S.M.I.L.E. - Victoria Starr

As a Christian of any age and any stage of life, there are simple principles in the Bible we can remember when we don’t know what else to do. The Bible instructs us first of all to – (S)eek God. In James 1:5 the Bible says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him as of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not: and it shall be given him.” This verse tells us when we need wisdom to know what to do, all we have to do is ask God. If we have trusted Christ as our Saviour, God listens and wants to answer our prayers. He has told he will give us wisdom if we will simply ask. First thing first, seek God and ask Him for wisdom.

What is Our Purpose? - April Stanley

Nothing replaces reading your Bible every day and praying to our Father in Heaven. No podcast, devotional, sermon, blog post, or any other kind of post will do for you what the Holy Spirit through the Word can do.

How is Your Tone? - Erica Stalions

So as you go throughout your day remember to think about how you are speaking just as much as what you are speaking. So many of life situations can be handled so much better if
we guard our mouth and how we communicate with others. Psalm 141:3 - Set a watch (guard), O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

God says you are Special! - Paula St Armour

Webster’s dictionary defines special as the following:
special
1: distinguished by some unusual quality
2: held in particular esteem
3: readily distinguishable from others of the same category : being other than the usual
4: designed for a particular purpose or occasion
Those definitions sound like a description of a Christian. Read again.

So let the SON shine in... When the SUN is shining! - Laura Stauffacher

Striving to remain humble. Realize that all we are and all we have is because of the Lord. Having a humble attitude as we go through a trial will allow the Lord to teach us things that we need to learn in that trial.

It's Not My Problem, or Is It?? - Dot Soldavini

As society continues to normalize sin, it has become even more important that we provide and

promote safe environments for children. As parents, grandparents, and caregivers, this should be

a top priority. As society tries to make sin into “right”, we must continue to hold steadfast to the

Bible’s definition of sin. Also, as society seeks to normalize abnormal sexual and relational

behavior, they are making it easier for predators to pursue victims. Activities that are now being

disguised as “family-friendly”, leave children vulnerable to harm.

What is Weighing You Down? - Angela Foca

Have you ever gone somewhere and took more luggage than what you needed? I remember on numerous occasions taking way too much! Most of the stuff I didn't need. It was frustrating dragging all of it around.

He Delights in YOU! - Amy Snow

Their, Joy, their contentment was the key that unloosed their chains. HE WAS ENOUGH FOR THEM! He was everything they needed. There wasn’t a material possession that they lacked because their contentment was in the ONE who delighted in them!

Do This in Remebrance of Me - Becky Jayne Smith

Today we celebrate the national holiday called Memorial Day first observed in 1868. It is a day established for us to remember all members of the United States military who gave their lives protecting our freedoms and rights as citizens of the United States of America. Originally observed each year on May 30th, its observance changed in 1971 to the last Monday of each May. When I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s our family would take this holiday to visit the graves of fallen soldiers where we lived and my parents would tell us the importance of remembering what these men and women sacrificed so we could live with the rights and privileges guaranteed by our constitution and Bill of Rights.

In Him - Rebekah Smith

As we go through our lives and about our daily business doing all the right things, all the good things, are we living “in him”. It can be so easy to go into auto pilot. If we are not careful we can almost become robotic. Not intentionally, not even with a bad spirit, but we are doing all the things and checking off all the boxes of things to be done without giving our full attention or full spiritual awareness to them. Stop and think about it for a minute.

Marvelous Mercy - Jennifer Smith

I don’t have to wallow in my imperfections. I trust in His mercy, because He has promised it to those to seek it, with a broken heart. My hero. The valiant defender of my heart. The Rock of my strength. How does He strengthen me spiritually? By being who He is. Lift your voice in praise, thank Him for who He is. Take His Word before Him! He loves and delights when we dare to take Him at His word. Mercy, marvelous mercy. He delights in me. Why? I can never answer that question because I know who I am. I challenge every lady reading this to read 3-5 Psalms a day. Repeat these verses out loud in your prayer time, He will take you to High places. Then, you too will sing and shout and in tearful words in prayer say, Marvelous Mercy! What a God I have! We don’t have to be perfect, just faithful.

Have a friend; Be a friend! - Marcella Smith

I desperately needed a flesh and blood friend; a person with skin on. I knew I had my wonderful Heavenly father, and I decided to never leave Him nor forsake Him nor blame Him no matter how bad my life seemed to me. But God also gives us a need for humans. During the whole ugly, crushing, debilitating process; I needed a friend. I was so very confused, devastated, and broken: I needed a friend!

Jesus Paid It All - Alice Smith

I was an eighteen-year-old girl with no knowledge of the Bible, but that truth was clear to me that night as a soulwinner took me off into a room at the First Baptist Church of St. Clair, Missouri and explained to me that all the good things I was trying to do would never be enough for me to get to Heaven.

The Love of My Saviour - Jessica Smallwood

The ocean is one of my most favorite places on earth. The overwhelming enormity of both its sight and sound is always a reflection of the thoughts of my heart, both good and bad. I am always overwhelmed with something. And while on this journey of sanctification, I see-saw between the overwhelming “somethings’ of God’s goodness and my own sinful tendencies.

I've got JOY! - Sharon Smail

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart! I just love this little chorus, and many mornings I sing it while I'm getting ready for the day! It always helps me to get my mind focused on joy instead of perhaps a situation going on in my life or the cares of this world.

The Aged Woman - Sheila Simpson

It feels strange, even at my age and, might I say a bit fearful to realize those godly prayer warriors are no longer lifting our names up to the throne of heaven. We were so blessed .

Happy Accidents - Amy Sapp

Every person I meet is someone MY best friend loved enough to die for

God's Power, Presence, Promise and Peace - MaryBeth Siegwart

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.

My Jesus - Nancy Shurilla

And there’s the gem. Those two little words Trina would use so often in her conversation. MY Jesus. The most important lesson I ever learned from Trina, though I wouldn’t even realize it until YEARS later, was that He needs to be ‘MY’ Jesus. When you speak of your Saviour, it should be personal. The same way you say, ‘My kids’ or ‘My husband’. Possessive. Loving. Is that how you think of Jesus, or do you not really think about that relationship much at all? We all hear quite regularly in preaching that we need to have a relationship with God(Jesus), but do we really think and ponder and try to figure out what that entails? Oh sure, there’s the ‘read your Bible more! Here’s a 1 year plan!’ and don’t you dare misunderstand me, reading your Bible is paramount in a Christians life, but are you just going through the motions of Bible reading so that you can check off a little chart? You’ll be closer to Jesus than if you weren’t reading at all, sure, but would you feel that possessive love? Trina challenged me without even saying it to get that possessive love. To thirst for it. And it’s so funny because, the closer you get the more you want.

Rehearsal Time - Jessica Shipp

We have all heard someone say or have ourselves said something that we don’t intend to act upon. But why would we say something we don’t mean? Most of the time we quickly forget what we said or thought, but what damage have we caused? I have started thinking about this more and have become more aware of it after I heard a phrase in a sermon last year. The phrase was “don’t rehearse evil.” DON’T REHEARSE EVIL. You might be thinking it’s not that bad, it’s not evil because they or I didn’t mean it. If it’s not Phillipians 4:8 worthy it’s evil. If it’s not righteous it’s evil. The Bible says in Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” and in Matthew 12:34b, “…for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” What is in our hearts? God destroyed all of mankind with the Flood because “…every imagination of the THOUGHTS of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5b) What is in the heart will eventually spill forth to our mouths. “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.” Psalm 34:13 We need to be on guard for even the tiniest splinter of evil. How do we keep those thoughts and words of destruction from forming?