Just when you have it all figured out...

I love the Lord. He keeps you at the edge of your seat sometimes like a good book. Just when you think you have it all figured out...there is an unexpected twist. See we moved a couple months ago into this beautiful home. It was almost everything that we talked about wanting in a home. It had the hard wood floors. Nice kitchen and dining area. It had all been remodeled. The carpet in the bedrooms was the same carpet that I had picked out years ago in hopes of putting it in our bedrooms. The lights even matched my picture frames! Seriously this was almost my dream house. What it lacked? A backyard. The rooms for the kids are a little small. But everything else was just perfect. We were in hopes that we could figure a way of buying it. It really seemed it was going to work out just as we had planned. We thought Wow God this is just amazing how you work. We were not even praying for all this!....Then this weekend it all crashed down. You know that twist I was talking about well we ran into it. We were notified that we had to move. Not only did we have to move but she was giving us a 30 day notice! For a moment in time I forgot about the loving caring, faithful, abundant God I serve and lost myself. No need for details here, I will let your imagination fill this part in. Sunday morning, we got up, got ready for church and forgot about our problems at hand for some amount of time. Focusing only on giving God praise and honor for He is worthy at all times to be praised. Pastor preached on "A Christmas for everyone". And spoke about learning to walk in the favor of the Lord. Then in between church took our day of rest, and rested. Returned for evening church to find out that God has something better for us in store. God is in the process of closing this door only because he has something better for us behind door #2! Matter of fact I am going to claim it on here as well as out loud that He is going to give us a house by January 15th. It is going to be a 4bedroom 3 bath home. Hardwood floors, big backyard etc. We are going to buy it for 115,000! It is a promise from God. I believe Him for it as does our family. NO I don't know how it will happen because if you get your focal point on the economy, your faith has a way of depleting. So I will keep my eyes on the Lord as my focal point and keep my eyes out for our new home. I will enjoy reporting when we get it too. Please help us in agreeing that this be done and praying for us as well.

Be careful little lips what you say....

I was talking to some coworkers in a break room this morning. I was telling them of a joke that my son had played on me the night before. As I was talking a lady walked into the room and one of my coworkers turned away and began to talk to her. I continued talking to my other friend. Upon finishing the whole conversation the lady that had walked in gets her things and leaves. That is when the coworker that had begun to talk to this lady turned to me and let me know why she had done this. This is the reason:

The joke was put your hand on your face and if your hand is bigger than your head you have cancer, upon doing this the person telling you this smacks your hand which usually hits your nose and you all have a nice hardy laugh, as I had done the night before.

What I did not know: The lady that had walked in...had cancer. So as I am telling this joke she walks right in to hear me saying the cancer part and my coworker sees the look on her face so she distracts her for she knew of her diagnosis. Yes, that is when my foot...no my two feet were placed abruptly in my mouth or they should have been. Indeed, I had no way of knowing this but nonetheless, be careful little lips what you say...for you know not what other people's journeys are taking them through.

On the positive side...when discussing good things like what God has done for you in your life, or a miracle, a blessing, anything related to Gods purpose, or His goodness, you just don't know what a person; that may be listening to the whole conversation may hear. They may need to hear about His goodness and mercy. So gladly speak of the Lord so others can hear...even if they eavesdrop.

A humbling experience and a lesson all before noon!

When the light shines the brightest, its the darkest all around

As I was driving down our street last night, I was noticing all the beautiful Christmas lights. People decorate their yards, houses, and sometimes their cars! They put up huge displays. Sometimes its just a little house trimming that is done. As I passed by I admired them and the work it took to put all those lights up.

Now I have driven by them many times before in the past few weeks but never really noticed those lights. The displays that these people took the time out to put up in their yards. I never took in the beauty of these seasonal decorations. The reason: too busy? No. driving too fast? Hope not! Distracted? Maybe. The real reason was it has always been light out as I drove past these houses.

It was only when it was almost completely black all around me, that I noticed the beautiful displays. When the sun was down, darkness had fallen. That is when the lights shown like they had not shown before. Then my eyes were drawn to the Christmas decorations.

If you think about this it makes sense in our walks with God too. During the daylight hours (things are going good)when the sun is shining down on us and we can see what lies ahead, we dont see the lights that call for our attention. We are going about our way almost with blinders on. Then when darkness falls (things get bad for us) we look everywhere for a light at the end of the tunnel. We start seeing the lights that were there all along (God). He is there no matter day or night but its when the darkness surrounds us is when we take notice of the "Christmas Lights".

Let us remember that it may be we are going through dark times so God can show us how bright He can shine!

Merry Christmas to you all!

God doesn't give you the people you want,
He gives you the people you NEED.
To help you, to hurt you, to leave you,
to love you and to make you
into the person you were meant to be.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Life keeps You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going

What God will be....when we let Him

He will lead us, if we will follow
He will be our strong tower if we lean upon Him
He will be a shoulder when we cry
He will be arms to hold us when we feel we are falling
He will encourage us to go forward when our pace has slowed
He will pick us up no matter how many times we fall
He will walk beside us when we feel alone
He will love us when we feel unloved
He will carry our burden when it is too heavy for us
He will carry us when we cant put forth another step
He will be our light in the darkness
He will be our water in the drought
He will be our stay in the middle of the storm

God is what we allow Him to be. He is a gentleman and He will never knock down a door to make you do something or allow Him to come in. He will knock, and patiently wait for you to open up the door and invite Him in. He will give you a thought and wait for you to digest it and let it work on your life to become something more for Him. He will offer the support but you have to be the one to accept it, and trust Him enough to lean upon Him. He will always be there, but we are the ones who must move. We must walk closer to Him, hand over our burdens, cry upon His shoulder, lift up our hands and ask for help, or allow His love to overcome our grief. If we don't allow this in our life than it won't happen because God will not force any of these wonderful qualities at you. He simply offers them, then you must receive them. He waits. Patiently. He waits. He stands at the door and knocks. Too many times in my life have I kept the door shut because I could handle it on my own. Too many times have I tried to climb up out of the pit only to find myself loosing grip and falling into the mud below. Too many times do we struggle with life. Trust His hand to hold you from falling.

He will be our everything...when we let Him. It is just amazing to see what God will do for us...if only we would let Him. We hinder Him in many ways. Let Go and Let God. Sometimes it is not necessarily a trust issue but a control issue. Search your heart and ask God...Do I not trust or Do I just want control and do everything on my own?

Choices thought they may be small...what an impact

Lets think back to a time in our life when we had to make a decision about something. For me I thought I was making the right decision. But as hard as I tried God just would not allow it to work. I saw a mans heart hardened right before my eyes. I was so upset that it did not go as I had planned. I had worked so hard to make this work. I had great ideas about how this would work out for ME! Notice the word I. I...was not searching truly for Gods will but my own. I...was not asking for direction from my creator. So what I thought would be a splendid plan backfired in my face. And all that was left was a lot of tears. And money spent that I would never see again.

As I look back I could get bitter about the situation. But when I look at how it really was for the best that this did not work out...I am thankful that God moved when I did not think He should. He moved in to this circumstance and stopped it before it got started. The choice I was making was not a good one after all. I wish it always worked like this. When God sees us making a decision that is not for our own good...He could stop us. But sometimes He allows us to make bad choices. To learn from them, to be an example to others, or to keep us from making larger more impacting bad decisions in the future.

What choices we make today will impact us in the future. They will affect our loved ones. Our children. Our friends. Our eternity. No choice is a small choice. What you say to that coworker can be detrimental to their salvation. What attitude you hold with you as you go shopping could prevent you from seeing someone who needs a positive word. How you manage your finances today will affect your retirement. Whether you take the time out to speak to that loved one you have not talked to for a while can affect you dearly when they have passed on.

Today is election day. We all first have the choice of voting or not. Then if we decide to vote, we have a choice who to vote for. Our country allows us to vote for who we want. So go out and make your choice count. This is a choice that we will see the impact of in our future. So I urge you to greatly consider the choice you are making. Make sure it aligns with Gods will for you and your country. We all have decisions to make, and some of them will impact those around us. Some of them only impact us, but all of them impact our heavenly Father who cares for our soul.

Rain

It is raining today. I dont like the rain, though it is a needed thing. My mom enjoys it thoroughly. But for me, it tends to make me feel a little down. It brings back memories, it is wet, it is cold, and I just dont really like it. BUT...it is a much needed thing. Isn't it like God to bring things into our lives that we dont really enjoy. THough, they are needed. Without rain, we would have a drought. Plants would die. Animals would die.
Babies have about 75% water in their bodies at birth. By adulthood men and women range from 55 - 65%. Can you imagine life without water? So when I see the rains come it is a simple reminder of God and how He works in our lives. As quick as the rains come.....they leave. So smell the rain...walk in the rain...laugh in the rain...enjoy the rain. Because it will pass and allow the sun to shine once again.

Abraham staggered not at the promises of God

This is a recap of last nights preaching from Pastor Ken Sullivan, the highlights which stuck out to me:

Abraham staggered not at the promises of God. He would go through with the sacrifice of his only son. This is an act that was being carried on by the surrounding tribes, God now asked Abraham to do the very thing that everyone else was doing, to test his faith in God. Abraham simply told his son Isaac, that God would provide himself a lamb. He knew that God would come through for him somehow. Abraham staggered not at the promises of God.

When Abraham was about ready to sacrifice his only son, God had provided a ram in the brush behind him. But the angel of the Lord had to hold back his hand because he was so consumed with the circumstance and what he had to do, he took no notice to the "lamb God had provided." There right behind him was the answer to this test. The ram. It was there. For how long was that ram in the brush, we don't know. When he bound his son and placed him on the altar that ram may have been there. When he pulled out the knife to slay his only son, that ram may have been there. He had his head down looking at what had to be done. His immediate circumstances. He had to lift up his head and his countenance to see that God had provided. He had the faith that God would provide but he had to position himself, that is reposition himself to be able to see what it was God had provided.

We get so wrapped up in our situations that we are not looking at what escape God has provided for us. Lift up your eyes and look for the open door.

Life is meant to be lived
Stop staggering

What Jesus Means to Me by Jessica McDermott (12)

I woke up one morning to get my coffee and saw a piece of notebook paper in front of my coffee pot, in fact there was two. One said in large print with an arrow pointing toward the other one " Read this and tell me what you think". So I figured it was an essay for school, so I began to proofread it totally unsuspecting what I would read. Here it goes, word for word, what my 12 yr old daughter wrote:

"What Jesus Means to Me"

Jesus means so much to me that, if I had to, I would die for Him. It's a simple as that. Jesus means so much to me that I want to praise and worship him for the rest of my days.

Jesus has been so good to me, even though I am only 12. It makes me think about what he's going to do for the rest of my life. Once he performed a miracle for me. I put my bright wallet on my dads tire in a parking lot before. I forgot about it and we left. After a while I remembered it. We couldn't go get it until after church though.

It had 30 dollars in it. During church I prayed that he wouldn't let anyone pick it up. After church we went to see if it was still there, and it was! I counted the money and it was all there! Even thought, I was 7 years old, he proved that he would answer even little kids prayers. Another time my mom took a weight loss class, and they made her do the bike for 30 minutes everyday. Her legs hurt her so bad that she could barely walk. We were again, in church and she prayed that He would heal her. God spoke to her and told her to run the aisle. She didn't want to but she did. Immediately she was healed, and her legs didn't hurt her anymore.

Every time I get down about God, I think about that and I can't resist but to love Him for it. I'm also very happy that he died on the cross so that we could go to heaven. I could write so much more about Him and eventually I will. In fact, I am very fired up about witnessing. Once I witnessed to my friend about God, and now I want to win a soul.

After I wiped the tears from my eyes, I wrote back to her and told her how wonderful a job she did in writing this. It truly came from her heart. I was so proud at that very moment to have such a thankful 12 year old girl as my child. God is so good to have watched over us and kept our minds through troubled times. You just never really know what your kids are thinking, sometimes you worry that they may go in the wrong direction, but you just have to leave it up to God. Like my Pastor says all the time" there is no perfect parent here on Earth, only the one in Heaven is perfect". That takes a lot of stress and worry off your back. Just do the best you can, pray and leave the rest up to God. He gave us these children, He will see them through along the way.

What was it like....

Mary, what was it like to hold baby Jesus?
What was it like when He cried?
What was it like when for 3 days you looked, and Jesus you could not find?
What was it like when He turned water into wine?

What was it like to meet Him at the well?
What was it like to casually speak with Jesus, just you and Him?

What was it like to have Him say to your accusers..cast the first stone those who are without sin?
What was it like to have Jesus standing near you...protecting you?

What was it like to feel life breathe back into you by Jesus himself?
What was it like Lazarus to be beckoned by Jesus to come forth?

What was it like to sit at his feet and listen to the parables straight from the King?
Children what was it like to sit on Jesus' lap and let not the disciples forbid you to come?
What was it like to eat the bread and fish directly multiplied by Jesus hand?

Peter what was it like to walk to Jesus on waves of water?
What was it like to sink but have the Father there to grab your hand and lift you up?
What was it like when he said "Peace be still" and you watched the waves calm upon his words?

What was it like Mary, to sit at Jesus feet and wash His feet with your tears?
What was it like to dry them with your hair?
What was it like to annoint Him for His burial, so soon to come?

What was it like to push through the crowds just to touch the hem of His garment?
What was it like to feel the virtue flow from His body to yours as you were healed?
What was it like when you were addressed by Him and told you were made whole?

Orphans

I write this to all those people out there that may have grown up with a single mom or a single dad. Maybe you grew up with a family that you were not born into. They chose you out of so many other needing children. I write this from my heart. A heart which comes from a single mom. I write this from a heart that did not grow up knowing what it meant “you just wait until your dad gets home!” I was raised without realizing what it meant for a mom to share the responsibility of a household with another. I watched my mom do it all. I matured thinking that you do not share a task with another you simply just did it yourself.

I want to discuss more than just the tasks of life, though. The heart and spirit are affected deeply by this as well. The heart learns to depend on just the motherly love. It learns some discipline but not like that of a household of two. As I grew I would stand in awe and wonder of my friends that had the Mom and Dad household. I never really wanted that instead of what I had. I did not see that as an option. But as I look back I think of the father I never really had. I ponder what would it have been like? Then it hits me…. I had a father as I grew.

I had this father watching me in more ways than one. I did not grow up lack of a parent. I was given the Father of all fathers as a parent. He chose to be my sole father on Earth. He saw that He was all I would need in life. He knew I needed a mom. But as far as the father image…He would supply all my needs. There is no perfect parent here on Earth but there is one in heaven. So I did not grow up fatherless, I was blessed with being one of many that has a Perfect Parent : Jesus Christ.
What is your walk in life like? Did God choose to be your sole parent? Did he fill those gaps in for you? Has He taught you what you needed to learn? If you answered no, then maybe you have not allowed Him to. Take some time out and think on this. Then search His word and pray…He will supply you with all that you need.

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The Right Now is less important than the future

We tend to be always looking for immediate satisfaction. Fast food, drive through pharmacy, instant messaging, email, texting...its all for the right now. But what about the future. If we live for immediate gratification what repurcussions for the future will we have. Many things we do are for the future. Simple tasks like brushing your teeth to prevent tooth decay in the future, you go on diets so you can lose wait at some point in the future to prevent heart disease, and other weight related problems. We send our children to school so they can grow up and become something great and wonderful. These things are not done for the right now (except the tooth brushing does help with stinky breath ). It is to do with the future.

When we are in a trial ; we want out of it. We tend to dwell on what surrounds us at that time. We want to overcome and get out of it as soon as we can. But we should look at what God has for us in that dark time. He wants us to take something from it to use in the future. If we are in some hurry to get out, we may not pick up what God wants us to. So He may send us right back in to get what He sent us in there for the first time. If you go in the store to pick up some items and you are on a tight time schedule, you may hurry to get out of the store. You get home start making dinner and realize you forgot something very imperative that you needed for dinner. Therefore you have 2 options: Cook something else (not planned circumstances, maybe not the will of God), or go back to the store and get your important item. (If you are lucky enough, you could call someone else and have them pick it up for you, but in my blog..right now...that is not an option. Dont send anyone else into your trial to get what you should have gotten :-) )

The reason for these trials is to teach us something. Or to do something important in us to be able to be or do something for God in the future. God loves us very much. He loves us so much He died on a cross for the remission of our sins. He does not want His children to suffer. So if you are suffering in a trial right now...think of how important this "item" is that you need to get. If our loving God is going to allow us to suffer it is for a very good reason. The quicker we get our "item" the quicker we can leave the store. Pray, Read Gods word to find your item, so you can move on to making dinner or dessert!

We need to stop looking at the surrounding circumstances and look toward the future. What I do now will impact my future. It will also impact the futures of those that surround me. God planned for me to cook this for dinner, if I dont get all the ingredients along my shopping trip, I may distort or change what is for dinner.

Now I am hungry! :-)

What is your ministry?

We had a leadership class this weekend. A very important point was brought up. Many of us can brag...we have been in church for decades....or we are involved in multiple ministries. But if you ask yourself a question be ready for the answer. There is more to this life than just your involvement in the church. There is something that you need to ask yourself maybe daily, weekly, monthly or more. Ask God how you can accomplish this one thing that is most important in our lives. No matter all your years of experience...this one task may have never happened, only happened once, or maybe you are blessed to have accomplished this task multiple times. Nevertheless ask yourself this one question as this is how we should begin and end each day.

"How many people have I touched today with the ministry I am involved with?"

I am not talking about people already involved in church. I am not talking about the ones who already know who Jesus is. I am not talking about your buddies that you talk with after service is over. How many sinners have you talked to today about the love of God?! How many lost souls were brought to God by the blessings bestowed upon you. With your ministry, how many people have you brought to walk with the Lord?

Well I found this to be quite life changing. If I start my day with this attitude, it will bring humility to my spirit, make my attitude toward my life problems a whole lot better, and it will help me decide carefully my words throughout the day when dealing with the lost and dying world. I hope this thought helps you like it did me when I first heard it.

My Unseen Friend

It may seem I walk alone
For there are only one set of prints
You only see me walking
Walking on the roads of life

It may seem I walk through
Through the valleys with noone
But is what you are not seeing
Is the unseen hand guiding me

When I walk until I can go no further
That is when you will see my friend
My friend who not only walks beside
But carries me when I faint

It may seem to you I am so poor
For priceless possessions I don’t behold
You wont find much riches
Down here in my home on Earth

It may be that down here below
I have no earthly treasures
In my home you wont find
Priceless riches, or expensive trinckets

But what I do own has no price
For I am a daughter of the most High King
He has a mansion for me but most of all
His love is more than this world could ever afford

Your see the eyes will tell you, your alone
Your heart will tell you, you are not loved
But I stand here today to tell you
He is with you, and He loves you very much.

“This world is not my home, I’m just passing through…my treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue…The angels beckon me from heavens open door, and I cant feel at home in this world anymore.”

living for 12 yrs, dying for 12 years

As I was listening to the preaching on Sunday...something caught my attention suddenly, as sometimes I am slow to catch on I suppose. I never caught the fact that the woman with the issue of blood had been suffering for about 12 yrs...The daughter that had died was 12 yrs old as well. So we have a birth taking place 12 yrs prior along with a slow death of a woman. We have a child growing stronger every day, and a woman who is searching for a way to stay alive with this ailment. A young girl learning how to live, and a woman seeking a way to end her suffering.

One day Jesus arrives on the scene and the woman after 12 long years of slowly dying inside, gains new life from the Master. He ceases this disease that is causing her to wilt away. He puts an end to her suffering. The very same day He adds life to a 12 yr old girl who had stopped living.

What a God we serve. All in one day, and one moment of time, He can put an end to suffering while raising the dead....

Just a quick thought.

The benefits, but even better the blessings...

My pastor preached a great sermon last night. It really spoke to me. Here is a glimpse:

The blessings of the Lord are not materialistic. Material things, i.e. car, house, money, health etc can all be compromised at some point in life. They can be wrecked, burnt, put in debt, or made ill just within moments. Gods blessings can not be destroyed as can these things. Those are all benefits from the Lord. He takes care of His people. Blessings are spiritual. They surround us and it is up to us to take advantage of them. To bless the Lord is to acknowledge Him.


To me a blessing is to rise early in the morning and watch the sunrise and that huge feeling inside me, the joyous sense, the vastness of this world that you see in the colors it protrays is a blessing. To know that the creator of this world...CREATOR OF THIS WORLD...notices a nobody like me. Out of millions of people and creations. Really think about this. A blessing is to look around at the people that choose to live without God and know that you serve the Mighty King, He is your Heavenly Father, you are His child. Knowing that He cares about what you care about, He hurts when you hurt, and He cries when we cry!

Nothing in this world compares to serving the Most High. If God chose to never benefit me with material things, I would still be blessed, and I would bless the Lord. To have this attitude makes you feel joyous even in dark times. All it takes is a change of attitude, a choice.

Slow Fade

I recently heard this song "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns. What a powerful song. Listen to the lyrics. When you look at the words really consider what it is saying. We all know you dont backslide overnight. What the scary fact is...you may not know you are backsliding until you are so far from God and so deceived by the world that you have compromised your soul. It says "...be careful if you think you stand, you just might be sinking" "People never crumble in a day" Look back at your life, last week, last month, last year and look at your walk with the Lord. Has it grown stronger or farther away. We are all people living in this world. Just because we call ourselves christian does not mean we may not drift. Look at mechanics...Just because they are called a mechanic does not mean their car does not break down. It only means they have the know how to fix it when it does. As christians we should know how to fix our walk with God when it seems a little off balance...PRAYER! FASTING! etc. Dont allow your spirit to be tainted by the things of this world simply because you thought you were staying strong but then realized you were walking the wrong road and have drifted from God.

Just a few thoughts that were on my heart recently. Please if you have not listened to this song...Please do and pull up the lyrics as well.

Let go to receive something better

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.
I just had this emailed to me this morning. What a thought. God cant give us anything more if we are holding on to stuff already. Our bags are full. If we are holding on to bitterness than God cant give us healing in that area. We wont let go. If we are holding on to that angry feeling...God cant give us joy. We wont let go.

If God does take something from you...realize that He will fill that void with something better. Just let God do His will in your life. We are here because He put us here. So lets do His will not our own. He knows the future so if He takes something from you and you dont think it fair, trust God for in your future you did not need this thing anyway and now He can replace it with something else. But if you hold on to it, He cant replace it....Let go and let God do His will.

Joseph...blessed while in prison

What circumstances lead us to places in life. Decisions made, prayers prayed, words stated, even attitudes during life changing times. God leads us where He wants us to go...it is our choice, however, whether we go that route. If you look at Josephs life before he was in the picture. Jacob had to work several years longer in order to take Rachel, his true love, as wife. Then Rachel was barren. Whereas her sister Leah bare 6 boys, Rachel had none. Rachel had to struggle through many torturous years and watch her sister and her handmaids produce children. Oh but look what would become of her son Joseph later down the road. How many times do we want to give up as we sit at the wayside and watch others be so productive. We watch others do great things for God. We think what are we doing so wrong? Why are we barren? Why can't we produce anything for God? But we do not know the future.


Gen 30:22
And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

I love that: God remembered Rachel. God thought of Rachel and decided it was now her time. See before it was not the right timing for her to bare. Maybe a test of patience. But now God remembered her. He opened her womb...so it was God who had it shut for so long, but now it was opened to bare Joseph.

Joseph had to endure the teasing of his brothers. He was special and his parents knew that. He had to endure being different. It can become weary being a child among several brothers not only the youngest but special too. Can you imagine?? Then for his brothers to become so sick of seeing how special he was to trade him as a slave. So now onward to Egypt as a slave. Could Joseph possibly have been so much in despair to just give up. But something beyond his control drove him onward. Look where he ended up...Pharaoh's house! No one but God could possible chain these events together. He is a slave yes, but not just a slave...a slave in Pharaoh's house! How many times do we look at our small world...the slave part...and not fix our eyes on the entire circumstance. We may be a slave but I guarantee you that God has huge plans for our lives. We may be in the Pharaoh's home and not even realize the events taking place. Hang in there.

Gen 39:2
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

So Joseph finds grace in their sight and moves up in chain of command. He has everything under his hands. He has great responsibility. Things are looking up...But then look at what happens.


Gen 39:7
And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

Who comes on the scene none other but temptation. Of course Joseph resists the temptation but still is punished for it.


Gen 39:20
And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners [were] bound: and he was there in the prison.

Then Joseph finds favour in the eyes of the prison guard. No matter what Joseph did God blessed him and the Lord was with him through it all. He was now in prison but God still used him. He interpreted dreams and the butler was free but yet forgot about Joseph. 2 years later sitting in prison for a crime he did not commit, after being placed into slavery because his own brothers did not like him...Pharaoh has a dream that needs interpretation. What do you think went through Josephs mind? Despair, discouragement, frustration, anger, resentment, and any other unpleasant thought that may have tried to seep in to those prison walls.


Gen 39:21
But the LORD was with Joseph

The Lord encouraged him, gave him hope when Joseph saw none. Joseph could have had a bad attitude through it all. How many prayers do you think he prayed to be released from this prison? Do you think he may have plotted a way of escape? An early way out of this trial he was in? Don't we all do that. Look for our way of escape? But we need to wait on the Lord. He will bring us through. Do what His commandments say. Pray and Fast. God will bring us out of our trials but maybe not as quickly as we would like. Imagine what would of happened had Joseph escaped from prison. He may have not heard the dreams of the butler. He would not of been brought forth to the Pharaoh to interpret his dream. Who would have stocked the food for the 7 years of famine? I am sure God would of found someone else to do it but it would not of been Joseph.

If we want to do something huge for God...Just live your life doing what you are supposed to do. Be obedient to God's will. Your time will come but it's the small decisions we make in difficult times that have large impact.(Pastor Sullivan's sermon Sunday 8/24 :) ) So hang in there, stay in the "prison" for as long as God needs you there. Stay barren until God opens your womb. Stay a slave until God sets you free. But watch your attitude and decisions you make. Keep our eyes focused on God and all will fall into place...eventually! God bless you.

2 women, 2 circumstances

Luk 8:43
And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
Luk 8:44
Came behind [him], and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
Luk 8:45
And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press [thee], and sayest thou, Who touched me?
Luk 8:46
And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
Luk 8:47
And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
Luk 8:48
And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.

_____________________________________

Mar 5:24
And [Jesus] went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.
Mar 5:25
And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
Mar 5:26
And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
Mar 5:27
When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
Mar 5:28
For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

_____________________________________________


Luk 7:36
And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat.
Luk 7:37
And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that [Jesus] sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
Luk 7:38
And stood at his feet behind [him] weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe [them] with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed [them] with the ointment.

_____________________________________________

Two women. These 2 women have always intrigued me. Maybe because they both came so close to Jesus. Both came to Him with a need. The woman with the issue of blood had a life threatening disease. She had spent all that she had so she was now poor as well. She was probably somewhat of a recluse due to the nature of her disease. But she heard that Jesus was in town. He was walking the streets. She knew what kind of power He had. She knew that just one touch would heal her. Could she fight through the crowd that surrounded Him. Could she face all those people to get her healing she so desperately needed? How far was she willing to go? If she could crawl along the ground, just to grasp the hem of Jesus' garment, she knew healing would come. She had such a need she was willing to humble herself, and face many people who would probably look down on her for her desperation. She knew she had to touch Him. Oh, if we could be so hungry for touching Jesus.

On the other hand we have a more quiet scene. We have a woman with a past. She has done many things wrong with her life. But she has heard the Master is going to dinner with a Pharisee. She has heard where He would be at a certain time. I don't know how many people were at dinner that night but I know it was quieter. The people were not thronging around Him. Jesus sat at meat. Maybe a nice meal before Him. Some chit chat going on. Some teaching occurring. Then she walks in. She starts with the tears as she approaches His feet from behind. Just His presence brings her what she needed to feel. But she does not stop there. She proceeds to wipe His feet with her hair. Then brakes open the very thing that cost her all her earnings for the past year. Maybe it took her longer than that to save up for this moment. She poured out all that she had saved up onto Jesus. She was not only going to receive a blessing from the Lord but in turn she would give to Him her offerings, her all.

2 women in 2 different circumstances. Both beautiful stories of how we should live our lives. How we should focus on touching Jesus. If you only had that 1 moment in time to touch Him, would you only touch the hem of His garment? Or would you take your tears and pour them on His feet, wipe them off with your hair and follow that with pouring out your lifetime of possessions? Would you crawl through thousands of people, amongst the crowd, to touch Him or would you wait for a quiet time to bless Him with your offering?

Drifting on the swells of life...

When you are drifting in the ocean on a boat, you casually float along the swells. As you drift along you may be fishing, visiting with friends, or just sitting back enjoying the scenery. As you move along in the water it is a gradual pace in which the waters take you further from your port. You drift along and if you are not carefully watching, eventually you look for land and it is farther than you thought. You may have not realized it because you were distracted by other activities, but the swells have pulled you far out and away from land. You may have not intentionally drifted out so far, but you did. Apply this to your spirit now. If the water is life and swells are circumstances. What activities occurred on the boat is your reaction in life...distracted. God is the land for this story sake. Has the waters of life taken you away from your Lord. Maybe it was a gradual swell that took you away. The circumstances took you up and down, left and right, nonetheless they took you further and further away. It is not until someone says "Wow, look how far you are from land." Then you look up and get that sinking feeling of how far out you are and what it will take to get back! Luckily God has put a powerful engine on your little boat to get you back to shore.

Moral of the story is: Keep your eyes on God when in the seas of life. Dont stray so far to where you have to squint your eyes to see land. If you do happen to stray, turn on the motor of prayer to get you back quickly and safely to the arms of God. It usually is a gradual process when you drift from God, I am not talking about backsliding, just drifting...from His presence.

Lord, help me to keep my eyes on you at all times. Help me to not get so distracted by circumstances of life. And, when I do drift thank you for providing me a resource to safely come back into your arms once again and Thank you for accepting me back.

Glimpse into the past...Will help your future

Everyone has a story...Here's a glimpse of mine.
I grew up knowing the Lord. He was always with me. I spent many days in the hospital due to my asthma. He was with me. Though I did not know He was with me. I went to Sunday School but that was usually it. I was baptized at 7. I remember one day as a child in my room I started praying. Then I was crying and I did not understand what was happening but looking back, now I know. God was reaching down and touching my heart. He was placing something inside of me that would keep me for my long journey ahead.

Months maybe years went by and I never really reflected too much on that. Through teenage years...Ha Ha Wow aren't those fun...I occasionally thought about the Lord. I would send up a prayer or two. I did not attend church but once with a friend. I would not call myself a christian by all means at that stage. But the Lord was with me. I was not living the way He would of wanted me to but He stayed at my side and listened to my prayers. He comforted me in times of need.

As I became a young adult I am sorry to say I did not draw any closer to the Lord. But I always knew He was with me, watching over me. I did attend church more often than in the past but I still did not have a strong relationship with the Lord. I got the Holy Ghost when I was a teenager but I still was not ready to turn my life completly over to Him. I did my own thing but when trouble came I would reach out to Him. Then as adulthood came I finally made a commitment to trust in the Lord with everything I had. I received the Holy Ghost again and again and again. I was faithful to the house of the Lord. I battled my way to do right when wrong just seemed better.

Now the Lord has become my friend, counselor, Prince of Peace, Heavenly Father and my everything. Through good times and bad I praise Him. How can I not give Him the glory when I look back and see all He has brought me through. I know I kept this generic still with little details but look at your own life. This is my testimony of what He has done for me. Only I can relate to this story because it is mine. But look back...What did He do for you behind the scenes? What did He put inside of you? Has He given you joy in times of despair? Has He given you life when death was at your door? Did He put you in green pastures after pulling you from your miry clay?

He has literally saved my life atleast thrice that I can count and that I am aware of. He has made me laugh when I should of cried. He has made me productive when I should be sitting on a corner talking to myself! He has renewed my soul when dark days hung on.

What has He done for you? No matter all the bad things that may be happening right now...Take a moment right now to reflect on what He has done in your life. Pick just one thing, and thank Him for it. You will feel better instantly. No matter what you have been through Jesus can relate to your situation and help you through it.

When you are looking up then you will take your eyes off all the destruction going on around you. Sometimes it is good to just look up for a while toward God and give your spirit a rest from all the stress and worries of this life. Look up and reflect back to a time that God really moved in your life. He is a healing God. Not only physical wounds but spiritual, emotional wounds can also be healed. He can heal wounds from abuse, addictions, or just unsettling events from your past. Let God heal you...but first you must expose your wound to Him so He can bandage you up!

Remember back as a kid you fell off your bike or skinned your knee at some point. Then good ole mom or dad, grandpa or grandma wanted to clean out the wound. You knew it was going to hurt so you would inch away as they came at you. But if they did not get the debris out it was going to just get infected and then turn into a body wide infection. Apply this to spiritual now. God must examine your wound, clean it out though it may be painful, then bandage it. If it is not thoroughly cleaned out and something that does not belong gets left in there...an infection can happen called bitterness. Allow the Lord to bandage your wound. And for goodness sake keep the bandaid on to let the healing process occur. Dont rip up the bandage and pick at the scab! Let it go and let healing run through your body from your heavenly Father above.

This is the God I serve.

Someday my hope is to tell my life story. If you only knew the trials God has brought me through you could catch a glimpse of why I love the Lord. You see He has brought me through some dangerous perils. He literally saved my life, more than once. He protected my mind. He has healed me. He has rescued me when I did not want rescuing. He has protected my integrity. He has blessed me multiple times. He has comforted me in dark hours. He has counseled me. He has carried me. He has spoken for me when I could not speak. He has kept me close when I pushed Him away. He watched over me, before I ever turned my life over to Him. He has loved me when I was unlovable. When I thought I could not go on, He provided me with strength to endure. He has been so good to me, I could never tell it all. He has done things that I am unaware of. Yes, I may be young and have plenty of life before me but all I need to know is my God is all powerful, omnipotent, mighty king, and....He is my friend. What do I have to fear? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Disneyland July '08

Day One- High energy, High spirits
Picture of Family in front of the famous castle...Ashlee was quite excited about seeing it in real life.
Haunted Mansion...Checking behind her to see if there was someone or something there...
She thought she was so tough...
Awww the end of day one...Yes it is close to Midnight and Cinderella was turned back into Mom with 3 Cute tired children...Heee Heee

I could not believe this when I read it. I had to research it because I thought it was a hoax. This is an actual program to be aired this fall. The last sentence really sums it up for me:

“It’s a waste of time to argue with fundamentalists,” Dever said. “And this film doesn’t do it. It’s designed for intelligent people who are willing to change their mind.”

Intelligent people willing to change their mind. What does intelligence have anything to do with faith. Faith that the Bible is God's holy word. These are the times we are living in:


TCA: Nova uncovers 'The Bible's Buried Secrets'
03:49 PM PT, Jul 13 2008

It’s not often you hear “Nova” and “shocking” in the same sentence.
But participants in “The Bible’s Buried Secrets,” a two-hour special airing Nov. 18 on the PBS program, promised this morning that the show would trigger a fair share of controversy.
The special explores the ancient Israelites’ adoption of monotheism and seeks to explain who wrote the Hebrew Bible and what influenced them. Relying on archaeological work and biblical scholarship, the show poses provocative ideas -- including the notion that many Israelites believed that God had a wife –- and disputes literal readings of the text.
“It’s a shocking film in many ways, but it’s truth, revolutionary, and it’s as fresh as yesterday,” said William G. Dever, a noted biblical archaeologist who specializes in the history of Israel.
Carol L. Meyers, a religion professor at Duke University, said that “most of us start out as naïve Bible readers and take it at face value.”
In fact, Meyers argued, “there was no consciousness about the construction of history” when the Bible was written.
The stories of Exodus and Abraham and Sarah “are unlikely to represent real historical events, but rather there’s some kernel of ancient experience in there which has survived and which helps give identity to the people at the time,” she said.
Dever said he has participated in two dozen films about the Bible, “and most of them are dreadful.”
“They either pander to the public’s misunderstanding that the role of archaeology is to prove the Bible to be true, or, at best, they’re simply dishonest, outrageously so,” he said. “And I vowed not to make any more such films until 'Nova' came along. I knew their reputation, and I knew this one would be good.
“Most people simply misunderstand archaeology and the Bible. Some of them are not going to like this film, but nobody will see this film without changing their mind about the way the Bible ought to be read.”
Nobody?
Well, with one exception.
“It’s a waste of time to argue with fundamentalists,” Dever said. “And this film doesn’t do it. It’s designed for intelligent people who are willing to change their mind.”
-- Matea Gold

HNFS

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080711/20080711005096.html?.v=1

Check out the above link. A glimpse into my work life...

Note: the quote from a patient of mine...

I learned a lot from this program. Mariah was very knowledgeable, patient and helped me to understand asthma and my medication. Because of her I knew what questions to ask my doctors and what worked best for me. I went from needing my inhalers four to six times a day, to needing it once in the last month! I went from an 18 percent to a 63 percent lung improvement! – Deborah F., Maryland

Youth Camp -short but sweet

When you may be feeling old and need a little uplifting in your spirit, you must attend a week of youth camp. What a refreshing feeling to be surrounded by children, youthful spirits. I was the "camp nurse" this year and yes, I was busy with broken noses to high temps, plenty of ice packs and splinters. But, what a joyful feeling to walk through the camp and have all those smiling little faces waving at you. Having them run up to you and give you a hug. To watch them pray to a God so large that our human minds can not grasp the fullness of. But as these small wonders pray to Him, they receive Him into their hearts either for the first time or the hundredth time. To watch the magnificent powerful God take time out for the little ones of the world.

What a time it was. I am priveleged to be a part of it all.

Glasswing Butterfly

These are called "Glass wing Butterflies". What an amazing creation. After seeing such wonders as this beautiful butterfly so simple yet so magnificent...who can wonder whether God really exists. Just look around you and see all the beauty of this world. Thank the Lord that we are able to enjoy all of it.

...and God saw that [it was] good.

This shows us that

-you don't have to be flashy to be beautiful to God

-transparency sometimes is best

-even the smallest thing can make someone stop and have admiration

A poem...

A friend like no other

I have a friend, many of you may know
He is faithful to me, though harsh words I may throw

He cares about my every need, sees that I thrive
In his presence, I am always…satisfied.

He is my closest friend, closer than a brother,
For once you know Him, you will look for no other.

You ask me who this could describe, what is His name,
Oh, but you ask is he really all that? Even lift me of my shame!?

He can take away my sins, and take away my pain
He can relieve me of my sicknesses, and even stop the rain

Yes, He is a miracle worker, a healer, a comforter and more
He is my heavenly Father, my friend I will always adore.

He has been so good to me, though troubles have come my way
But when He walks beside me, nothing harmful wants to stay.

I could speak of His goodness and mercy all the day long
But you may not listen, for it is not your life, it is not your song

For you must know Him for yourself, you cant live off my testimony
You should call upon Him, ask Him to show you what He has shown me.

Yes, you will meet him, someday, your choice or His
If you don’t meet Him on Earth, you will meet Him, a promise this is

Call upon His name right now, for He knocks at your door
Once you have met Him , searching you will do no more

You ask me “How would you find this perfect friend I discuss?”
The answer I give is very simple you see, Just call out the name JESUS!

A humble person is...

Humility: the quality or state of being humble.
Humble: not proud or haughty ; not arrogant or assertive, reflecting...etc.

Now first off, if you are someone who always has the best story at a gathering, the worst animal bite, the worst bodily injury known to man, the highest paying job, the best family in the world, the most expensive car, flown the longest distance, stayed awake the longest before dropping, or been to the moon and back. This blog is not for you. Just skip this reading, you have my permission. But for the rest of us minority, please continue. Sorry for my sense of humor... :-)

Jesus was a humble man. What an example to live by. He had all power given to Him by God. But instead of using this to show how much better He was than mankind, He used His power to heal people that had a need in their life. He did not brag or boast of what He could do. He did not belittle man even when they persecuted Him. They taunted him and yet he still refused to argue with them of who he was.

If you let me, I would imagine that as he walked around the cities. He would come upon men that thought they were hot stuff. There many accomplishments in life. The higher educated men. Maybe some heroes from battle. Some inventors etc. As Jesus may have spoke to these men, they may have boasted about their many accomplishments in life. Thinking they were only talking to a carpenter. You know those kind of people I speak about. They are the greatest of all because of what they have been able to do in life. They are those well accomplished people who whatever you tell them, they have a story that would top yours any day. Well those types of people must have existed long ago in Jesus' day as well. Could you imagine them talking with Jesus. Jesus all knowing what he would accomplish in the near future. He did not brag. He probably just listened to them talk. He did not try to top them, even though he easily could have. The devil tempted him with recognition. Jesus did not give in. He took the humble path. He was humiliated among throngs of people. His final words "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..."

The people did not grasp the full concept of what really was taking place. Jesus did not fight it. He was humble in all his ways. In our daily lives we are tempted with recognition. We see others that don't really deserve, in our eyes, the recognition. Yet, they receive it. They stand among the crowd and brag about what they have accomplished. But when we don't get that special attention of someone saying "good job or well done," how do we respond. Do we respond the humble way and just continue our daily routine? Without growing bitter.

Its easy to watch others, see them recognized when you know you have been working so hard and no one said anything to you, the entire time. But, just smile because God knows that they need that recognition. Give it to them as well. Everyone can't be like this. Some people have to be the ones to give the recognition. If we all needed to constantly be patted on the back, who would be the ones to do the patting. Some are meant to be patted but maybe you are one meant to be the "patter". Either way be happy with your role in life, it was given to you by God.

The next time you see someone get the recognition that you think should be sent your way, think about Jesus. How he responded to this situation. Be a humble person. Be grateful for what you have. The Lord knows what you need in life. Let Him be the one to pat you on the back when you need it. I would much rather have my Lord be pleased with my life and give me a thumbs up than anyone in this world. If God is happy with my life and my accomplishments then that is all that matters to me. So look to God, your heavenly Father, for all the recognition that you need. Don't base your satisfaction on people's applause.

My daily life is motivated by the words "Well done, [thou] good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. "

Equal amounts of asking and thanking...

Think about this...When you want something. I mean really desire something. Maybe it is an object; a new vehicle, a nice camera (canon rebel XT :-) for example), an expensive pair of shoes, etc. Or Maybe it is a prayer you are asking for; healing in your body, someone to be saved, lost loved ones, healing for someone else... The list will vary from one person to another. But just take a minute or two right now to think of something that you truly desired and eventually did obtain. Don't keep reading until you think of this thing...I mean it.

Okay now after you reflect back...Think about how long you asked or prayed for this thing or event to occur. Days, months, maybe years it may have took you to obtain this event or item.

When you did obtain it or the prayer was answered...Did you spend all the following time after being thankful for the occurrence. Days, months, or maybe years? If you prayed for that loved one to come to church for 5 years, day after day, service after service. Then they showed up. Did you thank the Lord for the remaining 5 years that they were able to experience His presence? What a sobering thought especially for me...because I know personally how much the Lord has done in my life and how little thankfulness I have given Him compared with how much time I put in to praying for things to happen.

I think we tend to ask God to do things for us and suddenly when it happens...we forget why it occur ed and who was in charge of it all. If we spend a year asking for something to happen...we should spend the following year being extremely thankful. In fact we should be as fervently thankful as we were praying for it to happen. So lets even it out some at least time wise. If you ask for something for 5 days and it comes to pass...follow it up with 5 days of thankfulness. When asking for a healing and it takes 1 month for it to occur, be thankful for the whole month after as much as you would have prayed for healing. We could never be as thankful to God for the things He does for us but we can at least try to equal out our time here on earth being thankful.

Remember the lepers Jesus healed:

Luk 17:12
And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luk 17:13
And they lifted up [their] voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luk 17:14
And when he saw [them], he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luk 17:15
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luk 17:16
And fell down on [his] face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luk 17:17
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where [are] the nine?
Luk 17:18
There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luk 17:19
And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Out of 10, one showed his thankfulness. Now I know we are thankful but do we spend the time telling God, just how thankful we really are. If you spend the time in prayer requesting God to move in your life...when He does move and answer your request...spend an equal amount of time being thankful. Really appreciate what God does for you, because He doesn't have to do anything, but He chooses to bless you!

So give equal amounts of thankfulness in return for God answering your prayers.

Genesis 2:25
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

They had no sin in their life yet. They had nothing to be ashamed of. When God takes away all of our layers, will we be able to say the same? If God takes away all of our shell that we tend to hide behind, would we be ashamed of what He finds on the inside. When the time comes for our complete exposure to the Lord, what will He find under it all. When I am revealed at the throne of God, my prayer is that I will not be ashamed. I don't want to be ashamed of what is inside my heart. My desire is to be pure and clean on the inside underneath the layers that we shelter ourselves with. Beyond the walls we build, should be nothing to be ashamed of. Our true colors, should be a reflection of God. When you stand alone and noone is watching, are you someone who is unashamed of who you are.

Their eyes were opened after choosing to sin. Now they became ashamed of who they were and immediately tried to cover themselves. They tried to build up those walls so God could not see them and their sin. When they tried to cover themselves, it shows what we do when we sin. We immediately try to hide it. Then we blame. Well if you hadn't of...then I would not have...So it is always someone else's fault because we allowed ourself to sin.

When we cover our sin, it is an ameteur job made of fig leaves. And eventually fig leaves once taken from their tree, become dry and brittle, and will fall apart. When we cover our sin, it does not last too long. Then everyone can see through our poor covering that we did. It is when we come to Jesus and admit our faults then He steps in. When he covers our sin, it is then that the covering will endure. He won't use something that will eventually die off and break away. He used coats of skin. Something that will endure. So when we sin, you have to come to the Lord and admit your fault. He already knows you did it, so why not admit it to him. My little girl colored on our wall one day. It was obvious that she had done these wonderful drawings. She had even written my name...MOM. When approached, she quickly denied she had done it, and blamed the dog. ( She knew better to not blame brother or sister, for they could talk, and tell me they did not do it, but the poor dog had no defense.) After talking with her for quite some time, I eventually got the truth out of her. I did not just let her blame someone or something else. I wanted her to learn to accept the fact she had been the one to do wrong. Then we cleaned it up together. So when talking to the Lord, just remember, He already knows your wrongdoing. So admit it, then ask what needs to be done to clean it up.

So when we stand before the King on that glorious day,will we be able to say...they were not ashamed.

In the midst...

When you are surrounded by troubles or circumstances, you tend to get so lost in them. You see what is around you. You look at how bad things are and they just seem to get worse. You ask God to take you out of this place your in. You wait on the Lord to hear your cry, though, it seems He is not inclined to remove you from your circumstance. As you survey your surroundings, you take note of how dreary it all seems. You examine for a way out and you just find brick walls all around you. Every now and then you catch a glimpse of light through the bars at the top of this jail cell you are in. But no sooner did you feel the warmth before it disappears once again. You are made to live off of hope and the belief of a better tomorrow. Your only food is the memories of the promises made to you so long ago. Your sustenance is your reference point that occurred so long ago. Your strength must come from somewhere other than on this world. What do you do? If you continue to examine your situation it just becomes more dreadful. The more you cry out, the more you want out of your situation. The longer you see the damp, dark walls, the less you can see why you may be in the place your in.

Joseph was in an actual prison, for something he did not do. He had no control over his circumstances. Imagine with me what would have become of him had he, curled up in a corner in self pity and pouted his days away. If he had sulked himself to sleep during the endless days and nights, would he have heard the baker and the cup bearers dreams? If he would have been so self absorbed, would he have been able to hear God giving him the translation to these dreams? Would Joseph have died in that prison, before he was able to fulfill what God had planned for his life? What would have happened to Joseph if he had been so distraught over his imprisonment that he was unable to help those around him? Who would God have used to save Egypt and the people from the 7 years of famine?!

Paul and Silos were also in a prison. Now, they had been beaten. I am sure they were in a lot of pain. Confused. They were doing the work of the Lord and now they were bleeding and in prison. What would have become of them had they cried out in despair, "poor me"?! They may have rotted and died in there. What would have become of these men? They were not distracted by their circumstances. They may have glanced around them, took note of how dreary things were, and then looked at each other and started to sing.

They realized along with Joseph that no matter what they did there was nothing they could do to change the situation they were in. They did all they could. As they praised God and waited on Him, things took place. If Joseph had been too distracted by how bad things were and kept his mind on that he may have missed his opportunity of escaping this trial. If Paul and Silos had not sent up their praise to the Lord but instead saw their pain and given up, they may have missed their way of escape. Another thing I gather from these two situations, they were not alone in the prison. I mean God was with them of course but in both situations they were accompanied by someone else with a need. So, not only were they in a situation that they had no control over but they were in there with another individual who had needs of their own. They had to look past the circumstances of their own trial to help the other person who was in the trial with them.

It is easy to look around you and see all the bad, but we must learn to look past that, and see the person or situation that we can help in the midst of our own battle. Our selfishness states to us how bad it is, our spirit reminds us that we all are fighting some sort of a battle, and we can help each other. The person in there with you may by your way of escaping your situation. Help them and they may help you without even knowing it themselves.

My mind is made up to serve the Lord!

Today is a beautiful day. The sun is out and shining bright. The wind is blowing through the air. The temperature is just right for most people, of course if you know me, I could use a little more heat. What a wonderful day. Preaching last night was about serving God by choice and not being forced into it. Isaac and Ishmael. Sarah and Hagar. The child of the contract and the child of being forced into the situation. When you choose to serve the Lord and give to Him all of you then you can have access to all of heaven's supply. You inherit from the Lord's kingdom. You truly are a child of God. It is a choice that God gave to us: human will. Doesn't it mean so much more to you when your child comes to you and does something on their own because they wanted to vs. being forced to do it. Constantly I nag on my kids: clean your room, be nice to your sibling etc. It is so much the better when I come home and my kids have cleaned their rooms because they wanted to please me. Or they did something nice for each other because they actually wanted to. I am sure God feels the same way about us. I think alot can be compared to the relationship with our children as God's relationship to His children: us.

God gave us kids so we could know what it felt like to love unconditionally, because that is how He loves us. We dont have to earn His love, we just have to accept it. Our children can be an excellent lesson for us. Think of your ideal relationship with your children or with your parents. What would you do more of to strengthen it. Communication?!Now try to develop that relationship with the Lord - who is your heavenly father. God is good all the time, no matter what our circumstances bring. God is good, never changing. Remember this and it will bring you through anything. We change, but God never changes! He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God knows all but he wants to hear it from us. When my daughter drew on the wall (this is an excellent lesson for many reasons) I knew she did it ( moms know all) but I wanted to hear her tell me she did it. I know my children love me but I want to hear them tell me. Your husband or wife know (or they should know) how much you love them but they still need to hear it. God knows are feelings and actions etc but we still need to open up that communication to Him and speak to Him on a daily basis at a minimum. He is a friend that is at your side day and night. He is always available to listen to you. But you can't listen to somebody when they never speak to you.

Fun in the sun

What a wonderful last few days I have had. Well to start my mom came over for a few days and the last day she was here, we went to the lake. We have a seadoo and decided it was hot enough to take it out for a spin (literally!) I can't believe it but I actually got my mom to get on it. I thought for sure we would tip it because she had never rode one before and it was very choppy water. She was great though. We even caught some air...I made her scream a couple times, LOL. Then we took her home and went golfing in Chico! Fun filled day. So, Sunday after church my husband gathers a group of people to come to the lake again. We took the seadoo out with a couple boys and they had a blast. Then the girls showed up! In church clothes! Wanting a ride! Ha Ha, so we took them. First off I took Kadee out, I was tempted to throw her in the water, atleast take her for a wild ride but I was kind. You see, when she drives, Oh My, she is very bodacious to say the least. She has me holding on for my life! I brought her back nice and somewhat dry. Then Sunshine wanted to go, so I took her out. She had never been on one before, so I tried to be kind, though we did hit some waves. Finally, I took Tala out. She enjoyed it too. It was a real blast! I got to relax by the waves too and just...rest, while the kids enjoyed the water. What a nice weekend. Hopefully we will do it again sometime. You know you don't have to spend alot of money to have an enjoyable time. It is the simple family and friend stuff that brings real joy to your life. We tend to think well if we had more money we could do... or this.. or that... But in reality, all you need to make is time. I recently read something that really impacted me. When you spend time with someone that is something you will never get back. If you spend your money on a gift, you just work harder and make that money back. But with time, once spent, there is no making it up. "When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life, you will never get back." It truly is an invaluable gift, if spent wisely! We need to spend more time, and spend less money!

Our enemy - his name is "I'm too busy"

We are just too busy all the time. How many times in a day do we use this phrase? How many joys of life do we pass up because we are too busy? How many times throughout the day does God try and talk to us but we are too busy to hear His still small voice? We have so much to do, so many places to go, so many people to talk to. When will we not be too busy anymore. Tomorrow, next week, next month, or maybe next year. That will be too late for the time right now. What are we missing out on because we are just too busy? Today, my little girl wants me to play with her and blow bubbles with her. Will she desire that tomorrow, or next week, or even next year. Today, my oldest wants me to braid her hair. Will she still ask tomorrow or next week. My boy really wants a water fight. When he is older will he still want this. This may be the last time I am ever asked to do these simple tasks, do I want my final words to be "sorry, I am too busy". Life was not meant to rule us like we let it. But you see it goes further than that. There is an acronym for busy: Bound Under Satans Yoke. See if he keeps us busy, when do we have time for family or church activities or God himself. If we are constantly running around trying to get all the tasks of life done, do we have time for completing the tasks God wants us to complete. What is the meaning of life...to work so you can pay bills...so you can have the gas to drive around ... to get the errands done... like shop for food... so you have to go back to work...to pay the bills...etc... It is a spiral effect that is heading in the opposite direction God wants us to go. God is to be our priority, Family comes next, Friends...these are the important things in life. I am having to search deeply to understand all this myself. When I find myself to busy, I must realize what it is I am doing that does not need to be done. Does it improve my relationship with my Creator? Is it helping me grow with my family? How am I being productive in my task right now? Am I bringing my God praise with my activities? Our lives are so full because we think we have to do things that really can either be put off until later or we are just trying to fit too much into our short lives.

Work is a must for all of us. We have to work in order to earn an income and provide the essentials for our family. Church activities are a priority. We must continually fellowship with others and reach out to our community and be a light in dark times. Family time is so important. I was rushing around the house today trying to get ready for work and suddenly here comes my little one. She jumps down from her chair, runs to me, grabs my leg and wraps her little arms around me. I pause, look down at her, and ask her what she needs. She gently speaks, " I just wanted to give you a hug, that's all." She reminded me to take some time out of my busyness to enjoy one of the simple pleasures of life...Love. I most of all have to learn to slow down and pay attention to those little moments, because you never know if they will repeat themselves again. Don't miss out on what is important in life, simply because you were to BUSY! I guarantee you will never look at being busy the same if you remember the acronym.

One of the best ways to experience love firsthand, is to be loved by a child. God's love and a child's love are so similar. OK that is another post...stay tuned.

Lighthearted Monday

I know I post some serious blogs. No, I am not that serious all the time, I promise. Actually, my weekend will prove it. Friday night, we had a marriage class out in Lincoln, with several other couples. About an hour or so into it, someone rings the doorbell. We are clueless as to who it could have been, everyone was already here. Well less than a minute later we are told we should all check our vehicles? Yes, the youth must have been bored and had nothing better to do with excess toilet paper then to decorated our vehicles. ha Ha great! Well you know if you are away from your home and they were willing to drive 20+ minutes away to TP your car that your house was done too.

On the way home, hubby and me decide it is a Friday night, and the kids dont have to go to bed early and we happen to have all this extra TP in our front yard as well. So we decide to share with our close friends the Sullivans. The main target however, was who we believed to be the get away driver, guess we were wrong, but owell! So, Tylers truck got it real good. Then this lovely white car happened to be there too belonging to Kandyce, so since it was so conveniently parked there it got some decoration too!

Then we got caught but we escaped. Ha Ha the fun continues. Saturday came, got up nice and early for a yard sale and car wash. Then, Jessica had her last basketball game for the season. My mother and sister in law came for a visit. Sunday came and water fights broke out, golfing event took place, and more water fights.

Yes, it was an exciting weekend. God is good, no matter what life brings, God is good all the time.

This week is going to be exciting as well because my mom is coming for 4 days. This will be a good time.

Scars

I was thinking some last night, dangerous as it is, about life in general. Dan and I were discussing scars. If you are hurt in someway, and it is bad enough, it leaves a scar on your body. Then if it is in a visible area, someone will ask you about it and it leads you to a story of some sort. Now if that scar is something very dreadful...and you still have pain associated with it, you may just brush it off as nothing. This is because it is too painful to even talk about. If it was something you learned from, then you are more than happy to share. You may see a scar as an ugly sight, so you choose plastic surgery to cover it up. You can also view it as a part of your childhood. A funny incident. Something you did that was heroic and you are proud of the scar you received from it.

Life leaves scars on us too but not just physically, they are on our soul. So it means we were hurt in someway. Everyone has scars from life, some are larger than others, and some are less in quantity than others. Do you hide those scars so no one knows you have been hurt? Do you try and make people think that your life has been so perfect that you have not received any scars? Do you have some soul plastic surgery done so your scars don't show? Do you ever ponder the reason of receiving that scar? Was it for someones benefit? If you tell them how you received that scar could it benefit their life? Or do you let pride come before compassion and decide to keep your scars concealed while they pour out their heart to you? If they show me the hurt they have had and I can sympathize with them by showing them my scar then it connects us like no other way.

Jesus put himself on Earth to experience human life. To see our hurts and worries. He received scars. Why did He do this? He did not experience all this toil and trouble to keep it hidden but to let His light shine through out the world. So, He could sympathize with us as we live our lives. He knows our hurts because He experienced them for Himself! We are not better than Jesus. We are not expected to go through this life and not receive any offenses or hurts, are we? But we are not meant to receive these scars and just hide them. They may be there so we can touch a life who may be experiencing something similar. So it is just as important for us to overcome the hurt of this scar and be able to talk about it and share with others. If you never overcome the initial hurt then you can't be expected to help anyone else in that circumstance.

One final point. A scar is what is left of a healed hurt. The key word is healed. A hurt cannot heal if it is constantly being picked at and reopened. It can become infected and cause body wide sickness: bitterness. So, it is very imperative that when you are hurt, it will happen, you allow the proper healing to come. God will help you heal that wound, and the scar can form. It becomes no longer painful for you and now you can help someone else that is in need. It seems to me one of many circles that God allows us to go through. Notice I use the word allow not make!

Yes, we all have been hurt. But ask yourself this: Did you allow God to heal you and form a scar over that hurt? or Did you pick at this hurt, and allow a body wide infection (bitterness) to occur ? Do you want to use your scars to witness to someone and remain humble? or Would you rather stay proud and pretend you have never had any blemish come to your life?

Remember, Jesus received scars, and He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Alpha and Omega, omnipotent, powerful, almighty GOD! He received His scars for you and me.

In the arms of God

Sometimes I just wonder what heaven will be like. Will you constantly have those goosebumps, you feel when God's spirit enters a room? Will you feel His presence by your side no matter where you go in heaven? Will you always be able to see God from every part of heaven? Will you walk constantly with a smile? Will we walk or fly? Will there be real mansions for us or will we even need them? What questions would I like to ask of all the christians of old? Will I even care anymore then about what I would question them about now?

Well one day sometime ago, I feel I caught a glimpse to one of my questions above. During a very dark time in my life. When the storms were raging. In the late night hours, I sat alone. My family nicely tucked in their beds, peacefully sleeping. I sat, awake, wondering what my next move would be. I prayed to the Lord to give me some direction and comfort. I felt just so alone in my despair. Noone to call on for help...Noone to give me any guidance at this hour of need. Suddenly, I felt those goosebumps come over me. From somewhere above me I felt Him. His presence was warm and very comforting. It was like His arms just wrapped around me and held me. Suddenly I felt the comfort I so longed for. The wind died down in my mind, just for a few moments in my life. For a short time, everything stood still. Like His words..."Peace, be still." I was able to experience those words in my life, directly from my heavenly father. With only his presence, He comforted me. That was my glimpse of heaven. No, I did not have a vision, I did not hear any words spoken from above. What I experienced was much more than any of that. I felt Him.

Whenever life gets too rough, I just return back to that moment of time. God took time out to spend just a few but important moments with his child. To reassure her that everything would be okay. What an awesome God I serve! I felt I was truly in the arms of GOD.

When you sacrifice... God will provide

Luk 22:42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Luk 22:43
And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Luk 22:44
And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Agony- a struggle for victory. Jesus struggled to overcome the situation at hand. His flesh did not want to sacrifice His life. His flesh did not want to be beaten and mocked. But his spirit knew this was what must come to pass, so He states not my will, but thine. He was praying for something to come to pass that the flesh did not desire to occur. He gave himself as a sacrifice for us, as undeserving as we are. Notice though, after He prayed not my will, but thine, God sent an angel to strengthen him! But the trial did not end there. Jesus was still in agony or struggling for victory. So much that He sweat blood!

So as we journey through our personal trials, we must pray not for what we want to see happen but for God's will in our life. Then He will send strength our way, but don't be fooled, He may not take that trial away. For these trials we must see them to the end. He is strengthening you to overcome your fleshly desire for it to end. He wants us to endure until His will is accomplished. When we turn our desires over to God as a sacrifice, He sends strength. When we offer to God what our hearts desire, He sends us strength. Abraham had to go to the point that he would offer his most treasured thing in all the world, Isaac, his son. And look what God did. God provided. He did not provide another route though in the beginning, did He? He did not allow Abraham to just get to the mountain and then turn him back assuring Abraham of his faithfulness. No, he took him to the very brink of his trial, within seconds of Abraham fulfilling the trial with his own hand, God provided the solution. God provided the sacrifice for Abraham.

Some things in life we must sacrifice but God will not leave you void. If you sacrifice happiness God will provide joy. If you must sacrifice love, God will provide an intimate relationship with Him. Whatever, God has requested you to sacrifice, He has something much better in store for you. He won't leave you emptyhanded. He may even return to you the very thing you offered up to Him as your sacrifice, as He returned Isaac back to Abraham.

Job 1:21
And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Job 42:8

...in that ye have not spoken of me [the thing which is] right, like my servant Job.

Job 42:12
...So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:

_

Job offered praise to God and in doing so lost everything he had, God returned to him more at the end than in the beginning before his trial.

God does provide us with strength, but we must show our faithfulness and our willingness to do His will. When we sacrifice, God will provide. Some trials can be ended earlier than others. But for those trials which must be seen through, until something comes to pass, we must obtain strength from the Lord in order to see it through.

So hang on, and pray, as hard as it may be, "Not my will but thine, be done"