The Buffet?

From Genesis to Revelation God's word stands firm. It is never changing, it is all we need to live by. From the Old Testament to the New Testament God's word brings us to Him. The Old Testament is those looking ahead for a Savior,and the New Testament are those looking back at the Savior.Jesus is in each page. His words speak to our hearts. Are they words we always want to hear? No, no one wants to realize they are a sinner. No one wants to realize they need change in their lives, and for sure,no one wants to have to admit they are living wrong,and doing wrong. Some look to the bible as a buffet. One that they can take what they want and throw out the rest. We can't pick and choose each part we like that will help our lives, and disagree with the words that we do not want to hear or dislike. Becoming a christian for me, was a life changing moment. I had to allow God to teach me and mold me,letting go of my sins. That isn't always easy. We want to have control of our lives,and live them just as we please,but if we are doing so,we are saying we are bigger and more important than God. We are lowering His standards to fit ours. At first I had a hard time of letting go,of giving God control over my life. But when I did,what an amazing feeling of freedom. The more I grow with Christ the more I realize this world has nothing to offer me that Christ cannot fill. Picture yourself at the buffet line, waiting in line to choose your food. We can take a little of this and alot of that,and no, I don't want to try that,so I pass it up. I want to sit at the table and have God fill my plate with all He has for me. We have to be humble, we can't be proud coming to Christ. If we have humble hearts, and keep our minds pure, God can do alot of amazing things through us and for us. Its when we leave the buffet alone, and come to the table Christ has prepared for us that we really learn about Him, and ourselves.....

Listen to the Spirit....

" Now we exhort you,brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yoursleves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. abstain from every form of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 The best and most holy thing we can do is face our battles on our knees. To be a prayer warrior we have to take our eyes off ourselves and be connected with Christ. We need to be specific with our prayers to Christ.We have to remember we are not battling people,we are battling satan. "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand." Ephesians 6:14-13 If we are standing firm in our relationship with Christ,we can not take Him out of our lives to be with another, having a relationship. In our lives others should see Christ through us in everything we do. When the Spirit is telling us to speak and we do not,we are sinning against God,and He is not able to use us for His glory. If we see a brother or sister going down the wrong road,as a christian can we really sit by and not say anything? I don't think so. As a christian,as a woman who loves God,and walks with Him,it is only natural to say something to touch that persons heart or convict them,praying for them to come back to Christ. We must act as christians, not with just our christian friends,but with all those who have fallen away. Satan is going to do all he can to destroy all that is good, in our lives,our friendships and our family. Satan does not want people to walk away from this world,he wants to keep them there. The farther people are away from Christ he doesn't have to worry so much,but for those who follow Christ,he is doing all he can to have us take our eyes off Christ and follow him.Those who are away from Christ are no threat to satan,but those who are saved,that have come to know Jesus,those are the ones he is so desperatly trying to kill. We must be examples to those around us,and the young around us. What we do as parents or teachers in moderation,our children and students will do in excess. When there is darkness all around us,we must be the light. We must be who Christ is calling us to be. We must remove all that is wrong from our lives, and replace it with good,the good of Christ that is going to bring us closer to Him. We must be patient and not give up on those around us.But we also must continue to be ourselves, never changing to the world's standards. Looking at these verses has challenged me to be me, to stand in the midst of the storm,the trials,and temptations showing Christ in my life. For those around us,we must remember to love at all times, but showing Jesus to them through our lives.When evil comes into our lives,it is not the person,but satan moving through them. For me, I must stay in the word always. I must increase my prayer life,so that when those evils come,I can walk away,I can fight with God's word and not my own flesh. I pray today will be the day we realize just how much we need Christ. Allowing Him to change us, and allowing change to come to those who walk in our paths..

Stand out of the crowd

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:1-2 As christians we should stand out. When we are in a crowd,in the market,at the park,we should stand out having others see something different about us. They should be able to see Christ in us. This world is full of temptation,wants,and desires of all kinds. But as followers of Christ we need to leave all those things and follow Him.We need to fix our minds upon Him. Remembering that our bodies are the Holy Temple of Christ. All that touches our bodies,comes out of our mouths, and every action we make should all be Christ centered. Satan knows how to tempt us, He knows what our desires are,and sets those things before us.Each day we have a choice to walk closer to Christ or walk closer to this world. The world is deceiving, and can pull us away from Christ and our walk if we are not keeping our eyes upon Him. We should be using our bodies to serve and obey God, not serving ourselves and our desires. We should be ready for the Lord to use us for His glory, being an open vessel for Him. When bankers learn what is counterfeit,they do not study the counterfeit,but study the real dollar,learning it and knowing it inch by inch. If we too, keep our eyes focused on the real,we will know when evil is approaching. People can tell if we are christians by our talk, and by our walk. Standing out for Jesus may not be easy,but it is showing our love for Jesus.It is showing our faith in Him, and showing others who Jesus is just by our daily actions. Whether we are on the phone with someone, on the net chating,or in the local town we should be examples of who Christ is,so others can come to Him,and stand out in the crowd with us.

Why all the hate?

"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you." John 15:18 We can all have those pity parties, and they are not fun. We can sit and think,"Oh why me?" We can sit and sink in our own pity for the things others say about us or how they treat us. We can say to others,"Well,you just don't understand how hard it is." If we are walking with Christ,all people are not going to like us. If we are showing Christ's love,some will not accept it.Everyone isn't going to like you or me. We don't really have to do anything,we just rub them the wrong way,or we are different,or maybe we act a little different. Being a christian in this world is not easy. Christians get blamed for many things,including being a hypocrite.The only difference in being a non-christian and a christian is that we surrendered our lives to Christ. We are not better,we are all sinners.We are just striving to be Christ-like. If I am a hypocrite,then I better have myself in church with all the other hypocrites. Hospitals are not for the healthy,they are for the sick. Just as church is not for the perfect person,because there isn't any,except Christ,it is for the sick,the tired, and the weak. We can all sit and make a list of all our hurts,our pains,our trials, but none of them escaped Jesus either. He was troubled, He was hurt, He was facing all we face today. He overcame,and kept His eyes on the Father. Everything that has touched us,has touched Jesus. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,bing justified freely by His grace though the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood,through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His righeousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:23-26 Christ paid our debt in full. He saved us from this world,by His death. Sin was all around Jesus. He went to the sinners to teach them, to show them there is a better way. Jesus did it all for us, His children. He knows when we are hurting, and when we are struggling. He is right there to lift us up,to carry us if He must,and to cover us with His love. All things touch Jesus before they touch us. It hurts when those around us are mean and nasty. When they love gossip,and love to stir trouble all around us.When we are going through the trials,we often feel alone,like we are the only ones experiencing the trials. Well guys, Jesus felt it all before we were here,and He still feels it today when His children are in need. He was mocked,lied about, everything aweful you can think of touched Him,so why then do we think we are any different to experience pain? If Jesus did it for us, we can do it for Him and the love He showed us we can pass on to others. When others are mean,we don't have to be mean back and be as the world.We can make a choice and be Christ-like. Follow His example He gave us. Romans 3:10 says,"There is none righteous,no not one."We are all sinners in need of a Savior,and that Savior is Jesus Christ. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Jesus didn't have to take up the cross,but He chose to. He chose for you and for me. When He was on the cross, our sins covered Him,yet God chose to love Him in the midst of our sins. His shed blood covers all that we have done,all the we do, and all that we will do in the future. Its all paid in full. If there is anyone who knows pain,it is Jesus Himself. The next time you are feeling the hurts of others, the pain of this world remember that Jesus was here,and shared that pain,yet He overcame,and we too can overcome our hurts. We just need to lay them all down. If we are not laying them down and forgiving,then what Jesus did on the cross is of no gain in our pain.All that Jesus did was for our gain,to be with Him in heaven forever. Don't let the hurts,and the sins of this world get you down, remember who Christ is, remember what He went through,and all He gave,then it puts it all in perspective. Its not what others are doing to us, its what we are doing for Christ Jesus.

Are ya showing the love?

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disiples, if you have love for one another." Do we always love others as we love ourselves? Do we always treat others like we want to be treated? Are we helping a neighbor in need? Are we giving to the poor? It is so easy to love your family and friends,but what about those who are not so nice to you? What about those you know speak badly of you? What about those self-seekers, who aren't thinking of anyone but themselves? If I am honest,sure I can put my name in all those sentences.Its not easy to love those who do us wrong. But look what Christ did for us. He shed His blood for all sinners, me included. Christ loves even when we make fun of Him.Christ loves even when others don't speak to Him. Christ loves others when people say mean things about Him. Christ loves those who do not obey Him. Christ loves those who chose to walk away.He loves those who lie,cheat,steal, and live for themselves and not Him. He loves us even when we make the wrong choices. We mess up big time,Christ still loves us. How many people do we know who hurt us,make us angry,and are just not nice? Many. But should we be mean back? No. Yes, we stand for ourselves,but in a Godly way. Christ paved the way for love. He lived for love and He died for love.Are you willing to do the same? That is a hard question for us. We can think of every excuse not to show love to someone,but I believe Christ covered all those excuses when He was upon the cross. I pray God will give me the strength I need to wake every morning loving all around me. I pray that I can be Christ like,and love those who do not love me. I have to admit,I really struggle with this. I want to overcome,and the only way I can really overcome is by allowing Christ's love to flow through me. If I am not showing love,how then can I expect others to?

sin,the more you do it,the less you know it....

Everyday we sin. Everyday I struggle to be the person God has chosen me to be. The more we sin,the less we know it.Run that sentence through your mind a few times. Is this so very true? When we are deep in sin,we don't want to see it,all we are focused on is ourselves,and our wants. The more we sin, the harder it is to come back to what we really know. We were born with a sin nature. We don't have to teach our children how to lie,they know how. We don't have to teach our children to steal,they too know this one. We could put many things in that sentence to fill in the spot. Its funny,when our children were little and they told a lie,we knew exactly,without a doubt they were lieing. They each had their own tell. A little quirky thing that they only did when they lied. Out of five children,they each had their own unique way to show their lie.But why,because they knew it was wrong,they had been taught that.When we are knee deep in sin,we are so focused on the fun we think are having,we can think of every excuse to explain away our sin,but God knows each one. When I was a little girl, I was in the store with my mother, I was walking behind her, and oh my, on the counter were little Minnie Mouse rings. I sneaked one,and put it in my pocket. As we got home,I pulled it out and said,"Look mommy,look at what I found on the floor." She looked into my eyes and knew I was lieing,but she wanted me to say it.She said,"Did you really find that,or did you take it without asking,or without paying?" I said,"really mommy,I found it." She bent down as only a mother can do,and asked me again. This time the tears started rolling, and I even at five,knew what was coming.I thought she was going to take the ring and spank me,but oh,she had different plans. She marched me right back into that store,up to the counter and had me tell them I had stolen a ring and how sorry I was. Was I sorry? I really dont think so. I was mad,I wanted that ring. Now,as I have had children I know the pain of lies, and what they can do. Now, as I am older,I remember the pain and disappointment in her eyes. That is what hurts today,knowing that I hurt my mother by disobeying her. So how much more do I hurt God when He is before me cheering me on, and I disappoint Him? Like a lost dog seeking food from a dumpster,or a trashcan,they dont know the food is bad,is soured,and soon will make them sick. They are in the middle of trash looking for something to fill them up, we too do the same. We may not be in a dumpster, or a trashcan,but we are right smack dab in our sinful life and we just keep staying,looking for something to satisfy.We can search this world high and low to give us something to satisfy,but there is only one thing that can do that.Until we are able to let go of our sin, we can not find Jesus, the peace only He can give.Why not give control over the one who created us and knows all in our lives. What better way to live,just let God have the control and allow ourselves to follow Him. We are hungry, we are thirsy, and we are in need of forgivess. There is only one place to go for all three. 1 John 1:9"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Matthew 5:6" Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."Revelation 22:17"And the Spirit and the bride say,'come!'and let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely."We no longer have to search in hunger and thirst,God is the only one who can satisfy those desires in us. He is the one we need to ask forgiveness of,and the Lord will give it freely. What a blessing,what an awesome God we have standing in the way for us. This world is never going to satisfy us, it will not give us what we are so longing for. This world will eat us up and spit us out. Hospitals are not for healthy people,they are for the sick,just as our church is for the sick in sin. Jesus is the only cure. We can choose to fill our hearts with sin,and let it eat us alive,or we can set our hearts on Christ,and allow Him to fill us with all we need. Which choice to you choose?

A few little moments to share....

Over the weekend, it was hard for me, I cry at the drop of a hat at words that touch my heart. During my hard times I had four friends surrounding me,and I have to name them and share the blessings. When I was down and hurting,my friend Ellen flung twizzlers my way,making me laugh.My friend Dena,who would turn and give me one of her great smiles and I knew she was with me.My great friend Dawn M who seemed to know my pain,putting her arm around me,I could feel her strength as God moved through her,and my amazing friend Bobbie,who when I couldn't take it much longer,I got up out of my seat and went to the bathroom to break down. I knew pain was right on the surface. I am standing there,and hear she is with her arms open wide,sharing with me the words I so needed to hear. Words that the Lord filled her with to touch my heart. She was missing the concert,but I came first.She opened up her arms and just let me cry, sheding the tears of hurt and lose. She was at my aid, and being a vessel of God. It is awesome just how God places the right friends at the right moment to help us see the whole picture, to see God's love moving. I was letting go of tears and pain that so needed to be let go of. These ladies all spoke to me when I got home in some way,but all different methods. They were checking on me and sharing the blessings of real friendship. Blessings are all around us,and I had quite a few wonderful,Godly women to help me along my path,and I am forever greatful for their love and their amazing touch,a little sprinkle of love,and reminding me I am never alone.You four were my fireflies, that light my way, that bring the beauty into my life,lifting me up and helping me let go.

I wanna dance...

At the women of faith, I was able to see Steven Curtis Chapman.A man I respect,admire, and who is so talented and humble. He is just a regular man with a story to tell. I will not spoil it for those of you who have not been yet.For you,you are in for a treat. He sang His song Cinderella. I love this song. As soon as it begins the tears seem to flow. When I hear this song I think of my daughters who no longer live at home. One day I will be able to share that story with you,but for now,the pain is still tender. My daughters and I danced all the time.We turned the music up and let it go. It was a moment in time that I so wish I could have back. It is a sweet memory. One that I hold dear. When are oldest daughter got married she played Butterfly Kisses for her daddy. I really thought my husband was going to fall apart right there infront of me. She blessed him beyond words. The song told of her beauty,her love for her daddy, and the dance they shared through life. To see my husband kiss her on the cheek, and place her hand in her husbands to be,was a moment I will never forget. It was a moment set in beautiful time that brought us together as a family. There is a song from Garth Brooks,"The Dance". I cannot listen to this sweet song,for it reminds me of my daddy. The time we shared,and the dances we didn't get to take together because of his untimely death. But I charish the moments we danced. I see them all. We can either take life as it comes and dance to the music, feeling blessed for the dance we shared, or we can choose to sit on the sidelines, and choose not to dance,not even to turn the music on. When we choose that, we are missing out on lifes gifts, we are loosing precious time, and hurting ourselves. I don't want to cry throughout life. I don't want to dwell on my pain anylonger. I want to hear the music and dance through this journey,this road we are all traveling on. If we stay on the sidelines never taking a chance, we miss the dance completely and what a shame that would be. As we can see the fireflies dance at night, the butterflies dancing in the daylight,we too can experience that dance if we just let go, and let God. He will take our hand,lead us out onto the floor and dance with us.He will show us all that is beautiful, all that is good, and all that is love. Don't be afraid to dance,because you don't want to get hurt. Take each day as it is your last,dance each moment to the tune of God, and see what beauty comes into your life..

Its warm out,so why do you still have on layers?

A beautiful friend of mine and I went shopping a few weeks ago. We have different styles of clothes. She had said to me,"You are so so-ho, you are so little,yet you cover everything up." Then while at women of faith, I heard one of the ladies speak on layers. It all started to make sense to me. It was a lightbulb moment. I do wear alot of layers. I cover up my hurt with many layers also. When I am really struggling inside, I put on many layers of smiles,laughter, and I even hide behind my writing. I have so much hurt inside,its hard to let go of those layers and be free. Whenever I am hurting I cover it up with helping others, with sending cards, food or not food, shopping, keeping my head in a book. There are many ways to layer ourselves from hurt, to shield us from more pain,we shut down,put on those smiles for others and go home,crawl under the blankets and bask in our emotions. We must learn to take those layers off one by one. One step at a time to unveil the hurt and deal with each one seperately. It takes awhile,it cannot be done overnight. It takes going to the Lord and being honest. Its asking,"Where were you when I needed you the most?" "Why haven't you answered my prayers?" "Why is my life a wreck when I have been trying so hard?" God is here with us. He is with us each step of the way. He knows when we are crying.He knows when we need Him, and He is forever there. We have to trust Him, believe in Him, and know that He is God.He has a plan and a purpose for us. Through the hurt,God can gain glory when we overcome with His power. Sometimes we may cover up by not talking to others, we are quiet, and stay to ourselves. We must not do that. We must surround ourselves with real friends who lift us up, having a close friend pray with you. At women of faith my barriers started to come down,that I didnt even know I held. I could feel the Lord moving,but I didn't want to go there.I didnt want to go to the pain. But to get to the other side, I had to travel through the pain, understand it, grasp it, dig to the root of the problem, face it, and move on.Letting go, and being free from the pain holding you down. It we are covering up with so many layers, how can there be room for God?How can He get to our soul if we won't take off the layers we have been wearing for so long now?We can only hide from pain for so long,before it eats us alive. We begin to loose ourselves and who we really are just by letting the pain take over. The first step is to go to Jesus and ask Him for strength and wisdom,ask for forgiveness of holding on to the hurt, let it go,lay it at the cross, let God pick up that hurt and take it away,and replace it with His love,with His understanding, and allow Him to walk us through the journey. Our eyes will be open,our ears will be open and we can begin to heal, we can begin to let go, taking off those layers, and letting the Sun shine down on us,letting God's love fill us with warmth.If we do,we will find that we don't need layers, we just need grace,and God will give it and give it freely,along with His mercies.Don't be afraid any longer, let the God of Love help you to overcome your hurt...

There is only one you...

God made each of us with His hands. He molded each of us with our own DNA. No one has the same. If we are not who we are suppose to be, then the world is missing out on the creation God made to bring Him glory. In life we are either followers, or we are leaders. Each of us have our own unique quality. The only person we should be following is Jesus. We are always wanting the latest trends, the coolest friends, and at times we try to look like others. We will go into a beauty shop, with a book in our hands of Haley Berry, and say,"Okay, make me look like her!" You explain that you can try to do the same haircut,but the result will not be the same,you have different hair, your face is different,and when you do their hair after explaining all this information,they take a look in the mirror, and without a doubt they are angry,because they look nothing like the photo. They soon blame you, and say,"You didn't get it right. I wanted to look like her." Well, there is only one Haley Berry, sorry out there all you men, and women who so desire to look as another. God made us different for a reason. He created us with His hands. That alone should make us feel special. I remember the first pictures my daughter brought home from kindergarden.She had made them just for me. She made them with her own little tiny hands, out of love, just for me. How I felt about those pictures, is how God feels when He creates,only multiply it. Can you imagine just how excited He was when He created us, and stood back and said,"Wow,thats pretty special.I think I will do another in a whole different way." Like a Monet,painting a beautful art peice, God is creating one in you. He is giving it His all. So why try so hard to be someone we were not made to be? Why follow the crowd when its the popular thing to do? Be yourself ! Be who God created you to be. Don't follow the crowd just because its the popular thing going. Follow Jesus, and stand out...

Where has your mouth been lately?

We tend to think our hands are the dirtest part of our body,maybe even our feet. Nope, its our mouths. What words have you spoken lately? Have they been Godly words, words of wisdom, hurtful words, gossip, slander, cursing words? A few weeks ago while driving with my son, a man was passing us, and on our country roads it is very dangerous. I yelled at that man in my car, as though he could hear me. Telling him in a not so nice way,just what I thought of his driving. My son was on the phone with a friend, a man he works for. He overheard my words, and shared with me the next Sunday. As he jokingly told me in a nice way not to do that,God told me later on when I got home in tender way. God knew what I had said, and so did this young man. I shared with him, that I knew he had a few of those words he had said also. But he looked at me,and said Ms.Robin,I look up to you and I hold you at a high standard. I was without words. The only words I could say when I got home and God spoke to my heart,was I am sorry. Now, I must go this young man and apologize.We tend to say things we shouldn't, and then after the words are out,we think of what we should have said. Matthew 15:11 " Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." Yes,in this verse Jesus is speaking of the Pharisees, and their ceremonies. But this verse can teach us also that its not what we put into our mouths, but what we are really saying,the words that come out of our mouths at times do not bring glory to God. What comes out of our mouths begins in our hearts. Ouch..What is really in our heart, comes out of our mouths. If we are focused,if we are in God's word, we are going to praise His name. We are going to hold our standards high, and be the examples He wants us to be. If I choose to use those words, what example am I giving? If I am gossiping,what example am I giving? If I am tearing down others,what am I giving? I am being a stumbling block to my brother or sister.We can love with words or we can hate with words. We have a choice of what comes out of our mouths, and we need to make the right choice. Our mouths can be really dirty, we need to do some cleaning, some changing. If we are speaking as though the world does, are we walking as a christian? Is our light shining for Jesus? If I am to walk and talk as a christian, before I blame another, before I look to another, I better clean up my own act....Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditaion of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer."The words coming from my mouth should be giving honor and glory to God. We can either point someone to Christ with our words, or turn them away from Christ altogether. Which direction do you want to take those around you? Lord, please forgive me of the words that have come from my mouth, help me to walk with You. Give me strength to overcome this sin in my life, and show me the way. Lord, let my mouth be a vessel for You,not a stumbling block for others trying to get to you. May love and only love come out of my mouth.

Can we be lead by the blind?

When we are walking in our journey we can get off track. We can loose our way. We can start out with our eyes on Christ, but quickly turning our eyes away in a moments notice, forgetting to stay focused. While at Women of Faith this past weekend, I was sitting in my seat watching all around me. I think God puts things right in our path for us to take notice of. There was a blind woman sitting in a seat, she had her walking stick with her. A man who was working the arena, steped up to her to tell her he had a better seat for her. As she stood,she pulled out her walking stick and began to walk. She didn't take off on her on, the man held out his hand to lead her, but instead of taking his hand she placed her hand upon his back so he could lead her still using her stick.As I watched this take place, I sat with tears in my eyes, knowing God was showing me something. Something I needed to hear and see for myself. We must have our hand upon Jesus at all times. We must stay focused upon Him to clearly see where we are going. If we take our hand off of Him and begin to just lead ourselves,what do you think will happen? We will fall, and can fall deeply into a pit with the beginning of one step. All it takes is one step in the wrong direction and we can get lost,making it hard to find our way back. When we are in the middle of sin, we cannot see it clearly. We sure can point out others sins, but we can't seem to grasp that we are sinning. We can't allow the blind to lead the blind.We must make sure we have our head in the bible, not up in the clouds. If we are blindly walking, we need a compass, and God is that lifelong compass for us. He will never lead us away from Him. He will never take us down a road that will hurt us,and He will give and want the best for us. So why do we continue to try to lead ourselves in this evil world? It takes one person, one step, one move and we are off kilter. We loose our balance and try with all our might to stand up ourselves without any help. When we fall, we find Jesus there waiting to pick us up. When we get off track we find Jesus there showing us the way.Just as though we were walking though a dark room,we cannot see clearly, and we may stub our toe,or may fall. But if we have a flashlight,we can make our way through. We can see the path ahead,and we can steer clear of the danger, missing the pot holes. As soon as we turn out the light,all is dark again, and we are lost and afraid. Thats why we need to keep our light on. God is our Light of world. He will make our paths clear, He will stand in gap for us, He will show us the dangers and guard us with His protection and love. Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone.They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind,both will fall into a ditch."We must stay focused. We must not follow others, we must follow the one and only God,Jesus Christ. He is our light, our guide, in the dark world we live in. You dont have to be trapped by sin, you dont have to live in the dark.God has a better way for us to live. He will show us, if we step back,let Him get infront and lead us. We have to get out of the way first.

Not all hurt is harmful....

Not all hurt is harmful. Is that really something we can understand? I believe so. Should I go out and call my friend a rat for no reason? No, that is hurt that cannot be understood. We never want to hurt anyone, but sometimes we can with just a word, an action,or with a look. I am not talking about that type of hurt. If my girlfriend has a booger in her nose, I tell her. If she has on white shorts, with black underwear,and they are showing, I need to step up to the plate and tell her? If she is walking into a dangerous path of an oncoming car, I should be ready to leap out and help save her. In order to grow, we must hurt. In order to find Christ,we must die to ourselves and listen to His words of rebuke. We cannot just take the bible and take out the parts we like and feel good about. We must take it all, think upon it and strive to look Christ-like. If I cannot go to a friend and share with her that I am fearful for her, then I am not a friend at all,but a bystander watching her fall into a pit. We must be honest. We must treat others as we want to be treated. If I am falling I want my friend to love me enough to stand in my way and tell me. That is how we show love. We don't walk away, and pretend its not happening,we step in out of love to cover them with love. Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." My children may not have liked the Godly advice I gave,but one day they will see, that God's word is strong. And as a mother,if I love my children I must guide them, teach them,and point them in the direction of Christ. We can't sit back and act as though all is good, ignoring what is taking place, and covering over the red sin, with white paint doesn't work. First you must scrape off all that old dirty paint, before the real color will shine through. We sharpen one another with God's loving words, and sometimes when we are sinning,yes, it will sting. But just as a bee sting hurts, once we take out the stinger, it starts to heal and feel better. On our walk with Jesus, we are always going to hurt, we can never get away from hurt, but we can walk with Him, trusting and believing in Him. No one likes to be introuble, no one likes to get told they are doing wrong.But just as our parents taught us,"If I didn't love you, I wouldn't say anything at all."

Are you in the click or are you just the ick?

Remember those highschool days when there were clicks between the girls? When you were either in the "in" group or you felt as though you were on the outside looking in? Remember feeling as though you were different,not good enough, and just didn't have the stuff to be "in the group"? Well sisters, the said thing is, is that it still happens today. The gossip, the backbiting, being nice to your face,while behind your back they have nothing good to say about you. You tend to find out who your real friends are when you go to the outside and look in. That is where you find the real person, when they are not with you,but you are now being able to see the whole picture. Being honest, I was one of those popular girls in highschool, until they turned on me, and I lost all my friends all because a boy liked me. Isn't it sad just how much junk we can put into our lives? It is sad that we so strive to be in the in group and why? To be accepted, to be liked, and to feel love. Well, myself being on both sides here, when your on the outside, you don't feel love, acceptance and you know your not liked. Why do we as women still have clicks? You would think that went out with highschool, but for some it never leaves. We can fall into that trap. We all have the yearning to be loved, and some are willing to do anything or go how ever far to be loved. But is it real love from those you know gossip about you? No, its not,and we as women can tell the difference. I have friends all of kinds. I just love women who can be honest, open up and be real. Women who want to be fed by the word of God, and strive for higher standards. It hurts when you are on the outside looking in. When you only talk to a few select women and leave all the others behind,feeling as though they just do not matter. They may be different, they may talk different, they may look different, and be the total opposite of you,but all women have something to share, a gift to leave you, and wisdom to share. I have great friends. I am very blessed, but as I get older, I realize I don't have to be in the in group to feel loved. I don't want to be in the in group, and if I ever make anyone feel as though they are not good enough to be my friend or have something to offer me,then shame on me,and may God forgive me. If we are to be Christ-like and follow Him, we cannot show partiality to anyone. We love those around us, who are like us, and who are different. Its easy to love your friends, but harder to reach outside that box and love others as we should. I am not pointing the figure at anyone, if I am pointing one out, then there are four coming back at me. God speaks to us in different ways but He has much to say on this subject. Let me share some verses with you. Proverbs 18:5 "it is not good to show partiality to the wicked, or to overthrow the righteous in judgemnent." Romans 2:11 "For there is no partiality with God." Acts 10:34 "Then Peter opened his mouth and said:In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality." If Jesus as He walked this earth showed no partiality, then how can we as women? If we walk as Christ did, then we need to get real with ourselves, look ourselves in the mirror and have ourselves a good check. If we find ourselves showing partiality to one, then may we ask God to show us, just how to love all the women around us, not gossiping, backbiting and being fake to your face. It hurts, its ugly and does not leave people feeling love, and when we do these things, we are not showing Christ in our lives. I have checked myself in the mirror, and what I see, I need to change, I need to change to have Christ as the center of my life, focus on Him, loving others with His love, and never letting anyone see just the back of my head...

Packing for a weekend away with the girls to WOF..

It is a wonderful thought to go away for a weekend isn't it? Well, I get to do just that this weekend. Me and my girlfriends and church ladies are all going to Women of Faith. If you haven't ever been,I encourage you to go. It is a weekend filled with the most amazing women who share,laugh,cry, and praise the Lord for all He has done,all He is doing, and all He will do. Its great to start packing, get everything ready, and meet each other for the trip there,which really isnt that far from home. It is a weekend that we look forward to all year long. Its a weekend full of praising God, raising our hands in praise, singing along, listening to stories of others, and how God has touched them. We hear of the storms of life, the laughter God brings, and the blessings after the rain. We walk away with so much. Some walk away knowing Christ for the first time, some walk away rededicating their lives to Christ, some walk away with a new knowledge of who they are and how God can move in them, and we all walk away with a new hope, a new dream, and new desires. We learn who we are, and we have so much to share. Just being with the girls is something special, its a gift from God. Each girlfriend brings something unique about them, each girlfriend is facing different challenges and we find new ways to face them together. God is good. He is good no matter what the situation, He is always near, and always working to bring honor and glory to His name. We all have dinner together, we share rooms, and we stay up all night laughing and sharing what God is doing in our lives. We walk away with books, t-shirts, and a knowledge that we are not alone in anything,God is with us, and so are our girlfriends. We so desire to know God more, to know God deeper, and to have a new walk with Him, a sweeter walk than before. God is everything, all around us He is present, and He brings us together praising His name. I am so thankful for this sweet weekend, I am thankful for all my girlfriends who know my deepest thoughts and know who I really am. I am thankful for those new friendships that are building and growing as we walk together. I pray for this weekend, I pray for our safety, I pray for God to do a work in us like never before. I pray as we walk this weekend, we shine for Jesus, that His light is a reflection off us onto others. I pray all we meet will find what they are looking for. The only true joy, the true lover of our souls. May He be made known to all this wonderful weekend with the girls....

Constelations.....

When I was a child I loved looking at the constellations in the night sky. They seemed so close,but so far,so far out of reach. To lay on my back and look up at the wonder of the night sky are memories I still have today. They are a work of God's wonder. They are a creation of God's glory. Each one placed there with His hands. Today as a woman, I still look up at the night sky as I take Daisy out at night for her last walk of the night. I look up and am beyond words at the beauty, at the awe of God. If you can remember in school taking science class, if you looked up at the stars at night, if you wanted to see one shining star, you had to change your focus. You didn't just focus on the one star, you had to change your view, and look to all the stars surrounding that one you were picking out. Then you could see so clearly, and see the magnificence of God's wonder.To see one clearly, we had to take our eyes off one to see another. Then you could see the constellations God has set before us. In our lives it is also like the stars in the night sky. Many times we focus on one thing, and when we do, we can't see the whole picture set before us. We allow that one thing to shine brighter,we allow that one thing to overshadow all the others in our lives. To be able to see with full clarity,we have to change the way we look at things. We can't keep the focus on us, we have to see all those around us. God didn't just place one star in the night sky,He placed so many we cannot count them all. To see clearly, to see all of God's wonder, we must take in all the view, we must have the wide angle lens set before us to see what God has set before us. With looking at things differently, with opening our eyes wide, we can see all God wants us to see. We can look up at the stars and remember that north star the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus. God set the star before them to lead the way. We can look up and not only see that one star,but the many trillions around it to see all of God's blessings, His wondrous works. We can see the creating taking place by our Creator. As I looked up in the night sky with child like eyes in wonder, I now know as a woman God set each star in the night sky with His hands. Can you picture God placing each star in place to make a beautiful picture? Can you see His hands moving, placing the stars? As a child I played dot to dot with the stars, now I look up and remember just how big God is. The bible is in those stars. There are stories in those constellations. There is Orion,with his belt and his sword. Representing putting on the armor of God. Then there is the Southern Cross placed in the sky for all to see. The amazing thing is, that the four stars of the cross are the brightest in the night sky. If that isn't God at work,I don't know what is. What is the point here? For us to see the Lord, we must learn to change the way we look at things, we must take our eyes off us and put them upon Christ to see the whole picture. We can't just look through our eyes,but we must look at things through the eyes of God in order for us to really see what is in front of us. God has set before us a wondrous creation. May we open our eyes to the night sky,and see just how big God really is. Its all there, all we have to do is look up, look around, and look to Him....

6 lbs. 8 ounces of love....

Twenty-one years ago today I had my first child. My first blessing. My first babygirl. My true first love. My life changed forever on that day twenty-one years ago. She was 6 lbs. and 8 ounces of tiny love. She was my bundle of joy. My laughter. My everything. I counted all ten fingers and ten toes. Looked into her blue eyes and said I love you for the first time. Held her tiny finger for the first time. Its funny how life passes so quickly when we think time is standing still. Years go by so very fast. I enjoyed each and every moment of her childhood. Picking daisies,leaping for frogs,catching lizards and snakes. Declairing the back yard in her best Columbus accent as America. Each dress, each pig tail and bow. Each scraped knee, each kiss good morning,each hug just to tell me she loved me. Those firsts are memories that never leave. Its odd that we forget many things,but we never forget the birth of our child, the firsts, so much we hold so close, not knowing how life is going to be,not knowing what each turn will bring.,but praying each night over her, praying that life will bring love,laughter,and blessings for her whole lifetime. When she was born I knew then just how special she was. She is a smart, beautiful woman now. I see her childhood memories, her growth, and see her surrounded by love. We never really understand what love is until we have a child. That love, that bond that ties you together forever. As I go through pictures of her and I, I see a melody of her life. Each moment special. She is making her own sweet music now, walking on her own, and making her mark on this life. Beauty does not even describe just who she is, she is much more. Today is dedicated to her, her life, her love, and the day God gave me a special gift from heaven to love,to lead, to guide, to treasure, to laugh with, to grow with, and to raise for His glory. She is who she is today,not because of me,but because of the Lord. She is a strong woman now, with the heart of a child still. She is full of life,love, and places her touch everywhere she goes. My prayers have changed over the years. Now, I pray that He will bring us together again, to bring glory and honor to Him. I pray for a reunion, a day that we can once again look into each others eyes and say I love you. Hug each other and know all is peace. For now, today,I wish my daughter the best, all the blessings the Lord has to give her. I pray she knows where my heart is, how much I love her, and how much I miss her. She is quite special,the world will see that as she makes her mark on this earth. As she continues to grow as a woman, I pray one day soon we can have coffee together, to laugh together, and to look back and see God was with us every step, and there was a purpose and plan for all that has touched our lives. God bless you today Ash. I say Happy Birthday with all the love I have in my heart. I will walk by faith, even when we are on this broken road, I know one day God will bring us together again. I praise His name for you today, and everyday from here to come....blessings my sweet babygirl....

the only thing that is everlasting is God's love....

Listen to these awesome verses." If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31a And Romans 8:35-39 " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine,or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. for I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things persent nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Does that just want to make ya get up and dance? Does that not empower us to live for Christ with no fear at what is all around us? God's word can give us all we need to stand firm and be who He wants us to be. We can face anything to come our way with Him. Nothing is bigger than God. Nothing can separate us from the Creator, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is it sisters, He is the point of our lives, He is who made us, and who continues to mold us into wonders of His masterpieces. Don't let anything of this world get you down, kill your spirit, or make you think you are nothing. As my Pastor always tells us," We are Royal Bluebloods", we are related to the King of Kings. We are desendents of Abraham. We have God at our side watching over us, and guiding each step. If this can't get us on fire for Christ I don't know what can. As you walk this day, as you drive the highways, as you enter your offices, as you face the crowds at the store, as family or friends come against you,as this world crumbles at our feet, we have nothing to fear. We are God's children and He is with us everywhere we go. Stand up and hold your head up high,be all He wants you to be,and enter this world with a new light, letting all around you see Christ Jesus in you. Live so others want what we have, so that they see a difference in us. Live this day for Christ Jesus, and nothing can hold you back....

Have you given up on your dreams?

I have this huge dream to write. I want to write a devotional, and a book. Getting started is much harder than anyone would think. My facebook page is surrounded by authors who I respect so much. I get to go to my homepage and see all the amazing things they write and share. I can learn a great deal from them. Not only am I learning, but I am being blessed by these christian women who share God's word. I am blessed to have encouraging friends, and a husband who allows me to spend hours writing. I am always praying someone is blessed by something I write,but usually, I think God intends it for me. There are times I will read what I have written. Not really thinking when I am typing. My fingers are just moving the keys,and God is doing the rest. As I sit and read an entry,there are times when I just break down in tears. The Lord has spoke to me through my own writing. Its funny, we sometimes don't realize something unless it is right there infront of our faces. To learn we have to sit back and evaluate all that is in our lives. In order for our dreams to take place,in order for God to use us,we have to be available, we must be open,and we must be holy before His sight. There are so many things I need to let go of in my life. Why do we seem to keep the things that are the very things holding us down? We get comfortable, we get lazy, and we begin to live in our own little box. When God does not bless, we sit back and wonder why. Well, God tells us why in His word. We must believe what we are praying for, we must be holy in His sight, and we must be following Him from every direction in our lives. We sometimes keep things in our lives because we are fearful to let go. We wonder what will happen if I do let this go? What will fill its spot? Will I be the same without it? We all want God to bless us, we all want Him to shine down upon us,but we have to do some changes, we have to turn some things around in order to be more like Him. To live in Him is to let go of ourselves. To walk with Him, is to stay focused on what is real and important. If we stray for one minute, we can get lost and its hard to find our way back after we have been gone for so long, doing our own thing. Whenever I am writing I may say,"You, we, us, them,but I am always speaking to me, to my heart. Thats where it must begin,not in others,but in me. When I ask God to forgive me of my sins, I have to ask Him to show me what they are. What does He want me to let go of,and change to look more like Him. That is hard at times.We tend not to see the very things that are our stumbling blocks. Others see them and try to warn us, but we don't listen. We just keep moving ahead,wanting God to bless our lives when they are full of acts we shoudn't be doing. We can't have it both ways, we must allow are hearts to be open for change. Not the world's view of change,but God's view of change. They do not always agree. Letting go is hard, letting go of things and trusting God is hard. We want things to be a certain way,but maybe thats not what God intends. We must take the me out of our dreams and ask God,what is Your dream for me. He may take us in a whole new direction we never even thought of before. God instills in us the plans He has before us. Its up to us to follow Him. He isn't going to make us,we have our freewill. He will lay out the plan, and we seek Him to show us, guiding us, and to do His will and way we must be humble before Him, and be ready for the changes He wants to place before us. Micah 6:8"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you,but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" Jeremiah 29:11" For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Psalm 119:18"Open my eyes, that I may see wonderous things from Your law." Psalm 69:32 " The humble shall see this and be glad; and you who seek God, your hearts shall live." 2 Corinthians 3:18 " But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 4:16 " Therfore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." Philippians 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."When you get discouraged, don't give up on those dreams, don't let go of what you know God is calling you to do no matter how hard the road may be. He is right there with us, drawing us closer to Him and closer to our purpose. We just have to let go, let God, and see the beauty He creates....

don't know which path to take?

If I could stretch out all the wrong roads I have been on,they could most likely wrap around the world ten times. I get stuck in that fork in the road not quite sure which one to take. My husband has driven all across the United States. He can take me for a drive and always know which way he is headed. He can take me eight different ways to the same destination. I can't seem to find my way. I can find my way to the mall, but leaving,I have no idea how to get home. My husband has taught me much about driving,taking the right road,making the right turns and teaching me which highways run which direction,and I am learning my way there and my way home.Just the other day while taking my mother to the city to the specialist I took a wrong turn. I had to go and back track to find my way again. My walk with Christ is like that. I know the road, I know the way, but I get lost along the path,make wrong turns, get turned around,and end up back tracking,finding my way back to Jesus. In our time,in our world,in our nature we can go off road at times, we can get stuck and keep spinning our wheels and find ourselves going nowhere. God has our paths set for us. He shows us the way. He is our compass home. He is our guiding light. He is the light on that dark road. I am amazed that somehow in my travels, I get lost, knowing to follow my compass. Whenever we are at that fork in the road,all we have to do is call out for Jesus. Instead of running that red light,or even skimming through the yellow,just pull off the road,and wait for His answer. We always seem to think we are in the drivers seat. We always seem to think we have to drive in the fast lane. We don't. We need to slow down, get in the right lane and wait for Jesus to make our paths clear. When we are driving in the fog,we often turn on our bright lights to see better,it doesn't help. We have to wait until the fog has lifted to see clearly. When our lives are foggy,why do we insist on trying to drive blind? We can't depend on our own way,our own thoughts,or our own vision. We have to fully trust in God. If we choose to slow down,pray,and wait,He will see us through any road, or detour that gets in our way.Psalm 139:3 "You comprehend my path, and my lying down,And are acquainted with all my ways."Psalm 17:5"Uphold my steps in Your paths,that my footsteps may not slip.""Psalm 25:4-5 Show me Your ways, O Lord;Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation;On you I will wait all the day."We have God's word to steer us in the right direction,to teach us,to correct us, and to set us straight. We can learn from Him,or try to find the way ourselves.If we choose the latter,we will get lost in the fog. God has set our paths for us, may we follow Him,may we find our way in Him,and may we not lose our way. If we get lost,just hop back in the back seat and let God take the wheel,allow Him to drive for awhile,and see the amazing destinations He has for you and the wonderous stops along the way...

God created you just the way you are.....

We live in a land of billboards,posters,ideas of what girls are to look like. We see girls on television with their faces painted,designer clothes,and having surgeries to make them look like others. Our young girls are being told they are not beautiful the way they are. They must fit a mold,they must be the right size, they must know the right kids,have a boyfriend on their hip,and have all that is in reach. Yes,this has been going on for years,but it is getting much worse. Girls are looking for boys to define them,friends to make them whole,and plastic surgery to change their look altogether. I know the feelings of this. I know what it feels like to wake and look in the mirror and think your ugly,your too fat, your not good enough,your not pretty enough. When I was in high school I was anerexic. Even after high school I battled this disease. Its not about being skinny,its about how you feel about yourself. At times today I still battle this, satan gets into my head telling me I am not good enough, I am not pretty enough. those thoughts hurt, and they can destroy a young girls life. Young and old battle with feeling this way. Why? Because the television tells us how to look or how we should be? Because the Disney movies portray young beautiful girls as the princess, and the regular girls are the step-sisters or the maid. They never seem to get the prince. If a prince chooses his young princess by how she looks and by the worlds standards, he is not a prince,he is a boy with no respect or idea of what real beauty is. Girls get caught up in the fact they must please other people. That if they don't have the "look",they might as well crawl under the covers,and pull them over their head,because they aren't gonna make the cut. Our world is so stuck on the outer appearance,they care nothing about the inward appearance of what is in the heart. Beauty begins in the heart. With a beautiful heart,you glow,you shimmer and you are beautiful on the outside. Its not the make-up, the clothes,or the boyfriend that make you who you are,its Jesus Christ,and your relationship with Him.He is going to love you more than any man will ever love you. He loves you just the way you are,for He made you. whether its freckles,dimples, curly hair,straight hair,whether your skin is purple,yellow,black,white,brown,God made each one unique just for His glory. Not to be an arm piece for a boy. Not to wear the latest style. If your in the lastest style,and you don't have Jesus,you don't have anything of value. We can look at ourselves and think about what we would change, what we would make different. What would make us look more like a super model,or what our boyfriend would like.Its not about those things. When we look in the mirror,we should be praising Jesus for the glory of how He designed us. Each one different,each one so unique. We were not meant to all look alike. To all have the same hair color,to have the same hair cut,the same style of body.We have short,tall, whatever you are God made you that way for a purpose. He knew you before you were ever created, He knew who you were going to be,and He knew the path He wanted you to take. Don't ever think you need a boy to make you complete. Don't ever think you have to sacrifice who you are to fit in with another. Don't ever for one minute think you have to give of yourself in ways you know God does not wish to have a boyfriend,or keep one. If that young man is asking more of you than what God is telling you to give,he isn't a young man at all,but a boy who needs instruction. Don't ever give up your faith,your freedom, yourself in anyway to think a boy will complete you. The only one who will ever complete you is Jesus Christ. You can take your hair down,your make-up off, put on that swimsuit,put on those p.j's,get ready for school, a job,or summer and be proud of who you are in Jesus Christ. In God's eyes, you are His princess. He has made a castle in heaven for all His princess's. He loves each one, and desires for each to follow Him,not others, not a girlfriend,not a boyfriend, and not this world. The world's standards are not of God,they are of satan,and he wants nothing more than to destroy what God has created in you.Listen to this verse.Psalm 139:13-16" For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was make in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written,The days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them." God loves us, He made each one of us with loving hands,with all purpose and passion. He doesn't make junk, He only makes beauty. He has never created anthing but princess's to praise His name and to bring Him glory in all we do. If you can look to Jesus, and see yourself as He see's you,then you will see the wonder and beauty of each mark,and of each scar. We all have scars somewhere,whether they are visible to eye or invisible to others. God can heal those scars, and within each one carries of story, a story to be told,to share,and to glorify God. You will never find what your looking for in another, only Christ can fill what we are all desiring so badly. His love covers all, and nothing can compare to His love. Don't look to the television,or Hollywood for what beauty really is. Look to the Lord daily, and He will show you just how special you really are. You are special and you are loved. Let no one ever try to take that away. Don't ever lose youself in another. Find yourself in Christ Jesus....

What is behind us,stays behind us.....

We all have pasts. Every single person has a past. We don't live for the past, we live for the right now,and for the future we have in Jesus.Have you ever been teaching another not to walk the same path you did, not to make the same mistakes you did? Why is it that if we are teaching someone about Jesus, and walking with Him, they always bring up your past? I had a young person say to me today, you can't tell me how to live my life, look at the way you lived when you were my age. I sat, with tears ready to flow, and shared, that I didn't know Jesus when I was young, I wasn't living for Him. This young person still didn't get it. He thinks just because we have pasts we can't tell what is right now. This is just so wrong. I have shared my past with many youth, I have shared with tears and emotion. I shared because I didn't want them to make the same mistakes I did,to walk a different path, a different road, so they can walk with Christ now. Live differently, act differently, and love differently. Jesus forgave me of my past. With Him I have become a new person. The old is washed away and I now wear the new. I struggle from day to day just like any other, I fall, but Christ picks me up and wipes me clean,and I stand again. We want to protect others from walking the roads we did. If I was driving to a destination, and the road was winding, and there was a cliff ahead,I would want someone to share with me,what was up ahead. I would want them to point the way for me to go. To guide me to Christ. God gives second chances when we ask Him into our hearts. He loves us for who we are. Why is it so hard for others to forget our pasts and not have forgiveness. We cannot take peices of the bible as a buffet table, and leave the parts we don't like. We either take all or nothing. There is not a scripture that tells us to only take what we need and leave behind the rest. We can't just take away from the bible what fits our lifestyle. Last night I was watching this late night preacher. He was speaking to a crowd and said," We have a loving God,not a judging God." I don't know what bible he has been reading,but for our sins we have consequences. God is a loving God,but He is also a just God. Some of my sins from my past I still carry today,and will for the rest of my life. But I know I am forgiven,I know I am loved. We want others to follow God's example, not to have to learn the hard way with God's correction. What is better.To learn from God's word and be blessed living for Him,or learn from making huge mistakes and having God teach us and correct us from our sin? I take a stand for Christ and His ways because I love Him, and because He is my God and Savior. If we don't speak the truth and take a stand are we really loving God? Our pasts are behind us, and God is right here in our present, and giving us a future with Him. "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,But whoever walks wisely will be delivered." Proverbs 28:26 "Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days." Proverbs 19:20 "How much better to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver." Proverbs 16:16 "He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed." Proverbs 13:20 God gives us much scripture about wisdom and following His ways. I don't have to live in my past, so why should I let others live there and bring judgment? Why allow satan to attack through the words of others? We shouldn't, we have our life in Jesus, and our pasts are behind us. If another comes to you and says," How can you be a christian, when you used to do all these things?" You tell them because Jesus' love covered my sins with His blood. If I continue to dwell in my past,then what Jesus did for me was all in vain,and of no account. Jesus paid it all, He paid in full what I so deserve,what we all deserve as sinners. Live for today and do not allow your past to haunt you,or allow others to enter into your past,and bring it forward. What is behind is behind, and I am so looking forward to what Jesus has for me...

Are you feeling a little like Job?

I have a wonderful friend who I admire with all my heart. She is a wonderful,loving,giving person. She makes the best apple pie I have ever tasted. My friend has had struggle after struggle, and fears there is no end to the pain and hurt she is encountering. My heart aches for her. My prayers go out to her. She has walked a road of pain, she has lived with hurt and guilt. She carries a heavy burden. She loves the Lord with all her heart. She searches for God's word to teach her. She listens for God's whisper. She yearns for peace and for life to calm. She has said she feel like Job, the pain never ends. Every chapter in Job teaches us something. Job had great faith, his friends and wife didn't. They told him to just curse God and get it all over with. Job refused to do that. All Job had was taken away. All that mattered to him was gone, and now his body was in agony. A pain that would not cease. Did anyone really understand Job? I don't think they did. Job was a man of honor and faith. He trusted God. For his faith, and never turning away,God blessed Job. Later in Job's life he had much more than in the beginning of his life. God teaches us in many ways. He was with Job every step of the way. He never turned away from Job, or never left for one minute. He didn't give up on Job. Job prayed for relief. Job was facing trials, and he wasn't getting encouragement from others. Job was facing hurt, no one gave him comfort. Job looked all around and he was bent on all sides. Everywhere he looked he found struggles. It was as though all had turned against him and he was left alone.He felt the pain of being alone and as he called out to God. God answered.God was with him. Through all that Job went through he grew closer to God. There was a purpose for God allowing satan to attack Job. Job didn't understand that at the time, but God had Job's life under control. He wasn't going to allow satan to take Job's life. When we are suffering we doubt all around us. When it feels as though nothing is going our way, we feel alone. When attack after attack comes, we want to give up. Please know that you are no more alone than Job was. God is right there with you every step of the way. Nothing comes to us, that first doesn't go through God. We may be asking why, we may not be understanding,but in God's time He will show us, and all will be for the glory of God. Romans 5: 3-5 " and not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, becuase the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."It is through those hard times that we grow, that we turn to God, and He molds us, and shapes us into who He wants us to become. He is making a masterpiece in us. With His hands He has all things under control for His glory. At times trouble seems to come out of nowhere, sometimes we can see it coming, but whether we see the storm coming or whether it hits us blindsided,we have faith and comfort in knowing our God is bigger than anything that touches us. Philippians 4:6-7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." We have nothing to fear. We have nothing to lose with God on our side. Although we may struggle, there is a purpose and God will show us our way through this maze we find ourselves in at times. Don't close your eyes, and hide away. Open your eyes to God,and see all He does have for you. Don't ever give up, for God will give us all we need to get through and we may just find blessings along the way....

Are you still asking for more?

Do you find yourself wishing you had more? Do you find yourself asking yet still for more? I have to admit at times I do. It isn't really a need, its not that I don't have one,but I see something and I just gotta have it. Do we ever have enough? Are we always left with asking for more? And what for? We fill our lives up with stuff. We get more stuff to make us happy. That stuff no longer brings joy, so we end up asking for more. It is a horrible cycle to be in. We go round and round with stuff. We have yard sales to get rid of stuff, only to buy more stuff. Why are we so fixated on stuff? Jesus gave His life for us. He paid our ransom in full. He shed His blood to cover our sins, and yet that still isn't enough. When we go to Christ in prayer,it is not our wish list. It is not our time to tell Christ the things we want. He gave all He had for us. For you and me. His life should be enough. His love should be enough. His grace should be enough. His mercy should be enough. When the disciples stopped everything to follow Christ, they left behind all they had. All their stuff. They found that it wasn't that stuff that mattered. What mattered was Jesus. What mattered was giving all and leaving all to follow Him. What mattered was dying to self and living for Christ. They were behind Christ, not infront of Him. They didn't have alot of stuff, they had all that they needed in Jesus. I can share with you the story of my husband's job. At one time he made alot of money. We had all the stuff we wanted. When he was layed off the first time, we were okay,we had savings to live on and get us through. Then came the second,third, fourth, and so on. This lay off there was a no call back. He didn't have a job to go back to. Soon the savings ran out, and we found ourselves living on unemployment. Our home is paid for, and we never lived above our means. We didn't have credit cards. Atleast my husband didn't, I did. I had two. I found that for me, it was a great temptation. We quickly paid off my cards, I had shopped for things I did not need, but things to make me feel better. Our family had gone through a very hard time. In that time I looked at shopping as a way to relax, and feel better. I was searching so hard for something to take the pain away, to fill a void I now had. I knew Jesus was there, but I felt I needed more. One day Jesus spoke to me, and He said,"Daughter I am all you need.My love is sufficient for you." I soon didn't need to shop anymore, I knew those things, that stuff was not giving me lasting joy. My lasting joy came from Jesus. My heart had to seek Him, and He showed Himself to me. We don't always learn things the first time around. The lessons we learn are of much value. Not just earthly value, but heavenly value. God teaches us that it isn't how much have, or what we have. Its all about who we have. As long as we have Jesus, we have all we need.

Happy Fathers Day Dad.....

Fathers Day is very hard for me. It is a day we celebrate our fathers, to share with them just how wonderful they are. Its a day to give back all they have given. My father has been gone for sometime now. Since I was 19. I miss my father still yet today,and on so many days I wish he was here with me. To see his grandchildren, to celebrate life, to call on when I just need to hear his voice. I have always went with my children to pick out their Fathers Day cards, and one from me to my husband. I can stand in the aisle and cry, with tears streaming down my face at the words upon those cards. Words I wish I could say to my dad, some words that I didn't get to say. Our parents are such an important part of our lives. My dad was the best. He sacrificed for me, he worked hard for me, and even though he may not have said the words, I know he loved me with all his heart. I remember the games we used to play, his laugh, his words, and his ever present strength. He had the hands of a working man, they were big, they were rough,but they were full of love. They were the hands of my dad, who I was proud to call dad. There was not a day he was not there for me. He was a strong man, he loved to laugh. He loved The Three Stooges. He loved football. One of the last things we got to do together was go to a Cardnals football game. After the game we went into the world war two museum. I remember that day well. The last gift I gave him was a watch that I had proudly paid for with the money from my first real job as a stylist,inwhich he was very proud of. The last words he said to me was,"Take care of you mom." I have tried with all my heart to honor his words. I watched my dad have fun playing baseball, I watched him enjoy fishing, which now his grandson enjoys just the same.I saw the look of love in his eyes to my mom, and felt his grace when I had done wrong. The love between a father and his daughter is strong. It is a special gift, and I cherish the time I shared with my dad. At last I watched my dad suffer from cancer for a year. I watched as my dad struggled. Through his struggle I saw who he really was. He was a man of grace, mercy and very humble. He was a man in need of forgiveness, and found forgiveness in Jesus before he died. I am thankful for the years I had with him, and the legacy he has passed on to me. My wish is that I have made him proud, that my life would make him smile, as his life has made me.This Father's Day, celebrate your dads. Share with them the love you have for them. Give back all they have given and make it a day to remember. Happy Fathers Day to you dad.....

Praying....

First I want to start with scripture, the first is James 5:13-16 "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing pslams. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church,and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has comitted sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." And now the second, which happens to be a favorite of mine is found in Ephesians 6:18 "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." Do you hear the awesomeness of God in this scripture? He is telling us to pray,and not just pray,but how to pray,and when to pray. Prayer is an important part of a christians life. Prayer is our communication with Christ. It is us sharing,listening, and giving all to Him through our prayers. We can be anywhere,at anytime and feel the need to pray. There have been times where I was not able to sleep at night,and names came to mind. As God layed those names on my heart,come to find out later,those people were in need. I didn't need a phone call from them, I didn't need the full scoop of the matter,all I needed was to be open with God. And then there have been those times that I am so sleepy,and wanting to fall asleep,and names will come to my heart,and I will let it go. I will tell myself, I need sleep. Then had a horrible nights sleep because I did not obey my God. God knows the need of those around us, He knows everyone. He lays them upon our hearts for reasons that we may never know.But that prayer is interceding for them at the moment they need it most. I pray for many, I pray for those I pass on the highway,in the doctors office, in all places. I can even be laying in the sun,and look up and see the trail from an airplane,and pray those people know Christ before it is everlasting too late. I pray for them to come to know Jesus,and walk with Him. Then there are those days,when I will tell someone,"I will pray for you." And never remember to do so. I am so ashamed when that happens. I can't count the times I have forgotten because all my thoughts were more important at the time. Why do we say "I will pray for you?" Why not just lay our hands upon them and pray for them right then? Isn't that the solution? Why wait,when prayer is so important? We don't even have to know the persons name,we can still pray for God's will. We don't have to know the situation, God already does. We just need to be obedient, and follow our God. Prayer should be in our everyday lives. It should be the most important factor of our days. To be in constant prayer with our Father in heaven. He never breaks that connection, we do. I do. If we can take our focus and put it on the things of eternal worth,instead of worldly worth,that changes our perspective,and allows us to focus on Christ. To have a Christ centered life,He must be at the center at all times.Not just when we can fit Him into our busy lives. Without prayer, all the armor we put on daily,is useless. We must persevere, we must press on, praying for those all around us, including ourselves. Lord, I pray that when you lay someone upon my heart, I will pray right then and not put it off. I pray that you will use me,use me as a vessel for You. I will leave you with one last scripture. Romans 8:26-27"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." For all of us, I pray our prayer lives will grow with our walk with Christ. I pray that we will be prayer minded, and know we can go to our Jesus anytime and anywhere calling upon His name for those around us..

feeling small.....

Yesterday I was driving with my son. On our way home we looked up and noticed just how big the clouds were. They were growing by the minute,seeming to pile on top of one another.Just huge puffy white clouds,that made me feel so small in comparison. My son was taking pictures of them,his newest hobby,and was just in awe of them. All through the drive I kept thinking just how small I really am. All around me I see just how big God really is. In His creation all is a wonder to me. In His people, all have the talents that He has bestowed upon them,and the gifts to share with others. In His word, He is so magnificent, He is undeniably God of all. Even in the smallest of His creation as a firefly,or a dragonfly,I still feel just how small I really am. In life we can get puffed up, we can get a big head, we can start thinking the world revolves around us, we can become selfish, we can begin to think we have done great deeds. In our world we live in today,it teaches us to think we are important,we are special,we deserve all things coming our way. Our world teaches us that no one else matters. We can be in the big lights of Broadway, under the Hollywood glamor,or in our newfound glamorous home and think we are pretty big. We can make the amazing deal at work and begin to think,wow,look what I did. In our lives we seem to put too many "I's and "Me's" in our sentences. As our universe revolves around the sun, we all revolve around the Son. From the first day of creation to the last,all comes back to our God. Even the day of rest we so enjoy comes right back to God. Our minutes,hours,days,months,years,all begin with God. Our calender years are tuned in to Christ's birth and His death. Wherever we are on this planet,whatever we are doing,nothing is bigger than God. We can look to the biggest planet to the smallest atom,God created all around us. It takes much more faith to believe in ourselves and evolution,than it does believing that our mighty God created all and blessed all. Faith is believing in the unseen,not just the seen.We can't see air around us,but we know its there. We can't see the cool breeze blowing,but we know its there. We can't feel the earth moving and turning,but we know it does. We can't see gravity,but we know its there. All we have to do is look around and see God all around us. Even taking my mom to the eye specialist to tell her she needs a cornea transplant,watching all the machines work,taking picutures, seeing things that you can't see with the necked eye,made me feel so small. God gave everything around us, He blesses us everyday. While driving,you may think your running late,and then up ahead you see an accident,that if it were not for you being late,you could have been in. When you witness a miracle,we don't always God's hand move,but it does. The woman in the backseat of your car is sharing something you desperatly needed to hear,and then you turn around and she is gone. An angel just came for a visit. Do we always see them? Do we see the battles going on all around us between the demons and the angels? No, its the unseen,but God's word tells us its there. If you are like me,at times we can think we are bigger than we are,and something comes along just to show us,just to knock us off our horse,to share with us that we really aren't as big as we think. God showed me this week,just how big He really is. I feel His presence everywhere I go. I see Him in the faces that go by me. I see His love in my friends. I see His mercy in my life,along with His grace. All can be unseen,but if we look up,if we look how God wants us to really see,we will see all His beauty and glorous wonder all around...

God is.......

Today I was chating with a wonderful friend getting ready to do a devotional for a group of ladies. As we shared I started thinking how awesome God gives us what we need when we need it. She was looking for scripture and getting all in order. She was searching her heart,she was searching God's word to speak to others through her. I traveled my facebook page and went to a friends page that held her favorite verses. I stayed there for quite awhile just reading them and soaking in God's word. One verse really stood out to me,and I shared it with my friend. It is found in Isaiah 43:2"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. As I sat and read this verse,it blessed my heart. The words really spoke to me. It isn't just by chance you come to a verse,it is by God's love and wisdom. He gives us what we need when we need it the most. We are never alone.We never have to fear. We never have to go anywhere without God at our side. As I studied this verse,He was speaking of Israel. As in my bible text it read that passing through the river meant the crossing of the Red Sea,and crossing over the Jordan River. Walking through the fire,is meaning He is our Protector,just as He protected Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. They had nothing to fear in the fire filled furnise. God was with them all the way. We can look also in Psalm 66:1-4"Make a joyful shout to God,all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name;Make His praise glorious. Say to God, How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to Your name."This just isn't for the people of Israel,it is for the people all across the world. We should bring praise to His name,and glorify Him with all we have. Nothing is greater than God,nothing is more important than God, and nothing can save us but God. Whatever we have faced,whatever we are facing,and whatever we are to face in the future we can be sure of one thing.God will be with us through it all. If He can part the waters of the Red Sea,if He can cross over Jordan,if He can free His people of Egypt,He can do all things for those who believe in Him. We don't need a Superman,Spiderman,The Terminator,or any other man made hero. We have the one and only King of Kings who has all the might and power we need. He will help us through all,He will be there in the valleys,in the desert,and yes, on those mountain tops. We can find Him everywhere we look. Today if something is attacking you,if something is discouraging you,if you feel as though you are walking through the fire.You are not alone.Jesus will take each step with you. He will stand in the way,He is our strong tower. With God,we have nothing to fear,and we have all to praise.....

Its not what we do,its how we do it.....

I am going to begin with two verses to share with you today.Colossians 3:17"And whatever you do in word or deed,do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." And also,1 Corinthians 10:31"Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,do all to the glory of God." We can learn alot from these two verses as we read them. Again,it isn't what we do,but just how we do it. Its not going to church every Sunday,never skipping a day of Sunday School in your life,going door to door five days a week,giving in charity,teaching,being in the choir,or even preaching. There are many people who have sat in church their whole lives and they are not saved by the grace of God. There are people who live their whole lives being good,that doesn't do it either. Without Christ there is no heaven.We can do all week long,but if our heart is not in it,it is worthless. We can't go to church dressed nice,talking nice,acting nice,and then once we are out the door,we are talking about the person who sat by us,or how the sermon was poorly spoken. Once we are out that door,we can't change who we are,if we are going to act one way inside,we must act the same way outside. We can mow the lawn,feed the cows,read a book,go to the zoo,take care of our parents,do the dishes,clean the house,listen to the radio,write,make cards,or scrapbook. Whatever we do,we must do it to bring glory and honor to God. That is the key here. If I spend three hours mowing our grass,I can spend three hours with Christ,speaking to Him and listening to Him. We can go on vacation,and worship all God has created by speaking of it,by sharing it,taking pictures of the beauty,and praising His name for all we see and enjoy. Its encouraging others in our day,its giving our hearts in prayer. It is taking our eyes off of ourselves, and putting them on Jesus. Its living His will in our life,not our will. Its giving all to Him. I can read a christian book and learn about Christ,and praise Him for the glory of reading,learning and growing. Yes, we do things for Christ,but its how we do them.If we are going to complain Sunday morning,and sit through church thinking how we wish we were swimming at the lake,we aren't doing anything for the glory of God.We are doing nothing. If I have my bible on my desk all week,and never pick it up,I am not doing anything. We should commit every minute of our lives to Christ,focusing on Him. Yes,we can spread the gospel,we can teach,we can share all we have,but if our heart is not in the right place,or we are one way in church and another out,or we are doing only so we get in return,what we do is in vain. It means nothing for the kingdom of God. It changes your whole attitude if you are in the right place in your heart and your doing dishes for one hour after a big dinner.If you are working twelve hour days,and your heart is focused on Christ,others are going to see Him through your attitude. If we can change our hearts and minds to look like His,remember who He is,and who we are,we can live for Him each day,giving praise and glory in all we do.The next time you are knee deep in work at home,check your attitude and see where your focus is.If its on Christ,He is going to bless your day,no matter what will come.....

Where is your Nineveh?

As we take a look and read about Jonah,he seems to be a favorite among all children. They know that God told Jonah to go to Nineveh,he disobeyed and ended up in the belly of a big fish,and in turn he went to Nineveh for God. There is alot in this story,and this story touches our lives today. Where is your Nineveh? Is God asking you to go somewhere or to someone? He is asking you to do something for Him? The big question is are we listening,and are we moving for God? In this story about Jonah,he didn't like the people of Nineveh,and he really thought God should punish them. He knew they were bad,and doing wrong.He didn't want to face them,he didn't want to be the middle man as you could say. He was fearful,and he just really didn't care.So what did he do? He ran the other way and ended up on a ship. Where are you ending up today? As the storm brewed,those around him knew it was he who was causing the storm,so what happened? He got thrown off the boat,and into the belly of a big fish.He was angry,he held so much anger inside him,it was killing him.Isn't that what anger does to us? It feeds off all those feelings we have,it seems to overtake all we know is right,and we turn away full of anger and wrath. Jonah knew God was wanting to use him,but he really didn't care at the time.It was kinda all about Jonah,and his feelings. We can be as Jonah was also. We can be afraid to face what God is sending us into.But would God send us in,if He were not with us? No,He sends us in with a plan and a purpose. He knows just what we are going to face.With God at our side do we really have anything to fear? No way,God is bigger than anything we must encounter each day. He stands in the way of those who don't want to listen.He stands in the way of those we are fearful of. Either He is God or not.And we know without a doubt that He is God. Jonah found this out the hard way.With his disobedience God was not happy.He was not pleased with Jonah,and He had to show Jonah the best way,but teaching him. It is through those teachings that we learn the most at times."Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying,'Arise,go to Nineveh, that great city,and preach to it the message that I tell you.'So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great ciy,a three-day journey in extent. and Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said,'Yet forty days,and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Jonah 3:1-4Now Jonah had obeyed God and did what He asked, and Nineveh obeyed.Jonah didn't seem happy about this. In fact he was angry. He wanted God to come down upon this nation and its people. Through Jonah's anger God taught him about kindness and grace. He showed Jonah is love through His disipline. If you go and read chapter 4 it goes on to tell how Jonah was mad at the plant that had given him shade. God had prepared a worm to eat away that plant,to take away the shade,and cause winds to come in.Jonah wanted God to take his life now.God taught him again through one plant that his anger had no place. He wanted God to have mercy on a plant,but not His people. Are we like Jonah too? I know I have been. I have seen mean people and thought God should take care of them and put them in their places. Am I to judge those around me? No,I am a sinner just as the people of Ninevah,and Jonah also.God showed us through this story redemption,grace and kindness. If God,who is God of all creation can have this for others,why shouldn't we? Do we think because it is happening to us now,that it doesn't apply? God's word applies to all,and in all situations. We can't change His word to fit our need. His word is solid,unchanging,as we should be. If you are facing a Nineveh on your pathway,don't go astray,look forward,knowing God is with you,He has His hands upon you and will guide you through.Keep our eyes on Him and we can never lose sight of our Ninevehs, or never fear what God is asking of us. It's not the game of Monopoly,we don't always get a free pass,around the big blue ones we never want to land on. It's those big blue ones that God will take us to,and take us through...