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 MoreI remember my brother having a toy snake...you know the rubber ones that little boys like to use to scare people. Well, my younger brother had one, and I was terrified of it. I don't recall that he had it long, but I do recall that particular day, he had it out. I was petrified. I remember being uncontrollable, and standing in a corner in the living room, screaming at the top of my lungs because he had touched me with it. My mother tried to get me to calm down, and explained there was nothing of which to be afraid. I wouldn't listen, or stop screaming! I would not be consoled.
Read MoreI am speaking of that “secret place” in our heart that we don’t even want to go to. In the song ‘The Secret Place’ we sing about that place we don’t want anyone to know about. We forget God knows us even better than we know ourselves.
Read MoreEeyore spends his life looking down and feels like the world is a dismal place. In contrast, Tigger bounces through life seeing all the good and joy around. Eeyore depicts the spirit of one who lives hopeless and Tigger depicts one who is hopeful. As a Christian I have eternal hope because of Christ! By focusing on my Heavenly Father I find the hope I so desperately need to face the storms in my life.
Read More“In circumstances as dark as these... It becomes us as men and Christians to reflect that while every prudent measure should be taken to wart off impending judgements.”
Read MoreWhen I’m feeling bad, useless or lonely, just knowing that my Lord is there in my time of need brings me peace and joy.
He never sleeps. He’s never tired. He’s always there to keep me, to shield me, to preserve me. Isn’t that wonderful?!
There is nothing better for refreshing my soul, uplifting my hurting heart, or encouraging my spirit than being in God’s amazing creation! God definitely meets me at these special moments. Because of this, on the anniversary of my husband’s home going, I always plan an outdoor adventure. Along with that, I send up a balloon with a tract attached to it. My husband was a passionate soulwinner and it is a way to honor this important part of his life.
Read MoreJuly 3rd of this last year, 7 months ago, our family was enjoying some small fireworks outside. Nothing extravagant. Just a few that were sold around town that made some nice colors in the air. The men folk made sure that they did them in what we thought were a safe distance from our home and garage, and all was good. We were having a good time. When it was all done, my husband and sons in law were very diligent about checking to make sure everything was secure and there were no sparks or flames. We all took our time getting in the house and our extended family took their time leaving, nobody was in a hurry, it was a very relaxed evening. After everyone was gone, we were settling in for the night, my husband and I in the living room just about to get our pugs on our laps. Our married kids were all settled in their room. My son, who was at the farthest end of our home, came out into the living room, white as a ghost and said with a look on his face, that I will NEVER forget.. “THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE!”
Read MoreI never realized how hard it must have been for God to send Jesus to earth for those 30 years. Until I lost my daughter to heaven. I loved being her mom, best friend, and serving Jesus together for so many years.
Read More“I thought we were friends.” / “I thought you loved me.”
The hurt behind those words can overshadow years of life, love, and memories. All the good times fade away when a friendship is betrayed.
Investment, down the drain. Trust destroyed. Love questioned.
Have you been there? / Are you currently there?
Read MoreHave you ever had a season of life, or a circumstance where you felt like God just wasn’t around? Or maybe you faced a problem that was too big and you felt like you were all alone? Or maybe sin was so dark and present in your life or in the life of a loved one and you struggled to see the hand of God anywhere? If you haven’t ever felt that way, I’m so happy for you. I, on the other hand, have felt all of those things. Was God absent from my life? No way. He was right there, probably closer than I could have ever imagined. But in that darkness, I couldn’t see Him. I want to share with you what I learned in those times.
Read MoreAs the 3 of us were out there floating together, we all were holding onto each other’s float. I am not sure if it was because there was no one for miles, or if it was because I had never been to this beach before. Perhaps it was because we had our daughter with us, or because my husband had us all scared of sharks; but I caught myself starting to worry anytime I was facing the ocean instead of the shoreline. When I was facing the shore, I could see our mountain-high pile of beach things, and I would realize we were not far from the shore at all. I was comforted because I knew we were not drifting away. However, when I would turn and face the ocean, my fear would really kick in. I was worried about everything: were we too far out? What if we saw a shark? Would we be able to get back fast enough if something happened? Had we drifted from our spot? It was then that the Lord brought this thought to my mind:
Read MoreSometimes it rains big rains that make us want to curl up and hide from everything, or sometimes little rains that throw a wrench into our life plans. We all know that we have a big God who can do anything and if we are doing things the right way, we go straight to Him and ask Him to change or fix our storm. But the truth is, sometimes there isn’t a quick answer. Sometimes it even feels as though God has gone silent. We know He isn’t a heartless Father; but for more reasons than we can possibly know, sometimes the rain continues and no end seems to be in sight.
Read MoreFear is a very common human emotion. We can be happily going along our way when all of a sudden….Wham! Something happens, or a thought pops up in our mind, or we hear something…and instantly that spirit of fear grips our heart. Although, this is a very common emotion, this spirit is not of the Lord. I pray that these thoughts that have helped me when I am fearful will be a help to you.
Read MoreWhy can we not just rest in that? Do we think we can do a better job of figuring it out on our own? Do we think we can fix the problems better than He can? Or do we just prefer to wallow in our misery and seek pity from others? These are all the Devil’s ploys to keep us from being the peace-filled, powerful, and productive Christians God wants us to be.
Read MoreWhat am I going to do about this situation? Is there anyone who can help me? What is going to happen? We often don’t know what to do or where to turn. We seek counsel, think about it nonstop, and we worry. We worry about how we were treated and what they deserve. We lose our focus on what we should be doing and become distracted by things that lead us away from our main purpose in life. We spend time telling a friend instead of telling our one Friend, Jesus.
Read MoreEveryone is going through something. It may seem like the hardest thing you have ever faced. No matter the age it’s big for you! A different season a different time.To Every Thing there is a season - a time for every purpose under the Heaven. What will you do with your Season?
Read MoreAs I looked at my broken self I began to see that I couldn’t be fixed. I will never be whole in the way I was before again. But what I did see is that God does not fix us he fills in the cracks and broken pieces of our heart with Himself. Kind of like when you crack or break something like a vase and you fix it with super glue. God fills in those cracks and broken pieces of our heart with Himself just like super glue. But its better its God Glue!
Read MoreI believe bitterness is something that most of us will deal with multiple times in our lives. Bitterness
always begins with unforgiveness. I have learned bitterness can be like a cancer if we do not deal with
it. It will eat away at our spirit and slowly decay your joy and happiness. Bitterness has a deep root and
many fruits. Its fruits may be anger, hate, disgust, sadness, loss of joy, and many other traits. What
generally happens is, we focus on cutting back these fruits, but never get rid of the root. Over time,
these fruits grow back and are often much stronger.
Read MoreDo you ever feel like you are just merely “surviving”? Have you ever heard of the statement “survival of the fittest”? Although I am well aware of the statements origin, and I am in complete dis-agreement with the thought process behind its meaning, the statement has always intrigued me. Years ago I began taking the original meaning of the coined saying and have often used the expression but I added my own “twist” to it. I developed a spiritual application for myself.
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