Good morning all-
Have you noticed all the changes happening? The Catholic church just got a new Pope, the seasons are changing and life is always full of battles. I, for one, love change. I thrive on it and believe that it's the one thing that has kept me going. Change renews, stretches and provides many new beginnings. It gives us stamina to pursue our goals and dreams, leap over buildings and persevere rough waters. It is the instrument of growth and destruction but always it is good.
As I've told you on numerous blogs, I'm not a risk taker. I really like to know what's ahead, which is funny because I love change. I guess I've learned that you have to take a few risks to see your dreams come true, so I have jumped a few buildings in my adult life.
Yesterday, I found out that my son's basketball coach resigned. It was the worst season in city league. We had zero wins! I watched as a group of under talented, over passionate boys began to fade, loss after loss. They really needed a champion but the champion was defeated too. Their coach took a big risk taking over a program after their new coach got fired in July. They had spent all summer with him only to have a minor technicality take him out and put this new man in. He just wasn't up to the challenge and the boys knew it. I am not doubting teens anymore. They really know when you invest and when you give up and the boys knew long before the parents that this coach was biding his time.
It got me thinking back to Hunter's excitement when the season started and how he didn't even want to talk about basketball by the end. He, as well as his fellow players, were defeated and not just on the court. So, going into his Senior year, Hunter will have had 6 basketball coaches in 4 years. Amazing! He will have moved schools, gained diversity and persevered one of the toughest schools in the league. He will have had to prove himself once again and this time it means the difference between him going to college on a scholarship or not. He will have to trust God in a way that I had to when we made this decision and he will have to change with the new regime.
What defeats us is not our circumstances, it's us. I have often conquered my circumstances only to fall at the smallest thing. I have let change rule me and then prayed about it and I embraced change. I have wandered in the desert to find that coming out of it was for my own good and I have been on my knees asking for guidance because the change was too great. My house shifts when I don't go with the change. It always has, maybe that's why I like to change now. I feel like if I change then the wind can't possibly blow me down.
Christ knew this lesson well. Can you imagine how his life changed in weeks? He went from being a prince to heritic. Interesting? He was being haled by the crowds, women were pushing babies at him and men were pleading to be healed. Fast forward and Jesus was being tried by the people He came to save, beaten and placed on a cross. His change was great and yet, He bore the humiliated, persecution and death for us. I wonder if we could do the same. We're upset when we find out we have to change our diets, exercise more or take a pill. We get mad when everything in our world isn't bliss and we get angry at our Savior because life just isn't fair. And yet, He knew us and gave up His pride, His prestige and Himself. I can't think of any other event in History with more change and greater passion, can you?
So as we embark on a new season full of blossoms, leaves and green grass, let's take some time to reflect on change. Look back over the last 6 months and see what changed, how you handled it and where you're going now because of it. Ask the Lord to reveal to you the things you need to learn and how to use them in the coming months. Be grateful in this season because your still here and you have much to do. As is the case with my son, his future is before him, what will Jesus do? That's the question of the hour for all of us to consider. Where is the purpose and when will He reveal it?
Stay true to your maker today and be kind to those around you. You never know when a stranger is going through change and may just need a kind word of encouragement from you. We are not alone for God has given us many brothers and sisters that love Him. I encourage you to sit down and write some things that have changed and what changed in you. I think you'll find it interesting. As always, thank you for reading this blog. I thank God mostly for bringing you to this site and I give Him all the glory for every word. Have a beautiful day!
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV:
To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven;
My prayer today:
O, Lord, You are my God and I worship You today. Throughout History there has always been great change, whether it was parting the red sea, drowning the land or someone finding out that the world was round. Great discoveries lay ahead on our journey with many changes. Make those changes count for You and help us grow through every change. Help us to be warriors instead of cowards and give us the strength to abide in You and for You all our days. We embrace change today because we know there will be. We ask that in the change we will have wisdom and a path straight toward You. I can not see the future but I know with every day comes change, so hear me today, bring change to Your people and help us all be better at loving and caring. We need You in our lives. We need to feel Your Holy presence and we bow down to You, for Your life but more importantly, for Your sacrifice. We are Yours! In Jesus name, AMEN
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
March 12, 2013
Good morning all-
Well I think Spring is actually going to come. In the last week, I have seen rain and snow flurries. Our temperatures have gone from 55 to 19 and the wind has been come to horrific. In other words, God is doing amazing things and we just have to see what's next. I'm not going to complain about the rain or moisture because our ground and all living creatures need it!
My point in today's message is really to get you to think about what you idol. Is it the weather, worry, love, possessions, money? We can idol about anything. As a matter of fact the United States idols a lot and gives very little credit to God for anything. Now don't get me wrong, there are those that are faithful and that thank God for everything they have but there's always that nagging little voice that says, "Are you sure He will provide? Does He love me? Why haven't you changed anything yet?" You know the voice. It wakes you up in the middle of the night because we have so much control over tomorrow. Of course, I'm being sarcastic because we don't have any control and yet, we try so hard, which in essence is another idol.
Christ has been working on me from what I like to call A to Z. It's really a whole body, mind and spirit workout and believe me it does have some pitfalls. I hate when something ugly comes out and I have to repent. Most of the time I do it with class but this last couple of weeks you would have thought I was a two year old. I wanted to stomp my feet, scream and possibly just rant until I couldn't anymore. Instead, I spent time by myself recounting the promises of God. Praying without ceasing and reminding myself daily that Christ carried a cross for me, so whatever He has in store for me is better than that.
He also has shown me things that I idol and don't give up easy. I am driven to perform, to take care of my family financially and rarely have I been lazy unless it was with housework. (I hate housework!) But like everything in life, I do it, with a grudge of course, but it gets done. My family is a little different and it takes a Sargent to get them moving. Some of that could be my fault, which is why I continue to push until they think I'm a nag. Funny, because I'm nothing like my mom, who did a white glove test in each room.
You can't make people be something they aren't, right? I tend to disagree. We can't make people be what we want but God can. He can mold us and show us what we idol and He can wheedle out of us our insecurities, falsehoods and idols. He has the means and knowledge to bend us and stretch us and for those of us that call Him Father, He will. I have been a party to being stretched but none as much as now. In essence, I followed a path of strength, which became my idol. I worshipped it just like some people worship being smart, or making money. It's all in the same category, right? Well, it has been flushed out of my soul this last week and I have surrendered. Only God can change my heart, with a blessing from me of course, which I do freely. For my goal in this life is not to be me, but to be like Him.
If you had asked me a couple weeks ago what my idol was, I would have said worry, which Christ has continued to work on and I have continued to surrender. Two weeks ago, it all changed and became my health. If I believe that Christ carried a cross for me, then I must believe that this life is not my own and the challenges that I face will only help me be a better servant to Him. So, I once again died to myself and to my foolishness, thank goodness I didn't make a gold statue, and became a woman trusting in her God again.
I hope that in your daily walk with God, you examine things you idol. It can be odd things, things you don't even recognize. Ask Him to cleanse them from your heart so that you don't have to walk the journey that I have the last couple of weeks. Surrendering quickly is the easiest way to see His glory!
May God love you today as I do and may He walk with you all of your days. For those that are struggling, I'm praying and believe me, I understand. Struggling is not bad as long as we learn and grow from it and of course, kneel at the foot of the cross. For it is there we will find peace, prosperity and redemption.
1 John 5: 21 NKJV:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen
1 Chronicles 16:26 NKJV:
For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord make the heavens.
My prayer today:
O, Lord as we come before you today we cast out our idols to You. We know that in our sins we must confess the things we hold higher than You. I, like my sisters, are saddened by our weakness but You will make us strong as we see them, they are revealed, and we repent. You are a merciful and just God and You carried a cross so that we would know Your love. Help us to see our idols and to give them up to You. I would never have thought that I would have made a health an idol, but I have. Thank You for loving me enough to reveal it and for me to see You in every moment of the last couple of weeks. Forgive me Lord for my unwillingness to see easily but thank You for pursuing me and cleansing my soul. I don't deserve You but I'm so tremendously glad I have You. You are my rock and it is You I will stand on. Thank You for my sisters who love You too and that relinquish their idols at Your feet. For You are a good and Holy Father. May You bless Your people as they look for You! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Well I think Spring is actually going to come. In the last week, I have seen rain and snow flurries. Our temperatures have gone from 55 to 19 and the wind has been come to horrific. In other words, God is doing amazing things and we just have to see what's next. I'm not going to complain about the rain or moisture because our ground and all living creatures need it!
My point in today's message is really to get you to think about what you idol. Is it the weather, worry, love, possessions, money? We can idol about anything. As a matter of fact the United States idols a lot and gives very little credit to God for anything. Now don't get me wrong, there are those that are faithful and that thank God for everything they have but there's always that nagging little voice that says, "Are you sure He will provide? Does He love me? Why haven't you changed anything yet?" You know the voice. It wakes you up in the middle of the night because we have so much control over tomorrow. Of course, I'm being sarcastic because we don't have any control and yet, we try so hard, which in essence is another idol.
Christ has been working on me from what I like to call A to Z. It's really a whole body, mind and spirit workout and believe me it does have some pitfalls. I hate when something ugly comes out and I have to repent. Most of the time I do it with class but this last couple of weeks you would have thought I was a two year old. I wanted to stomp my feet, scream and possibly just rant until I couldn't anymore. Instead, I spent time by myself recounting the promises of God. Praying without ceasing and reminding myself daily that Christ carried a cross for me, so whatever He has in store for me is better than that.
He also has shown me things that I idol and don't give up easy. I am driven to perform, to take care of my family financially and rarely have I been lazy unless it was with housework. (I hate housework!) But like everything in life, I do it, with a grudge of course, but it gets done. My family is a little different and it takes a Sargent to get them moving. Some of that could be my fault, which is why I continue to push until they think I'm a nag. Funny, because I'm nothing like my mom, who did a white glove test in each room.
You can't make people be something they aren't, right? I tend to disagree. We can't make people be what we want but God can. He can mold us and show us what we idol and He can wheedle out of us our insecurities, falsehoods and idols. He has the means and knowledge to bend us and stretch us and for those of us that call Him Father, He will. I have been a party to being stretched but none as much as now. In essence, I followed a path of strength, which became my idol. I worshipped it just like some people worship being smart, or making money. It's all in the same category, right? Well, it has been flushed out of my soul this last week and I have surrendered. Only God can change my heart, with a blessing from me of course, which I do freely. For my goal in this life is not to be me, but to be like Him.
If you had asked me a couple weeks ago what my idol was, I would have said worry, which Christ has continued to work on and I have continued to surrender. Two weeks ago, it all changed and became my health. If I believe that Christ carried a cross for me, then I must believe that this life is not my own and the challenges that I face will only help me be a better servant to Him. So, I once again died to myself and to my foolishness, thank goodness I didn't make a gold statue, and became a woman trusting in her God again.
I hope that in your daily walk with God, you examine things you idol. It can be odd things, things you don't even recognize. Ask Him to cleanse them from your heart so that you don't have to walk the journey that I have the last couple of weeks. Surrendering quickly is the easiest way to see His glory!
May God love you today as I do and may He walk with you all of your days. For those that are struggling, I'm praying and believe me, I understand. Struggling is not bad as long as we learn and grow from it and of course, kneel at the foot of the cross. For it is there we will find peace, prosperity and redemption.
1 John 5: 21 NKJV:
Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen
1 Chronicles 16:26 NKJV:
For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord make the heavens.
My prayer today:
O, Lord as we come before you today we cast out our idols to You. We know that in our sins we must confess the things we hold higher than You. I, like my sisters, are saddened by our weakness but You will make us strong as we see them, they are revealed, and we repent. You are a merciful and just God and You carried a cross so that we would know Your love. Help us to see our idols and to give them up to You. I would never have thought that I would have made a health an idol, but I have. Thank You for loving me enough to reveal it and for me to see You in every moment of the last couple of weeks. Forgive me Lord for my unwillingness to see easily but thank You for pursuing me and cleansing my soul. I don't deserve You but I'm so tremendously glad I have You. You are my rock and it is You I will stand on. Thank You for my sisters who love You too and that relinquish their idols at Your feet. For You are a good and Holy Father. May You bless Your people as they look for You! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, March 9, 2013
March 9, 2013
Good morning all-
I am sorry for the long delays between blogs. A lot is going on right now and I have not been able to write as much. By the end of the month, things will slow down and I will once again write daily. Until then, I will try to write as much as possible. There could be a lag during March 18-25th because I will be enjoying my family during spring break but I promise I will be back again.
Although I haven't been writing, God has been working on my heart in numerous ways. I've found that even when I don't spend time writing, I am meditating on Him in the car. For the first time in a long time, I turned Pandora on to Christian music. I often drive hours without any noise in my car and because my son is worried about my sanity, I thought I better try it for a while. I love to think but I'm wondering if all that thinking is what made my blood pressure go up, so I sat and listened about my Lord and contemplated Him in a whole new way.
The Lord is so brilliant and when my life is dull, it's easy for me to be in awe. Even in my busy hours, I can think upon a Scripture, hear a word or see a hurting person and think about God. Lately, I have wondered why so many people go from good health to bad. I am in doctor's offices all day long and I see the young to the very old and I'm always amazed at the failing body. It's especially hard when I see a young mother with her hair gone, knowing that she has cancer, and fighting as hard as she can to stay alive. It's even harder for me to see the elderly come in with canes, walkers and in wheelchairs. It makes me sad to think their once vital bodies are deteriorating and realize that could be me some day. Getting a diagnosis that goes with your family history will make you think like this. Again, maybe that's why my blood pressure is up. But the more I've thought about it and the more I've contemplated God, I have come to the conclusion that we can't escape death. That should be a no brainer, right? What I think I'm trying to say is that we can't escape dying to ourselves and finding our Father right in front of us. If I could control my destiny, I would be healthy forever. I would never struggle as my mother or father did. Both of my parents smoked and both had consequences for those actions. However, there are millions today that have lived a life like mine, that deal with numerous physical ailments and have to go on even though they have them.
So, God and I have been chatting about me not being self-absorbed, fretting or worrying about things that aren't in my control. I've been diagnosing my lack of trust for the last two weeks and realize I need a healer. Can you guess who that is? I have come to the end of me and have decided if this is God's will for my life then I will live with it graciously and I will love Him more during it. Haven't you wondered why some people that carry an incurable disease or simply bad health can be so joyous? I have and I think I know how they do it now. They accept that although they have not been beaten and they will never hang on a cross, this is there journey and Jesus is with them all the way. If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would have found myself feeling sorry for myself, I would have answered, "No way." I don't have time to be sad or to even contemplate much about myself. I have so much going on that I rarely think about me until my head crashes and I'm out for the night. But over the last couple of weeks, I have really been angry. Luckily, I have a God that loves me and knows my heart. He has worked on my heart and has given me strength when I just didn't have any to give. So many times I wanted to call my mom up and cry on her shoulder and say, "I'm scared." She was so good at calming me down and making me look at the positives of life. After all she had faced many frightful things and had come out of each one of them. Unfortunately, I have no where to turn. So, I turned toward Christ and He gave me strength to conquer my fears, to walk in faith and to see the beauty that He's laid before me. What a wonderful Savior!
I hope today blesses you and that you find Jesus right where you are. Please continue to pray for women in other countries, for our leaders and for Jesus to reign all over the world. The issues around the globe continue to be perilous in other countries and we must intercede for the weak, the lost and the destitute. We were called to be a body, let's not leave anyone behind and let's continue to pray for strength, mercy and grace, which of course our Lord gives freely.
2 Corinthians 5:1 NKJV:
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV:
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, forgive me for not writing in many days. My struggles with myself have encompassed many of my mornings. And although I am a failed creature, You are God and I have seen You daily. You have been in my ear, on my tongue and in my mind. The Scriptures and songs have rolled through my mind so often that I wake up praising Your name. I'm sure I will continue to fight with myself but I have come to a place of rest, in Your arms, knowing You are God. I have found that facing a storm with You is so much easier than facing it myself. I am very blessed in so many aspects of my life that I feel ashamed for my behavior these last few weeks. Out of it, I have been stretched and I believe that in my struggle, You have walked with me and have placed my feet on the right path. I have found strength in Your arms and when I am lost all I have to do is call Your name. I hear Your words and know that You are God. Please heal the turbulent world and bring peace to the countries that only want death and destruction. Calm our leaders and help them to die to their pride. Every one needs a Savior and I call on You today to lead nations, change lives and bring Your people to You. For me and for those that read these words, I pray that no matter the situation, we will turn toward You all our days, that we would worship You in our darkest hour and that we would know the power of the cross. You did not die in vain and You continue to unravel the sins of this world. Make us known among the nations and bring forth fruit as we pray for one another. Like Abraham, our faithfulness could lead people to You and I pray we each do that today and forever. Our lives maybe short but the time is now to sing Your praises and to preach of a God that died for His people. Thank You for always being there when no one else can. We believe that You can move mountains, that You can part the sea and that You and only You can save us. You are a wonderful Savior, a mighty Lord and the King above all nations. Come to us today and be with us as we walk through this life. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
I am sorry for the long delays between blogs. A lot is going on right now and I have not been able to write as much. By the end of the month, things will slow down and I will once again write daily. Until then, I will try to write as much as possible. There could be a lag during March 18-25th because I will be enjoying my family during spring break but I promise I will be back again.
Although I haven't been writing, God has been working on my heart in numerous ways. I've found that even when I don't spend time writing, I am meditating on Him in the car. For the first time in a long time, I turned Pandora on to Christian music. I often drive hours without any noise in my car and because my son is worried about my sanity, I thought I better try it for a while. I love to think but I'm wondering if all that thinking is what made my blood pressure go up, so I sat and listened about my Lord and contemplated Him in a whole new way.
The Lord is so brilliant and when my life is dull, it's easy for me to be in awe. Even in my busy hours, I can think upon a Scripture, hear a word or see a hurting person and think about God. Lately, I have wondered why so many people go from good health to bad. I am in doctor's offices all day long and I see the young to the very old and I'm always amazed at the failing body. It's especially hard when I see a young mother with her hair gone, knowing that she has cancer, and fighting as hard as she can to stay alive. It's even harder for me to see the elderly come in with canes, walkers and in wheelchairs. It makes me sad to think their once vital bodies are deteriorating and realize that could be me some day. Getting a diagnosis that goes with your family history will make you think like this. Again, maybe that's why my blood pressure is up. But the more I've thought about it and the more I've contemplated God, I have come to the conclusion that we can't escape death. That should be a no brainer, right? What I think I'm trying to say is that we can't escape dying to ourselves and finding our Father right in front of us. If I could control my destiny, I would be healthy forever. I would never struggle as my mother or father did. Both of my parents smoked and both had consequences for those actions. However, there are millions today that have lived a life like mine, that deal with numerous physical ailments and have to go on even though they have them.
So, God and I have been chatting about me not being self-absorbed, fretting or worrying about things that aren't in my control. I've been diagnosing my lack of trust for the last two weeks and realize I need a healer. Can you guess who that is? I have come to the end of me and have decided if this is God's will for my life then I will live with it graciously and I will love Him more during it. Haven't you wondered why some people that carry an incurable disease or simply bad health can be so joyous? I have and I think I know how they do it now. They accept that although they have not been beaten and they will never hang on a cross, this is there journey and Jesus is with them all the way. If you had asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would have found myself feeling sorry for myself, I would have answered, "No way." I don't have time to be sad or to even contemplate much about myself. I have so much going on that I rarely think about me until my head crashes and I'm out for the night. But over the last couple of weeks, I have really been angry. Luckily, I have a God that loves me and knows my heart. He has worked on my heart and has given me strength when I just didn't have any to give. So many times I wanted to call my mom up and cry on her shoulder and say, "I'm scared." She was so good at calming me down and making me look at the positives of life. After all she had faced many frightful things and had come out of each one of them. Unfortunately, I have no where to turn. So, I turned toward Christ and He gave me strength to conquer my fears, to walk in faith and to see the beauty that He's laid before me. What a wonderful Savior!
I hope today blesses you and that you find Jesus right where you are. Please continue to pray for women in other countries, for our leaders and for Jesus to reign all over the world. The issues around the globe continue to be perilous in other countries and we must intercede for the weak, the lost and the destitute. We were called to be a body, let's not leave anyone behind and let's continue to pray for strength, mercy and grace, which of course our Lord gives freely.
2 Corinthians 5:1 NKJV:
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV:
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, forgive me for not writing in many days. My struggles with myself have encompassed many of my mornings. And although I am a failed creature, You are God and I have seen You daily. You have been in my ear, on my tongue and in my mind. The Scriptures and songs have rolled through my mind so often that I wake up praising Your name. I'm sure I will continue to fight with myself but I have come to a place of rest, in Your arms, knowing You are God. I have found that facing a storm with You is so much easier than facing it myself. I am very blessed in so many aspects of my life that I feel ashamed for my behavior these last few weeks. Out of it, I have been stretched and I believe that in my struggle, You have walked with me and have placed my feet on the right path. I have found strength in Your arms and when I am lost all I have to do is call Your name. I hear Your words and know that You are God. Please heal the turbulent world and bring peace to the countries that only want death and destruction. Calm our leaders and help them to die to their pride. Every one needs a Savior and I call on You today to lead nations, change lives and bring Your people to You. For me and for those that read these words, I pray that no matter the situation, we will turn toward You all our days, that we would worship You in our darkest hour and that we would know the power of the cross. You did not die in vain and You continue to unravel the sins of this world. Make us known among the nations and bring forth fruit as we pray for one another. Like Abraham, our faithfulness could lead people to You and I pray we each do that today and forever. Our lives maybe short but the time is now to sing Your praises and to preach of a God that died for His people. Thank You for always being there when no one else can. We believe that You can move mountains, that You can part the sea and that You and only You can save us. You are a wonderful Savior, a mighty Lord and the King above all nations. Come to us today and be with us as we walk through this life. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Monday, March 4, 2013
March 4, 2013
Good morning all-
Yesterday, I went to church and once again heard about Hosea. Isn't it interesting to hear about the prophets, the men of God that walked the earth. They were chosen to bring good will toward men, hard messages of destruction and suffering and to trust that God would deliver. They were just like us but they were chosen to lead nations, conquer enemies and have faith that God would come through.
As I listened, I thought about the hardship Hosea had with his wife. A man that loves a woman can not and will not let her be adulterous and yet, Hosea knew that she would be and took her for his wife anyway. And when she got caught into prostitution, he paid for her and told her that she was his. A courageous story of one man believing and trusting in God in the worst circumstances. It got me thinking about God's grace and how many times I fail Him and He comes to me saying, "You're mine." I definitely don't deserve Him but I'm so glad He is near.
After a wonderful sermon, my family watched the Bible show on the History channel. Although you could tell that some embellishment was happening, for the most part it was exactly like the story. As I watched Abraham come to life with all the human emotions of man, it took me a little bit by surprise. When you read his story all you see is blind faith but when put to pictures you see a man pining for a son. You see him saying trust in the Lord no matter what and you see his own nephew walk away from him. How was he to be the father of all nations? He asks the question and because we know the end, we don't question it. But seeing the man for who he was, you begin to get a true picture of the turmoil raging inside of him. He was just a man and yet through his faithfulness, God rewarded him by being the father of all of us.
During the story of Abraham, you also saw the angels of God fighting in Gomorrah. It gets you thinking about angels walking among us. When was the last time a stranger asked you for a hand? Were you willing to give help, provide money or just listen? I had to think about it myself because the truth is that God's angels are full of power and they were there to destroy what was sinful. And still God had mercy on Abraham's family and brought them out.
Being obedient to God, having faith that He will do great things is hard when our sinful nature takes over. I struggle with it myself. I want peace and when peace is not there I want to run. God calls me to stay, so I must with a great heart attitude. Whether we look at Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah or Abraham, it really doesn't matter for they were all men sent to earth for God's purpose. They would suffer, find themselves challenged and eventually do great things through God. I hate to think what our lives would have been like if they didn't.
I would encourage you to watch the show. They go through the Bible quickly but I think it gives a powerful testimony to the God we serve. My prayer is that many will watch and think about how God loves His people. Please pray that the unsaved would come to the History channel and watch as the living word is revealed.
As for all of us, I think we need to continue to dedicate ourselves to the call and to facing our giants as they come. Every biblical figure faced many mountains, swam many seas, all to come to the foot of the cross. We must be willing to do the same.
Hosea 6:3 NKJV:
Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, I come before You a woman that seeks her Maker. You are a mighty leader, powerful and merciful. You bring Your flock to the cross and there You heal, provide grace, and restore for eternity. You revive us with Your Spirit and give us life beyond the one we have on earth. You seek us and when we accept, You take our hands and walk with us through the challenges we face. We can look upon You as our forefathers did before us because we know that You are trustworthy. We have fickle hearts Lord, so I come before You and ask that You would provide our daily bread. And as You do, we would trust in You as Abraham did. He was just a man and yet, he believed in a God that was mighty and powerful. Thank You for bringing the Bible to life with all the human emotions we face. It gives us a new perspective on Your people and the generations that went before us. Please bring You people to a place where they trust in You and give us the courage to stay the course. We need You Lord every day to keep us on the right path. Forgive us our sins and help us be the women You want us to be. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Yesterday, I went to church and once again heard about Hosea. Isn't it interesting to hear about the prophets, the men of God that walked the earth. They were chosen to bring good will toward men, hard messages of destruction and suffering and to trust that God would deliver. They were just like us but they were chosen to lead nations, conquer enemies and have faith that God would come through.
As I listened, I thought about the hardship Hosea had with his wife. A man that loves a woman can not and will not let her be adulterous and yet, Hosea knew that she would be and took her for his wife anyway. And when she got caught into prostitution, he paid for her and told her that she was his. A courageous story of one man believing and trusting in God in the worst circumstances. It got me thinking about God's grace and how many times I fail Him and He comes to me saying, "You're mine." I definitely don't deserve Him but I'm so glad He is near.
After a wonderful sermon, my family watched the Bible show on the History channel. Although you could tell that some embellishment was happening, for the most part it was exactly like the story. As I watched Abraham come to life with all the human emotions of man, it took me a little bit by surprise. When you read his story all you see is blind faith but when put to pictures you see a man pining for a son. You see him saying trust in the Lord no matter what and you see his own nephew walk away from him. How was he to be the father of all nations? He asks the question and because we know the end, we don't question it. But seeing the man for who he was, you begin to get a true picture of the turmoil raging inside of him. He was just a man and yet through his faithfulness, God rewarded him by being the father of all of us.
During the story of Abraham, you also saw the angels of God fighting in Gomorrah. It gets you thinking about angels walking among us. When was the last time a stranger asked you for a hand? Were you willing to give help, provide money or just listen? I had to think about it myself because the truth is that God's angels are full of power and they were there to destroy what was sinful. And still God had mercy on Abraham's family and brought them out.
Being obedient to God, having faith that He will do great things is hard when our sinful nature takes over. I struggle with it myself. I want peace and when peace is not there I want to run. God calls me to stay, so I must with a great heart attitude. Whether we look at Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah or Abraham, it really doesn't matter for they were all men sent to earth for God's purpose. They would suffer, find themselves challenged and eventually do great things through God. I hate to think what our lives would have been like if they didn't.
I would encourage you to watch the show. They go through the Bible quickly but I think it gives a powerful testimony to the God we serve. My prayer is that many will watch and think about how God loves His people. Please pray that the unsaved would come to the History channel and watch as the living word is revealed.
As for all of us, I think we need to continue to dedicate ourselves to the call and to facing our giants as they come. Every biblical figure faced many mountains, swam many seas, all to come to the foot of the cross. We must be willing to do the same.
Hosea 6:3 NKJV:
Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, I come before You a woman that seeks her Maker. You are a mighty leader, powerful and merciful. You bring Your flock to the cross and there You heal, provide grace, and restore for eternity. You revive us with Your Spirit and give us life beyond the one we have on earth. You seek us and when we accept, You take our hands and walk with us through the challenges we face. We can look upon You as our forefathers did before us because we know that You are trustworthy. We have fickle hearts Lord, so I come before You and ask that You would provide our daily bread. And as You do, we would trust in You as Abraham did. He was just a man and yet, he believed in a God that was mighty and powerful. Thank You for bringing the Bible to life with all the human emotions we face. It gives us a new perspective on Your people and the generations that went before us. Please bring You people to a place where they trust in You and give us the courage to stay the course. We need You Lord every day to keep us on the right path. Forgive us our sins and help us be the women You want us to be. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Friday, March 1, 2013
March 1, 2013
Good morning all-
I hope you're shouting that today is a glorious day. God has been reminding me of how precious every minute is and how we should rejoice in the time he has given us. Today is the beginning of days that will get warmer and snow that will melt. It's a renewal of the earth where animals will begin to frolic and trees will bud. Young flowers have begun to pierce the earth and everything will begin to bloom, soon Spring will be here.
We are walking towards the resurrection of Jesus. The Catholics are in lent and the rest of the world is bowing to the Lord. I, myself, have been facing personal challenges and have realized that I need Jesus more than ever. Over the last week, I have been constantly reminded of the stripes He wore for me. I go to bed thinking about them and I wake up thinking about them.
It's been good for me to meditate on trusting in Him in all circumstances. I have reminded myself at least 20 times that He is there for me and that He knows exactly where my mind is. I have to say there have been times this week I have walked in fear. I'm not proud of it but I did anyway. You know the kind, where your heart beats too fast and it feels like its coming out of your chest and then your mind can't shut down because all you can think about is that fear. Yuk! I hate myself for it but I have to say I kept running back to Jesus and asking Him to help me. I prayed over and over that He would bring peace in me and that I would accept that peace. Guess what? He gave it to me and then of course I would lose it for a moment. You know the cycle. It's really a cycle of fearfulness and no trust. So back again, I would ask Him to bring me peace and He would. Thank You Jesus!
His stripes were for our iniquities, His death was to save us and His life is a living, breathing testimony of love. I may not be able to trust in man but I can surely trust in God. I waver like You but my experiences have been the more I seek Him the greater I find Him.
I'm sorry I haven't written this week but my mind was full of fear and I really didn't want that on this blog. I want to show my fears after God has corrected them and my mind has once again trusted in Him. I'm glad that I can be transparent but I want every one to realize I'm human too. And believe me, if you're walking a path of fear, I get it! But Please go to the Lord and surrender.
Proverbs 3:5 NKJV:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
My prayer today:
I love you, Lord, with all my heart and all my soul. My fears of this life sometimes control what I know to be true. I preach to others Your love and Your Spirit but sometimes I even fall to my humanness. I am sorry for my failings but grateful for You. You have guided me by great storms and taken me by still waters. You have rushed in and saved me, way before I was born. You have known me and made me and now You mold me unto You. I am imperfect but because of You; I have the chance to be a courageous warrior. My goal is to preach the gospel and my mission is to seek You in all things. I have wandered many deserts, climbed many mountains and rested by still waters to find You. I have let You down often but You have always been there to pick me up. I am in Your house, watching You work and I am so glad that You saved me. Continue Your work through my life and help me be the woman You want me to be. There are women all over the world that are suffering. We still have men that beat and torture. We live where children are pursued by the worst addicts and we continue to be in countries where women are not to be seen or heard. You are a God that knows all these things and even in our failings, You love us. I'm asking that many would come to know You through my life and that I would continue to grow and trust in You. I have loved You so long but it is great to know You as my Father and my friend. Help all of us to be glad for the days that we have and to live them with a passion that You did. Thank You for sacrificing Yourself so that I could know the love of my God. For all You are and all You will be, thank You for loving us and giving us You! Om Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
I hope you're shouting that today is a glorious day. God has been reminding me of how precious every minute is and how we should rejoice in the time he has given us. Today is the beginning of days that will get warmer and snow that will melt. It's a renewal of the earth where animals will begin to frolic and trees will bud. Young flowers have begun to pierce the earth and everything will begin to bloom, soon Spring will be here.
We are walking towards the resurrection of Jesus. The Catholics are in lent and the rest of the world is bowing to the Lord. I, myself, have been facing personal challenges and have realized that I need Jesus more than ever. Over the last week, I have been constantly reminded of the stripes He wore for me. I go to bed thinking about them and I wake up thinking about them.
It's been good for me to meditate on trusting in Him in all circumstances. I have reminded myself at least 20 times that He is there for me and that He knows exactly where my mind is. I have to say there have been times this week I have walked in fear. I'm not proud of it but I did anyway. You know the kind, where your heart beats too fast and it feels like its coming out of your chest and then your mind can't shut down because all you can think about is that fear. Yuk! I hate myself for it but I have to say I kept running back to Jesus and asking Him to help me. I prayed over and over that He would bring peace in me and that I would accept that peace. Guess what? He gave it to me and then of course I would lose it for a moment. You know the cycle. It's really a cycle of fearfulness and no trust. So back again, I would ask Him to bring me peace and He would. Thank You Jesus!
His stripes were for our iniquities, His death was to save us and His life is a living, breathing testimony of love. I may not be able to trust in man but I can surely trust in God. I waver like You but my experiences have been the more I seek Him the greater I find Him.
I'm sorry I haven't written this week but my mind was full of fear and I really didn't want that on this blog. I want to show my fears after God has corrected them and my mind has once again trusted in Him. I'm glad that I can be transparent but I want every one to realize I'm human too. And believe me, if you're walking a path of fear, I get it! But Please go to the Lord and surrender.
Proverbs 3:5 NKJV:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.
My prayer today:
I love you, Lord, with all my heart and all my soul. My fears of this life sometimes control what I know to be true. I preach to others Your love and Your Spirit but sometimes I even fall to my humanness. I am sorry for my failings but grateful for You. You have guided me by great storms and taken me by still waters. You have rushed in and saved me, way before I was born. You have known me and made me and now You mold me unto You. I am imperfect but because of You; I have the chance to be a courageous warrior. My goal is to preach the gospel and my mission is to seek You in all things. I have wandered many deserts, climbed many mountains and rested by still waters to find You. I have let You down often but You have always been there to pick me up. I am in Your house, watching You work and I am so glad that You saved me. Continue Your work through my life and help me be the woman You want me to be. There are women all over the world that are suffering. We still have men that beat and torture. We live where children are pursued by the worst addicts and we continue to be in countries where women are not to be seen or heard. You are a God that knows all these things and even in our failings, You love us. I'm asking that many would come to know You through my life and that I would continue to grow and trust in You. I have loved You so long but it is great to know You as my Father and my friend. Help all of us to be glad for the days that we have and to live them with a passion that You did. Thank You for sacrificing Yourself so that I could know the love of my God. For all You are and all You will be, thank You for loving us and giving us You! Om Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Thursday, February 28, 2013
February 28, 2013
Good morning all-
Sorry for the delay in posts. I have been dealing with weather, kids at home, ect. I will be back tomorrow. I hope God has blessed you while I've been gone.
Sorry for the delay in posts. I have been dealing with weather, kids at home, ect. I will be back tomorrow. I hope God has blessed you while I've been gone.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
February 24, 2013
Good morning all-
I talked to one of my oldest and dearest friends this morning. We have known each other since I was an awkward girl with no friends and low self-esteem. You know the girl, the one that sits in the corner wishing someone would say, "Hi." Well lucky for me, he did and it has been an honor to be his friend.
He is a warrior by nature and has traveled the world. He has been a center for me when my world felt like it was collapsing and through the years, I have prayed Psalm 91 for him. He has faced more danger and more enemies than I will ever face and yet, he goes one more time. I will be praying for him and I hope that all of you pray for the soldiers that protect your country. Not only do they serve but they give their lives for us. It is the ultimate sacrifice because they leave loved ones behind, move at a moments notice and are sent to regions far away from home. They live through command and stay under authority without a moments hesitation. They are the heroes that put their lives on the line and we have freedom because of them.
You may wonder how this relates to today's blog. Well, it just so happens that before getting on Facebook, I was in Philippians 2 again and re-read 14-18. It inspired me and then I spoke to my friend and I realized that we are all running a race and Christ is the center. Paul knew it and even spelled it out for us. His race was to pour out his life for Christ. The analogy is beautiful. Think about spilling your blood for your Lord. It makes me think about my life and how I never wanted to put myself in a dangerous position. I love to play it safe and only in the last couple of years have I been bold. Loss will make you bold but there are men and women that risk their lives every day, not for a country but for Christ. In America, we still have freedom to walk the streets and shout, "I love the Lord." "Jesus Christ has risen." In other parts of the world, not so much. They have to hide in corners to read their Bible or be fed Scripture by word not sight. We have it in front of us and if we take 20 minutes a day, we think we've given an immense amount of time.
I am well aware that I don't spend enough time with the Lord. I fail daily in trusting Him in all things and I find myself at least a hundred times a day saying, "I give my worry to you." What do I have to worry about? Everything. Giving it to God is like observing lent. When we give up something, we must replace it with the thoughts of Jesus. And although I didn't give up a drink, the Internet or television, I am learning to die to myself daily and trusting that God is enough.
Paul practiced this and wrote about it. He wasn't a saint, he was a man. He had all the trappings of being human but he had a desire to follow Christ and to praise and worship Him even in prison. He sent others before Him and sent letters to revive the church. He cautioned about the enemy and gained comfort in Christ. His life was not easy, as a matter of fact, it was similar to my friends. He was under authority to a power so much bigger than himself and through that power, he served men, not just then but through time. His words are a wealth of love, devotion and faith and it humbles me to read his words. As I stated yesterday, I have been struggling with serving others and then God leads me here to Paul's inner most thoughts. He would lay down his life for Christ and without a doubt so would I.
My life isn't that difficult. I'm not in prison and I don't have to go to other countries where I'm not welcome. I don't want for a place to lay my head or food to eat. I am blessed but just like you I fight the humanness that lives inside and with it, I am convicted because I don't want to be a complaining servant. In fact, I want to give until my heart is empty for I know that's the gift that was given to me.
May today find you well and may God bless you as you seek Him.
Philippians 2:14-18 NLT:
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice and I will share your joy.
My prayer today:
O, Lord I come before you praying for those that serve their countries and You. Like the commander in an army, You call us to follow You. We must obey without a word and follow You to the ends of this earth. Thank You for giving us Paul's wonderful letters and revealing to us the power behind the cross. You took a murderer and made him Your man. You gave him life to see You, ears to hear You and wisdom that has lasted centuries. You are to be worshipped and praised. Today, as we sit in our homes I pray that we are thinking about all those that have paved the way for our freedom. I pray that we will be dedicated to the troops all over the world and that women throughout the world will be praying for their men. I am asking You to heal nations and bring about a mighty revival in Your name. I know that someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess You are Lord but until that day, make us women that are bold and bright for You. Give us the passion and the dedication to walk with You and to pray for the lost, the lonely and the broken. These are Your chosen and I pray that I would begin to live my life as Paul did. He wrote that he would pour out his life like a liquid offering and I pray that I would be courageous enough to do the same. There are women and men that need You Lord and I hope that they will find You today. Thank You again for saving me and for bringing people in my life that have meant so much. Thank You for taking the time to grow me into the woman I am today and thank You for all my sisters that pray and preach to Your people. I ask today that we would commit ourselves to praying for our soldiers and our missionaries who risk their lives every day for country and You. They understand what it means to pour out their lives for us and Jesus. Please, O, Lord, be with us today as we look for You! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
I talked to one of my oldest and dearest friends this morning. We have known each other since I was an awkward girl with no friends and low self-esteem. You know the girl, the one that sits in the corner wishing someone would say, "Hi." Well lucky for me, he did and it has been an honor to be his friend.
He is a warrior by nature and has traveled the world. He has been a center for me when my world felt like it was collapsing and through the years, I have prayed Psalm 91 for him. He has faced more danger and more enemies than I will ever face and yet, he goes one more time. I will be praying for him and I hope that all of you pray for the soldiers that protect your country. Not only do they serve but they give their lives for us. It is the ultimate sacrifice because they leave loved ones behind, move at a moments notice and are sent to regions far away from home. They live through command and stay under authority without a moments hesitation. They are the heroes that put their lives on the line and we have freedom because of them.
You may wonder how this relates to today's blog. Well, it just so happens that before getting on Facebook, I was in Philippians 2 again and re-read 14-18. It inspired me and then I spoke to my friend and I realized that we are all running a race and Christ is the center. Paul knew it and even spelled it out for us. His race was to pour out his life for Christ. The analogy is beautiful. Think about spilling your blood for your Lord. It makes me think about my life and how I never wanted to put myself in a dangerous position. I love to play it safe and only in the last couple of years have I been bold. Loss will make you bold but there are men and women that risk their lives every day, not for a country but for Christ. In America, we still have freedom to walk the streets and shout, "I love the Lord." "Jesus Christ has risen." In other parts of the world, not so much. They have to hide in corners to read their Bible or be fed Scripture by word not sight. We have it in front of us and if we take 20 minutes a day, we think we've given an immense amount of time.
I am well aware that I don't spend enough time with the Lord. I fail daily in trusting Him in all things and I find myself at least a hundred times a day saying, "I give my worry to you." What do I have to worry about? Everything. Giving it to God is like observing lent. When we give up something, we must replace it with the thoughts of Jesus. And although I didn't give up a drink, the Internet or television, I am learning to die to myself daily and trusting that God is enough.
Paul practiced this and wrote about it. He wasn't a saint, he was a man. He had all the trappings of being human but he had a desire to follow Christ and to praise and worship Him even in prison. He sent others before Him and sent letters to revive the church. He cautioned about the enemy and gained comfort in Christ. His life was not easy, as a matter of fact, it was similar to my friends. He was under authority to a power so much bigger than himself and through that power, he served men, not just then but through time. His words are a wealth of love, devotion and faith and it humbles me to read his words. As I stated yesterday, I have been struggling with serving others and then God leads me here to Paul's inner most thoughts. He would lay down his life for Christ and without a doubt so would I.
My life isn't that difficult. I'm not in prison and I don't have to go to other countries where I'm not welcome. I don't want for a place to lay my head or food to eat. I am blessed but just like you I fight the humanness that lives inside and with it, I am convicted because I don't want to be a complaining servant. In fact, I want to give until my heart is empty for I know that's the gift that was given to me.
May today find you well and may God bless you as you seek Him.
Philippians 2:14-18 NLT:
Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice and I will share your joy.
My prayer today:
O, Lord I come before you praying for those that serve their countries and You. Like the commander in an army, You call us to follow You. We must obey without a word and follow You to the ends of this earth. Thank You for giving us Paul's wonderful letters and revealing to us the power behind the cross. You took a murderer and made him Your man. You gave him life to see You, ears to hear You and wisdom that has lasted centuries. You are to be worshipped and praised. Today, as we sit in our homes I pray that we are thinking about all those that have paved the way for our freedom. I pray that we will be dedicated to the troops all over the world and that women throughout the world will be praying for their men. I am asking You to heal nations and bring about a mighty revival in Your name. I know that someday every knee will bow and every tongue will confess You are Lord but until that day, make us women that are bold and bright for You. Give us the passion and the dedication to walk with You and to pray for the lost, the lonely and the broken. These are Your chosen and I pray that I would begin to live my life as Paul did. He wrote that he would pour out his life like a liquid offering and I pray that I would be courageous enough to do the same. There are women and men that need You Lord and I hope that they will find You today. Thank You again for saving me and for bringing people in my life that have meant so much. Thank You for taking the time to grow me into the woman I am today and thank You for all my sisters that pray and preach to Your people. I ask today that we would commit ourselves to praying for our soldiers and our missionaries who risk their lives every day for country and You. They understand what it means to pour out their lives for us and Jesus. Please, O, Lord, be with us today as we look for You! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Saturday, February 23, 2013
February 23, 2013
Good morning all-
Well, in the last couple days Kansas has received a record snowfall and we may just be out of our drought. AMEN! There is a lot to be grateful for in this life and although snow makes the roads a mess, I love the beauty and majesty of it. It reminds me who is in control and why we serve Him.
Snow is a symbol of purity. It is a cleansing of the earth. Lately, I feel like I need a cleansing of the heart, soul and mind. I walk a good walk but my heart just hasn't been in it. I have had many things on my mind, like changing jobs, insurance, the boys and my marriage. All of these accumulate to me trying to control every aspect and not really doing a great job of any of them.
Yesterday, once again I was reminded of my humanness and my need to give it all to Christ. Usually, I am a good servant but through the snow storm I found myself wanting to be rebellious. My husband and children love me to serve and most of the time I do it willingly but lately, I have wanted someone to serve me. I would love if my load was a little lighter. Anyone that is taking care of someone knows exactly what I'm saying. It's not that you don't want to do things for others, you just wish someone would do something for you. I realize that and have even repented of this selfishness. I knew last night that this rebelliousness inside was going to roll up to one big tantrum and that's not what I want. I want to be a woman that serves as Jesus did. I want to give my life for others and know that through my love and sacrifice, Christ will be shown.
As I was reflecting on yesterday, I decided to get into my Bible this morning and really delve into Christ. What does it mean to follow Him? Paul understood. His life was not easy and yet, he found joy in Christ. His whole goal was to serve the Lord in any capacity he could, which is demonstrated in the letters to the church. So, I got into Philippians Chapter 2 and really started to pick it apart. I have written some of the Scripture in posts lately but putting it all together really made me think about Christ and His servanthood. I know He serves me and served me on the cross. I get it in my mind but when I have to do it, that's a whole different story. I realized this morning that I'm not the selfless person I believed myself to be and it was all spelled out for me in one chapter.
I want to serve the Lord with all my heart and become His woman. I desire to be in His presence and to know what His will is for my life. I can't imagine a day without Him and I want my faith to be like David's, so that when my Goliath comes, I'm ready. In some ways, I have been facing those giants and doing a poor job of beating them. Why do I always question, when I know the answer? I'm not sure, I guess I'm truly human and make truly human mistakes but I need to correct them and stop before my rebellious nature takes away from the Lord's great plan.
Maybe you are dealing with other issues in your life. There are so many. This just happens to be my challenge today. As I take note, I realize that all of my needs are unimportant and my growth in Jesus takes the lead. I may not know much but I know that Jesus came and sacrificed His life for me. He put Himself on a cross and died a horrid death so that I would come to know Him. He gave up His right for an easy life and took one of suffering and strife so that we could identify with Him and make Him known. It's all He asks. To spread the word and to bring His news to the world. And to remember that this life wasn't meant to bring us everything we want, for it's His life that paid our ransom. Therefore, we owe Him the honor of serving those He has placed in our lives and to find faith in Him. I am grateful for the ability to read His word and to be convicted for my failings. My greatest desire is to know Him better and to become more like Him in mind, body and spirit. So for today, I found Him once again through Paul's letter to the church. He has reminded me that every challenge and ever circumstance is a learning lesson for me. I give Him all the glory today and pray that you will too.
I love you my sisters and I count you as treasures in my life. I hope that God will reveal to you something that changes your life today and that as you seek Him, you will find Him.
Philippians Chapter 2 NLT:
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
Don't be selfish, don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interest, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, forgive me for my rebellion and selfishness. Hold me accountable all my days and help me to be Your servant. I have forgotten myself and have put my wants above Your wants. I am humbled by Your love and Your sacrifice for my life and for those that have gone before me. I ask that You take the words from this letter and penetrate the hearts of Your daughters. Please don't let Paul's words go unnoticed in our lives. He understood the power behind the cross and was not afraid to state it. He faced great challenges with dignity and honor and I pray that we can all do the same. During his time, he persecuted your people and yet, you saw fit to make him our guide. What a marvelous God you are! I am so thankful that You took me into Philippians this morning and that You enlightened me on my faults. I have been wrong and I know it. I pray that Your forgiveness will challenge me and help me forgive those that I'm resentful of. I just pray that people would see Your great mercy and love and that together we would spread the Good News! I am forever in Your debt and come before You asking that You lift me up and help me be Your woman. Help the ladies in all nations come before You. We may not speak the same language but You hear all our prayers. Let us unite for one goal and that goal is to speak of our wonderful Maker. May we be blessed as we bless others. Come before us Lord and make us new! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Well, in the last couple days Kansas has received a record snowfall and we may just be out of our drought. AMEN! There is a lot to be grateful for in this life and although snow makes the roads a mess, I love the beauty and majesty of it. It reminds me who is in control and why we serve Him.
Snow is a symbol of purity. It is a cleansing of the earth. Lately, I feel like I need a cleansing of the heart, soul and mind. I walk a good walk but my heart just hasn't been in it. I have had many things on my mind, like changing jobs, insurance, the boys and my marriage. All of these accumulate to me trying to control every aspect and not really doing a great job of any of them.
Yesterday, once again I was reminded of my humanness and my need to give it all to Christ. Usually, I am a good servant but through the snow storm I found myself wanting to be rebellious. My husband and children love me to serve and most of the time I do it willingly but lately, I have wanted someone to serve me. I would love if my load was a little lighter. Anyone that is taking care of someone knows exactly what I'm saying. It's not that you don't want to do things for others, you just wish someone would do something for you. I realize that and have even repented of this selfishness. I knew last night that this rebelliousness inside was going to roll up to one big tantrum and that's not what I want. I want to be a woman that serves as Jesus did. I want to give my life for others and know that through my love and sacrifice, Christ will be shown.
As I was reflecting on yesterday, I decided to get into my Bible this morning and really delve into Christ. What does it mean to follow Him? Paul understood. His life was not easy and yet, he found joy in Christ. His whole goal was to serve the Lord in any capacity he could, which is demonstrated in the letters to the church. So, I got into Philippians Chapter 2 and really started to pick it apart. I have written some of the Scripture in posts lately but putting it all together really made me think about Christ and His servanthood. I know He serves me and served me on the cross. I get it in my mind but when I have to do it, that's a whole different story. I realized this morning that I'm not the selfless person I believed myself to be and it was all spelled out for me in one chapter.
I want to serve the Lord with all my heart and become His woman. I desire to be in His presence and to know what His will is for my life. I can't imagine a day without Him and I want my faith to be like David's, so that when my Goliath comes, I'm ready. In some ways, I have been facing those giants and doing a poor job of beating them. Why do I always question, when I know the answer? I'm not sure, I guess I'm truly human and make truly human mistakes but I need to correct them and stop before my rebellious nature takes away from the Lord's great plan.
Maybe you are dealing with other issues in your life. There are so many. This just happens to be my challenge today. As I take note, I realize that all of my needs are unimportant and my growth in Jesus takes the lead. I may not know much but I know that Jesus came and sacrificed His life for me. He put Himself on a cross and died a horrid death so that I would come to know Him. He gave up His right for an easy life and took one of suffering and strife so that we could identify with Him and make Him known. It's all He asks. To spread the word and to bring His news to the world. And to remember that this life wasn't meant to bring us everything we want, for it's His life that paid our ransom. Therefore, we owe Him the honor of serving those He has placed in our lives and to find faith in Him. I am grateful for the ability to read His word and to be convicted for my failings. My greatest desire is to know Him better and to become more like Him in mind, body and spirit. So for today, I found Him once again through Paul's letter to the church. He has reminded me that every challenge and ever circumstance is a learning lesson for me. I give Him all the glory today and pray that you will too.
I love you my sisters and I count you as treasures in my life. I hope that God will reveal to you something that changes your life today and that as you seek Him, you will find Him.
Philippians Chapter 2 NLT:
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
Don't be selfish, don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interest, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, forgive me for my rebellion and selfishness. Hold me accountable all my days and help me to be Your servant. I have forgotten myself and have put my wants above Your wants. I am humbled by Your love and Your sacrifice for my life and for those that have gone before me. I ask that You take the words from this letter and penetrate the hearts of Your daughters. Please don't let Paul's words go unnoticed in our lives. He understood the power behind the cross and was not afraid to state it. He faced great challenges with dignity and honor and I pray that we can all do the same. During his time, he persecuted your people and yet, you saw fit to make him our guide. What a marvelous God you are! I am so thankful that You took me into Philippians this morning and that You enlightened me on my faults. I have been wrong and I know it. I pray that Your forgiveness will challenge me and help me forgive those that I'm resentful of. I just pray that people would see Your great mercy and love and that together we would spread the Good News! I am forever in Your debt and come before You asking that You lift me up and help me be Your woman. Help the ladies in all nations come before You. We may not speak the same language but You hear all our prayers. Let us unite for one goal and that goal is to speak of our wonderful Maker. May we be blessed as we bless others. Come before us Lord and make us new! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
February 20, 2013
Good morning all-
Last night, I watched my son's last game for the season. It was pitiful at best. What started out a season of hope ended with zero wins. My son was so excited for the season to begin and then little by little our coach lost hope and so did the team. The end result was a team that walked out at half-time defeated and prepared to lose.
I think the hardest part is watching my son give up on a game he loves so much. Little by little, I have watched him and I knew the end result before it happened. He had lost hope, not totally in himself but in the coach and for some part, in his team. Beginning was exciting, but the more they lost, the more they began to play like they couldn't win. I only tell you this because it got me thinking about our walk with Jesus. When we first come to Christ we are so excited. Jesus saved us! We want to shout it to the roof tops and then as time goes by and as issues creep in our excitement wavers and often, we give up.
Many have begun with passion only to run out of steam. The losses are too large and so they think, "God doesn't love me." I've heard it and so have you. I know I've thought it a couple of times but I have always recovered because in the end my love for him won out. I hope my son has that kind of tenacity for God and for basketball. I hope that one or two seasons of fighting won't demolish the passion I saw in him. I hope that like me, failure will begin to grow him and help him be God's man.
I love to watch him play basketball but I have to admit it's stressful. I want to control the game, how much he plays and build that team to greatness. The problem is, I'm not in control. Just like my walk with Jesus, it's just Him and me. I would also like to see hundreds maybe thousands come to Him with a passion beyond understanding but that's not in my control either. Only God has control over who will come and of course, we must accept His gracious hand.
Free choice allows us to choose because God loves us so much that He wanted a relationship not a dictatorship. He is a God that will let us fall but He will pick us back up. My hope this morning is that my son will find Him through adversity. My oldest has and I am so grateful. The prayers I have prayed for Austin have been continuous and I am beginning to see the fruits of those prayers. Hunter is younger and with time my prayer is that He will continue to seek God, not just when he's on top but when he's struggling to find purpose in the moment.
I think I had expectations of this year too and looking back, they were wrong. I found myself dreaming of a college scholarship and watching my son play for 4 more years after High School. Yesterday, I gave up that dream and asked God to take my son on whatever journey He had in store for His life. More than anything, I want both my sons to have a passion for Jesus Christ that propels them in to men winning lives for a just cause. Beyond college and having successful lives, a life without Jesus is nothing but a life with Him is totally worth it.
Trust is a belief in things unseen. Once I was told that I wouldn't go to college and that I didn't have the skills to write or do arithmetic. I think they gave me up for lost but I found a belief in myself and a belief in Jesus Christ that has continued to this day. I don't let too much get in my way and I hang onto Jesus whenever the dark overwhelms me. I have failed more often than I would like to count. Teachers gave up on me but I never did. In college, I won a writing award and I remembered what my High School teacher had said and laughed. I don't think that award would have meant as much if I hadn't persevered and asked Jesus to help me. Even today, I look for Jesus to help me with every thought that goes on paper and I know that it's by Him I have this opportunity.
My goal for all of us is to remember the day we were saved. To cherish it in our hearts, deep, where no one can touch it. We will have adversity but it's what we do with it that counts. I have no idea where my sons' will end up but I do know that Jesus is with them and He will continue to pursue them and help them grow into men He can count on. My heart banks on that and so my prayer is that each one of you will run the race, not for 5 miles but for life. The road sometimes gets curvy and really long but we must sit still and put our faith not in ourselves, but in Jesus.
I hope today finds you well and if you're feeling defeated I hope you put your trust back into our Savior. You were saved for a purpose. You may not know what that looks like but you are part of His tapestry and as your thread is weaved, He will do great things! May God bless you and keep you today.
Philippians 2:16 NKJV:
holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Romans 8:25 NKJV:
But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Mark 9:23 NKJV:
Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Mark 10:27 NKJV:
But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."
My prayer today:
O, Lord, I come before You and ask that You would renew our passion, not just for a moment, but for a lifetime. Last night, I took a good hard look at what has driven me to trust and believe that You are God and it was adversity. Whenever I struggled, I had to cry out to You and ask You to direct me, teach me and guide me. Through many years of prayer, I have built a belief in You. I have come to realize that I don't have the power to steer my course but I am a willing participant, waiting and watching for the opportunities You set in front of me. Once lost, wandering with no direction, a man came to me and asked me to come to a meeting, that fateful evening put me into Your hands. It was by design that You steered my ship and I was in Your presence. To this day, I treasure that night and can't wait until I see someone else light up the way I did. I was on a path of complete destruction but just in time, You came to me and loved me. Your love continues to propel me today and even though I am a sinner, I confess those sins and give You my heart. I don't know everything and I rarely know what is going to happen tomorrow. All I need to know is that whether it's my life or someone else's, You will steer their ship and the end result will be for Your glory. I am honored to serve in Your great army and I'm thankful for the times I have stepped out on faith and trusted in You when everyone else had given up on me. My life is a walking testimony to a God that never gives up. Help all of us to have the perseverance that Adam, Abraham, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Paul had. It was given to them, through You. So today we ask with all our hearts and believe with faith that You can move mountains and we treasure You for it! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Last night, I watched my son's last game for the season. It was pitiful at best. What started out a season of hope ended with zero wins. My son was so excited for the season to begin and then little by little our coach lost hope and so did the team. The end result was a team that walked out at half-time defeated and prepared to lose.
I think the hardest part is watching my son give up on a game he loves so much. Little by little, I have watched him and I knew the end result before it happened. He had lost hope, not totally in himself but in the coach and for some part, in his team. Beginning was exciting, but the more they lost, the more they began to play like they couldn't win. I only tell you this because it got me thinking about our walk with Jesus. When we first come to Christ we are so excited. Jesus saved us! We want to shout it to the roof tops and then as time goes by and as issues creep in our excitement wavers and often, we give up.
Many have begun with passion only to run out of steam. The losses are too large and so they think, "God doesn't love me." I've heard it and so have you. I know I've thought it a couple of times but I have always recovered because in the end my love for him won out. I hope my son has that kind of tenacity for God and for basketball. I hope that one or two seasons of fighting won't demolish the passion I saw in him. I hope that like me, failure will begin to grow him and help him be God's man.
I love to watch him play basketball but I have to admit it's stressful. I want to control the game, how much he plays and build that team to greatness. The problem is, I'm not in control. Just like my walk with Jesus, it's just Him and me. I would also like to see hundreds maybe thousands come to Him with a passion beyond understanding but that's not in my control either. Only God has control over who will come and of course, we must accept His gracious hand.
Free choice allows us to choose because God loves us so much that He wanted a relationship not a dictatorship. He is a God that will let us fall but He will pick us back up. My hope this morning is that my son will find Him through adversity. My oldest has and I am so grateful. The prayers I have prayed for Austin have been continuous and I am beginning to see the fruits of those prayers. Hunter is younger and with time my prayer is that He will continue to seek God, not just when he's on top but when he's struggling to find purpose in the moment.
I think I had expectations of this year too and looking back, they were wrong. I found myself dreaming of a college scholarship and watching my son play for 4 more years after High School. Yesterday, I gave up that dream and asked God to take my son on whatever journey He had in store for His life. More than anything, I want both my sons to have a passion for Jesus Christ that propels them in to men winning lives for a just cause. Beyond college and having successful lives, a life without Jesus is nothing but a life with Him is totally worth it.
Trust is a belief in things unseen. Once I was told that I wouldn't go to college and that I didn't have the skills to write or do arithmetic. I think they gave me up for lost but I found a belief in myself and a belief in Jesus Christ that has continued to this day. I don't let too much get in my way and I hang onto Jesus whenever the dark overwhelms me. I have failed more often than I would like to count. Teachers gave up on me but I never did. In college, I won a writing award and I remembered what my High School teacher had said and laughed. I don't think that award would have meant as much if I hadn't persevered and asked Jesus to help me. Even today, I look for Jesus to help me with every thought that goes on paper and I know that it's by Him I have this opportunity.
My goal for all of us is to remember the day we were saved. To cherish it in our hearts, deep, where no one can touch it. We will have adversity but it's what we do with it that counts. I have no idea where my sons' will end up but I do know that Jesus is with them and He will continue to pursue them and help them grow into men He can count on. My heart banks on that and so my prayer is that each one of you will run the race, not for 5 miles but for life. The road sometimes gets curvy and really long but we must sit still and put our faith not in ourselves, but in Jesus.
I hope today finds you well and if you're feeling defeated I hope you put your trust back into our Savior. You were saved for a purpose. You may not know what that looks like but you are part of His tapestry and as your thread is weaved, He will do great things! May God bless you and keep you today.
Philippians 2:16 NKJV:
holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
Romans 8:25 NKJV:
But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
Mark 9:23 NKJV:
Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
Mark 10:27 NKJV:
But Jesus looked at them and said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."
My prayer today:
O, Lord, I come before You and ask that You would renew our passion, not just for a moment, but for a lifetime. Last night, I took a good hard look at what has driven me to trust and believe that You are God and it was adversity. Whenever I struggled, I had to cry out to You and ask You to direct me, teach me and guide me. Through many years of prayer, I have built a belief in You. I have come to realize that I don't have the power to steer my course but I am a willing participant, waiting and watching for the opportunities You set in front of me. Once lost, wandering with no direction, a man came to me and asked me to come to a meeting, that fateful evening put me into Your hands. It was by design that You steered my ship and I was in Your presence. To this day, I treasure that night and can't wait until I see someone else light up the way I did. I was on a path of complete destruction but just in time, You came to me and loved me. Your love continues to propel me today and even though I am a sinner, I confess those sins and give You my heart. I don't know everything and I rarely know what is going to happen tomorrow. All I need to know is that whether it's my life or someone else's, You will steer their ship and the end result will be for Your glory. I am honored to serve in Your great army and I'm thankful for the times I have stepped out on faith and trusted in You when everyone else had given up on me. My life is a walking testimony to a God that never gives up. Help all of us to have the perseverance that Adam, Abraham, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Paul had. It was given to them, through You. So today we ask with all our hearts and believe with faith that You can move mountains and we treasure You for it! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
February 19, 2013
Good morning all-
This morning I woke up and thought about the first missionaries. Missions has always fascinated me but I have never been a wanderer. I like roots and I like to know where I'm going to sleep. A few years back I began to think about the gospels and the apostles and how they began the road to me hearing the gospel. Have you thought about it? Where did Jesus walk the streets? It wasn't in Germany or the United States. As times have changed the word has spread across the earth but it was the few men Jesus chose that began a process that still remains today.
There are missionaries in parts of this world few would want to live. They live in small villages in Africa and within the boundaries of China. They go where most would not want to be all for the call they heard in their Spirit. They take their families to far away places and are required to learn a new language and love a people they may not even understand. They have been called to spread the gospel far and wide and their work will be known years to come.
The stories that came from men walking with Jesus are with us today. They are written in the gospels and they tell of men that picked up their lives to follow a man. In their Spirits, God called them to walk with His Son and today we have their words to comfort us and inspire us. Their travels were hard and they walked many miles. They left families, possessions and jobs to follow Christ. They ate with the Gentiles and lived with a people they didn't understand. They were called to stand in the gap and their work, along with their words remind us that we are called to spread the word too.
Because I am not a great adventurer, I admired what I read. I took the Gospels one by one, chapter by chapter and realized these men left everything to follow a man. How many of us would do the same? I have questioned myself often and have come to the conclusion that often I am weak but the last year has shown me that the power of the cross is alive and now that we have mass transit, the Internet and Social Media we can spread the word from our living rooms. Interesting?
My call is sitting by this computer and confessing my great love for Jesus Christ. Every day I get on to see what Country has hit this page and I am always amazed. God has brought Russians, Lithuanians, Germans, Swedes and more to this site. I get up and I write and often people find it from opposite ends of the world and once again, I am in awe of my Creator for He continues to do His work through average people like me. Amazing!
I honor those that have gone before me and spread the gospel. They faced much more ridicule and personal danger than I do right now. I live in a free country where I can say and write about a God I love, not everyone has that luxury. There are some that are hidden and can only follow Christ in secret. They are the ones I admire the most. They do the work with bravery and confidence in Christ all I do is believe that Christ will do a great work in me and for others as I write. I'm safe but their not so today, I pray for them and ask you to do the same. These are the people that might share the gospel with a family member, a child or a neighbor. They are the ones taking the chance at losing their lives for the God they love. I continue to pray that I would be so bold and I hope you are too.
As always, you are written on my heart. I can not see you or touch you but I feel your presence as I write and I know that God has a hold on you. May today show you His immense majesty and remind us all that one man has saved many! Thank you to all the men and women who have taken the cross and forged new beginnings in places most of us will never see. Your work is important and your path is clear for Jesus chose you to do a great work.
John 14:6 NKJV:
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Matthew 10:38 NKJV:
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Mark 1:18 NKJV:
They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, the workers are few. You have given us a call that many put aside. Some though, come to You and ask You where they should go and You direct their paths. They leave countries to travel and to spread Your word. They are put in situations that are harsh and that are not full of the community they have in their own countries. You know their needs Lord and I pray that You would write them on our hearts. You are Majestic, Holy and Magnificent. They honor You by following blindly to places all over the globe. For each man, woman and child that is sacrificing their homelands I ask that You would bless them and bring many to them. You are mighty in all things! I dedicate myself to You and ask that as You come to me, my fingers would tell the great story of one man that chose some to walk with Him and their journey has spread throughout this world. May You come before us Lord and lead us to Your word and to the great commission we have been called too. You are the reason for our lives and for our grace. Come before us now Lord and show us our paths, for You are the Lord of light that guides and loves us. Forgive us of our sins and right our paths as we look for You today! In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Monday, February 18, 2013
February 18, 2013
Good morning all-
Well I woke up to birds singing, a beautiful clear sky and the sense that Spring will soon be here. I hope it brings rain because without it the plains will not be pleasant this season. Have you ever noticed how Spring gives you a renewed energy? Even the birds and animals feel it? They begin to migrate back to where they came from and the mating season begins. It's like every year we get a rejuvenation and it's the Lord telling us good things are upon us. With Spring also comes some of the most majestic scenes, like beautiful flowers, great sunsets, and life scurrying all around us. It really is one of my favorite seasons.
Like all things, seasons come and go. One comes on in a vengeance and another is soon to follow. With Spring also comes tornados, which to this day still scare me. I'm really a New Yorker at heart. I grew up where snow covered the earth, lakes were huge and the only worry was could the snow plow get through. Then my dad moved us here and I have to run to the basement every time I here severe weather. It won't last long and at least my family will get a good laugh.
I've also noticed that time has a way of showing up and leaving. One minute it's dark in the morning and night and the next, you are waking up to beautiful sunshine and the days are longer. I love longer days. They take the darkness away and you once again see people peaking out of their homes. It's so much fun to see the neighbors that you haven't seen in three months.
And like every season, you try to find ways to bring passion into the call. I promised myself I would try to do a mini Bible study on Sunday. I started with a Scripture and last night was to be Hunter's first crack. Well it wasn't a great success because my husband started talking about ancient aliens and the whole thing fell apart. I learned that we might have to tweak my little idea but it brings newness to a meal and to my heart. I'm trying to rekindle the passion I have for the Lord in my children. Hopefully, next week will go smoother. Hunter did pick a Scripture, he chose John 3:16 so we read it and then the chaos began. My son's girlfriend helped out by saying if there were aliens wouldn't God still be sovereign and of course the answer is yes. People may distract us but at the end of the day we are to hold onto the truth. God is who He says He is, yesterday, today and tomorrow. He came to save us from ourselves and if we teach the future generations anything it should be that. Our iniquities were given and taken on that cross. An innocent man died so that we could have eternal life. If anything should renew our passion that should.
I leave you with one thought today. What are you doing to renew your passion? When you think about the fact that God so loved the world he begot His only son, does that matter? I think it's definitely something we should cherish.
John 3:16 NKJV:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Until tomorrow...
Well I woke up to birds singing, a beautiful clear sky and the sense that Spring will soon be here. I hope it brings rain because without it the plains will not be pleasant this season. Have you ever noticed how Spring gives you a renewed energy? Even the birds and animals feel it? They begin to migrate back to where they came from and the mating season begins. It's like every year we get a rejuvenation and it's the Lord telling us good things are upon us. With Spring also comes some of the most majestic scenes, like beautiful flowers, great sunsets, and life scurrying all around us. It really is one of my favorite seasons.
Like all things, seasons come and go. One comes on in a vengeance and another is soon to follow. With Spring also comes tornados, which to this day still scare me. I'm really a New Yorker at heart. I grew up where snow covered the earth, lakes were huge and the only worry was could the snow plow get through. Then my dad moved us here and I have to run to the basement every time I here severe weather. It won't last long and at least my family will get a good laugh.
I've also noticed that time has a way of showing up and leaving. One minute it's dark in the morning and night and the next, you are waking up to beautiful sunshine and the days are longer. I love longer days. They take the darkness away and you once again see people peaking out of their homes. It's so much fun to see the neighbors that you haven't seen in three months.
And like every season, you try to find ways to bring passion into the call. I promised myself I would try to do a mini Bible study on Sunday. I started with a Scripture and last night was to be Hunter's first crack. Well it wasn't a great success because my husband started talking about ancient aliens and the whole thing fell apart. I learned that we might have to tweak my little idea but it brings newness to a meal and to my heart. I'm trying to rekindle the passion I have for the Lord in my children. Hopefully, next week will go smoother. Hunter did pick a Scripture, he chose John 3:16 so we read it and then the chaos began. My son's girlfriend helped out by saying if there were aliens wouldn't God still be sovereign and of course the answer is yes. People may distract us but at the end of the day we are to hold onto the truth. God is who He says He is, yesterday, today and tomorrow. He came to save us from ourselves and if we teach the future generations anything it should be that. Our iniquities were given and taken on that cross. An innocent man died so that we could have eternal life. If anything should renew our passion that should.
I leave you with one thought today. What are you doing to renew your passion? When you think about the fact that God so loved the world he begot His only son, does that matter? I think it's definitely something we should cherish.
John 3:16 NKJV:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Until tomorrow...
Sunday, February 17, 2013
February 17, 2013
Good morning all-
Well, it's once again Sunday. The time goes by so fast any more I don't know if I'm coming or going. My son's basketball season will end this week and my other son is almost through with his last full semester. Where does time go anyway? I've been thinking about time a lot lately with all the days flowing into one. It seems like ever since I got sick my energy level just isn't the same and yet, I wonder if it's my passion that is lacking.
This morning I got up and didn't even have the energy or drive to church. My son had a friend over and my husband rarely goes. I, on the other hand love to go to church and yet, here I am at home wondering what I missed. Isn't that just like us, passionate one minute and lethargic the next. I wonder how God puts up with us. I'm not sure I would have the patience. So, I'm really glad He does.
When is a good time to be passionate about God? Have you ever asked yourself that question? What makes you passionate, is it the weather, love, money, or fame? It's a fair question and one I had to ask myself this morning. I think when I am most passionate about God, He has taken me through a challenge and I have come out of it a better person. It seems like I can continue that passion for a long time and then there is a sense of lull. I'm definitely not in lull right now but my energy is low, hopefully the season will change and that energy will come back in a flourish. I've been down that path before so I'm no stranger to what I'm feeling. As time ticks by, I miss those that have gone before me and I need a sense of who God really is.
So as I was thinking about it today, I realized that escaping in a book or watching television wasn't going to fix my heart issue. Only going to the one that made me and molded me would. So I picked up my phone and re-read John 15:15 and saw God. He isn't just a Father; He is my friend. How often I forget to cherish that aspect of my relationship. I adore God and love Him with all my heart but I forget that when I'm not exactly passionate about everything and everyone, He's right next to me, listening, watching and encouraging me. Isn't that what a friend does? A friend is not harsh but loves with a quietness that few do. A friend sees your stress and says, "I am here." That's what God does and that's why I should be passionate every day and pursue my friend and awe my Father.
What a wonderful friend I have in Jesus! The older you get the more you realize you need a friend like Jesus. In our pain and in our silence, He is always near, watching over His flock and saying, "I'm here." If we seek Him we will find Him and if we call, He does hear. Just remember that when you ask for something be ready because it's for His glory, not Yours and sometimes the stretching is far greater than we realize.
Today, I come before you and ask that you would dedicate yourself to finding Christ, not just in the bad times but in the good times too. It's easy to take His friendship for granted but we must watch ourselves and put as much effort into knowing Him as He has in knowing us.
I hope today brings you many blessings and that your friendship with Jesus is renewed. For once again, I call out to my Friend and thanked Him for saving me! Blessed are those that are redeemed by His blood!
Revelation 3:20-21 NKJV:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him that overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
James 2:23 NKJV:
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God.
Luke 7:34 NKJV:
The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'
HOW GRACIOUS IS OUR KING! What a friend we have in Jesus! Let's not forget to be one back.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, thank You for being my friend. I often don't deserve You and wonder how You put up with me in all my iniquity. Renew my heart, O, Lord with a passion to pursue the things of You. Help me to die to myself and replace it with You. You have been a faithful Friend and a wonderful Father. You have watched over me all my days and when life gets tough, You love me more. My mom used to send us on our way with, "I love you more." Today, those words are for You. Without You in my life, I would be lonely and lost but with You, I am filled with gladness and grace. Thank You for pursuing me and for finding me in my loneliest hours. I am calling out to You to be the Friends of the lonely and lost. Come before them the way You have come before me and renew in all of us a sense of wonder and purpose to pursue our Friend. You have been my closest friend, my most trusted advisor and my greatest confidant. You are all we need to get through today and the days ahead. Be with all of us Lord as we strive to find You in our lives and in our hearts. Bring passion among Your people and we pray that someday we will be as faithful of a friend as You have been to us. Your life shows Your love and we need to bow before You, knowing that You are Lord but also treasuring Your mighty friendship. Thank You for revealing Your Father to us, for giving of Your life and for never leaving us even when we deserve it. You are the power behind the cross and I am forever Your mighty servant and friend. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow....
Well, it's once again Sunday. The time goes by so fast any more I don't know if I'm coming or going. My son's basketball season will end this week and my other son is almost through with his last full semester. Where does time go anyway? I've been thinking about time a lot lately with all the days flowing into one. It seems like ever since I got sick my energy level just isn't the same and yet, I wonder if it's my passion that is lacking.
This morning I got up and didn't even have the energy or drive to church. My son had a friend over and my husband rarely goes. I, on the other hand love to go to church and yet, here I am at home wondering what I missed. Isn't that just like us, passionate one minute and lethargic the next. I wonder how God puts up with us. I'm not sure I would have the patience. So, I'm really glad He does.
When is a good time to be passionate about God? Have you ever asked yourself that question? What makes you passionate, is it the weather, love, money, or fame? It's a fair question and one I had to ask myself this morning. I think when I am most passionate about God, He has taken me through a challenge and I have come out of it a better person. It seems like I can continue that passion for a long time and then there is a sense of lull. I'm definitely not in lull right now but my energy is low, hopefully the season will change and that energy will come back in a flourish. I've been down that path before so I'm no stranger to what I'm feeling. As time ticks by, I miss those that have gone before me and I need a sense of who God really is.
So as I was thinking about it today, I realized that escaping in a book or watching television wasn't going to fix my heart issue. Only going to the one that made me and molded me would. So I picked up my phone and re-read John 15:15 and saw God. He isn't just a Father; He is my friend. How often I forget to cherish that aspect of my relationship. I adore God and love Him with all my heart but I forget that when I'm not exactly passionate about everything and everyone, He's right next to me, listening, watching and encouraging me. Isn't that what a friend does? A friend is not harsh but loves with a quietness that few do. A friend sees your stress and says, "I am here." That's what God does and that's why I should be passionate every day and pursue my friend and awe my Father.
What a wonderful friend I have in Jesus! The older you get the more you realize you need a friend like Jesus. In our pain and in our silence, He is always near, watching over His flock and saying, "I'm here." If we seek Him we will find Him and if we call, He does hear. Just remember that when you ask for something be ready because it's for His glory, not Yours and sometimes the stretching is far greater than we realize.
Today, I come before you and ask that you would dedicate yourself to finding Christ, not just in the bad times but in the good times too. It's easy to take His friendship for granted but we must watch ourselves and put as much effort into knowing Him as He has in knowing us.
I hope today brings you many blessings and that your friendship with Jesus is renewed. For once again, I call out to my Friend and thanked Him for saving me! Blessed are those that are redeemed by His blood!
Revelation 3:20-21 NKJV:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him that overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
James 2:23 NKJV:
And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God.
Luke 7:34 NKJV:
The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'
HOW GRACIOUS IS OUR KING! What a friend we have in Jesus! Let's not forget to be one back.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, thank You for being my friend. I often don't deserve You and wonder how You put up with me in all my iniquity. Renew my heart, O, Lord with a passion to pursue the things of You. Help me to die to myself and replace it with You. You have been a faithful Friend and a wonderful Father. You have watched over me all my days and when life gets tough, You love me more. My mom used to send us on our way with, "I love you more." Today, those words are for You. Without You in my life, I would be lonely and lost but with You, I am filled with gladness and grace. Thank You for pursuing me and for finding me in my loneliest hours. I am calling out to You to be the Friends of the lonely and lost. Come before them the way You have come before me and renew in all of us a sense of wonder and purpose to pursue our Friend. You have been my closest friend, my most trusted advisor and my greatest confidant. You are all we need to get through today and the days ahead. Be with all of us Lord as we strive to find You in our lives and in our hearts. Bring passion among Your people and we pray that someday we will be as faithful of a friend as You have been to us. Your life shows Your love and we need to bow before You, knowing that You are Lord but also treasuring Your mighty friendship. Thank You for revealing Your Father to us, for giving of Your life and for never leaving us even when we deserve it. You are the power behind the cross and I am forever Your mighty servant and friend. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow....
Friday, February 15, 2013
February 15, 2013
Good morning all-
Well I finally slept through the night and got the best rest I've had in awhile. I couldn't believe it when I woke up and my clock was going off. And when I woke, I remembered all my dreams from angry old employers to a dear friend that passed away last year. She was way too young.
I hadn't seen Katie in almost 10 years when her obituary was released. It was the saddest day of my life. We had stood at each others sides, for her wedding and mine and we had been great friends. Along the way life happened, I had two kids and she had her life. Unfortunately, that's just what happens when time goes by, our friends change, but we never forget those that impacted our lives.
She had the best laugh and every time I heard it, it reminded me of chimes. It was infectious and everyone said so. As a matter of fact, people that knew her in High School recounted how her laugh always brought a smile to their face. She had lived with Lupus from the time she was little and had been in the hospital more times than I can count. She was a warrior and she was a great friend.
Last night, out of the blue I had a dream about her. She loved Mickey Mouse and Disney Land. She collected figurines and Christmas cottages. In some ways, she was like the little girl that never grew up and in others she was far more woman than me. In my dream we were in the hospital and she was laughing as she told me all the woes she had been going through. On a shelf, above her head, were hundreds of figurines and I asked, "Why did you bring these all to the hospital?" She replied, "to give them to the people I love and because they make me happy." I haven't thought about Katie much since she died last year and then I dream about her. I woke up with a smile on my face remembering that in my dream she was truly happy.
I had a strange feeling when I woke up because the dream was so very real. It made me pause and then I remembered, she's gone. I picked up my phone to search for Scripture when I noticed I had some new emails, one was from her legacy page letting me know that her online obituary page would be no longer. A coincidence, I think not. In my mind, I must have cataloged this time in place for a friend that once meant more to me than my own hand and now she's with God and I am glad.
Life is so short. We often take it for granted, I know I have. You get busy in your day to day life and you forget to love those around you. You let good friendships go because your journey's have taken a different path but always you have the memories of them and the feelings that were there. I have lost many wonderful people in my life and Katie was just another angel that came into my life, brightened my days and made me a better person. I hope throughout my life, God provides more angels, the ones that show you how to be better than you ever were. I loved her with all my heart and I can say that I regretted the years we didn't talk. She backed off first but I could have pursued the relationship. I made a choice to be hurt instead of fighting for a friendship that meant something. I learned a great lesson a year ago and I have tried to stay in contact with all my friends since.
If you have a friend you haven't talked to in a long time, give them a call. You never know what God will do with it. I'm a better friend today because of Katie and I'm a better person because God always shows me the importance of loving the people He has given me. Take time to call someone or Facebook them, they just might need you today.
I end today with a peace in my heart for a little girl that I loved. She's with Jesus and all her Mickey Mouse figurines are someone else's treasures. She was a treasure to me and I will forever be grateful for the time I knew her. My memories will always be with me of a room filled with teddy bears, a cat that bit on site and a girl who grew to be a hero to me. I pray that all of us forge those kinds of relationships.
Luke 15:6 NKJV:
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
John 15:15 NKJV:
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, thank You for giving us friends that make us better. If we have had one friend that brought us joy, showed us love and built our character, we should be humbled. I have had a few friends in my life that I know were given to me by You. They were significant in me becoming the woman I am today. I am in Your debt for bringing women to me that understood who I was and who I needed to be. Your gift has provided me with many hours of love and I am so blessed by You. I pray for the women all over the world that need a friend and I pray that You would provide one to them today. No woman, man or child should be alone. Please bring Your warriors to their doors and continue to show us how to be loved and to love. With love, we can change the world. Help us do that today Lord and grant us grace on those that need it. I am Your servant, walking with my best friend, asking Him to heal the nations, bring love around the world and to come to us once again so that He might have victory over evil. I love You Lord, thank You for bringing people in my life that have made a difference and for allowing me to make a difference in theirs. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
Well I finally slept through the night and got the best rest I've had in awhile. I couldn't believe it when I woke up and my clock was going off. And when I woke, I remembered all my dreams from angry old employers to a dear friend that passed away last year. She was way too young.
I hadn't seen Katie in almost 10 years when her obituary was released. It was the saddest day of my life. We had stood at each others sides, for her wedding and mine and we had been great friends. Along the way life happened, I had two kids and she had her life. Unfortunately, that's just what happens when time goes by, our friends change, but we never forget those that impacted our lives.
She had the best laugh and every time I heard it, it reminded me of chimes. It was infectious and everyone said so. As a matter of fact, people that knew her in High School recounted how her laugh always brought a smile to their face. She had lived with Lupus from the time she was little and had been in the hospital more times than I can count. She was a warrior and she was a great friend.
Last night, out of the blue I had a dream about her. She loved Mickey Mouse and Disney Land. She collected figurines and Christmas cottages. In some ways, she was like the little girl that never grew up and in others she was far more woman than me. In my dream we were in the hospital and she was laughing as she told me all the woes she had been going through. On a shelf, above her head, were hundreds of figurines and I asked, "Why did you bring these all to the hospital?" She replied, "to give them to the people I love and because they make me happy." I haven't thought about Katie much since she died last year and then I dream about her. I woke up with a smile on my face remembering that in my dream she was truly happy.
I had a strange feeling when I woke up because the dream was so very real. It made me pause and then I remembered, she's gone. I picked up my phone to search for Scripture when I noticed I had some new emails, one was from her legacy page letting me know that her online obituary page would be no longer. A coincidence, I think not. In my mind, I must have cataloged this time in place for a friend that once meant more to me than my own hand and now she's with God and I am glad.
Life is so short. We often take it for granted, I know I have. You get busy in your day to day life and you forget to love those around you. You let good friendships go because your journey's have taken a different path but always you have the memories of them and the feelings that were there. I have lost many wonderful people in my life and Katie was just another angel that came into my life, brightened my days and made me a better person. I hope throughout my life, God provides more angels, the ones that show you how to be better than you ever were. I loved her with all my heart and I can say that I regretted the years we didn't talk. She backed off first but I could have pursued the relationship. I made a choice to be hurt instead of fighting for a friendship that meant something. I learned a great lesson a year ago and I have tried to stay in contact with all my friends since.
If you have a friend you haven't talked to in a long time, give them a call. You never know what God will do with it. I'm a better friend today because of Katie and I'm a better person because God always shows me the importance of loving the people He has given me. Take time to call someone or Facebook them, they just might need you today.
I end today with a peace in my heart for a little girl that I loved. She's with Jesus and all her Mickey Mouse figurines are someone else's treasures. She was a treasure to me and I will forever be grateful for the time I knew her. My memories will always be with me of a room filled with teddy bears, a cat that bit on site and a girl who grew to be a hero to me. I pray that all of us forge those kinds of relationships.
Luke 15:6 NKJV:
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
John 15:15 NKJV:
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
My prayer today:
O, Lord, thank You for giving us friends that make us better. If we have had one friend that brought us joy, showed us love and built our character, we should be humbled. I have had a few friends in my life that I know were given to me by You. They were significant in me becoming the woman I am today. I am in Your debt for bringing women to me that understood who I was and who I needed to be. Your gift has provided me with many hours of love and I am so blessed by You. I pray for the women all over the world that need a friend and I pray that You would provide one to them today. No woman, man or child should be alone. Please bring Your warriors to their doors and continue to show us how to be loved and to love. With love, we can change the world. Help us do that today Lord and grant us grace on those that need it. I am Your servant, walking with my best friend, asking Him to heal the nations, bring love around the world and to come to us once again so that He might have victory over evil. I love You Lord, thank You for bringing people in my life that have made a difference and for allowing me to make a difference in theirs. In Jesus name, AMEN
Until tomorrow...
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