James 4:8a

"Come near to God and He will come near to you . . ."

"Be Still My Soul"

Be still my soul! They God doth undertake
To guide the future as HE has the past:
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake,
All now mysterious shall be bright at last!

J. Borthwick

Did you get your 'power' this morning?

"Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered on the basis of the morning breakthrough to God. Decisions, demanded by work, become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men, but only in the sight of God. He wants to give us today the power which we need for our work."


Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Happy birthday, Cody!!!

Today our oldest son, Cody, turned 20!  I really can't believe that was 20 years ago. 

He is currently serving our country in the Marine Corps and will be deployed again late summer/early fall.  Please keep him and all the service men and women in your prayers.

Happy birthday, son, we love you and are very proud of you! 

2010/2011 school year begins

After a good long break, it's back to the books for me.  I took the spring and summer off to relax and spend some good quality time with the family.  We didn't do anything out of the ordinary but just had fun together.  My goal is to keep the fun going even though we have a busier schedule.

The class that starts Monday is Examining Christian Heritage I, part II will be after this class is completed seven weeks from now.  I was pretty nervous about this class because it is filled with so much information and it's fast paced but I have to say God has helped calm my nerves.  I feel much better about the deadlines and know all will be well.  God is faithful!

God bless...

Quote by Dave Ramsey

The people who are the happiest and the wealthiest got that way by giving. —Dave Ramsey

Serve where?

"God wants to use you and speak through you. He will lead you in the way and open the doors for you. You are to serve where you are. Some really good people are waiting, expecting in some way that they will be called out in service for the Master. Instead of that we are to serve where we are; to find the souls that are about us, to get hold of them with the gospel which possesses us, and bring them to Christ."


Phineas Bresee

Which is most important?

Many times we pray that we would hear the voice of God and know what it is He wants us to do.

It is good to know what He wants of us but knowing doesn't get it done.

Not only do we need to know what God wants of us we have to be obedient and follow through with His plans.

If you have been praying for direction why not take that prayer just a step further and ask that when God gives you direction that He also help you to be obedient.

Which is most important knowing or knowing AND doing?

God bless...

Grades for Jan. 18 - 24

Amazingly enough my grade for this past week is a 100. I am thankful to be able to give as much time as I can to my classes and do my best. God continues to help and give me guidance; I praise His name for all He does.

God bless...

Tour of God's House

Have you ever wondered what God's house looks like? I found this in my studies and I believe we all have seen His house but never realized what we were looking at. Enjoy!

God's House

Four Cornerstones
1. Worship Only the True God - Have no other gods before me - Exodus 20:3
2. Avoid Idols - Not make for yourself an idol - Exodus 20:4
3. Honor God's Name - Not misuse the Name of God - Exodus 20:7
4. Keep Sacred the Time for Rest and Worship - Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy - Exodus 20:8

A Solid Floor
Honor Thy Father and Mother - Respect parents - Exodus 20:12

Four Protective Walls
1. Forgiveness--Not Revenge - Do not murder - Exodus 20:13
2. Purity and Fidelity--Not Adultery - Do not commit adultery - Exodus 20:14
3. Generosity--Not Stealing - Shall not steal - Exodus 20:15
4. Integrity--Not Dishonesty - Not bear false witness - Exodus 20:16

A Roof: A Heart Like God's
You Shall Not Covet - Exodus 20:17

Works cited
Tracy, Wes. Reflecting God. Kansas City, MO: Nazarene Publishing House, 2000.

God Remembers... Jeremiah 2:2

God remembers our youth. My youth was some good some bad. I got into trouble just like most of society as a child. This is not what God is remembering here, thank goodness!

Jeremiah 2:2:
"Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem:
'I remember the devotion of your youth,
how as a bride you loved me
and followed me through the desert,
through a land not sown'" (NIV) emphasis added

God is talking of our youth in Him. How we used to be devoted to Him loving Him first and most. Are we farther along in our walk with God than we were a year ago? If not there is a problem. We should be much be much closer in our relationship with God over the course of a year. Have you noticed you have lost your first love? Have you seen a change in your devotion to Him?

It is not too late to get back that closeness with our Father in Heaven. As we allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts follow His lead to repentance of the falling away and restore the relationship, don't hesitate!

God is waiting for the closeness to be shared once again.

God bless...

Grade for week of Jan. 11-17, 2010

YAY!! I made a 100!

God is continually helping me in my studies as I devote my mind and heart to Him. I give Him all the praise and glory for this amazing grade.

God ROCKS!!!

God bless...

Do you find yourself listening?

We have a pair of hawks that live in a tree very close to our house. They have been here some time and it is a beautiful sight to behold as they fly in search of food and do the things hawks do. I became aware of the sounds they make. At first it sounded horrible to my ears but after some time I began to appreciate the beauty of their sound. I must say I even stop during the day and listen for them. I heard them just a little while ago as I was reading and stopped to listen.

One night as Samuel was asleep he heard a call unto him and went to see what Eli wanted. He did this a few times and Eli realized what was happening, God was calling to Samuel. He told Samuel what to do when he heard it again. Samuel was faithful to do so. I Samuel 3:1-10

As I heard the sweetness of the Hawks today it made me wonder, do we believers actually listen enough to know the voice of God when He calls out to us? Do we find ourselves longing to hear the voice of our Father? Do we make time for solitude to wait upon Him?

If this is a troublesome area, pray that God would help you make time daily for Him. We need silence, solitude, and prayer; only God can help us get silence and solitude through prayer. And eventually we will be listening for His call to us as was the call to Samuel for a deeper relationship with Him.

Know the Father’s voice!

God bless...

Oswald Chambers

"We are not sent to do battles for God, but to be used by God in His battles."

Works cited
Reimann, James. My Upmost For His Highest An Updated Edition In Today's Language The Golden Books of Oswald Chambers. Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House, 1993.

God bless...

Facebook gone - Hello Time!

My life has dramatically changed this week. I got rid of facebook. I originally signed up to facebook almost 2 years ago to keep better contact with some family members. I found that recently I was spending so much time online period! Every time I got an email from someone I went to check out the new things going on in other's lives. That is time consuming!

Tuesday of this week I decided I was going to get the information I wanted from my "friends" adn deactivate my account today. Well, Wednesday came and I decided that was the day. So I shut it down.

I can't tell you how much more time I have AWAY from the computer! Not to mention the emails in my inbox are down 2/3rds. I am doing very well without facebook. Not to mention I get my school work done way ahead of time, which we all like!

If there is something that you are thinking may be taking too much of your time pray about it and see what God has to say. He may be nudging you to get rid of something or not!

Blessings...