Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Stones from the River of Mercy: A Spiritual Journey
    Stones from the River of Mercy: A Spiritual Journey
    Stones from the River of Mercy: A Spiritual Journey
    Ebook232 pages1 hour

    Stones from the River of Mercy: A Spiritual Journey

    By Sheila Walsh

    3/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This unique spiritual journal offers an in-depth look at what God's Word says about His grace and mercy. More than just a journal, Stones from the River of Mercy offers daily Scriptures and thought-provoking questions that will help you reflect on your own experiences of His mercy. In addition to providing a place for you to write your own stories, the journal shares inspiring anecdotes and gives you space to write prayer requests?and answers. At the end of this seventeen-week journey, you will have tangible reminders of God's faithfulness that will encourage you to "keep on keeping on" in both good times and tough times.

    Stones from the River of Mercy is a companion book to Stories from the River of Mercy, in which author, singer, and popular speaker Sheila Walsh shares the story of her relationship with her late mother-in-law, a relationship that taught both women much about God's grace and mercy. Sheila believes that every woman has similar stories. With her book and this journal, you will discover those stories and create a memorial to His river of mercy as it flows through your life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateJul 13, 2008
    ISBN9781418556778
    Stones from the River of Mercy: A Spiritual Journey
    Author

    Sheila Walsh

    Sheila Walsh is a powerful communicator, Bible teacher, and bestselling author with almost six million books sold. She is the author of the award-winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess series, It’s Okay Not to Be Okay, Praying Women, Holding On When You Want to Let Go, and more. She is cohost of the inspirational talk show Life Today with James and Betty Robison, which is seen worldwide by a potential audience of over 100 million viewers. Sheila lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Barry, and son, Christian, who is in graduate school.

    Read more from Sheila Walsh

    Related to Stones from the River of Mercy

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Jan 1, 2021

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Best Time to Share the Gospel

      Nov 19, 2021

      “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” – Isaiah 9:6 Wow, it’s almost Christmas aga

      2 min read

    • Article

      Still Life: The Working Process

      Feb 21, 2021

      Still Life: The Working Process
      4 min read

    • Article

      Saturday, May 1

      Apr 15, 2021

      MY DRIVE INTO WORK TAKES me down the California coastline. The view is spectacular. The cliffs to my right disappear into the crashing waves below. As I drop into the small coastal valley, the beach curves past the mountain range that frames the seas

      1 min read

    • Article

      Growing Your Own

      Jun 3, 2021

      Growing Your Own
      2 min read

    • Article

      ‘Mum, Please Help Me Die’ A Spiritual Journey With Cancer

      Nov 18, 2019

      My country bleeds and suffers. So why this book at this time? I don’t know – but I ask God to use it to bless and encourage. Five years ago, in my fresh grief, as Shirley had just died, I had a dream. It was a relay race. At the baton exchange, I rea

      5 min read

    • Article

      Test Your Bible Knowledge GUESS WHO

      Oct 30, 2020

      See how many of these you can fill in before checking the answers on page 71. After you test yourself, try reading the questions aloud to a friend or family member and see how they do! 1. When Paul addressed the Ephesians about putting on the armo

      1 min read

    • Article

      Coco Blake

      Jan 25, 2022

      Coco Blake
      3 min read

    • Article

      Monday, April 25

      Feb 16, 2022

      MY MOM, GLORIA, WAS A great woman who valued peace in her home and in her relationships. She was known for putting up her hand if a discussion got too heated and saying, “Peace!” Then she’d simply walk away, without holding a grudge. As a result of h

      1 min read

    • Article

      Look Good, Feel Good

      Apr 1, 2021

      Look Good, Feel Good
      6 min read

    • Article

      Inspiration for Life

      May 28, 2021

      Notice anything different about your magazine? I’m kidding. Of course you do. You’re seeing many of the exciting changes I’ve been telling you about for the past few issues. Start with the better paper and cover stock. That makes your magazine more d

      1 min read

    • Article

      Wednesday, January 27

      Dec 17, 2020

      IT’S EASY TO GO TO work or shop or do other activities and never let anyone know you are a Christian. Usually, folks will think you’re a nice person or a good employee, and you can just peacefully coexist through life that way. But that is not what J

      1 min read

    • Article

      The World Outside

      May 4, 2021

      The World Outside
      1 min read

    • Article

      For KING & COUNTRY

      Mar 18, 2022

      For KING & COUNTRY
      4 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Nov 27, 2020

      I I believe b that we are living in the end times as we read about in all the books of the Gospel and listen to what Jesus had said. He warned of pestilences and famines. I believe that Covid-19 is one of the pestilences, as well as all the locusts t

      7 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Apr 5, 2024

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      10 min read

    • Article

      August July

      Jun 15, 2021

      August July
      34 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Jun 15, 2020

      A lot of people are asking why the world is the way it is. What’s going on? What on earth is God doing? Most of these people have never considered God before, but are questioning now that there is this terrible international crisis that is killing th

      7 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Oct 28, 2022

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Jun 16, 2023

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Aug 7, 2020

      Greetings in the Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. In your July issue of JOY! you asked what we are grateful for. I’m grateful for the fact that Jesus Christ saved me and my family. My third born son suffered severe burns on his body, and my last b

      6 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Nov 19, 2021

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      8 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The Editor

      Apr 22, 2019

      The Bible in a Nutshell is amazing! I have just received a ‘Bible in a Nutshell’ book as a gift from my mom. Wow, wow, wow – what a treat. I can’t put it down and have learned so much from it. What a treasure. Thank you for producing such a valuable

      5 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      May 19, 2023

      Dear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to ke

      7 min read

    • Article

      DeVon Franklin

      Sep 26, 2022

      DeVon Franklin
      2 min read

    • Article

      Letters To The EDITOR

      Sep 23, 2022

      D ear readers, we love to hear your thoughts on the stories that we publish, what is going on around the world, and what the Lord has placed on your heart! Email your letter through to editor@joymag.co.za for a chance to be featured – please try to k

      7 min read

    • Article

      Reasons to Believe

      Nov 10, 2019

      Reasons to Believe
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Stones from the River of Mercy

    3/5

    1 rating0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Stones from the River of Mercy - Sheila Walsh

      Stones from the River of Mercy

      STONES FROM THE

      River of Mercy

      A SPIRITUAL JOURNAL

      Sheila Walsh

      Stones_from_the_River_of_Mercy_0003_001

      Copyright © 2000 by Sheila Walsh

      Published in association with the literary agency of:

      Alive Communications, Inc.

      7680 Goddard St., Suite 200

      Colorado Springs, CO 80920

      All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

      Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

      Scripture quotations noted NKJV are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

      Scripture quotations noted NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977. Used by permission.

      Scripture quotations noted NIV are from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.

      Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

      All rights reserved.

      ISBN 0-7852-6884-7

      Printed in the United States of America

      2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 HART 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00

      Pledge of Mercy

      I want to leave a brighter trail for those who come behind.

      I want to be a candle burning in the darkest night.

      I want to be a shoulder strong enough for crying on.

      I want to walk with those whose shoes are worn.

      I want to tell the smallest child, Look up. You’re not alone.

      I want to take the oldest face and hold it to my own.

      I want to sing from every hill and shout from every wall,

      Because He lives, there’s mercy for us all.

      Contents

      Weeks 1–3 An Eye-Opening Experience:

      Getting to Know Aspects of God’s Grace and Mercy

      Weeks 4–6 Getting to Know Our Merciful Father:

      What Grace and Mercy Reveal About God

      Weeks 7–9 The Blessed:

      Those Who Receive Grace and Mercy

      Week 10 The Cursed:

      Those Who Forsake Grace and Mercy

      Weeks 11-12 God’s Promises:

      What Grace and Mercy Provide

      Week 13 Our Response to Grace and Mercy:

      Taking It In

      Week 14 Our Response to Grace and Mercy:

      Living It Out

      Week 15 Moments of Mercy:

      Old Testament

      Week 16 Moments of Mercy:

      New Testament

      Week 17 Love Stones:

      God’s Reminders of His Grace and Mercy

      Acknowledgments

      Special thanks to Melanee Bandy, Connie Reece, and Anne Trudel

      for the care, time, and hard work

      they put into this journal.

      My heartfelt thanks to my editor, Janet Thoma,

      who always gives more

      than I could hope or ask for.

      A Beginning Note

      My husband, Barry, and I are members of Christ Presbyterian Church, a church of about twenty-five hundred members here in Nashville. The small group we belong to meets every Sunday night. They are an unusual group of people, drawn together by their zany ways and slight irreverence.

      Because I travel so much with Women of Faith, we often miss Sunday morning worship, but we are often back in time for Sunday night. Ours is the kind of group where if you come and you are tired—if Barry is in a T-shirt and I’m in a ball cap—you can drag yourself in and just sit there. You don’t have to contribute anything or try to be something you’re not. Other members bring you a cup of coffee and love on you. Even though we meet on Sunday nights, we also include the children, so Christian, our son, can participate.

      At the end of 1998, one of the couples who had been praying for a child for a long time gave birth to a little girl. Hope was a darling little baby, but within the first two weeks of her life, the parents found out she had a very rare disease. Most children with this disease do not live beyond their first birthday.

      In the spring of 1999, our small group decided to have a big bash at Percy Warner Park, a large park in Nashville, to celebrate Hope’s six-month birthday; we knew she probably wouldn’t live to have a full-year birthday.

      Balloons were everywhere. All the children came, and little Hope, in her father’s arms, was the guest of honor.

      Most of us had come from church, and we had pretty decent clothes on. About mid-afternoon our pastor came over to me and said, Look at your son! He got hold of the hose and found a five-year-old who was willing to turn it on for him.

      Christian, in his gorgeous white linen suit and white leather shoes, was hosing everyone in sight. He was drenched from top to bottom, as were several others. I ran over to rescue everybody, and Christian turned the hose on me. We all laughed and had a great day, an unexpected grace amidst a broken dream.

      One week later Hope went home to be with the Lord.

      I cannot imagine burying a child. It was difficult to watch Barry losing his mother, Eleanor, in the spring of 1999. But a parent burying a child—that’s not the way it is supposed to be! One of the things that makes it possible for Christians to bear the unbearable is that we bring Christ to one another. We are called to be in community.

      Through Eleanor’s and Hope’s deaths, I came to realize that in our best moments we live in the grace and mercy and love of God. And during this last year I have been searching the Scriptures to learn more about God’s grace and mercy. In this book you accompany me in that journey.

      Now I think God is calling me to live with a sense of grief for the brokenness of the world and to intercede for people all around me. It’s a call for me to grow up. To stop being the child. To become the Father’s instrument.

      Barry said to me the other day, I didn’t want my mother to die. I still want to be the little boy; I don’t want to be the grownup. We all feel that way. But there is a call these days to stop being the child, to receive God’s grace, and then become the Father who is waiting for the prodigal son with arms open wide and a tear-stained face.

      During the Women of Faith Conference in Detroit, Christian was up all Thursday night with a fever, and I had to speak on Friday. I had just gone through all the trauma of the funeral and my father-in-law moving in with us, and I was so tired.

      Yet I held Christian and sat with him until about five in the morning. Obviously, as a mother, that’s what you do. This new spiritual calling in my life becomes so clear to me as I mother my son, because children expect to receive. That’s why a mother and father are there. Someday if Christian becomes a father, he will have to put aside his own needs for the sake of his child.

      I understand my physical life as a mother clearly: It’s time to put aside my own needs and be there for my son. The parallel in my spiritual life is to grow up and be there for other people with open arms, to be the one who will give out the grace and the mercy of God.

      This book is meant to be a journey in finding this courage and strength. I have called the book Stones from the River of Mercy because of a little-known passage in Joshua, chapters 3 and 4. On their trek to the promised land, the people of Israel needed to cross the huge Jordan River—about twenty yards wide, deeper than a man’s height, with a current so strong, it is impossible to cross at the time of its overflowing in the spring. Yet God had the solution. He supernaturally held up the waters from the riverbed, allowing the whole nation to cross safely on dry ground.

      But God did not want the Israelites to forget this event, so He instructed them to carry with them stones from the river—tangible objects—to remind themselves and to serve as a teaching tool for future generations. He also told them to construct a monument there, in the middle of the Jordan, for the same purpose.

      The men carried twelve stones from the riverbed to Gilgal, at the eastern edge of the city of Jericho, where they camped for the night and constructed a monument. Then, when future generations asked about this edifice, their parents could tell them, It is to remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of God went across!

      I believe God also intends for us to hold onto moments in our lives, to build memories of times when we received His mercy and grace in deep blue waters. Then, when we again face trauma, we can say to ourselves, God helped me through these times in the past. He’ll walk with me now.

      This journal is meant to be a book of remembrance and growth. At the same time that we look at Scriptures to learn about God’s mercy and grace, you will also have the opportunity to record your personal

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1