Quote - Henry Van Dyke

"Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world—stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death—and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas."
— Henry Van Dyke

Christmas' Past

As time ticks diligently along to countdown till Christmas Day, my mind goes back to years past and the times with family and friends.

There was a routine my family went by every year. Christmas Eve we would travel through the darkness lit up by the bright Christmas lights for what seemed like years and finally about 2 hours later we were at my mother's parents' house, Grandma & Grandpa Pelzer. Christmas Eve at the Pelzer's was always an adventure, you never knew from one minute to the next what would happen. One thing for sure, Grandma Pelzer would recite "Lil Orphan Annie" and "T'was the Night Before Christmas in Texas" I can hear her telling these from memory and never forgetting a word. Oh, how I long to hear my Grandma retell the stories.

After returning home and getting so much needed rest, Santa would come! This was another wonderful day, not for the gifts but the family and friends we would see that day. Once our immediate family had our personal Christmas we'd travel about an hour and a half to visit Pop & Oma, my dad and his mother. They are from Holland and what a rich heritage they had to share... again I long to hear her speak of all the "Old Country" I can vividly see in my mind.

Then it was off to my another side of the family, my adopted father's family about an hour or two farther in the opposite direction. This was a huge family like my mother's family. There were so many people and so much good country cookin', and oh my, Mamaw's sweet tea was perfect! It had more sugar than water. Once our tummy was more full than could ever imagine, she'd bring out the desserts! And you just couldn't turn down her Banana Pudding or Fresh Blackberry Cobbler topped with Blue Bell's Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream.

When all was done we'd be back on our way home through the darkness, this time not as many lights to brighten the wintry night. As many times as this routine was trod year in and year out, it was looked upon with much anticipation. Yes, the miles were many and the day and a half was very long but you knew once you were there it was HOME and you felt wanted. Each family was very different and none of the families celebrated the same. It's amazing how Christmas' Past seem like church of today. This is what church is to me, like Christmas every time.

It's a reunion of many different families and heritages come together to share a special time of worship and devotion to the one who loved us more than all creation. God loved us so much he gave us the most beautiful gift; he gave us through the birth, life and death of his son, Christ... Salvation!

If you'd like to share a special Christmas memory please feel free!

God bless...

A Christmas Prayer

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

— The Book of Common Prayer

Prayer... An Act of Faith?

Many have said, "Why pray, God already knows what is going on and what is needed." We need to pray for many reasons; besides the fact that it is the way we communicate with our Heavenly Father - the New Testament speaks of Christ and his daily accounts which included MUCH prayer.

Do you really think he had to pray to be at one with the Father as they were of each other? To keep the relationship with others working it must be active, an ongoing open relationship with much communication. It does encourage us when we talk and ask for help in any and all situations, great or small.

The Bible doesn't tell of every prayer that Jesus prayed and I do think he prayed more for others than he did for himself and would venture to say he prayed for the people he and his disciples would come in contact with before hand so their hearts were softened and prepped for the news they had for them.

Praying keeps us humble, knowing we don't have all the answers and we must ask someone for help hurts sometimes. Think of Jesus in the Garden as he prayed so intently that his Father change the plan that he knew was coming but most of all that his Father's will be done. That is an example we need to copy daily.

We make decisions with out consulting him and what he wants for us becomes less of what we want. We are born with goals ahead of us that we try to get accomplished some are easier than others. Some of these goals just happen in the course of life like learning to crawl, walk and run. As we get older the goals take on different shape, they are more in tune with what we want for our future.

If we are not careful to go to God and ask him what is best for our lives we try to accomplish goals for us that are not his best. And we take a less than perfect road which is harder than HIS path would've been. Where does prayer become an act of faith?

James 5:13-16 says, "Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

When you pray no matter what the prayer it is an act of faith, as it is an act of faith to believe in what is not seen. And as we pray in faith we leave it up to God, our Heavenly Father to use his best judgement on how to respond to our requests as he can see all and knows all. Let us continue o build our faith as we daily humble ourselves to the Creator and our only true resource.

God bless...

Purpose of Life

This is a bit different entry than you are used to seeing here. This goes back to the old days of my writing, something I do love is to take a topic and just think and write. As I was watching a Christmas show on the Hallmark Channel - you know the tear jerker’s for the holidays. My mother-in-law got me started watching these during the time between Thanksgiving till Christmas. Anyway, as I was saying I was watching the program called "The Note", oh my what a great show! A commercial came on and I wasn't remotely interested in the show but a question caught my attention. The question was "what is the purpose of Life?" So many people go through life trying figure this out. They do the craziest of things to make sense of it all, or they try to fill the void they feel with anything they can get their hands on. Think about it... for you, the reader, what is the purpose to life for you? You do things, why? You help others, why? You go through life, what is it you are trying to accomplish at the end? It's nice to go through life and make a living, have money to live comfortable and raise a family. For all time these have been the questions that seem to haunt people where others don't seem to be bothered. Over two thousand years ago God sent his son to be born of a virgin birth because he loved us so much - that he did whatever it took to save us even the death of his only son, John 3:16. Why, to make a difference, a difference in our lives and that of others. And as Christ grew he continued to do just that. All through the Gospels of the Bible time and time again they tell of how Jesus made a difference in the lives of others and he said we were to be like him. We are to do the same exact thing... make a difference in the lives of others. As you think of how you will spend the rest of this year, this CHRISTmas season, think of the lives you will touch. All the people that you will go through life with, all the strangers you will come in contact with and the family that you will share each and every moment with - how do you want to make a difference in their lives? Let's don't stop there, when the new year comes let's continue till the end of our days or our Lord Jesus Christ comes to take us home. That is the purpose of life to make a difference... in the lives of others! Thank you for making such an impact on my life, so many have really touched my heart and helped God make me who I am today! May God continue to enrich your lives!

God bless...

Quote - Charles L. Slattery

"Help us to be unselfish in friendship, thoughtful of those less happy than ourselves, and eager to bear the burdens of others."
— Charles L. Slattery

Prayer by Mary Stewart

"Keep us, O God, from pettiness; let us be large in thought, in word, in deed. Let us be done with faultfinding and leave off self-seeking. May we put away all pretenses and meet each other, face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice. May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous. Teach us to put in action our better impulses—straightforward and unafraid. Oh, Lord, let us not forget to be kind. Amen."
— Mary Stewart

Quote - C.S. Lewis

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully with hobbies and little luxuries, avoid all entanglements, lock it up safe in the casket of your selfishness. But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, and irredeemable. The only place outside heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love is Hell.
— C.S. Lewis

Serve Wholeheartedly

Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.
Ephesians 6:7

The passage this scripture comes from is referring to slaves and how they should serve their master. I don't believe many of us have actual masters we must obey as in the older days of this world, but we all to have someone we take orders from or a boss in some capacity. I like looking at this scripture in a wider range. Someone asked you to do something, you accept the challenge but really don't do your best at the task? Then you didn't serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving Christ. I have done this as well but I tell ya when you do serve with your whole mind, body and soul it makes a difference. You may be totally exhausted but in the end it is so much more worth it knowing you did your absolute best and noone can say you didn't. It doesn't matter the task that was asked of you if you do it with the right heart and all of you it will work out and be a blessing to someone else. Think about this little scripture next time someone asks a favor of you and do your best as if it were Christ asking it of you.

God bless...

Wise or Wicked?

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth".
Matthew 24:45-51

It is so hard to sit down and read the Bible for me because there are so many passages I like - I even like the "BEGOT's". I like to know who their family is. I used to hate it, so many names you can't pronounce... do your best and learn as you go. I go from one book to another some days or I read until I have to get up and do something. I also like to have the audio going on my computer from the website www.biblegateway.com as I follow along in my Bible. Then I get to hear the words I don't know and it's triple learning - audio, visual, tactile!

I encourage you to reread Matthew 24 when you can. It's one of the times Jesus gets finished talking to a large crowd and the disciples take him to the side and question him in detail about what he said. In this passage he is explaining the "SIGNS" for the End of the Age. Knowing the signs are good but it's what you do with that knowledge that counts. Do you waste your time doing wicked things because you think you have time, do you "party like it's 1999" or do you do what you know is expected of you while waiting the return of your master? I want to make sure I am ready doing what I should be and looking to the heavens for the signs of my Saviour's return. It's amazing that the very next passage in the Bible, Matthew 25:1-13, is about being prepared and uses an example of the 10 virgins on watch for the Bridegroom. Another beautiful example especially once you know the customs of the culture. For some people things in the Bible are very hard to understand because we don't know the customs of the time or the culture. Don't let that stop you pray for understanding from the Holy Spirit and if you need to get a book or two to help you understand the culture, go ahead. It's called Bible Study and we all could use more time studying the Word.

It all goes back to either doing what you want for your life or what God wants for your life. He wants us to know of him and his ways and to have a relationship with him through his son, Jesus. The only way we can be ready and watching is to continue in the Word and prayer, doing what HE has asked us to do, spreading the message unto all nations and he will be with us even to the ends of the earth. If we are not ashamed of him he will not be ashamed of us. As we make decisions for our future and that of our families' remember to search God for his direction and his will and choose Wisdom over Wickedness, the ending is better not to mention the travels aren't as difficult with the help given.

God bless...

Difficulties In the Family

"Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother"
Mark 3:35

I have heard more times this week that family has forsaken those I love. My brothers and sisters in Christ have been truly hurt by their own flesh and blood. When I hear this I immediately think of the saying "God knows my family that's why he gave me friends". How true this is. If you think your family is off try looking at someone else's family and yours usually doesn't look so off. Now let's take a look at Jesus' family... we know he had several brothers and some sisters along with Mary and Joseph. In Mark chapter 3 verse 20 Jesus goes to a house with his disciples, we aren't told why he goes there but that he does and it's so crowded he can't even eat. The very next sentence is that his mother and brothers go to take charge of him because "he is out of his mind". When was Jesus out of his mind? Never was he in such a state, he was always about his father's business. They had to know Jesus was "special" and that God had a huge plan for his life but they sure didn't see the path that was ahead of him. They were probably trying to keep him out of trouble as long as they could. They knew the teachers of the law were growing angered at him for all the words he spoke and the miracles he performed in the name of his Father in Heaven. Have you experience lately or ever for that matter where your family thinks you are out of your mind? It's not easy being on the receiving end of their negativity, it actually hurts. It's very easy to allow this to get in the way of the relationships we have. What is very difficult is to try to look at it from their point of view. What would you do if your family member were going to make the same choice you are about to make or maybe an even crazier decision... how would you respond to them? Would you respond? It's funny, sometimes friends can say something off the wall and not be crazy for the comment but a family member can say it and be chastised forever for it. We can't pick our family thank goodness we can pick our friends! As we reflect on Jesus and his family and then think of our own let's remember that only God knows what is ahead of each of us and that mainly we pray for our own future and that of our family and friends to stay in the center of God's will. And when we are on the receiving end of the hurtful words remember they only want to keep us from trouble or more hurt down the road. Sometimes we have to let them behave the way they do and move on. How did Jesus respond to their negativity? He went on with his plan before him. He didn't get ugly or end relationships, he loved them anyway even through the toughest of times. You needed the exact mom and dad you have to be who you are, instead of wishing for different parents be thankful you had them. Pray that God help them and you through this difficult time, no mater who it is in the opposing role. It's not the words you say it's the action behind the words that mean something! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving...

God bless...

One's Convictions

1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:1-4

As soon as Jesus becomes our Saviour God begins to shape and mold us into the perfect work of art, a child ready for His Kingdom. We all have hangups and temptations. What makes me stumble may not be what makes you fall and the convictions God has chastened me with though many will be the same some are likely to be different. My convictions are my convictions and I cannot put those on you as a follower of Christ when we are all on different levels of spiritual maturity. Jesus brings things up when he deems us ready not when our fellow brother/sister in Christ say we are ready. It is very important to encourage at all times. If we've had a bad day the sour attitude we have may discourage a weaker brother/sister in Christ, which in turn could make them stumble. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." We are not all on the same level concerning our relationship with God some have been running the race for many years and others may have just started, there are those that are weaker in their faith and those that have a faith that is unshakable. No matter where we are we are not to be a stumbling block to others. "So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God," Romans 14:12. Still further in the passage it says, "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men", Romans 14:17-18. Let us be pleasing to God and approved by men for the way we live according to HIS WORD and not our own ways. Remember the final destination we hope and press on for; Heaven... our wildest imaginations can't even begin to describe what it will be like, it will be better than anything we ever think up! Hope to see you there!

God bless...

A Time Will Come... Endure

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.
2 Timothy 4:1-5

This charge was given Timothy, a great man of God whose faith and trust in God was passed down grandmother to mother to him, from Paul as he was in chains in prison. Many people believe the words of the bible were only for that particular time and really has no relevance for us today "it's so old-fashioned." It may be old-fashioned but no matter what era we are in the bible, nor God, doesn't change with the flippant thoughts and actions of mankind. The Bible's commands, principles and promises are timeless. We need to take the words of Paul to heart. He is telling us a time is coming that men, women and children will no longer adhere to the soundness of God and his Word that has been faithful and will remain faithful to the end of the ages. We must be prepared at all times and remain in the Lord not being quick to give up. Look at Paul's situation, he is in chains for Christ! That is tough but he isn't giving up he is praising God! Paul is also saying we need to give tough love and to give it in the name of the Lord. Is a sister/brother of Christ heading down the wrong road? Are you going to sit there and watch them fall or are you going to help them avoid the fall? This is also what he means with verse 2 to "correct, rebuke and encourage." It doesn't matter if they are our friend or not. What Paul warns in the scripture is already happening, there are many churches that don't preach the WHOLE bible. They preach of the Love that God has but never talk of the Wrath of God that will be unleashed for a time. They never hear of Hell only of the glorious Heaven that not everyone will be able to enter. Jesus is the key and the door is very small, you will have to squeeze through and can take nothing with you. Jesus' desire is that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9) but scripture states in Matthew 7:13 that many are on the broad road to the wide gate which leads to destruction. Are you on this road or someone you know? There is a way to change direction, switch roads and enter the small gate and that is 1)Admit you sinned - Repent of your sins and ask for forgiveness through prayer 2)Believe Jesus is Lord & God raised him from the dead - Ask Jesus to come into your heart 3)Confess - tell others what God has done for you. Life with God is much easier than going through life without him. Notice I didn't say there would be no troubles, there are troubles just like before you accepted Christ but it's now tolerable because we are never alone, God is always there either holding our hand or carrying us through. I personally like to think of life as a garden of roses, you have the beauty but there are also the thorns... they keep me humble. I go to God to praise him for both the delicate beauty and fragrance of the rose and the painful reminder I am human and need him for help and guidance every moment. I do hope we all take heed the words of Paul... Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

God bless...

It Is What It Is...

So many people have taken scripture out of context and said you have to do this or that to be saved. Read Romans 10:9-10 and see what it has to say. "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." That is the way unto salvation, Jesus... believing and confessing him as your Lord and Saviour. The Bible doesn't speak of doing anything else, we don't have to jump off a skyscraper screaming the name of Jesus. It also doesn't say we need to run around the church wearing only a purple robe, it is very clear in what says, if you have not received the glorious gift of salvation and would like to, it really is this easy. God loved us so much he sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins, John 3:16. Someone had to pay for them and he sent his son to die one death to cover a multitude of sins and his blood covers them all. Your sins can be wiped away if you'd only believe and confess Jesus Is Lord, and God raised him from the grave. Praise God, Jesus Lives!!! If you are a follower of Christ, Praise the Lord, and keep up the great race to the finish line. If not you can be! Why don't you accept him today and let him help you with all of your tomorrows? You won't be sorry! When you do accept him tell someone, you are more than welcome to also leave a post here telling of your experience!

God bless...

Change

There is a subject we are all familiar with. This will NOT be a rundown or an attack on anyone especially our President-Elect; he has been elected and needs our prayers along with all those he appoints to his Cabinet. I challenge you, if you haven’t already, to begin praying for the decisions that will be made concerning us as Americans and the people of the entire world. The whole way through the 2008 Election we’ve heard many things, both sides of the ticket claimed they could bring change. Some of the things they talked of changing were disturbing and others not so much. It really got me thinking about change. In essence change in inevitable. When a baby is born it must change or it will die. The baby cannot just be, it must eat and it must grow. As the baby grows it learns things, which is all part of change. On the other end of life the same happens even though someone is in a comma and life as they know it stops but everything around them and their body still changes moment by moment. I am no longer the same as I was when I began this article. Life changes; it changes us and those around us.

As you accept Christ and his gift of salvation your life changes as well. Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old is gone, the new has come!” When you accept him as your Savior you are no longer the same as you were before. The sin that stained your life is now gone and you are clean and you shine with the radiance of God. Each new moment or experience changes you into the person God has planned out just for you. Sometimes we have an idea that we think is best for our lives or family and we pray that God would help us to achieve this idea. Then we find ourselves with a different path before us and wonder was God even listening to the prayers we previously prayed? Sure he was, but he knows what our future holds and changes our direction accordingly if we are willing to trust and obey his decision for our life. Sometimes we come to decision making time knowing what God wants for us but we’d rather see what happens with the other option and he allows us to make that choice on our own. Not everyone likes or accepts change with an open heart, but change is everywhere. Your ideas change, your desires change, the leaves change, seasons change, our bodies change; we get lines and wrinkles, gray hair, shorter with age, constantly the universe changes, the solar system changes by God’s command. If you have lived a holy life totally sold out to Christ you will be changed. I Corinthians 15:50-52 says; “I declare to you brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed.” One thing that doesn’t change is God. He is unchanging as James 1:17 states; “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

There is a song by Patty Loveless titled, “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye” and when I think about change that song always comes to mind. I guess because the first verse I actually experienced as the song was on the radio. It talks of a girl moving and saying goodbye to her friend and the little girl moving asks again why they have to leave. I moved as an adult, married with children, to Georgia from Kentucky in 1994 and left behind my best friend, Becky. I remember the pain to this very day of having to say goodbye and still can feel it as deep and painful as it was just happening. Did I know what my life was going to be like here in Georgia? No, but it was a move that had to be made. Did I want to say goodbye? No, but it was something that was inevitable, we were military and one of us was going leave at one time or another, it just happened my families orders came first. I can honestly say that had we not come to Georgia I don’t believe I would be spiritually where I am today. God helps us to say goodbye and also deal with change.

In life we must accept change. Sometimes change is good and easy but other times it’s hard and it hurts, thank goodness we have God that is unchanging and loves us more than any other creation. We are welcome and encouraged to go to him for thanksgiving of the easier times or to go to when our load is too much for us to carry, either way he is there for us and totally unchanged!

God bless…

He's Still Working On Me!

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
Romans 12:12

HE'S STILL WORKING ON ME
By: Joel Hemphill

CHORUS:
He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be.
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars.
How loving and patient He must be, He's still working on me.

1. There really ought to be a sign upon the heart,
Don't judge her yet, there's an unfinished part.
But I'll be perfect just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master's loving hands.

CHORUS:

2. In the mirror of His Word reflections that I see
Make me wonder why He never gave up on me.
He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He's the Potter, I'm the clay.

CHORUS:
*********************************


I wish I could say I was perfect and had no trouble in any of these (or other) areas. It would be horrible if God said one day "well she's as far as she'll ever be" or "she's good enough" and quit shaping and molding me to his perfection. We all have to remember that none of us are perfect, but with God's help we strive to be. When stuff happens and it will... we need to remember that God is shaping and molding us to the person he sees (Isaiah 64:8) and that he will never let us go through more than we can handle and always gives us a door to escape (I Cor 10:13) and he is always with us no matter what (Joshua 1:5 & Hebrews 13:5) . That alone should help us be more joyful, give us hope, be patient, accept affliction a little better, be more faithful and pray more. I do pray daily (many times some days) that God help me to see things the way he does and to help me when I don't, to continue his work in my life and that I accept his ways for my life. And really that's what living a life for Christ is, Trust & Obey, NO MATTER WHAT! As in yesterday's post he does have the WHOLE WORLD in the palm of his hands. He created it (Gen 1 & 2) and has everything in his control. The rest is up to you, do you chose his way or your way? If you chose your way you won't like the ending. It might be fun & glitzy along the pathway but the gate will be wide and many will find what you find, a fiery finish. If you chose his way it won't be as glitzy and the road is sometimes steep but you always have help and guidance along the way and the gate you find will be more narrow not many will travel this way but the finish is a glorious one (Matthew 7;13-14). I hope you choose wisely.

God bless...

Feeling Despair or Discouraged?

There is nothing wrong with feeling these for a short time, God created us and gave us all our qualities and emotions. There is something wrong if you don't pull out of your despair or discouragment and become depressed. I can tell you I was and am not happy with the way the election turned out, to the point that the people announcing the election annoyed me terribly. I did feel despair, discouragement and disappointment, I was upset! I still am disappointed, but that doesn't mean I don't trust God... it means I am human. Every one brings up Job from time to time but I do believe he is a very good example. He lost everything; family, home, health & friends. I don't believe he was happy about all that happened I do believe he was upset maybe even angry, probably felt despair or disappointment but he didn't let it keep him from giving God his trust. He knew, just as many of us do, God is always in control. As I was reading my devotion & Bible this morning the children's song came to mind...

He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got my brothers and my sisters in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the sun and the rain in His hands,
He's got the moon and the stars in His hands,
He's got the wind and the clouds in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got the rivers and the mountains in His hands,
He's got the oceans and the seas in His hands,
He's got you and he's got me in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

He's got everybody here in His hands,
He's got everybody there in His hands,
He's got everybody everywhere in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands.

Another scripture jumped out at me as I was reading... Hebrews 10:35-36;
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."

So whether it's the election or something else in your life that has you down - don't let it keep you down! God is the same today as he was yesterday he doesn't change and we can hold fast to him and his Word - he never changes! Praise God!

Ok - the best plan of action is to pray for the President and President Elect that God cover their administration in the way it should go. Also pray for those that really and truly want to harm them.

God is good and worthy of all our praise!!! Be thankful he gave you another day to glorify his name!

God bless...

Why Isn't God Listening?

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened."
~Matthew 7:7-8

Have you been praying and feel what you are praying is going unheard or feel as though your prayer is bouncing off the walls instead of reaching the ears of our Father in Heaven? Have you been having such a difficult time and think if one more thing happens you will lose it? Take heart, your prayer has reached the Father and he has already set in motion what is best for you in accordance with his will for your life. Have you prayed for patience, boldness, guidance or even more trust lately? Thinking that he will just lavish this virtue upon you? Well, he is but not the way you have been expecting it. When we pray for these, and other, wonderful virtues experiences come along that help us achieve what we have prayed for. Somehow we keep trying to keep God in the box when knowing all to well he has never been able to fit, just like the grave the box can't hold him. It's a human thing, the disciples thought all the way to the crucifixion that Jesus was going to set up his kingdom here on earth. Was it that God wasn't listening to their cries for help? No, he had a better plan! Just like in our lives we can only see the part we are experiencing at the time, not the whole picture. God's plan was to save everyone through the blood of Jesus Christ not just those calling out at that time. Some sacrifice had to paid and if it wasn't Jesus then who, we sure aren't worthy for the job. So next time you feel God hasn't answered your prayer try to remember you can't fit God into the box and the answer is always on the way... God is never late or early but ALWAYS right on time.

God bless...

I John 4:20-21

"If anyone says, 'I love God', yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother."

Psalm 138

1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the "gods" I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

3 When I called, you answered me;
you made me bold and stouthearted.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.

5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life;
you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,
with your right hand you save me.

8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 18:27-29

You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.
With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.
— Psalm 18:27-29, NIV

Quote - Corrie ten Boom

Gossip leads to criticism, and criticism kills love.
— Corrie ten Boom

From Charles Wesley

"Almighty God of truth and love,
To me thy power impart;
The mountain from my soul remove,
The hardness from my heart.
O may the least omission pain
My reawakened soul,
And drive me to that blood again,
Which makes the wounded whole."

— Charles Wesley, I Want a Principle Within

Prayer of Faith

James 5:13-16

"Is any of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

A Prayer From Paul

Ephesians 3:14-21

"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."

His Ways Are Perfect

He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his ways.
~Psalm 25:9

Think back with me to the kitchen when you were a little one learning the secrets of your mom, grandmother and possibly your great grandmother. They knew you were there to have fun and get your fingers sticky and dirty with all the flour and eggs. As you were listening to their instructions on what to do when and loving every dirty finger minute of it something happened that you didn't count on. As you humbly let them guide you you learned how they made things by doing what they said not by following a recipe. You can look back to that time and remember looking at that dough and thinking how it felt and what it looked like and the smell of it, so when you make your own now you can remember and make it perfect just like your people have all these years. And if you have little ones around you can pass along the family secrets as well.

Gods direction is no different than what was already mentioned above. He knows we are there and when we humbly come to him he directs our lives in ways we never knew we could go. He is always there waiting for us to ask him for his help and what we should do in this or that matter. You may think of it in the same context as making a dough. You are there to have fun and be with God and as you spend time with him something happens you didn't realize, all this time he has been teaching you and training you for the next in your life. This happens step after step of the recipe. In the end we will be a fragrant offering to the Lord by our obedience in the areas God works with us. No matter what it is that God teaches us his ways are perfect. It is always something that we need for the next in our lives. If we just humbly sit at his feet we will know what we need when we need it. Take the time to humbly go before the Lord today and let his ways become your ways. You'll be glad you did!

God Bless...

United Through Peace

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:18

When I read this verse many many years ago it was a slap in the face. How is it up to me to keep the peace when someone else is absolutely wrong and everyone knows it! The scriptures aren’t wrong and in the end the truth always comes out. Is this a tough lesson to learn, you are to live at peace with others that make you crazy because God says you should. This isn’t something new; people have been making other people crazy way before now. Paul speaks of it in Philippians chapter 4 where he is trying to get two women to “agree in the Lord” then he urges the saved of the congregation to also help him. Who knows why these two women were at odds with each other it could’ve been the color of the carpet to put in the new sanctuary or the color the walls should be, regardless they and we should do our best to keep the peace. If we are squabbling and new people come in saved or unsaved we have lost out on a great opportunity to serve others. And we hurt our own people at the same time. In the end, nothing gets accomplished and huge walls are built instead of the intimacy of friendship.

This passage doesn’t say we have to be best friends with everyone but it does say as much as it depends on us to live at peace. Sometimes all we can do is pray and keep out of that other persons way for a time. As we pray this allows God’s will to be done. And as we pray for the healing of the relationship, we are also to be quiet about it to others so they don’t get involved. Another thing we do is play it over and over in our heads of what was said and what we could’ve said different and if we have other altercations what we will say then. This is also not helping the situation to get any better because we are feeding on the ugly and not looking to the positive. It’s real easy to be ugly when we feel hurt, mistreated, unappreciated or even overlooked. Ultimately we need to keep our eyes on the LORD and not look to the humans around us that have a tendency to let us down. God is always there and will never leave us nor forsake us. Not to mention he hears every word uttered even those we think, he can fix things much better if we give him the time and the opportunity. If there is a relationship that is at odds right now in your life or it’s a crazy sticky sometimes ugly situation please ask God to heal it and bring the unity through peace once again. We are to be the peacemakers! God bless…

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
— 2 Corinthians 4:7-10, NIV

God will answer all our questions in one way and one way only. Namely, by showing us more of his Son.
— Watchman Nee

Prayer:
O Lord, I am torn up with grief.
I know you are there,
but I cannot see past my sorrow and tears.
Be with me, Lord,
and do not take my unhappiness to heart.
Rather, work within me to guide me
through these dark days
and bring your light to my life,
so that I may see your goodness, even in my mourning.
— Maureen Pratt

God’s Majesty

So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.
~Colossians 3:1-2 MSG


How many times have you said or thought “Life isn’t fair?” Probably just as many times as I have, maybe more! It is easy to get so consumed with the here and now. And having just had a horrible experience recently it’s kind of hard to look ahead when there are pebbles in your way you may over look and stumble. It’s very easy to begin thinking of these bad or hard times and even question if you have the fortitude to make it another moment. You never know the next minute could be worse than it is right now, how can we cope with that? You may even be thinking of returning to the “old ways” because it’s just too tough to be strong. Too many other people are looking to you for guidance and strength to overcome their portion of junk. Maybe it’s your children that are looking up to you to help them through the same thing you are going through, what are you going to do, let them witness that you say you believe God is powerful but not powerful enough for YOUR problems? I would hope not! I am right here with you thinking my problems are huge, but GOD IS MORE than anything you or I go through. You may think that is a bit harsh because you are hurt and hurting in a deep and painful way, but in reality it is true. And once we get to the point we can think a little clearer we realize this. And it at this point we can hold our head up just a bit and really see the beauty of God. It is this time we see God’s creation and know that God’s hand is at work even when we can’t understand how he could make an ugly or bad situation better. It’s now you see the awesome colors and design God gave us. As children we don’t understand the real majesty of God but wait till you get older and go through the difficulties of life and we can sure see why God made “all of creation”. It is to uplift us in the hardest times and to remember if he can make something exist out of nothing by his voice surely he can handle our problems self inflicted or otherwise. As I think of ways to busy myself to get through and pray for my own craziness, I pray that you would see “nothing is impossible for God” (Luke 1:37) and remember to get your “strength from God” (Phil. 4:13). In the end God is faithful!

God bless…

Quote - Unknown

We are never more like Jesus than when we are choked with compassion for others.
— Unknown

Quote - William Barclay

Strengthen me where I am weak; correct me where I am wrong; cleanse and purify me from all the faults which spoil my life; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
— William Barclay

9/II Dare to Remember

For some reason I couldn't sleep in this morning, so I decided to get up, do the morning routine and try to find a movie on TV to watch as I walk. Did I forget what this day was? No, I had already gone to the Lord in prayer for all those that have lost someone that day so long ago and the military that serve 24/7. As I turned on the TV it was on Fox News, hours later it is still on Fox News. The day of remembrance is so strong, tears streaming down my face as I walked continuing to pray for those that have suffered and given so much of themselves and their families for these 7 years. Moments ago, they showed President Bush and oh how he has aged over the 2 terms of his service to our country. Each president ages with the stress of the duties of office. No matter what you think of the job President Bush and others in office have done, you can be sure they fought hard to make sure we did not have another terrorist attack on our soil and continue to fight daily. The Day America Changed is the theme this year for the day of terror. I believe we did change, if only for a moment. Seven years ago there were flags everywhere you couldn't find flags at stores due to being sold out. We all banned together with a strong "God Bless America" and prayer as we sent our military to faraway places to stand up against these horrible terrorists. We still chant God bless America but we forget why we are staying the course with our military men and women fighting abroad all through the year until 9/11 comes around and we are so vividly reminded. We are reminded then that it's to remain "the land of the free and the home of the brave". Our service men and women along with the local police and firefighters deserve more honor and respect from us than they get. It's very important to remember they take many risks to make sure we are safe. 9/11 goes far beyond just one day of remembrance and we should do our best to remember every day of the year. As we go through our lives day in and day out make a difference in someone else’s life, tell service men & women, police, firefighters and anyone that risk their lives for us "thank you" for the job they do and how they make a difference in our lives.

God bless...

Quote - Unknown

The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather loved in spite ourselves.
— Unknown

Quote - C.S. Lewis

The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he "likes" them: the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on--including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning.
— C.S. Lewis

Don't Give Up & Stay the Course

Are you in a battle right now? It could be any kind of battle, I sure am. Sometimes you know what to do and others it seems like you are clueless. It's funny that my devotions yesterday was "God, Our Defender" Psalm 62:6 & today was "Don't Panic" Hebrews 10:23. So today I thought about how God always goes before his children and clears the way just like in the Old Testament he went before the people. We teach our children that God is everywhere and he always existed and he is always at work. So why is it that we fail to believe even in the hard times of our life he is not at work for us fixing everything that gets messed up or we mess up? And in these times we want to give up because it's too hard. The hill is too steep to climb; what you don't see is God ahead of you with a line tied off to his waist and is pulling you, you just feel the weight of your own body thanks to gravity!
Our struggle right now is tough but show me where life is easy... really, I want to go there! Even on a deserted island you have troubles, think of the hurricanes, my most favorite place in the world I would still be subject to hard times. It's best that you give your "stuff" to God and leave it in his hands for him to take care of. He created it all, read Genesis 1 & 2. He also created you it's in Genesis as well, so he knows all about us. He knows what makes us happy, sad even mad. He knows our needs Matthew 6:25-34 and he loves us more than all his created things on this earth. I know for sure he will go to bat for me and help me in my toughest hours. I can hold my head high that I am not giving up and I am staying the course with God by my side. Paul tells us to fight the good fight to finish the race we have begun, 2Timothy 4:7-8, and that God is faithful to finish the good work he started in us 1 Thessalonians 5:24. Don't give up stay in the race it's much better being in the race than sitting on the bench. Being in the race means you aren't giving up on God, he won't give up on you so don't walk away because it gets a bit rougher than normal. And remember no matter the troubles in your life if you are a Child of the Risen Lord you have HIS foot steps to follow. God Bless...

Forever Engraved

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…”
Isaiah 49:16

When you engrave something it is meant to last a lifetime. Usually special notes, dates or events are engraved so they aren’t easily forgotten. Many people engrave their wedding rings and others engrave watches & bracelets. We want the person receiving the engraved gift to know it’s something special and thought of before hand; not just a quick last minute purchase.

The same is with God he has engraved your name on his hand, on the tender inside part of his hand. To him you are special, special enough to send his one and only son (John 3:16) to die on the cross for our sins; to be the sacrifice because we would never be able to bridge the gap between us and God. He knew that, not to mention he knew all our sins and still loved us enough to pay the price and engrave our name on the palms of his hands.

Some of us are thinking we are not special, have no talents to offer or no where you can think of to serve God. Take heart, God doesn’t make mistakes and you are wonderfully made by the unique hands of God. If you think you have nothing to offer God I encourage you to search your heart and seek first the Kingdom of God – if you seek HIS will for your life he will provide you your hearts desires and his.

God bless...

Excuses

John 15:22
“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.

When we want to justify ourselves for any reason we give an excuse. Here are a few reasons why we don’t follow God;
I haven’t had enough fun yet – God isn’t FUN???
I will when I am older – You’re not old enough NOW???
God is boring – God is NEVER boring and has a wonderful sense of HUMOR!!!

To those that do go to church but yet don’t follow his command of tithing we get some of these;

I can’t afford to tithe
I couldn’t pay my bills
My family will go hungry
I won’t have any clothes
I can’t put gas in my car

In Matthew we find that the second set of excuses is thrown out as well.
Matthew 6:31-34
“So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

It doesn’t matter the excuse you have it doesn’t hold water. God gave us guidelines to follow for us to live a life that will glorify HIM, if we don’t follow the Bible we don’t glorify the Father or the Son. As we can read this scripture says he [Jesus] came so they would NOT be guilty of sin at the time of judgment and now no one has an excuse as to being guilty. The price has already been paid all we have to do is get the complimentary token to get on the ride and have the best journey of our lives. Life is way more fun when you have someone to journey with you and you’re not alone. God is always with us and never leaves us ever.

Scripture is clear about who loves Him

John 14:21
“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

I John 5:3-5
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world, only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”


No Excuses!!!

Grow Where You’re Planted

Have you ever stressed over what to do and when? Many times we do over such things whether we have control or not over that situation. I have a friend that knows she has a calling to do something further in her walk with Christ but that next journey has not become clear to her. She could grow weary trying to figure it out and become antsy for the next step which clearly isn’t the time yet, but she has decided to grow where she’s been planted. How can that be? Is she giving up on the journey that awaits her? No, most certainly not! She has come to trust her Savior & obey the one who is in control.
Ephesians 4:12-13 says; “We are to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Titus 2:3-5 also states, “3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” But the chapter starts out with this to say, “1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.” How is it that we can do this mere women that range in age and occupation from stay at home homeschooling mothers to mothers or ladies that work outside of the home? How can we make that kind of a difference? You can make a difference by remembering you are where you are by divine intervention. We are in direct contact with others every day. There is someone that crosses your path on a daily or weekly basis that needs you. Has God laid someone on your heart maybe you know the reason or maybe you haven’t a clue but you know God has asked you to pray on their behalf? Has someone called you for guidance lately and you are wondering why they called you? Remember back to the scripture, we are to prepare Gods people for works of service so that the body may be built up until we ALL reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge. You are where you are and until God moves you or changes your direction you are to Grow Where God Planted You. It may be for your own personal growth but it may also be for someone else’s growth with God. You may be at the crossroads in life not sure of what to do or where to go; one thing is for sure, with much prayer and reading the Word of God your next move will be as clear as a bell when the time is right. Gods timing is never late and never early, it’s always just right and on time! Let us come together those young and slightly seasoned with age and wisdom, we have much to accomplish for the Kingdom of God as we grow where we are planted and wait upon the Lord to give us the guidance for future plantings! You may not be in an area of service for your personality to blossom but as you serve think of Ephesians 6:7. It says, “Serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men” and continues to say in verse 8 that “the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does.”
The Bible says, “to be filled with the Spirit knowing the Lords will, speaking to one another in Psalms, making music in your heart to the Lord, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, letting your conversations be full of grace seasoned with salt, and being mindful to encourage others of the hope we have in our Savior Jesus Christ.” If we remember to do these it won’t be that had to grow where we are planted.

If I Had Known...

The saying "Hindsight is always 20/20" is so very true. I have a question for you, if you had known would you have done it differently, sooner, or even later... or have you at all given your life to Christ? You may think that is a silly question. Well really when you think about it it's not. we all think we have to give stuff up or be perfect to accept Christ and begin on the journey. It's a false idea that Satan uses all the time and has gotten very good at. Those people and things we think we have to give up for Christ we actually don't have to because they usually end up giving us up. They don't want to be around someone who is full of joy all the time and happy for the little things in life. They want someone to complain with and to see the ugly all around. And the things we end up giving up, everyone has at least one thing and some of us have many things, we don't even think about before we give them up. We give up stuff all the time without thinking first all because we love Christ and want what he wants for our lives. You know you are on the right track when your hearts desire is the same as Gods desire for your life. If you are one who hasn't given your life to Christ because you are afraid of what you'll have to give up to serve Jesus, why don't you try it, trust him and see if he tells you to give something up. I don't remember him telling me to give anything up... I stopped because I loved him enough to do my best at making him happy. And isn't that what the relationships in life are all about, trying to please the person we love so much? When you love someone with a sincere love you will do all you can to see them smile, our relationship with Jesus is no different. So if you haven't taken the first step towards salvation and your relationship with him go ahead, you won't be sorry! You know when you go to the pool or the beach, the best way to get in the water is to just "jump in", it's the same way with God. Just jump in and you'll land in his hands! God is more than wonderful, he's more than anything you've ever experienced on this earth and he loves you. He loved you enough to send his son to die on the cross for the redemption of our sins that anyone who believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life with him, John 3:16. I gave my life to Christ as a child and I have never been sorry I did. Have I always been the perfect? No. I have never claimed to be perfect nor will I ever claim to be, when I am perfect Christ will take me home. In life we make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes are called SIN, it's what we do next that counts. Do you walk away from a loving Father that is waiting for you to repent and come home or do you keep walking farther and farther away from the one that loves you so much. I can say if I had known Christ earlier it would've been better for me. Make the right choice today and choose Christ now and forever! God bless...

Forever Made Perfect

“For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”
Hebrews 10:14

Did you know that when you repented of your sins and accepted Christ as your Savior that you were made perfect? How can we be perfect, I surely thought when we reached perfection we would be taken home to Heaven. Well, the perfection this is talking about isn’t an earthly perfection. It means that through the blood of Christ that we accepted God now sees us perfected, that he no longer sees the ugly gulf of sin that we once had. Through Christ and his sacrifice we have been made clean and presentable to God as white as snow. That is not the end we are constantly being made holy through the Holy Spirit.
The scripture continues to say,

“And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says,
“This is the new covenant I will make
with my people on that day, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”
Then he says,
“I will never again remember
their sins and lawless deeds.”
“And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.” Hebrews 10:16-18

Being forgiven is a wonderful experience. So many things happen, mainly you begin to blossom and grow in all areas; heart, body, mind and soul. You begin to see things differently as the Holy Spirit opens your heart and mind and you begin to be more like Christ. The things that you once enjoyed lose their flavor and you crave God and the things of God. You want to grow more in his wisdom and knowledge. Does being made holy and perfect in his sight mean we have “made it” and we have obtained all we set out to gain? By all means no, we have to continue to be careful not to get too comfortable with ourselves and where we are in our walk with God. We need to remember that there is no neutral, you are either moving forward or backward, forward is a good thing. It means your relationship with Christ is getting stronger and you are becoming more like him daily. If this is not describing your walk with him you can turn it around and have the close relationship you desire to have by repenting of your sins, being sorry for your actions and turning from the ways of your past, and asking Christ to cleanse you and make you clean and presentable unto God and ask him to come and live inside you forever. By your confession of faith that Jesus is Lord and believing in your heart that Christ is God’s Son whom he raised from the dead you will be saved, Romans 10:9-10. This is a big step, it isn’t easy but it isn’t hard, once you make the first step towards forgiveness and salvation Christ is with you all the way. He never leaves you alone or lost; scripture says in Joshua 1:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” All the other times you have felt lost and alone those will be no more once you accept life with Christ. What a wondrous feeling! I pray your walk is right and if not it sure can be, give God the chance he wants to give you. God bless…

Rules for…

Colossians 3

My study took me to Colossians 3 this morning. I just love my study time, I take each section of scripture and look at it from every angle and see how I can inject the Word into the many facets of my life. Many scriptures popped out at me and I thought I should write about them but as I went back over the chapter as a whole something bigger came to me. I am guilty. The section titles for Chapter 3 are titled “Rules for Holy Living” and “Rules for Christian Household.” NO-ONE LIKES RULES, that is my downfall as well. I want to have fun when I want and how I want, sounds carnal doesn’t it, maybe even childish. But that’s how we as humans are. Well then it got me to thinking about where rules are in place. They are everywhere. Why so many rules and who decided there should be rules in the first place and why? Well that takes us way back to “In the Beginning… GOD”, remember he gave the first rule to Adam. God told him “not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, Genesis 2:17. As soon as God put man in the garden he gave a rule. Why? As crazy as it is we need to know the boundaries and there are consequences for crossing the boundary. There are always consequences, good or bad we are subject to them. Genesis 2:17 goes on to say that “when you eat of it (the tree of knowledge of good and evil) you will surely die.” There is our first rule. Wow, only one man on the face of this earth and we have rules. How sad is that. Well then I thought about play time, driving, swimming, work, school, church, family time, hanging out at home, hanging out at other people’s homes… there are rules. And there are rules so we know our boundaries and can live around others not disrespecting them and to keep everyone safe. Some people believe rules are only handed down to make people miserable. Just think of the misery we would be in without rules. How loud and miserable would your house be if there were no rules? How safe would driving be if we didn’t have transportation guidelines and limits? I wouldn’t want to drive or even be on the road for that matter. Another word for Rules is the word Law. God gave us the law a long time ago so that we would know right from wrong and how to conduct ourselves. Some say well when Jesus came the law was done away with. Jesus says in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Just because the King comes to town doesn’t mean we can all go crazy, we still have to conduct ourselves as if he wasn’t here; which is also talked about in the passage. Col 3:22-25 says, “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.” When you think about it we all work for someone; either we as wives work for our husbands to keep the house and children straight, you own your own business you are working for the customer and there are those that have a boss. Even though we work for the paycheck to feed, clothe and shield our family from the elements we should also remember we are working unto the Lord and let that be our reward knowing he will provide our needs. As you go through this day if you can I urge you to pick up your bible and read through Colossians 3 to see what God has for you.
Have a beautiful day!

Fleeting Thoughts

We all have them, those thoughts that run through our mind and we give no account to them. So much of our time is wasted on these thoughts. It’s as though we can’t stop ourselves from this kind of random thinking that disturbs us or keeps us from doing what it is we really need to do. We ponder things we can’t control or have no desire to change. We think of our next meal when we aren’t done with the meal we are partaking of. We think of what we’ll wear days in advance. We look at things and instantly we have a thought about what it is we’ve just seen; the same goes for things we’ve heard. We also tend to have fleeting thoughts about “what if”. What if someone says this or that, I’ll respond with ___, you can fill in the blank we’ve all had this happen to us. So much of our lives are spent waiting, at the Dr., at red lights, in the grocery line and while we wait for life to continue our minds roam and thoughts race.
One question that came to mind is this… Do our fleeting thoughts reflect Christ? Are we being careful even with our fleeting thoughts to reflect Christ at all times? Or are we just letting our thoughts be random thinking we can’t control some of what we think and it’s okay to be random with our whispering thoughts. If this is true then the Bible must be wrong when it clearly states in Matthew 22:37, “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” Meaning we aren’t to just let our thoughts be random and fleeting. We must be self-controlled even in our thoughts. Also in Romans 8:5-7 it says this, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their mind set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance to the Spirit have their mind set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of a sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God.’ We must be sold out to God to allow him to work through all; heart, soul & mind.
As we prepare our heart, soul and mind for the day let us recall these scriptures when our mind is in random mode. Psalm 26:2, “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me and I walk continually in your truth.” This next passage is one of my favorites and has been one that I use in prayer time with sincerity as I ask God to do this in me daily. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24. I hope this is your prayer as well.

God bless, and have a beautiful day in HIM!

The Forbidden Fruit of Favoritism

James 2:1-4

1My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Haven’t we all tasted of this forbidden fruit of the spirit of Satan? Most of us, if not all, are guilty of this ungodly fruit. When we are out and see those that are beggars, homeless or even a lower class of income we react as if we are somehow better than they. Why? Is it because we have a home, a job or nice clean clothes on? Is this the teachings of our Lord and Savior that had compassion enough for the lost soul to go to the Cross? No, it’s not! This passage reminds us that we are not to show favoritism and the very next verse of this chapter shows us we see differently until we look through the eyes of Christ.

5Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?

And does this same verse remind us it is not for us to judge who is and who isn’t worthy of our compassion, if it is up to you to judge that then what was it that made you worthy as Christ showed compassion on you? I remember the WORD of GOD stating that not one is worthy.

Austin and I spent some time with some friends one day, as we went to a local fast food restaurant for lunch the mother and her teenage son began talking as we entered the door. We made our orders and found our table and the teen took some food off the tray and went outside and came back in. What I didn’t see the teen saw around the side of the building was a man in need. A bit later the teens’ father came in and told us how he helped the man before he came in. How is it that some of us would have seen the dirty maybe even stinky man outside the door and walked out of the way to another door as to not cross his path? I am sure there were many that day. There was an instance where a lady came out from the church on Sunday morning after the service to see a lady that appeared homeless. For some reason the lady was drawn to the other lady in the parking lot. The two women had a pleasant conversation, which the lady from the church probably doesn’t even remember what was said at the time. One part of the conversation the homeless looking lady commented on the other ladies jewelry. The lady instantly look off her earrings and necklace and gave it to her. How many women would have not thought twice about giving their jewelry away to someone on the street? Instead of saying “thank you” she put action to her compassion.

Jesus had compassion for everyone that littered the streets that others looked upon as filth. He did not have the kind of compassion that felt bad for you then walked away he showed us how to put action to our compassion. We have opportunities to see others with the compassionate eyes of Christ, not just to pray for them but to act as Jesus would act.

I witnessed this past Sunday a man stopped at a red light give “something” to a man standing in the median with a sign, that’s action. Do you remember how cold it can be on the coldest days of winter? You’re Christmas shopping and you almost run through the parking lot because you are so cold just going from your car to the entrance. As you enter the building you hear the “bell” in the background. I know a man that goes in the store purchases either coffee or cocoa for the Salvation Army Bell Ringer to help them warm up as they do a service for others. Again, that is putting our compassion to work, making a difference in someone else’s life when it really matters. It’s easy to love and have compassion for the ones we know and love it’s not that easy when it takes us out of our comfort zone. Jesus teaches us to be careful when we are too comfortable, the leaders and teachers of his time were comfortable especially in their knowledge when they should’ve been a bit more compassionate to the one who was known as the Son of God. When he leads us to do for someone it may make us a little uncomfortable and vulnerable but in the end it’s worth it. There are many scriptures that talk about compassion if it weren’t so important it wouldn’t be in the Bible. Some may think this title doesn’t fit the text. Think about it for just a moment, if we don’t show compassion when God leads us to, then aren’t we showing favoritism by disobedience to God and to those he feels compassion for? Have you ever said no, you wouldn’t help because the person was the wrong class, sex, or even color? If so, you’ve shown favoritism. Our prayer should be that when we have the opportunity we put our love of Christ to action and have the kind of compassion for others that Jesus did.

God put a song in my heart last night as I couldn’t sleep, I believe it fits.
“Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days, all the days of my life”

Gauging Value

“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance,
But the LORD looks at the heart.’"
1 Samuel 16:7



It’s amazing how we look at things. To begin with we see through carnal eyes then add the media that continues to mold for us the ideal look & value of a person. Even as godly as Samuel was when he saw Jesse’s son, Eliab, he “saw” the next king. We fall into the same trap in many ways.


We base someone’s value on what they are worth to us personally or
professionally. If they are helpful to us in any way they have a
value, on the flip side of that people are less valuable if they
are less helpful to us.

Knowing a person also gives them value in our eyes, we have heard
many times it’s “WHO you know not WHAT you know.” We are quick to
have an attitude in a store with a long checkout line until we know
the cashier or someone in the line; then our attitude changes.
Therefore, knowing the person gives them more value.

People we like have more value than those we tend to dislike. Those
we like seem to have more credibility.

Financial standing on the income ladder is another way we place value
with a person or a family. If they have a lower income standing we
tend to think they have less value and vice versa.


Sometimes people rub us the wrong way, it’s inevitable we aren’t going to best friends with everyone all the time. Some days we are going to be less our self than others and on those days we need to try much harder to show the heart of Christ. When we get to the point that we see people as too much stress we need to look at them through the eyes of Christ. As Jesus traveled the tiresome dusty roads he encountered many people that were poor, unhelpful, unknown and disliked to many. How he reacted to them shows they were a joy not stressful. He treasured and valued each person enough to shed his blood on the painful cross. Shouldn’t we see each person as valuable and a treasure as Christ did?

Beyond Yesterday and Today

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them as he healed their sick.”
Matthew 14:14

It sure is hard to get over the past isn’t it? Someone has wronged you in some way and it hurts deep. I try to remember the hurt Jesus felt many times, not just in the end when he was paying the price for all sin, but when he went town to town giving the accounts of the Old Testament and telling of the future to come; and the people said mean things or spit in his face. I remember as a child younger than 3, living in the gray house in Houston, there was a family with many kids and chickens living behind us. I wanted to go play with them so I went over there and the kids started throwing chicken feed at me. I ran home and I never went back. It really hurt me and the feed as it hit me didn’t feel good either. I cried and cried; all I wanted was to play and have fun maybe make some new friends. I don’t remember how long we lived there but I know I never tried making friends with the family behind us.
In this chapter of Matthew, which I love, it begins telling us of how John the Baptist was imprisoned and then beheaded. In the verse previous to 14, Jesus had just found out of the calamity of his cousin. He withdrew to find solace and solitude and to pray. Sometimes we are the same, just needing that quiet time to be with God after a tragedy has occurred. As Jesus went off in the boat alone many people caught wind of him leaving and they traveled by foot getting to where he would be. The last thing Jesus probably wanted was a crowd, if he really wanted to be with the crowd of people he could’ve stayed where he was. As he landed he saw the people and had compassion on them and began to heal the sick. As he was healing them one by one, I know he saw their past and present but overlooked that because they needed a healing. He also overlooked their future. Of those he healed, some would turn their back on him and would cry out “Crucify Him!” Yet Jesus had compassion on them; he loved them enough to forgive their past, their present and overlook their future.
Just after this passage of scripture Jesus feeds them, more than 5,000. Again he has compassion on them remembering how exhausted he is after his long day of hardship with a death in the family, not to mention the crowds that just won’t leave him alone to have some peace. He now wants to feed them so when they leave they won’t be hungry and nothing else will happen to them on the long journey home.
The next section of scripture of Chapter 14 takes us to Jesus telling the disciples to go ahead in the boat as he dismisses the crowd. The disciples are in the boat and the wind picks up and the waves begin to roll and the boat is thrashing back and forth with the waves. The men are scared and full of fear then as if that isn’t enough they see a GHOST on the water coming towards them! Immediately Jesus calls out to them “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Hearing this Peter says if this is really you then call me out of this boat. And Jesus does. Knowing what we know about Peter; 1)we know he loses faith and sinks and 2) he denies Christ 3 times even AFTER Jesus tells him he will do it, Jesus still has compassion on him and doesn’t toss him aside because of his past, present or future.
We ask ourselves why Jesus doesn’t give up on us as a people or as individuals. And in verse 33 we can see why. It says that those that “were in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” It is for the unbelievers to witness the fullness and glory of God. How can we win the lost if things don’t happen in our lives? If we are never to be forgiven then how can we tell of the grace and mercy of God? It is in these tough times we are tested and we learn the character of God. It is in these times we are to put on what we learn of him. It’s like a lady buying new clothes or a man buying new tools; you don’t make the purchase thinking you’ll never use them you make the best effort to use what you purchased. I try to wear that new outfit immediately. And it’s the same way with what we learn from God we are to add to our knowledge what we have learned and USE IT!
In the same manner we are to live as Christ lived. We will be hurt and ridiculed but we can’t remember the past or the present and overlook the lost and dying world around us. We must overlook their past and present and help them have a life eternally worth living. Just as Jesus did so long ago and continues to do. It is what we are all called to.
I hope this encourages you to forget what we know of someone to help them along their way to salvation. For those that are saved that fall, forget the sin and give a hand to your brother /sister in Christ that’s exactly what Christ does, he doesn’t kick the dirt in their face as they are down. If you are the one who is lost accepting Jesus as your Savior is like saying you’re A, B, C’s. A- Admit you are a sinner and need Jesus ~ Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.” B- Believe Jesus is God’s son ~ Romans 10:9-10 “”That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” C- Confess with your mouth you are saved ~ Romans 10:11 “it is with your mouth you confess and are saved.” Then go tell the world!

Much love & God bless you all ~ Tina

Await the Return

Luke 15:21
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

Have you ever taken the time to listen to your animals outside the door begging you to either come outside or let them in? And when you have food in your hands for them – how they begin to tell you about how hungry they are. Or how happy they are you didn’t forget them during the day. Have you ever thought what your animals do while you go about your busy life and leave them home alone? I have had the opportunity to be at several dogs homes when the owner has been gone. I can tell you they “wait” for you to come home. They get into their comfy place and don’t get up until they have to. One dog in particular has a table by the window and rests his head on the window ceil until his family comes home.

God is the same way – he waits for you to come home. Like the father of the prodigal son he saw him far off because he was looking and waiting. He lets you go along without him because you were too busy to invite him but can’t wait for you to open the door and let him in.

Like the animals outside the door he speaks and nudges us so that before we totally fall on our face we remember “Oh, I haven’t asked him or talked to him in a while.” Once you give him the slightest interest oh the joy that overcomes his glorious face, kind of like the dog and the wagging tail.

We try to make God more difficult than he is really is. All he wants is us, all of us. He gives us simple illustrations to help us along the way. All he asks us to do is to trust, believe and confess; the rest is his to handle.

A Task for Only the Holy

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17

Chores, nobody likes them; although some people think that some chores are better than others. Maybe you remember some horrible chores you had to do as you were growing up. It didn’t matter to me one bit I hated all chores and in my mind there was not one better than the other. And to this day I still don’t like the chores at hand. Have you ever had someone over that while they were having fun playing with your stuff you had to stop and do the dreaded taking out the trash or a much longer one washing the dishes? How horrible was that? And all the while you got a bit angry that they didn’t even offer to help you so you could get done quicker. Then come to find out some of your friends didn’t even have chores. After school they were playing and you were doing those same chores day in and day out. Finally once you are done and can play they have to go in because it’s getting too late, well I remember those days. I like to think of the 2 Mary’s that knew the Lord’s body needed to be prepared after his death. I believe that would have been a task. The body would’ve been in the tomb for 3 days now and the smell alone would’ve been enough to make you sick just thinking about it. I can only imagine how they felt that they had this large task ahead of them and it was overwhelming. Have you ever felt this way the task was too big so why even try? Maybe they felt that way and really didn’t want to continue, it was going to be too hard and then the reminder of their Lord crucified on a cross, how tragic. Just think if they had given up, who would the messenger have told of the resurrection? Better yet who would’ve heard of the Lord having gone on into Galilee ahead of the disciples? Yes, I am sure there would be someone to fulfill all the testimony to the fact. It just makes you think. I am sure the ladies felt very alone and that what they were experiencing no one else could sympathize with. Sometimes our valleys are so low and the mountains too hard to climb and we feel we are all alone and no one cares if we make it or not. Well one thing is for sure God knows how we feel and he does care if we make it. That is why the scripture John 3:16 is so valid it tells of how much he cares. It says, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” How amazing that God sacrificed his only son that we wouldn’t tortured for all eternity in hell. Which brings us to Jesus, do you think the chore he had to endure, an innocent death on the cross, was a bit much or overwhelming? I do believe it was even to the point that Jesus sweat drops of blood as scripture says. How alone do you think he felt when his own father did nothing to stop the innocent crucifixion? It says in the Bible that Jesus called out ”why have you forsaken me?” Which takes us back to John 3:16; because he loved the world so much that he GAVE. I can see all of heaven ready to fight standing ready for the call from God to release his only son off that cross. Sometimes it’s as if God is sitting on his hands but what good would it do if he always came to the rescue and raised us out of the yuck in our lives, would we learn anything. Well, he does help us he just doesn’t do it for us we have to help him help us. Just like in salvation we have to take the first step after that he helps us with every other step in the path. Yesterday, Austin wanted help climbing a tree in the yard. Really since he couldn’t get into the tree himself he wanted me to pick him up and put him in the tree. I said no, I would help him find a way to get into the tree for himself. Once he accomplished that he understood why I did it the way I did. Now he can go get in the tree anytime he wants to because he knows how. And I also made him find his own way out of the tree, I was there for guidance but I wasn’t going to take him out of the tree; what would that have taught him? Same with God it wasn’t that he didn’t want to help his only son but he knew what had to be done to fulfill the scriptures but also to help the other children he had that were lost and needed the bridge to walk across to salvation. Some things are hard and we grumble about doing them but this scripture says to do it for the Lord giving thanks. Sounds like God is telling us to change our attitudes about the tasks at hand for we never know who we will reach in the process that needs the help of a brother or sister in Christ. Each task brings us to a closer relationship with the Father who loves us so much.

Priceless Treasures

Hey! I got a devotion in my inbox for today and it was awesome. It was talking of this woman and her son that go to farm sales/estate sales. As she was walking through looking at all the priceless treasures of a deceased widowed lady, the mother began to think of the things that we own and how we treasure them, claiming them to be priceless in our own terms. It made me think of the things I cling to as priceless. I am very glad I can look through the eyes of Christ and see what is truly priceless and that my friend, is a person saved and ready to be received into heaven with their Creator and Father. If you think that the things in your home are priceless take a look at your home insurance policy. These "things" we have has a price just in case something happens to them. Which makes me think of the value some people set for certain things that they claim is priceless. For that thing to be replaced one day if something happens to it... you pay a price. How much do you pay the insurance company each year/month to be able to replace that priceless treasure. Sometimes we put far too much emphasis on the earthly treasures and not the heavenly treasures. Where are you storing up your treasures?

Is Sunday School Important?

I personally believe it is. I should... I am the Sunday School Superintendent of our local church, but more than that I believe in it's purpose. It's a time to really get into the heart of a subject and devour the WORD, ask questions and have a discussion. Sunday School is available for any age. I remember as a child going to Sunday School, at one time my Pastor's Wife was our teacher. She prayed for us every week, taught us the Bible and most of all never gave up on us. Later, as an adult I called her to thank her for her faithfulness to God and to us kids. I was able to tell her I had been saved and was living for Christ. That made her day. At this time she had been discouraged with her own personal trials and hearing my victory story made her feel much better. Now many years later I still believe Sunday School is vital to your spiritual growth be it child, teen or adult years. It doesn't have to be on Sunday morning or even Sunday for that matter but that time you spend that time together in a small group discussing God's WORD and applying it to our daily lives. So many churches in this day and time are cutting out services of the week, don't let Sunday School be one of them. Vote "YES" for Sunday School.

"Sunday School is the "school" of the church." Arthur Flake

"Sunday School provides a unique organization to reach people of all ages." Bill Sullivan

"The Sunday School is a people-focused agency and a purpose-driven movement." W. Talmadge Johnson

God bless...

Does Starting the Day With the WORD Help?

Oh my it does! I am so glad this day started out with God! If it didn't I can promise you it wouldn't have bearable. This morning started out like every other; get up, get dressed, put in contacts, brush teeth, hair in pony tail and climb back into bed w/ 2 Bibles, daily devotional, prayer devotional and spiral notebook to journal. I got done and read my writing to a trusted friend, jotted the ideas I needed to change or elaborate on then got a call I needed to take. I thought the caller was my daughter in Mississippi, turned out to be my ex-husband. We've had a very rocky relationship for the past 13 years, so for him to call was something. A conversation never can be good when it contains these words, "Please don't be mad at me, but..." Especially from your ex. Well, good thing I was in the word previously and my heart, mind, soul and body are totally and completely God's because what I heard next and will remain secret really got my goat. So, after he said it was all his fault I listened to "the rest of the story" as Paul Harvey would say. Come to find out my 17 year old son who recently graduated High School did need the signature of his mother to join the Marines after all. After talking to my son's recruiter in Mississippi, I went to the local Marine Corps Recruiting office and told them what was needed of me. They were so kind and willing to help. Several hours later and 2 conversations with my ex husband I can and did look back on the day and feel it was a success. Had I not started out the day giving it and me to God I can see how it would've been different. When we first seek him in all things he works it out to HIS glory! My day would've been ruined had I not given it to God to work out. The first conversation with my ex would've ended up different and I would've been mad that I have to do the leg work that should've been done long ago. And through it all I was able to glorify God with an honest, humble attitude that God gave me for the day. Don't we got to God with the same sentence, "Please don't be mad at me God, but..." Who am I to say I haven't done someone or something wrong. I have, we all have for that matter, and it's the forgiveness from God that we freely received and must freely give. God can turn the worst day into an amazing one if we just give him the chance.
God bless...