When most people think of broken, they think of something that is unusable, has lost its value and no longer serves a purpose. God, however, is not limited to man’s knowledge and does not view “broken” the same way. In fact, He often places trials and tribulations in our lives to refine us and make us who we need to be to fulfill His purpose. He “breaks” us to make us beautiful.
Read MoreGentleness has many definitions. One definition that I really love is, “Refusal to use harm to anyone.” How true is this of God. Our great, powerful God is so gentle. So many times, His gentleness is something that I have taken for granted. I love to see the powerful God. The God who created the world, the God who will destroy the wicked someday, the God who works miracles and changes lives. Yet, the God full of gentleness is the one who has made me great. Throughout the ages, people have worshiped false gods out of fear that their “god” would harm them if they did not do what he wanted. My God is not a God who wants to make my life miserable. In fact, He says in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” He is so gentle to us. He wants us to come to Him so He can help carry us through life.
Read MoreWe are a team! Our entire family follows a variety of sports, and team sports are our favorite. I have spent many hours following my husband and our three sons and their involvement in high school basketball. My husband is the captain of our team, and I strive to play my God-given role by submitting to his leadership. Ephesians 5:24 tells us, “Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.” I certainly don’t have all the answers, and I am always trying to watch and learn from others who have good marriages. The following are a few ideas that have helped me try to be what I need to be in our home.
Read MoreAbout 30 years ago, at a revival an evangelist spoke on prayer. He had an old telephone receiver with the cord still attached. Yes, this was before smart phones. He explained that his phone was a direct line to God. First thing in the morning he picks up the phone and says good morning Lord and they have a chat. He illustrated that during his day he never hangs up on God but leaves the phone on his shoulder so he can keep God on the line. That image has stuck with me through the years. Celeste how are you going to keep God on the line?
Read MoreRejoicing in His testimonies. Wow. Do I REJOICE? Of course, I like them. I read them. I’m thankful for them. I memorize them......but do I REJOICE?!?! Rejoice like I just found unexpected money? Rejoice like I was just given $100? Do I REJOICE?? Do I rejoice when I read my Bible? Not only that, but do I rejoice in the WAY of His testimonies? Do I rejoice in the life – the path, the way – that His testimonies command and teach? Am I rejoicing in the purity of life that the way of His testimonies commands or do I complain that it’s too much or too strict? Do I rejoice in the holy living that the way of His testimonies commands or do I claim that it’s old-fashioned and out of date? Do I rejoice in the way of His testimonies that commands faithfulness to church or do I skip church whenever I can? Do I rejoice in the way of His testimonies that guides the words that come out of my mouth, or do I excuse my gossip and crass language?
Read MoreI suffer from a rare disease – ADOLAS. What is this you ask? It is “Attention Deficit….Oh Look, A Squirrel!” Do you have this disease also? J Sometimes I tend to lose my focus. I see something that pulls my attention away from something else that I’m reading or watching or cleaning. I’ll even get distracted mid-sentence with another thought. My husband always laughs and shakes his head when we are shopping – as I flit from one display to another until he reminds me why we went to the store in the first place.
Read MoreI love the snow! I know, I know, some might think I'm crazy, but I just love seeing the gentle falling flakes cover the world with a beautiful soft white blanket. There's just something calming and quiet about falling snow that bids me to "be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)
Read MoreI love salt. I really enjoy it. I love how it makes the flavor of the food become bright and
intensifies it. Salt also makes the food have flavor when there is not much flavor there. Salt
preserves food so that you can enjoy it at a later time. Salt is a mineral that is essential for life in
general and it satisfies one of the basic human tastes. Salt was used in an ancient Hebrew
agreement to seal a covenant with God and they sprinkled their offerings with it to show their
trust in Him. So as you can see salt is important. It is mentioned many times in the word of
God.
Shouldn't we do the same with the work of the Lord? Do we not need to stand fast and get in good position to serve the Lord? We need to stand fast in traditions, II Thessalonians 2:15 and stand fast in faith, I Corinthians 16:13. We need to be steadfast and unmovable, I Corinthians 15:58. We need to hold fast, hold that form without wavering, Hebrews 10:23. There is a race to be run!
Read MoreI had three choices. 1. I could quit right there and go back home. 2. I could stay and complain that things weren't what I invisioned. 3. I could accept it for what it was and make the best of it. I chose number 3. I knew this was God's will for my life no matter if it was not my plan. How many times in life have we faced circumstances and said those words? "This is not what I expected!" In marriage, as a mom, as a daughter, at a job, as a friend, or even as a Pastors wife things don't go the way "we" plan.
Read MoreHave you ever thought of how strange it must seem to God that we can go from one
holiday where we focus on being thankful for all the blessings that God has given us
straight into the next holiday, where our focus should be on the greatest gift ever
given; however, this is the time of year that many people seem to become
discontent. Sometimes it is discontentment because we think we won’t get that
special gift we have really been longing for. Or perhaps it’s not so selfish; our reason
for discontentment is because we don’t have the means to give the gifts we wish we
could.
Read MoreCan you imagine with me for a minute how it must have been in the days of Jochebed? I imagine that she faced some extremely hard times. As you will discover in the book of Exodus chapter 1, the wicked King, Pharaoh, had just instructed the Hebrew midwives to slay the male children of the Hebrew women. When Pharaoh discovered that the midwives were not killing the boy children, as he had instructed, he charged all his people to cast every son of the Hebrew women into the river.
Read MoreGrace and Truth. There is a balance. “What does that even mean?”, you may ask. Well, let’s go to the Bible and see if there is an example of someone who had Grace and Truth.
Read MoreWhen it is necessary for us to “go outside and face the storm”, will we tread prayerfully and carefully while remembering that many spiritual accidents occur in the winter time through decisions made in haste? Will we remember that, just as winter blizzards can be blinding, spiritual winter times can leave us temporarily blinded to the direction God would have us take?
Read MoreSome would say, “Are you sure you are supposed to adopt?” So we would pray about it and every time, God would one way or another show us that we were right where He wanted us.
Read MoreWhy are we so afraid to share our failures and flaws with one another? Are we afraid of what others may think of us? Surprise! We are not perfect. Are we afraid people will realize this? I strive to be as transparent and open with others as I can be.
Read MoreIt is clear in the scriptures that the Lord finds holiness in his children beautiful. That beauty stems from the holiness of God. In Chronicles 16:29, Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Similar verses can be found in Psalm 96:9. Holiness is not a suggestion it is a command.
Read MoreSitting in my pastor’s office, I was having my first counseling session with him. I held tightly to the tissue box and cried uncontrollably throughout the hour.
Read MoreHave you ever wondered why or if God would use you in His work? God chooses to use imperfect people to carry out his work. That’s why you and I are perfect candidates!
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