Maybe you've never thought of it this way, but Nancy Lee-Demaw says that preparing food can

actually be an act of worship. Don't minimize the ministry of providing meals or a home for others.

To do that is an expression of the hospitable heart of God.

This is the Revive Our Hearts podcast for October 26, 2015.

Everyone goes through a lot of ups and downs in life.

Today, we'll look at the biblical story of a woman who knew deep sorrow and great joy.

Through the ups and downs, she saw God's great power working in her life.

Nancy will lead you through the story in a series called A Breath of New Life.

Let me invite you to turn in your Bibles today to Second Kings chapter four.

Second Kings, that comes after First Kings.

There in your Old Testament.

And as you're turning there, let me just set the stage for where we're going in this new series. This part of

Israel's history is a dark time. It's in the latter part of the reign and rule of the kings of

Israel, the era of the kings. And the king at this point is a man named Jehoram, who is the son of wicked king Ahab. You may be more familiar

with that name. This is a season of terrible apostasy in the land of Israel,

backsliding, idol worship, pagan practices. The nation ultimately is going to be sent into captivity.

God is going to judge them, he's going to

discipline them, chasing them for their wickedness, but it's just a wild, wicked era in the life

of Israel. And throughout this season, God, in his mercy, sends prophets to warn the people

that they're falling away from him and to plead with them to return to him

and to tell them if they don't return that they're going to be consequences for their choices.

So these prophets are pleading with people to repent.

...