Keeping it between the lines...

Good Morning....I hope you've had a wonderful week! It's Friday...WooHoo! This morning it was extremely foggy making it difficult to see & drive. There were a few spots where the fog was so thick I had to slow way down & I just kept telling myself “Just keep it between the lines”. But as the sun came up it was easier to see & the fog started to lift. Have you ever felt like you were driving aimlessly through the fog of life praying to “just keep it between the lines”? Health issues, finances, employment, relationships, etc.... Sometimes we go through seasons in our lives that can cloud our vision of Christ's great plan. God isn't affected by the economy, health issues, finances, or any other sufferings we face. He defeated death & now lives at the right hand of Our Father

 

 Hebrews 1:11-12 (NIV) 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment.

12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end."

Read what Jesus tells Martha when she's upset with Him about Lazarus's death. John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”Do YOU believe? Next time your sight is clouded by life's struggles remember to trust that the Son is always there, will rise, and and reveal His marvelous plan for you. I pray this encouraged you with whatever trials you're facing and it has me. I love you & hope you have have a wonderful weekend!

Sacrifice...

I hope you've have a wonderful week! It's Friday, WooHOO!! I want to talk to you about something that I've never really paid much attention to...Sacrifice. It's Lenten season now & although I'm not Catholic, I like the principle of self-examination to better ones relationship with Christ. I have asked myself what have I sacrificed lately. Better yet what have I ever sacrificed? As you would imagine, the Bible is full from cover to cover with people who sacrificed. In Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to take his son Isaac to one of the mountains and offer him as a burnt offering. HIS OWN SON! As you continue to read Abraham obeys God, takes Isaac to the mountain God showed him, & is about to sacrifice his own son when an angel of God stops him.Verse 12 says "Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn't hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me." Abraham exemplified his faith and trust that God was in total control.

15-18The angel of God spoke from Heaven a second time to Abraham: "I swear—God's sure word!—because you have gone through with this, and have not refused to give me your son, your dear, dear son, I'll bless you—oh, how I'll bless you! And I'll make sure that your children flourish—like stars in the sky! like sand on the beaches! And your descendants will defeat their enemies. All nations on Earth will find themselves blessed through your descendants because you obeyed me."

I can't help but to think of Romans 8:28 (NKJV) 28 And we know that all things work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

God was testing Abraham & he passed to say the least! God blessed him & his children that they would “flourish-like stars in the sky!” I strive for faith like Abraham at that time.

I pray this opens your hearts so that you can hear what God is asking you to sacrifice for His purpose. I love you and hope you have a great weekend!

I'll Huff & I'll Puff....

I hope you've all had a wonderful week! I can tell you I'm relieved it's Friday! It's just been one of those weeks & I'm welcoming the weekend with open arms. :0) To best describe lastnight let me set the scene for you. It's about 7:30 & we just got home from having dinner @ Jeremy's parents house. I still have to bathe 2 babies, do laundry, dishes, and pick up the house because the young cleaning lady will be here tomorrow. Thankfully Jeremy bathed the kids so that was one check off my growing list. Everytime I started a chore, either my children or my husband would pull me away with their many (what I thought) "less important" needs. Well this started a chain reaction of the old familiar huffs & puffs, eye rolling, and stomping. I was downright upset that they couldn't see I was obviously way too busy to tend to them & that they were interrupting my agenda! Thankfully no feelings were hurt. However as a result, I am extremely ashamed by my selfish actions lastnight. Have you ever noticed that more often than not we're much nicer to strangers than our own family? I have many "middle names" and complaining is one that I'm not proud of. Phillippians 2:14-16, tells us we shouldn't compain & so that we can "shine...like stars in the sky". It also reminds us to hold tight to God's truths so that when He returns He'll have a reason to be proud of us. We can be living proof that all of His work was worth it. I pray this has opened your eyes & hearts so we can continue to show God's love to others. I love you & hope you have a safe weekend.

Phillippians 2:14-16  Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

Diagnosing & Witnessing

I was listening to a Christian Radio station, KLOVE, this past week & they were talking about witnessing to others. They were saying to put it into perspective…when a friend, relative, or whoever is sick or in pain we often suggest medicines or which doctor to use. Most of us use our symptoms to “self-diagnose” them & recommend “treatment” based on our sicknesses we’ve had in the past. Why is this different from witnessing or sharing our testimony with others? It’s not!! I agree that it’s more of a sensitive subject & we can be rejected at times but isn’t telling someone about our gracious Father much more important? You say, yes, of course it is! Especially when telling people about Christ can ultimately lead them to a place where there will be no more sickness or heartache, Heaven. I know that just telling people about Christ doesn’t always BRING them to Him but it does however “plant a seed”& we can continue to fervently pray for their salvation.

Matthew 5:14-16 is described in the children’s song “This little light of mine”. It tells us that we are the light of the world when we know Jesus as our Saviour & for us to let our light be seen by men so they can see Jesus in us. I love this verse as well as the children’s song. hope that this brings you some encouragement & strength to let your lights shine for the Ultimate Healer, Father, & Redeemer!

 

Matthew 5:14-16"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

 

 

 

Like a Bird...

I hope you've all had a wonderful week. Today I'm going to do something a little different with the Happy Friday e-mail. I'm going to tell you about a very special person that has always been and still is a strong Christian influence in my life. My Nana drug us grand kids to church EVERY Sunday morning & night in hopes we would develop a relationship with Christ. To say that she loves the Lord is an understatement; She taught bible study & led song service as long as I can remember. She always thought of others & in my eyes was truly the hands & feet of Christ. She has slowed down physically the past couple years but can still sing any old hymn by memory. Last week she went to the doctor for severe back pain. Long story short, her 4^th vertebrae from the bottom has shifted forward, thus  pinching her spinal cord. She went from getting around pretty good to not being able to walk & ultimately bedridden. My Mom sits with her everyday to take care of her now. While Nana was napping yesterday, Mom walked outside & thought she heard Nana crying. She hurried back inside & realized she wasn't crying at all. Mom said she was, “singing like a little bird”. Here is my little old Nana physically frail & broken, singing praises to her Savior! I hope I'm half the woman in Christ she is one day!

She reminded me of the poor widow who gave 2 coins to Jesus as a offering in Mark 12:41-44. Jesus saw how she gave & said she put in all she had, her whole livelihood. Nana has given God glory & praise all her life in the way she lived for Him. Her life is a testament of God's love & faithfulness when we totally rely on Him. I pray this has brought you some encouragement today & humbles you as it has me. I hope you have a wonderful weekend & remember to praise God always!

Four letter word...

I hope you've all had a wonderful week! With Valentine's day coming up, I wanted to
study how the bible explains love. Well did you know that in the NKJV Bible the word “LOVE” occurs 362 times in 323 different verses? Yeah me neither...thanks to the internet. So as I'm reading all of these verses it became very apparent what Jesus wants us to know about this mysterious word. I'm not very good at math but I'm gonna guess that 25-30% of the verses about love say the same thing over and OVER! In short, “Love the LORD your God with ALL your heart...”and “Love one another as I have loved you...”. These are commandments that Christ was fervently trying to show & teach His
children.  Not only did God send Jesus to teach us about love, He gave His only Son as the ULTIMATE sacrifice to show His love for us. As a parent & even as a wife I can say that when I have something EXTREMELY important to get across, it seems like I have to repeat
myself 100 times before they even acknowledge that I'm talking. :0) We are called to 1^st love God will all of our being,

 Mark 12:29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is:
‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, This is the first commandment.

Then Jesus says to love each other, Mark 12:31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Jesus said there are NO other commandments greater than these! Plain & simple...to the point...no ifs, ands, or buts! If you continue to read in verse 33 He states that to do these things “is worth more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
I pray that you remember God's everlasting love for us & what He has called us to do! I love you & hope you have a LOVEly weekend!
Happy Valentine's Day!

Barricades...

I have been reading a bit in Matthew lately & came across the story when the wealthy man asks Jesus how to enter into His kingdom. I've read it before but this time it struck a cord with me... 

Matthew 19:16-22 (The Message) 16Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" 17Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you." 18-19The man asked, "What in particular?" Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself." 20The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?" 21"If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me." 22That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.

You could learn a number of lessons from these few verses but I'm gonna share how Christ convicted my heart. As Christians we are called to put God first & foremost in our lives. However, I can only speak for myself, but I've held onto bad habits & worldly things that have hindered my relationship with Christ. I've ok'd these things in my head but I know in my heart that God's been convicting of these barricades I've held onto. Jesus told the wealthy man what he already knew in his heart & still the man walked away from Jesus' offer, as stated in the last verse. I refuse to go out like he did! I know I have to make some changes in my life and while I'm apprehensive I know, that I know, that I know that I am NOT alone!

Joshua 1:9 (NLT) 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I pray this has encouraged you to work towards tearing down any barriers that's been hindering your relationship with Christ. We can overcome these if we truly live out this final verse.

Philippians4:13 (NLT) For I can do everything through Christ,who
gives me strength.