Holly Michael's Writing Straight

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Holly Michael's Writing Straight

Tag Archives: Angels

Advent Day 9: ANGELS

07 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by Holly Michael in Advent

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Angels, Angels We Have Heard on High, God, Holly Michael, Jesus Christ

My husband is a pastor. On Saturdays we serve at a mission church in a retirement/nursing home. On Halloween, the place was decorated with goblins, ghosts, skeletons, and all sorts of creepy demonic-looking decorations. There were coffins and skeletons, bowls of eyeballs, and spiders and webs hanging everywhere. I thought the holiday decor was odd and overdone in a place where people are living out their last days.

Now, in this season of Advent, this retirement/nursing home is decorated for Christmas with lots of greens and Santa Clauses. Not a nativity scene to be seen. The only “religious” Christmas symbolism I could find was the angel on top of the gigantic Christmas tree.

Angels…

IMG_0776 (1)

Photo by Holly Michael

Why is it that many accept the idea of angels, but don’t believe in God or accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah?

The angels did. They were present at the birth of Christ.

IMG_0774

Photo by Holly Michael

Angels are mentioned quite a bit in the Bible as messengers of God and beings created by God who worship God. God sent Angel Gabriel to Mary to ask her consent to be the mother of The Savior. Angels are always before the throne of God singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

According to the Bible, angels are God’s messengers, God’s Warriors, God’s witnesses, God worshippers, and appointed by God to be guardians of men.

Below are some angel facts from Mary Fairchild on Christianity.about.com

Bible Facts About Angels

Angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible. Although we won’t look at every instance, this study will offer a comprehensive look at what the Bible says about angels.

Angels were created by God:

Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. (NKJV) 

Colossians 1:16
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (NIV)

Angels were created to live for eternity:

Luke 20:36
…nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. (NKJV)

Revelation 4:8
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” (NIV)

Angels were present when God created the world:

Job 38:1-7
Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: “…Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? …while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (NIV)

Angels do not marry:

Matthew 22:30
At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. (NIV)

Angels are wise and intelligent:

2 Samuel 14:17
Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.’ (NKJV)

Daniel 9:21-22
…while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.” (NIV)

Angels have knowledge of, and interest in, the affairs of men:

Daniel 10:14
“Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” (NIV)

Luke 15:10
“Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NKJV) 

Angels are faster than men:

Daniel 9:21
… while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. (NIV)

Revelation 14:6
And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. (NLT)

Angels are God’s Mighty Warriors

According to whyangels.com: “…angels aren’t just nice, kindly beings, they are also the mighty and powerful warriors of God. In fact there’s a dramatic description of a war in the spiritual realm between the Archangel Michael and God’s angels and The Devil/Satan/Lucifer and his rebellious angelic followers.”

IMG_0780

Photo by Holly Michael, Archangel Michael statue in the Michael Home

Though the fallen angel Lucifer was cast down to the earth, we do have hope. Jesus came into the world as an infant to be “Emmanuel- God With Us” and He will also come again: His second coming. And that is why we must prepare our hearts to receive Him, especially now during this season of Advent.

Hope you enjoyed the angel facts. The fact is that you can’t believe in angels and not believe in the God who created them. And if you believe in God, then you must accept the Son of God, Jesus, whom He sent as our Savior.  And the more we draw closer to Jesus, the more we are enlightened, blessed, and made whole.

Here’s an amazing song…Angels From The Realms of Glory…love this rendition.

 

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My Amazing Connection to Author Jan Pierce: What I Wish all Parents Knew

05 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by Holly Michael in Books, Christianity, Guest Author, Guest Blogger, Inspiration

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2015 Wold Book Day, Angels, Best book to help children learn to read, Bestseller, bestselling Author Jan Pierce, Children, Help a child learn to read, Helping Kids Read, Holly Michael, Homegrown Readers, India, Jan Pierce, Miracles, reading, Roger Pierce, Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read, Tsunami, tsunami 2004

Alone in a foreign country, with my husband in a third world ICU suffering multiple organ failure, God summoned his angels. They are the Pierces: Jan and Roger.

Homegrown Readers coverToday, Jan Pierce is a guest on my blog. She will share her secrets about inspiring children to love to read. Jan is a retired teacher and freelance writer who specializes in writing about education, parenting and family life topics. She is the author of the newly-released book, Homegrown Readers: Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read

Last November, when my husband contracted dengue fever from a mosquito bite, I’d only known Jan vaguely as an author friend on Facebook. During our crisis in India, my only means of communication was via a hospital computer. I got on Facebook and asked for prayers.

Jan Pierce saw my message. Her husband Roger was in India, in Bengaluru, where we were. Deciphering my sporadic messages, the couple discovered our location.

A few days later, Roger stepped into the hospital room. With happy tears upon seeing my husband alive and well, he told us that God had prompted him to pray with fervency. He’d spent countless hours interceding before the Lord for us. Roger had never met us before, but we all held hands and prayed in that hospital room, so far from home. We were all overwhelmed at this amazing connection…

Because of God…

Because of prayers…

Because of…yes, Facebook…

…my husband recovered and I am able to introduce Jan Pierce to you, a wonderful talented compassionate author with a heart for India and a heart for helping kids learn to read.

I’m handing over my blog to Jan. And what’s really cool about her post today is that today March 5th, is UNESCO’s World Book Day. A celebration that encourages children to read. To celebrate, Here’s JAN!!!!!

Thanks, Holly. God is amazing and I am grateful for your husband’s recovery and for your welcoming me here today to talk about What I Wish All Parents Knew…

Jan-137acrop1

Today’s busy families are hard pressed to give their children everything they need. Schedules are packed. Kids join soccer and T-ball teams. Families enjoy the outdoors together camping and hiking. Parents take time to teach their children basic kindness and manners, but they often wait to get into that book learning, the reading and writing stuff, until their children enter school.

But here’s the thing. Reading is really important. Virtually all learning takes place through the written word. Children who haven’t been read to, who haven’t listened to fairy tales, poems, tales of curious monkeys and books about real animals, kids who aren’t familiar with books and what’s inside them–these kids are at a disadvantage when they go to school.

The solution is simple. Read to your children. Even if you had unhappy experiences in your own learning to read years, the price of entering school without lots of experience with books is too high. Kids soon learn that the other children know what’s going on. They don’t. They’ve just begun their school career and already feel like a failure.

Reading aloud to children is, ideally, a wonderful thing. It can be the ritual before naps and bedtimes. It can be what the family does on Saturday mornings while they eat their pancakes. Sharing favorite stories should be a positive experience for the whole family. If that isn’t the case, something needs to change. If reading isn’t enjoyable to you as the parent, suck it up and do it anyway. (You’ll change your mind.)

Regular read aloud times should be part of the family schedule. Let children choose some of the titles. Read a variety of fiction and non-fiction books and don’t forget that maps, comic books, the Sunday comic strips and even instruction manuals are all reading materials. It’s never too late to start because it’s just that important to success in school.

When your children enter kindergarten let them be the kids who have heard at least five hundred stories. Let them be the ones who understand that stories have characters and settings and plots. Let them know which way is up on a page and that writing goes from left to right. Teach them to love books and reading. Your reward? A happy, successful reader.

Holly: Thanks for that message Jan, could you share a little more about your background.

Sure, I’m a wife, mother and grandma to three terrific grandsons. I retired eight years ago from a long career in education. I taught all grades from kindergarten through fourth grade, but mainly taught first and second grade, so I had ample time to teach children to read. I earned a reading endorsement when I got my Master’s degree because I wanted to understand more about the nuts and bolts of reading. I spent the last two years of my career as a reading specialist.

When I retired, I determined to stay active and soon realized I had two new “jobs.” One involves Teams India, the NGO my husband and I founded to do missions work in India. The second is I became a freelance writer. I’d never published a thing before 2007, but soon found that I love the challenge and everything related to the writer’s life.

And getting involved in the writing life is what brought Jan and I together on Facebook. Isn’t this an amazing connection? And my blog is all about connections.

Holly: Before you go, Jan. I really want to stress the benefits a parent will get from reading your book? Can you tell us how it will help parents and their children?

Sure. Any parent who wants their child to gain reading skills in English will benefit from the information in this book. It’s important that parents understand English is not a highly phonetic language and because of that children need more than phonics to read well. They need to use thinking strategies to find the meaning in a text. If they read the words perfectly, but don’t understand the meaning, they haven’t really read. All the strategies they need to solve reading problems are found in Homegrown Readers.Homegrown Readers cover

And below are links to Jan’s site and to purchase her book: Homegrown Readers: Simple Ways to Help Your Child Learn to Read

CONNECT WITH JAN: Website: www.janpierce.net and www.onehandfulofrice.org / Facebook author page / Jan’s Amazon author page / Linked In / Pinterest

Amazon.com to buy Jan’s Book /  To purchase Jan’s Book from Barnes and Noble

Beautiful beach and seaHolly: If you’d like to hear more about our drama-filled visit to Tsunami-devastated Nagapattinam in our “then and now” book, Tsunami 2004 – Still Wading Through Waves of Hope, click here. The nonfiction book takes a look back at our visit ten years ago and our return trip this last November and the challenges and surprises we encountered. It also chronicles the lives of several orphans.

But, first, I urge you, parents, teachers, aunts, uncles grab Jan’s book from the links above. It’s a must for any one who cares about helping a child they love learn to read!

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NYT Best Selling Author Don Piper is coming to speak to us! “90 Minutes in Heaven” is an Amazing Story!

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by Holly Michael in Books, Holy Catholic Church - Anglican Rite, Inspiration

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

90 Minutes in Heaven, Angels, Anglican Church, Author Don Piper, Best Selling Author Don Piper, Christianity, death, Don Piper, Eternal life, Eternity, Gates of Heaven, God, Heaven, Heaven and Hell, Heaven is Real, Holy Catholic Church Anglican Rite, Jesus Christ, Joy and Heaven, Life, Life and Death, Miracle, Miracles, Pastor Don Piper, Saint James Anglican Church - Kansas City, Speaker Don Piper, St James Anglican Church Kansas City

On his way home from a church conference in 1989, Don Piper’s Ford Escort was struck head-on by an 18-wheeler. He was killed instantly — pronounced dead by four sets of paramedics.

90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper crushed Car on Bridge insetBut God worked a miracle and sent Don back to a broken body. To date, 34 surgical procedures have taken place. He walks only as a result of miraculous and in some cases medically unexplainable circumstances. During the time he was dead, Piper was granted the extreme privilege of glimpsing Heaven itself.

Ninety minutes after dying, Don Piper came back to life where he faced a long and grueling recovery. Don travels across the country and around the world sharing his amazing story of hope and healing. His message is simple … We can have a better life now and an eternal life someday through faith in Jesus Christ! Don has appeared and shared his miraculous story in numerous national media outlets, including Fox News, CBN, “The Today Show” on NBC and Newsweek.

Here’s a video about his experience: 

And guest what? !!! DON PIPER has agreed to come to our little church in Kansas City!

St. James Anglican Church  (Holy Catholic Anglican Church-Anglican Rite) is pleased to announce best selling author and speaker, Don Piper, as its special guest on June 13, 2013 @ 12:00 noon or 7:00 pm.  

DPTo purchase 90 Minutes in Heaven, click here

To Purchase Heaven is Real, click here

To come and hear Don Piper’s talk, come to St. James Anglican church on June 13th. Yay!!!

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The Destination: Update & Prayer

11 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by Holly Michael in Prayer Request

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Angels, Healing, Heaven, Jesus, Mary, prayers, Vicky Sclafani

Yesterday, I posted about my friend Vicky, who is miraculously surviving a massive coronary and organ shut down. She is still with us, but confused and agitated at times, her nurse reports. She still doesn’t always remember where she is and what has happened to her, often thinking she’s on a bus or in a strange house, wondering when she’s going to reach her destination. I really appreciate your prayers and support in the comments section. They comforted me and made me realize that I didn’t include a prayer of my own in yesterday’s post.

So…

…knowing, when two or three gather in His name (even across the internet), He is there. Please pray with me:

Father, be with Vicky now…mortal arms often failed to hold her up when she was weak…and this fragile, gentle soul sometimes stumbled and fell. Jesus, wrap your Heavenly arms around Vicky now, as she once hugged and assured the tsunami orphans in India…

…shower Vicky with Your Mercy and Grace. Lord, heal her broken soul, her wounded heart, and restore her to complete fullness and wellness. As I can not sit at Vicky’s bedside today, please let your holy angels be her visitors. Please send Mother Mary, whom she loves, to sit with her and comfort her through her pain and confusion. Lord, don’t allow her to stray on the mountainside, alone and confused. O Good Shepherd, call to her, bind her wounds, heal her, and bring her to green pastures. Thank you Lord.

Troubles and trials often betray us
Causing the weary body to stray
But we shall walk beside the still waters
With the Good Shepherd leading the way

Those who have strayed were sought by the master
He who once gave his life for the sheep
Out on the mountain still he is searching
Bringing them in forever to keep

Going up home to live in green pastures
Where we shall live and die nevermore
Even the Lord will be in that number
When we shall reach that heavenly shore…

(Ferdinand Ortega – Green Pastures).

Below, Vicky in India with us in 2004, giving a Certificate of Deposit to an orphan that will help this child with college or marriage costs in a couple of years.

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Done this: Regular freelance ghostwriter and online editor for Guideposts for Teens/Sweet 16 Magazine, creator/editor of a magazine for Wal-Mart Corp., journalist, newspaper features writer, published in a variety of national magazines and local newspapers, script writing/editing for corporations. Doing this now: author of fiction and nonfiction, blogger, and editor of Koinonia Magazine. I’m the wife of Rt. Rev. Leo Michael, an Anglican Bishop in the Holy Catholic Church-Anglican Rite. Mom to three great kids: Nick (#81 Rajin Cajuns), Betsy (Super cute professor) and Jake (T1D & NFL player) Also, enjoy my travels extensively across the United States and internationally.

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