It doesn’t make for a good relationship if we only go to someone when we want or need something. People that love us want to know those things, but that’s not all they want to know. When we are too busy and to talk with Christ more then when we want something we are treating Him like a genie in a bottle. Maybe you have even made empty promises you can’t and won’t keep just because you are hoping the Lord may answer this request that is so desperate for a quick answer and stressing you out. Hello! He knows us better then we know ourselves and knows we are not going to follow through.

Children, Christian Life, Faith, FriendshipAmy SappApril 19, 2021Relationship, Relationships, Friends, Family, Children, Christ

A Teacher Named Grace - Niki Lott

Grace is a gift – not earned and not deserved. It is given to us because God is good, not because we are. For those who are reading this who have already received this grace, we realize that our salvation depends wholly upon it. For those who may have never understood or received the grace of God, I want you to know that God’s love, mercy, and grace are available to you because of the kindness and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Christian Life, Encouragement, God's Will, Love of God, Peace of GodAmy SappApril 12, 2021Love, Mercy, Grace, Teaches, Teaching, Teach, Salvation, Peace

Do You Have Hope? - Christa Lowe

Hope…helps you smile through the trial.

Hope…helps you to keep giving even when it hurts.

Hope…helps you to keep believing that wayward soul will find their way home.

Hope…helps you hold it all together.

Hope…helps you to never stop praying.

Hope…helps you find rest during weary and hard days.

Sometimes it’s hard to hope though.

Christian Life, Christian Service, Encouragement, Faith, Love of God, Trusting GodAmy SappApril 5, 2021Hope, Evidence, Grace, Smile, Trial, Help

Bitter Fruit - Kim Letson

I 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.

Disciplined Thoughts - Erica Koske

Don’t Worry. Let God know about it. Did you notice Paul didn’t counsel us to discuss our problems to

our mom, sister, or even our husband? Bring it to God in prayer first. This would solve a majority of

problems and save us from making others the dumpster of our thoughts. I love Claudia Barba’s study on

worry in her book, Refresh your Heart. She explains, “Worry is not an emotion. It is a thought process- a

process that you can, and must control, because worry is sin.” There is a difference between worrying

and thinking through a problem. When difficulties arise, Claudia Barba explains that “disciplined thought

moves in a straight line through a tangle of difficulties to possible solutions. Worry is a swirling tornado

of thoughts centered on a fear. They repeat themselves over and over, making you dizzy but

accomplishing nothing else.” Learning to control our thoughts is vital. Remember that your mom, sister,

or friends can’t change the situation, but God can!

The Source of Sweet Water - Patti Larson

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I struggle with my tongue more than anything. I tend to be a "straight shooter", like my Dad. I've often wished I was more like my Mom, whom I've seldom, if ever, heard say a cross word to anyone.

Christian Life, Christian Service, Encouragement, Faith, Friendship, Love of GodAmy SappMarch 8, 2021Sweet, Sweetness, Water, Biter, Language, Talk, Hurt

I've Been Changed and I am NOT Changing! - Allison Mooney

Usually when someone speaks those words it’s regarding a conversation about someone being upset or accused of something of that nature and they lash out and say…. I DON’T CARE I’M NOT CHANGING!!

Loving God HIS Way! - Sarah Komondor

I love God. I believe that you love God or you would not take the time to read this article. However, do I love God the way He deserves? That is a work in progress and, if I’m completely honest, some days are better than others.

The first step to loving God the way He deserves is to KNOW what the Bible teaches on this subject. Once we understand what God wants, then it’s just a matter of having the character to apply it to our lives every day.

Christian Life, Encouragement, Faith, God's Will, Love of God, Trusting GodAmy SappFebruary 22, 2021Love, Love God, Affections, Bible, Deserving, Affection, Heart

Under His Control - Joyce Kiefer

t’s easy to be afraid when things aren’t going the way we want them to go, but God is wherever

we are. Don’t let circumstances get in your way of trusting the Lord, but rather allow your

circumstances to be a way for you to trust the Lord. I’m sure some of you are thinking, “But,

you don’t know what I am going through” and you are right...I don’t; but, God does!! We don’t

need to be afraid of what is going on in our life; we just need to trust in God.

Anxiety, Christian Life, Faith, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappFebruary 15, 2021Fear, Fret, Control, Negative, Agraid

When the Flavor Tastes a Little Bitter - Linda Jurva

Perhaps you are reading this today with a broken heart, hurting heart, shattered heart, crushed heart, bitter heart. Let me encourage you to keep on going. God's word says He healeth the broken in heart.

Anxiety, Christian Life, Encouragement, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappFebruary 8, 2021Tastes, See, Bitter, Better, Flavor, Broken Heart, Broken Vessel, Grace

Learning from Covid - Barb Jackson

God is sovereign and I know He allowed my husband and me to have Covid. He had a plan and a purpose. I prayed and thanked God for giving us Covid and that I believed it was His will. I admit it was a stretch for me to thank Him for Covid, but I knew I was to thank Him for all things. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” and Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” There is a song by Lynda Randle “God on the Mountain”. One of the verses says “You talk of faith, when you’re up on the mountain; But talk comes so easy, when life’s at its best; Now it’s down in the valleys, of trials and temptations; That’s where your faith, is really put to the test.”

Anxiety, Christian Life, Faith, Illness, Loneliness, Peace of God, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappFebruary 1, 2021Comfort, Covid, Faith, Fear, Care, Love, Memorize, Meditate

Improve Your Vision - Alicemarie Johnson

One of the first things a person does when they can’t see is get closer to the object. How can we get

closer spiritually? Compassion. Jude 1:22: “And of some, have compassion, making a difference.” Learn

to see things from another’s point of view. We do not all think the same or react to situations the same;

our problems are all different. When someone has a bad day, or acts in a way that’s hurtful, try to see

what is going on in their life. We don’t always know what is happening; we don’t see everything in their

lives, and we need to have compassion. When someone is hurting or grieving or struggling with a habit,

we need to try to understand; to look through their eyes.

Christian Life, Encouragement, Faith, God's Will, Trusting GodAmy SappJanuary 25, 2021Vision, LIght, Compassion, Glasses, Bifocoals, Desire

Hindsight is 20/20. 2020 is in Hindsight! - Joanna Snyder

What happened in 2020 that you can glean from, learn from, and—if you HAVE to talk about

2020—what can you talk about INSTEAD of all the negativity?

In 2020 we got a puppy! He is so precious. His name was going to be Stimulus, but we decided

to go with Justice. ��

In 2020 I got to complete lots of projects I always put off doing! I also learned how I tend to put

off things because I just don’t want to do them not because I really don’t have time. Can I get a

witness?

God is Still Searching - Faye Jalbert

God gives in the Word of God, the greatest judgment when he says in verse 31c; “their own way have I recompensed upon their heads…” This is when God withdraws His Presence, His power, and His leading from us. He is giving us what we want, and that is to live as we want, to live without the commitment of service.

How many times have we read this verse and thought we need more great preachers, more evangelists or more missionaries! Have we ever looked at ourselves to see how we could be the one God is looking for to stand in the gap: to be a part of that hedge?

Christian Life, Christian Service, Encouragement, Faith, God's Will, Trusting GodAmy SappJanuary 11, 2021Purpose, Place, Plan, Gap, Searching, Courage

Your Ways Are Higher Than Mine - Anita Kelly

I am sure if we made a list of the "lows" of 2020, our lists would resemble (a pandemic, turmoil in our country, the election, so many deaths, church loss, etc), but at the same time we would each have our own additions that would differ from anyone else's list ( loneliness, fear, discouragement, personal loss, financial loss, etc.). These would include hard and difficult times that only WE experienced. As our hearts cried out to Him, it seemed at times like God just disappeared (though in our hearts we knew that He didn't). In my case, I truly believe God answered my prayer for that "20/20 Vision in 2020".

Christian Life, Christian Service, God's Will, Trusting GodAmy SappJanuary 4, 2021Your Ways, 2020, 2021, Vision, 20/20 Vision, Circumstances

God's Grace - Debbie Isaacs

The story I’m about to tell is a true story. I pray it will affect your heart and teach us about the WILL of God. In June 1977 a baby boy was born into our household and we named him Jeremy. He was a big buster of a baby dearly loved and wanted. 1978 another baby boy was born in Iowa who was also loved and wanted named Kyle. In the process of time these young men grew up and each decided to go to a Bible college in Pensacola, Florida and became roommates and the dearest of friends.

Christian Life, Christian Service, God's Will, Illness, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappDecember 28, 2020Grace, Process, Affects, Missions, Cancer, Friends, Will of God

Fret Not - Misty Humble

2020 has been quite a year! We have seen fear quickly spread across the whole world causing churches, businesses , and schools to shut their doors. Cancellations of weddings, graduations, parties, vacations, family gatherings, funerals, and sporting events have become the “new normal.” Mandates, masks, gloves, sanitizing, and social distancing are overwhelming. Then throw into the mix savage fires, deadly hurricanes, mass rioting, and destruction of cities, statues, properties, and lives. Racial tension has soared. Political differences have been magnified. National dissension and unrest has accelerated. Fear and terror have swept the nation with a vengeance.

Anxiety, Christian Life, God's Will, Life Changes, Love of God, Trials, Trusting GodAmy SappDecember 21, 2020Fret, Fretting, 2020, World, Fear, Tragedy, Cancellations, unrest

Not Perfect, but Transformed! - Terri Howe

It started out as a fairly small project, we were going to replace our countertops, paint, and replace the flooring and we were going to do the work ourselves with some help from others where needed. The more we looked around and talked about what different rooms needed, our list of improvements began to grow! We found a contractor that said he could do the work and began our three-week project!

Give the Gift that Counts: A Labor of Love - Jo Beth Hooker

I Corinthians13:13 says, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. I love that verse! There is so much in this one verse. For example, the word charity is a term that means benevolent love. It is a term used to describe sacrificial love. God never does anything by accident, so it is no accident that He chose to use the word charity. Many modern versions of the Bible have opted to translate the word simply to love, but the word love does not mean the same thing as charity. The word love has many definitions; it can mean many things to many people and not necessarily does it mean sacrifice. I believe God uses the term charity because it implies giving without expecting anything in return. If I give something to Goodwill or to Amvets, I don’t want it to show back up on my doorstep. I’m giving it away. I don’t want it to come back. According to I Corinthians 13, this is the way true love is to be given-freely, with no expectation of return- but given because true joy, peace and happiness is found in what we give, not what we get.

Christian Service, Christian Life, Faith, Love of GodAmy SappDecember 7, 2020Gift, Giving, Jesus, Labor, Love

No Matter What - Hannah Hon

Having a thankful and grateful demeanor is not always an easy thing to maintain, especially in 2020 😊 . While we have many things to be thankful for, we are constantly reminded by the world of all we are “missing”. We begin to focus on the material and temporal, and our immediate needs come to live at the forefront of our minds and hearts. This begins to strip us of our grateful spirit and the peace that comes from giving thanks. But lets be honest, the circumstances we often face are not always easy for our human hearts to find the good in, are they? Finding the parts to complain about is much easier, and friends may even seem to listen more intently when we are going through tragedy. However, if we are not careful, we will find that going to that friend, or creating that social media post with all our woes and heartaches,(serious though they may be), becomes our first line of defense over stopping to take anything to our Savior.