Please, take a moment to pray for the people of this world who have no hope because they don't yet know Jesus. They are lost and they need our prayers.
I pray that we will all be soul's on fire for the Lord! Praise His name and pray for those who do not know Him. Let's pray for those divine appointments to pop into our daily lives so that we can share His love with those who need it the most. My heart is burdened. Please, pray with me?
I've been in a lot of pain lately and it's starting to affect my ability to type. Please say a prayer for me? I just need a respite from the arthritis pain, which some days is excruciating, but at least my attitude is sunny! I had a very hard time learning to lean on God when I was younger. I thought I knew everything. But I didn't. That's why, when we come to Him, our hearts broken, feeling unfixable and burnt to ashes, that we can lay our sins at the foot of His cross, and then He can take what seems like a completely ruined, unfixable life and restore it completely. Today, I just wanted to share this wonderful song with all of you! I hope it is uplifting and gives you a good message to think on! I'm praying for all of you. I pray that God gives you His amazing peace which makes us feel whole. That He gives you strength to make it through this day and every day and that you will smile, knowing that someone out here cares about you. May God take the broken pieces of your life and turn them into something beautiful! He can give you Beauty for Ashes and exchange your mourning for joy! (Isaiah 61:3-5).
It's a difficult thing to give God complete and full control of your life, but when you do it? The relief is a blessing! Letting Him carry every problem, care, illness, etc., is a great blessing when you can see God at work around you and through you. Surrender is a difficult thing to do, mostly due to our pride. It won't allow us to ask anyone, least of all God, for help. It's just not something we do. We like to be in control, even when it's obvious that God is using our circumstances to get our attention and turn us back towards Him. I have fallen on my knees many times to ask His forgiveness for things I've done. I'm still asking, each and every day because I am a sinner.
Even if we can get to the place where we let God take care of everything, we will have a problem staying that way. There are certain areas of our lives that we will always inevitably want to take control of again. The bible says "He will never leave you, nor forsake you," in several scriptures but of all of them, I think this one is my favorite. "Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not fear, what can men do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:5-6).
Regarding contentment, Paul said, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in all circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any way and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Christ, who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11-13). I have begun to learn to be content in all of my circumstances, no matter how grim. I still have room to rejoice because I know in my soul, that Jesus is coming back for us very soon! Personally though? If I didn't have my faith? I honestly don't know where I'd be, or if I'd even still be alive, so I'm very thankful that I have Jesus! So, let me ask you: Are you fully surrendered? Content? If so, then you know that what I'm saying is 100% true. If you're not, there is more work for you to do, but God will help you get there just like He did me! Keep reading His word, learn from Him and try to live your life to the fullest measure possible. He will show you the desires of your heart. He will guide you into all truth. He will be your defender in times of trouble. He will be there. Just like He always is.
Are you in a bad place? Been there. Done that. Heck, I'm still doing that! I may be down, but I'm not out. My fingers work on a keyboard even if I can't write like a normal person, and that is a miracle to me because this blog has become my ministry. I'm grateful that God gives me the strength each day to withstand the pain and some times, my days start with a lot of tears, but that's okay. Once I've turned it over to God, things tend to not feel so bad. It may hurt worst in the morning, but I don't have to let it completely ruin my day. I'm a grateful Christian but not just because He died for me. I'm grateful that He continues to deliver me! He gives me just enough strength to withstand what my body is going through. I'm very grateful that I've learned to lean on Jesus every morning before I ever get out of bed because I've tried doing things on my own only to learn that I can't do a thing without Jesus. "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing." (John 5:15). If you're struggling just to make it through the month or even the week, know that God knows all about it and He wants to help you. He sees you, your entire family, your needs, both physical and spiritual and He will take care of you! He knows you're working three or four jobs just to keep a roof over your family's heads, pay bills, buy food and clothes that your children need. I know how hard it can be and while nobody ever said life would be easy, it just seems more difficult for people today than it ever was for our family. The world looks so much more evil, violent and vicious than ever before. Being a Christian right now means we all have targets on our backs. But Jesus said it would happen. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first." (John 15;18). Sometimes it will seem like a really steep climb out of the valley you are in and it will seem like God has forgotten you but He hasn't. Jesus said "Do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26). When my family was in the dark pit of debt and not knowing how we would make it, God would suddenly let the blessings pour out. My husband would get a job when he hadn't been working or I'd have work to go to when we needed two incomes. But while things seemed really difficult, He always provided, even if we weren't 100% right with Him at the time! He was being faithful even when we were not! He wants to do the same for you. If you know Him, you know I'm right. And if you don't? He wants to show you! If you're struggling in life, look up! He's there, just waiting to hear your prayer! He will catch you when you fall, lift you up when you feel like you can't get up, and when things seem darkest, He will be your light! (Psalm 119:105). Just remember, no matter what you've done, said, thought, etc., He will always love you and be willing to forgive you! You are His child and He wants to see you in right fellowship with Him! "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with Me." (Psalm 23:4). No matter how hard things get? Jesus will always be the One I run to!
Even when we walk away from God, He is still there watching over us. I've had times when I have walked away, not on purpose, but life just got busy, the world creeped in, my heart went numb.....I was flying blind and making a big mess along the way. Can you relate? I love to listen to music as a way to keep calm even when I'm upset, or angry. It just tends to really calm me down. This particular song recently got my attention because of the nature of the song. It points out how distant we have become as families due to these small, hand held devices that we just can't live without. Yes, I just said that! Cell phones, iPads, iPod's, you name it, we're all tuning each other out! This is bad for our kids too. We need to take their phones/tablets away just one day a week and talk to them! If they don't want to just sit and talk, go to the park as a family! Try to re-connect. It's really important. Now don't get me wrong, I think technology is wonderful, but we have all become cell phone/tablet trapped zombies to the point where we need a PSA regarding "texting while driving?" Anyone whose tried it can attest to how difficult it is to do and how dangerous it can be. Doesn't it just seem safer in your head not to do that? A lot of people even struggle with separation anxiety! That's right, some people actually suffer separation anxiety when their little devices are removed from them! This is happening to adults, not just to kids! People have become so reliant on their personal devices that an entire new class of anxiety disorders have been created. At home, we've turned into zombies who go about their daily lives barely even communicating with our family. The kids are doing their thing, parents separate and aloof with each other.....things are different. What has changed? Technology has created another dimension, which will no doubt be studied for years, but it is definitely having an affect on our families, some for the better, but some, not so good. We've forgotten that God should come before everything else. I know for a fact that when you put God in the center of your life? Everything else just seems to come together. But seriously, if you and your family are not communicating on a daily basis, take the phones away if you have to dad/mom! Make conversation with your kids at the dinner table. The years we have with our children are precious. We should use the small amount of time we have with them to teach them how to live properly so that they can avoid the pitfalls we have fallen into along the path called life. It's not that difficult, really, is it? Just put the devices on the chargers and watch a movie together. If you try, you can make it really fun! C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-E! There is coming a time very soon when that communication may be what saves a life! And kids, you're parents love you! They want to make sure you're okay out there every day, so listen and be respectful and tease them a lot! Make them laugh at themselves a bit and they'll seem a little more human! = ) (Parents, give them some leeway? After all, they're just kids?). The family that prays together? Just sayin.
I was four when my folks first took me to church. I walked in and saw one of those beautiful portraits of Jesus on the wall. I looked at it for a bit and then got taken to Sunday School. That morning, I heard the Gospel really explained for the first time and I believed! After a few months, my parents went back to their old ways and stopped going. I remember wanting to go, but there was nobody to take me. When I was ten, I was with a family down the street, who's mom watched us each afternoon after school until my mom got home. Her name was Mrs. Garcia and I went to 4th thru 12th grade with her son Rick. One day after school, Carmen talked to me about how we are all sinners and how we all need forgiveness. I said the sinner's prayer that day, tears rolling down my face and felt a weight being lifted off of me. I had been saved! Eventually, my mom told me she didn't want me going to church with them anymore, but didn't give me a reason why. In Jr. High, another friend I'd known since 4th grade asked me to come with her to the Jr. High group at her church. That was my first visit to First Baptist Church of Covina, California. I went for awhile, but again, my mom told me I had to stop going, but gave no explanation as to why or maybe the right question would be "why not?" In my Freshman year of high school, however, a new friend named Kelly, invited me to the Sr. High Youth group at the very same church. I went with her and we walked to church on Wednesday night for choir, church dinner, (we went to Taco Bell instead lol), and Sr. High Youth group. I got very involved in youth group and youth choir as well as other activities such as drama for plays a few times a year and even sitting in to sing with the adult choir if my director needed me to. In my Sophomore year, I heard the story of Joseph for the first time. Being that I came from an abusive household, I had a hard time forgiving my mother for the things she had done to me and was still doing to me at home. But when I heard Joseph's answer to his brothers who hated him so much that they sold him into slavery, dipped his tunic in blood and presented it to their Father, Jacob, and then allowed him to grieve his youngest son who wasn't actually dead, I kinda saw the parallel to my own life. When Joseph's brothers figured out who he really was, they went to him, very contrite in spirit, and asked for his forgiveness. Joseph replied, "What you meant for my harm, God meant it for my Good." That one line hit me so hard, I got up and walked that really long aisle in my church to ask forgiveness, recommit my life to Jesus and get baptized. My mom didn't interfere this time and I went there until I was 20 years old. I did continue to have emotional problems however, and I went the way of so many teens who wind up feeling like their parents don't love them, which is how I felt. I felt unaccepted, unloved, abandoned, not good enough, etc. I had such low self esteem, that it got me in a lot of trouble. I've actually made a lot of mistakes that I really, truly wish that I could take back but cannot. I wouldn't make those same choices today, but that is the gift of spiritual maturity and hind sight, which is always 20/20. What a gigantic gift wisdom and common sense can be! I guess what I'm trying to say here is this. I don't think there has ever been a time in my life, when I didn't feel His presence. Yes, there were dark days where I didn't realize He was carrying me, but there were times I could see Him working in me! I can look back at those days and say, "There you were God!" I know He's always been with me. He has never left me, and when I feel I have no strength to keep going, He gives me the strength I need in order to make it. I do that every day! He has to carry me at times, but it's better than having no hope! I can't imagine what people who don't know Jesus go through in these types of situations. There have been times, just in the last year, when I was so weak, I had to depend on His grace and His strength just to make it through the day! God is definitely right there waiting for us to call His name! He is always faithful even when we are faith-less! No matter what I've done to hurt Him, He always forgives and He always loves. He has been my God throughout my entire life. No matter what I do, I know in my heart and with every fiber of my being, that not only has He always been there, He always will be. And for this, I am truly grateful!
Talk about a reset button! In Touch Ministries tweeted a verse, James 1:17. "Every good and perfect gift is from above," and something just clicked! I was in a weird mood the last two days. Couldn't figure out why I was in a funk? Prayed a bit and then came to Twitter, where I found that tweet. It reminded me of a song I had heard, and I went to YouTube to find it. After listening to the song, it's as if a lonesome switch, one that hadn't been used in awhile, switched and suddenly? I was all smiles! I had just gotten done telling the Lord that I didn't know exactly what was wrong, but I asked for forgiveness for my rotten attitude and told Jesus, "You are the vine. I am the branch. Apart from you? I can do nothing!" That's all it was. Just a humble prayer. I think a bit of my problem has to do with being alone a lot? I'm left at home for hours at a time, by myself, and it's very difficult to do things for myself. It's even taking longer for me to type these posts, and my hands and everything else is hurting really bad with the psoriatic arthritis, but I'm at least losing weight and getting my blood glucose back under control by cutting out all the sugar? Sugar tricks your body into thinking you need it which is how we get addicted to junk food? I'm the worst junk food junkie ever! Sometimes I'd laugh about it, but believe me, it's now no longer funny. The weight on my joints is causing terrible pain and it just never goes away. Some days, I beg God to just take me home. I don't belong here anyway, and I'm not afraid! As Christians, our last breath here, is our first breath there, but obviously, He is trying to teach me something and I can be a bit mule headed? Some times it just takes me a bit longer. So, if you're having a bad day, having a bad attitude or whatever has you down, please remember that all good things come from God. He has a plan for you and doesn't want you to wander aimlessly. He wants to lead you. He loves you. He wants more for you than you currently want for yourself. He is a good, gracious, loving all powerful God who can do anything, "above all that we ask or think!" (Ephesians 3:20). God bless and have a great day!
Happy Easter! "He is risen! Just as He said! Come, see where He lay!" (Matthew 28:6). I pray that our Savior will grant you peace not just today, but every day of the year! I just wanted to post a few songs that mean a lot to me. They speak of His grace, His sacrifice, and that He is Risen! God is Alive in Me! So, how could He be dead? It's all because of You Jesus, that I live! Not just in this present darkness of the world where good and evil exist, but as a Saint, my Spirit already resides with You in heavenly places! (Ephesians 2:6). We were chosen before the foundation of the world to be Holy and blameless in Him! (Ephesians 1:4). Jesus went through unbelievable suffering for us. He took the sins of every man, woman and child who would ever live, past, present and future, when He was crucified. It is through Him, and only through Him, that we have forgiveness of our sins. God bless you all on this most special day! Jesus is Risen! He is Alive in all of us! And all who are not saved? They have a Jesus shaped hole in their hearts, that only He can fill! Let us commit to praying for the lost people in this world and in our daily lives. I pray we will all be bold enough to say what we believe! Help us to not be hidden, but out in plain sight Lord!
Alive! Alive! He Is Alive!
What Jesus did for us, is such a Scandal of Grace!
Thank You Lord for giving us your Son!
God's Not a Myth! So, regardless of what people think, God's NOT Dead!
I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I LOVE to sing! I was in a praise team from the time I was about 16 until I was about 40. My health problems keep me from attending church, but my church has a video on Vimeo every week, so I can always watch our services a few days after they occur. I was sitting here, early in the morning, feeling a little nostalgic, singing some great songs by Sandi Patti, who became famous when they unveiled the Statue of Liberty after it was restored during "Liberty Weekend," on July 4th, 1986. This was a very special dedication because of the Centennial of Lady Liberty! President Ronald Reagan, my favorite President in my whole life, asked Sandi Patti to sing our National Anthem. I remember that the next day, she was all over the news! People were just blown away by her beautiful voice! (One time, I sang one of her songs in church as a song offering before the message and when I sat down, one of the other ladies that I was in the choir with, who also had a truly beautiful voice, leaned over from behind us in our pew and said, "Nice job Sandi!" I will always treasure her comment! It was the nicest compliment I ever received after singing in church. It made me feel very special. I had such a great ability to sound like her! It was really cool. I don't sound as good today as I did then, but I still love to give the old pipes a good work out! Praising God is my thing! I just love to sing praises to Him each day! I start the morning with "Beautiful Day" by Jamie Grace. My I-tunes account is so full I have hours and hours of music to listen to! Matthew West to Michael W. Smith, who I have listened to for 30 years now, I love them all! Such great talent! I just feel like celebrating! Tonight I was listening and singing along to some of her songs and when I heard this one, I started to cry. One of the lines is "Oh my heart's been burning, my soul's been yearning, sometimes I can't hardly wait, for that sweet, sweet someday, when I'll be swept away, to another time, another place." It's kind of hard to sing when you're weeping though!
I'd like to give a special shout out to those of you in the Ukraine! God bless all of you and may your country find a way to have peace! I pray for you all daily, everyone who reads this blog! God knows who you are, even if I don't! May you be richly blessed as you watch this video! We are "expectant" now, with all that is going on in this world, and I can't wait to see Him, in all of His Glory when He calls us home with a shout, "Come up hither!" We will hear the sound of a Shofar (trumpet) and we will be changed in an instant and meet the Lord in the air. And ever after, we shall be with the Lord! So start looking up! For our redemption draweth nigh!
A tiny town of about 2,000. Only 8 eateries there. A news station walks through the door and puts a 21 year old partner in a pizzeria business on the spot. It's a Christian owned and run business. Crystal O'Connor tells the TV reporter that they'll serve anyone who comes through their doors, but then tells the reporter that if someone comes in and asks them to cater a gay wedding, that they would have to tell them no because of their faith. The angry death threats start an hour or two later. Phone won't stop ringing. A girls golf coach in a neighboring town in Indiana tweets "Who will help me burn Memories Pizza to the ground?" She's now been suspended, but let's face it, she's not going to lose her livelihood, but she wants a Christian run business to lose theirs. Dana Loesch interviews this 21 year old woman, and surprises her with a GoFundMe account set up to help Memories Pizza in Walkerton, Indiana, because they've had to close their doors due to this totally unwarranted, idiotic mess. There is quite a lot of money in that account now and it just keeps growing! The support has been tremendous! We've all seen other Christian run businesses in recent months being shut down by the heavy anti-discriminatory fines of their state for telling gay couples they won't provide photography, cakes or flowers for their same sex weddings. You know, they may have lost everything because of it, but their reward in heaven will be great because they stood on the promises of God, rather than denying their faith and their moral principles!
After major blow back by the LGBT communities in Indiana, the RFRA law passed there had to be "tweaked" to make everyone happy, when all it did was give Christian owned business recourse to fight the allegations of discrimination in court. The law, as it now stands, protects these groups from discrimination but now goes nowhere for the Christian business owners, whom the law was meant to protect. It would've been better if they hadn't passed any legislation at all at this point. We just saw 147 students at a Kenyan university be killed because of their Christian faith yesterday. ISIS has been beheading Christians, crucifying them, forcing them to convert or die in Syria and Iraq. My question? How is this any different? When you kill a Christian run business, you are killing a person! The Supreme Court has said that Corporations are PEOPLE! When will these people, who are pushing Christian businesses into fines so huge that they have to close their doors, be prosecuted themselves for this phony 'anti-gay' mayhem? One Gay Group in the Western US is demanding that churches who follow the bible lose their 501(c)3 tax exempt status! Let's face it. We now have a different version of ISIS in our country! In the Supreme Court decision in the Hobby Lobby case, it was determined that a corporation is a "person" or "people," and thus has the right to fight something that the government has ordered them do to, based on their first amendment right of 'Freedom of Religion." Hobby Lobby was fighting the provision in Obama Care that demands all businesses in the United States provide all kinds of different birth control to their employees. Hobby Lobby was providing birth control to their employees but had a problem with just four forms of birth control that could kill an embryo. They won the case based on the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, signed into law by then President Bill Clinton. I want to thank each and every person who donated money to Memories Pizza. I think the Christians in this country, on the verge of the Holiest day of the year besides Christmas, decided "ENOUGH!" Honestly, how is it that these gay rights groups can scream "tolerance," and then turn around and be so "intolerant" of Christians and their businesses? It's time we stood up to be counted! Protect religious freedom! If we all donate just one dollar, this family will be set up for life! So far, at the moment this post is Tweeted, $815,811.00 has been raised for this family, who had to close their doors due to the phony agenda of the left who hate all Christians!
Let's support Memories Pizza! Let's make a lasting impression on these people that we are American's too and we aren't going anywhere!
I just saw Kirk Cameron's latest movie, "Mercy Rule," and somewhere in the movie, the kid who is narrating it says something about what he does in life. Trying harder, being stupid and learning from all of it. It's the same for all of us. It's really a shame that I didn't have a good family foundation of faith, or maybe I would've found it before I nearly destroyed myself. But at that place, where I'd lost all hope, Jesus came and salved my wounds, traded joy for my mourning and gave me a much sunnier disposition. Then, I started trying harder instead of being stupid and began learning from all of my mistakes. Truth is? I still try hard, I still act stupid and yes, I always learn from it! This Sunday, we all have a chance to go back in time and learn about Jesus, His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. The series "A.D. The Bible Continues," co-produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, starts with the trial, scourging, crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, please, set your DVR's and don't miss this wonderful series! I know some think that Burnett and Downey take a little bit of creative license, but I think it's based on every biblical commentary ever written as well as historical facts. I think that this series is going to open a lot of eyes! We are about to see the end of the "dispensation of grace," and be taken home to heaven, by Jesus Himself, who will descend from heaven with a shout and the blow of the shofar, (trumpet) and ever after, we shall be with Him in heaven! (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). Isn't that a millisecond elevator ride you want to take? I can't wait! We will see the 3rd blood moon on April 4th, the day before Easter! Coincidence? I think not! In Genesis, God said that the sky would be a sign for seasons and days, etc. It's God's billboard! He is screaming for us to be ready, but most Christians are still slumbering. John Hagee of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas who wrote the book "The Four Blood Moons," makes it plain. Let me paraphrase what he said. "If we are not looking up in expectation of His coming, we won't be going with Him." Time to WAKE UP! Jesus is coming very soon! All the signs have occurred! Time is running out. It's time to get right with God and start looking up in expectation of His return! It really is very simple. We're the ones who make it complicated. It doesn't matter what you've done, He still loves you! He died on a cross at Calvary FOR YOU! He died for all of us so that we wouldn't have to face an eternity separated from God! Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to me. All Christians want for Him to be the best thing that ever happened to you too! This is just what we believe! So please watch this Easter Sunday? Give Jesus a chance. He won't bite, nor will He appear in your living room with judgmental words about your life. He doesn't care about your past, He cares about your future and whether it means an eternity separated from Him in a "blazing furnace where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth," (Matthew 13:42), or an eternity in Heaven with Him! Jesus loves you and so do I. Please, watch this series? Try harder, go ahead and be stupid, but please learn from Him what you need to learn in order to be with us in heaven some day. This would be a great start! So please, set your DVR to record the series and find out what it was like for Jesus to suffer and all the things that came upon His disciples afterwards. Wouldn't you rather have a life full of belief, grace and peace instead of guilt, fear and a spirit of being condemned? The bible says, "Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1). All you must do is trust that He is the Son of God, that He came, that He taught, that He was murdered by the Romans on a wooden cross at Calvary, that He was buried and resurrected on the third day! So simple! Just trust in someone bigger than yourself! It will lighten your load, and free you in a way you've never thought you could be! Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." (John 14:6). He also said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!" (John 8:32). And Jesus IS the truth!
