving hand stretch us, sometime beyond what we think we can go, forming us, refining us, growing us, correcting us, strengthening us, encouraging us, and ultimately transforming us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Life is an overwhelming journey. There are things to learn, people to meet, decisions to make, appointments to keep, places to be, thoughts to process, life to live... and hardly enough time to do it all (or so if feels)! But have you ever wondered which way to go?   A few months ago the Lord got my attention through a small comment in a little book I was glancing through. It said this: "So often we try to ask God for direction in life, when all He wants us to do is follow Him." (Karla Dornacher) That grabbed me in a very personal way as I had just been given a responsibility that ...