They chose, so stop pursuing. Be polite, pray for them. Care about them in that you want what is best for them. Don't actively get involved but don't completely close the door should they repent one day. We have a responsibility to be distinctively different."
Read MoreHope…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.
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 MoreDon’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!
Read MoreRead MoreAnyone 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.
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!!
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?
Read MoreI 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".
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreIt 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!
Read MoreI 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.
Read MoreHaving 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.
Read MoreHow many times have you reminded your children to say “thank you” all the while thinking that it didn’t seem to have any effect on how they really were thankful for what they were “expressing” gratitude for?
Read MoreMy husband ran a 50 mile race! Yes, you read that correctly. 50 mile trail race. Who in their right mind runs 50 miles? But that wasn’t enough for him. You see, there are these races that are 100 miles long. Seriously. Why? I’m really not sure, but he set his mind to it and signed up for one. Let’s be real… I was not (and am not) running 100 miles. That race was not for me! But do you know what was for me? Helping him. I could encourage him. I could support him. I could go on training runs with him, I could make sure he had all the tools he needed… Shoes, socks, clean running clothes, food, water, electrolytes, salt tablets… I could pray for him. And for months that is what I did. I was training for my races and he was training for his.
Read MoreIf we have learned anything through this year, I hope we have learned to hold the things of this world very loosely. Our world is a mess, and it has seemed to spiral down so quickly this year alone. We need to learn to live with Heaven in view every single day. This is difficult with so many things screaming for our time, as ladies. The kids have outgrown their shoes. You know they need to go to the dentist. It is time to pay the school bill. The list is endless. The little (less important) things clamor for our time. Our Bibles never scream, “Hey read me!” The dishes…yes! The dishes they scream, “Hey look at this mess.” I truly believe if we can train our minds and our thoughts to ask if this is going to matter in light of eternity, then we will major on the things that matter. Our hurt feelings, that rude comment…will it really matter? Can I overlook it? Maybe there are things we are chasing and spending more time on than we should. It is time for Christians to focus on Heaven. Focus on relationships and people. First, are they going to Heaven? Can I give them the Gospel? Can I mend a relationship? I mean, we are going to Heaven together if they are believers. Can I focus on my current ministry or maybe I need to jump into a ministry? I challenge you to take a minute to list your priorities in light of eternity. Heaven is real! We are headed there, my friend.
Read MoreGod’s example of a pearl, just as the Church was formed from the redemptive act of Jesus at Calvary who bore our sins upon the cross, a pearl is formed out of suffering and it is only when we as “pearls” come to the end of ourselves that we can look up and see the beauty and love of a God who loves us and paid the ultimate price just to prove that love on Calvary. Pearls like people are a combination of things; it takes at least 3 materials to form a pearl; calcium, the irritant material, and the oyster’s saliva
Read MoreOh how I wish that was my life! I have wandered for much of it. Brokenly. Every repeat, reconciled moment with the Lord, I would rejoice in feeling close to Him, yet I would continue sojourning – spiritually never settling down, putting down roots with a home church, developing deep fellowships with other believers – and therefore never getting God's best for me. My growth was stunted, limited to solitary bible study and the occasional chat with a brother or sister in the faith, for much of my adult life. And I longed for the Lord, painfully so.
Read MoreBe faithful to all church services and soul-winning times, BE ON TIME, even be early, nothing shows love like being there! If you are a leader in your church, do better than average, there is a good chance that others will do a little less than what you do.
Read MoreThere’s an “expected end” to loneliness. I had a friend ask me a while ago if it bothered me that all my friends were dating and I was not. Being honest, sometimes there is that insecurity that says there won’t be an end to this season in my life. Then I remember I have a promise from God. Does that mean I will get married? Not necessarily. But the “thing that I long for”? The things that every human being longs for? Belonging and mattering? Oh yes, my friend, it’s coming. If not in my own family, then in the work that God is preparing me to do.
Read MoreThe only good in us is because Jesus Christs righteousness and the Holy spirit that dwells in us. This past fall I went to a ladies craft day at a church camp with the ladies of our church. They go to this event every year, but this was my very first time attending. As I entered the room I saw four different craft stations set up, and at each station was an example of what we were about to create. Stacked neatly in piles on the tables were all the supplies needed to make that item. There were no written instructions on how to put it together but there was a leader stationed there if you needed any help. Guess who needed help?
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