WOMEN TAKING A STAND

THANKFUL THURSDAY...day 26, how is it looking?

2012-01-26T00:01:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that the end of January is already here. I have enjoyed seeing all of your grateful hearts this month as your TT host! It encourages me so much to see how God is working in all of your lifes.

As I look at the calendar I see that we are already 26 days into the new year. I wonder how you are doing with your new goals and aspirations? One thing that I always hated about making "resolutions" is that feeling of failure I often felt by the end of the first month when I realized that I had already failed at losing weight, or eating right or exercising more.

Often times, I think setting goals is much like taking a walk on the beach. Have you ever noticed that if you try to walk straight and then look back at your footprints in the sand that your steps will be anything but straight. However, if you would fix your attention on something straight ahead, your steps would probably point straight to that object you were aiming for.

Goals are crucial for all of us to have. The big goals. And the small goals. But if we stumble around without having a course to keep us inline, we will be like the steps on the beach. Goals with no purpose will most definetly leave us feeling like a failure. Even Jesus had goals, and His goals had purpose indeed. In fact, His primary goal was set way before time even began.

Can you imagine how things would be different for you and me today if Jesus did not set His eyes on His Fathers plan? Each step He took, each lesson He taught, each miracle He performed was leading Him (and others) to God's ultimate purpose...the power of the Cross!

I am so thankful that Jesus was goal-minded and that each of His steps were ordained by God. If you set some goals for the new year and find yourself not staying on track, ask God to help you to see His purpose and plan and then fix your attention on that plan.

PHILIPPIANS 3:13,14 "Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Forget...reach...press on...receive! So how is day 26 looking for you? Keep on reaching, the prize awaits you!

We would love to hear what is on your grateful heart today, be sure to link up your post below in Mr. Linky. Next week Iris will be hosting TT, see you over there for the month of February!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...the serenity prayer

2012-01-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

Have you read the "Serenity Prayer" lately?

For years this well known prayer has been around. Just this week I happened to come across an old copy that was tucked away in a box of old memories and pictures...

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Such a short but profound poem. It suggests that in life, there are things that will be beyond our control. A person can eat healthy and exercise daily but they may still get sick. A person can work diligently at becoming a good steward, but still fall onto hard financial times. A person can work really hard at becoming a good friend, but yet struggle with having good relationships.

Face it, there are just some things in life that leave us struggling to understand why certain things happen. I have had lots of things happen in my own life that quite honestly, I just don't understand. The more I try to figure things out, the more I get confused. It is fair to say that even though some things cannot be understood, there is still a perfect purpose for it.

PROVERBS 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

DEAR LORD: Today I choose to apply the Serenity Prayer to my life...to accept the things that I cannot change and to seek Your help in changing the things that I can. As I lean upon Your understanding, may I see purpose even in those things that I cannot control. I put my complete trust in You, especially for these things I do not understand. AMEN

THANKFUL THURSDAY...go for the BOUNCE!

2012-01-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

It's just the 3 of us now in the house, since the boys have all married and moved out you would think we would have less laundry around here. But that is not the case at all. Seems like the washer and dryer are going non-stop. I guess having a teen girl in the house has something to do with that! Ha-ha.

We can never have enough laundry soap. Not only that, but we need lots of Bounce too. Those little fabric sheets are wonderful. Have you ever noticed the difference they make? If you run out of them and try to dry a load of towels without it, you will notice the difference real quick. The static and electricity seems to rub off on everything else that your load of laundry comes in contact with.

I got thinking about that the other day when I was folding some towels. Isn't that how we are sometimes...we can rub off on other people wrong. We may not mean to, or maybe we have just had a bad day, or week and the vibes that we give off seem to be alittle electrifying. When our attitude is less than what it should be, it doesnt just affect us. Just like the laundry, the static from our spirit will affect all those around us, thus rubbing people the wrong way.

I guess what we all need in our lifes is alittle Bounce, not the dryer sheet kind, but the God kind. I find when I do not spend time with Him or in His Word, the bounce in my step is alittle less than what it could be.

And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour” Eph. 5:2

Without His sweet smelling savor, it is so easy for little things to creep in our heart and our spirit (like jealousy, bitterness, anger, resentment, discouragement, etc) and if we arent careful the static that comes with these things will not only affect us but it will affect those that we rub shoulders with.

What kind of static and electricity are you giving? I hope its the good kind. The sweet smelling kind. The kind that can bring hope, joy, peace, love and forgiveness to others. If not, you may need to get you some bounce in your walk, the spiritual kind that is!

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and I am so grateful for the freshness of God's Spirit. What an awesome outpouring of His Spirit when we come to Him with an open heart to receive all that He has for us. May we not only keep the laundry room stocked with dryer supplies but may we keep our hearts and spirits stocked with anticipation of His filling.

What are you grateful for today?

Please join us by linking up your TT post below! :)

A PIECE OF MY HEART...feeding time

2012-01-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

One thing that I love about our dogs is that when it comes to feeding time, they are always ready to receive the goods. One of the reasons that they wait so patiently as I stir up their dishes is because they have done this before. They have gone thru the routine and they know exactly what is happening and what is about to happen.

When I pick up their bowls and go into the kitchen, they know what is about to take place. When I open up the dog food bin, they know what is about to take place. When they watch me stir it all up and pour it into their dish, they know what is about to take place. Something good is about to be dished out to them!

I wonder what kind of reaction I would get if instead of dishing out the good dog food, I gave them some generic food that had gone bad. I am confident that their reaction would not be the same. And most likely after one or two times of giving them some bad food, they would probably change their attitude when it came to feeding time. Perhaps their enthusiasm would diminish abit.

Spiritually speaking, people can be like dogs at feeding time. I am not suggesting that you are a "dog" but I am suggesting that when people throw out positive, encouraging, sweet aroma kind of words our way, it is much easier to digest than if all they gave us was discouraging, disheartening put-downs all of the time. Over a period of time, we would take on the character of the dog and our enthusiasm to be around such gloom and despair would most likely diminish also.

If you ever got around our dogs at feeding time, you would see very quickly which one is the dominant one. Jasmine is a 13 year old beagle and she has the liberty to go from one dog dish to another eating when she wants, as much as she wants. The other two dogs just get out of her way when she comes around. When she is thru feasting at their bowl, they then begin to eat what she has left behind.

I have been around some real life "dogs" in my lifetime. The kind that seem to take out the light in a bright and shiny room. The kind that have a need to control things or be the "dominate" one in the relationship. They have a aura about them that is less pleasing to ones appetite. They have a way to speak nothing good into peoples lives. It is heartbreaking that it is their voice that we so often listen to. Their negative leftovers is what we often feed upon.

It was once said that you could be in a room with ten people. 9 of those 10 can say wonderful things to you, while that other one can say something negative. It will not be the 9 positive things that you will remember, the only thing that will stand out is that one negative thing.

I don't know about you, but I am tired of feeding on the generic brand of humanity. No longer do I have to listen to what "they" say about me, all that matters is what Jesus says about me. Jesus calls me His Own and He trusts me so much that He has entrusted me with His sheep...

JOHN 21:17 "The third time He said to him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?...Lord, You know all things, You know I love You.' Jesus said 'Feed my sheep.' "

Jesus is asking us to feed one another, the same call as He gave Peter, He is charging us to go out and feed His lambs. Not with our second best but with our very, very best. May the food we offer be of His love, forgiveness and Grace. It is the kind of food that will not only be irresistible, but nourishing and life changing.

It's feeding time....time to turn your ear to hear what God has to say. Chew on that for awhile my friend!

Removing the eggshells!

2012-01-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

This past week I have spoken to 3 different people who all seemed to be dealing with the same dilemma. Difficult people. All 3 people who spoke with me was in some form or fashion dealing with difficult people in their life.

With it being such a up and coming problem in so many of our lives, do I dare ask "How do you deal with difficult people?"

No matter who you are, it is only a matter of time before you yourself will have to work with a difficult person or attend church with a difficult person or even live with a difficult person. I don't like it as much as the next guy, but honestly, dealing with difficult people will either make you or break you. It will bring out the true colors of Christ in you or it will bring out the worst in you. Hopefully dealing with difficulty and strife will mold you into the image of Christ.

Matthew 5:44-48 “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax-gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”.

One of the greatest gifts one can have is being able to love the unlovable, being able to have patience with those that rub us wrong. Many times when we get around such a person, we tend to walk on eggshells. We might even try to avoid them so as to not have to deal with their outbursts. But quite to the contrary, these are the very ones that we should be embracing.

One of the greatest things that we can do to accomplish this is simply by removing the eggshells. You know that hard surface that seems to remain intact between you and that person.

Many times a person acts out or comes across difficult because they have some sort of unresolved issue in their life. It may be something they have tucked away deep inside stemming from neglect or abuse as a child or it just may simply be a need that is not being met in their life such as joy, happiness or content. My husband use to tell me all of the time, "hurting people hurt people."

Not always easy to swallow, especially when you are doing all that you can do to reach out to them. Its one thing if a friend or a co-worker is being difficult to be with, you can always change friends or change jobs but what if it is a family member? Its not like you can change families!

God gives us clear instructions in His Word on how to handle such difficulties. First and foremost in any broken relationship we should always strive for reconciliation. As Followers of Christ, it should be top priority to make amends and find peace with whoever we are having difficulty with.

MATTHEW 5:23, 24 Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, (24) leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering."

This passage gives clear instructions on how to remove the eggshells. I always found it interesting that God is not suggesting that we go to our brother if we remember OUR offense, rather, "remember that your brother has something against YOU." True piety before God would mean that you and I are right with each other. God's Word implores us to not only make things right with our brother but to do it FIRST before bringing our gifts to Him.

To obtain such a reconciliation is going to require some humility. There is no room for pride if you are contending with a difficult person. Having unresolved issues with a brother or sister is not pleasing to God and I have to wonder, according to Matthew, if our offering will not be pleasing and acceptable to Him if we have unresolved issues with our brother? In this sense, brother is not always meaning our blood relative. Our brother can be our friends, our co-workers, our pastor, our Sunday school teacher, your child's teacher or anyone you rub shoulders with.

Do you have some eggshells that you have been avoiding? Maybe some difficult people in your life that have left some open wounds?...today is a good day to seek reconciliation and remove those eggshells in your life. If you do, please pray the following prayer with me:

DEAR LORD:
Today is a day of reconciliation for me. I recognize that I have had some eggshells in my life. Difficult people are in my life and they drive me crazy. It is my hearts desire to forgive those who have offended me, and love them no matter how they treat me. God, at times I have been a difficult person, for that I ask for forgiveness and ask you to change me and as You change me, I know my attitude will also change. May others see that in me and cause them to want to change to be more like You. I am asking You now, please remove the eggshells in my life so that every area of my life that I offer up to You will be acceptable and pleasing!
AMEN

THANKFUL THURSDAY...a lesson of patience

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

There are some things that can be learned by the textbook and then there are those other things that just cannot be learned except by first hand experience. PATIENCE is one of those qualities that can only be acquired by persistence, diligence and practice!

Doing a word search, I found one description of the word "PATIENCE" as "unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring." Just thinking about THAT definition of patience makes me realize that I am lacking especially during traffic jams or anything to do with driving.

Have you ever noticed how patient you can be ....except ....when it comes to other peoples driving skills?

The other day I found myself stopped at a red light. But just right ahead of the light was a train passing by, so the cars ahead of me had no other option except to sit thru the changing light. I got frustrated. So I did what every skilled driver would do...I inched my way up to the intersection and turned down another street to go a different way!

"Endurance without murmuring" ... how many times have I wasted an opportunity to learn patience. Instead of thumping my finger on the steering wheel, or thinking about how many minutes I am going to be late, could I not take a minute to give thanks to God for His patience with me?

(2 Peter 1:5-7) And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

Wow! Every time I read this passage I am reminded that one is leading to another. And with each stepping stone, we are being trained for a better understanding of godliness in our character. Having patience is the lesson and God is the teacher.

Today, on THANKFUL THURSDAY, I am so thankful that God does not have the same kind of patience as I do. I am so grateful that when I am slow to learn, that He does not try to turn away from me like I do in traffic. He is ever so patient with me, molding me, transforming me and loving me thru all of the lessons of life.

What are you grateful for today? Please share with us your Thankful Thursday post by linking up below. TT will be hosted here the month of January and over at Iris's in February. We are so glad to have each of you join us!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...excess baggage

2012-01-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

Several years ago I went on a missions trip with our youth group. As we all got checked in at the airport, I will never forget how the youth pastor's suitcase was found to be overweight. I can still see him standing there in front of all of us with his luggage open and taking out anything he could to get the weight of his load down. He was dividing up as much as he could...giving shoes to someone to put in their luggage, sweaters to another, pants to another, on and on until he finally got the weight of his load correct.
I was thinking about that the other day when I was writing down some goals and aspirations for this new year that I find myself in. God gently reminded me about the overweight luggage, and how I am similar to that youth pastor. The airlines would not permit him to travel because he had too much baggage and here I am trying to go forward in my adventure that I call life but I too am carrying way too much baggage.

Before I can go forward, I have to stop and do what that youth pastor did....take some things out that are weighing me down. The problem that most of us have is that we don't really recognize the baggage that we have. Before we can get rid of it, we have to identify it. Last year, I surveyed my readers about what kind of burdens they carry, here is what they said:

#1 burden reported was GUILT. "Guilt" is refusing to allow past sins to be forgiven. You may be reluctant to forgive yourself, forgive others or allow God to forgive you. Either way, its a burden!

The #2 burden the voters said they had was GRUDGES. "Grudges" is refusing to forgive others for hurting you. Ouch...that will put you in overload.

The #3 burden was WORRY. "Worry" is simply refusing to trust God. If we trusted Him, we would not worry.

The #4 most often burden to have was STRESS! "Stress" is refusing to relinquish your worries to God.

I wonder if you struggle with any of these burdens? If you do, perhaps, you find that your baggage is alittle overweight. Too much to carry. It will be difficult to go forward in your walk with the Lord if you continue to hold on to these things. The best way to get rid of this excess baggage is to do what that youth pastor did on that mission trip...GET RID OF IT!

Instead of putting your burden on others though, why not just put that burden on God's shoulders and see what He can do with it. He never intended for us to go around with so much weight on shoulders that it would hinder us from doing His work. Think about it, if you would load up a bunch of boxes, crates and bags on your back and try to walk around and do your business, it would be extremely hard. You would be hunched over, your back would hurt, you might walk with a limp, certainly you would not be able to do your best with such excess weight on you. Spiritually speaking, it is exactly the same way!

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me . . . and you will find rest for your souls". (Matt. 11:28-30)

Let loose of those things that bind you. Don't let all of that excess baggage hold you back any longer!

And this has been a piece of my heart today;

THANKFUL THURSDAY...God's Word

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first THANKFUL THURSDAY of 2012! I don't know about you, but I never seem to run out of things to be thankful for. If I ever did though, all I would have to do is look around me or just open my Bible and see just how gracious and loving our God is!

Every new year alot of people make decisions or as they call it ...resolutions. They resolve that there are some things in their life that they can improve on.

One of the biggest resolutions made every new years is losing weight! Apparently, people are making a statement that they are not pleased with the way they look. Unfortunately, most Americans who make this resolve usually end up disappointing themselves when a month later they find themselves right back eating the same way they always have.

Spiritually speaking, there is a resolve that many, if not all of us can make and that is that we need to improve our spiritual diet. To do this though will mean to have more, not less. Most diets require you to eat less, but going on a spiritual diet will require you to eat MORE!

Feeding upon God's Word daily will require alittle more than just a new years resolve though. It will take commitment, faithfulness and maybe even some accountability. I have decided that the best thing that I can change about myself is to become closer to God. This week I have joined a "reading thru the Bible in 2012" group. Not only will I be deeper in His Word this year, but reading along with a group will give me accountability and encouragement as well.

Is there something in your life that you would like to alter? I can't think of any better way to make changes then to spend more time with God, and then allow His Holy Spirit to transform you in His Image!

ROMANS 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is."

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I do not want to stay the same way that I am. But I cannot be strong without Your help. Help me each day to make You the most important part of my day. Help me to be dedicated to spending time with You and help me to open my mind, my heart and my spirit to receive what YOU have for me for that day. Transform me to be what You want me to be. Amen

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Please join your grateful heart with ours by linking up what you are thankful for below in Mr. Linky. We are so happy to see each of you here this week!

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If you would like to join in the Read Thru the Bible in 2012 group....go here!

My word for 2012 is PURSUIT!

2012-01-03T16:28:00.000-08:00

If I could come up with a word that I would like to proclaim for this new year, I think it would be the word "PURSUIT". Pursuit is an awesome action word, look at what Webster says about it...

pur·suit [per so'ot] n:

act of chasing after something: the act of chasing after somebody or something in order to catch, attack, or overtake that person or thing. hobby: a pastime, hobby, or leisure activity. act of striving for something: the effort made to try to achieve or obtain something over a period of time.

In order to pursue something or someone, you have to be willing to chase after it. I don't know about you, but when I think about a chase scene it does not involve idleness. We cannot just sit around, doing nothing for God. In order to pursue Him and His ways, we must get up, put the pedal to the meddle and pursue Him with all that we have!

PSALM 63:8 "My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me."

If we don't pursue something, something will pursue us! I want to make sure that the things that I am pursuing are things that will make me a better wife, a better mom, a better daughter, a better sister, a better friend and a better disciple. May I start this new year off running, chasing, not relenting until I have ALL of God!

2012...the year of pursuit!

The good, the bad and the ugly habits!

2012-01-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

It is said that it takes just 21 days to break a bad habit. That's right, in just 3 weeks you can break those nasty things in your life that have become routine and compulsive! Of course, the first step to this 21 day recovery is acknowledging that something in your life needs to be dealt with.

Most of us think of only the bad and ugly things when we hear the word "habit" mentioned. But I am here to tell you that it isn't just the smoking, drinking and cursing that become bad habits that need to be rectified. Even though, these are just some of the habits that can be harmful to us, there are some habits that seemingly look less harmful but yet they are what they are....a BAD habit!

For instance, when I was younger I had a nasty, nasty habit. I bit my nails. For years, I tried to stop this nasty habit. I know what you are thinking... when lined up against smoking, it may not seem quite as bad but simply stated, IT was a bad habit! It was terrible for my teeth to be chewing on my nails all of the time. Not to mention, for a young lady, it just was plain unattractive.

Habits aren't just bad and ugly, some habits are actually good. I know that sounds like a oxy moron, how can a habit be good? Some things may seem ok to do. For one person, keeping clothes laying on the floor may seem ok, but to someone else, perhaps someone with alittle bit of ocd in them, the habit of not picking up clothes is not ok! So in this case, who is the one with the nasty habit? The one who doesn't pick up or the one who is overly ocd about it?

We struggle with this in our family. I am ocd. My family is not. So who has the habit that needs to be worked on? I would suggest we all do. In order to change, we need to identify what needs to be changed. Just because something fits comfortably in our routine, does not make it right or even necessary. Even good things can become bad habits. Washing your hair daily is a good thing. However, if you have a habit to wash your hair 4, 5 or 6 times a day...that becomes a problem. It won't take long at all for your hair to become dry, brittle and maybe fall out.

Everything in life is subject to become ritual or mundane or just merely a habit, even our worship. In Isaiah, God expresses His great disdain for meaningless worship...

What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! (Isaiah 1:11-15) NLT

I don't know how...but God's people had missed the point of meaningful worship. They were caught up in the act of religion and missing out on the relationship. You cannot just follow a model of worship without ever entering into the presence of God. God desires a face-to-face encounter with His children. Not just then, but now too. But we must be willing to make worship a habit.

Bad habits can be broken and good habits can be formed. It just takes 21 days. Worship is more than just what we do every Sunday at 10:45 am. Worship is an attitude of our heart. When we form the habit of praise and worship, it will be part of our relationship with Him.

In the new year, it is my desire to form some healthy habits while removing some that are not so healthy. May these first 21 days of January have purpose and meaning ....and become habit forming, in a healthy, spiritual, God driven kind of a way!

LACED WITH GRACE...Pruning has purpose

2011-12-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

My husband is currently reading a book by Dr. Henry Cloud entitled, “Necessary Endings”. He pointed out a chapter in the book to me about pruning. Even though the book is referring to the necessity of pruning in business at times, the same concept is just as imperative in our spiritual being. The book defines pruning as…

“removing whatever it is in our business or life whose reach is unwanted or superfluous.”

When I think about pruning, I think about a bonsai tree. As the tree grows, the pruner must be careful and intricate about cutting the branches to develop the correct size and shape. What is interesting ....

TODAY I HAVE SHARED A DEVOTION WITH THE READERS OF LACED WITH GRACE ENTITLED "PRUNING HAS PURPOSE"....CLICK HERE to read the rest of todays devo!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...new beginning!

2011-12-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

It is hard to believe that we have arrived at the last THANKFUL THURSDAY post for this year. As I reflect back over the past 12 months, I see alot of things. In our family we had a wedding, a birth, and a death. In my spiritual walk, I have experienced some persecution, some growth, and a change of direction.

2011 seems to have been a year for change for me. Some good change, and some awkward change. But thru it all God has been with me, in fact, He has been one step ahead of me, preparing the way, preparing my heart and preparing for my tomorrow.

In the man's eye, we put things in a box that is regulated by time. If we cannot regulate events of our life according to the calendar or the watch, it is difficult for us to have control or even understanding. But God does not limit Himself to the expectations of man or the time restrains of the calendar. He cannot be restrained by the habits of man. Man dictates harvest according to what his calendar says. He hunts during one season so he can have plenty for another season. God is not like that. In fact, He makes a way in the wilderness and a way for rivers in the desert...

"Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert…" (Isaiah 43:18-19)

I think that the prophet is asking a very timely question for you and I today, "Can you not perceive what He is doing?" The pharisees were hard in heart, and refused to see that their self righteous attitudes stood between them and seeing what was clearly in front of them...God and His righteousness! It is my prayer that I do not become like a pharisee, and miss out on what God is doing. It can be easy to get caught up in my agenda, my plan, and my way and totally miss out on what God's plan is.

If God can make a way in the wilderness and provide running waters in the desert, how much more can He make something new for you and me? 2011 is gone. We cannot get that back. But 2012 is just around the corner and I believe that God is making something new for each of us. We need to be open to it, embrace it and trust Him for it!

I am very thankful for everything that has happened in my life in 2011. The joys, the tears, the heartache, the sadness, the blessings, the hardships...all of it, it has made me who I am today and because of God, I can look forward to a new year as He prepares a new way for me.

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY, I am joining Iris who is hosting TT this week. Please join your grateful heart with ours by linking your post. Next week, TT will be found right here at womentakingastand! :)

PACKING AWAY CHRISTMAS!

2011-12-25T19:35:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas has come and gone. So much thought, work and decorating goes into this cherished holiday, but almost as quick as it comes, it passes quickly. The presents are opened, the cookies are eaten, the guests have gone home. Now there is only one thing left to do...pack away Christmas!

In years past, I have not always been patient with packing away the Christmas decorations. By the end of Christmas night, I have looked at the twinkling lights, the shiny balls and the fallen pine needles long enough and I am anxious to put it all away. In the hustle of trying to get my house back in order, I have not always wrapped precious ornaments like I should. I usually do not notice the effects of my carelessness until the next Christmas when I unwrap my treasures and find that my carelessness from the year before caused damage.

One thing that I have always taken tender care of packing away is my large porcelain nativity figures. I don't just use plain tissue to wrap them like I do my ornaments, I use thick towels and wrap them tight. The resting place for all of our Christmas decorations all year is out in the garage, except for my nativity figures, they have a special place in my back storeroom in the house.

Isn't it funny that I take more care of those than my other treasures?

Spiritually speaking, I think we do the same thing. Some things are easier to take care of than others. I would never dream of mistreating my Lord and Savior, but yet when it comes to some other treasures, such as joy, peace, and patience, I don't take as much care. I can become careless with those things along with my kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. We may not see it right away, but just like my ornaments, eventually over time our carelessness will cause damage.

^{GALATIANS 5:22} "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control."

As you pack away Christmas, be sure to not pack away Christ! Take tender care of the treasures that God has placed within you!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...what does the wrapping have to do with it?

2011-12-20T21:47:00.000-08:00

If you are anything like me, you are probably knee deep in wrapping. With just 5 more days until Christmas, we are all feeling the crunch. The dining table is easily turned into a array of paper, ribbons, bows, scissors and tape. With each gift, creating the perfect package is almost as important as finding the perfect gift.

I always said that "presentation" was everything. If you had two gifts wrapped under the tree, one in beautiful gold foil and bright ribbon and the other wrapped in day old newspaper tied with string, which do you suppose would be more attractive and appealing? Most of us would overlook the one in newspaper and go for the shine and beauty.

But the truth is, the wrapping does not reveal what the gift inside contains. After all, Jesus was not born in a palace, with golden archways and marble floors. He was born in a stable. He was clothed in rags and laid in a feeding trough. Jesus was the most amazing gift ever given to us, but the presentation of His arrival, the wrapping of such a wonderful gift did not diminish the importance of His birth.

If anything, the wrapping of that first Christmas gift reminds me of the beauty that lies within simplicity. Jesus Christ came to us in the most simple and humble way. Wrapped in swaddling cloths, layed in a manger, born where the animals rest ... I can't think of anything more simple and humble.

So, as I wrap these last gifts this week I can't help but to think back to that first Christmas gift and realize that the wrapping has nothing to do with what the gift represents. Love, joy, peace and forgiveness is the best gift you will ever unwrap.

LUKE 2:9-12 "And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger."

The beauty is in the gift, not the wrapping!

Not just an ordinary ornament!

2011-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about Christmas is putting up the tree. After 30 years of marriage, we have so many ornaments that have special meanings. It's funny that even after many years have gone by, we still can look at the ornament and be flooded with memories.

For instance, on our tree, we have an ornament that my grandmother (who has gone to be with the Lord) made many years ago. My daughter this year pulled it out of the box and said "What's this?" and proudly I said, "My Grandmother made THAT!"

Also on our tree are some very cherished ornaments. The ones that the kids made in school when they were younger have so much meaning. But, I remember one year I was going to decorate the tree in all blue ornaments and my son (now 21) said, "NO MOM! You have to put our ornaments on the tree!"

This year, we have adorned our Christmas tree with yet another special ornament. An ornament that last year we received as a gift that was hand painted by one of our kids.

As I gaze over at our tree adorned with such beautiful memories, I can't help but think about how we often times attach memories to certain objects. The emotions that often come attached to those memories can instantly turn a common, ordinary object into a wonderful treasure!

I would imagine that is how it was for Mary. Every time she saw a manger after that first Christmas Eve, it must have taken her back to memories of the stable. Her thoughts must have raced back to that one life changing moment when her baby was born a Savior. A stable, hay and animals set the stage, there was nothing extraordinary about that, but yet from that, a wonderful treasure was brought forth.

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19

I wonder, this Christmas, what kind of ornaments have memory and special meaning for you? Not just the kind that hang on your tree, but maybe you have something that appears ordinary to the common eye but when you look past the outer appearance you see the beauty, the treasure of it.

That is exactly what God does when He looks at us. He does not see what we see. He sees beauty in His masterpiece. What we see as ordinary, He sees as a wonderful treasure. He sees the ornament in all of us.

LACED WITH GRACE...The grinch that steals Christmas!

2011-12-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today I have shared a devotion over at LACED WITH GRACE entitled "The Grinch who steals Christmas" The Who's of Whoville are not the only ones who have to contend with a slimy, present-stealing grinch...there is a grinch lurking around your household trying to rob you of your gifts also, the ones that God has bestowed upon you. CLICK HERE to read this post!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...stoking the fire

2011-12-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

This time of year, when the air is crisp and cold and the furnace is working overtime, there is nothing like sitting close to a rip roaring fire. Nothing like pulling your chair close to the fire, curled up with your favorite blanket and a good read. Every once in awhile, as the fire snaps and cracks, you may need to add another log to the fire to keep it going. Some call that "stoking the fire."

Spiritually speaking, "Stoking the fire" has another meaning. Stoking the fire means doing things that really causes us to focus on God. Our love and passion for Him and His ways take on purpose when we stoke the fire.

Just like the fire in the fireplace, if we do not add more firewood, eventually the fire will go out. Our spiritual firewood comes from reading God's Word, communicating with God daily in prayer, seeking His will and not ours, giving sacrificially both monetarily and with our time, having a servants heart in all that we do. Each one of these things have a purpose and the more we do for Him and His Kingdom, the more our fire will be stoked.

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes One Who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." -John the Baptist (Matthew 3:11)

Many times we associate a fire with getting burnt and even though it is true that we can easily become burnt by a consuming fire, the kind of consuming fire that John the Baptist experienced is the kind that God offers. The kind that will never leave us disappointed or burnt. But it isn't enough to just HAVE the fire, we have to KEEP the fire stoked!

Aren't you thankful for the fire? It is so important that we keep that fire stoked, it is so easy to slip on our time with God and slowly see the embers begin to fade. I am so thankful that my daily walk with God keeps those embers glowing and fire ablazing. What are you grateful for today? Iris is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY today, please join us! http://www.eph2810.com/

Making Christmas count!

2011-12-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you have been to the store lately, than there is no denying that we are inundated with the Christmas shopping season. Christmas trees, Christmas lights, Christmas ornaments, Christmas cards, Christmas dishes, Christmas towels...the stores have not missed out on merchandising what they believe Christmas is all about. The sale ads dictate to us what THEY think that WE should buy.

But as THEY count down the number of days left for shopping for Christmas, I would like to suggest that we don't just count down to that final shopping day but instead may we make these next couple of weeks count!

This year, I have decided to put alittle more effort, alittle more work and alittle bit more heart into our Christmas. Instead of buying those high dollar toys, over priced Ugg boots or underrated PS3 games, I am making most of my gifts this year. For those of you who do not know me personally, you cannot appreciate what a stretch this may be, seeing as I am not the craftiest person. However, after a 3 hour trip to our local Hobby Lobby, I have found that ~~making~~, creating my own gifts this season is not as hard as I have made it out to be.

I have found that a small bottle of paint, a wooden letter, some ribbon and a hot glue gun can make something from nothing! And when I add a very special, personal photograph, it makes it so heartfelt. It makes a memory come alive!

LUKE 6:38 "If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving - large or small - it will be used to measure what is given back to you."

Christmas is not just about giving gifts, whether they are store bought or made at home. Christmas to me cannot be found in your local mall, but it is found in your heart. Making Christmas count may just be putting that long to-do list aside and doing only the things that matter, such as calling an old friend who may be spending this Christmas alone; baking some cookies and visiting your local nursing home to share some love, letting the frazzled mom with two screaming kids go ahead of you in the checkout line, surprising a stranger by paying for their lunch while at your local Cracker Barrel.

Just like I have found many creative ways to express love with my Christmas gifts this year, there are so many other ways that we can express love to others this busy season.

All we have to do is slow down, seize the opportunity and make Christmas count!

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: the stone rolled away!

2011-12-01T17:17:00.000-08:00

"That is impossible!"

Have you ever heard that said? Maybe someone has even said that to you. Alot of things are difficult but I don't know if I agree that things are impossible. Well... with God anyway, nothing is impossible!

After all, the life of Jesus on this earth starts with an impossibility and ends with an impossibility: a virgins birth and an empty tomb. I once heard it said that Jesus entered thru a door marked NO ENTRANCE and left thru a door marked NO EXIT!

Many times we face very difficult situations that seem nearly impossible to overcome, such things as sickness, death, divorce, addictions, persecution, loneliness and depression. But I am glad to tell you my friend, that Jesus is standing at your door that is marked NO WAY and He is waiting for you to open the door and let Him in.

LUKE 24:2 "And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb."

Many stood around that day and probably gasped with surprise when they saw the stone rolled away. The mission was for Jesus to die, to keep Him down for the count, but as that first Easter story unfolds, we see that there was a "Mission Impossible" planned... one that would have a different ending than predicted.

Sometimes in life, we find ourselves in one of those "impossible" situations. The kind that feels like a BIG stone has been rolled in front of us and the door of difficulty seems like it will never be opened again. I have been in some of those kind of situations before, where it felt like the mission was to keep me down, to kill me, destroy me. In the process of my tomb being closed up I found myself to be alone. Some of those friends that I thought were my closest of closest friends even deserted me. Some even betrayed me.

Sound familiar? I think that is exactly what happened to Jesus. Only a few believed. Only a few stood watch. And only a few were not surprised at what happened on Easter morning. He arose! The stone was rolled away! He was alive!

If you find yourself in one of those "mission impossible" moments like I was, you may need what I found in my impossible situation...an Easter morning experience. Allow God to show up in your situation and roll away your stone, you will once again feel alive and brand new and your mission will no longer be impossible but with God, all things will be possible!

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY, and I am very grateful not only for His resurrection but for giving me hope when I need some stones rolled away in my life. Please join your grateful heart with ours by visiting IRIS who is hosting TT this month!

Being in control!

2011-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

I wonder how many of you reading this today like to be in control? There are many things that I like to be in control of... I like being in control of what I eat and what I don't eat. I like being in control of scheduling my day. I like being in control of where I go on vacation. All of these things are important for one to be in control of, but sometimes in life there are circumstances and events that are totally out of our control.

Even though we cannot always control the things that happen in our life, we can control how we react. When our minds are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we have a new sense of what control is. No matter what may come your way, no matter how difficult or dark your situation may seem, having the Holy Spirit in your life will allow you to control your response.

Control really isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Some people like to control people. In your relationships, at your job, even at church. This kind of control is different than what I am talking about though. This kind of control is what I call "manipulation". This kind of control is destructive. Not only in relationships but in ministry.

Having control is not the main issue....it is what you do with your control that is most important. Controlling others is not the same as allowing the Holy Spirit to have control in your life. One is destructive and the other is obedience.

ROMANS 8:6 "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Holy Spirit is life and peace." (NIV)

When it comes to having control in your life, respond with godly thinking and not with sinful instincts such as manipulation. Doing so will take "being in control" to a whole new level.

THANKFUL THURSDAY...the forgotten holiday!

2011-11-23T22:14:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it, but another Thanksgiving time has arrived! It is the holiday that I most look forward to. I love cooking all of my families favorite dishes and getting together with all of the family. Laughing, eating, more laughing, watching football, and going to late night movies. Unfortunately though Thanksgiving seems to be a forgotten holiday. It is just a "Thursday off of work" sandwiched in between Halloween and Christmas.

If you don't agree with me, just look at your local walmart and just see how much Thanksgiving decor you can find. I went today on a hunt for some special Thanksgiving dinnerware but to my dismay found nothing! There were already aisles of Christmas decor and even a clearance aisle of leftover Halloween decor...but NO Thanksgiving merchandise.

I cannot believe that so many people miss out on one of the greatest holidays. It seems like the focus of Thanksgiving has been taken from giving thanks for His plenty to making out shopping lists for the morning after. Somehow our idea of Thanksgiving has gone haywire. We have forgotten all about that first Thanksgiving, you know the one with the Pilgrims and Indians!

On that first Thanksgiving in 1621, the feast was to celebrate and show gratitude for survival. After being in America within a year, the Pilgrims lost half of their population due to starvation and disease. The Pilgrims hosted that first feast not to try out new recipes, but to celebrate life with their Indian friends and to show gratitude to God for His provision during difficult times.

It is my prayer that we will never forget what this holiday means. Not just today but each and every day may we all have the attitude like the Pilgrims...to celebrate life and show gratitude to God for His provision.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and I am so glad that showing gratitude is not just a day, but it is an attitude of our heart. May we never forget to give thanks to God in ALL circumstances. The good ones, the bad ones, the sad ones, the happy ones. In all things...give thanks!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...infinity and beyond!

2011-11-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

While I was in school, math was not always my strength. I enjoyed classes like accounting but when it came to advanced Algebra or Trig...my mind had a hard time keeping up. Even though I did not understand everything about mathematical equations, one thing I fully comprehended was infinity. A number in math with infinity power is a number that goes on and on. It has no end.
Grasping this math concept was easy for me because I understood what infinite power was. I don't mean in math, but the infinite power of God!

PSALM 147:5 “Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite.” KJV

Just like some math equations, there are some equations in life that I simply do not understand. I do not understand why loved ones get cancer. I do not understand why babies are born that are unwanted. I do not understand why people have to live on the street and go hungry. I do not understand why some people struggle while others have it easy. I do not understand why our prisons are busting out of the seams with inmates. I do not understand why people hurt other people. I simply do not understand everything.

Did you know that it is not for us to understand everything? The ups and downs of life are not for us to worry about. The only thing that we need to understand is that God is in control. He sees everything. He is all knowing. He understands our hurt, our pain, our loss. And He will turn it around for good.

God's love for us is endless. His message of hope is endless. His compassion, His joy, and His encouragement is endless. His ways are infinite. There is no end. It goes on and on and on.

Trusting in God is like going to infinity and beyond!

There is no end to what God can do for you! Do you understand and fully comprehend this my friend?

“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NIV)

THANKFUL THURSDAY...2011 top ten THANKFUL list

2011-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

PSALM 118:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever."

As we quickly approach Thanksgiving of 2011, I can't help but to look back over the past 11 months and trace God's hand. From the first day of January to today, He has led me, guided me, provided for me, healed me, seen me thru some difficult times and at all times He has loved me and believed in me.

It is a tradition in our home to take a moment around the table to give special thanks. As I begin to make preparations for the holiday feast, I have asked God to also prepare my grateful heart. So I am getting a head start on things here on Thankful Thursday by offering up my top ten THANKFUL list for 2011...

#10. I am thankful for surviving a cold, wintry January. 3 things that I couldn't do without ... central heat, hot chocolate and my electric heating blanket!

#9. I am thankful for being able to receive my 31st valentine from my one and only valentine. God has given us so many great years together and I am blessed to be married to my best friend for over 30 years.

#8. I am thankful for God's provision. Even in times of turmoil and unstable financial times, He is still an on-time God! Heat, Air, food, clothing, and luxuries such as the washing machine, microwave and Internet service can be all taken for granted. I'm thankful for all of it!

#7. I am thankful for good health. A common cold, a slight headache and a sinus infection is nothing compared to cancer, lupus or chronic depression. Without good health, I may not be able to work, or enjoy day to day activities.

#6. I am thankful for good memories. Even in the shadow of death of a loved one, I can always cherish memories of a last smile, a last conversation and a last "I love you." Alot of things can be taken from us but our memories stay intact.

#5. I am thankful for my Dad. Even though we were separated for 40 years, the few short years we had together were a blessing. I am grateful to be reunited with him before God took him home this year.

#4. I am thankful for our freedoms. Not only for the American freedoms I enjoy but also the freedom to worship my Lord freely and safely in our Country. I am truly thankful to be an American!

#3. I am thankful for the tests and trials that God has seen me thru. They have caused me to step out of my comfort zone and strengthen my trust in God.

#2. I am thankful for my beautiful family and for their love and support. During times that nobody else has been there for me, my family has been. I am grateful for the love, support and faithfulness of my beloved for over 30 years. I am grateful for the trust God gave me to raise 4 of His beautiful children. (David, Jeremy, Jordan and Anna) I am grateful for the godly mates that our children have chosen (Sue, Rachel, Krista) and lastly I am so grateful for our first grandchild born recently. Family is a never ending circle of love!

AND THE #1 reason I am grateful in 2011...

#1. I am thankful for salvation and everything that comes with it. Love, forgiveness, acceptance and deliverance. I could not and would not want to face one day without God. He is the reason I can face each day, even the tough days.

Maybe you would like to join in and see what you can come up with. I promise you that as you reflect back, you will be astonished at how easy it will be to trace God's hand in your life! To join in on THANKFUL THURSDAY, link your post up below in Mr. Linky!

Growing Pains!

2011-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

When my son was young, he would complain of terrible leg pain when he would go to bed. He would wake me up with his crying, he would say, "I think my skin is trying to come off!" Of course his skin was not trying to come off, we came to the conclusion that what he was experiencing was growing pains.

There wasn't much we could do for his pain, he just had to endure it. Eventually his growing pains subsided but in the meantime, the best comfort I could give him was rubbing his legs and giving him a hug. Even though this act of love did not take away his pain completely, it helped him make it thru another night.

Many times, as growing Christians we also experience growing pains. Some people call it trials or tribulations. Trials or growing pains...either way you describe it, it is often very painful to go thru. But all the while that we struggle, or have pains in our lifes, God is using our situations to stretch us, to mold us, to make us better. To be more refined.

Just as my son found comfort in my acts of love, God also is comforting us during our times of pain. He understands what we are going thru and He stays right by our side thru it all. We may wonder why He doesn't take the pain and heartache from us, but it is in the midst of our pain that we often draw closest to Him.

Having spiritual growing pains is meant to soften our hearts and to give us more compassion towards others that may go thru the same difficulties in the future. Going thru trials brings humility to us and teaches us to depend upon God. Growing pains also can take the focus off of us and placed upon God and what His will is for our lives.

Without the pains of growing, we would not know how to trust Him or obey Him or even need Him.

ROMANS 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose."

It is during the growing pains of our christian journey that we feel the peace of God in our lives. Even though we can still feel the sting of the pain, we also feel the hand of God working in us and thru our situation.

Are you experiencing some growing pains today?

God is giving you a testimony...but you have to go thru the test first!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...Arise!

2011-11-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have often wondered about those disciples that Jesus took with Him to pray in those last hours. He asked them to stay awake and pray with Him, but as we all know, they fell down on their job. They could not stay awake, therefore, they were not able to accomplish what Jesus asked of them.

If I needed someone to do something so important and they were found asleep on the job, I would not be so understanding. But as I look at scripture I see that even though the disciples failed at this task, there was still more for them to do...

"Arise, let us be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand." - MARK 14:42

Even though the moment of urgency had passed, and the disciples failed in the one task that Jesus asked of them, there was still hope for them. In the above passage, Jesus did not dwell on the shortcomings of His followers, rather He recognized other duties still awaiting the disciples. Jesus calls them to ARISE to meet these needs.

Even though the disciples failed in one responsibility, there was no time to curl up and quit. There was no time to sink deep down in despair for failing their Master. The time was short, and they needed to stand up and meet the responsibility that still laid before them.

Sometimes, actually time and time again, I have failed my Master. It would be easy to throw in the towel and just give up. But like the disciples, I too, need to realize that it is time for me to just ARISE and continue on with the work that God has laid out before me.

I have failed Him in the past, and I will fail Him again. And so have you. Even on the darkest mornings, there is still light in the day to turn things around. So just ARISE and get going. There is still work to be done.

And this has been a piece of my heart today;

THANKFUL THURSDAY...surely our God is able!

2011-11-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

I tried moving a very large piece of furniture by myself, but I failed. It was too heavy, it was too hard for just one person to do.

Have you ever tried to do something that was just too hard?

For instance, have you ever wondered if you could lift up a car off of a crushed person? Would you be able to find a lost pearl ring buried in the sand at the beach? Seem impossible to do?

You may not have had to do either of those difficult things, but many of you have been faced with some other very hard things in life. Hard things like the loss of a job, sickness and even death. All of these are difficult for us to bear, but for God, there is nothing too difficult. Even in the loss of jobs and in the loss of a loved one, God is able to see us thru.

Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV)"Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you."

Jeremiah recognized that no matter how much he exercised his muscles that it was God, not him, that was the strong man. God can easily arm wrestle any need that we have. He did it for Jeremiah and He will do it for us.

God made the heavens and the earths for Pete's sake...what could we possibly have that could be harder than that for God? He holds everything in His palm, not just the stars and the moon, but He also holds our sorrows, our fears, our trials, and our tears in His palm.

If we can trust Him for the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, then why can we not trust Him with everything else? Things may seem difficult and too hard for you my friend, but trust me, nothing that you face today is too difficult for God. Surely He is able....

With the Thanksgiving holiday coming in just 2 short weeks, I am reminded that some of us are in a battle right now. Some of us are struggling financially. And some of us will not have family, friends or even a turkey to share a meal with on Thanksgiving Day. Even in the midst of our despair, we must remember that He is able. He will meet our needs and He will provide. I don't know how. I don't know when. But I know that He will. I am so thankful today that nothing is too difficult for Him!

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY, please join your grateful heart with ours as we all link up our TT posts here today. If you are in a situation that is too difficult for you, listen to the song that I have uploaded from Gaither Homecoming, may it remind you that surely our God is able!

Answering the call!

2011-11-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Last night my husband got an unexpected call. Just as he was about to get ready to go to bed, his work called and needed him to come in and cover someones shift. He wasn't expecting to have to do that so he was not dressed for the part. After a quick trip to our closet he found what he needed to look the part...his scrubs. He was now ready to answer the call.

Sometimes I think as Christians, we try to dress the part. We try to walk a certain way, talk a certain way, pray a certain way and even dress a certain way.

As a young girl, I use to think that holiness had something to do with the outer appearance. One of the holiest ladies that I knew, (the pastors wife), always had everything together. Her clothes were the finest, her hair was never out of place, her nails were always filed and painted pretty and every Sunday she was in her place (at the piano). She didn't say much, but she always had a smile on her face. To me, as a young girl, this was the perfect picture of holiness.

As I got older, I quickly realized that make up, clothes and having the ability to play an instrument has absolutely nothing to do with holiness. I also realized that those who stand up on the platform are not always the perfect person that we all so often put up on a pedestal. Holiness is not the outer appearance.

Unfortunately, there are alot of people who think like I did when I was younger. We are looking inside the walls of the church and we are defining what holiness is by what we see or by what we don't see. But the truth of it is, it doesn't matter how much make up we apply or how many designer clothes we wear, holiness is not something that we can acquire by changing our wardrobe or looks. We cannot just dress the part.

The more we read God's Word and understand His ways, the more our attitudes and behaviors change. The closer we walk with Him, the more we will come to realize that holiness has absolutely nothing to do with our outer appearance but it has everything to do with what resides on the inside.

Holiness is something that only God can identify and define. God looks past our outer shell, He looks at our heart. He sees what is pure and what is unclean. None of us, even on our best days, can obtain holiness in our own strength. To be holy is a change of heart, it is an indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. It is an obedience to His will and call on our lives. These are all things that occur inside and not on the outside.

Even though holiness starts on the inside, it should also seep to the outside for others to see. But we must remember that on our own, holiness is impossible to acquire. We cannot just dress the part, when we get the call to obey Him, we must go as we are and let Him adorn us with His blood and His power.

^{2 TIMOTHY 1:9 (niv)"}He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time."

Are you ready to answer the call?

What's that knocking at the door?

2011-11-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been startled by an unexpected knocking at your door?

Several years ago, my husband and I were sitting alone in our family room watching late night television when we were startled by a rapping at our door. Because the hour was late, my husband told me to stay in the family room while he checked it out. He peeked out the window, but saw no car. He slowly opened the front door, but found nobody to be at the door. He stepped out onto the front step and looked to the right and to the left, but saw no one.

He came back into the house, perplexed. Possibly it was a neighbor child pulling a prank. After a few minutes had passed, we heard it again. (rap rap rap) Again my husband goes to the door, but finds no one to be there.

My husband was determined to catch whoever was disturbing our household at such a late hour. This time he waited by the door, ready for the next rapping on the door to jump out and grab whoever has been knocking at our door. A few minutes pass and sure enough the pranksters come back ... rap, rap, rap at the door. My husband flings the door open and jumps outside...but nobody was there.

It turns out, a short time later, that we discover that the rap, rap, rap at the door wasn't anybody at all trying to pull a prank. Actually it was our pet dog, who was laying against another door in the house and when she would scratch, she would hit the door making the rap, rap, rap sound.

That is about one of the funniest stories I love to tell about how my husband tried to catch the midnight intruder who insisted on rapping on our door but never would come in. As funny as that is, the truth is that many of us are doing the same thing but it isn't funny at all.

Many times we rap on God's door, we ask for blessings, healing and provision but then we don't really expect them. We knock but we never really intend to enter. And we aren't satisfied with knocking just once, but we come back again and again. Knocking, asking for an answer but then we just run away. We don't stand still and wait for the door to open.

I don't know why we flee after we have knocked on God's door. Maybe it is because we fear the outcome, or afraid that God will not answer our need or He may not even hear us. So we find it easier to just walk away.

Luke 11:9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

The truth is that we cannot expect God to answer our runaway knocks. He didn't promise that...He said that we should keep knocking and knocking until He opens the door.

May we become more persistent in our prayers and come to Him fully expecting. And when He opens the door, may we not run away but walk thru the door.

THANKFUL THURSDAY...let the thanks begin!

2011-11-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

It is that time of the year again when the leaves begin to fall, the weather gets cooler and we get closer to the holidays. In November, we turn our heart towards the Thanksgiving holiday, the special time that we eat turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie. But that isn't all. Thanksgiving time is also a time that we turn our heart towards the good things in our life and we offer up thanks.

However, Thanksgiving is not just a day or a special meal. Thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart.

Farmers have the right kind of attitude when it comes to giving thanks. They plow the land, they plant the seeds, they work the land and while they wait for the harvest...they give thanks. They thank God for the plenty that will come their way in a few months. We also need to give thanks, even when we haven't seen the harvest yet. We may not have everything in our house that we want, but we still need to have a thankful heart. Look at what David said about this...

"I will thank you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High"(Psalm 9:1-2, NLT)

God loves to hear our thanks! I would imagine that when we do not express our thanks to Him it is much the same as when our own children fall short on giving thanks to us for the things we do for them.

When my children were young, often times my day as a mother was full of running around doing things for them. Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, driving to school, going to the store, making doctor appointments, baking cookies, helping them study for a test, paying for sports uniforms, taking them to their ball practices, taking them to McDonald's for lunch, etc, etc. And many times all of this was done with no thanks given. Sometimes I noticed the seemingly ungrateful heart of my young ens, but yet I kept on doing these selfless love acts over and over again, because I wanted to.

As great as my love is for my children, our Heavenly Fathers love is even greater. He does things for us because He wants to and His deeds are awesome. Even when we cannot see the harvest, we can know that He has a marvelous work in store. May we continually give thanks to Him for His goodness! Not just on Thanksgiving but may we give thanks with a very grateful, THANKFUL heart. Daily.

Today I am hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY, and I would encourage you to stop and give Him thanks today. Even for those things that you are still waiting to happen. God not only loves a cheerful giver but He cherishes a grateful heart! We would love to hear from you today, share your grateful heart with us here at TT by linking up your grateful post!

Choosing to NOT be offended!!

2011-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am sure all of us can say that we all know someone who gets offended easily. Seems like no matter what is said, or how it is said, there is a risk in communication that may lead to someone walking away upset, hurt or misunderstood.

I use to be a person that got my feelings hurt easily. But to be quite honest, God showed me that it is not good to always wear our hearts on our sleeves or to be easily offended. One thing that I learned early on in ministry is that from time to time we just need to have thick skin. Sometimes we have to let things go in one ear and out the other. Other times we just have to let things roll off our back, so to say. If I could quote a not so christian saying right here to make my point,

"We gotta know when to hold em and know when to fold em." (Kenny Rogers)

Sometimes we just have to know when to walk away. Kenny was talking about gambling, but I am talking about life and knowing that there is a time to just walk away from always having hurt feelings.

Some people hurt others intentionally, but I have found that most people who hurt our feelings are not even aware that they do. Sometimes I wonder if offense is put on us by others or if we, ourselves, are responsible for being offended? When words are spoken, do you jump to conclusions and choose to be offended?

Taking offense is a choice that we each make...

PROV. 18:11 "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook offense."

God is saying that we have another choice other than being offended with others. Instead of allowing offense to harbor in our hearts towards people which in turn usually grows into anger, bitterness and resentment, we can instead choose to see past the words and actions of others. We can look into the heart.

What is really going on...are they just mean spirited or is there a hidden issue that is below the surface? Instead of being angry at the words or actions, can we listen and try to find resolve?

This past year God has seen me thru some things that has softened my heart towards hurting people. When we can see past the hurt, and even the hurtful words people often speak, we will be able to see their heart. It is the heart that God is most concerned with. We cannot continue to go thru life allowing others to offend us, it will keep us from seeing things like God sees things.

Words spoken (whether ill intended or not) is not what causes offense. Offense happens when we make a choice to allow words of others to take root in our hearts. It is our responsibility to stop words entering our heart and infecting it with anger, malice or bitterness. God is pleased when we make this choice to not allow offense to control our heart and our life.

This choice is a win-win situation. Instead of allowing offense to control us, we now control it. We can now do what Kenny Rogers was saying..."know when to hold em and know when to fold em"!

Let the words go, just let them go. Choose to NOT be offended!

Domino effect!

2011-10-31T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have always been fascinated by people who can make amazing things out of dominoes. Each domino is placed with such precise thought, it cannot just be placed anywhere, it needs to be placed in the right spot, with the right amount of spacing between the next domino.

Have you ever seen someone turn an entire room into a domino sensation?

It is amazing how with just the touch of the first domino it affects the rest of the tiles. They Climb up hills, cross over domino made bridges, go down slopes, create a smiling face or a spinning pinwheel. The domino effect keeps going until the very last domino is turned over.

In life, not all domino effects are as exciting as this.

The dominoes in our lives are usually termed as trials and tribulations. It seems like one comes right after another, much like a domino effect. It seems like one problem bumps into another and then another. But like the clever game of domino building, with each bump, strength and endurance is revealed. But only if the foundation is laid properly.

James speaks of such domino endurance...

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." -JAMES 1:2-4

In the art of making a great domino creation, you cannot take shortcuts. In fact, you must be patient and diligent. The same is true in the domino effect of life, there is no shortcut, there is no such thing as "instant" endurance. The pain brought on by disappointments, failures and unexpected loss is the long road to maturity. There is no other road to take. One domino will affect the next. One pain leads to strength, another leads to perseverance, while another leads to faithfulness. The second trial is as life molding as the first. God will mold us, teach us and heal us in each bump along the way.

It is fair to say that with each domino (life trials and tribulations) we must learn to endure them rather than escape them! However, our foundation must be Jesus Christ, or else our domino effect could have a negative outcome.

What kind of dominoes are you facing today?

THANKFUL THURSDAY...faithful servant!

2011-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, God brought across my path two very special ladies. Iris and Lynn. Even though we have never met in person, our hearts and passions were almost instantly connected. The kindred spirit that I first felt with these ladies happened right here...on THANKFUL THURSDAY. It has been my privilege to work side by side with these two inspiring women not only here on TT but also over at LACED WITH GRACE.

When I think about Iris and Lynn, I think of one word...faithful.

Both of these ladies have been faithful in praying over all of the participants on Thankful Thursday as well as the readers of their personal blog sites. Not only that, they have been faithful to bring to you their passion and joy and love of Christ thru their devotional writings every week.

Being faithful is an incredible characteristic to have.

These two ladies are only just a few of the awesome, passionate and faithful women that make up this great ministry that Thankful Thursday has become.

I have heard it said that our government is looking for a few good men...but honestly, God is not only looking for some good men (and women) but He is looking for some men and women that are faithful! In today's world, trustworthiness, dependability and commitment are hard traits to come by. Yet, God longs for His children to be faithful to the call on their lives.

2 CHRONICLES 16:9 "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."

God is eager to bless those who are sold out to following His plan for their lives. Sometimes God takes us thru different seasons. Our faithful writer and host Lynn is entering a new season as God is opening up doors of opportunity for her in her ministry over at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

Her trustworthiness, dependability and commitment will continue on, just in a new venue. With that said, and today being Lynn's last time to host THANKFUL THURSDAY, I would like to say a BIG thank you to Lynn for answering the call, and for being willing to be not just A faithful servant but HIS faithful servant.

Thank you Lynn for your many words of encouragement and we look for great more things to come from your ministry! ((hugs))

Please visit Lynn who is hosting TT today and let her know how much you appreciate her faithful heart and her uplifting words! CLICK HERE!

Taking a dip in dirty water!

2011-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year that people are closing up their swimming pools. If they haven't already done so, they are in the process. Fall and Winter is definitely not a time to take a dip in the pool, well not here in the south. During the summer months, swimming pools are very inviting with their crystal clear waters. There is nothing like a dip in the pool on a hot summer day. But even on the hottest of days, if a pool has been neglected, there is no way I am enticed to jump in for a swim.

I remember one summer, we went out of the country for a missions trip. We cleaned the pool before we left, but because nobody tended to it while we were gone for over 2 weeks, it looked alittle different when we came back to it. Twigs and leaves were the remains of a thunderstorm that swept thru while we were gone. The dust and dirt that blew in from the high winds left the waters dark and murky. There was NO WAY any of us were going to set foot in that water until it got cleaned.

We have this same kind of thinking spiritually sometimes.

If there are dark, murky waters, we want to stay clear and not step foot into it. But often times, God asks us to go places that may seem dark and do some things that may seem dreary. He may even ask us to step our foot in places that we may seem uncomfortable with or that we may think there is NO WAY we would go there or do that.

When God asks us to step into the water, He is not worried about the condition of the water as much as He is our obedience.

I am reminded of Naaman. He was sick in body and he had to step into the water to be healed. But not just any water. Back in Damascus, he had clean water. But that water would not suffice. Elisha gave specific instructions to Naaman, and Naaman had a choice to make. To receive healing he would have to step into the dirty river of the Jordan.

I wonder how many of us would have done what Naaman had to do?

Would we turn our nose up to the dirty water or would we be obedient? Stepping into the dirty water was just the first step for Naaman, obedience soon followed when Elisha said for him to immerse in the water not once, not twice but seven times!

II Kings 5:14 "Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child and he was clean."

Don't you know that Naaman's healing had nothing to do with the condition of the water? It had everything to do with the condition of his heart and his obedience. Sometimes in order to receive our healing or answer to our prayer, God may ask us to take a little dip in some dirty water.

Naaman had to dip seven times.. how many times would you be willing to dip for your answer?

A PIECE OF MY HEART...Moving thru the fog!

2011-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, as I drove to work, I drove right thru a very thick fog. The thickness of the white fog made it very difficult to see what was ahead, but because I drive this same road every day, I felt like I could find my way.

The thing about a dense fog is that we can't see things that are familiar to us. I could not see the stop light that I knew was right ahead. I couldn't see the big oak tree that I knew was to the right. Even though I couldn't see these things, I still crept along my way.

Eventually I worked my way thru the white blanket and came up on the stoplight. You see, even though I could not see it, it was still there. It was just covered up by the fog. The stoplight didn't move. Neither did the big Oak tree. It was only my view that was altered.

The same is true in our spiritual life.

Many times difficulties came our way and it may feel like we are just wandering around in a deep, dense fog. Financial burdens, loss of a job, sickness in family, relationship problems, divorce, miscarriage, depression ... the list could go on and on. The stress and pressure that comes with such problems leaves us feeling like we cannot see the stable things in our life, because the fog (the problem) is too intense.

But the truth of the matter is that if we just keep moving, like I did in traffic yesterday, we will find that the familiar things of our faith are still standing strong. God's love is still intact. His hope has not moved. His faithfulness, His grace and His provision are still standing strong. Eventually the fog will lift, and then we will see that all of these things are still present, they haven't moved at all, our vision was just blurred as we traveled thru the fog.

All of us go thru sudden storms in life, even some that leave us feeling like we are in a deep fog, but thru it all God is always near. He never leaves us or forsakes us. We can be assured that He is leading us and directing our path as we keep moving. We have to take our eyes off of the fog and look for Him, even when we can't see Him, we must know that He is still there!

Psalm 121:1-2,8 "I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and for evermore." NIV

Loving deeper and wider.

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

We are to not only love God with all of our heart, soul and strength but we are to also love our neighbor as yourself...

LUKE 10:27 He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

This is not a new concept to me. I have read this scripture many times. I have even written on this subject before. So what was different about God's Word this time?

I would say what was different was defining whom my neighbor actually is. When I have read "love my neighbor as myself," I often have thought about the little retired couple who lives next door or the young couple who lives across the street. Yes these are my neighbors (literally) but our neighborhood extends so much further than just our street. In fact, Jesus defined "neighbor" as anyone who we live with or come in contact with.

When you allow that to penetrate your mind and your heart, you just may want to repent as I wanted to. Sometimes our "neighbors" or those we live with or come in contact with seem unlovable. They may even do some unloving things or say unloving things to us. But according to Jesus, we are to still love them. Love them to a degree that matches how much we love ourselves.

When I think about my life I see how careful I am in taking measures to make sure I am healthy, happy and secure. Each day I get plenty to eat. Each night I get adequate sleep. If I am sick, I go to the doctor to get medicine. If I am sad, I do something fun and happy to bring joy back to my life. I work hard so that my future can be secure, not just financially but physically and spiritually. I do all that I can do to take care of the needs in my life.

It is so easy to take care of ME! But what about those people that I come in contact with (my neighbors), how easily is it for me to take care of them?

How many times do I see someone sick, but yet I do not pray for them. How many times do I see someone in my family in need, but I do not sacrifice to help them out. How many times do I see someone struggling or even depressed, but yet I do not stop my busy life and offer them hope or just a shoulder to cry on. How many times do I see someone going hungry, both physically and spiritually, but yet I do not offer them food for strength.

I feel my hunger pains, but not theirs. I feel my pain, but not theirs. I see my distress, but not theirs. Many times it is difficult to love others because we simply do not love ourselves. We love ourselves enough to take care of the basic needs that we have. But we simply do not love ourselves like God loves us.

If we are to really comprehend this passage about loving others like we love ourselves than we must understand what legitimate self-love is. Nobody is to be excluded from our love, not even ourselves. If we value God's creation and His gifts, we must value ourselves as one of His gifts. If God, by grace, finds us worthy to love, then we should also love ourselves.

With the same measure, if God loves us so much to save us, forgives us and bless us, we not only need to accept His love and forgiveness but we must extend it to ALL those we come into contact with.Our neighbors. If God sees value in us, we must acknowledge the value in others. Who they are, what they have done, what they have said holds no condition to whether or not we should love them.

"We love because He first loved us." -1 John 4:19

I need to love deeper. and wider. and I need to love ALL of those whom I live with or come in contact with. My neighbors, may I have a heart like His heart for all of them.

CAUTION: danger ahead!

2011-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult things for me to accept is that in order to love myself, I just may need to set boundaries.

Saying "No" to requests and stress takes alot of courage for some of us. Not all stress and requests made to us are for us to take upon our shoulders and bear.

Loving ourselves may have a "selfish" ring to it, but quite to the contrary, loving ourselves is anything but selfish when applying God's Word. In order to love others, we MUST love ourselves. Not once, not twice, but eight times God's Word says "Love your neighbor as you love yourself." (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8)

So it is safe to say that how we love others is contingent on how well we love ourselves.

Often times I find myself running ragged and allowing people, their attitudes and their demands to completely stress me out. Sometimes to the point of stress induced headaches and a loss of joy in my life. What I need in my life is a few yield signs. Signs that will help me to slow down, say no where no needs to be said and when people cross over a boundary line, I need to put in place a few road blocks.

Jesus understood the need to set limits.

He did not allow others to dictate His purpose or His agenda. In fact, when Jesus mother and brothers attempted to divert Him from His ministry. (Matthew 12:46-50) He resisted.

Even the crowd tried to throw Him off the cliff when He claimed to be the Messiah. (Luke 4:28-30)
But he escaped them.

When Peter told Jesus He would not have to suffer. (Matthew 16:21-22) He rebuked him.

3 things that we can learn from Jesus when it comes to setting boundaries...

1. Jesus knew His purpose 2. He knew when to walk away 3. and He understood God's plan.

Boundaries will help us to achieve these things in our lives. The hardest boundaries to set in motion are those with people closest to us. Those we work with, our friends, and even our family. Jesus had to set limits with those closest to Him, so why do we think we won't have to do that also?

LUKE 14:35 (ESV) You must decide if you can leave everything you have to follow me. If not, you cannot be my follower! "Salt is a good thing. But if the salt loses its salty taste, then you can't make it salty again. It is worth nothing. You can't even use it for soil or for plant food. People throw it away.

Boundaries keep us safe. Not only on the highway but on the road of life also. But we must be willing to adhere to the signs.

LWG...Keep swimming, just keep swimming!

2011-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today I have shared a devotion over at LACED WITH GRACE, entitled "Keep swimming, just keep swimming"...

"There are so many things in this world that I just do not understand. For instance, I do not understand how electricity flows thru the wall and makes a light turn on. I also do not understand how I can place a seed in the ground and after a short time, a beautiful flower blossoms. Some things are just hard to understand, but yet, some amazing things come out of it..."

To read the entire post, CLICK HERE!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...there's no place like home!

2011-10-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorite musicals to see is "Wizard of Oz". A couple of years ago, it was performed at our local Orpheam studio, ~~for days~~, for weeks I went around the house singing all of the songs and clicking my heels and saying "There's no place like home, there's no place like home!"

Even though Dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow and the lion (and Toto too) are all made up characters, the thought behind "There's no place like home" rings true sometimes. I have found that to be true this past week.

I have been away from my home for the past 7 days, even though I am away on a happy note, I still miss it. Last week on TT, I wrote about the waiting and anticipation of the birth of our first grandchild. Later that day (last Thursday) we arrived in Tulsa, 6 hours from our home, to await the birth of our sweet Anabell. She finally made her appearance at 3:06 am on Friday, weighing in at 7#8oz 20 inches long.

It has been a long 7 days, which 4 of them have been going back and forth to the hospital. Tulsa is a wonderful place, but it just isn't home for me. Home can be alot of things to alot of people. Maybe you live in a house, or an apartment or a mobile home. The place isn't really what makes it home, it is your heart, your passion and your love...now that makes it a home! And my heart and passion is back home where my husband is, where our ministry is, where our life is.

I am just visiting here. Anybody can recognize that I am not from "around here", because I don't know where anything is. I have to get directions to just go to the store. I am not familiar with my surroundings or even the people. I can stand in the middle of the local Wal-mart and be a complete stranger to everyone. It isn't like that at my local Wal-mart, I am bound to run into lots of familiar faces there.

As I was thinking about this, I realized that the reason I feel like a stranger here in Tulsa is because it is not familiar ground. This is not my home. But neither is Arkansas where my drivers license says I reside. My home is not here, this is just temporary. If its true that "there is no place like home," then I know that nothing is going to compare to our heavenly home.

"I heard a loud voice shout from the throne: God's home is now with his people. He will live with them, and they will be his own. Yes, God will make His home among his people." (Revelation 21:3)

But before we can be familiar with the vastness and greatness of our new home over there, we must be familiar with the One Who holds the deed to our mansion while here.

"I promise you that you cannot get into God's kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does." -Mark 10:15

Are you ready to see your home? There is no other place like it in this world! But we have to be familiar with it or we might miss out on the greatest home we could ever have!

Today Lynn is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY. I am thankful for the place that God has prepared for me, one day I will see it face to face and it will be more beautiful than I ever imagined it to be. Share your grateful heart with us by linking up. And if I don't meet you face to face here (in Tulsa, or Arkansas or wherever you live)...I will meet you over there. In the promised land. :)

THANKFUL THURSDAY...good things come to those who wait

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

I can't think of too many people who like to wait for things. If this wasn't so, then we wouldn't have so many fast food restaurants, drive up pharmacies and nowadays you can even drive up to get your flu shot!

The worst kind of waiting isn't the 6 minute delay in the drive thru window waiting on your french fries, if any of you have had to wait for an excited expectation like a wedding, or a child to be born or a loved one to return from war, then you know what kind of intense waiting I am talking about.

We are in one of those intense waiting periods right now in our family. I have experienced this excited moment of "hurry up" waiting before when we stood in the airport awaiting the arrival of our airman son to come home from the Air Force after being in South Korea for a year! As a mother, I cannot tell you how every minute, every second that passed by of waiting was so incredibly intense. I thought his plane would never land.

Again, here I find myself in that waiting stage, waiting upon the arrival of our first grandchild. My son called last week and anticipated the precious delivery to arrive by the weekend. That was almost a week ago. The waiting is almost unbearable. But just like that plane eventually landed, I know our precious cargo will be safely delivered in just a short time.

Personally I do not like to wait. Waiting makes me feel like I don't have control, I like things to be on my timeline, but that isn't always possible. But one thing that I have learned about waiting is that in due time, all good things come to those who wait.

At times, God makes me wait for things. And at times it is very unbearable because I don't always understand His timing. But in the end, after the wait is over, I can always see that the waiting was worth it.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)

I love the fact that even though we may be waiting for something, that we can trust in Him enough for our circumstance. Even though our circumstances may change, He never does. And for that I am truly thankful. And thankful that in my times of waiting, He has given me joy, hope and peace!

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and Lynn is hosting this month. Share your grateful heart with us by linking up HERE!

Taking the trash out!

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

It amazes me how much trash just 3 of us have in this house. It seems like just as one bag is carried out to the trash bin, another bag is almost full. The thing about trash is that nobody ever wants to take it out. In fact, it is the least admired chore in our house. Many times we try to cram that extra piece of paper in the trash bag before taking it out.

Sometimes we have to take out the trash even before the bag is full because it becomes smelly and gross. Nobody has to remind us to do it, all we have to do is walk in the house and by the odor we know it is time to dispose of the trash.

Can you imagine what it would be like if we just ignored that smell and just let the trash overflow? If we never took it out, we would have a nasty mess on our hands. The same is true in our spiritual life...

"Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you." James 1:21

James reminds us that the trash that we allow in our lives almost always leaves a stench and the only way to clean it up is to remove it. Often times though, we don't recognize the smell until the trash is overflowing in our lives. Much like the trash can, we just keep piling more and more trash in, trying to cram as much as possible in before taking it out (or removing it).

This is why it is so important to do what James also says in verse 21..."humbly accept the Word planted in you, which saves you." Knowing God's Word and applying it in our lives is like the air freshener that we spray sometimes around the trash can. Once the garbage is out, a new, fresh aroma can be smelt.

And what a fragrance His Spirit leaves!

Take a moment to reflect on your life today and ask God to reveal any trash that may be needing to be taken out. Ask Him to help clean it up before it overflows and becomes a unbearable stink.

A PIECE OF MY HEART...a brand new day

2011-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine what it would be like if each morning was brand new?

No worries of yesterday. No past due bills. No extended illness. Things of yesterday, both good and bad, were gone. Instead of smelling the brewing of a the pre-set coffee maker, we smell nothing but freshness and newness much like a brand new car smell.

Can you imagine opening your eyes and not having to think about the carpool, finding money to pay for the kids braces, or remembering the mistakes of your past? Sounds like a marvelous day, but probably not reality for most of us. Most of us awake in the morning with the same burdens and regrets and disappointments as we went to bed with. But it doesn't have to be like that.

God's Word says that "This is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24) Each day is new. With God we can leave our mistakes, our sorrows and our burdens in the past and live today with joy, love and grace. Each morning instead of waking up to the smell of coffee, we can wake up to the smell of His Spirit.

Psalm 90:14-16 (NLT)
Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory.

One of the reasons it is difficult to see each day as a new day is because many of us wake up meditating upon the things of yesterday. Our worries. Our problems. Our past. Instead of committing to God those things that we have no control over, and asking Him to forgive us of our sins, we wallow in them and drag them with us from Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday...you get it. And before long, the days, the weeks and maybe even years now have become a drudgery instead of a joyful encounter.

There is much satisfaction in starting our day out giving Him praise and seeking what He has for us. Satisfaction is not found in the world, even though that is where most of us look for satisfaction. Worldly satisfaction is temporary, but being satisfied with what God has for you today is so rewarding, fulfilling and like a fresh breath of air.

With each sunrise, our hope is in knowing that each of our tomorrows is secure in Him and it is up to us whether or not we accept the free gift of each day that He gives us.

Got worries from yesterday? Today is a brand new day!

The truth, the whole truth...so help me God!

2011-10-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed the swearing in of someones testimony in the courtroom...

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth ... so help you God?"

I was wondering if the judicial system still honored God in that statement, so I asked my good friend who is a court reporter and she said "Yes, they still do." I was glad to hear that God still remains when it comes to seeking truth.

There is something about speaking the truth that I noticed, in the courtroom anyway, is that swearing (or pledging) to speak the truth is not enough. Raising your hand and pledging to God that what you are about to say is what is considered to be truth.

Face it, in today's world, the truth is sometimes difficult to spot. All we have to do is turn on the television and wonder about truth. During a political campaign, how can we know if the candidates are speaking the truth? How do we know if their promises will come true? Or how about the advertisements that come on television...how do we know that a certain detergent will get our whites the whitest?

Their word is simply just not enough. Our word isn't enough. It takes more than our word to express truth. We must see proof. We must have evidence. We must have some kind of experience with the person or the product that is in question. If we could just see with our own eyes, than we might be able to see the absolute truth.

Absolute truth from man is not always easy to attain. First, you have people who stretch the truth on purpose, for their own gain or to cover something up. Then secondly, you have people who mistakenly shade the truth, possibly because they did not investigate enough or they themselves were not given the whole truth of the matter. Either way you look at it, the absolute truth is difficult to find. In man that is. The absolute truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth can only be found in God.

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His Glory...full of Grace and Truth." JOHN 1:14

Today, very few people believe in absolute truth. I believe that is because the darkness has filtered in and tried to disguise by deceit and masking lies as the truth. People today seem to fall for anything. The enemy is one of the best salesmen around...he can sell people on just about anything. But the Bible warns us that in the last days we will be easily fooled.

But there is only one absolute truth that can never be excused or distorted into something false and that is exactly what John is speaking about in the above mentioned passage. In order for us to know truth...we must know God. In order to know the truth about God ...we must know His Word. In order to believe His Word ... we must have faith. In order to have faith ... we must have a relationship with Christ.

If you ever find yourself in a situation that truth seems distorted, just remember what Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6) Put your trust in Him and His Word, for it is the absolute truth!

LACED WITH GRACE....moving day!

2011-09-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today you can find me over at LACED WITH GRACE where I have shared a devotion entitled, "Moving Day"! ...

"If you have ever moved from one house to another, you know how much work it is. This past summer we helped two of our sons move on two different occasions. We have lived in our current house for nearly 20 years and I had actually forgotten just how much work moving could be. The thing about moving is that almost everything needs to be boxed up. Not only boxed up but then when you get to the new place, unboxed. It is quite the work to figure out what is what and where it all belongs. If you don’t label the boxes, it could take days to figure it out. One of the things that I noticed about our moving adventures this past summer is that some of the boxes we moved came out of the storage area. To be quite honest, I think some of these boxes had not been opened since the last move. Isn’t that just like us to just move things from one place to another?" ...

CLICK HERE to read the entire post!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...burying the bone!

2011-09-28T20:02:00.000-07:00

We have 3 dogs. We have a large dog (a black mixed lab), a medium sized dog (a beagle) and a small dog (a silky terrier). As you can imagine they all compete with each other over everything. If we pet one...we have to pet all of them. If we feed one...we have to feed all of them. When we give them a treat....you guessed it, we give all of them one.

I love watching the dogs when we give them treats, each one does something different. The large one inhales it in one breath, the medium sized dog sniffs it first and then very gingerly enjoys her treat but the small one, she is the funny one. What she does with her treat is rather smart - she doesn't smell it, she doesn't inhale it, in fact what she does is she takes it and goes and buries it!

The problem is she really isn't burying it. She takes it and places on the floor in the corner of the family room, takes her nose and acts like she is burying it and then she sits and guards her treat. If one of the other dogs come near it, she "digs" it up and places it somewhere else. Except the whole while her treat is in complete view of everyone. It really isn't buried at all.

We laugh but isn't that exactly what we do sometimes?

We try to bury some things that don't need to be in our lives, the only problem is we just go thru the motions of burying it. The act of burying it sometimes isn't enough. When we just attempt to bury something but make no changes in our life, then it is still in the wide open for all to see, just like my little doggie does.

We can think that those burdens are buried, but in reality, they are still very much visible in our life. Not only to us but to others as well.

Many of us have "bones" in our life that we are guarding. We think if we could just keep it all to ourselves, nobody will see our "secret" place. The bones that we try to hide are things like emotional hurts, financial troubles, mourning of a lost loved one, loneliness, depression, and sometimes even sin.

If we are not careful, we can become like my little silky terrier and become consumed with our treats (our bones) (our burdens). We miss out on the joy because our "bones" have us so worried and fretful.

"Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest...for My yoke is easy and my burden light." MATTHEW 11,28,30

What a great encouragement to know that instead of focusing on my bones (my problems), I can focus on Him and He will give me peace. I am so thankful for His rest and His peace!

Do you have some bones that need to get buried? Completely buried!

IRIS is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY this week. Please share your grateful heart with us over there today. Next week we will meet at Lynn's place for the month of October. What an awesome blessing to see so many thankful hearts...join us, won't you?

A PIECE OF MY HEART...changing my perspective

2011-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have always heard the age old question..."Is the glass half empty or half full?" I usually saw it as half full, but yet many of you probably saw it different. You may have saw it half empty.

Which is right?

I don't know that either one is right or wrong. It is just different.

I think many times we encounter things and even people, that have different perspectives than we do. Its not that their way is right or wrong...it is just different.

Often times, when we come across situations that cause differences of opinion, we look at it like strife or condemnation. We might even take on a judgemental attitude of judging the motives of others rather than looking at it like the glass illustration. Having differences of opinion is not wrong but how we handle those differences is what gets us in trouble most of the time.

I am a peacemaker. I struggle with people who run from making peace. The "it's my way or the highway" mentality just doesn't cut it in the Kingdom of God, this should never be our attitude. We are on the same team. If we cannot get along down here, how are we going to walk the streets of gold up there arm in arm?

It is amazing to me how two people can look at the same cloud in the sky but yet see something different. One sees a sheep, while the other sees an angel flapping its wings. It really just depends on their perspective, I guess. Once you point out that you see a sheep in the clouds, the other might change positions and then they too can see what the other saw...a sheep! What changed? Their perspective!

But we have to be willing. It is not pleasing to God to have his children quarrelling, disagreeing and just not on the same page with each other.

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

Is your thinking so rigid that all you can see is a half empty glass? It just might be time to ask God to help you change your perspective..I am asking Him to help me see things like He sees things. Differently.

And this has been a piece of my heart today;

Meet me at the church!

2011-09-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

At the young age of 17, her best friend asked her to meet him at the church. It was there that he took her hand and made a promise to love, honor and adore her for the rest of his days. That was 30 years ago and so far that promise has not been broken.

That 17 year old young girl was me, and my best friend is still my best friend after all of these years except now I also call him husband and father of our children.

30 years of marriage bliss. I know what you are thinking, 30 years of love, adoration and honor sounds almost too good to be true. It sounds like a fairy tale. I guess in a sort, it has been a fairy tale, except in my real life fairy tale, everything isn't always perfect.

Perfect isn't always what it is cracked up to be. After all, if things were always perfect, there would be nothing to work at or improve. Right? See, this might explain the high rate of divorce in our society. People are looking for a fairy tale that is perfect and if that is not what they get, they bail out. Instead of adhering to the godly principle for marriage as we see in the book of Genesis, society has given us excuses to break away from God's divine plan for man and woman...

But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called ‘woman’, for she was taken out of man." (Genesis 2:18-25)

I like what Matthew Henry has to say about this... "Not made out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved."

Matthew Henry in such an eloquent way summed up exactly what makes a marriage last 30 years and more. It not only takes love, honor and adoration but it also takes faithfulness, commitment and making good choices. The first and most important chose in marriage to ensure its longevity is choosing to put God at the head of your marriage.

When you combine all of these ingredients, your marriage can most certainly be fulfilling and even though not all of your days will be perfect, I can promise you it will be a beautiful fairy tale with a prince (your hubby) and a princess (you) and a King (God). Living happily ever after!

Happy Anniversary to my prince.

He is not only my rib but my life!

Beware .. Snakes present!

2011-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier today, as my husband worked out in the back yard, he found a snake. It was slithering in the grass and because of the camouflage color of its skin it was almost difficult to recognize.

Once my husband spotted it, he was able to pick it up and while I was inside the house, I could still hear him hollering, "I caught a snake!" He wanted to show it to me and my daughter. Of course we weren't as interested in it as he was. He wasn't sure what kind of snake it was, so he found a container to put it in. I asked him why he just didn't kill it? He said, "I'm not gonna kill it until I find out what kind it is. If it is not poisonous, there is no reason to kill it."

I guess I see his reasoning. My reasoning would be different. It's a snake. In my yard. I don't like snakes. Kill it!

The Bible refers to the enemy as a serpent. A snake. And just like that slithering snake tried to camouflage himself in our grass, the serpent (the enemy) also deceives us by camouflaging himself as something else. He often slithers around and surprises us when we least expect it. How absurd would it be if the enemy pre announced his arrival..."Laurie, I am going to come and attack you tomorrow at noon. So be ready!" That's not how it works. The enemy lurks around to rob, steal and destroy. Most of the time people are not even aware of his work. He likes to camouflage his work. Many times in our mind, we can even justify his evil schemes. All along missing the mark that the serpent is leaving behind.

When it comes to dealing with the sneaky serpent, often times we are like my husband was with that little snake found in the grass. We want to hold onto it. Show it off. We don't want to dispose of it.

But do you know what kind of danger that puts you in when you do that? Poisonous or not, a snake is a snake. Snakes do what they are equipped to do and that is slither and hiss. There are no cute serpents slithering around you, your family and your ministry.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give to you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the authority of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you.

God has given us the authority to crush the sneaky ways of the devil. But we must be alert. Today after seeing that snake so close to my home, I have prayed and asked God to help me to have discernment in recognizing his sneaky ways. Often times he comes disguised as an "angel of light", it can be difficult to spot him among the saints. We must not rely upon our feelings, but only God's Word. Line everything up to God's Word, if it doesn't match up, then BEWARE...it just may be a snake!

LACED WITH GRACE...empty eggshells

2011-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today I have shared a devotion with the readers of LACED WITH GRACE entitled "empty eggshells"...
Sometimes there is nothing else we can do besides accepting that the old is gone and the new is what is best. An old, cracked, empty eggshell is not going to make scrambled eggs, but a fresh, new supply of eggs will do the trick. In the book of Mark, there is a passage that speaks about this very thing. Laying aside the old and finding purpose in the new...

CLICK HERE to read todays devotion!

Staying in the moment

2011-09-18T22:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those moments in life that you wished would last forever?

The good, happy kind of moments are like that. When things are going great in our life, we have lots of friends, the job is going great, our marriage is solid, the kids are healthy...on and on we can go with happy moments. It would be awesome to freeze frame these kind of moments and keep them forever.

But what about when the moments turn ugly, they turn bad, sad and lonely. The moments like receiving news of a loved ones death, or a loss of a job, or a repossession of your car. These are moments that we would like to see pass quickly from our life.

The thing about moments that I have learned, whether they are good or bad, is that all moments come and go. Often times we have to take the bad with the good, but in the end the crisis or the happy time will come to an end.

That's just life. Good times come. They go. Bad times come. They disappear also. It really isn't about the moment, as it is about how we allow the moments in our life to form us and define us.

If all we do is concentrate on the bad times in our life, no doubt we will be grumpy, distant and extremely unhappy. On the flip side of that, don't live in the world of "use to be". If you "use to" be happily married, or you "use to" be a successful business person ... it may be time to press in and move beyond your "moment of use to be's"!

Recently, God opened my eyes to see that sometimes I get caught up in my "use to be's". It has been hard for me to let go of something that has always been a part of me. I found myself caught up in the memories or "moments" that I shared in my past with certain people. Some of these moments (or memories) have been joyful and some have been hurtful. But even so, I kept going back to the moments that "use to be".

God had to show me, just like He showed Elisha that sometimes we have to move past the moments of our past and grab hold of the moments that await us. Elisha was holding onto the moments he shared with Elijah, until Elijah was caught up in a whirlwind to heaven. Just like that, the moment that Elisha was in quickly changed.

2 Kings 2:11 "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

There is one thing I am sure of and that is that moments in my life are going to change, and when they do I must be sure that my attention is not on so much the people or the circumstances of such moments, but that my focus is on Jesus Christ. It would have been easy for me to be in Elisha's shoes and worry and grumble and complain that Elijah was no longer with me, instead of seeing the power and the opportunity that God was placing upon me to create new moments in my life.

May we always remember the moments in our life, both good and bad, but may we never remain there. God has so much more for us than to live in the past. Good and bad things is what makes us who we are, trusting God for what is to come is what moves us from moment to moment. Don't be afraid to move past your moments.

THANKFUL THURSDAY...change of seasons

2011-09-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to something different. It seems that the hot, muggy nights of the southern summer has been altered. There was a coolness in the air that swept even thru the house. For the first time in months, I had to go turn the a/c down.

It is time for a season change. After a long hot and humid summer, it is a change that is very much welcomed.

Not every season change is welcomed. Some of us don't like cooler weather, for those who are like that, this season change will be difficult to embrace. It is no different than the seasons of life that we all encounter. Some are welcomed. And some are harder to embrace.

The weather is not the only thing changing around here. I have noticed a few changes when I look in the mirror every morning. The hair color is not what it use to be. Wrinkles have shown up in places that I never expected. Eating like I use to doesn't bring pleasure any longer, it just brings extra pounds to my hips.

I wouldn't say that some of these physical changes of becoming older is a welcomed change. But it is what it is. I can either embrace it and be happy and content or I can fight it, deny it and be miserable about it.

That's the thing about change. Whether it is the change in weather or change in our lives, change is bound to happen and there is not a whole lot that we can do about it. We can't control it. It is just something that happens. But what we can control is how we embrace change.

Change is not always a bad thing. It can be a good thing. It can propel us to do things that we never thought of before. It can take us out of our comfort zone. It can lead us to places and people that we never thought of before.

Alot of things change around us. The weather changes. Our jobs change. Friendships change. Life changes. Thru it all though, there is one thing that never changes and that is God. He never changes. He was. He is. And He always will be. He is the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. He is God and He is ever present in all of the changes that come our way.

REVELATION 1:8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega--the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come--the Almighty One."

Today I am thankful for the changes that He brings into my life that teaches, molds and corrects me. I am so thankful that even in these changes that He stands with me. Not just yesterday, but today and in all of my tomorrows.

Visit IRIS for THANKFUL THURSDAY and see what others are thankful for today!

Wisdom isn't always age

2011-09-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

I have always thought that the older you get, the wiser you will be. Until I got older and then I realized that age has nothing to do with the wisdom that you obtain. I know alot of 40 year old people who behave just as they did in their 20's. Wisdom often comes from hard knocks in life, making a choice to grow and depending upon the leading of the Holy Spirit

This can happen at any age.

“⁷ I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’ ⁸ But it is the spirit^[a] in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding. ⁹ It is not only the old^[b] who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right." Job 32:7-9

Just because someone is older, or more experienced does not necessarily make them wiser. It is the Holy Spirit that gives us wisdom and discernment. If we lose that connection of the Spirit that lives within us, then it doesn't matter where we are, what we do, or how many times we have done it! Without the Holy Spirit leading us, we lose a great cord of wisdom in our lives.

I don't know about you, but at age 47 I am not as wise as I need to be. I am leaning upon His understanding and leading to teach me wisdom. Even though age has nothing to do with wisdom, my obedience has everything to do with it.

Do you need some wisdom today? Ask Him, and see what He might teach you today!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...Soap

2011-09-08T06:57:00.000-07:00

As I tackled the huge pile of laundry, I got thinking about how blessed we are to have the modern-day conveniences of a washer, a dryer, and most importantly SOAP! Think about what your daily life would be like without such priveleges!

Your children would have nasty clothes to wear to school. Your husband would look a mess on the job. Not to mention what kind of smell would be coming from those dirty, unwashed clothes. Have you ever taken time to just thank God for the opportunity to launder your clothes? Usually we complain about it. Besides me, I just don't know too many people who enjoy doing laundry.

I love doing laundry. It is probably one of my most favorite household chores. There is just something about taking something that is soiled and washing it and folding it like it was something brand new. There is joy in that.

I would imagine that it somewhat resembles the joy of the Lord when one of His children who was lost in sin comes home. Think of one of your children, who has been playing out in the dirt and when he comes in, you take some soap and wash the dirt right off of them. I can just imagine you wrapping that warm, soft towel around their clean body, laughing and smiling with your child with such joy that they are once again clean and smelling good!

Soap. It does us good. It takes the dirt and the smell away. It makes us refreshed and renewed.

Same is true with the spiritual soap that God washes us with. We make mistakes and many times mess things up. Sometimes the messes we find ourselves in are just stinky. The Bible says that we are ALL sinners...

ROMANS 8:28 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

But the good news is that we can be just like our little children who come in from playing outside, we can come to our Father, with all of our messes, with the dirt that the world has left on us and He can pour His loving, saving and cleasning soap all over us and we can be washed as white as snow. That means our sins are forgiven, we can live a new life...refreshed and renewed.

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." ISAIAH 1:18

Aren't you thankful for His Soap?

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY, join your grateful heart with ours over at http://eph2810.com . Iris is our host this month!

Missing sock!

2011-09-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the socks? Somewhere between the washing machine and the dryer, they get lost. We have a "sock basket" that all of the stray socks get thrown into. I don't even know why we throw the socks in there, most of them never get matched.

I've been thinking about throwing away those old, useless socks. After all, what good is just one sock anyhow?

I didn't think that mismatched socks had a purpose, until one day I read an article online about the possible uses for socks. "101 uses of old socks" ... did you know that the number one use for such socks is sock puppets, followed by using old socks for cleaning rags. There are some very unusual ideas of how to use those old mismatched socks, one company makes purses out of socks! Amazing! Another company fills socks with potpourri and sells them as shoe deodorizers.

"One man's junk is another man's treasure!"

When I look at my basket of mismatched socks, I see a bunch of worthless, useless and missing socks. But to someone else, they may see possibility, something of value or worth.

Do you ever feel like a mismatched sock? Like you are useless, have no value and have no purpose. I think sometimes our circumstances can leave us feeling that way. When relationships fail, or we lose a promotion at work or the enemy just perches on our shoulder whispering small lies in our ears.."You have always been a loser", "Nobody cares about you!"

When we look in the mirror, we see junk, but God sees something totally different. He sees beauty, value, opportunity. He takes that mismatched sock feeling and turns it around for good. We just have to look past what we see and focus on what God sees.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

What are you thinking on?

A PIECE OF MY HEART...the master of the wind

2011-09-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a nice break from the blazing heat that we have endured here in the south. The temperatures dropped and there was a cool breeze outside. The effects of Storm Lee, no doubt. When I stepped outside, the wind was whipping around the leaves. Not only that, but the wind blew the papers out of my hand that I was holding. As I tried to grab the papers, a gush of wind blew them in a different direction. I must have darted to the left and then to the right at least 3 times before I was able to grab a hold of my papers.

It seems like the wind had control. Not only over my papers, but the wind had control over me.

I felt helpless (and even alittle embarrassed) as I was out in the yard dancing around in the wind. Sometimes this is also how I feel when the torrent winds of life come swirling around me. I feel helpless and sometimes even embarrassed that I cannot control the wind (the storms) in my life.

Just as I had no control over the wind blowing my papers all around, it is true that it is difficult to prevent the wind of adversity to blow also. It is virtually impossible to stop the storms from raging. The disciples found this out while out at sea. They discovered that Jesus does not always prevent storms from starting. But this does not mean that He is not in the storm with us.

"And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm." (Luke 8:24)

When I think about what it must have been like that day out on the water, I realize that without the winds and the storm, there would not have been anything for God to calm. The raging winds was the neccesary ingredient for the disciples to trust in God.

Same is true for the storms that you and I face. Without the thrashing wind and violent storms that come in and out of our lives, we would not be able to have a testimony of God's faithful promise that He is the Master of the wind.

There is no storm too fearsome that My God cannot calm. He is indeed the Master of the wind!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...the reason for living

2011-09-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

As a Mom, I have had to answer a tough question, "What's the purpose of this Mom?"

When my children were small and I asked them to pick up their toys..."Mom, what is the purpose, I'm just going to get them out again!" When my children were alittle bit older, I would ask them, "Did you do your homework?" only to hear them say, "What for Mom? even that won't help me understand it."

Isn't that exactly what we do sometimes. We often look at our life and ask, "What is the purpose?" and often times we come up with excuses of why we don't do certain things. "Why try, it won't make a difference!" "I'm not going to apply for that job because I won't get it."

When we feel less than average, or have low self esteem or low expectations, many times we short change ourselves. When I come up on a situation that seems nearly impossible, I have to remind myself that I can do anything that God strengthens me to do.

The same is true spiritually, many times I have felt God's tug on my heart to start up a new ministry in my church, or teach a class, or go witness to a complete stranger, but what my heart tells me to do is often overturned by the lack of self confidence that my mind tells me. My mind tells me, "You can't do that!" "You are not qualified!" "Who do you think you are?"

It is during these moments that I have to ask myself, "What is the purpose?"

Am I really making a difference in my world?
Do I have what it takes to turn my generation towards God?
What does it really matter the little insignificant things that I do?

If you have ever asked these questions, let me reassure you that every small part that you do is important. There is no little seed when it comes to the Kingdom of God. From cleaning the toilets at your church to leading someone at the altar in a sinners prayer...each and every step is important. And everything that you contribute has a purpose.

As a Christian, I have asked God many times what His purpose is for my life. Sometimes God reveals to us alittle bit at a time what His purpose is, the important thing is that we keep seeking His purpose and remember that for every step that we take, it is leading us closer to Him. Each one of us has different gifts and talents, but the most important purpose that God has for each of us is to know Him in a personal way.

Philippians 1:6 "He Who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ."

What a wonderful promise to stand on! When we trust God with our life, He promises to reveal His ultimate purpose for our life! Not only does He promise it, but He gives us the power to live out His purpose.

He is the reason for living. When we fully realize that, we will no longer ask the question, "What is the purpose?" He not only can bring purpose to our life...He is the purpose for our life!

IRIS is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY this month. Please join your grateful heart with ours over at her place!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...judgement seat

2011-08-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers: I am so encouraged by so many of you who leave loving comments. I can honestly say I can't remember ever getting a negative comment on any of my writings. But I would be totally naive to think that everyone who reads this blog or anything I publish is in total agreement with me. It is never my intent to offend, criticize or judge anyone. The one avenue of the greatest criticism and judgement of people that I see is on facebook. Facebook is a great way to stay connected with friends and family, it is also a great way to lose friends. Facebook brings alot of negativity I believe because we honestly cannot see the heart of someone. Emotion is not a sin. Expressing yourself is also not a bad thing. But casting judgement is not cool. Not with me. and not with God. If you find yourself tempted to judge someone from what you see on the outside, look inwardly and try to see the heart. If you can't see the heart...then ask that person to explain themselves and above all ask God to forgive you for judging and then ask Him to show you that persons heart like He sees it. -I have written this post as a reminder that God is our ultimate Judge. Please read on...

Each of us will one day have to come before the judgment seat and hear God's final judgement. He will look over our life, our actions, our words and He will even reveal our heart and then He will render one final judgment. We will hear either, "Well done, good and faithful servant" or we will be harshly told, "I knew you not!"

Until that final day, each of us have opportunities to make things right in our life and in our hearts. Unfortunately, what happens to many of us is someone here on this earth crawls up into that judgement seat and tries to cast judgement on us before it is time.

As a writer, I can tell you that each and every day someone probably casts judgement upon me based on the things I say or possibly even for the things I do not say. Opinions are made about me as a person based on the tone of my writing or certain verbiage that I use. Every time I write something that is put out there in front of the public eye, I take the risk of someone misunderstanding me or criticising me and even possibly having someone judge me.

This kind of judgement is based on the outward appearance. Many of my writings go all around the globe, much of my readership comes from people that I have never come in contact with eye to eye. Our relationship is merely thru the web. The same is true for the friends that are on my "friend list" on facebook. Many of these "friends" are people who live miles and miles and miles from me, some are not even "real life" friends as we have never even met in person. We are just simply "cyber friends." Even though we have not met, it has aways intrigued me how yet we still have the ability to judge one another.

This kind of judging is carnal. It is of the world. It is in every sinful nature to want to cast judgement on others. Whether we know them or not. If I were to write on my blog or on facebook that I think "the grass is green!" I wonder how many of you would walk away with a different perception of what color green I was speaking of. Someone would no doubt judge me for not thinking the same way as they did about what grass should look like. Instead of approaching me and asking me questions, they would go on thinking how absurd I was for thinking that grass is the shade of "lime green"!

I never SAID it was lime green, but because someone didn't know me intimately or personally, they chose to believe what they wanted to believe. This is a prime example of carnal judgement. It's ugly and it is a sin.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…” 1 Peter 5:5 (NIV)

Casting judgement on others must simply break God's heart. When we cast judgement on others, we elevate ourselves up past the point of recognizing that what we are doing is just as ugly as the sin that we are judging others for.

In the book Holiness, Truth, and the Presence of God, author Francis Frangipane says,

“Anyone can pass judgment – but can they lay down their lives in love, intercession and faith for the one judged? Can they target an area of need and rather than criticizing, fast and pray, asking God to supply the very virtue they feel lacking? And then persevere in that love – motivated prayer until that fallen area blooms in godliness? Such is the life Christ commands we follow!”

There is only One Who has the right to judge, and He has already exemplified what Frangipane is talking about. "Lay down their life in love, intercession and faith for the one judged?" Jesus Christ already did that and even though there is not one person besides Him that have perfected life, He still chose to extend Grace, love and forgiveness to us. None of us deserve it. Most certainly none of us can earn it. But yet He offers it, even when we were lost as all could be. When we were deep in sin, He chose to not judge us but love us and bring us up out of the miry clay.

That's the difference between carnal judgement and eternal judgement. People who serve as the judge and jury can only see the outside. God, however sees the inside. He judges not only what is seen by the eye but what only His eye can see...our motives, our sincerity and our hearts!

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” LUKE 6:37,38

Be careful about casting judgement on others.

1. You may only see what you want to see.
2. You may only have half the story.
3. You can't always judge a book by its cover.
4. No one has the final say except God.
5. His judgement is more final than any man's could possibly be.

Just be careful!

LACED WITH GRACE...What is it?

2011-08-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

Please visit LACED WITH GRACE today, I have shared a short devo with the readers entitled,

"WHAT IS IT?"

"When my children were just toddlers, I just loved it when they would draw me a picture. Many times it was difficult to make out what the different lines were suppose to form. They would so proudly present their masterpiece to me, and I would have to ask…”What is it?” “Silly Mommy…it’s a pink elephant hanging in a tree of course!”..... CLICK HERE to read the rest!

As always, your comments not only encourage me but other readers as well!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...where Grace is, love abounds

2011-08-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

How many times do we turn our backs on someone instead of extending Grace to them? It seems like leaving, giving up or throwing our hands in the air is the easy thing to do. I have wondered why it is so difficult for man to extend Grace to others?

God's Grace is astounding to me! His kind of Grace certainly differs from man's ideal of Grace. God's Grace means that He accepts me IN SPITE of my sin. Man's idea of Grace sometimes comes in a different form. We can turn our love and affection off quickly BECAUSE of sin. It's difficult to see past the wrong doings of people sometimes.

I have a tendency to see good in people. Even before they see it. I believe that every person, no matter how bad their past may have been, can turn around and be a good person. The reason I believe this is because of God's Grace. Before I came to know God, I was a sinner. I didn't murder anyone. I didn't rob anyone. I didn't spend any time in prison for anything. However, I was still a sinner.

Sin is sin. There is no grey area when we talk about sin. We can't say we just sin "alittle" bit or "alot". We either sin or we don't. The only measure that God uses for our sin is whether or not we have repented and have been forgiven. The measurement that God uses for sin is the heart.

1 SAMUEL 16:7 "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Each of us are sinners. Some of us are just sinners saved by Grace! I like what John Piper said about Grace..."Grace is power, not just pardon." When God reaches down and gives His Grace, He not only PARDONS our sin, but He gives us the POWER to live according to His Word.

His Word implores us to love one another. Every word, every deed and every thought should not be based on love for yourself, we should each be propelled because of our love for God. When we fully understand that the Grace of God is the ultimate act of love, we will indeed have a deeper love for others, even those who seemingly seem unlovable.

Extending Grace to those who have hurt us or who are lost in their sin is an amazing act of love. After all, isn't that what God did for us? Where Grace is...love abounds.

Today on THANKFUL THURSDAY, I am so thankful for God's Grace and His love. Without it, I would still be lost in my sin. May I not forget what He has done for me, and may my remembrance propel me to extend Grace and Love to someone who needs it.

What are you thankful for today? Please share your grateful heart with us by linking up below!

Aunthentic Christianity

2011-08-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, for our daughters "sweet 16" birthday, we surprised her with a very unique and special ring. Not only was the green gem stunning, but it was accented with a small diamond on each side. We wanted to give her something very special for her sixteenth birthday. The look on her face was priceless as she opened her gift...

One of the first things that Anna said to us about her ring was, "Is it real?" I can't tell you how many times in the past week she has asked if her ring was the "real thing"?

It's easy to show the authenticity of jewelry, if you don't have the proper paperwork, you can always take it to a jeweler who can appraise it and confirm the genuine value of the gem. In God's eyes, each of us are gems to Him, but showing the authenticity of our Christianity to others takes more than words.

God knows our heart and knows how real our faith is, but sometimes we try to be something we are not. It seems strange to me how some people try to be more "spiritual" than they really are. When you consider that true spiritual maturity involves deep humility and the utmost integrity, it seems ironic to me that people try to "put on". Some people are intrigued with the Christian lifestyle but yet have not committed to a real relationship with God.

"Imposter" Christians are not always easy to spot. For one thing, they blend in with the real Christians. They know the talk. They know the walk. But the one thing missing with the fake or imposter's is that they do not KNOW God. It may be easy to fool people, but we can never fool God. Look at Ananias:

ACTS 5:1-6 "But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife's full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.' 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. 6 The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him."

I don't know if Ananias was an imposter Christian or not but at times people can be just like Ananias. We try to play up our spirituality. We say things that we really don't mean and pretend to do the right thing, all so others will think highly of us.

As you can see with Ananias, in the end, the truth of our character, integrity and faith will be revealed. We may be able to fool those around us, but God is never fooled by our phony ways. In the end, He will give us the stamp of authenticity...

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ -Matthew 25:21

May we all be found to be the real deal. Genuine. May we be found to be authentic!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...birthday celebration!

2011-08-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love birthdays?

It's a day set aside to celebrate the birth of "YOU"! You may get the day off of work, go out for lunch, have a party, blow candles out on a cake or you might even get a gift or two. No matter what you do on your special day, it is fun rejoicing in the life that God has given you.

Around our house, it seems like all we have been doing is celebrating birthdays. Since June, we have celebrated birthdays of 2 bonus daughters, 2 sons and now our "sweet 16" teen daughter! I love making their day special, whether it be a family dinner or a unique gift purchased with just them in mind.

Our youngest, and only daughter Anna, just celebrated her sweet 16 birthday.

It takes me back to the sweet memories of being a teenager and anticipating every new year, counting down to that BIG 1-8! As a young person, it seemed like it would never, ever arrive. But yet as quickly as I can remember, here it came and as quick as it came, it quickly left. That has been a few years now for me, but thinking about it caused me to stop and reflect on what I have done since that time of my life.

Have I reached my goals? Have I made a difference?

As I thought about this, I wondered about my spiritual birthday. As great as having birthday celebrations are, I wonder why we don't take as much time and care in remembering and celebrating our spiritual birthday...the day we gave our life and heart to Christ. The day of new birth. The day of salvation.

I can remember some great birthday celebrations that we have had in our family. So many great parties with our children. But honestly, I can't think of any better celebration than when I saw each of my children come to Christ. Now that is a day worth celebrating! Some of us are at an age that birthdays are not much fun anymore. We don't look forward to them like we use to when we were younger. But our spiritual birthday is one of those things that should never get old. Each day, each year with God should get sweeter and sweeter. And as we look back in our life and reflect on what we have accomplished so far, the same can go for our spiritual walk.

Have we pursued His Will? Have we heard His voice and obeyed?

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln

As Christians, we have been given a new life in Christ. Each year that passes we should find ourselves closer to Him. We should be meditating and understanding His Word more. We should be more confident in sharing His love with others. We should be growing, not dying.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Today I am thankful for all the birthdays that God has blessed me with, not only the physical ones but the spiritual ones. It is my desire that the older I get, that I will not focus on my age as much as on the opportunity He has given me to be all I can be in Him! And may He find me growing and not dying.

What is your grateful heart thankful for today? Share it with us as we celebrate THANKFUL THURSDAY! I am so glad that you stopped by to share your thankful heart with us!

What if there was a complaint department in church?

2011-08-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

I can remember the old slapstick comedy routines where there was a complaint department and some poor soul behind the counter had to listen to and solve every ones problem that came by. If I remember right, most of the complaints were outlandish and the comedian portraying the complaint department usually had a crazy reaction that didn't really solve anything.

We laugh at such comedy routines, but how realistic does that sound to real life drama?

I think that every business establishment should have a complaint department. That way we would have a place that we could go to to complain about the service or whatever is eating away at us...At the restaurant: "The food is cold!" At the dry cleaners: "You used too much starch!" At the movie theatre: "It is too cold in here!" At the local Walmart: "The check out lines are too long!" At the doctors office: "How much longer do I have to wait?"

Everywhere we go, it seems someone has something to complain about. Even in church..."The music is too loud!" "The carpet is the wrong color!" "They never sing from the hymnals anymore!" "The preacher goes too long!" "Did you see what the preachers wife was wearing today?"

Wouldn't it be strange if every church had a complaint department? You could fill out your complaint on a card, turn it in and someone behind the counter could help resolve your issue. It is sad to think that of all places, the church would need to have such a place. But it's true, church is not exempt from complaints. Nor is it exempt from strife, disagreement and what the Bible talks about...disunity.

As mature Christian leaders in the church body, we must be able to distinguish between the rebuking of sin and petty actions.

ROMANS 12:17-18 "Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."

When you read the letters of Paul, you hear a particular tone when it addresses the issue of conflict in church. Whatever the disagreement may be, whether it is concerning the roles of women in the church, or the leadership or the role of the Spiritual gifts, one thing is the same when it comes to making a resolve...the answer must be centered on focusing on God and not on man. We must surrender to God and not to the ideals and ways of man.

In our man flesh, we can let our ideas, our visions and our pride stand in the way of what God wants to do. When we are led by our own flesh, it is difficult to follow the lead of Christ. Paul continually reminds us that we are to express our oneness (our unity) with Christ by showing love and acceptance to others because He first loved and accepted us.

True wisdom can solve any conflict. No matter where it is but especially in the body of believers. But often times our own pride and fleshly desires stands in the way. However, Gods grace will always prevail. Man may seek other things, but God seeks peace and will bring it in an orderly fashion. Those that try to stand in the way of peace and love will be reckoned with.

Pettiness that arises out of hearts of jealousy, bitterness and pride will only ruin relationships and in some cases ruin ministry. As mature Christian leaders, we must pursue peace and love. Sometimes that may mean we will have to "agree to disagree." It is never God's will that there be disunity in His church or among His children. Sometimes you might find yourself in a place that you will have to stand alone and take a stand for what initiates unity. Unity must start with the top and trickle down thru the rest of the body. Satan thrives on conflict and he wants to pull you into it and keep you in conflict, however:

JAMES 4:7-8 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you."

James asks a very crucial question...are we resisting God or resisting the devil? How we respond to life and to others will be rooted in how we respond to God.

A humble heart and spirit will respond in love and peace and seek God's ways, while a prideful heart and spirit will respond in criticism, disagreement and judgement, seeking to serve mans desires.

Humility and pride serve two different masters...and when brought to the complaint department, both will end up with two different outcomes.

What are you doing to create a spirit of unity in the world you live?

THANKFUL THURSDAY...spiritual cooling

2011-08-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered what the greatest invention of the 20 century was?

The automobile? Microwave popcorn? Antibiotics?

Honestly, for this southern belle, I would have to say the best and most ingenious invention would have to be air conditioning. According to Wikipedia, the first air conditioner was invented in 1902. Someone had to of lived in the heat of the south to think of such a great invention. There is nothing like walking in from the outdoors on a sun blazing hot day and feel a cool blast of air hit your face.

This past week, our air unit went out and walking into our house was like walking into a sauna. It is unbelievable how quickly the temperatures can change. Instead of being cool, I was hot, sweaty and my feet felt swollen. I found myself sticking my head in the freezer for a moment or two to just be able to remember what a cool breeze felt like.

What is so amazing to me is that no matter what the temperature, cold or hot, some things just never fluctuate. While the thermostat goes up and down according to the heat, God's love for us never fluctuates.

For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. –Psalm 32:4

The Psalmist nailed it on the head, any length of time in the heat will leave you feeling dry and parched. The same is true with your spiritual being. The Psalmist is not speaking about the weather in this passage. The point we can walk away with is that no matter how hot, dry and parched we may feel, God never releases His hand from us. He is with us during the cold season and the hot. His hand remains upon us in the heat of the day and the coolness of the night.

May we never forget that when our spiritual temperatures fluctuate, He is with us, embracing us and offering us a spiritual coolness like we could not find anywhere else.

Aren't you thankful today for the spriritual freshness that He breathes upon us? Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and I am so glad that you joined us. Won't you share your grateful heart with us by linking up below? It is my prayer that you will be refreshed today with a newfound spiritual coolness.

A piece of my heart....Putting fish in a jar!

2011-08-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

We have a small fishbowl with just one fish. We inherited the fish from a friend who had fishbowls on the table at their wedding. We have never really had any luck at keeping fish alive for long. But to our amazement this little guy has lasted much longer than we thought he would.

When it comes time to clean the fishbowl, we have to catch the little fishie in a net so we can place him in a small jar while we clean the bowl. You would think that such a small little creature would be easy to capture, but sometimes it takes 2, 3 or 4 attempts of catching him.

As difficult as it is to capture just a small fish into a small jar, it blows my mind how difficult it would be to go to the ocean and capture a massive amount.

PSALM 33:7 "He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; He puts the deep into storehouses."

The thought that God can gather the sea up into a jar while I can hardly gather up a cup of it into my jar, just totally fascinates me. Isn't it interesting that the Psalmist paints us this picture.

It makes me think of the days we spent on the beach when our kids were little. We would stand at the
edge of the water, and as the tide rolled in, we would be ready to gather up as many shells or crabs that washed ashore. The kids would be waiting in anticipation with their little shovels and pails, only to be disappointed that the tide would wash the shells and crabs back out to sea almost as fast as it washed in.

It is difficult for me to imagine God standing at the beach line with a jar, waiting to collect as much
water as He can before the water washed back out. I don't think this is the picture that the Psalmist is painting for us. However, the point is that God is in control and He rules over everything, even nature.

He created the seas and everything in it and if He needed to He could command the waves to stop and He would be able to put all of the waters into jars if He had to.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD!

Now THAT is what strengthens my faith! Knowing that God is all powerful, all knowing and able to handle anything. If He could put all of the sea into jars, how much MORE can He do something with what hangs over our heads? When the waves come crashing in on us, He WILL make a way!

We just have to trust Him. And obey.

Trust and Obey...two words that can calm any storm!

And this has been a piece of my heart today;

THANKFUL THURSDAY...surviving the heat!

2011-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

It is so hot!
It is no joke when you hear someone say that someone has turned up the heat. Here in the south, temperatures have peaked to over 100 degrees. Yesterday was noted to be the hottest day ever, temperatures reached 117 with the heat index.

There isn't alot you can do in temperatures like that. It is even too hot to go swimming. We are all just doing what we can to survive this heat wave. We are all different when it comes to how much heat we can take. Some of us would faint of heat exhaustion if we had to work outdoors, while others of us just love the heat, the hotter, the better.

Spiritually speaking, we are molded the same way. Some of us quiver and faint easily when the heat of the fire hits us, while others of us can take alot of stress and pressure before buckling at the knees. In the heat of the summer, it is nearly impossible to escape the heat, Christians are not exempt from persecution, therefore escaping the blazing heat of the enemy is not always easy.

Most of us need to drink extra doses of water in these hot days. Water will quench our thirst and replenish our bodies. But what happens when all of the water in the world cannot put out the heat we feel? Usually I do not like the heat, not just weather speaking but spiritually as well. I can't think of too many people that actually enjoy to go thru hard times and persecution, but it is in these times that I know God refines us.

Look at Jonah.

God had an assignment for Jonah to go to Nineveh. But Jonah had the wrong perspective of what was being asked of him. He did not want to go to Nineveh.

Eventually Jonah submitted and obeyed God and went to Nineveh to warn the people of their sin. The people repented and God showed mercy upon them. But Jonah had a different perspective of things than God did. Jonah thought that the sins of the people should not go unpunished. Because Jonah was not seeing things clearly, God sent some heat upon his head...

JONAH 4:8 "And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live."

God did this to refine Jonah's perspective, so that he could see the people of Nineveh thru God's eyes instead of his own. In the heat of it, according to the above passage, Noah wanted to give up.

How many times do we do the same when the heat is turned up. We want to quit. Give up. Throw in the towel. Our perspective of things many times leaves us feeling parched. If only we could see things like God sees things. We might be spared of some heated days if we did.

What kind of heat have you been enduring? Has your stamina and endurance gotten you thru or does your perspective need to be altered?

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY, and today I am giving thanks for the heat, for without it, I may not see things clearly the way God wants me to see things. One of the good things about the summer heat is that cooler days are coming, if we could just be patient. Same is true spiritually, today you may be going thru a heated trial, but be patient and trust God. Cooler days are coming.

What are you thankful for today? Share your grateful heart with us by linking up below with Mr. Linky!

A PIECE OF MY HEART....talk to strangers?

2011-08-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

When I was young, my mother always taught me that I should not talk to strangers. This was also something that I taught my children as well. Strangers to a child can be scary. It is someone they don't know, and in this day and time, strangers can bring harm to them.
I was always leary of this lesson when it came time to teach it to my children. On one hand, I didn't want my children to trust just anybody but on the other hand, I didn't want them to be suspicious of everyone they came into contact with either.

We had to try to find a medium ground of what a good stranger was and what a bad stranger was. Problem is that often times the bad stranger can come disguised as a good stranger. It is at these times that knowing the voice of God comes in handy. His Holy Spirit has a way of putting doubt or apprehension in us when it comes to trusting folks, especially if the folks we are trusting are not a "good stranger." Some people call this "intuition", I call it the "leading of the Holy Spirit".

As I have grown up, I have called upon His leading to show me the good from the bad. And thru the years I have learned that not all strangers are bad. In fact, some strangers are doing exactly what I am trying to do and that is follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Recently, we met such a stranger.

My husband and I sat at a local restaurant with our teen daughter. It was late on a Sunday evening. We had just got back in town from a long weekend. When we first entered the restaurant, we saw some folks from church and a few of them came and chatted with us at our table. When our food arrived, they politely went on their way.

All during our meal and visit, I noticed a gentleman sitting at the table next to ours. He kept looking over at our table curiously. He was a well dressed man. He didn't look scary or intimidating. But yet he kept looking.

My family continued on our visit and my husband and I sat and listened to our teen daughter. After a short while the man and his guest got up from their table and left. They never said a word to us. Except a few minutes later, the gentleman, the stranger, came back to our table and asked our permission for him to share something with us.

We gracefully said yes. I was waiting for the sales pitch or something along that line. But what this man shared wasn't at all a ploy to get us to buy something. It was clearly a message from God. He sat down at our table, next to my husband and across the table from our daughter. He spoke directly to our daughter, an encouragement from God that was so on target with something that she was dealing with. He spoke with clarity, with love and encouragement. He didn't even live in our town. He was passing thru town. There was no possible way he could have known what my daughter has been going thru these past few months. But God did.

He was a stranger to us, but yet not a stranger to God.

1 Peter 3:15 "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

This encounter with the stranger showed me a couple of things. First of all, God will meet you any where. He doesn't just speak to us at church, but often times He shows up in places that we would not expect. Second of all, God speaks to us in many different ways, He will even use strangers to deliver a message to us. But before a stranger can be used by God, he/she must know the voice of God and be willing to obey.

The stranger in the restaurant obviously knew the voice of God and he chose to obey His leading. I wonder what kind of a stranger I would make to someone? Am I always alert to His voice and am I willing to obey when I hear His prompting?

Do you talk to strangers?
We must be careful these days but we must also be able to distinguish the voice of the Lord.

And this has been a piece of my heart today.

A PIECE OF MY HEART...carry me

2011-07-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

When my children were little, they liked to be carried. Especially if they were afraid of something. My daughter at age 2 did not like to get her feet wet. If the lawn was wet, she would look up to me with her hands outstretched asking me to pick her up and carry her. Once we got past the wet grass, she felt safe to get down on her own again.

I was thinking about that and how I often times need to be carried just like my children did. When things come across my way that seem difficult or scare me, I would like to just stretch my arms out and feel like someone is carrying me thru the bad stuff.

Truth be told, just like a parent who will pick up and carry their young children, our Heavenly Father does the same thing for His children. When I am sad, scared, disappointed, discouraged, unsure, apprehensive or just needing some direction, with each step God carries us.

Isaiah 46:4 - Even in your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

My children are grown now, and probably have outgrown me physically picking them up and carrying them. But just like us, they are never too old to be carried by God. His love will sustain us for all time. No matter what our age or circumstance. All we have to do is reach our hands out to Him and He will carry us thru.

Going thru a difficult time? Lift your eyes up and allow God to carry you thru!

LACED WITH GRACE...do over

2011-07-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

Today you can find me over at LACED WITH GRACE!

I have shared a devotion entitled "Do over" today. We all deserve second chances, but what exactly do we do with the "do overs" that we are given?

CLICK HERE to read todays devotion!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...what a friend!

2011-07-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week I was reading about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, the 3 Hebrews thrown into the fiery furnace. What is so remarkable to me about these three is the kindred spirit that obviously appeared between them. They seemed to be very close friends. They certainly supported one another. Look at how they stuck together when everyone else deserted them. When everyone else was bowing down to false gods, these three stuck together and weathered out the storm. Their dedication to one another could not be shaken, not even in the fiery furnace.

I don't know about you, but, I need to have some friends like this.
The godly kind that will stand with me in the testing of the waters. The kind of friends that will not be swayed by what the popular belief is, but the kind of friends that will stand upon the Word of God. The kind of friends that will stand up for what is right and the kind that will steer away from what is wrong. And the kind of friends that no matter how hot the fire gets, they stand by my side and don't turn on me.

Such a friend. If only we could find one!

It is really difficult to know really what your friends are made of. I have found that the friends that I deemed my closest, actually were not that close at all. The best way to find out what your friends are made of is go thru a difficult time. Now, I cannot think of too many people who set out to bring difficulties upon themselves just so they can find a true friend. But believe me, when trials and difficulties come, many friendships will fail the test. Friends will run away from the fire instead of go thru the fire with you.

But this shouldn't shock us. I know it does. But it shouldn't. After all, Jesus had alot of fair weathered friends. He had plenty of friends when he was dishing up the bread and fish. Plenty of food for everyone, and everyone wanted to be His friend. When He was healing and preaching love and compassion to everyone, everyone wanted to be close to Him and be His friend. But look at what happened when Jesus got arrested...where did His friends go? Many left His side as soon as the heat got turned up. They fled and some even turned on Him and accused Him.

A true friend will be loyal to the end. Have you found such a friend in your life yet? I have been so let down by friendships in my life. I have had friends turn on me and I even have had friends accuse me, but one friend that I can always count on and Who will be by my side no matter how hot the flames get is my friend Jesus.

He has never left me, and He will never forsake me. He doesn't disappoint me. He doesn't hurt me. He doesn't ever leave me. He is always at my side. Loving me, protecting me, guiding me, forgiving me and believing in me.

My, my, my...what a friend we have in Jesus!
The truest friend you will ever have. Today I am so thankful for His love and friendship. It is one of a kind. The kind that will outlast any blazing fire!

Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

LYNN is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY this month. We would love to hear what you are thankful for today. You can visit her site and link up your TT post HERE!

Don't forget the "I"!

2011-07-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Many times I have heard people tell others "Love ya!" and I, myself have done that. It seems to me that loving others may not be what it use to be. What ever happened to saying "I love you?" When someone takes the "I" out of it, it just doesn't seem to sound the same.

I John 4:16-17 (NLT)
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

God never forgets the "I". It is evident in everything that I see as I look around. His creation speaks more than just a "love ya" gesture. Every intricate thought and design of the flowers, the animals, the sky, stars, moon and the oceans bellow "I LOVE YOU" to me from God.

When I think about God's love, I can easily compare it to the ocean.

Have you ever stood in the ocean as the raging tides came crashing in? I wonder what would happen if you would stand there and with all your might and power commanded the waves to stop?Most likely, the tide would still roll and the force of it would probably knock you down.

God's love is like the ocean because it is ever so consuming and cannot be controlled by humans. It is so powerful and so complete. Like the tide that goes in and then out, so is the love of God. We either find ourselves "in" love with Him or "out" of love with Him.

There is no in-between.

There is no partial commitment to God for us. We are either hot or cold. Obedient or disobedient. God is looking for some swimmers in His ocean of love, not just waders. Some of us are like little children who run out to the waves and then run right back in. We get our feet alittle bit wet and then have to dry them off.

God did not send His very best, His Son, to die for you and me for us to just be waders in the ocean of His love. His waves of grace says so much more than just "love ya"... with each splash of His Spirit, you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you".

As we dive into God's ocean of love, may we never forget the "I"!

A PIECE OF MY HEART... becoming the real me

2011-07-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been going thru alot of stuff that has caused me to do some real deep soul searching. I am trying to figure out who I really am. I know that I am a wife, a mom, a writer, a friend, a Christian...but what about really deep down.

Who am I really?

Have you ever had someone speak less than positive things in your spirit? Maybe it was a put down, or name calling or possibly you have been judged inaccurately. For many of us who have experienced these things, when we hear it over and over, we start to believe it ourselves. Even if it is not an accurate assessment of who we really are.

I have found myself to be in a place that the enemy is whispering lies into my ear. He is trying to tell me that I am less than I am. He is using people whom I once respected and adored to speak negativity into my spirit. It is difficult sometimes to dismiss these voices that try to tell me I am something that I know that I am not.

But God says...

God says that I am so much more. He has made me what I am and He has made me for a purpose. People who have hurt me with their destructive words and behaviour cannot have the last word of whom I was created to be. They are not my Creator. They have no authority over me.

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13 (NIV)

I was not designed to be what others expected me to be, or even wanted me to be. I was created to be ALL that God desired for me to be. Many times I think I get lost in the process of "becoming". I get busy trying to meet the demands that all my roles come with, I get caught up in trying to be what others think I should be, and I get tricked in believing that I am not as worthy or as important as others. I wonder if the "real me" just doesn't get buried in the busyness of life and people pleasing efforts.

As I have looked inwardly, I have seen a bunch of mangled up emotions but at the same time I have seen sensitivity, creativity and a passion that has only grown with each and every trial and test. I know alot of women who are much stronger than me, more beautiful than me and have more experience than me, but God has shown me that He DID NOT create me to be like them. He didn't create me to be like you nor did He create you to be like me. He created each of us to be used in a unique way.

It is so easy to neglect who we really are because we get so busy trying to be who others want us to be...but when we do that, we risk closing off a place in our spirit where God's gifts and dreams are just waiting to be revealed.

So, how well do you know the real you?

Have you ever considered what God created you to do? When we surrender our unique personalities and passions to Him, He will lead and guide us to be all we can be for Him!

His voice is the voice we must listen to. Who says we are beautiful, strong and unique?...HE SAYS!

and this has been a piece of my heart today;

Miracle from the womb

2011-07-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine what it must have been like for Sarah and Abraham to become parents while in their 90's?
I am nearly 50, and news of such sort would knock me off my rocker.

You know the story, both were in their 90's, God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and that his wife, Sarah would be the mother of the child. When Sarah heard this, she laughed. (If that was me, I would laugh and cry at the same time!) But the result of God's promise to Abraham was a child named Isaac.

"By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore." Hebrews 11:11-12

If you have ever uttered the words. "I don't know how You are going to do it", then you have experienced faith. It was not Abraham or Sarah's "problem" to know the "how", it was God's. All Abraham and Sarah had to do was believe and trust.

No doubt, God performed a miracle in Sarah's womb. Even though I was much younger than Sarah, God also gave me a miracle in my womb over 26 years ago. After having my first son, I experienced some medical issues that down the road resulted in the doctor informing me that I would not be able to have more children. One of the options that the physician gave me was to go on fertilization drugs to see if that would rectify the problem. After months of analyzing the pros and con's, my husband and I decided to explore this option.

During the next couple months, I had a few appointments, at which time, the doctor would always start my visit off with running a pregnancy test. To my disappointment, the test results would always be negative. Finally, we came to the day that the fertilization drugs would begin. Prior to administering the drugs, my doctor ran one final pregnancy test.

Negative. Again.

I will never forget the look on my doctors face after he had given me my exam. He scooted his chair back and with a perplexed look on his face, said to me, "You DO want more children, right?"

Alittle concerned of what his perplexity was about, I asked him what was wrong? He informed me that he didn't know how it was possible but I WAS pregnant. He didn't know how the pregnancy tests came back negative, because I wasn't alittle pregnant, I was alot pregnant...4 months pregnant to be exact!

"This is medically impossible." - He said to me and then he congratulated me.

5 months later a beautiful baby boy was born. Our miracle baby. Today, our miracle (Jeremy Paul) celebrates his 26th birthday. I went on to have 2 more babies after him. Every baby is a miracle, but when I say Jeremy is my "miracle baby", he truly is.

I don't know if you are in need of a miracle today, but if you are, here is the living proof that God is still in the miracle business!

(My miracle baby...all grown up!)

If He can do it for Sarah and for me, He can most definitely do it for you. I have several friends that yearn to have a baby, but have not received their miracle yet. To them and to you, I say "hang on, your miracle could be just around the corner."

Be faithful and know that what seems impossible to man is totally, completely and absolutely possible with God!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON.
I LOVE YOU AND THANK GOD FOR YOU!!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...refreshment!

2011-07-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

You know when you live in the south and the hot summer temperatures peak over 100 degrees, there is only one thing to do to cool down. Well OK, maybe 3. Sit in the nice cold air conditioning, take a dip in the pool or drink a tall iced cold glass of lemonade!

I get so parched in the heat. Some things just don't quench my thirst. Not a coke, not juice, not milk. But when I take a big drink of iced cold water or ice cold lemonade, I feel so refreshed.

Truth of it is, my spirit gets parched from time to time. When things get so busy at my house and I find it hard to spend time with God, my thirst for Him increases. Sometimes what I need to do is turn off the distractions, put my feet up and just quench my thirst with a big tall dose of His Spirit.

Now doesn't that sound refreshing?

1 Thessalonians 5:19 "Do not quench the Holy Spirit."

When we see the word "quench" in scripture, it means "suppress" or "extinguish". When we do not allow the fire of God to rise up in us, (the Holy Spirit) then we are taking a risk of quenching His Spirit in us, and without His Spirit, fresh and anew in us, it is difficult to fight off the heat of the enemy as he prowls around to deceive and destroy us.

Don't let the heat (devil) burn you up, instead, get you some refreshment....drink in some of God's Word and allow His Spirit to breathe freshness into your soul today.

LYNN is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY today. What is bringing praise and thanks to your heart today? Link up with us over HERE!

Tear down the walls

2011-07-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Remember the Berlin Wall?

For nearly three decades, it was known as the iron curtain that separated people from freedom. The German Democratic Republic began construction of the wall in 1961. Once it was completed, the concrete structure enclosed the city of West Berlin.

It has been over 20 years since that wall came down. People still go and visit it, and remnants of the wall are popping up all over, from museums to personal collections. I read a report that in the 28 years of the walls existence that 5,000 people tried to escape by climbing that wall. 200-300 resulted in death.

You may recall President Ronald Reagan's famous speech, given at the base of the wall at Bradenburg Gate, "Tear down this wall". Soon, the wall began to crumble and a new found freedom was found for the people of Germany.

Some of the same kind of new found freedom is still sought today by many. But the kind of freedom I am speaking of is a different kind of freedom sought. We build walls around us that need to be torn down. We build walls around us emotionally and spiritually that at first seem to protect us and keep us safe. But all along, the walls keep us from people, from things. The walls keep us from doing what God desires for us to do.

Walls are built to either keep people in or keep people out. That sounds like confinement to me. It doesn't seem to resemble freedom at all. Within Christianity, I think walls can be built. Often times, we lead one or two ways: by encouraging freedom or by stifling one another.

It is the most frustrating thing for a Christian to know what God has called them to do, express a desire to do what they are called to do, but leadership not giving them an opportunity to do what God has called them to do. There is no freedom in just sitting and not fulfilling what God has burned in your heart.

Hebrews 11:30 declares: "By faith, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down."

If God has spoken a vision to you. Do not let the walls keep you from crossing over and fulfilling His work. May God give us the courage and the counsel to bravely brazen the walls that restrict us. Man may build the walls, but God is the One who can tear them down.

Got some walls that need to come down?

Have faith! For 28 years people tried to cross over the Berlin Wall ... now all they have to do is walk thru. I know that our faith in God is even greater than that, what He did for Berlin, He can do for you!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...follow the leader

2011-07-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I posted about following God's directions. It amazes me how easy it is to follow someones directions when they are leading us down the right road. I don't know about you but if someone gave me a map to follow and it ended up leading me down a dead end road, I would probably not trust their leading any longer. But God gives us a map to follow that will never steer us wrong. He always has our best at heart. When it comes to explaining the importance of following God's instructions, I can't help but think of a story that a Missionary from Brazil shares:

As a family in Brazil got ready for their day of work and school, the mother had to explain to her family that there was no food in the house. They had nothing. The husband would have to go to work with no breakfast to eat and no lunch to carry. The children could eat lunch at school, but there was no cereal or oats to fix for them for breakfast. As her family scurried off hungrily to their day, the mother found a place to kneel in her living room and prayed to God.

She prayed that somehow He would provide because at the end of the day, her husband and her children would return from their day very hungry and she had nothing to offer them to eat for dinner. She got up from her altar place and even though she did not hear an answer that moment from God, she knew that somehow He would provide. Later in the day, she heard God speak to her. He told her to go down to a local grocery store. It was a store that she had never been to before.

"I have no money to go to the store?"

God told her to go to the store. She was obedient and went. Upon arriving, she said "OK God, I am here now what am I to do?" God said get as many buggies as you need and go get everything you need for your family for a months supply.

"But God, I have no money, I don't have a check or a credit card. I have no way to pay for this."

God said go. She was obedient and went and filled up not one buggy but two buggies full of everything she needed to feed her family for the next month.

"God, I have done what you have said. Now what? How am I going to pay for this?"

God told her to go to check out lane #7. She wheeled her buggies to lane 7 but nobody was there checking out. But she knew God said to go to lane 7. She stood in lane 7 waiting. The check out clerk in lane 6 saw her and said, "Lady, you can't check out in that lane. You will have to come to this lane!"

"God said I was to check out in lane 7!!" She replied.

Alittle perplexed the cashier told her again, "I'm sorry lady but you CANNOT check out in lane 7."

"GOD SAID I was to check out in lane 7!" She explained.

The cashier just shook her head and said "OK lady, but I'm going to lunch now so you will have to go to a different lane to check out."

ONE HOUR LATER...

The cashier returns. The lady is STILL standing in lane 7! "Seriously?", the cashier thought, she went over to lane 7 and said to the lady, "Why are you still standing here?" The lady said, "I told you, God told me to check out in lane 7." So the cashier said, "Alright, put your things up here and I will check you out."

The lady still had no idea how she was going to pay for her groceries. But she began to put her items up on the check out one by one. As the very last item crossed the scanner and the cashier printed off her receipt, a loud voice came across the PA system..

"Hello shoppers. I am the District Manager of this grocery store chain and today is the 7th anniversary of our Grocery store. To celebrate our anniversary, we are going to give away some groceries. Whoever just checked out in aisle 7 - your groceries are FREE!"

I don't know about you, but when I heard that story and heard that last line, I just about did a Jericho march! Isn't God awesome! Just like the widow lady who had none, this lady had to follow some directions before obtaining her miracle. So many times we don't want to do that. We want to see instant answers. But miracles come by faith, and faith sometimes is trusting in the things we don't see.

God is in the miracle business.

PSALMS 46:10 "Be still and know I am God."

In order to follow His leading though, we have to know His voice.

Would you know It if you heard It?

and this has been a piece of my heart today;

Simon Says what?

2011-07-11T12:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever played the game "Simon Says"? As a child, I played it with my friends alot. It is a game that really initiates following directions. If you remember right, whatever Simon said, you would have to do. But listening carefully was the key to the game. You could only follow the instructions if Simon said so, but once in a while instructions were given without Simon. If you followed these instructions, you were out of the game.

Following directions aren't always that easy.
Especially when it comes to following God's directions. We make it more difficult than it needs to be. One of the biggest problems of following His directions is because its alot like the Simon Says game...we don't listen to the right voice. Often times we proceed without waiting to hear His voice.

I think that sometimes we miss out on a miracle because we do not wait and follow God's directions. Look at the miracle of the widow. Elisha came to her and asked her, "How can I help you?" (2 Kings 4:1) Once she revealed that she had nothing, Elisha gave her clear instructions to follow. It would have been so much easier for God to have Elisha bring what the widow lady needed. That in itself would have been an amazing miracle. But instead, God used Elisha to allow the widow lady to follow directions to obtain her miracle.

³ Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
⁵ She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

The widow's son looked, and found there were no more jars left. As soon as the last jar was full of oil, the oil stopped. There was no more. Just the amount that the widow lady started with. When she told Elisha that the jars were full, he told her to go sell it and live on what she made from the oil.

In order for the widow to get her miracle, she had to follow directions. I wonder what would have been the outcome if she had not followed Elisha's instructions. What would have happened if she tried to cut a corner and not do exactly what the man of God told her to do.

She might have been robbed of her miracle.

Many times I think the devil robs us of our miracle because we are not following the directions. The directions of God can be found in His Word, The Holy Spirit also gives us directions but many times we do not listen. The problem is like the Simon Says game, we aren't listening carefully enough for the instructions. It's not about what ~~Simon~~ ~~(or Laurie or~~ insert your name) says...it's all about what God says!

Don't lose out on your miracle!

No Regrets!

2011-07-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Today I shared the following devotion with the readers over at LACED WITH GRACE! Please visit take time to visit this great Christian website that shares uplifting and encouraging devotions daily. www.lacedwithgrace.com
Each day I pray that I can make it to the end of the day without having any regrets. Some days it is difficult to complete everything on my “to do” list. When I have unfinished business left on my daily agenda, I pray that something has not been overlooked that I will regret tomorrow.

Regrets come not only in daily agendas, but often times a person can be affected by the mountains of regret that hovers over them. In relationships, I find that we drift in and out of each others lives. The drifting can occur intentionally or because it is just unavoidable. When we become separated from people, it could be permanently or just temporary. Either way, separation is never easy.

Two of my four children live in another city. One of them in another state. Even though I am not in their daily lives, our relationship still remains intact. We have a strong, thriving and loving relationship with one another. I may have to miss out on some special days with them because of the distance, but I never regret that my kids are happy, living on their own and making their mark in their world. Our time of separation is never marked by regret or remorse because they are just a phone call or text away.

But what about the relationships where distance becomes not just miles, but literal emotional and physical distance? Often times, I wonder if we don’t stay connected with people, if the distance could be equated with lost love? I have found that distant relatives are called that because they are exactly that…distant!

Broken relationships can bring so much regret. Many times if we lose someone because of death or divorce, we tend to ask the question, “What if?” especially if our relationship had been less than perfect. Sometimes we ask those kind of questions way too late. Maybe after someone has died and we can never get the answer to our questions.

I am reminded of King David. He became heartbroken over not repairing the broken relationship he had with his son, Absalom. King David learned way too late that death can slam the door of reconciliation completely shut.

“And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, ‘The king is grieving for his son.’ ” 2 SAMUEL 19:2

It is my prayer that I can live my life generously to others, and love so abundantly that I have no regrets. Loving during the living years is much easier than asking the “what ifs” after it may be too late. Living life with no regrets may mean that you will need to call someone today, send them an email or a personal letter and initiate reconciliation.

Think about it, we were all separated from God’s love and forgiveness but because of the Cross, we have been reconciled:

2 CORINTHIANS 5:18 “Now all things are of God, Who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.”

LIVE LIFE WITH NO REGRETS!

I dedicate this devotion to my Dad, whom I was separated from for 40 years. 7 years ago, I met him for the first time and reconciled with him. I didn’t want to live my life with any regrets. Yesterday, my Dad went to be with the Lord. I am so grateful for a loving, forgiving and merciful Heavenly Father that forgave me so that I could also extend forgiveness. I am living my life with no regrets!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...I'm proud to be an American and so much more!

2011-07-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

This past week as we celebrated the 4th of July, the words of a song kept playing over and over in my head: "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free..."

FREEDOM...something we take for granted.

Yesterday in the newspaper I was reading an article about a group of people who became US citizens on the 4th of July. The headline read, "American dream comes true for 43 new citizens." One woman, from the Philippines, said that this dream started when she was in high school as she watched American television. Lenie Walsh, 29 years old, said that she watched TV and people in America were really wealthy and had clean living. They had cars.

"I dreamed of coming here, It was my dream." Said Walsh

As I drove downtown Memphis the other day, wealth and nice cars was the last thing that I saw or thought of. The abandoned buildings and hobo's sleeping on the park bench was probably not the vision or dream that people like Walsh had.

But even with that, many people flee here for better jobs, better living and better opportunity. Really what it comes down to is having freedom and once you are free...what you are willing to do with your freedom.

Certainly here in the good ole US of A, there are far more opportunities than other poverish nations. It is no wonder so many are fleeing here and dreaming of becoming free. It is in our land of the free, that we stand and say, "Were proud to be an American, where I know I am free!"

But is that enough? T
To be a proud American?

Seeing an American flag, hearing the national anthem or coming face to face with a soldier in his fatigues always gives me goosebumps. As a mother of a son who has served our country, I cannot sing the national anthem without tears rolling down my cheeks. I am certainly proud to be an American, but with as much pride as the flag brings me, I have to wonder "Am I just as proud to be a Christian?"

Philippians 1:20-21 (NLT)
For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

For those new citizens, it is not enough to just dream of America. Immigrants cannot come to our free land and just blend in. With citizenship comes responsibility. The same is true for us as Americans and certainly for us that claim to be a Christian. It is not enough to just say we are Christians, we cannot blend in a dying, sinful world. We must take a stand and become responsible Christians.

As an American and a Christian, we must not only glorify God with our life but we must use our life to advance God’s Kingdom. It is much too easy to work diligently to blend in rather than continue to stand for the founding principles of this great nation. But we are bound by our citizenship to America and to God’s Kingdom to continue in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ with every person who we come in contact with.

Our life is an example. To share love, hope, faith, compassion, kindness and truth with those who brush against us each day. It was mandated and agreed upon by those who founded our nation and as an American it is our duty to honor this covenant even when others would try to destroy it. It is the responsibility of every person to uphold this faith in order to experience God’s continued prosperity on our land.

Freedom doesn't just come with proof of citizenship. It begins in the heart of each person who cries out to God in repentance. It is not the responsibility of the government but of every single man and woman. As we surrender to God, we can then yield to our country.

I am an American. And I am proud of it. In addition, I am a Christian, a choice that I made a long time ago to put God first in every aspect of my life. And I am proud of that as well. I am free. Yes, free indeed!

I am so thankful for the freedom that comes with being an American, but the freedom of knowing Christ far outweighs anything. LYNN is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY and we would love to hear your grateful heart today. CLICK HERE for more TT posts!

The Voice

2011-07-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, I watched the final result of the show THE VOICE. This television show is where contestants can come and sing in front of a panel of 4 already successful musicians. The catch though is that the panel of musicians have their back to the singer, and they are judged according to their voice and not how they look.

One of the things that I like about this show is that the talent of the those competing is based on what is heard and not what is seen.

Have you ever heard the saying, "children should be seen and not heard?" I used to hear that all of the time when I was growing up. In other words, its great to have kids around but they should be quiet, unless spoken to. But you and I both know that is not how it works. Kids have voices and they are going to use them.

When the kids grow up, guess what? They still have a voice. Adults tend to use their voices inappropriately sometimes. All you have to do is turn on the television or go watch a movie at the theatre to hear what I am talking about.

Have you ever considered what your voice projects? I wonder if we were to go thru life with others looking only at what comes out of our mouths, what would they hear? There is another great saying that I use to hear growing up, "Actions speak louder than words." And this is so true. And inspecting our fruit is very important. But today I am just talking about our voice.

When I worked with teenagers not too long ago at our church, one of the things I learned is that teens feel like they don't have a voice. Adults tend to look down on them. They don't listen to them. They feel like their opinions are not of value.

It's no wonder there is a generation gap. Teens need to be heard. They have a voice. If we would just listen, we might be surprised at what they have to say. But many times we can't get past the long hair, the earrings, the piercings and tattoos. We judge according to what we see and not what we hear.

1 Samuel 16:7 "...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Often times, I think we, as adult children of God, do the same thing. We look at the visible. We yearn to see proof that God is at work. Instead of just listening to His voice and trusting what He says, we want to see for ourselves how He is working. We look at what we can see instead of what we hear.

"My sheep listen to My voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand." (John 10:27, 28)

Have you been listening to God's voice?
Even if you can't see the answer to your question, you can still trust what you hear Him say. His voice is THE voice!

What would our forefathers have to say?

2011-07-04T14:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday America!

As I look back and remember what our great land was founded on, I can't help but to think that the hard toil that our forefathers went thru for our freedoms have been forgotten or at least taken for granted.

Most of us celebrate the 4th of July with a cookout, gathering with family and friends to eat hot dogs and hamburgers and light fireworks. Some of us take off for the weekend and head to the lake and make a weekend of it. Celebrating a 3 day weekend with fishing, swimming and grilling out. The 4th of July Holiday for us is this and more. It's a paid day off of work. A day to sleep in. Go to the movies. Do whatever you want to do with no worry about meeting deadlines or facing your boss. It's a FREE day for most Americans.

But do we really realize how FREE it is?

Compared to other nations, we here in America have it good. But I wonder if we are continuing in our forefathers footsteps or have we gotten away from the principles that our nation was founded on?

I believe if our forefathers could talk to us, they would tell us a few things:

First of all, they would tell America to promote equality. Our nation was founded on equality. "WE, the People..." But WHO exactly is this "We, the people?" It doesn't say "We, the white people" or "We, the rich people". We the People covers EVERYONE. (White, black, Hispanic, rich, poor, etc)God sees people, He doesn't see color. His blood was shed for all, not just for a few.

It's time for America to get back to equality.

Second of all, our forefathers would tell us that in order to remain free, we must contribute. We must give back to our nation. We must contribute to our land. One way that we can contribute is by working hard. Another way is letting our voice be heard. Did you know in the area that I live (Memphis, TN) that 70% of eligible voters in the last election did NOT vote. 70%! We don't vote, but yet we complain when things in government doesn't get done. We can no longer complain about the things that we allow.

It's time for America to contribute. Not just nationally, but locally.

Another thing that our forefathers would warn us about is that we have become a nation that has forgotten how to pray. Our nation was founded on God and what He stands for. Prayer has been taken out of our country, out of our schools and unfortunately it is not found even in some of our homes.

Without prayer, our country will not become stronger. It's time for America to pray!

Finally, if our forefathers had a chance, I believe they would tell us that it was time to occupy our nation. It is time to go after it. Reclaim it. Restore it. Replenish it. Recover it. Occupy it.

“And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.” Luke 19:13 KJV

Our Forefathers have labored greatly so you and I can have freedom, while there is still work to be done, I wonder why we just sit, doing nothing. Same is true for our spiritual freedoms. God already made the biggest sacrifice of all so we can be free...His Son, Jesus Christ. Without the blood, we would have no freedom. But while His sacrifice was enough, there are still people whom we come in contact with that do not understand what such a freedom cost. There are many who still have not heard the message. They have not received the Free gift the Cross offers. But while there are still people to be reached, souls to be won...we just sit, doing nothing.

What would our forefathers have to say?

Go out and reach your world. Don't waste any more time. Occupy the land....until He comes. Freedom didn't come without a price. But what kind of price are you willing to pay?

May God bless America! Literally.

THANKFUL THURSDAY...sweet tooth

2011-06-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

Do you have a sweet tooth?

If you put a dish of m&m's or snickers in front of me, I just can't stop at one. I know that is suppose to be for Lay's potato chips, but it also works for chocolate!

My love for sweets, particularly chocolate, stems from a desire I had at a very young age. For as long as I can remember, I never liked the taste of milk. White milk that is. The only way, as a child, that I would drink milk is if I could sweeten it with some chocolate. I loved me some chocolate milk. Still do.

But like most good things, it wasn't long before I realized that all of that sugar and chocolate was not good for me. Too much sugar can lead to problems such as tooth decay, obesity or even diabetes. Truth is if we have too much sugar and not enough milk in our lives, we become unhealthy!

"As newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow." 1 Peter 2:2

As I grow older, I am slowly realizing the importance of drinking more milk and eating less sweets. Milk contains important nutrients that cannot be obtained by sweet things. The vitamin D and the calcium found in milk is exactly what is needed for my bones to remain strong. If I only eat the sweet things and neglect the things that are needed to keep me healthy and strong, it will only be a matter of time before I become weak, frail and broken.

Spiritually speaking, we are the same. Just like a baby who needs milk to grow and just like how we need the nutrients from the milk to remain strong, we also need spiritual milk to keep us growing spiritually. We need to limit the sweet stuff. You know, the sweet temptations that keep us from growing in Christ.

We all need to feast on more milk, or the Word of God. It contains the nutrients that we need to grow spiritually. Without His Milk, we will become weak, frail and broken Christians.

Are you getting enough of His nutrients to be strong or are you giving in too much to your sweet tooth?

Today is THANKFUL THURSDAY and I am so thankful that God's Word contains all of the sweet flavors needed to sustain me. His Word fulfills. It satisfies. And it keeps me strong and healthy. What are you thankful for? Join your grateful heart with ours over at GRACEALONE. Iris is hosting TT this month!

Sheep among the wolves

2011-06-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

When God sends us out, it isn't always easy. He doesn't just sent us out to labor among a bed of roses. Sometimes, we are among the wolves. And if you know anything about wolves, you know that they are hungry and they will devour if given the chance.

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)

Wolves prowl, especially at night, they look and they wait for the chance to pounce. They know what they are looking for, they can smell their bait for miles away. Christians need to be warned that there is not only sheep among us but also wolves. Sometimes it is difficult to tell them apart, for the wolves sometimes dress up as sheep to fool us.

Sometimes the wolves dress up as sheep in order to persuade others to follow them. And at other times, sheep will dress up as wolves so they can take charge, manipulate and deceive others. It is not our job to change wolves into sheep. We are, however, given a charge to bring forth the wolves and allow the Shepherd to transform them into lambs.

I find it mind boggling how easily people are tricked. Even though God's Word warns them of it, they are still misguided and easily lured into falling for deception and untruths. This happens because who we see as the sheep really are just wolves in disguise. A disguised wolf is a great danger to the flock.

How can we tell the wolves from the sheep?

The wolves will snarl, hiss and bite. The sheep graze peacefully. I don't know about you, but I have come across a few wolves along the way and it is not easy to fend them off at times. But we must remember that God never promised us a rose garden. He never said it would be easy. In fact, He said that trials and tribulation would come our way and that the enemy would come to kill, steal and destroy. And the best way he does that is using trickery. Deceit. Lies. Manipulation. Confusion.

When you face the snarling wolves, and you will, remember what Jesus said in John 15:20:

"If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you!"

Who are they?
The wolves disguised in sheep clothing could possibly be those closest to you:

LUKE 21:16,17 "You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all for my name’s sake."

But if you continue reading in Luke 21, you will find God's promise..."But not a hair on your head will perish." Your faithfulness to Him will be rewarded. He will protect us from the pack of wolves and if we will turn around and love our enemies, we just may be able to lead the pack to the Shepherd.

Do not fear, if God could conquer the grave, a few little wolves won't scare Him. He can silence those that set out to hurt His children. But we must be awake and alert to tell the difference between the sheep and the wolves so that we will not be deceived.

Are you ready for the pack?

A PIECE OF MY HEART...His best piece

2011-06-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I think about masterpieces, I can't help but think about our trip we took to Europe for our 25th anniversary a few years ago. One of the stops we made was Paris, and when we went to visit the Louvre in Paris, we saw plenty of masterpieces!

But what makes a masterpiece anyway?

To me, a masterpiece reveals an artists best piece of art. As we viewed different art pieces at the Louvre, I discovered that artist Leonardo Da Vinci painted over 20 paintings. But yet he is most known for only one painting. That would be his masterpiece. The Mona Lisa.

Inside the art museum, you could easily walk up and view Da Vinci's art. Much of his art was displayed on a wall that you could get up close and view. But viewing his masterpiece was much different. The Mona Lisa was held in a private room. Guards stood in front of the painting and the great masterpiece was roped off and visitors could only get so close to it. If you tried to step past the rope or if you tried to take a picture of the great masterpiece, the guards were right on you. No other piece of art had such attention. I guess that is the difference between a piece of art and an artists best ... a masterpiece.

If we could find God's best piece of art or His masterpiece, we wouldn't have to go far. We wouldn't have to go all the way to Paris or even visit an art museum. All we would have to do is look in the mirror. The mirror is where you can find His greatest masterpiece of all.

EPHESIANS 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

So if we are His greatest piece, His workmanship....are we protecting His masterpiece or are we being careless with it?

May we all realize the treasure that God sees in each of us. He has created each of us with such care and no two masterpieces are the same. Like the guards on duty at the Louvre, we must also guard and protect the image that our masterpiece portrays.

And this has been a piece of my heart today;

Let Go!

2011-06-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed how we like to hang onto things?

All I have to do is look in my closet and see how I like to hang onto old clothes and old shoes. Things that I don't wear or need any longer are the hardest things to let go of.

It's not just things we wear that we hold onto. My husband has newspapers about Superbowl winnings from years ago. I cannot understand why he holds onto those things. It's not like they are worth any thing and what purpose does it serve to hang onto them?

In life, we sometimes hang onto things that cause us harm. Old shoes and newspapers from decades ago probably would not fall into this category. But we as humans tend to hang onto old habits and bad memories that tend to bring harm to us.

This past week, I heard a preacher tell the following story:

As a young child, he went to the driving range with his dad. While he was too young to actually hit the balls, to give him something to do, his father let him go to the ball machine to fill the bucket full of golf balls. The young boy excitedly went to the ball machine, set the pail down and hit the button that dropped down the balls. As the balls filled up the bucket, he noticed one ball got loose and instead of dropping into the bucket it dropped down to the bottom of the machine. As any young boy would do, the preacher shared how he didn't want any balls to get away, so he reached down into the hole of the machine to retrieve that lost ball. Except for alittle problem...when he tried to pull his hand back out of the hole, it was stuck. Panicked, he started to holler. His mom came running to see what was the matter. As others gathered around him, they could see that his hand was stuck in the machine. Until one very smart individual asked,"do you have the ball in your hand?" To which the boy replied, "Yes, I have the ball!" Then he was told to "Let go of the ball!" So he did. And he was able to pull his hand right out of the hole.

Why is it so hard for us to let go of things? We are like the little preacher boy, we can't escape bad things in our life because we are holding onto the things that keep us trapped. We must learn to "let go" and just "let God!"

Psalm 25:2 "O my God , I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me."

WHAT ARE YOU HOLDING ON TO?
Try letting go and see what God can do!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...shhh - can you hear it?

2011-06-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am not a very good listener. I blame it on my age and I say I didn't hear it, but I often wonder if that is true or if I just have a short attention span. Often times, my family has to repeat things more than once to me. I am just not a good listener at times.

At times, we don't hear, because we don't listen. I read a story recently that illustrates this thought perfectly:

A man lost his watch while working in a ice house. He searched diligently for his watch, carefully shifting through the sawdust, but to no prevail did he find his watch. His co-workers also searched for his watch, but they came up with nothing.

While the men took a lunch break, a young boy who had heard about the lost watch slipped into the ice house to search for the lost watch. After just a short time, the boy came out of the ice-house with the watch in his hand.

The men were all astonished that the young boy found what they could not. They asked him, "How did you find it?" The boy replied, " I laid down in the sawdust and kept very still. In the quietness, I heard the watch ticking."

I have found that life can be so hectic and we can become so consumed with things that distract us that it is difficult to find time to slow down and just be still. Have you ever wondered why Jesus went to be alone with His Father? He secluded Himself so He could focus completely on what His Father had to say to Him.

It was never a question of whether or not God was speaking, because He was. Jesus just made a point of listening. The question for us is not whether or not God is speaking but are we willing to listen? We might need to remove some distractions and get quiet before God so we can hear Him.

Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

When is the last time you laid down in the ~~sawdust~~ prayer closet and just listened? If you get still before Him, you might be able to hear something of importance.

Today, on THANKFUL THURSDAY, I am so grateful for the voice of God. May we quiet down so we can hear His voice among all of the other voices calling out to us. Shh! Can you hear it?

IRIS is our TT host this month. Please join your grateful heart with ours by linking up over there.

Sink or swim!

2011-06-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." Matthew 14:28

The disciples were in a boat when Jesus came walking towards them on the water. The Bible says that Peter called out to Jesus:

"Lord, if it is You, bid me to come to you on the water."

So, Jesus told him to come and Peter walked on the water. But only for a moment. When he began to look around and see the winds whipping around he began to sink. Once this happened, Peter cried out to Jesus to save him.

I have thought about this story so many times and at times I have associated myself with Peter. Look at what happens to Peters faith:

He had enough faith to call out to Jesus and ask Him to let him come to Him. At the word of Jesus, Peter stepped onto the water. When Peter began to sink, he had enough faith to cry out for Jesus to save him. But the point where his faith weakens is when Peter looks around and sees the "storm".

How many times have I been like Peter?

I have enough faith in God to step into the water. My faith is even great enough when I feel like I am sinking to cry out to Him to help me, but when I begin to look around and see the crashing waves, this is when my faith weakens. It is not the beginning or the end of the storm, but it is the middle.

It is easy to trust when we take our first steps, but when the storm comes crashing in, our faith soon diminishes when we wonder if we are going to be able to keep afloat. It is much easier to walk TO Him then to walk WITH Him in the water.

It makes me wonder if we forget who is in the water with us?

Did Peter forget Who was with Him? Jesus even asked him why he doubted. It is in the doubting moment that we lose our balance and begin to sink. We need to learn to not only trust Him in the boat, but when we step out in faith and even when the storms come crashing in. He is with us during every step, and He will not fail us, not even when we are in the middle of a storm!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...do I know you?

2011-06-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had someone come up and ask you, "Don't I know you?" Something about the person seems familiar but you are not sure if you know them or not. Sometimes something triggers a memory and you share a moment of reflection with each other.

Lately, I have had to ask myself this very question in regard to some relationships I have..."Do I know you?" People who I have known for years have turned out to be something other than what I thought. I thought that I knew them, but in reality, I didn't know them at all.

This reality check has caused me to wonder, "do we really know anyone at all?"

How many of us truly are what we say we are?

Sometimes it is difficult for us to show people the "real" us. But I have always said that it only takes a matter of time before the real person comes to surface. We can only hide our true identity for a season. Eventually what is in our heart and in our mind will come to surface. And when the real "us" comes to life, it can either be something beautiful or it can be the green eyed monster.

"Oh Lord, You have searched me and You know me." PSALMS 139:1

We can fool others about who we really are, but we can never fool God. He sees the dark places of our hearts. He knows every thought. Every thing that is spoken or done in private. He knows the real us. He doesn't need to ask "do I know you?" because He knows every intricate thing about us.

I don't know about you, but knowing God has heard every word I have spoken and seen every deed I have done, makes me peel the mask off. It causes me to be real. Genuine. It propels me to be an authentic Christian.

The world is full of imitations, and when someone stops me and asks, "Do I know you?", I hope my answer can be "yes, you know EXACTLY who I am."

and this has been a piece of my heart today;

Thru our Fathers eyes!

2011-06-20T06:50:00.000-07:00

It is amazing, now that our sons are grown up, how each of them have taken on similiar traits of their father. In fact, our youngest son likes to joke around and he will comb his hair to the side and put on his Dad's glasses and try to mock his father. Funny thing is ...he looks exactly like his dad.

I have often wondered about those glasses that their father wears. I wonder if the kids have ever considered what they could really see thru their dad's eyes?

If his glasses could talk, I think they would reveal the compassion and love that their dad sees in people. They would see the good samaritian things that their dad has done that has gone unnoticed. The glasses would reveal the unselfish deeds that their father has done for others. If the children could look thru their fathers glasses, they would see hard work, good character, compassion for others, genuine love for others and a faithfulness to serve God.

These are also some of the things that we would see if we would just look thru our heavenly Fathers eyes. Sometimes it is difficult to see the clear path, when trials and tribulations come my way, I cannot see clearly or make sense of the path I am on. But that is because I cannot see my future like God sees it.

I have come to realize that I cannot see clearly on my own. I will always need my Fathers help in seeing clearly. The direction I take in life cannot be based simply on what I see, because God sees things that I am not even aware of. He knows where the bumps in the road are and He knows what is good for me and what is going to harm me. I don't always see these things clearly. This is why I/we must depend upon God's 20/20 vision instead of our 20/40 vision.

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Pslam 16:8-11

I like what the Psalmist says in this passage..."I keep my eyes ALWAYS on the Lord!" How long does "always" mean? That means NEVER taking our eyes off of God. Our Father sees what we cannot see. Trusting Him and keeping Him at our side means we cannot ever fail.

We must trust our Fathers vision and see things thru His eyes!

THANK YOU LISA!

2011-06-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

One of my all time favorite bloggers, fellow Pastors wife and accomplished author is Lisa of PREACHERS WIFE. She has a great sense of humor and a very humble spirit. I have been following her for a couple of years now. This week she picked WOMEN TAKING A STAND to feature as one of her M2M (Married to the Ministry) blogs.

Thank you Lisa! Stop by her blog sometime, you will enjoy her writing! http://www.apreacherswife.com/

Mirror, Mirror on the wall!

2011-06-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

This week I got a new hairdo. I don't know what I was thinking...with long hair, I could just get up, pull it in a ponytail and go. Short hair, you can't do that. You have to fuss and fix it before you can go anywhere.

The past few days I have found myself in front of the mirror more than usual as I try to prep myself to be world ready. Face it girls, some of us need alittle more time in front of the mirror each morning than others. Some girls have a natural beauty, I, on the other hand, need to make some things happen in front of the mirror before anyone can see me!

I would imagine that most of us would not want the world to see us before we primp and beautify. We want to look refined and refreshed before we conquer our world.

This morning, I am reminded of the words of the Apostle James:

James 1:22-25But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

When I look into the mirror and see myself for who I am, I have two choices. I can either walk away from what I saw and ignore the changes I need to make or I can do the work that is necessary to mold my life into what God wants it to be. Just like we need to shower and clean up in the morning, sometimes we just need a good spiritual shower and remove the dirt, grime and debris that stands in the way of being the fresh scent of Christ that He desires us to be.

Mirror, Mirror on the wall....

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see a Christlike appearance looking back at you? May we all primp, groom and yearn after looking our best for God and in return, may others see the beauty of Christ within us.

THANKFUL THURSDAY...watermelon seeds

2011-06-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about summertime is watermelon! I love eating a slice of juicy watermelon. The only thing that I don't like is taking the seeds out. Last night I was enjoying a slice of melon and when I finished, I noticed the pile of seeds left on my plate. I counted the seeds. 9 seeds. How amazing is it that out of just one slice, there is potential for 9 more fruits to be planted.

As I scraped the melon rind and seeds into the trash, God spoke to me about the potential seeds that seem to get tossed aside. Not watermelon seeds, but seeds that He has planted in me.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:10 "Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness."

It is God's desire that we bear much fruit. In John 15:8, it says, "This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples." I think God would desire us to be like watermelons, and bear much fruit for His Kingdom. May we not forget that God can take one seed and multuply it many times over. But we must be willing to allow Him to cultivate what He has already placed in us.

May we not waste the potential seeds that we each possess. I am so thankful for the opportunities that God has placed in me, may He be pleased with the fruit that comes out of me. What are you grateful for today? Join us as we gather with Iris for THANKFUL THURSDAY!