soc.octade.net is a Fediverse instance that uses the ActivityPub protocol. In other words, users at this host can communicate with people that use software like Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica, etc. all around the world.

This server runs the snac software and there is no automatic sign-up process.

Admin email
social@octade.net

Search results for tag #books

[?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
@TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

BRUISER. A boxer; one skilled in the art of boxing - also an inferior workman among chasers.

A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

--
@histodons

Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): BRUISER. A boxer; one skilled in the art of boxing - also an inferior workman among chasers. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): BRUISER. A boxer; one skilled in the art of boxing - also an inferior workman among chasers. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

    [?]steve mookie kong » 🌐
    @mookie@weredreaming.com

    "Religion damned our species for thousands of years, from the lowest superstition to the highest conclaves of spiritual faith. It drove us to madness, to war, to murder, it hung upon us like a disease, like a shackle ball. I’ll tell you what religion was... No, you tell me. You, there?"

    "‘Ignorance, sir."

    From Horus Rising by Dan Abnett


      [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
      @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

      GLIMMER. Fire. CANT.

      A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

      --
      @histodons

      Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): GLIMMER. Fire. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

      Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): GLIMMER. Fire. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

        [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
        @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

        Who was Homer, author of the Odyssey?

        by Tom Hercules Davies

        theconversation.com/who-was-ho

        The Odyssey by Homer at PG:
        gutenberg.org/ebooks/1727

        Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica by Hesiod at PG:
        gutenberg.org/ebooks/348

        This is a book cover for "Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica," featuring an image of an ancient Greek red-figure pottery design showing a ship with dolphins, set against a black background with the title in white text at top. Title: Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica Author: Hesiod Translator: Hugh G. Evelyn-White

        Alt...This is a book cover for "Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns and Homerica," featuring an image of an ancient Greek red-figure pottery design showing a ship with dolphins, set against a black background with the title in white text at top. Title: Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and Homerica Author: Hesiod Translator: Hugh G. Evelyn-White

          [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
          @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

          AUTEM MORT. A married woman; also a female beggar with several children hired or borrowed to excite charity. CANT.

          A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

          --
          @histodons

          Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): AUTEM MORT. A married woman; also a female beggar with several children hired or borrowed to excite charity. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

          Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): AUTEM MORT. A married woman; also a female beggar with several children hired or borrowed to excite charity. CANT. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

            Ricki Yasha Tarr boosted

            [?]penpencilbrush🇨🇦 » 🌐
            @penpencilbrush@mstdn.social

            @RickiTarr Some people need to read more.

              Draken BlackKnight boosted

              [?]MikeDunnAuthor » 🌐
              @MikeDunnAuthor@kolektiva.social

              Today in Labor History, July 23, 1944: Madeleine Riffaud, 19, got off her bicycle, pulled out a gun, and assassinated a Nazi military officer as he took a stroll over the river Seine. She was pursued by French collaborators with the Nazis, beaten, tortured and imprisoned in a concentration camp. She escaped, but was later caught, eventually being released in a prisoner swap. She then joined the armed uprising against the Nazis. She had said she wanted to murder a Nazi in broad daylight to encourage the demoralized population. At the age of 18, she worked as a midwife in a Grenoble sanitarium, where she also helped hide Jews and Resistance Fighters, and helped operate a clandestine printing press.

              After the war, she was inspired and encouraged to write by the surrealist poet, Paul Eluard. She became a journalist for the communist newspaper L'Humanité, and other left-wing publications, reporting on anti-colonial rebellions in Algeria and Vietnam. She saw her reporting as a continuation of her anti-fascist fighting, writing that "a people who oppress another can never be a free people." In another quote, she said: “I didn't want France to do elsewhere what the Nazis wanted to do here.” She also wrote poetry and a memoir: On l'appelait Rainer (Called Rainer). Her first poetry collection was published in 1945, with a preface by Eluard, and a portrait of herself on the cover, drawn by Pablo Picasso. In 1974, after working in a Paris hospital, she wrote her best-seller “Les Linges de la nuit” exposing the poor working conditions of hospital workers in France. She died, at the age of 100, in 2024.

              @a.gup.pe

              Madeleine Riffaud (1924 – 6 November 2024), a French poet and journalist, war correspondent, with long, wavy brown hair, looking to the side, not smiling. By La Vie Ouvriere, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78315944

              Alt...Madeleine Riffaud (1924 – 6 November 2024), a French poet and journalist, war correspondent, with long, wavy brown hair, looking to the side, not smiling. By La Vie Ouvriere, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78315944

                [?]Paria sans portefeuille » 🌐
                @PariaSansPortefeuille@jasette.facil.services

                "In September, Henry Holt & Company’s Metropolitan Books imprint will publish Khalil’s memoir, , giving readers a window into the 104 days he spent in , and the relationships he formed with his fellow inmates."

                publishersweekly.com/pw/by-top
                @bookstodon

                  [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                  @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                  PIN. In or to a merry pin; almost drunk: allusion to a sort of tankard, used in the north, having silver pegs or pins set at equal distances from the top to the bottom:every person drinking out of one of these tankards, was to swallow the quantity contained between two pins.

                  A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                  --
                  @histodons

                  Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): PIN. In or to a merry pin; almost drunk: allusion to a sort of tankard, used in the north, having silver pegs or pins set at equal distances from the top to the bottom:every person drinking out of one of these tankards, was to swallow the quantity contained between two pins. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                  Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): PIN. In or to a merry pin; almost drunk: allusion to a sort of tankard, used in the north, having silver pegs or pins set at equal distances from the top to the bottom:every person drinking out of one of these tankards, was to swallow the quantity contained between two pins. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                    [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                    @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                    6 Masterpieces by Henry James That Defined Modern Literature

                    Why is Henry James known as the Master? Discover six of the novelist's greatest works, each laden with psychological complexity and tightly wrought prose.

                    thecollector.com/henry-james-m

                    James at PG:

                    gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/113

                    This 1922 painting by Annie Swynnerton shows Henry James from the waist up, turned to the left. He appears as a mature, bald man dressed in a high-collared white shirt, a dark necktie or cravat, and a black coat or waistcoat.

                    Alt...This 1922 painting by Annie Swynnerton shows Henry James from the waist up, turned to the left. He appears as a mature, bald man dressed in a high-collared white shirt, a dark necktie or cravat, and a black coat or waistcoat.

                      Lightfighter boosted

                      [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                      @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                      How Medical Racism Impacted the Work of Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston

                      Jesse Waggoner on the Harlem Renaissance's Contributions to Modern Disability Rights

                      lithub.com/how-medical-racism-

                      Books by Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston at PG:
                      gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/86
                      gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/63

                      Langston Hughes at Tuskegee Institute with Jessie Fauset (left) and Zora Neale Hurston, 1927. Langston Hughes stands with writers Jessie Fauset (left) and Zora Neale Hurston (right) at Tuskegee Institute, in front of the Booker T. Washington statue, one year after Hughes published his first book. Black-and-white photo, all three dressed formally.

                      Alt...Langston Hughes at Tuskegee Institute with Jessie Fauset (left) and Zora Neale Hurston, 1927. Langston Hughes stands with writers Jessie Fauset (left) and Zora Neale Hurston (right) at Tuskegee Institute, in front of the Booker T. Washington statue, one year after Hughes published his first book. Black-and-white photo, all three dressed formally.

                        oheso boosted

                        [?]Quasit » 🌐
                        @Quasit@beige.party

                        Does anybody else have a bunch of used book shops in their dream world?

                        I have several that I recognize from one dream to another, although they're not based on anything in reality.

                          [?]eribosot [He/Him] » 🌐
                          @eribosot@mastodon.social

                          The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a classical work of Chinese literature by Luo Ganzhong, written in the 14th century CE, describes an all-out civil war between the kingdoms of Wu, Shu and Wei, spanning several decades of the 2nd century CE.

                          Featuring a cast of thousands of characters, the book felt incredibly repetitive to me. Rather than a typical Western-style plot, it's a never-ending series of battles, military maneuvers, ruses and defeats. It has its moments, though.

                            [?]eribosot [He/Him] » 🌐
                            @eribosot@mastodon.social

                            "The Missing Thread" by Daisy Dunn shows how women shaped the history of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The book does not make an empowering argument for proto-feminism: these societies are strongly anti-women, and there's nothing that could be described as a women's movement.

                            Rather, the book shows how a few women, with the odds stacked firmly against them, still manage to exert power and influence, independently of each other. It's a fascinating way to look at this part of history.

                              oheso boosted

                              [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                              @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                              On Alt Text Image Description as Literary Practice

                              M. Leona Godin Considers the Mundane, Profound Act of Translating a Picture

                              lithub.com/on-alt-text-image-d

                              Alt-text as Poetry project:
                              alt-text-as-poetry.net/

                              We see Pooh, still hanging from the balloon, nose to nose with some bees. Title: Winnie-the-Pooh Author: A. A. Milne Illustrator: Ernest H. Shepard

                              Alt...We see Pooh, still hanging from the balloon, nose to nose with some bees. Title: Winnie-the-Pooh Author: A. A. Milne Illustrator: Ernest H. Shepard

                                [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                NICKNAME. A name given in ridicule or contempt: from the French nom de niqne. Niqne is a movement of the head to mark a contempt for any person or thing.

                                A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                --
                                @histodons

                                Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): NICKNAME. A name given in ridicule or contempt: from the French nom de niqne. Niqne is a movement of the head to mark a contempt for any person or thing. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): NICKNAME. A name given in ridicule or contempt: from the French nom de niqne. Niqne is a movement of the head to mark a contempt for any person or thing. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                  [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                  @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                  Hi!, I'm a bot posting selections from Francis Grose’s 1785 “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue”, a compilation of slang terms, the coded language of the underclass and the demi-monde.

                                  [18th-century-content warning: possible racism, animal cruelty, homophobia, sexism, slut-shaming. Let me know of any problems.]

                                  Montage of dictionary items posted by this account

                                  Alt...Montage of dictionary items posted by this account

                                    muddle 🥣 boosted

                                    [?]Texas Observer » 🌐
                                    @TexasObserver@texasobserver.social

                                    Featured story: What changed? How did Christianity become the political weapon we see today?

                                    A new book from historian Joseph L. Locke investigates how "militant" Christian nationalism became the state religion. texasobserver.org/one-state-un

                                      [?]Paria sans portefeuille » 🌐
                                      @PariaSansPortefeuille@jasette.facil.services

                                      "Masked federal agents are kidnapping and killing our neighbors, on the streets and behind the bars of hundreds of across the country. In , award-winning journalist and translator offers a galvanizing, clear-eyed case for why we must close these camps—and how to do it."

                                      youtube.com/watch?v=XC8lvGHp8TM
                                      @bookstodon

                                        muddle 🥣 boosted

                                        [?]Dave Dawkins (D. Harrigon) [He/Him] » 🌐
                                        @golgaloth@writing.exchange

                                        I mean, everyone I know is writing a book.

                                        Times are bad. Children no longer okey their parents and everyone is writing a book. -Cicero, 43 BCE

                                        Alt...Times are bad. Children no longer okey their parents and everyone is writing a book. -Cicero, 43 BCE

                                          [?]דער קערפער פֿון השם » 🌐
                                          @dukepaaron@babka.social

                                          "Some have been explaining to non- friends, neighbors, and colleagues the fear and apartness they have felt since , 2023, when breached Israel’s southern border and launched an attack that sparked the and the anti- – and in some cases – backlash that followed.

                                          In interviews, they describe a sense of disorientation, as if they have been jolted into an entirely new era, in which some have lost friendships and a sense of belonging. This is especially true in some social circles that never condemned the Oct. 7 violence, and in some cases even within their own Jewish communities that hold differing opinions on what supporting Israel means.

                                          Jewish and report being excluded from talks and festivals and experiencing difficulties in getting new ."

                                          csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2026

                                            your auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦 boosted

                                            [?]Texas Observer » 🌐
                                            @TexasObserver@texasobserver.social

                                            Much of the camp infrastructure we see today was es­tablished in the Obama years. In 2014, as more families fled violence and poverty and headed toward the United States, the Obama administration reverted to using detention as an attempted means of deterrence.
                                            texasobserver.org/excerpt-how-

                                              Relax Milano 😴📍 boosted

                                              [?]WIST Quotations » 🌐
                                              @wistquotes@friendica.world

                                              A quotation from James Howell

                                              Old wine, and old friend, and old gold are beloved in all places.
                                               
                                              [Vin vieux, amy vieux, Y or vieux sont amez en touts lieux.]

                                              James Howell (c. 1594–1666) Welsh historian, writer, aphorist
                                              Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “Proverbs in French” (1659)
                                              [compiler]

                                              More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/howell-james/85085/

                                                [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                LEFT-HANDED WIFE. A concubine; an allusion to an ancient German custom, according to which, when a man married his concubine, or a woman greatly his inferior, he gave her his left hand.

                                                A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                --
                                                @histodons

                                                Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): LEFT-HANDED WIFE. A concubine; an allusion to an ancient German custom, according to which, when a man married his concubine, or a woman greatly his inferior, he gave her his left hand. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): LEFT-HANDED WIFE. A concubine; an allusion to an ancient German custom, according to which, when a man married his concubine, or a woman greatly his inferior, he gave her his left hand. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                  [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                  @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                  Charles Brockden Brown Declares Independence

                                                  Ed Simon explores Charles Brockden Brown’s Wieland; or, The Transformation: An American Tale, often considered the first American Gothic novel.

                                                  By Ed Simon

                                                  theparisreview.org/blog/2026/0

                                                  Books by Charles Brockden Brown (including Wieland) at PG:
                                                  gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/416

                                                  Engraving of American writer Charles Brockden Brown. From The Life of Charles Brockden Brown by William Dunlap. Published by James P. Parke, 1815. This is an engraving portrait of Charles Brockden Brown, an early American novelist, shown wearing early 19th-century formal attire with a large white cravat and dark coat, set against a draped curtain background.

                                                  Alt...Engraving of American writer Charles Brockden Brown. From The Life of Charles Brockden Brown by William Dunlap. Published by James P. Parke, 1815. This is an engraving portrait of Charles Brockden Brown, an early American novelist, shown wearing early 19th-century formal attire with a large white cravat and dark coat, set against a draped curtain background.

                                                    [?]Project Gutenberg » 🌐
                                                    @gutenberg_org@mastodon.social

                                                    The Letters of Heloise: Love, Learning, and Life as a Medieval Woman

                                                    Heloise’s letters reveal a medieval woman caught between enduring love, religious duty, and the expectations of her age. Andrea Maraschi explores how they also showcase her remarkable learning and her willingness to express thoughts and emotions rarely preserved in medieval women’s writing.

                                                    By Andrea Maraschi

                                                    medievalists.net/2026/07/the-l

                                                    Letters of Heloise at PG:
                                                    gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?q

                                                    Abelard and Héloïse in a manuscript of the Roman de la Rose (14th century). It is showing a man in a pink/orange robe kneeling and gesturing toward a woman in black nun's habit, both with raised hands in a conversational or devotional pose, set against a decorative patterned background with fleur-de-lis motifs.

                                                    Alt...Abelard and Héloïse in a manuscript of the Roman de la Rose (14th century). It is showing a man in a pink/orange robe kneeling and gesturing toward a woman in black nun's habit, both with raised hands in a conversational or devotional pose, set against a decorative patterned background with fleur-de-lis motifs.

                                                      [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                      @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                      BLEEDING CULLY. One who parts easily with his money, or bleeds freely.

                                                      A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                      --
                                                      @histodons

                                                      Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): BLEEDING CULLY. One who parts easily with his money, or bleeds freely. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                      Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): BLEEDING CULLY. One who parts easily with his money, or bleeds freely. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                        muddle 🥣 boosted

                                                        [?]Texas Observer » 🌐
                                                        @TexasObserver@texasobserver.social

                                                        New in : It starts with questioning the legitimacy of the camps. In this excerpt, John Washington explains how we got here ... and looks toward a future where we put an end to immigrant detention. texasobserver.org/excerpt-how-

                                                        @bookstodon

                                                          JJDavis :terminal: boosted

                                                          [?]EveryLibrary » 🌐
                                                          @everylibrary@mastodon.social

                                                          Book banners have NEVER been the good guys - www.bookbanpetition.us

                                                            muddle 🥣 boosted

                                                            [?]Paris Marx » 🌐
                                                            @parismarx@mastodon.online

                                                            The tech industry is pushing our planet to the breaking point.

                                                            HYPERSCALE tells the story of the growing fight around data centers. It comes out October 20.

                                                            Preorder yours today: hyperscalebook.com

                                                              muddle 🥣 boosted

                                                              [?]Emeritus Prof. Christopher May » 🌐
                                                              @ChrisMayLA6@mastodon.me.uk

                                                              Good news for many of us here:

                                                              Your pending pile (your books-to-read pile) is contributing to your well-being.... it represents an anticipation of pleasure to come & as such sports good mental health.

                                                              Just as well as my pending pile of books never goes down (yes, that's my problem in buying more books that look/sound interesting).

                                                              @books

                                                              theconversation.com/why-you-ke

                                                                [?]Paria sans portefeuille » 🌐
                                                                @PariaSansPortefeuille@jasette.facil.services

                                                                "There's a real effort to rewrite history that we're seeing in real time from officials, many of whom want to continue wielding power for years, if not decades to come. These are people who are now at top universities, on the boards of corporations, think tanks..."

                                                                , author of : , His Advisors, and 's War in

                                                                fmep.org/resource/the-biden-ad

                                                                @bookstodon

                                                                  [?]The Vulgar Tongue » 🤖 🌐
                                                                  @TheVulgarTongue@zirk.us

                                                                  CROSS BUTTOCK. A particular lock or fall in the Broughtonian art, which, as Mr. Fielding observes, conveyed more pleasant sensations to the spectators than the patient.

                                                                  A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                                  --
                                                                  @histodons

                                                                  Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): CROSS BUTTOCK. A particular lock or fall in the Broughtonian art, which, as Mr. Fielding observes, conveyed more pleasant sensations to the spectators than the patient. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                                  Alt...Image imitating a page from an old document, text (as in main toot): CROSS BUTTOCK. A particular lock or fall in the Broughtonian art, which, as Mr. Fielding observes, conveyed more pleasant sensations to the spectators than the patient. A selection from Francis Grose’s “Dictionary Of The Vulgar Tongue” (1785)

                                                                    [?]Choose Joy Adventure » 🌐
                                                                    @choosejoyadventure.wordpress.com@choosejoyadventure.wordpress.com

                                                                    Seek, Follow, Abide: Part 1 – What Are You Seeking?

                                                                    "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." — Jeremiah 29:13 Over the next three weeks, we'll journey together through a simple but life-changing question every follower of Christ must answer. We'll explore what it means to seek Jesus, follow His calling, and abide in His presence. While these truths are closely connected, each deserves time to be prayerfully considered. This week, we begin with one question: What are you seeking? Jesus made a promise in Matthew […] [SENSITIVE CONTENT]

                                                                    “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13

                                                                    Over the next three weeks, we’ll journey together through a simple but life-changing question every follower of Christ must answer. We’ll explore what it means to seek Jesus, follow His calling, and abide in His presence. While these truths are closely connected, each deserves time to be prayerfully considered.

                                                                    This week, we begin with one question:

                                                                    What are you seeking?

                                                                    Jesus made a promise in Matthew 7:7:

                                                                    “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

                                                                    Most of us know those words by heart. But have you ever stopped to consider what you’re actually seeking?

                                                                    The truth is, we always find what our hearts are pursuing.

                                                                    If we seek approval, we’ll spend our lives trying to please people.

                                                                    If we seek comfort, we’ll avoid anything that feels difficult.

                                                                    If we seek success, we’ll measure our worth by accomplishments that never fully satisfy.

                                                                    But when we seek Jesus, we discover something far greater than temporary fulfillment—we find the One who satisfies our souls.

                                                                    What we seek shapes the way we see the world.

                                                                    No one asks for difficult seasons. We naturally pray for healing, answers, and relief. Yet faith has a remarkable way of changing our perspective.

                                                                    Faith doesn’t deny the pain of a trial. Faith reminds us that God is still present within it.

                                                                    Sometimes the greatest blessing isn’t that the trial ends quickly. Sometimes it’s realizing that God is accomplishing something in us that could only happen through the struggle.

                                                                    James tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials because they produce perseverance. That doesn’t mean we celebrate suffering. It means we trust that God is working even when we cannot yet see the outcome.

                                                                    It takes faith to recognize blessings that don’t arrive in the package we expected.

                                                                    The more we seek Christ, the more we begin looking for His fingerprints instead of focusing only on our problems.

                                                                    What Are You Looking For?

                                                                    Have you ever noticed that when you’re shopping for a particular vehicle, you suddenly see that same model everywhere?

                                                                    The cars were always there. You simply became aware of what you were looking for.

                                                                    The same principle applies spiritually.

                                                                    If you’re looking for reasons to doubt, you’ll probably find them.

                                                                    If you’re looking for reasons to complain, you’ll discover plenty.

                                                                    But if you’re seeking God’s presence, you’ll begin noticing His faithfulness in places you may have overlooked before.

                                                                    A conversation.

                                                                    An answered prayer.

                                                                    An unexpected opportunity.

                                                                    A quiet moment in His Word.

                                                                    A peace that doesn’t make sense.

                                                                    God’s presence often becomes most visible to those who intentionally seek Him.

                                                                    It’s easy to seek what God can do for us.

                                                                    We pray for wisdom.

                                                                    Strength.

                                                                    Healing.

                                                                    Provision.

                                                                    Direction.

                                                                    These are all good gifts from a loving Father.

                                                                    But God never intended for us to seek His hand more than His heart.

                                                                    His greatest gift has always been Himself.

                                                                    When we seek Jesus first, everything else begins to find its proper place. Our circumstances may not immediately change, but our perspective does. We begin to trust Him not only for what He provides, but because of who He is.

                                                                    That kind of faith anchors us when life becomes uncertain.

                                                                    This Week’s Invitation

                                                                    Don’t try to do everything at once.

                                                                    Simply…

                                                                    Seek Him.

                                                                    Next week, we’ll discover what it means to faithfully follow His call.

                                                                    With love and joy,

                                                                    Laura

                                                                    PS. Here is a prayer for your week as you seek Him…Heavenly Father, search my heart and reveal what I have been seeking. Forgive me for the times I have pursued comfort, approval, or success more than Your presence. Help me seek You with my whole heart and trust that You will meet me in every season. Open my eyes to see Your blessings, even in the midst of trials, and teach me to desire You above everything else. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

                                                                    Seek, Follow, Abide: Part 1 – What Are You Seeking?

                                                                    Alt...Seek, Follow, Abide: Part 1 – What Are You Seeking?

                                                                    Back to top - More...

                                                                    about this site - powered by snac/2.93-dev