THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY...my life, my love, my all

Today on THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY, I want to share with you a video from Kirk Franklin. Whenever you want to spend some time in worship and reach heaven with your praise...Kirk will take you there!

MY LIFE, MY LOVE, MY ALL...

"His blood has made me new"

(please scroll down to my blog music on the sidebar and MUTE my music before playing this video - otherwise you will have two songs playing at one time..)

Please join AMY and all the other Worship-filled hearts over at THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY. Find them HERE!

WORD POWER...pistos

I have heard it said that there is power in the words that we use. Not only "which" words we use, but "how" we use them and "knowing the right time" to use certain words. Timing can be everything. I am doing a study about words. I hope to share with you some words to ponder on...so we can all strive to have power in the words that we speak! This week's word....

PISTOS (Pis-tos')
(adj.) - trusty, faithful, easily persuaded

1. TRUSTY, FAITHFUL

a. of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties
b. one who kept his plighted faith, worthy of trust
c. that can be relied on

2. EASILY PERSUADED

a. believing, confiding, trusting
b. in the NT one who trusts in God's promises
.....1. one who is convinced that Jesus has been raised from the dead
.....2. one who has become convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and author of salvation

If the word PISTOS means faithful, there is only one that I can totally believe in and have complete faith in. GOD is the One that I can confide in and whom I trust. He will never leave me nor forsake me, so I know that I can count on Him and put my faith in Him and in His ways!

1 CORINTHIANS 1:9 "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."

GOD IS A FAITHFUL (or PISTOS) FRIEND TO HAVE!

Now That's A Word Packed With FAITHFULNESS!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...brotherly kindness

HAVE YOU EVER HAD SOMEONE DO AN ACT OF KINDNESS FOR YOU THAT TOTALLY WENT OVER THE TOP?

I love it when Christians look for ways that they can bless someone. Recently, we had such a thing happen to us. So today, on THANKFUL THURSDAY, I want to give thanks for those that give kindness to others out of the goodness of their hearts!

For two years my husband has been praying that God would give him a car. Yes, you heard me right - G I V E ! ! It is really interesting to see the faces of people when you tell them that you are praying for a car to be given to you. I guess that is kind of out of the ordinary, but is it impossible? NO, "what is impossible with man is POSSIBLE with God!"

A few months ago, a friend told my husband that he had a car "just sitting" in his yard and he wanted to give it to us. There's that word again ... G I V E ! ! He wanted to do some work to it before he gave it to us. So he did. Rebuilt the transmission and who knows what else.

Last week, he brought us our "new" car. A 1995 Ford T-bird. (Ok...I didn't say my husband prayed for a BRAND NEW car!) This is a classic car though. Our friend took really good care of it, inside the interior is perfect with leather seats, and a sunroof. The outside also perfect, no rust, no scratches or dents. WOW. With some new tires and a little engine work done ...it runs like a baby.

What a blessing! Every time we get in that T-bird we reflect just how good God is! He is so awesome. It is His desire to meet ALL of our needs. And who knows who He will use or what He will use to make it happen.

I am so thankful first to God for loving us so much to meet this need we had for a different car, and I am so thankful to our friend who was obedient to God and gave sacrificially from his heart.

2 PETER 1:5-7

"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge (6) to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, (7) to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love."

BROTHERLY KINDNESS...what do you have that you could bless your brother or sister in the Lord with?

• A lawnmower?
• A refrigerator?
• A television?
• A computer?
• A car?
• Your time?
• Your money?

WHY NOT "GO OVER THE TOP" WITH YOUR BROTHERLY KINDNESS!

Thank you Bill for going over the top!

May God pour out His blessings upon you!

For other THANKFUL THURSDAY posts, please join me and Iris over at STING MY HEART. CLICK HERE to join us!

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD..."pruning"

THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THE WORLD:

Those who HAVE made mistakes

Those who ARE making mistakes

Those who WILL soon make mistakes

As Christians, we tend to think that we are immune to correction. As adults, we might think that discipline is only for children. Solomon warns us in the book of Proverbs that there is a penalty for resenting criticism (or receiving discipline).

PROVERBS 13:18 "The path of pride leads to poverty and disgrace."

DISCIPLINE AND CORRECTION ARE ABOUT AS FUN AS A ROOT CANAL!

We cannot escape discipline and correction:

1. In the grocery store line next to you, a child is throwing a tantrum over something mommy won't buy....the noise drives your stress level up and makes you wonder why the parent does not discipline their child!!

2. In the break room at work, a colleague rolls her eyes as she talks about some criticism she received in her annual performance review...as she relates to you her supervisor's criticism, you know there is truth to it. Yet she indicates she has NO plan to grow in that area and she is expecting you to agree with her!

3. While driving home from a church gathering, your spouse says that you've been spending a little too much money lately...You feel your anger rising and think to yourself, "It's MY money, I'll spend it if I want to!!"

In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I asked the readers to vote on the following, "How do you react to receiving correction?" The top 3 answers in the poll are...

• 35% of the readers said they don't enjoy it and they often respond with anger or an insult.
• 29% of the voters polled said that they can take it from a friend easier than a stranger.
• 23% polled voted and said that it was easier to receive correction from a stranger but not a friend.

The reason we hate being corrected is pride. We want to be the authority in our life and we resent anyone else stepping in. Accepting discipline is part of humility. Those too proud to learn from mistakes and from advice do not grow.

Not all criticism or discipline comes with the right attitude. Even when people criticise us from bad motives, there is often truth in what they say. Be open to learn and grow. Sometimes the hardest people to receive correction from are those we love the most. Good friends or close family can hurt us the most, yet, we should care more for their opinions than anyone else's (except for God).

PROVERBS 27:17 "Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Discipline might be compared to pruning. Too much pruning can kill a plant, so, in a way, the pruning does hurt. Yet, a vine grower who wants many grapes that are sweet will prune his vines to mere stumps. It is only the new wood that will make good fruit. This is the same image God uses to describe the way He disciplines us: "He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit." (John 15:2)

We may want to consider this verse next time someone corrects us or disciplines us...God might be using others to do some pruning in our lives. Like so many other aspects of wisdom, heeding correction is a habit. Learn to listen and care about what others are saying. Listen especially for criticism. Consider it fertilizer for your character growth and even for your spiritual growth.

PROVERBS 12:1 "Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid."

Thank you for joining us for this weeks WEEKLY WORD! I have been studying the book of PROVERBS and the subject of accepting discipline was not easy for me. As a perfectionist, (or one with OCD -over compulsive disorder) I fell into the 35% who said they don't enjoy it and usually respond with anger. I have been looking at it in the wrong light...discipline is a way for me to grow in knowledge of areas that God is trying to prune in my life.

If you struggle in this area, would you join me in memorizing Proverbs 12:1?

NEW POLL: Please take time to vote in this weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL. This week I ask you to rate your financial wisdom. You can find the poll on the side bar of this blog. THANKS FOR VOTING! Your opinion matters!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...time to "dye" it

For me, today is the day that most women over 40 years old look forward to.... The day we go to the beauty salon for a "new" look.

In my case...it is time to take care of those grey hairs that are popping up all over my head! I believe it was Clairol that had that cute little jingle a few years back "I'm gonna wash that grey right out of my hair!" In my case...let's just take a big dunk!

I was reminding my daughter, who is 13 now about our hair appointments. She was getting a trim and I, a total makeover or what we call a "color" or "highlights". My smart, precious 'lil angel had this to say....

13 YEAR OLD (how did she get so smart!) DAUGHTER: "Mom, why do you color your hair? Why don't you just let your hair be grey. Just be who you are."

THE OLD (and greying) MOTHER: "Because I don't like my hair grey, I think it makes me look old."

13 YEAR OLD (should I ground her?) DAUGHTER: "I'm just saying, be what God made you...how can you try to be something you're not, you ARE old you know Mom."

hmmmm....she has a point here. I mean about trying to be something I'm not.

(did you think I was referring to the "you are old Mom" statement...PLEASE!!)

• How many times DO WE put a mask on as Christians? We say one thing, but do another.
• How many times DO WE act one way on Sunday, all spiritual and together! But on Monday morning, we do as the world does...cuss, gamble, gossip, cheat, lie, etc.
• How many times do we put "color" on to make us look better... But inside we are dark and wilting.

I believe if Clairol and God got together, they would have a new promotional jingle... "He's gonna wash that junk right out of your life!"

ISN'T IT TIME THAT WE "DIE" IT?

Apostle Paul gives us a reminder how often we should do this.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:31 "I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I DIE daily."

Lord help us to die to those things that keep us from being all that we can be in Jesus Christ!

(Anna...I'm still gonna color my hair, I think God would want me to be as beautiful as you! You'll understand in a few years...I started greying in my 20's ~ so that's just a few more years for you! I have one word for you to remember...CLAIROL!)

AND THAT'S A PIECE OF MY HEART TODAY;

AT THE WELL...Encouraging daughters

#1 How do you encourage your daughters in their relationship with the Lord?
#2 How do you encourage them in areas of domestic service in your home?
#3 How do you encourage them in their future of loving their husbands and their own children, and also being content if marriage isn't in God's plan for them?

These are the questions posed to us by our host this week over AT THE WELL. Penny is our host this week.

On my bookshelf is a great book to read if you have a daughter. It is "Your Girl" -raising a Godly daughter in an ungodly world written by Vicki Courtney. It is a timely book for us raising daughters in the society we live today.

I have the most beautiful, cherished daughter. She is such a blessing. She came 13 years after we had our first son. In between her and the oldest, 2 more brothers. For me to finally buy "pink" things was extraordinary!!!

That pink bundle of joy is now 13 years old. WOW! a teenager and still an over-the-top blessing to me.

This week, Penny has posed a great topic for us to discuss. I want to concentrate on two points of her questions. How do I encourage my daughter in her relationship with God and in a future relationship with her husband.

The first (and most important) step is ...PRAYER

She is never too young to begin to pray over for her salvation and her future husband. Begin early...in the womb if possible!

• PRAY for her!
• PRAY with her!
• PRAY over her!
• PRAY because of her!

And teach HER to PRAY!

The second (and just as important) step is ...BE A GODLY EXAMPLE

Daughters learn not from lecture but from example. I can remember when my 'lil princess was much younger, and a teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up and she replied, "a mommy just like my mommy!" ...

"oh be still my heart!" - says mommy

As cute as that is...that should also be taken very, very seriously! What an awesome responsibility we, as mothers, have to mold our daughters to become Godly women.

To accomplish both of these steps (prayer and being a Godly example), we must allow our daughters to see God in us.

• When is the last time you prayed WITH your daughter?
• When is the last time your daughter saw you PRAY or READ YOUR BIBLE?
• What does your daughter hear you say to your husband...negativity or building up?
• When you place boundaries on your daughter...do you live within those same boundaries? .......do YOU dress appropriately or are YOUR jeans too tight, YOUR shorts too short and YOUR top too low?
• When is the last time your daughter saw you help someone in need?
• Does your daughter see a different "mommy" at home than at church?

In the book, "Your Girl", 3 main areas are covered:

1. PREPARING for battle
2. BATTLES worth fighting
3. ARMING our daughters for battle

Face it ...today's culture is filled with battles...teen pregnancies on the rise; girls "cutting" themselves; pornography and sexually illicit things on our televisions, at the movie theatre, in our music, in every magazine. Society is filled with battles that our daughters are fighting.

Our daughters need the armour before going into the battle.

PSALMS 3:3 "But you, oh Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts my head."

It is my prayer that the encouragement my daughter receives from me is not just encouragement from my love and adoration for her but that she will be encouraged to see the love and adoration I have for my heavenly Father.

YOUR DAUGHTER (my daughter) is worth fighting for. May the battle be won thru Jesus Christ!

For more writings on this topic, please visit us AT THE WELL, click here! Thank you Chelsey for spurring us on to be more like the TITUS 2 woman!

THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY...joy unspeakable

I have JOY UNSPEAKABLE on my mind this weekend, in fact, I will be sharing in Sunday School this Sunday a few thoughts on that subject.

Joy is different than happiness. Happiness waits for things to be exactly the way they should be BEFORE it can be satisfied. Our circumstances can dictate our happiness. JOY, on the other hand does not look upon our situation - it draws from one source....GOD!

To have joy UNSPEAKABLE means that words cannot describe our joy, especially in the midst of trial and tribulation. To have unspeakable joy is to have peace and joy that only comes from the Lord even when you cannot understand it.

THE NEWSBOYS sing a song entitled, JOY. I would like to share the video with you on this THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY. I pray that if you need peace in your situation, that you will receive joy that is totally unspeakable!


(Please scroll down my side bar and MUTE my blog music, otherwise you will have two songs playing!)



For other worshipful hearts, join AMY over at Signs, Miracles and Wonders for the THEN SINGS MY SOUL SATURDAY postings! Find them HERE.