Grace Is Amazing!

I was on Twitter earlier today and saw a photo that someone had posted to remind me of a particular scripture. Paul had asked God to remove a "thorn in his side," three times and God responded to his request. "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (2 Corinthians 12:9).

We all go through struggles in life. Sometimes even more so after we are saved. Jesus explained the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. He said that the seeds that fell on the path were those whose belief was snatched away by the devil. The seeds that fell on the rocky path that grew up and were withered by the sun explains those who accept Jesus with joy, but fall away very quickly because they don't have roots dcep enough to get them through the troubles and persecution that comes with their belief. The seeds that fell among the thorns refers to those who believe, but the troubles and worries of this life along with greed and materialism chokes out their beliefs. And the seeds that fell upon the good soil, refers to those who got saved and began their journey, reading the bible and growing stronger in Christ by the minute. These are those who never give in or give out, and keep trusting in Christ, growing in His strength daily, no matter what befalls them.

I was the seed that fell along the rocky path. I lived with abuse, both verbal and physical and due to my parents fighting constantly and never saying, "I love you," my brother and I were very insecure. I was 10 when a neighbor who babysat me after school led me to Jesus Christ. I still remember saying the sinners prayer and feeling like a huge boulder had been lifted off of my 10 year old shoulders. I did fall away, but it was due to confusion. I remember feeling very dejected. I didn't have many friends, and I felt very alone. I was also very emotional, trusting only my feelings and that can be deadly to your faith!

A friend from Jr. High asked me to come to church with her. I stopped after awhile, but then a friend from High School asked me to come back to the same church! I was baptized and went to summer camp at Hume Lake my Sophomore year. I played piano and was caught by the band booked for that week, playing "Desperado" by The Eagles and was asked to play it during our service that evening! What a great time! Later in life, another church went to that same camp, only during the winter. It was a ladies retreat. Boy, did that ever bring back memories! Barbara Johnson, the "Stick a Geranium in your Hat and Be Happy," lady, was our speaker for the retreat and she was so funny, I couldn't stop laughing! 

There have been many times when I fell away from God. But there have also been mountain peaks. "Peaks and Valley's" as they are called. Just this week, I prayed that the Holy Spirit would keep me honest and remind me of my sins when I commit them so I can stay right with the Lord. Whether it's complaining about being on hold for too long with my RA Doc's office, or my cat getting under my feet, I'm still human, and I will always fail. I can never be perfect, because none of us here on this earth can escape the sin of the Garden of Eden. To think you can, is a death sentence. Not believing that there is a God, and that Jesus died for our sins, leads to permanent separation from God after you die. If you don't believe, you spend eternity in a horrible place where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth!" (Luke 13:28). I know where I'm going. Jesus is my rock. I love Him with all my heart, soul, and mind, and will never cease to praise Him. My health may be failing, and I have not yet received healing, but I will never stop praising God. I will never stop trusting Him. I will never stop loving Him. He is my everything. I may be pretty alone in what I go through on a day to day basis, but then, I'm never really alone, because Jesus is always with me! 

There have been times when God has reached out and helped me with some of the worst things imaginable. My oldest daughter was diagnosed at 18 months with Wilms Tumor. She was stage three and then she relapsed, making her stage four. She is now 26, and it's just amazing that she is here at all! She graduated from college this year and is now working at a great job and earning a salary higher than I've ever earned! My oldest son went through three tours of duty with the Army. He made it home all three times without injury. Every day that he was in theatre, I prayed for him. God answered faithfully every time! My youngest son is doing very well for himself. He's still working for the same company he started with when he was just 16! They keep giving him more and more responsibility. My youngest daughter works very hard, and keeps moving up the ladder at her 2nd job as well. I am so very proud of all of my kids because they are the best thing I have ever done. They all work, pay their taxes and they are all Christians. They may not walk as closely with God, but they are young. I didn't walk as closely with God at that time in life either, but I have trusted God with them all their lives. I pray for them a lot, but you have to let go and trust God with them at a certain point, and He has not disappointed me. I feel very blessed. God has answered my prayers in the most amazing way and I don't see Him stopping any time soon. Just the other day, I didn't think I was strong enough to make it through the lobby of my doctor's office for a blood test, but I toughed it out and I made it! "For His strength is made perfect in weakness." I lived that scripture just last week! It's really true!!!!!!!

So if I have to suffer a bit on my way down the home stretch, that's okay. I know God is working in my children's lives because I've asked Him to! That is how much I have come to depend on Christ. "To live is Christ, to die is gain!" (Philippians 4:21). I've also come to learn that nothing is impossible with God! (Luke 1:37). I have to face the Giants in my life and lean on Him for strength. I know that God is not done with me yet. He may have a few more miracles up His sleeve for me, but I have to trust, not look back and just keep truckin!

My mom was pretty abusive to us while we were growing up and I worried that if she died, she would not go to heaven. She got ill in May 2009 and went through three rounds of chemo. The third round caused severe infection. I prayed for her almost every day during her last seven months on earth and three days before her death, I got a phone call. I spoke to her and after hanging up, God didn't just give me the day she would go home, He wrapped me up in what I can only describe as a blanket of "peace that surpasses all understanding," and I heard "It's okay. She's mine." That feeling of peace was gone as quickly as it had come. I knew it was Jesus! I knew she had trusted Christ as her savior as a young girl and that a Chaplain was visiting her bedside as she was dying. I know she must've gotten right with God because that peaceful moment that was indescribable came at just the right moment! God's timing? Well, if you know anything about it, you know His timing is ALWAYS PERFECT! 

There are things happening in the world right at this very moment, that line up perfectly with last days prophecy! Jesus could come to get us at any moment! Please, don't miss your chance? Ask forgiveness and start reading the Word or re-dedicate yourself to Him if you've fallen away? If you go back to church, make sure to lean on God to show you if the preacher is a false teacher. Jesus warned we would see many false teachers in the end days. Paul said that there would be a great delusion that would come upon the earth and I can already see the "lawless one" at work! (2 Thessalonians 9-11). If you see people in denial? Well there's the answer! It's one of the reasons people seem completely deluded out there. The bible warns that a delusion would come upon the earth and believe me, it's already happening! More people are putting up walls than they are creating doors. They seem selfish, boorish, arrogant, rude, all the things the bible says love is not! (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). No patience, no mercy. Just raw emotion, which can lead you astray! It's the devil's #1 weapon against us! Please, don't be deceived be RELIEVED! Trust in Christ and Christ alone!

God bless you all as we near December 25th, the day that God came to us in human form, walking the earth as a man, who knew no sin, but became sin for us, so that we could become the "righteousness of God in Christ!" (2 Corinthians 12:5).I pray that you will be saved or re-dedicate yourselves to Jesus and start living only for Him! We are about to be raptured off of this planet and be in the clouds with Jesus! Honestly? I can't wait to go home! I even pray daily with hope that it will be the day that I get to shed this worn out mortal tent, receive my incorruptible body and can go home to be with the Lord Jesus! "Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord!" (Philippians 2:8-11). I'm looking forward to bowing before Him and casting the crown of life I am given, at His feet! (James 1:12). I am learning to endure to the end, so that I will receive that reward! It's all I've ever wanted! This earth IS NOT my home! Heaven is!

His grace IS sufficient for me! His Amazing Grace is so sweet! There must have been something in the water on that day in my Sophomore year. The day I was baptized into the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus has never let me go and if you trust Him? He will never let go of you either!

Stars In The Sky

I've never studied astronomy. I love looking at the stars of course but I've never undertaken a study of the galaxy, at least, not until very recently.

My interest was piqued when I was watching a movie made by Lionsgate. There was a picture, but it was like a trapezoid picture made by the stars? I know it's highly related to mathematics, which I've never been good at, but one night, my curiosity got the better of me and I read a NASA article regarding pictures made by connecting the dots from one star to another, and as the article mentioned the Big and Little Dippers, God hit me upside the head and I just said WOW!

Here's my quick point: Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. He asked her for a drink and she got all up in his face! She didn't know who Jesus was or what He was about, she only knew that Jews did not associate with Samaritans. But what was so amazing is what Jesus said to her in John 4:14. He said, "But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

As I read that NASA article, where it mentioned the Big and Little Dippers, suddenly, this particular story from the bible just jumped into my head! I suddenly realized that when you draw water from a well, it is usually in a bucket, but one must have a ladle if they intend to drink the water from the well! The Big and Little Dippers, placed in the night sky by God Himself, were supposed to be a reminder of the "living water," Jesus spoke of!

How awesome is our God? Pretty darn AWESOME! I will never forget that moment. It came at a time of pain, illness and frustration and I really needed to see what God wanted me to see. And boy, did I ever!

I will never look at the Big or Little Dippers in the way I used to look at them. It's basically God the father, (The Big Dipper) and Jesus the Son who died to take away the sins of the world! (The Little Dipper). Now there wouldn't be a third dipper would there? The Holy Spirit is never seen! Pretty cool huh?

Next time you are star gazing, please tell God how thankful you are for His promises to bring you through the roughest times, the worst times, pain, illness, etc., because when you really stop to think about it? We're really just pilgrims passing through!

I think that God placed these stars in the sky, just so, so that we would remember that this world is not our home. Heaven is! 

Come to Jesus!

I was diagnosed earlier this year with Type II Diabetes. Last Wednesday I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. My thyroid has been messed up with nodules since Dec 2011. In addition, I was born with a spinal birth defect which causes tons of spinal pain, and as I've learned from my Chiropractor, the health of the spine has a great deal to do with your overall health. I'm in so much pain on a daily basis that I've now become a shut in. Some days are better than others, but its a battle every day. But God is helping me find humor through the pain. I hadn't left my house in over 3 months and last Wednesday on the way to the doctor's office, I realized as I drove down one particular street, that they had raised the speed limit from 35 t0 40. I said inwardly..."You might know you're a shut in if the next time you actually leave your house, they've changed the speed limit, built new buildings, torn down others, etc., I mean, I could do this one all day!

I'm also a bi-polar, so depression is a part of it, but no matter how bad things get, God always has this way of pulling me up from my "depths of despair" to teach me something wonderful! This last weekend, He did just that! I had suddenly become intrigued that a trapezoid could make a picture of an animal in the stars, so I looked it up. In the NASA article I read they mentioned the Big and Little Dippers. Suddenly, I felt like a brick had hit me in the face! It was one of those WOW moments! (Like WOW I may feel half dead, but I'M STILL LEARNING STUFF! AWESOME)! 

Let me explain it this way: When Jesus met the woman at the well, He asked her for a drink and got a pretty nasty answer. He told her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water." Then she asked Jesus, "Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?" Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them, will never thirst. Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:10-13).

All of a sudden, I realized the reason God gave us those stars that form ladles in the sky. I believe they are there to remind Christians that Jesus is the living water! Ladles are also used to scoop soup, stew, etc., so they also represent the red meat of the Word of God! It may sound kind of bizarre but science has never been my strong suit, so when I saw the Dippers mentioned, it suddenly hit me that a ladle is needed to lift water out of the bucket from a "well!" WOW! I think my faith grew 3x that night! I was thinking about John Hagee calling the sun, moon and stars, "God's Billboard." When it hit me what the dippers in the sky mean it was a true WOW moment! I mean, how cool is that? I'm sure others have thought of it before, which makes me feel slow, but I've always been a bit slow, especially emotionally due to traumatic events in my childhood, but God has me on HIS clock!

The dippers in the sky go directly with this scripture! We as Christians, will never thirst again! I had never looked at them in that way. No wonder Paul said "Men are without excuse." His glory is all around us, especially in the sky! Even Jesus said there would be signs in the "sun, moon and stars," that would be a sign of his coming! I believe that God put the Dippers in the stars to show us His love and to remind us that we will have a spring of living water bursting from inside of us as He promised we would. A Spring of water welling up to eternal life!

The one most valuable lesson I have learned as a Christian, is that when you put God in the center of your life? Everything else tends to come together, no matter the pain, the hurt or what it is you are going through. He's never left my side just like He'll never yours.

Please Come to Jesus? He is waiting for you! He is knocking on the door of your heart if you are for some miraculous reason reading this post! Tell Him your secrets, your sins and ask for forgiveness every day! I promise you, the only thing that will change is that you'll wind up in heaven instead of hell and Jesus? Well, He'll become your best friend! But watch out for the devil because he will try everything he can to derail the plans God has for you! Jesus loves us and He is trying to protect us, mostly from ourselves. We are the only ones who can choose to believe, or not to believe, so please choose Life?

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believeth in Him, would not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16).

Local Sheriffs Deputies Lost to Evil

On Friday, Deputy Michael David Davis, Jr. of the Placer County Sheriffs Department and Deputy Danny Oliver of the Sacramento Sheriffs Department were both shot and killed by two suspects. Both officers were responding to calls about the suspects when they were shot and killed by the male suspect, who gave his name as Marquez. He had a female companion and she is also in custody. Marquez is an illegal alien who has been deported by the United States twice!!!!!! The name he gave officers "Marquez" isn't even his real name. His fingerprints came up in the Immigration and Custom's Service data base with a completely different name and history. He has a lot of crime in his past and on Friday when someone at the Motel 6 in Sacramento called to report a suspicious vehicle in their parking lot. Deputy Oliver and his partner were sent to the scene, where Marquez fired at Officer Oliver and his partner. Oliver was struck in the face with the blow of a shotgun and later died.

After this, the suspect and his companion, a woman, went on a car jacking spree. First a Mustang, and after dumping that car, they tried to car jack another man who refused to give them his keys. Marquez shot him in the face, but after surgeries yesterday, he is expected to make a full recovery as is one other Deputy who was wounded. Next Marquez and his companion found a man with a red F-150 and asked the driver for a favor. He was also Mexican in descent, so he asked Marquez "What do you need? Do you need money?" Marquez said he needed the truck and even helped the man unhitch the trailer from the truck so that the owner of the truck could continue to work as he told the suspect. Marquez told him "Don't call the cops right away." The man of course, immediately called police. The F-150 was then spotted by Deputy Michael Davis, Jr. and his partner, Deputy Jeff Davis, no relation. 42 year old Deputy Davis was shot and killed by the suspect when they caught up to him in Auburn.  

It's always sad to lose a member of the law enforcement community, but this loss is particularly sad because twenty six years ago to the day, Deputy Michael Davis's father, Riverside County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Davis Sr., went down in a helicopter crash while working with a drug enforcement task force. The accident occurred when the helicopter struck a power line and went down. All aboard were killed including Deputy Davis's father. He was just 16 years old. While I'm sure his wife, kids, siblings and his mother never expected this to happen, I'm sure Davis and members of his family were thinking of his dad on Friday. How bizarre is it that he and his dad died on the exact same day of the year 26 years apart? Also, how cruel that he would have been 43 this week? This must be horrific for both families. Deputy Danny Oliver of the Sacramento Sheriffs Department leaves a wife and two children and Deputy Davis leaves a wife and four children.  

Please pray for these Officer's families at this time and please say a prayer for all law enforcement and for all of our military members. Since ISIS pushed it's intifada against law enforcement and our military, more and more incidences of attacks by lone wolf terrorists are occurring as we just saw last week, so please lift them up in your prayers. 

It is said of Davis that he had a "golden heart." The shrines in Sacramento and Placer County are growing out of respect and true grief. Many people who knew Davis and Oliver say they were both wonderful father's, husbands and Deputy's. It is truly sad to hear of this incident and I have been praying for their families since this occurred on Friday. I cannot imagine their heartbreak. I cannot even think about the kind of pain they must be feeling.

There will be no peace on earth until Jesus comes to rule and reign for 1,000 years. I pray that these two Deputies are livin' it up with Jesus right now. The lone processionals of both Deputy's hearses's on the freeway's here yesterday were very somber. Roseville Fire Department gave a lovely tribute to Deputy Davis by way of a ladder truck on an overpass with a huge American flag hanging down as the processional passed.

It was a tribute fitting for two such brave souls who tried to keep us safe during their 15 year careers. God bless them, their families, their friends and fellow Deputies, and all of law enforcement. Next time you see a cop car, please pray for the men/women inside? And the next time you meet a member of law enforcement or our military, please thank them for their service and pray for them, that God would put a special hedge of protection around all of them and keep them safe. They need our prayers now more than ever. 

May God Bless these Deputies and their families with a peace that surpasses all understanding. May justice be served against this perpetrator and his companion to the fullest extent of the law. May God forgive them for what they have done and may He hold both families close to Himself at this time.

Persecution of the Church: In Texas?

Just last week, the City of Houston, Texas subpoenaed 5 local Pastors and told them to turn over all sermons having to do with homosexuality or gender issues. Why? Because of Houston's Mayor Annise Parker. She is openly gay and is pro gay rights. These five Pastor's have made her life a bit difficult of late and she is using her power to intimidate them in what is basically just one more attack on religious freedom in a Nation founded on Judeo Christian values. 

In June, the Houston City Council passed an ordinance allowing their transgendered population  to walk into any public bathroom in town. If the bathroom is a single use, one at a time type of bathroom, no big deal, but a public restroom, say in a restaurant where a man could walk in, possibly exposing himself in front of women and possibly young girls? THAT, I WOULD HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH! Well, many Houston residents agreed with that train of thought so they did exactly what is called for in a situation like this. They put together a petition to get the ordinance put on the ballot in November so that all the citizen's of Houston could vote on the matter, but because Parker knew she would lose that vote, the certification of the 55,000 signatures collected were decertified. 

Those who had gathered the signatures hired a lawyer and sued. Parker responded by intimidating these Pastors through discovery which is absolutely shameful! Instead of a normal discovery process they asked for all sermons, emails, etc., that had to do with anything about homosexuality or gender issues, proving it was a political move. If you're smart you ask for everything, not just the sermons on homosexuality! I think it's the blatant subtlety of it all that infuriates me. The liberal left has watched our President get away with lawless act after lawless act, which has obviously emboldened them, so it's an "in your face," fight between Parker and the Pastors, but she's going to lose. All they wanted is to have the ordinance voted on by the citizens of Houston but instead Parker is using her power to intimidate these Pastor's and frankly? If I lived in Houston? I would be helping whoever mounted a RECALL campaign against her! Not because she's gay, but because she is using the power of her office to openly and shamelessly intimidate these Pastors! She needs to LOSE HER JOB! 

When it's all said and done, this case will end up in an appeals court, possibly the Texas State Supreme Court and possibly all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States who has a habit of upholding the first amendment, so it was really stupid of Parker to start a fight with Christians on this matter. Even if she loses, which she is very likely going to do, she'll move on and bother someone else. Some people aren't happy unless they're fighting with someone?

Every other religion but Christianity has their rights intact. It's only those of us who believe in Jesus Christ that are persecuted anymore. But Jesus himself said,"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." (John 15:18).

As for the response coming from the Pulpits of America, this particular Pastor really got my attention. Not only did I get a bit of a history lesson on the Baptists and where they come from, but I was very impressed with his entire message. It's making quite the stir out there as well, so if you haven't already seen it, take the time to listen to what he has to say. It's a great message and it needs to make the rounds, far and wide so don't forget to Tweet this post or share it with your FaceBook friends! 

Meet Dr. Randy White, the Pastor of First Baptist Church in Katy Texas. Enjoy the message, please take it to heart and then share it with your friends and especially those you love. We need to pray for our leaders, that God touches their hearts and leads them back to the way everlasting. We need to pray for the Pastor's in our country as well, and for the Church and for America. We have eroded into something not even I recognize anymore.

Jesus is coming soon! Even so ~ Maranatha!