How much time do I take to spiritually prepare? Oh, not specifically for the day we celebrate our Saviour's birth. But how much time do I take to prepare my heart to read God's word... to go to church... to listening to Sunday school... to listening to a message from the Lord in the way of preaching... to go soul-winning? Preparing on purpose!
Read MoreOf all of the reasons we hesitate to go “all in” with the Lord, I think the story of the Woman at the Well is the biggest reason. She couldn’t understand why HE as a Jew would even think about asking her as a Samaritan for water! Did He even know who she was? Of course, He did! He is Jesus.
Read MoreEsther 4:14 God is not mentioned in the book Esther, we do know that God had His hand is all over in every event. God allowed Vashti to be removed, from being queen and positioned Esther to become the new queen.
Read MoreI had been preparing for a few weeks for a Sunday School lesson for our monthly split adult class, and I just didn’t feel at peace with what I was working on. It usually takes me awhile to get it down in an organized manner. A different topic came to mind, and I had to trust the Lord to help me, but the information just poured out in a perfectly outlined format. That is very unusual for me! Not only was it very well organized, but it was also ready before I had a busy weekend visiting with family and making last-minute unexpected adjustments to my home. He knew I needed some help being ready for everything on time!
Read MorePerspective by definition is the state of one's ideas; the facts known to one, etc; the faculty of seeing all the relevant data; a mental view or prospect. All of us have a perspective in life...how we choose to view the happenings in our lives; what we choose to believe as fact based on evidence; and the way we look at everything around us in general.
Read MoreTough times can be many different things: health issues, money problems, relationship problems, and marital problems. All of these problems can leave us overwhelmed! What do we do when we have one of these problems? Do we try and solve them ourselves? Usually if we do, we only make them worse. We need to go to the best problem solver we have, our Lord Jesus!
Read MoreRecently, my family and I were at Cracker Barrel, a restaurant that I love, and we were talking about some old memories from years gone by. Some pictures had come up on my Facebook page from when my kids were little. This caused us to talk about old times, and in the conversation, my sons started telling us some funny stories, which involved some of the rules that I had when they were little. And looking back, fifteen-plus years later, I can laugh and say I did have some funny rules for my kids, especially my oldest.
Read MoreAs I have focused on this small word “Joy”, I see it everywhere now. Oh, I know it has been there, but I don’t think I truly saw it. The simple things of life God wants to show us, we sometimes pass over but remember to stop and find the Joy each day. Just like the hymn says, “Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.” Smile! Give God the glory…..and find the simple joy in the journey.
Read MoreBe willing to let go of what could have been. My dad gave up a job where he could have been making more money and we would have definitely lived a comfortable lifestyle but that was not God’s plan and I’m so thankful God had a different plan. God has blessed our family so much!
However, what do you do when in the blink of any eye, our Pastor dies? All that is familiar is gone! Your husband’s close companion gone. A thirty-three-year friendship and co-laborer gone. My children’s lifetime mentor, prayer warrior, and encourager gone. All the blessings and direction our church has received because of this one Godly man, GONE!
Read More‘Eternity’ is one of the most impactful words in the Bible and the most interesting thing is that It is only mentioned once in the entire Word of God. My husband wrote a tract with the emphasis on the word ‘Eternity’ and it has been an extremely influential tract. I would like to share a recent story of this thought behind the word ‘Eternity’.
Read MoreOne of my favorite possessions is my little peach tree in my back yard. Some of you, who know me, are nodding your heads up and down and smiling, as you have an extensive collection of pictures that I have sent you of my tree as it has grown over the years. Proud mammas always share pictures of their babies! My oldest son took special interest in my little tree. He helped me pick out the best spot to plant it, helped me dig the hole, and dutifully read the instructions tag about how to care for the tree. He even volunteered to water it every day for me.
Read MoreWe may have a shared or common calling for ministry, but the way we carry it out may look different, based on the story God gave us personally.
God called me to be a wife, homemaker, friend, encourager, conference speaker, and Sunday school teacher. Daily, He is molding me in each of these areas.
Read MoreAs Christian ladies, I know each one of us would like to hear the Lord say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” I wanted to encourage you today to stay faithful in these areas that I believe are important to the Lord, and also under so much attack from the devil in our current day and age. May I encourage you to:
Read MoreIt was September 26, 1987 when a 39 - week stillborn baby was delivered by a 19 year old married young woman. This was her first child and the baby’s name would have been Philip Thomas. She had thanked the Lord every doctor’s appointment for the opportunity to have the child and had already given him to God for whatever His will might be for this boy. Now all her and her husband would be able to do would be to grieve for and bury him. But they were able to do so because God is good. Fast forward 27 years and her second child, Norman Daniel, would pass away as the result of an accident he had while serving the Lord as a missionary in foreign country.
Read MoreMan’s opinions of what is acceptable have changed. The world once validated a women who was the keeper of the home, had moral purity, and upheld other things that Christians also valued. The world tells us we need to be one way while the word of God tells us to be another way. This is true from our gender to our demeanor. The opinions of man change, laws of what is acceptable change, and what is expected of people change. That's why I must have validation from the Lord.
Read MoreGuess what happened all week? Tons of flies rested on our screen door just waiting for it to open and shut. Unless we made an exit at lightning speed, the flies just zoomed in. One evening at bedtime, an incredible number of buzzing, black flies had accumulated inside the RV! They were on the ceiling, the furniture, and everywhere! I was not going to sleep with them inside, so we got out the vacuum cleaner! Using the hose, we turned the situation into a game and began counting. We sucked up almost 100 flies!!!
Read MoreTHE MAIN INGREDIENT - Colossians 1:16–17, For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Read MoreJael had protected her home. She was a Godly homemaker and unique warrior of sorts. She is an old testament picture of the Titus 2:3-5 woman. She had many wonderful qualities. She was a keeper at home. She was in her place where she could protect her most precious possession, her family. She was given to hospitality and Sisera knew she would open her home to him so he didn’t hesitate to hide safely in her tent.
Read MoreJust as we need to clean our homes, we need to keep our “temples” clean! The Bible says, “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19.
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