We 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 MoreWith the spreading of the coronavirus, it appears that there is trouble on every side. You may have lost a job or temporarily laid off. You or a family member may be sick with this virus or have some other health concern. You may have unexpectedly become a home school mom and feel unprepared or unqualified. At this point, your life may be only mildly inconvenienced, but you are desperately missing your church family, the privilege of assembling together, and are feeling spiritually weak. Though we may feel troubled on every side, God's Word says that we don't need to be distressed.
Read MoreHannah is one of my favorite women in the Bible. We have something in common. Both Hannah and I begged the Lord for children. My husband and I went 21 years without children before we adopted our 3 little boys!! I understand Hannah’s heart…the countless tears that no one sees and the cries that no one hears.
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 More“Look around you, read His story,
All of nature is revealing its Creator
Gaze in wonder, glimpse His glory
Come and behold, come and behold,
See your Maker.
The earth is full of His presence
All of nature, all creation speaks His word.
Every bird, every tree, every breath that we breathe,
Proves He is real, He is here,
He is Lord!!”
Read MoreIn order of prevalence, the five most common mental illnesses are
Anxiety Disorders: 48 million people annually
Major Depressive Disorder: 17.7 million people annually
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: 9 million people annually
Bipolar Disorder: 7 million people annually
Borderline Personality Disorder: 3.5 million people annually
We have all heard the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” About five years ago I started a health routine where I drink about 64 oz of lemon water every day. I don’t really care for the bitter, sour taste of lemons, but when you add a bit of sweetener, it’s pretty good!
Isn’t that the way life is? It’s full of disappointments that can cause bitterness, sourness; but if we can learn to add our sweetener, disappointments can become sweet blessings.
Read MoreOur Savior, in His time on the earth, was our example in every way. He not only
taught us how to live, but He showed us how to live, how to behave, and how to treat
others. One of the things that stands out to me about the life of Christ is the relationships
he developed with the twelve men he hand-picked to be with Him. These men, who came
from a variety of backgrounds and occupations, were all uniquely loved and cherished by
Jesus. It is obvious that they meant more to Christ than merely the men who would carry
on His work after he went back to Heaven.
Read MoreThere are basically two voices in the world today. One is the lying voice of Satan and the other is the voice speaking truth through the Scriptures. In this new year 2020- choose to believe the truths that Jesus spoke about you and not the lies of Satan. We must know the difference between the enemies’ lies and God’s truth! Which leads me to say, we must know God’s Word! We must hide His word in our hearts!! The Bible clearly states that the Truth will set us free but we must have that Truth in our hearts and minds. We must combate lies with Truth. The truth is found in God's holy word....Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
James 1:19-20, “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
An easy way to try this is to send flowers to someone’s home anonymously. You could leave a treat on someone’s car or desk. Mail a gift card to their home. Your heart will follow what your hands do and your lips pray. Remember Jesus example of love included a costly sacrifice, humbleness, and a tangible action--we have to be willing to spend our resources and make a sacrifice if we are to love like Him!
Read MoreThe alarm clock going off early in the morning,
just means that we get to live another day. The lady that sits behind you in
church and sings way off key just means that you are able to hear. Clothes
that are getting a little to tight just means that you have plenty of food to fill
your belly. Hearing people complain about the government just means that we
have the freedom of speech. Windows to wash, floors to vacuum and furniture
to dust just means that the Lord has given you a house to live in and He has
provided for you and has given us things that although it's not always fun, need
to be cleaned
I 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 MoreWhen my spiritual vision gets blurry and I realize I’m losing my joy, I ask
God to correct my vision. I ask Him to help me see life the way He sees it.
He is always faithful to bring verses to mind and clear things up for me.
I 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 MoreA lot of those people could be your family, don’t you want your family, especially your kids, to love the Lord. I heard a sermon once that really stuck in my husbands and my mind and the speaker ask the question do you want just “good kids” or do you want “Godly kids” my answer was I want Godly kids. Think about that so if you give up now how will that effect your kids?
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.
Do we have this compassion like Jesus did? We need to have this compassion that takes this thought and then drives us to our knees! There are lost souls we pass by everyday! Lost souls!!! Are we going to our prayer closets ,praying that we might have the power, wisdom, truth, and opportunities to share the good news with others? If we do not have the mind of Christ we will pass by those that truly need the gospel. With the blood of Jesus, He looks past our financial standing, our looks, our failures and just sees lost souls in need of a Saviour.
Read MoreShouldn'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!
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