LACED WITH GRACE ... ((RATS!))

Today, You can find me over at LACED WITH GRACE!

I have shared a devotion over there entitled, "((RATS!)) ...

"One of our favorite things to do when all of the kids get together is stay up late and sit around the table playing board games. Recently, when the boys were all here, one of them showed me a new card game. I can’t recall the name of it, but I remember that it not only took skill but it took speed and accuracy. Have you ever played a game and everything seemed ..."

click HERE to read the rest!

TRAIN UP A CHILD

This week has been the week for this mother to see her children off to another part of the world to stand on their own. Earlier this week, we saw our middle son and his wife off as they moved to Utah. After 3 days on the road, they made it to their final destination, safely.

Today, we embark on yet another son moving. Jordan, our youngest son, is leaving home to attend Bible College in Texas. It is strange to see the past 19 years all packed up in a box.

Certainly, for this mother, this is a sad time because I will miss their presence. I will miss their laughter, their hugs and late night runs to DQ. But mostly, this mother is happy and content. and proud!

I am happy and content, because I see the boys doing exactly what God intended them to do. Spread their wings and discover the world! God has so many opportunities and adventures waiting for them. If they will just put their faith in God...He will be with them guiding and leading them and that gives peace and joy.

"Train up a child and he will not depart from it" - what a great promise to us parents. I have done the best I can with the little time that I have had. I know that no matter what road my children chooses to venture down that the strong spiritual foundation that they were raised upon will always be in them and now today, it is my prayer that they will lean upon that for each step they take.

THANKFUL THURSDAY...anchor of hope

Me and boats on water just do not mix. I'm not sure why, but being out on water just gives me a real uneasy feeling. I remember when we went on a missions trip to Ecuador, we went whale watching. Well in order to see any whales ... you have to go out where the whales are!

I will never forget that horrible boat ride. The waters swayed the boat back and forth and back and forth. I really thought I was just going to be sick! I remember sitting in my seat ever so still, while others were on the boat walking from side to side, trying to get a glimpse of any sea creature ... I was concentrating on breathing and not throwing my lunch over the side of the boat. I felt so unsteady, uneasy and unsafe.

I finally began to ease up and enjoy the whale watching when the boat found a place to rest and the anchor was thrown out. Have you ever thought about the purpose of an anchor on a boat? When the anchor is set firm ... the ship and all of the people on it are secure. Even when the winds blow, the ship will not crash against the rocks or float out among the rough seas.

No wonder our hope in Jesus and His promises are referred to as an "anchor for our souls". When this anchor is set firm in our hearts and spirit, there is nothing that can throw us off course or destroy us. The waves of life might get rough and bumpy, but the "anchor will hold" and our hope in Jesus Christ will stand firm!

Alot of people try to put their security in other things. Things like a big bank account, or a secure position at a company, insurance policies or investments ...none of these can make us secure. The only true form of security can be found in Jesus Christ ... He is our anchor of hope!

HEBREWS 6:18, 19 "We who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls."

Don't find yourselves in the middle of a storm without your Anchor!

IRIS is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY this week. Please be sure to stop by and visit her and all of the other grateful hearts as we unite together and give thanks to our Father who is truly our Anchor of Hope! Be sure to come back here next week as I will be hosting TT for the month of September. Y

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD...do you hear what I hear?

I read the most interesting story the other day. It had to do with the things that we hear...

The story was told of two men who were walking along a very crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly, one of the men said ..."Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket." But the other man did not hear the sound. The second man asked the first how he could possibly hear the sound of a cricket amid the loud roar of traffic and all the sounds of the people in the crowd. The first man was a zoologist and he had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature, but he did not share this with his friend. Instead, he simply dropped a half dollar coin from his pocket onto the sidewalk, and at least a dozen people stopped and began to look around the two men. Then the first man simply said this, "We hear what we listen for."

Wow! Isn't that true for us today. We hear what we want to hear. We simply do not listen at times. This is also very true when it comes to listening to the voice of God. Sometimes, I have to admit, I hear what I want to hear from Him. There are times when I simply do not listen for His voice. His voice is muffled by all of the sounds going on around me.

In last weeks YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question, "Who in your life can be described as 'ever hearing, but never understanding'...'ever seeing, but never perceiving' "? The top answers were:

1. 50% of those voting said that this would apply to their children.

2. 25% of the readers voted and said that this would apply mostly to themselves.

In the book of Isaiah, I recall how God spoke to Isaiah ...

ISAIAH 6:8-10 "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' and I said, 'Here am I. Send me!' (9) He said, 'Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. (10) Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."

It is no doubt that just as God spoke to Isaiah, He also speaks to us. I have read some Bible Scholars say that many Christians envy Isaiah for this experience of hearing God with an audible voice. Hearing an audible voice from God was reserved for a handful of select people in the Bible, but yet God spoke to many, as He does with us, just in different ways.

GOD SPEAKS THRU HIS WORD

2 Timothy 3:16 says that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." So if we are listening for God's voice ... we need to be in His Word.

GOD SPEAKS THRU HUMAN MESSENGERS

When God wanted to speak to the people of Israel, He did not use a loudspeaker to broadcast His message. He instead, entrusted the message to specific people. God not only uses the local Pastor and Evangelist to bring His message to you and me, but sometimes, He even uses your next door neighbor! God speaks to us thru His people, and we must be sensitive to the fact that WHO brings the message forth is not as important as WHOM the message comes from.

GOD SPEAKS THRU WORLDLY EVENTS

On at least one occasion, the Apostle Paul had planned to preach in various places in Asia, but only to have his direction blocked and discovering a different direction to take. Sometimes, our plans are altered, this could possibly be Gods way of telling us to go another direction.

However God chooses to speak to us (audibly, thru His Word, thru His messenger or thru events) it is imperative that we listen and be obedient to His calling. I often wonder, if God ever asks Himself ... "Do they hear what I hear?"

HAVE YOU HEARD FROM GOD TODAY?

A PIECE OF MY HEART ... a day of celebration

Today was kind of an unusual day for me. Today was one of the days that I have been dreading for some time. In the next week, all 3 of my sons will be moving to different states. Today marked the day that Jeremy and his wife would leave to move to Salt Lake City, Utah.

The kids stopped by last night and we visited until wee hours of the morning and then we said our good-byes. They were going to leave this morning, but all of us would be at school or work and last night just seemed like the right time to have our farewell prayer and goodbye.

Instead of being sad and teary eyed, it was really more like a celebration. Even though my heart was sad to see them move so far away, my heart was jumping and celebrating that they were finally going to be together as man and wife. I was excited that they would venture out on the adventure of a lifetime ... their life together!

I wonder, how many of you, today felt like celebrating? If we are believers, we should all want to celebrate! Because of Him, we should look at each day as a time for a joyful celebration.

Do you start up each day with an expectancy to see wonderful things or do you live your day beneath a cloud of worry and doubt?

Even when things seem difficult and sad and out of our control ... we can all have a heart of celebration. Today is non-renewable! Once it is gone, it is gone forever. So why would I want to do anything less than celebrate the goodness of God today?

Today, celebrate the life that God has given you - put a smile on your face, speak kind words and keep a song in your heart. Give praise to your maker and offer encouragement to the lost. Live each day celebrating like it is your last - for this IS the day the Lord has made and we shall rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)

"Every day should be a cause for celebration. By celebrating the gift of life, you protect your heart from the dangers of pessimism, regret, hopelessness, and doubt."

and that is a piece of my heart today;

AT THE WELL... growing shoots

Have you ever noticed what happens to a sack of potatoes that are left alone and forgotten about?

I had some potatoes that were in a bin that I had forgotten about. After some time, being left in the damp darkness, the potatoes had rapidly sprouted. Shoots were wildly sprouted in all different directions.

The potatoes were less than desirable now. They had changed now that they had sat in the dark. There was nothing left for me to do with them except to toss them away.

Did you know that some things grow best in the dark. Secrets, for instance. Are we as Christians, hiding secrets that we would rather not have others see or know?

LUKE 8:17 "Nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."

When we dabble in things in secret, the only one we are fooling is ourselves. Surfing bad websites, entertaining ungodly thoughts, giving into addictions, watching inappropriate television shows and watching R (or even worse) rated movies in our home. These are all things that may be done in secret, but it is only a matter of time before what is being done in the dark will come to light.

Just like those potatoes ... when we allow things to grow in the dark, we become less than desirable and useless. Keeping things in the dark will only allow the darkness to grow. The light of God is what we can trust. He will help us to clean out the "shoots" that grow in our heart.

"Nothing is so burdensome as a secret"

I am linking up with AT THE WELL today, you can find discussion over there about "Danger Ahead". Click here to read other thoughts.

MAKE IT A HABIT!

Alot of people have habits. Some habits are good and some are bad. Habits usually are formed when we do something over and over and before we know it we just can't live without that "thing". We find ourselves desiring it, wanting it and forming our life around that "thing" that is now a habit.

Habits can either be crippling to us or it can strengthen us.

Habits such as drinking too much, gambling or having the inability to manage money can be crippling. In fact such habits, oftentimes, take control over us instead of us controlling it. But not all habits are bad...

Jesus had a habit. He had a habit of going up the mountain to spend time with God.

LUKE 22:39 "And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples also followed Him."

Jesus formed a habit of communicating with God every morning. It is said that if you do something consistently for 30 days, it will become a habit. You can either make or break a habit by consistently doing the same thing. We can follow Jesus example and form a positive habit by spending time with God every day!

Prayer ... make it a habit today!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...a loving friend

In my lifetime, I have met alot of people who I would consider my friend. But the friends that I would call my "BFF", those that are closest to me, the ones that have been by my side thru thick and thin are few in number.

Face it, friends come and go in our lives. It may be because interests change, or someone relocates or just possibly life just happens and there seems to be no time to invest in your friendship.

One of my favorite verses is found in Proverbs 17:17, it is a constant reminder to me of the kind of friend that God desires me to be. "A friend loves at all times".

The friends that I consider my closest friends are godly women, who are not only friendly, but they are faithful! Faithful to keep my confidence, faithful to keep me in their prayers and faithful to love me no matter what!

Recently, I was gathered with some of those true and faithful girlfriends of mine. (Patsy, Wanda, Renee and Tina) These ladies have been my friends for a long time and I love them dearly.

As much as I cherish our friendship, there is yet another friend that exemplifies this verse in Proverbs, and that would be my good and faithful friend Jesus Christ. You will find no other friend like Him.

He will love you at all times!!! What a cherished friend to have.

IRIS is hosting THANKFUL THURSDAY this week. Please make a visit to her and rejoice with all of the grateful hearts over there! Click HERE to find TT!

A PIECE OF MY HEART ... surprises in the night

SURPRISES! Do you like surprises?

Maybe you are like me, and how much you like a surprise depends on WHAT the surprise is!

Surprises like an unexpected bill in the mail or a mouse running across the floor is not what I call a good "surprise". However, if someone were to send me an unexpected check in the mail ... now that would be a wonderful surprise.

Yesterday was my daughters 14th birthday. And we had some surprises planned for her. I hyped up to her that we had a really big surprise planned. The anticipation and the waiting began the moment she got out of bed yesterday morning. But I told her she would have to wait until the family came over for dinner.

Dinner time arrived, family had arrived but her surprise had not been delivered yet! It was late. Her anticipation for her surprise was welling up in her, she could hardly stand it.

Dinner was over, the dishes were cleaned up, cake and opening presents commenced...but yet still the "surprise" had not been delivered.

All throughout the evening, the same question could be heard ... "when can I get my surprise?" However, we could not answer her question since we did not know the time of the delivery. All we could do was be ready for the call that the delivery had arrived.

The Bible warns us that we, Gods people, will be surprised at His second coming. None of us know the day or the hour that He will return, but as Christians, we know that the time is coming and most definitely the time is near.

I wonder how many of us are waiting with great anticipation for this moment. How many of us are like Anna who was waiting for her surprise ...Are we looking for His return? Waiting for it? Wondering about it?

2 PETER 3:10 " But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up."

Anna's birthday surprise did not come at the time that we expected, in fact it arrived 7 hours late, it was delivered in the middle of the night. But it was well worth the wait!

(ANNA AND BIG BROTHER DAVID, WHO FLEW HOME FOR HER BIRTHDAY!)

Christ is returning soon, we may not know the day or time .... but I assure you, it is well worth the wait!

ARE YOU READY?

and that is a piece of my heart today;

A BIRTHDAY PRAYER

Wow. I certainly do not know how this day got here so quickly! Today is my daughters birthday. She is 14 today.

Have you ever prayed for something so hard and watched how God filled your hearts desire by answering your prayer? That is exactly what happened to me. For 13 years I prayed God would bless me with a daughter, and that is exactly what He did in 1995.

But He didn't just bless me with just any daughter, He blessed me with the most amazing daughter! beautiful, giving, caring, tender hearted, gifted, sensitive, loving, smart and did I mention beautiful?

Today my prayer for Anna is that she would be filled with His love and His joy. That when she needs peace, that she will take her concerns to the Lord and stay in His presence until she receives peace, no matter how long it takes. My prayer for my daughter is that she would change her world for Christ....

Live each minute God's way!

Seek to please God with...

~ the thoughts you choose to think,

~ the words you choose to say,

~ and the actions you choose to take.

let God guide you each step of the way,

Allow God to work in you, mold you and make you.

So His name can be glorified!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA!!

I love you!

CIRCLE OF LOVE...meet Lee Ann

This week on the CIRCLE OF LOVE feature, I want to introduce you to a dear, sweet young lady that I not only know here on blogger land but I am honored also to know her in real life.

PLEASE MEET ...

LEE ANN ~ author of

BROKENNESS TO BEAUTY

Lee Ann is a young lady that I have known for several years. We go way back when she was just a teen. She attended our church with her parents as a young lady, but because of situations and circumstances, we lost touch with each other for a few years.

Recently, she has returned to our church, and even though she left a few years ago as a young girl...she now has returned as a wonderful, excited, on fire for the Lord, eager, "Give me all you got God!" young woman!!

Not too long ago, I sat across the table from Lee Ann at a local restaurant and listened intently as she poured her heart out to me. Sharing her testimony and revealing to me the ministry and passion that God has placed on her heart to reach out and minister to other young women.

What I absolutely love about Lee Ann is that this passion that she speaks about is not just something she talks about...in our church and in our community I have seen firsthand how she has not only spoken this passion but she is reaching out and acting upon this passion of her heart.

Not too long ago, Lee Ann began to write out some of the stirrings upon her heart through her very own blog. BROKENNESS TO BEAUTY describes Lee Ann's testimony, it reveals how God took what Satan intended for bad and turned it around and made something wonderful and beautiful out of it.

Lee Ann has a passion to share with other women, especially young women, exactly what God did for her and how He desires to do the same for others. Women who are broken, do not have to stay that way ... Lee Ann shares with others how God sees past the pain and the brokenness and sees the beauty that lies within each of us.

Lee Ann is a HUGE blessing to me and I know she will be a blessing to you as well. Recently, she penned the following post that I know will bless you:

Sucker Punched

Have you ever been sucker punched by Satan???

I mean the kind that leaves your head spinning after being knocked to the ground, wondering where on earth the blow came from and where the perpetrator was hiding... I certainly have.Satan is the sucker punch champion... He will hit you when you least expect it, your guard is down, and you have no way to protect yourself. He will leave you with your head hanging low, and fearful of when the next attack is coming.

Well, raise your pretty little head, because there is a solution! As Christians, sometimes we think that we are sucker punched, but are we really??? We don't understand why we are having financial problems, but we blinded ourselves to the fact that we own tons of things that were not a necessity, that we pulled out this little plastic card to pay for. We don't understand why our marriage is falling apart, yet we refuse counseling and stopped regularly attending church and have made our friends more important than our spouses. We don't understand why we are ill, yet we eat junk food constantly and fill our bodies with toxins. We don't understand why we can't "feel" God, but we fail to mention that we don't read our bible, yawn and stretch during worship, nap during sermons, and watch television instead of attending bible studies....Please understand that I am not saying these are the only times these thing happen. I am certainly not saying that. Bad things happen unexpectedly all the time. I am not placing blame or condemning. I am saying what I have observed in my own life.If we open our eyes to our actions and lifestyles, maybe we can get a clearer picture of what is to come in our future. We want to place all the blame on Satan, and he is the culprit, but we have opened the portal to him. We have given him fuel to attack us. You don't tell an enemy your weakness and expect him to console you and help you strengthen it. You don't invite a thief to your house, and show him where you hold your most prized possessions and give him the combination to the lock. So, then, why do we give Satan blue prints to our defeat and roll over and let him attack???

We all struggle. We all have things that we struggle with more than others. Satan is most certainly going to be tuned in to our weaknesses. Therefore, we must first address the weaknesses. Pretending that we do not have weaknesses will land us on our behinds faster than we can stand up good. We must then learn how to fight and overcome our weaknesses. Prayer, daily bible reading, attending church services, worshipping, seeking counsel, and attending bible studies are all awesome ways to counter attack. Sometimes we need a friend helping us fight the battle. Sometimes we need to be the friend helping others battle. When we daily put of the "Armor of God,' we are setting ourselves up to overcome. We must cling to the Word of God. We must spend time talking with God.Yes, there will still be times when receive an unexpected blow, but instead of knocking us to the ground, he knocks us to our knees. That can only happen if we are prepared to fight back. God's children should not fear getting knocked to their knees, it just means that we are already in the position to look up and praise.

Recently, Lee Ann shared a little bit more of her hearts desire with me online and this is what she had to say...

1. PLEASE TELL US YOUR NAME AND WHERE WE CAN FIND YOU ON THE WEB?
Lee Ann Sturch…pleeanns.blogspot.com…Brokenness to Beauty

2. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BLOGGING AND TELL US YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BLOGGING?
I have been blogging since April of this year….. I love being able to share what God has placed on my heart. It is sort of a journaling for myself. Even if no one else reads it, it is great documentation of where God has brought me from, and the things He is doing in my life. On days when I am down or struggling, I can read some of my past blogs, and I truly remember how good God is.

3. WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS THAT YOU BLOG ABOUT?
So far, it has been about my experiences and observations. I pray before I blog, and sincerely try to post what God has laid on my heart.

4. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF...if you work ~where? ...have a family ~ tell us about them?
I work for an investment firm full time, and I work for a large retail store part time…. I am not married, YET! J But, I pray most every day for my future spouse. I have no biological children, but have many I call adopted children. I help with the kids at church, and have fallen in love with them.

5. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SERVING THE LORD?
I have claimed to be a Christian my whole life, but have only recently (last few years) really served the Lord with my whole being. I was very good at being a “church girl” on Sunday, and different the rest of the week…. At first, you only think about how much you have to give up to serve God, but until you give it up, you never realize how much you gain. Once you come to that realization, the trade-off is nowhere near worth it.

6. CAN YOU GIVE US A TESTIMONY OF HOW GOD HAS PROVEN HIMSELF FAITHFUL TO YOU?
Wow! An easier question would how has God not proven Himself faithful, because my answer would be that he hasn’t. He is always faithful, though many times we don’t understand His ways or His timing…. I guess a big testimony to me, is in what most would consider the little things. He has called me to ministry, which can be a scary thought at first, but He has been faithful to put AWESOME mentors in my life. He has asked me to go on, when I don’t have any strength left, but He has been faithful to carry me in those times. He has asked me to give when I don’t have it to offer, but has been faithful to bless me more than I could imagine. He has asked me to praise when my heart is broken, but He has been faithful to lift my Spirits. He has asked me to minister when I am weary, but He has been faithful to restore my joy. He has asked me to love when my pride has been wounded and hurt is buried deep inside, but He has been faithful to overflow my soul with His love and grace.

7. COULD YOU SHARE WITH YOUR CIRCLE OF BLOGGING FRIENDS YOUR FAVORITE SCRIPTURE?
It is actually a chapter.. Psalm 63… It blesses me so much, each time that I read it.

8. HOW HAS THAT SCRIPTURE MINISTERED TO YOU RECENTLY?
It is a prayer of how we should seek God, a praise to how awesome He is, a realization of how much we need Him, and reminder of the power that comes from Him…. It ministers to me each time I read it… God is so very good, and I never want to lose sight of that fact.

9. WHAT ADVICE ABOUT BLOGGING WOULD YOU OFFER TO YOUR CIRCLE OF BLOGGING FRIENDS?
Seek God in all that you do. Let it always be about Him, and not about you… We tend to like the spotlight and want big numbers and lots of followers…. God convicted me of this. I realized that if God uses my blog to touch one person, then it is worth it. It is not to honor Lee Ann, but to honor God!

"AMEN to that Lee Ann! What wonderful words of advice for all of us to take to heart. When I first started my blog I often took time to look at that little ticker that showed how many viewed my blog but in all honesty if God speaks to just one person thru my writing than He will be honored and glorified and that little ticker really doesn't matter! What an awesome encouragement to me to see younger women like Lee Ann picking up this mantle and running with it ... the mantle of putting God first in all that they do! Lee Ann...thank you for being an encouragement to me and to all WOMEN WHO ARE TAKING A STAND!" -blessings, Laurie

Please visit LEE ANN over at BROKENNESS TO BEAUTY...

I promise you will be blessed!

CLICK HERE!

I WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE YOU in a future CIRCLE OF LOVE segment. Please CLICK HERE to see how your blog can be highlighted!

THANKFUL THURSDAY...never stop believing!

"Take courage. We walk in the wilderness today and in the Promised Land tomorrow." - D.L. Moody

Today, Iris is challenging us over at THANKFUL THURSDAY to have hope. Hope is something that we all need in today's culture.

The economy seems hopeless.

The job market seems hopeless.

The money market seems hopeless.

No matter how tough our present circumstances seem, we as Christians, have hope for the future! Of course, while on this earth, we will all face disappointments and failures but we must remember that these are only temporary defeats.

When we place our trust in the Giver of all good things, we can be secure. God has promised us peace, joy and eternal life. And God keeps His promises today, tomorrow and forever.

PROVERBS 23:18 "There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off."

No matter what comes your way,

don't ever stop believing in your Promised Land!

Please join IRIS and other grateful hearts over at GRACE ALONE for this weeks THANKFUL THURSDAY!

WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD ... Who is God?

Recent polls indicate that a vast majority of American people believe in God. (90%) I find that poll percentage intriguing as I look around at the attendance of believers in the local church. If church attendance is down and many churches across our nation are even discontinuing Sunday evening services or shutting down completely due to lack of attendance and support ... what is the body of believers putting their belief in?

Unfortunately, some believers are falling for what I call "imposter's" ... not everyone who stands behind a pulpit or preaches on television is presenting the absolute truth. The only place you can find what is "absolute" is in reading, studying and knowing the Word of God. If you only say you believe in something but you actually do not know "what" you believe ~ it will be very easy for you to be deceived by such imposter's.

In the latest YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question: "You know I am an imposter if..." And the top 3 responses to that question were...

1. 50% of you said that we would know you were an imposter if you refused dessert.

2. Another 50% voted and said they would be imposter's if they agreed with the President of the United States.

3. 25% voted and said we would know they were imposter's if they were drinking decaffeinated coffee.

Sometimes people are much like the spy movies we see. You know ... where the bad guys perform some kind of plastic surgery on someone to make them look exactly like the hero and then the fake hero goes around and commits crimes and the real hero gets blamed for it.

HOW CAN WE DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN WHAT IS REAL AND WHAT IS NOT?

We can find the answer to this question all throughout the Bible. But in particular this week I saw the answer in the story of Moses and the burning bush. (Exodus 3:1-15)

I found 5 paradoxes in this story of

Who God is...

1. GOD IS EVERYWHERE!

In the burning bush story, Moses went to the mountain of God which is known as Mount Horeb. No doubt even some of us have experienced God in a mighty way in a certain place. Maybe in your prayer closet, at the foot of your bed, or at the altar in your local church. Whether it be a mountain or one of these other places mentioned, I assure you that no matter the place ... God is present.

PSALM 139:7-10 "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your Presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast."

2. GOD IS HOLY

God is holy and pure, yet He desires a relationship with an unholy people. God warned Moses that he must take off his shoes as a sign of respect because he is standing on holy ground made holy by the presence of God. God does desire a relationship with us (John 3:16) but if God is holy and pure, isn't that totally incompatible with hate and sin? God did something about our sin in order to have a relationship with us ... He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to purify us by His death on the cross.

3. THE MYSTERY OF GOD!

God is mysterious and undefinable, yet He reveals Himself. In the story of the burning bush, Moses was uncomfortable with this encounter with God whom he could not define. So Moses said to God "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' and they ask me, "What is his name? Then what shall I tell them?" How did God answer? (Exodus 3:14) God answered and said , " I am Yahweh! I am Who I am!" God will reveal Himself to us even when we are not looking. Moses was just tending sheep and not looking but God was looking for Moses! And He is looking for you.

4. GOD IS POWER!

In verse 12, God assures Moses that he will succeed because God will be with him. The fact that God is in control does not mean that we have nothing to do. God sent Moses to free the people of Israel from Egypt. What is He asking you to do? His power will be with you to see you thru it.

5. GOD IS LOVE!

We see so much suffering in the world. God cares about those who are hurting. We see this in verse 7 of the burning bush story ..."I have indeed seen the misery of my people." By the suffering in his own life, Jesus identifies with our suffering. Have you ever known any other kind of deep love as the love of God?

Next time, you feel like you are going thru your own "Egypt" ... think back to what the "real" deal is and remember that even Moses had doubts but his belief in the one and only true God is what saw him thru.

Wednesday Weekly Word is a weekly post that I dedicate to a recent study I have done. I pray that the Word of God will become alive to you today and that you will know not only WHAT you believe but WHY you believe. Watch out for the imposter's...they will trick and deceive you, but Gods Word is always the truth and the light! -God bless.

YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL .... please vote in this weeks poll! Your opinion really does matter!!

A PIECE OF MY HEART...pickle faith

WE ALL ARE DEPENDENT UPON GOD... but have you ever been in a situation where you were so dependent upon His power showing up!

Many times over the years of serving Him, I have found myself in situations where without Gods intervention, I just don't know what I would have done. While we were on vacation a week ago, I found myself in a real situation that I needed God's power in a mighty way!

WE FOUND OURSELVES IN A REAL PICKLE!!! We were driving from Arkansas to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We were about a block and half from our condo when we noticed the air conditioner in the van was not working. Thinking that maybe the air went out, I tried to roll down the window and that is when we discovered the problem. All of the electrical power in our vehicle was gone! When we turned onto our road to our condo ... the van begin sputtering out and we coasted into the parking lot. It was here that our vehicle died.

It was late in the day, not much we could do. So we checked into the condo, unpacked and scrounged around for some leftover snacks from the trip. The nearest grocery store was about 2 miles. Without any transportation ... we were kind of in a pickle. (thank goodness for pizza delivery!!)

The following day, my husband began to call around for help. The first place he started was calling a local church (of the same denomination as ours). He told them he was a pastor and stranded on vacation with car trouble. They gave him a phone number to call. Upon calling that number, the guy could not tow us or help us. That was the end of that help. (okay ...strike one)

We then began to call around to car garages and Ford dealerships. Nobody could tow us. And the earliest anybody could look at the van was in a week! (that was strike two)

Our only other hope, was to call a car rental place and try to rent a car. In just 3 more days we had to have our daughter in Orlando for Fine Arts Competition and we had to find a way to get there. But not to our surprise, the car rentals have no medium size cars or vans to rent. (now that is strike three)

Now what? "What are we going to do" - I remember asking my husband. We have no car. We have no food. Nobody will help us. We have no way to get to the store. We are simply stranded, feeling hopeless (and helpless).

Well, I'll tell you what we did ... we did what most people do in such a pickle ... after we tried to fix things our way ... (Have you ever had pickle faith before?) - WE PRAYED!

And that's when God showed up!

God quickly reminded me that if we would just place our lives in His hands, our faith will be rewarded in ways that we can scarcely understand. We look with clouded vision and limited understanding...but if we seek to rely solely upon Him and His ways, we will never be disappointed.

The end to this story is that we were able to rent a small car for a day so we could at least get to the grocery store to purchase food and other necessities for the condo. Two friends from our church drove from Arkansas to Alabama to help us. They brought us another vehicle to use for the remainder of our trip and they towed our van back home.

WHAT ARE YOU IN NEED OF TODAY?
Trust God, not just today but every day of your life. Trust Him with every aspect of your life, your future is secure when you put your trust and faith in Him.

MARK 11:23 "I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea', and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him."

"FAITH IS TRUSTING IN ADVANCE WHAT WILL ONLY MAKE SENSE IN REVERSE." -PHILIP YANCEY

and that is a piece of my heart today;

LOST IN THE CROWD

Have you ever been mixed in a very large crowd? Walking but yet bumping into one another? It is so easy to get separated from your group in a large crowd like this or even get lost!

This past week while we were in Orlando, this very thing happened to me! We had gone to Universal Studios / Islands of Adventure and I could not believe how many other people had the same idea as us. There were so many people ... everywhere!

I told the kids to stay close by otherwise we were going to get separated. The kids and I saw Emerils Restaurant and we went over to look in the window where the chefs were cooking but when we turned around ... my husband was nowhere to be found. When I looked out among the people I just knew there would be no way we were going to find him. He was simply lost.

When I was thinking about how we got separated for a brief moment at the amusement park, God pricked my heart and showed me how easily we, His people get lost.

We take a wrong turn.
Make an incorrect decision.
We proceed without Him.

When this happens to us, many times we feel like God is nowhere around. We often times say out loud "God ... where are YOU??" But even in the times that we get turned around and lost ~ God is still there. He never loses sight of us. Never!

PSALM 33:13 "The Lord looks down and sees all mankind."

While we were at the amusement park, it didn't take me long to find my husband. Even though I couldn't see him in the crowd, he was very close by.

Today, you may be in a situation that you can't see the answer or even see God ... but I assure you He is very close by!

BORN TO FIX!

TODAY I HAVE SHARED A DEVOTION OVER AT

"GATHERING AT THE WELL" HOMEPAGE...

Today's devo is entitled "BORN TO FIX!"

~ CLICK HERE to find it ~

A PIECE OF MY HEART ...do not be dismayed

I am still enjoying some R & R with my family here in Orlando , Florida but what an amazing trip we have had thus far. I am sure that I will be posting about the adventures and the hand of God that has led us thru this family vacation at a later date.

But for today, I wanted to share with you what God seems to be saying over and over to me during this trip ... "Be strong and trust Me!" Last night as our family gathered in our little hotel suite, I shared Joshua 1:9 with them for a family devotion.

JOSHUA 1:9 "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

The word that jumps out at me here is the word "DISMAYED"! Certainly these past few days, God has shown up in ways totally unimaginable to me. We should never be dismayed or discouraged because when God does amazing things in our life and with our life ~ it is totally over the top!

No matter where we may be ... God is near!

Can you see Him?

and that is a piece of my heart today;

GONE FISHING...

I AM SPENDING SOME R&R WITH MY FAMILY!

You've heard the saying ... "the family that prays together stays together" - It is also true that "the family that fishes together stays together"?

When is the last time that you took some time with just your family?

Try it...you just might like it!