Love in Action

I'm gonna kick off my return to blogging with a question that my husband and I have been discussing lately and that is: what does genuine Christian faith look like in the life of a believer? How does the Spirit work in him or her. It seemed to us that something seems missing in what we see in so much of the church today; including our own lives.

All too often I find myself living the christian lifestyle; going to church, dressing modestly, not watching or listening to inappropriate things, etc.. but not have a desire to further my relationship with God. I may look the part but in essence, I am behaving like an atheist. I hate that. I hate days when I am not seeking God or delving into His word for my spiritual food for the day. I want to love Him and desire Him all the days of my life but some days my sinful desires win and I choose to rely on my own strength and knowledge to make it through.

I came across this image online and it really made me think. Take away the Jesus stickers, clothes, jewelry, etc.. and would people be able to tell that you loved Jesus? What differentiates us from the rest of the world? The verses referenced were exactly what my husband and I had been looking for. That is the church. That is what genuine faith looks like.

Romans 12:9-21 ⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ¹¹ Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. ¹² Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ¹³ When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. ¹⁵ Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! ¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. ²⁰ Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” ²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

I need to be reminded (many times) of gospel truths before they really begin to sink in. Dwelling on these passages for a few minutes each day really helps me to focus on what my objective is in this world. The chief end of man is to glorify God and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are able to live out the words of this passage. I am choosing to rely on Him to help me have genuine faith and demonstrate love in action.

Lessons in Kidland

This past weekend, I taught our AWANA girls. The lesson was on God's love and how He wants us to share that love with others, especially those who don't know Him. They listened carefully to the lesson and read about how we can all be good neighbors to the people in our lives.

Along with the lesson, my girls packed shoe boxes for the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child program. The girls had a great time filling out the sheets about themselves and sharing a nice message with the little ones who will get their boxes.

I had a moment when I was truly proud of those girls when I asked them a question about a lesson I gave them last holiday season- an object lesson about snowmen and the trinity. I said "Bonus question for anyone who can tell me what the snowman represents" and as soon as I finished the question, almost all the girls raised their hands to tell me "Father, Son and Holy Ghost!" It was an exciting moment to know that my girls are actually listening and retaining this information. I pray for those little munchkins that they come to know the Lord and trust Him throughout their lives. It's a joy to be apart of their lives and be able to share Christ with them!

Here I stand, I can do no other

Today is Halloween, my Mom's birthday and Reformation Day. Tonight we will be celebrating with my Mom and eating lots of candy but I just wanted to take a moment now to reflect on Martin Luther, the reformation and the other movers and shakers in the christian world that had a profound impact on the way we worship.



It was October 31st, 1517 when Martin Luther posted the 95 theses on the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, in protest to the way the Catholic church had been selling indulgences and various other practices & beliefs. Luther's desire was for a pure and biblically based belief, not one that had fluff and extra-biblical (man-made) 'doctrines'. At the top of the 95 theses, Luther wrote that it was "out of love for the truth" that he was bringing those issues up. It should be a concern to us all to preserve and believe in the pure and unadulterated Word of God.

Then there is William Tyndale who just a few shorts years later was fighting to make bibles available to the common people in the their own language. Tyndale took advantage of the newly invented printing press and was able to mass produce the english bible as well as some of his own writing against the Catholic church's practices. Tyndale's translation was banned and Tyndale himself was killed and then burned at the stake in 1536.

There are some stern warnings in the bible about making sure that we are following the Word as it came from the people who were first inspired by God (2 Corinthians 11:1-4; Galatians 1:8. These men, along with other brave christians, fought the good fight for Christ and His Word. They risked their lives and some actually gave their lives in the pursuit of the true and pure Word of God. In these days when it seems there are so many different beliefs in the world, even within the christian church, it would serve us well to cling to the holy and precious Word that God gave us and not what men impose to be 'true'. What a happy reformation day it is to know we have brothers and sisters in the faith who fought the good fight of faith so that Christ's church would prevail!

God Moments

Ever read your bible and find yourself getting excited because you've stumbled upon an amazing verse? Ever just have to tell someone about it because it's too good not to share? Jeremy is usually the person I do my sharing with but there are times when I tell him and it may not be as exciting to him or he is preoccupied with something else and he is clearly not understanding how unbelievably cool it is. Well those are the times when I remember that I shared that moment with the One who I was excited about in the first place. I cherish those God moments, just me and Him, taking in His word and loving every minute of it!

(Side note: Jeremy deserves credit for finding that un-be-lievable passage in Zechariah. Cross that with John 1:14 where the bible says that The Word (i.e. God) became flesh and dwelt among men in their midst. He is truly an awesome God, worthy of our praise!*

When I feel overwhelmed

When I was young I always thought there would be a time in my life when I would be set and life would be easy. Don't we all wish that were true? Well, I have grown up and come to realize that life never really gets easy. We live our lives and complete our various daily tasks. Along the way we experience God's blessings but ultimately the struggles still come and the heartache, too, will inevitably rear it's ugly head.

I recently had to come to grips with this idea that life is tough. Jesus told us this some 2000+ years ago. So many times in the bible, He told us not to be afraid because He had out back.

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

What we must remember is that even though we will experience hardship in this life, He is there for us and He said "He will never leave us nor forsake us". What a wonderful truth we can rely on in those difficult moments of life. He is here. I am experiencing His peace because I know that He is always with me in the storms of my life!

In Remembrance of Me...

We are just about through the Passion Week and I am reminded that today is the day that the Lord instituted the Holy Communion, or Lord's Supper.

"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." - John 6:35

"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me'." -Luke 22:19

It was on this day over 2,000 years ago that Jesus and His disciples partook of the Passover. But this Passover wasn't like any of the other Passovers, this one was special. It was there that Jesus commanded His disciples and His other called and chosen followers to remember His coming death and suffering for us. The way we remember that is by eating of the unleavened bread.

To understand the significance of the unleavened bread you have to look at how it is referenced through ought scripture. At the time of the first Passover in Egypt, the Children of Israel were in such a hurry to get out, that they just grabbed the bare essentials. That meant no yeast. God instructed them to observe that day each year to remember the great work He did for His children in redeeming them from the evils of Pharaoh and Egypt. Fast forward to Jesus' time when He told them to remember another day, when He would redeem them, once and for all, with His blood.

Still, there are other references to leaven or yeast in scripture that should be noted. "Whenever leaven is mentioned in the bible, 22 times in the Old Testament and 17 times in the New Testament, it always or almost always, represents sin or evil." The unleavened bread was without leaven or yeast which represents sin and Jesus, our 'bread of life', was without sin.

And still further, in the practice of a traditional Jewish Seder, the matzoh, or unleavened bread, is kept in a matzoh bag. Three pieces are kept in 3 different compartments of the bag. The middle bread is broken in two, and half of that will be hidden. After the meal, the children are sent out to find it. Then, every member of the family eats a small piece. I don't know about you, but everything about that and all of the other practices from a traditional seder meal, scream out to me, "This is all about Jesus!":

*The 3 different matzohs represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
*The middle matzoh being broken in two represents the Messiah; broken, striped and pierced for us all,
*And, the half of the middle matzoh that is hidden represents the body of Christ which was gone from the tomb

The bible is FULL of symbolism and I have to tell you, I love it! To understand the Jewish customs and know what meaning they had then, can add that much more meaning to your experience of Jesus now, because all scripture was written for our learning to teach us endurance and give us hope. And that hope we have when we take the time to remember Him and the sacrifice He made at His death on the cross.

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." -John 6:51

Love Letters

When Jeremy and I first started courting, he would send me love letters. Throughout the time that we were getting to know each other, these letters would arrive in my inbox (dating is so high tech these days :P) and with each sweetly written note, I could see the genuine feelings that were growing between us.

So it is with our relationships with others. I have been reminded of the verse in 2 Corinthians that says:

As I live my life and share my 'letter' with others, what message am I sending? How many times has my letter been spam, junk mail, or heaven forbid, hate mail.

I love the way this verse sounds from the Message: "Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it."

I want my letter to resound with the love of Jesus Christ. In a world full of all sorts of messages, I choose Christ as the letter and message I want to share. I want to BE a love letter for Him!

Abide in My Word

Do you ever sit through a sermon and have an 'aha!' moment, when something finally clicks, or when a verse just comes alive with wisdom? I had that experience during yesterdays sermon. The verse our pastor referenced was John 8:32, about knowing the truth and the truth setting us free. The sentence just before it is the one that caught my eye, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." The key phrase being, abide in my word. In order to know what exactly His truth is, we need to be in His word. According to the definition, abide means to:


That means Jesus wants us to continually stay in His word. If we don't, we are bound to end up walking our own way only thinking we are walking in truth, but we are not. I know that is the case for me. If ever I go a few days without His Word guiding me, I face this world on my own and the results are disastrous. And honestly, I'm glad they are, because I never want to think I can handle life without Him and His guidance.


This last week I shared some precious time with my Lord, in His word. It is in those moments when I can learn more about the character of God and His truth, because His Word IS truth. There is nothing more precious to me than this special time I have with Him and as a spring cleaning measure in my life, I am 'cleaning out' all the junk that has entered in. The envy, the laziness, the too much TV habit, it's all gotta go because He means more to me than those things and I want to abide in Him! What spring cleaning do you need to do in order to more fully abide in Him?

What is man?

My Help, My Shield

"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name.Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You." -Psalm 33.18-22

Love Never Fails

I have started this post with about 20 different intro paragraphs and none of them seemed right. Since that is the case, I will keep it short and to the point: I am very restless at this time in the year and in my life, but thank goodness I have a blog where I can let it all out!

God has placed me in the family I'm in and planned it that way since the foundation of the world. He knew the struggles and drama that would eventually ensue. He knows it is where I am supposed to be, for His glory. I don't want to get into all the personal details on here, just know that it has been a trying time with many difficult conversations. We have had this issue come up in times past but it just keeps coming up. I know God will help me get through this and also help me to deal with the situation better. Because I sure know that I can't do this on my own. Left to my own devises, things don't always end pretty.

Another reason for being antsy is the coming new year. It is less than 2 days away and I am looking forward to all that God has planned for it. I'm excited to be participating in the 'Siesta Scripture Memory Team' challenge for 2011. What's funny is last week I was thinking about the first verse that I'll be memorizing in January. I didn't have one in mind yet so I prayed that God would show me what verse I need to be meditating on at this time. It wasn't too long after that the situation with my family left me in disarray. I inherited my father's temper so my behavior was anything but loving. It was that evening that I was praying and having my quiet time with God that these words popped in my head

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned,but have not love, it profits me nothing." - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

God was sure to tell me that I really need to remember that I must love others, even those who are difficult and mean. Boy is it hard, but with His strength I know I can do it.

After that verse, on every other night this week, God has given me another verse to add to my list to memorize and meditate on. It's exciting to have Him directing my paths. I may stumble but He is right there helping me to get back up and move forward. He is always there to love and instruct. That is why this scripture memory team is going to be so great. I love how Beth put it:

"Look at it this way: you’re going to be meditating on something: unforgiveness, toxic memories, misery, lust, greed, dissatisfaction, jealousy, competition. Choose Scripture! Christ Himself said as a man thinks, so is he. He also said His words are spirit and life. This is work worth doing, Sweet Thing. Never – NOT ONCE – have I ever known anyone to get to the end of a Scripture memory commitment and say that it didn’t make any real difference. Not a single time.".


So I am rooting and raring to go for the Siesta Scripture Memory Team 2011 challenge to begin! I have my verses ready and my mini 3-ring binder ready. If you can't find a cute mini binder like mine, Beth is offering a free PDF file of the official SSMT spiral notebook on her website. That way you can print the pages from home and put it together with a spiral spine or a punch a hole and add a ring. Either way, God is going to be doing amazing things in my life and anyone else who decides to take this challenge. Will you?!

Fear Not

The Lord Leads

If you haven't yet been introduced to Wordle, I highly recommend spending some time there. It is a program that creates what they call word clouds and what beauty they are when you put God's Word into it.

Without getting into too much detail on here, these last few weeks have been very trying. It has been hard to trust in the Lord to get me through, but as usual, He remains faithful even when I do not. Praise God for His mercy and enduring love. Praise Him for His patience with me.

Tonight at bible study, we discussed the various situations in our lives and the answer to all our problems was to rely on the Lord. That won't necessarily make all our problems go away but it will give us the comfort and the boldness to go forward in confidence.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." -John 16:33

One of my favorite verses in the bible is in Psalm 23. Oh the words of David are so beautiful and boy can I relate to them! I created this wordle to print and post to remind myself of His love and comfort and wouldn't you know it, the two most prominent words in those verses is 'Lord Leads'. My prayer is that I always have a humble, teachable heart that can be lead by Him because it is only through Him that I will be able to truly get past my troubles victoriously!

The Lord is my Shepherd

In recent days I have been reflecting on just how awesome God really is. How could He be so kind and merciful and loving to a wretch like me? Or any of us? These two verses stood out to me. Read them and tell me you don't get an overwhelming love and adoration for the One who loves us and shows such great mercy to us.

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." -Psalm 53:6

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

While reading the bible, you see this elaborate love story unfolding. All throughout the old testament, it speaks of a coming Savior and deliverer for the Lord's people. And of course in the new testament you see that it was Jesus Christ the prophets of old talked about. It is a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus and His life and sacrifice He made for us.



From the beginning, God in His infinite wisdom had a plan to rescue us, even before we fell and needed a Savior. In His infinite love for us, He emptied Himself and became human, "he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!"

To think that the Lord of the universe came to earth, was born to be with us and to teach us. He saw us and still loves us even though we are awful ugly sinners. What an amazing love!

I love the old hymn "How Deep the Father's love for us";

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." -Isaiah 55:8-9

All along, God had/has a plan. I can imagine the people in Noah's day thinking he was a schmuck for building the ark and collecting the animals. And I bet the people in Jericho had a huge laugh seeing Joshua and the Children of Israel walking around their city. God's ways are not our ways and we will not always understand why He does things the way He does, but with Him as my Shepherd I will trust Him where He guides me. I will trust in His plan laid out before the creation of the world.

Build Your House on the Rock

As a child of God, I think it is so important to know, study and defend His faith. It is vitally important to know, study and defend His word.

God is like a solid rock that we can build our lives upon. When we stand upon the Word of God, in our weakness we are made strong. In this day and age and even back in biblical times there are those who believe in a religious system or belief that simply isn't biblical. Below is an e-mail that I want to share of a conversation I had with someone regarding true biblical Christianity and how it is our duty as a follower of Christ to stand up for and defend His truths.



Hi Tanner,

It's nice to hear from you! I trust you had a wonderful Good Friday and Easter weekend!

I read the books that you asked me to in the BoM. I see what you were trying to get me to understand; to believe and not seek after proof. A verse itself in Alma 32 says to not have a 'stubbornness of heart' and to 'believe without being brought to know the word'. But I have some problems with these verses. Namely, in the bible it says numerous times that God wants us to find His word and seek it and read it and discover more about it. If we don't seek it out and learn more about what exactly His law and precepts are then how can we believe it? Blind faith seems silly to me because you won't even know what you believe in, right? I mean, if you don't know it, how can you say you actually believe in it?

"As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:10-11

The verses in the BoM are in stark contrast to what the bible teaches.

"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—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

The reason why I am wary of the books you told me to read is because I know that all the scriptures are God-breathed, meaning, He sent these messages to men who would write them down for us and our instruction. If that is the case, then these verses that I just shared with you are saying that we are to dig deep into His word. If it is His word and His truth then it will stand up to my observation and examination. I don't doubt His word, but I want to be able to know His word in order to know Him.

John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men." This verse tells me that God IS the word. So why wouldn't I want to learn more about Him and believe in Him because I know Him?

I had asked before about whether or not Jesus was God. You said no. But I know from reading my bible that God says numerous times in His word that Jesus IS. Take a look at John 1:14. It reads, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Now if John 1:1 said that the word WAS God and then later in that chapter says that the Word (i.e. God) became flesh (i.e. Jesus) doesn't that give a pretty good idea that Jesus is God?

In old testament times you'll see that if anyone looked upon the face of God they would die. We are awful sinners and in the presence of all-mighty God, we would literally die. In the book of Phillipians, you'll see that they describe Jesus being in the form of God becoming a man to dwell with us and teach us His ways. If He manifested Himself in any other way, we would die, but Christ was veiled in human flesh in order for Him to be with with us, or Emmanuel which means 'God with us' (Matthew 1:23).

Like we talked about before, following God and His will is the of the utmost importance to me. I seek His truth in everything I do and because of that I stand up for His truths over any other doctrine or religious system that goes against it.

"And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." Romans 1:23. I see the LDS church as turning what is pure and true into something different entirely. There is doctrine in the bible that is contradicted within the churches teachings and even within the BoM itself. Take Alma 41:8 for example.. " Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved." This verse clearly states that God and His word is unalterable, meaning it doesn't change, but within the church it has.

There are numerous accounts of the church changing their position on certain issues like polygamy, blacks in the priesthood and more recently with homosexuality. Correct me if I'm wrong but, according to mormon doctrine it is said that people who are black are that way because of their demeanor in the pre-existence. They did not follow Satan obviously or else they would have been one of the 1/3 that became his demons, but they were not entirely on board with Jesus' plan. And also it is said that the mark of Cain also was given to these people. Before the church included black people in the priesthood, some church leaders say that because of their rebellion they were not worthy to be able to hold the priesthood. If this is what the church and it's leaders (who are said to be inspired of God) said then why would that change? If they were said be to unworthy then why were they all of a sudden worthy?

I know that the church has an position that homosexuals cannot engage in homosexuality but can still be members but in recent months news came out that the church took an official position on new legislation in Utah. The legislation is for anti-discriminatory measures for gay people. http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=764460 "The LDS issued a statement backing the ordinance, saying they were against discrimination against anyone, but that they supported traditional marriage. Church spokesman Michael Otterson said, "The church supports these ordinances because they are fair and reasonable and do not do violence to the institution of marriage." That is absurd to me. If God destroyed a city because of their wickedness and perversions due to homosexuality then why would His church take a stand for legislation that would give them special rights? Homosexuality is called an abomination in the bible. Why would He all of a sudden decide that it was fine to be that way and on top of that, that they would get special rights? God IS unchanging and His word is true yesterday, today and forever and that is why I believe in biblical Christianity and nothing else.

"The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." Isaiah 29:13

I appreciate all your time the other night speaking with me. You were very kind to me and actually took my questions unlike some people I tried to have an open dialog with. May God bless you and give you His truth!

God Bless,
Nicole

Redeemed

re·deem   /rɪˈdim/ Show Spelled[ri-deem]
–verb (used with object)

1.to buy or pay off; clear by payment: to redeem a mortgage.
2.to buy back, as after a tax sale or a mortgage foreclosure.
3.to recover (something pledged or mortgaged) by payment or other satisfaction: to redeem a pawned watch.
4.to exchange (bonds, trading stamps, etc.) for money or goods.
5.to convert (paper money) into specie.
6.to discharge or fulfill (a pledge, promise, etc.).
7.to make up for; make amends for; offset (some fault, shortcoming, etc.): His bravery redeemed his youthful idleness.
8.to obtain the release or restoration of, as from captivity, by paying a ransom.
9.Theology. to deliver from sin and its consequences by means of a sacrifice offered for the sinner.

As we come closer to Resurrection Sunday, I have been reflecting on the work on the cross and what that exactly means.

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit" 1 Peter 3:18

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53: 5-6

If you remember back when God told the children of Israel to build an altar for the Lord and to make sacrifices for their sins, you'll see that this was an act of mercy. Using a sacrificial lamb or bull, the priests would be able to offer them to God to cleanse them of their wrong-doing. Only the priests would be able to go into the Holy of Holies to make this sacrifice, lest they die being fallen in the presence of a Holy God. When Jesus offered up Himself, once and for all, for the sins of the world, He made it possible for us to be able to enter the Holy of Holies, so to speak, and become righteous, through His sin-less and righteous life.

We belong to Jesus and when we sin, we take ourselves away from Him and His presence. But when He died for us, He redeemed us. He 'bought' us back by the shedding of His blood. We are held ransom by our sin, we are held captive, but the work on the cross by God Himself, releases us from our shackles. We are set free from the power of sin and death. Praise God He had/has a plan. He did all the work and we have been redeemed!

these are a few of my favorite things..

*Christian music- There is nothing like cranking up your christian tunes and praising God!

*The classics of black and white movies and TV- Who doesn't love The Andy Griffith Show with all of Barney's funny antics? Or Holiday Inn with Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby's cute songs and dances?

*Free time to craft beautiful things- 'nuf said

*Spending time in God's word- The greatest story ever told becomes new every time I pick it up. His wisdom and love jump off the page and change me.

*Being goofy with my husband- He is my best buddy, my teacher & my favorite comedian. Seriously, he makes me crack up!



"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

Keep Your Chin Up

I think it's so easy to become depressed, whiny, debbie downers in the fallen state we are in. We only think about ourselves, our needs, and wonder why we aren't getting our way. I can't tell you how many times selfishness can rear it's ugly head and enter my life. But God and His word has a way of kicking those thoughts right out of my head.

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18

What's interesting is that you see it in the bible too! Before I was a christian, I thought the bible was a nice book about holy people living good lives, but it is filled with stories of people with the same problem as me: sin.

They say pride is the greatest sin because it is the root of all other sins, the gateway sin if you will. In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote that "it is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began."

The battle is for the mind. Whoever controls the thoughts, controls you. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. And 'as a man thinketh, so is he.' Proverbs 23:7

Our negative emotions have a huge impact on us and those around us. It changes our heart and the way we see the world. But if we read God's word and spend time praising Him for our countless blessings everyday, your joy will start to show.

I love how all my personal bible study time, our Sunday sermons & whatever else I read or hear all seems to dovetail together and teach me His amazing truths. God is there leading me and guiding me through His word!

One such example of this is as follows. I have a CD of the radio ministry 'Revive Our Hearts' titled "Lessons from the life of Joshua." What a blessing those teachings have been to me. I have learned so much from them and grown, it's unbelievable, but that's a story for another time. In one particular lesson, Nancy Leigh Demoss explained that as Joshua was nearing the end of his life that he wanted to teach the children of Israel to rely on the Lord, wholeheartedly. He wanted them to see how richly God had blessed them. The way he did this was by reciting or recounting to them the particular blessings and mercy He showed to them. Joshua went on to ask the people to name this day who they would serve. He made a call to action to these people. I really appreciated that. He doesn't want them to just say they believe, but really rely on Him; Choose this day whom you will serve. I've shared this in a previous post, but I can't stress it again; it is vital that we make this decision and give thanks to God for all that He has done!

That very next Sunday our Pastor's sermon was a call to action to recount the great blessings the Lord has done in our lives. We have been going through the book of Deuteronomy chapter 8 when the Children of Israel reached the promised land and it is there where we begin to enter a dangerous place. We begin to think it was us and our power that got us where we are today.

“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 8:11-20

The call to action to start a journal or scrapbook to remember God's blessings and His work in our lives is an essential one. When we forget about God and the work He has done in our lives, that this ugly sin called pride comes in. "Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves." Psalm 100:3 It was and is Jesus who did and has done everything for us. "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted." Isaiah 53:4 Jesus carries our burdens, our sins.

I am so excited to take this challenge to create a notebook of His workings in my life. God IS faithful with His promises. If we will but keep our chin up and remember that we have a God in heaven looking out for us, helping us with our issues and loving us despite said issues. Praise His holy name for His faithful presence in my life!

Count Your Blessings

Recently, while in personal bible study, listening to various radio ministries and today at our sermon in church, God has been teaching me about His promises and His blessings. It is very easy to get wrapped up in life or miscellaneous stuff going on that we forget about God. 'Spiritual Amnesia' is a tough thing to kick because deep down it is pride. We forget that it was and is God who has done EVERYTHING in our lives and start to think it was our own doing that we have accomplished this or that.

"You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today." Deuteronomy 8:17-18

I have much to be so thankful for. God has taken me from a dark and false past into a bright and beautiful future. It is by His power that I am able to have faith and a relationship with Him. He has given me a wonderful husband and helpmate. There are so many things and ways He blesses me every single day!

One of the things our Pastor called us to do was to keep a record of the ways you've seen God working in your life, the everyday miracles. In the book of Joshua, Chapter 24, he reminds the Children of Israel all that the Lord did for them. It is in this time of reflection that we see the insurmountable love that He has for us and also a way of be humbled to see His great power.

"Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope." Ephesians 3:20

True Love