Whew!

It has been quite the busy last few days, and I have learned much about myself.

1. I am quite the book pack rat. I hate to get rid of a good book... or one I think might be a good book.

2. Dust is my Achilles heel. It is everywhere and no matter how many times I wipe it keeps coming back. Ugh- just like my multitude of character flaws. Thank you Jesus for dusting me so often!

3. My favorite thing about painting is that the impossible to get dust in the crevices and corners can be painted over. (I'm glad Jesus doesn't do that though.)

4. I have written for years. As I cleaned out many old binders and folders, I was surprised by how many "blogs" I came across. I've been doing this since the sixth grade and just didn't know it. I remember times where I couldn't help but write what I felt and was learning about the Lord, but I found a lot more than I realized. It was such a sweet time time today reading some of what I had penned. I witnessed how far He's brought me and how much I've changed. There were also times that my relationship with God couldn't have been sweeter, and I long to return there.

5. I have been overly blessed with so many things. God is so good to us that I have to sift through many things as I move them around. So many in the world have so much less.

Though this week has been difficult, it has been good for talking to the Lord. There isn't much to do while spackling, taping, and painting. But it's perfect for talking with God. I can't wait for church tomorrow! He and I have had a great week, and I'm so excited to see the rest of my church family. I'm expecting much tomorrow!

How about you? In what ways have you seen God working and moving in your life? Cry out to Him - He is always willing to answer and come closer!

A Blessed Day

I started to write a blog today about our adventures in painting, but realized I would have been fussing a little too much. Sometimes it's better to cool off for a while and let your "paint" dry...

Instead, I will tell you how blessed I was yesterday! It's been almost 4 years since I started teaching my first Bible study class in the fall of 2006. Though I had 3 people sign up, there was only one dear lady who showed up every night. As frustrated as I was though, God knew I couldn't have handled any more. 

Yesterday in my Bible study group there were 17, with a few missing. God is so good! How I have grown to love these women as we spend time diving into God's precious Word together. I wouldn't miss it for the world. What excites me greatly is that we have ladies from all ages, churches, and walks of life. Who, but our God, could bring such a group together in love?

After an amazing lesson, where I believe they encouraged me more than I could them, I got to have coffee with a girl I would have to call my best friend. We're not able to get together very often, but have known each other since childhood. It's one of those comfortable relationships that has stood the test of time and is a precious gift from God where we encourage and sharpen each other. She gives me glimpses of a vivid spiritual walk that makes me jealous (In a good way!) for one of my own. That's a rare treasure! To top it all off, I splurged on an Almond Joy Latte with real whipped cream. Yummy food always makes it better...

At church later that evening, the choir talked about the Tenebrae service we had on Good Friday. It was a special time where we participated in the Lord's supper, read Scripture, and sang praises to Jesus in remembrance of His great sacrifice, and then all left the darkened building in silence as the Christ candle was taken away. We were all blown away by depth of the Spirit's presence there and spent most of last night discussing it and sharing in the blessings we received from it. Not only had that service stood out, but it made the anticipation for Easter Sunday all that much more vivid. I was truly blessed.

As I started thinking about it, days like yesterday seem treasured and rare. Why is that? I know that even when hard times come, God wants me to expect Him in mighty ways. That is not so difficult for the big stuff, but what about everyday life? Why not expect it there too? We should. I'm not talking about winning the lottery or landing the new dream job, but in the every day things we can be blessed greatly by seeing God's hand, or fingerprint, there. He is always there. We just need to really look.

Expect to be blessed today, and it will happen. 

How the Lord Helped Today

This week is my husband's vacation so we decided to paint the whole inside of the house. That's not a very bright idea. It would probably be OK if I had the week set aside as well, but I don't. So now I'm running around doubly exhausted and covered in paint. To make matters worse, I think we are both allergic to the fumes.

Sneeze...wipe...roll...wipe...

It's times like these I revel in the peace verses in the Bible, and because God is gracious and kind, those are just the verses I'm having to read for the Bible study we are currently doing. It's funny that the verses I have focused on this week are perfect for describing how I feel about my personal journey at home. Especially when you just take the first verse of the three Psalms we have spotlighted: Psalm 120:1; 121:1; 122:1

In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me...

I raise my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?...

I rejoice with those who said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord."

"Gee, honey, sorry I have to leave you to paint by yourself today. I have to go to church for my Bible study class." 

See, ladies? There are many good reasons for joining!

Make Every Effort: Useless

Useless

2 Peter 1:8-9

 For His divine power has given us everything required 

for life and godliness, 

through the knowledge of Him who called us

 by His own glory and goodness.

   By these He has given us very great and precious promises, 

so that through them you may share in the divine nature,

escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.

   

For this very reason,

 make every effort to supplement your 

faith with goodness, 

goodness with knowledge, 

   knowledge with self-control, 

self-control with endurance, 

endurance with godliness, 

   godliness with brotherly affection, 

and brotherly affection with love.

   For if these qualities are yours 

and are increasing, 

they will keep you from being 

useless or unfruitful 

in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

   The person who lacks these things 

is blind and shortsighted, 

and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 

   

Therefore, brothers, make every effort 

to confirm your calling and election, 

because if you do these things 

you will never stumble.

   For in this way, 

entry into the eternal kingdom of 

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

will be richly supplied to you.

2 Peter 1:3-11

If there is one thing that makes me shudder, it's the thought of being useless. I am a doer, and like to get things done without waisting time. I've caught myself saying to Kevin too many times, "Well, it would make more sense to do "X" in this way..." Efficiency and quality are important to me. How much more so they should be when concerning God!

God is saying, "Hey, if you truly love Me and want to be of any service to Me these are the things you should do."  2 Timothy 2: 20-26 begins by giving us another way to look at it. "Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver bowls, but also those of wood and earthenware, some for special use, some for ordinary. So if anyone purifies himself form these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work..." It goes on to give more examples of how to be of use in God's kingdom. Stop and consider your walk with Christ. Are you a special gold or silver bowl shiny with use, or have you become a bit tarnished?

We also don't want to be considered blind, shortsighted, or forgetful. Jesus Christ paid an enormous price for us freely by living as a human for 33 years and then dieing a horrendous death on the cross while God's wrath was poured out on Him for the wrong you and I have done. How could we show Him we have forgotten that grace? The Gospels are full of examples of Jesus telling the religious leaders of the time that they just didn't get it. They were blinded to the Truth. Matthew 15:1-20 John 12:37-43

Paul has encouraged us not to be come like them by giving us a list of steps to take to open our eyes and see the usefulness within. Perhaps at times when we begin to notice our sight is failing, we need to come to the Savior to be healed and reminded of His glory and worth. Then let us go wash and rejoice, singing His praises before men! John 9

Make Every Effort: Supplement

Supplement

2 Peter 1:5b-7

For His divine power has given us everything required 

for life and godliness, 

through the knowledge of Him who called us

 by His own glory and goodness.

   By these He has given us very great and precious promises, 

so that through them you may share in the divine nature,

escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.

   

For this very reason,

 make every effort to supplement your 

faith with goodness, 

goodness with knowledge, 

   knowledge with self-control, 

self-control with endurance, 

endurance with godliness, 

   godliness with brotherly affection, 

and brotherly affection with love.

   For if these qualities are yours 

and are increasing, 

they will keep you from being 

useless or unfruitful 

in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

   The person who lacks these things 

is blind and shortsighted, 

and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 

   

Therefore, brothers, make every effort 

to confirm your calling and election, 

because if you do these things 

you will never stumble.

   For in this way, 

entry into the eternal kingdom of 

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

will be richly supplied to you.

2 Peter 1:3-11

Do you know what it means to supplement? The first thing I thought of were the vitamins many people take for extra health protection- more of an "add on" to something already there. However, the true definition is slightly different: "something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole." dictionary.com

Christians strive to be complete, or perfect in Christ, which is a goal we obtain at our death and resurrection. (Philippians 3:12, Hebrews 12:22-24) But how do we know what to do? We are to supplement many things in order to be complete. Today’s passage gives us a wonderful blueprint to follow in building our house. (Matthew 7:24) We are to accomplish them step by step and with much prayer.

2 Peter 1:5-7 truly is a fantastic step-by-step growth chart for the maturing Christian. Just imagine these listed on God's door post - bottom to top - with your name scribbled at each milestone:

Faith 

We know that it is "by grace we are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift-" Ephesians 2:8. It is the required entry point of salvation. Without faith, the rest is moot.

Goodness

When first becoming a Christian, the Bible can be a little overwhelming. Honestly, at times it can be for the veteran as well! When we are lost and don't know what to do, do something good. That is no simple matter when we are not use to it, or things have been going rough, but it is the step we must take to follow Him and get out of our pit.

Knowledge

OK, so you've practiced being good for a while, but have begun to crave more. What do you do? Crack open the Bible and learn something new. So often we open the Bible to read what we've been told by a pastor or teacher, but how often do we start sifting through in search for answers to our own questions and concerns. That is when we are gaining the best knowledge I believe. It is motivated by our spirit to feed our soul.

Self-control

Now that we have learned a few nuggets of wisdom we must apply it to our lives, and that takes more self-control than any of us would like to exude. It truly is one of those baby step necessities. With much prayer and, well... more prayer, it is possible. There is no excuse that "I'm just that kind of person", or "God will still love me and forgive me anyway". Either you love God enough to try and try again, begging His forgiveness each time you stumble, or you don't.

Endurance

We all know that maintaining self-control, the desire to gain knowledge, and being good take a whole lot of endurance. We are told in verse 6 that endurance is an integral part of our growth and maturity, and for good reason. We want to be grown up now! Endurance is the ultimate self-control. God encourages us here that we must keep on keeping on.

Godliness

 I have always thought this sounded somewhat unattainable and overwhelming- as though we were to be almost as perfect as God. However, godliness is defined as conforming to the laws and wishes of God, and having a great reverence for Him. That is the next natural step in growth. Once we have endured in a particular matter, we respect God for who He is and what He has done for us. This love should naturally manifest itself as a desire to conform with great reverence to Him. This is godliness.

Brotherly Affection

Up to this point we have been somewhat self focused and internal. Now, it is time to take what we have learned in our growth and branch out. Brotherly affection is not natural for some – OK, many – of us and it takes discipline, but the love and respect we have for our Lord and Savior enables us. Here is the neat thing: It’s not just for those brothers and sisters in Christ we like or humor… it’s everyone. Suddenly, we find that not only do we begin to tolerate people who we never could before, but we actually start to care about them. Who says He isn’t the God of miracles!

Love

True, pure love is supernatural.

But as we plant the seeds of brotherly affection, in the fertile soil of godliness, having been tilled by endurance and self-control with the knowledge gained by goodness in our field of faith… we reap the most delicious fruits of love.

This cycle within a cycle is a path we tread with every lesson learned, yet at the same time is a total growth process in and of itself. What has God been teaching you lately? Where are you on the growth chart? How about the sum of your spiritual maturity? Would you say your Father in heaven is proud our your growth, or are you needing a few supplements?

Praise

Easter is a special time of celebrating my Lord's great sacrifice and victory, and music is a large part of worship for me. The Revelation Song is one of my absolute favorites!

The Revelation Song

What are some of your favorite songs to sing to worship our risen Savior?  If there is a video of it, post a link to share!

Happy Easter!

He Is Risen!!

We Interrupt This Study for a Meltdown From Our Sponsor...

I will be very honest with you faithful few that I am sitting here in tears while writing this. Why? Because once again, God has tenderly, yet forcefully, shown me that the path He has set before me is as unique and different as I am. (By the way, when trying to make yourself feel better, don't look up the synonyms for different or unique in a thesaurus. "Flaky, mental, nonstandard, odd", and "something else" were among my favorite...)

It's interesting that over the last few years as I have begun to develop a ministry, there have been a few ideas I have taken from others, but in general whenever I heard of a program or a semi-scripted resource, there has been the slightest warning in my spirit. Truly, I have nothing against all these things, it's just that the Lord has spoken to me again and again that my path is going to be different. So on I wade through unseen waters.

I do have my suspicions as to some of the reason why. I desperately want to please people. So much so that I tend to automatically become a chameleon and imitate whatever it is they do, how they speak, and frequently feed off of their ideas. I allow them to block out the sweet whispering of the Spirit's plans for my life. What they are doing isn't necessarily wrong, it's just wrong for me.

Here's the other kicker: He has planted within me the seeds of rebellion. No, I'm not talking anarchy. I've just never been one for liking or doing what everyone else is swayed to do. I don't like being a moo-cow, blindly lacking the free will to not follow the herd into the slaughter house. (Yes, I read Slaughterhouse Five one too many times, much to the indignation of my AP teacher.) I even remember in junior high deciding not to think Maxwell was the hottest guy ever since all the other girls did. The other option was Kevin. I love my man...

So here I have two opposite factions waring with in me. My desperate longing to belong is chastened by the desire to buck the system. How well Paul described this phenomenon in Romans 7:15-25! He begins in verse 15 saying, "I do not understand what I am doing..." Amen to that! How many times have you just said or done something that a moment later you have to ask yourself, "What just happened?!?"

Today's little tirade began as I found an amazing opportunity at the She Speaks Conference to be held in Concord, NC later this summer. It's one of those moments that when the Session Descriptions was clicked, I felt like they had downloaded the wish list from my brain. I was SO excited! Then I looked at the cost- I was SO overwhelmed. Ouch! "But," I thought, "God will provide a way if it's to be!" Low and behold, they were having a contest to give away 3 tickets! ...and I was 6 days late in meeting the deadline. Rats.

Then I did what I knew I shouldn't. I looked at the blogs of those wonderfully gifted women who had entered. I will be honest with you that I don't read many other peoples blogs because I feel the Lord has warned me not to for now. I know that sounds odd, but I always felt it was because He knew I would either try and imitate them or get discouraged that I just couldn't match their skills and creativity. I felt pathetic.

Strike one.

Next, I decided to look at some of what the conference was about. Ironically, one of the first things I read was in the FAQ section, "How should I dress for the conference?" Ugh. I know most of you won't believe this, but I like to dress up. There are just several things that prevent me from it: Health, finances, and God. He has very specifically told me to focus on the real, down-to-earth, everyday girl. Look around at my generation and below. They have changed, and there don't seem to be many in the church who cater to them. I don't feel comfortable doing that in high heels and perfect make-up. The suggestion for the conference was business-casual with occasions where professional dress was expected.

Strike two.

Oh, by the way? Meals were included in the cost.

Strike three.

I felt God shaking me. "Tiffany, this isn't your path. I know it makes sense. But how often do I do that? Remember, My ways are not your ways, and aren't you glad My thoughts are not like your thoughts?"

Yea, God. I really am, but this is going to be hard and confusing.

At least I have the Instruction Book.

Make Every Effort: Are You Thirsty?

There is just too much meat in this next section to discuss in one day, so I've broken it in two portions. Today, let's focus on just the first half of verse 5:

To Make Every Effort

2 Peter 1:5a

For His divine power has given us everything required 

for life and godliness, 

through the knowledge of Him who called us

 by His own glory and goodness.

   By these He has given us very great and precious promises, 

so that through them you may share in the divine nature,

escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.

   

For this very reason,

 make every effort to supplement your 

faith with goodness, 

goodness with knowledge, 

   knowledge with self-control, 

self-control with endurance, 

endurance with godliness, 

   godliness with brotherly affection, 

and brotherly affection with love.

   For if these qualities are yours 

and are increasing, 

they will keep you from being 

useless or unfruitful 

in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

   The person who lacks these things 

is blind and shortsighted, 

and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 

   

Therefore, brothers, make every effort 

to confirm your calling and election, 

because if you do these things 

you will never stumble.

   For in this way, 

entry into the eternal kingdom of 

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

will be richly supplied to you.

2 Peter 1:3-11

If someone you dearly loved asked you to make every effort to bring them a gallon of water every day, and you knew that what you brought was most of what they would have to live on, what would you do to ensure you got that water to them? Do you think you'd forget after a week or two? Or would it become a regular part of your routine?

Why do we think it's any different when God gives us the life sustaining advise to "make every effort" in our Christian walk? We are told in the New Testament to make ever effort...
   to enter. Luke 13:24, Hebrews 4:11
   to take hold. Philippians 3:12
   to supplement. 2 Peter 1:5
   to confirm. 2 Peter 1:10
   to recall. 2 Peter 1:15
   to be found in peace. 2 Peter 3:14
These things are given for us to do for our own benefit in order to stay healthy as slaves of Christ Jesus. But the question is, are we willing to do them?

Interestingly, the phrase "make every effort" is used only ten times in the New Testament. Seven of them - above -are between a human and God. They are things given for each of us personally, by God, to strive for. The other three still require action, but they are person to person. They were written through Paul, saying "make every effort to come (to me)". 2 Timothy 4:9, 21; Titus 3:12


Christianity is not a lone religion. If it were, we would not be called on to encourage one another so much-  "But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception." Hebrews 13:3 (See also: Romans 1:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)  There would also be no need for lessons on the Church as the body of Christ if we were to tread this path alone. "And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ..." Ephesians 4:11-12 (See also: Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12). 


Paul realized his God-given need for fellow believers to help him in his own ministry and walk. He made every effort, and in doing so, set a prime example for us to follow. 


I have faith that because Paul had made every effort to know and follow Christ himself, if he had been the one bringing that gallon of water daily for me to stay alive, it would have been done with brotherly love and affection. In doing so, Paul's encouragement through an act of love would have inspired me to make every effort to follow my own narrow path with Jesus Christ, resulting in the continuation of the cycle. 


How about you? Have you brought, or been brought, a "gallon of water" everyday, or is your witness for Christ Jesus a bit dehydrated?

Make Every Effort: Everything Required

Several days ago I ran across a passage in 2 Peter that shook me to the core. It was so rich, I have been dining on it ever since! I've broken it into four sections, and every day will post the entire Scripture, but will place the text I'd like to discuss in bold. I pray you will be as enriched, challenged, and encouraged by them as I have been!

Everything Required

2 Peter :3-4

 For His divine power has given us everything required 

for life and godliness, 

through the knowledge of Him who called us

 by His own glory and goodness.

   By these He has given us very great and precious promises, 

so that through them you may share in the divine nature,

escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires.

   

For this very reason,

 make every effort to supplement your 

faith with goodness, 

goodness with knowledge, 

   knowledge with self-control, 

self-control with endurance, 

endurance with godliness, 

   godliness with brotherly affection, 

and brotherly affection with love.

   For if these qualities are yours 

and are increasing, 

they will keep you from being 

useless or unfruitful 

in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

   The person who lacks these things 

is blind and shortsighted, 

and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 

   

Therefore, brothers, make every effort 

to confirm your calling and election, 

because if you do these things 

you will never stumble.

   For in this way, 

entry into the eternal kingdom of 

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 

will be richly supplied to you.

2 Peter 1:3-11

You know, I could just about stop at the first comma in verse 3 and be satisfied. "For His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness..." I could, that is, if He hadn't made me such a curious creature. I need to know the details, and I'm so glad He provided them!

In all honesty, that should be enough for us. God - the Creator and Sustainer of the universe - with His divine power, has given us all we will ever need for life and godliness. What a beautiful confirmation not only that He is willing to do that for us, but that He, and He alone, is able to. Why do we settle for less than godliness if we truly follow Christ Jesus? After all, there is no excuse. He already gave us the ability to achieve it.

So how was it that we obtained this certainty?  "Through the knowledge of Him..." That is the conduit through which we received such a gift. The Gospel. Perhaps that is why Paul says to the believers in 1 Corinthians 2:2, that he was "...determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." There was nothing else they truly needed.

I love what it goes on to say though. God reminds us - in the same breath - that HE was the one who called us to Him: He opened our eyes and ears (Isaiah 35:5) to the understanding of the Gospel of Christ Jesus "by His own glory and goodness." He did it because He is just that good. 

But it gets even better! V. 4, "By these" - His glory and His goodness - "He has given us very great and precious promises..." Not just one promise, but many very great ones:

   We are now His children:  Romans 9:8, Galatians 3:29

   Given the Holy Spirit/Counselor:  Ephesians 1:13

   Receive a crown of life:  James 1:12

   Eternal life in His Kingdom:  Titus 1:2

   Many blessings:  Deuteronomy 1:11

   Forgiveness:  Hebrews 8:12

   Rest:  Joshua 22:4

   His Word written in our hearts:  Jeremiah 31:33

And many more...

He gave us all these... "so that through them we may share in the divine nature...", as co-heirs with Christ and children of God (Romans 8:17), "escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires." Ah. Here's the reason why all of these promises are good in the first place. To escape the punishment for the corruption of sin. We are all sinners, and we are all given one way to escape from the consequences of those sins (Romans 5:19): Jesus Christ. 

With the knowledge of Him in our hearts, and the glory and goodness of God's divine power, we have a way to refrain from sins evil desires.

How amazing, and loving, is that? 

Easter Dinner

Think about a typical Easter dinner with all it's brightly colored fixings...

This year there was something about this feast celebrating our Lord's resurrection that made me laugh out loud. 

What are two "must have"'s for the meal?

Ham and deviled eggs- To celebrate our Jewish God and Savior.

Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor? 

So this year as you enjoy the taste of pork (Leviticus 11:7-8) and the freshness of eggs that have been deviled,... 

Remember and rejoice that all things have been made clean (1 Corinthians 10:31) and the eggs have been split down the middle for a reason!  "And if Satan rebels against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished!" Mark 3:26

Mulling

What are you mulling over?

I believe the spiritual term is "meditating upon", but to put it in a language we can all associate with, I call it mulling. There is one particular passage the Lord has brought to my attention recently that will take some time and a lot of research to digest before posting it on here. I love it when He brings Scripture to life like that.

How about you? What Truth has He brought to your attention? Is there a aspect of His Word that is speaking personally to you? Perhaps your mulling is in how to respond. Is there a question you have about Christian living that seems to remain grey to you? Perhaps we can explore it together!

What was from the beginning,

what we have heard,

what we have seen with our eyes,

what we have observed,

and have touched with our hands,

concerning the Word of life-

that life was revealed,

and we have seen it

and we testify and declare to you

the eternal life that was with the Father

and was revealed to us-

1 John 1:1-2

Family

I had an experience a few years ago that I still think about on occasion.

One of the best places to listen to worship music is while driving. Not only does being stuck in a fast moving metal box force me to slow my mind down and take time to worship, but I've found that road rage - on my part - is curbed as well. I happened once, to be listening to my favorite local Christian radio station, Way-FM, and was singing along at the top of my lungs to a worship tune that was playing as I pulled up to an intersection. After a few moments I looked in my rear-view mirror and noticed a young man with a huge grin on his face staring straight at me. It took me a second before I realized that he too was singing the same worship song I was! Laughing, I smiled back and we jammed that worship song together.

When the light turned, I slowed down a bit and he pulled up next to me. We grinned at each other as the next song came on and realizing it was time for him to turn, we nodded to one another in recognition of our common Savior and parted ways on this earth.

I can't wait to laugh about it with him in heaven!

Do you ever take the time to realized how blessed we are to have so many brothers and sisters in Christ? I find it amazing that I can meet a perfect stranger and have such a sweet connection, or re-connect with those I haven't seen in years and have an instant spark and interest in our Living Lord. Only God can accomplish such a feat with such stubborn and selfish hearts.

I've also found that parting with fellow Christians doesn't bother me as much either. I've told those who leave that if we never meet again here on this earth, I'll give them a big hug in heaven. What a peace and joy! The more I live knowing this is "not my home" the less the typical sorrows of this world bother me. (2 Corinthians 5:1-4)

Take some time today to thank God for all your siblings in Christ. Marvel at and praise Him for how He connects us by the Spirit, through Jesus, for the glory of God the Father!

The Sound Of Rain

Rain is nature's way of applauding God. Who else deserves such thunderous applause?


The heavens declare the glory of God,
     and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.
Day after day the pour out speech;
     night after night they communicate knowledge.
There is no speech; 
     there are no words; 
          their voice is not heard.
Their message has gone out to all the earth, 
     and their words to the ends of the inhabited world.
Psalm 19:1-4

Peter's Mother-In-Law

Last night I read two verses that challenged me:

When Jesus went into Peter's house, He saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began to serve Him.
Matthew 8:14-15


There are times in life when we are just sick. It may be an actual illness, or exhaustion of some sort. Whatever it is, Jesus will come to heal us at the right time. That is when we have a choice. Do we lay there thinking about how sick we had been? Do we go around telling everyone how sick and miserable we were? Or, do we just get up and serve our Lord?

This is not to say that Peter's mother-in-law didn't think about her illness, or that she didn't share with others what she has just experienced. She just chose to make serving Jesus her number one priority. The rest she could do along the way - to the glory of God the Father.


What has Jesus taken you by the hand and healed you of lately? Have you accepted His healing, or are you still laying there? Have you got on with serving Him, or did you get stuck in the bog of "just can't let it go"? Nothing was ever said about stuffing her illness down and pretending it never happened. This record is what she is remembered for. She is remembered for being sick when Jesus came - He reached out and took her by the hand - and she served the Master. Have you ever thought about the fact He might have healed her for that purpose? To serve Him?

What will you be known for?

Stepping Out

Every once in a while we need to shake ourselves up.

I felt this blog needed a new look. I'm not really sure why, but I thought I'd give it a try. What do you think? Do you like this one of the old one better? Why?

I've found that sometimes God asks us to just look at Him and start walking. Then He'll let me know if that was the right way or not. The interesting thing is, nine times out of ten, whichever direction I go seems to be the right one. The key is focusing on Him first. Without that, nine times out of ten it's the wrong direction.

How about you? Is there something in your life you have been seeking God's direction in? If the time has come that the decision must be made- Look up: Then step forward.