Growing Numb

I have a couple questions for you this morning. Have you ever been talking with someone but you
weren’t really listening & after the conversation you were clueless as to what was said? What about when you hear the same thing over & over it becomes a routine or loses its value? How about when we sweep problems under the rug so we don’t have to face them? Out of sight; out of mind, right? I’d have to say these things happen more than I’d like to admit. When I see starving children on TV from 3^rd world countries, I change the channel because I don’t want to see their saddened faces.

Has God ever convicted you of something & you run the opposite direction instead of seeking Him for forgiveness & guidance? Matthew 13:14-16 explains that our hearts can become calloused, our eyes blinded, & our ears deaf to what God’s trying to reveal to us. Even then He reminds us of His grace & forgiveness. Thank you Jesus!!! What has God been dealing with you about; & better yet how long have you been running away? Below I’ve attached Matthew 13:1-17 (The Message) because it’s just so good, but I also want you to read your normal version as well. I pray you find some encouragement in this & want to thank the sweet lady that brought this to my attention. :0) I love you & hope you have a wonderful weekend! Remember to Praise God Always!!!

Matthew 13 At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at
all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories. ^3-8"What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell
on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams. ⁹"Are
you listening to this? Really listening?" ¹⁰The disciples came up and asked, "Why do you tell stories?"  ^11-15 He replied, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday
and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it. I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again: Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don't see a thing. The people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won't have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won't have to look, so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face, and let me heal them. ^16-17"But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.

I am NOT Ashamed!

 I want to tell you what I saw on my way to work yesterday. I work in Baton Rouge
& sometimes people there aren’t the nicest; especially in traffic. So in the slow lane ahead of me I see a white corvette, top down with a man driving. What caught my eyes was that he was holding one hand up. My first thought is “What in the world is he doing?” As I got closer I realized he was singing & praising God! He had to have been! He was singing to the top of his lungs & his arm seemed to have been extended all the way to the clouds. It was a beautiful sight! What a testimony!!! It made me think “would you do the same?” There have been times when I’m  loving God w/ song & praise & I
hesitate lifting my arms for fear of what people will think. I’m very ashamed that I let the world come between me & my Father. I’ve attached the verse below as an example that I want to start with everyday! I pray this brings some encouragement to you today! I love you & hope you have a wonderful weekend! Remember to praise God Always!

Psalm 71:17(The Message)You got me when I was an unformed youth, God, and taught me everything I know. Now I'm telling the world your wonders; I'll keep at it until I'm old and gray. God, don't walk off and leave me until I get out the news Of your strong right arm to this world, news of your power to the world yet to come, Your famous and righteous ways, O God. God, you've done it all! Who is quite like you? You, who made me stare trouble in the face, Turn me
around; Now let me look life in the face. I've been to the bottom; Bring me up, streaming with honors; turn to me, be tender to me, And I'll take up the lute and thank you to the tune of your faithfulness, God. I'll make music for you on a harp, Holy One of Israel. When I open up in song to you, I let out lungsful of praise, my rescued life a song. All day long I'm chanting about you and your righteous ways, While those who tried to do me in slink off looking ashamed.

Testimony in Short

On the Christian radio station this week they’ve been asking listeners what Jesus has saved them from. This got me thinking about my own life & what Jesus has saved me from. I’m gonna tell you a little about my past & what Jesus saved me from. This is a struggle for me b/c for the most part I’m a private person. I had a wonderful childhood with parents who loved me unconditionally. I was raised in church & was taught the difference between right & wrong. Here comes the tough stuff.  As a small child I was raped by a local teen in our neighborhood. During & after high school I partied constantly. This consisted of drugs, alcohol, & promiscuity. I got engaged young; this ultimately ended up being a 2 year physical/verbal abusive relationship. I was a rebel & didn’t care who I affected!! I got tattoos, piercings, & could cuss like a sailor. I knew God existed but didn’t care to know Him. Looking back I was living a very scary life. Thank God I found my husband, got engaged, married, have 2 precious babies & a wonderful circle of friends. God definitely had His hand over me & led me to my husband. Thank you Jesus! Long story short, Jesus saved me from the world. I want you to take time & really think, what has Jesus saved you from? If you want to share feel free to do so. I have attached 2 Samuel 22:32 from The Message version, as it assures me that God is our salvation & He will always be my side. I love you & hope you have a wonderful weekend. Remember to praise God always.

2 Samuel 22:32  Is there any god like God? Are we not at bedrock? Is not this the God who armed me well, then aimed me in the right direction? Now I run like a deer; I'm king of the mountain. He shows me how to fight; I can bend a bronze bow! You protect me with salvation-armor; you touch me and I feel ten feet tall. You cleared the ground under me so my footing was firm. When I chased my enemies I caught them; I didn't let go till they were dead men. I nailed them; they were down for good; then I walked all over them. You armed me well for this fight; you smashed
the upstarts. You made my enemies turn tail, and I wiped out the haters. They cried "uncle" but Uncle didn't come; They yelled for God and got no for an answer. I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind. I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter. You rescued me from squabbling people; you made me a leader of nations. People I'd never heard of served me; the moment they got wind of me they submitted. They gave up; they came trembling from their hideouts.

Remembering the Good Ole' Days...

I’ve been reminiscing a lot lately about my childhood & growing up in south Alabama. As most of you know I was born & raised in the small town of Opp, AL. I say small but that doesn’t describe the heart of the town. I grew up fairly poor but I wouldn’t have changed a thing about how I was raised. I was taught to work hard & enjoy the simple things in life. My Mom & Dad showed me that the value of a person wasn’t measured by their clothes or belongings. They also taught me to be open-minded & to not let other people’s opinions affect my outlook on things.
My headstrong Nana would drag us grandkids to church every Sunday to sing & learn the Gospel of Jesus. I can remember watching her from the back seat, pluck away at stray unsightly hairs on her chin, all the while singing that mornings hymns , driving, & telling us to keep our feet off the back of her seat. I’m so glad she did “make” me go to church with her EVERY SUNDAY! She always had such a joyful spirit but was quick to put you in your place if needed. To say she was a penny pincher would be an understatement. There were many times she would haul us grandkids behind what used to be the Piggly Wiggly to go “dumpster diving”. Too embarrassed to be seen, we would either stay in the car or play in the pine trees behind the store.

I can remember riding with my Papa on his red International tractor till it rocked me to sleep. That was our time. Although it was too loud for conversation, just spending that time together was more valuable to me than anything. To this day he is a man of little words but when he does speak; his words are full of wisdom. I will always cherish the many stories he’s told me about his life experiences. I hope to add to this from time to time when I get a chance.