Happy New Year!

I love this post.

Christmas Miracle

Last night I heard the analogy about our own personal Christmas day.

You know...

The day that Jesus was born in YOUR heart.

Isn't that so neat?

Have you invited Him in yet?

Tell Him you need Him and He'll gladly come to your side. Ask Him to forgive you and your sins will be washed away. He loves you. Make today be your first personal Christmas.

Amazing what a new bible will do!

I got me a new bible!!!

It was sort of a celebration purchase since God returned our check to us. I am still in awe with thanks for that whole thing.

Anyway, what Bible did I get?


This One

Just a regular ol bible.

I'm so happy with it. I've been marking it up like crazy & making it my own. I'm highlighting certain things like I've done with my past bibles. Like: Blue =Salvation, Orange = Prayers, Yellow=Praise, etc. I've always been an underliner in all of my bibles.

SO, I'm just working through the psalms, proverbs & the new testament for awhile. Proverbs I'm just doing "the day" that corresponds to the chapter. As for psalms and the new testament I have just started at the beginning. So far I've just done about a chapter or so of each each day. They are usually pretty short so it's been working out perfectly.

I'm so happy to have a bible that works for me again!!

Prayer Request

If you are willing to lift a situation up for us, we would be very appreciative.

Somehow our rent has been lost in the mail. Our landlord called on Monday & asked if there was a problem since he hadn't received our rent & we've always been punctual. Well, we have been hounding heaven since then for our money orders (yes, no stop payment or refund here) to show up either at our home or his P O Box.

My husband lost the receipt & we paid cash for the money order (which means there is NO record.) We told our landlord if it didn't show by today that we would go ahead and pay him rent again. We were REALLY hoping it would show. But, so far - no.

If you are able could you please just lift our situation up before the Lord.

Thank you faithful ones.
God bless you.

Still in 2nd Kings?

As you may have noticed, I'm having Bible issues. There are a lot of excuses reasons why. Part of it has to do with the fact that I don't really like my bible that I was SO happy about before. It's falling apart (which is not uncommon for my bibles to do, but it seemed to happen way too quick) so it's a pain to read. I've found since I've been pregnant I haven't wanted to read anything for some reason - my attention span has been seriously lacking. And, on and on.

Really I am reading daily. Just slowly and I've been doing some jumping around in my study as well, which messes up my "tracking" of where I'm at in the Bible.

I'm hoping actually to buy a new Bible soon. I am going to go back to my old style of the compact type and not hard bound. It's so much easier to tote it around & snuggle up to read. I miss that.

I just wanted to assure you that God is still speaking to me.

Oh and I am still working on memorizing Psalm 91. No one has really challenged me & I keep forgetting to work on it. But, little by little I have been hiding God's word in my heart.

Good video series...

These are about some of the roots that music of this age is all about...

***They Sold Their Souls For Rock and Roll:
this is part one
You will need plenty of time to watch this, but it is really good! After you watch part one, just click on part two. Tells a bit of history from Elvis on in up to Santana. Very eye opening!

The Truth About Hip Hop:
Here you go
This one is more of a sermon, but it's interesting. It's almost two hours. Hang with it, because it gets really interesting when he reveals specific people & clothing lines.

***Edited to say:
Not for children's eyes!
I completely forgot to mention this. I would recommend adults only watch the Rock & Roll one. My only exception would be if you happen to have a young adult who is wayward & really into music, etc. This video is VERY eye opening!!

Memorizing Scripture

You all have been so sweet with all the comments! I just want to say thank you for making me feel like I'm not alone when I go into "veg mode" from thinking too much or whatever it is that causes it. :-)

In the meantime I've decided to memorize some scripture. Actually a whole psalm. I did it once before and it blessed me beyond what I knew it would. I saw (and still see) that piece of scripture in such a new light. Last time I memorized Psalm 19. This time I am working on Psalm 91. So far I only have the first verse memorized. It takes a lot of effort for me to memorize things. I actually challenged my family to see who could do it first, but I'm nervous that they will out do me since they (my husband & son) are so sharp. I'm the only one practicing aloud so far. I think I may take some time to work with my son, but he picks up so quickly he'll get it much faster than I.

Any one else up for the challenge?

I'm memorizing it in NKJV because it just always seems strange to talk to someone else in the King James Version. Like if the scripture comes to mind when I'm trying to encourage a new convert and I bust out some "thees and thous" it just feels funny. Maybe it's because I've used the NKJ most of my walk with God. I prefer the KJV, but memorizing just works best for me to be in NKJ. You can memorize whatever works for you if you'd like to join me of course.

Here's the NKJV Psalm I'm working on.

Psalm 91
Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a]
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

Connecting

Yesterday I wrote something on my homeschool blog that had me up in the middle of the night convicted to my core. My son & I had a life (and heart) changing conversation, one that could alter his entire walk with God. And, yet as I wrote about it I was more concerned with "the schedule" of our curriculum than I was about the Spirit of God moving in my midst!

There is nothing more important than souls. Nothing. My children's soul is especially important to me. If I put more emphasis on all that I have to do, instead of being attentive to the the spiritual state of affairs around me, I have failed as a servant of the Most High God.

Are we here to serve God or is He here to give us what we want? The question will be answered in our prayers. Are we constantly asking Him for things or are we surrendered on a regular basis, telling Him that we will do anything He asks? (whatever the cost)

If it is the first, we may want to check out our priorities. Check your thought life. Are you constantly thinking only on what needs to be done, or have you set your mind upon the One who will direct you?

Connection is key. We must be connected with God through prayer. As you go about your day, be sure you have the peace of God which is a good sign that you are doing what He has called you to be doing. And lastly, live a life of full forgiveness by being connected with others. We are called to love. Is your heart set free from bitterness? Are you humbled in the way you treat others? Do you seek to correct your part of the problem before blaming?

You may have chaos all around. (those of us with kids understand) But, somehow you must be willing to silence your mind, to be still enough to hear and be aware of the voice of God. As His sheep, we need to listen. And we need to obey.

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

"Help, I've fallen & I can't get up"

Remember that commercial?

This morning I woke up and felt that way. Stuck. I told God I couldn't move. It was all the burdens around me holding me. Another busy day, with no letting up tomorrow or Saturday. Then of course as I begin to try to focus on just today, thoughts of the holidays and baby and on and on flooded my mind. I continued in prayer, praying specifically for baby as I felt this immobilizing stress. I prayed for baby's peace in the midst of my turmoil. Eventually I called my sweet husband again, asked him to pray for me. He helped me to get a move on my day.

I said all this, because this video is what God sent my way this morning. A MUST SEE! Do click on some of his other videos too. There is one about how he goes about his daily functions and it's just amazing. What is the most amazing is the GLORY he has given to God in the midst of it all.

After I got over my shame, he gave me just a little more strength to face these (small) giants in front of me.

Now, go watch the video.

God is so faithful!

I had one of those tough days yesterday where I was struggling to get the day done. Seemed like everything came at me all at once & the harder I tried to keep going the harder it was. I went to bed praying against the hopeless feeling I had about today. I had the haunting thought that today was going to be just as hard and I was not looking forward to another day like that. Well, I was awake a lot last night, thinking still on how hard I was thinking today was going to be - the long list of to do's and how tired I was sure I was going to be (since I wasn't sleeping!). And woke up, even more discouraged as I had left dishes in the sink, so we had no clean cups, we were out of water (a big necessity for me right now) and a few other things. But, I continued in prayer. I asked my husband to pray for me and he did.

I'm telling all of this to give a victory report on how God has paved a path for this day!! It is 10:30am and I'm almost done with our ironing for Church tonight (that is a huge deal for me!) and I got my dishes started, PLUS we're almost done with school! YES!!!! God is so faithful. My to do list doesn't seem as overwhelming & my hope for today is renewed.

I am so very thankful for the Lord's help in our time of need.
(He is God of the little things too)

Near Death Experiences

The other night we watched a documentary type movie on people who had had "near death experiences." I had seen this one before (it's free online - you have to scroll down to where it says To Hell and Back), which was pretty good. But this one we watched the other night was GREAT! It was called The Lazarus Phenomenon. Here's a list of true experiences, including this one of an African pastor who was resurrected after three days, which was in the movie. If you scroll down on his page, you will see a link to the movie. There was another account VERY similar to one that was in the Hell and Back movie. Similar in that they both did not know anything more about Christianity than the Lord's prayer, yet experienced the love of God beyond comprehension. For each of these accounts it had been years since it happened, but as they spoke about meeting Jesus, tears ran down their faces. I walked away from this movie with brand new eyes. Not only about being humble enough to live a life of FULL forgiveness, but with a new vision of heaven!

I can't wait to go!!!
Will we see you there?

On my mind...

Pray without ceasing.

Isn't that sentence a lot to take in? Then, applying it to your life is even harder. Recently God has been placing that scripture in my mind all the time. Reminding me that my life, every thought, every action, every second of it should be surrendered to the Lord. Especially when life seems hard. Especially when my hormones are raging and it takes everything I have to not blow up or break down. These are the times when I need to keep my every single moment in His hands. Life changes when you willingly put each situation that you face before His throne. All of a sudden I find myself being Spirit filled instead of reacting from my own flesh. Instead of thinking on how I think life should be, or what I should do, I give it all to God.

Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

My peace I give unto you.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. NOTHING. Should take away our peace as Christians. We have the Holy Spirit within us to comfort us. No matter what trial, problems, or issue going on outside of us should affect us inside. People may talk bad about you. Maybe you're not happy because of a situation going on. You may be wishing things were different. They are not. When we have a bad attitude it is only because we want something other than God's will for our lives. Meaning, we are so caught up in what we think SHOULD be happening that we miss out on peace. Of knowing that what is happening is what God has allowed for our good. Yes, it is hard to take. But, the truth is God is a good God. It is when we are unwilling to accept the situation in front of us, that we loose the precious peace from Heaven. Peace. The peace of God, which passeth all understanding! It is beyond comprehension. Do you have it? That blessed peace that only the children of God do? If not, you need to repent of self will. Repent for not believing and trusting that God's heart toward you is a heart of good. He has allowed this circumstance to be for you, to grow and mature. Be willing to yield to God. And when you do, the oh so glorious peace that God gives his own will fill you beyond comprehension. Won't you receive it today?


Psalms 62:5 ~ My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.

Bible Reading

Picture from:
http://www.christart.com/
I picked this picture because it reminds me of my daily time with God. I always have my Bible & Coffee with me. ;o)




Yay! I finally made it through Exodus. This is only "officially" my 2nd time through the Bible. I may have read more, but I didn't really start reading from start to finish for awhile after I got saved. I used to just sort of pick it up, maybe read through a book, maybe just read a chapter here or there. But, it's so nice to really "SEE" the Bible unfold. And, it's amazing God really does speak to you while you read about how the Tabernacle was built, etc.

One piece of advice I would give to anyone just starting out to read the Bible is JUST DO IT. I realized part of why I would skip around so much is because I would have questions about the Bible or about God as I was reading & I didn't have the answer, so I would quit. What I do now (and now I have faith that God really DOES answer your questions you have), but if I'm really stuck in an area and I just can't get past a question, I will go into psalms for a little while until I am ready to go back to my same spot in the Bible. I know my spot is waiting for me while I get right with God and in the meantime, I praise Him! I honestly don't find myself doing this as often as I used to. But, I had a really hard time with Job and I had a really hard time with some of the prophet times when Mama's would get so desperate they were eating their children...ewe. I still am SOO grossed out by that!! And, I have a hard time understanding. Anyway, just a suggestion that worked for me.

My husband has been leading our Bible Study in our home for over a year now. What's funny is I remember before he was doing it, I wanted him so badly to, then once he did step in to do it, I had such a hard time accepting the way he was doing it. He would just open the Bible & that's where we would read. He's gotten a little better as I have testified to him the blessing of reading from cover to cover, he's started too. Anyway, I do feel blessed, regardless of how he chooses to lead us, that I have a man who loves the Lord.

Whether you read to your children or your husband leads at night (or morning!), remember to keep them in the word!! It's easy to let this slide when things change in your household. This can easily slide as a priority, because there is always soo much to do.

But remember to read & reread God's word to your children. (And on your own!)

You will not regret the time spent!

My *New* Bible

Yay!!

Here's what I got:

My Bible

And, I'm trying out my new html code too. :-D

Anyway, I'm excited. It's a hard bound, which I'm not used to. It's also bigger than I'm used to as well. I usually go for the pocket or compact. I'll get used to it. My bible sort of becomes a part of me. I take it everywhere. I guess it's nice when you talk to someone to have your Bible to show them where a scripture is at. Or for those small moments when you're waiting in the car, to read.

I started reading in Genesis last night. So, I'm trekking through the Bible once more. :-D

By the way, I think the cover is kind of ugly. Well, it's red & green. Seems a bit boyish to me. SO, I'm going to look around for some contact paper or maybe do the old paper bag trick with some pretty paper...Can't wait! Edited: Well, I've been looking it over and it's actually rubbing off on me. It does have a pretty flowery pattern on it that I hadn't noticed. And, the burgundy is a nice color. So, I think I'm going to keep it as is. :-D

If you only knew the agony I went through over here about WHICH Bible to get next. Oh how spoiled we are, aren't we? I mean here I am saying, no I don't want THAT one, the print is too small or whatever. Just amazing the abundance we have now, isn't it?

See you later, I'm off to read...

Witnessing Website

If you've never visited this site it's worth the time to read it. You can order tracts to hand out for witnessing, but there's also a lot of worthy articles and such to read. I visit here every so often. One thing I forgot to mention when I posted about becoming a child of God, is that it's so important to let people know what God has done for you! By giving someone a tract, you can easily strike up a conversation with someone about the Lord.

Take a look yourself:
http://www.chick.com/default.asp

Have fun!

Are You Outta Your Mind?

I was up in the middle of the night last night for no other reason but that my mind was running & I couldn't get it to stop. Ugh. I was thinking about how much I cherish my place as a woman, but that I haven't been enjoying this job for awhile. This is one reason I'm happy to have this blog. It keeps my mind focused on the important issues in life.

See, our battles are waged in our minds.

We need to take control!

There is no other way to win. In this day of technology we willingly pump into our brains way too much info. Whether we're watching tv, listening to the radio or reading, we can (and very often do) keep our minds occupied. Many of us do not even stop to really think. And even more than that, do we ever stop to think about what it is that we are thinking about. This is SO important that we keep a watch on what is going on in our heads. If we don't, we could very well find ourselves in a place that we don't want to be. That is usually the place of BITTERNESS. The Bible says to beware lest a root of bitterness spring up & you fall short of the glory! This starts little by little, but eventually you find yourself filled with an icky feeling inside you and a careless attitude for those around you. I've been there & it's not a nice place to be! If we don't stop to listen to those bazillion thoughts that go through our head throughout the day, we just may let too many slip that could be dangerous in our lives. "Grr...my husband (fill in the blank here!) NEVER... or Always...blah!" It starts slowly and you may even catch yourself the first few times, but after a little while if you're not careful you may find yourself YELLING at someone in your mind. And, then it's no wonder when you get around them, either you can barely talk because you have SO much to say you're trying to be careful and you don't want to say what you're really feeling OR you spout off about everything that's been on your mind for awhile and this person honestly has No Idea what your problem is! Neither one of these says much for a healthy relationship. Now, if you would have thought reasonably in your mind, you very well could have handled this situation reasonably. So, ladies, one of the MOST feminine things we could possibly do is get a handle on our heads! We want to be women who think carefully and thoughtfully about others. We desire to uplift the situations we are in, be hopeful and loving, not rash and uptight. Am I right? This is an important duty we have. We are the KEEPERS OF OUR HOMES, we need to make sure that we can lead with LOVE. Our homes should be a place of joy, peace and comfort. We, ladies, are the ones that create that atmosphere. And it only happens by taking a hold of the thoughts that run through our mind throughout the day.

LET'S BE THOUGHTFUL TODAY!

Ephesians 4:22-24
...that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

What happens when you die?

Have you ever thought about How to get to Heaven?

Most people honestly think that being good is the way. They are not quite sure how to get there, but they hope they'll make it. Have you ever even thought about the fact that there is an afterlife? I had not. And, although no one specifically asked me what I thought about it, I would have considered myself "good enough" to go. The truth is, we are not. Not by a long shot!

In order to understand why we can't just try our hardest to be good people, then expect to go to heaven, we have to understand first who God is. Well, He is above comprehension, so let me explain the best I know how. He is perfect. He's above perfect. He made the idea of perfection. He is a great, big, grand God. Not only is He grand, but He is Righteous. He is Holy. He is completely and totally without sin. And standing beside Him, we are filthy. In fact, the Bible says all of our goodness is like filthy rags before Him. Maybe you think, well I've tried my hardest to be good, shouldn't that be enough? Remember, He is perfect. You can never be. Try as you might, you will still say something you shouldn't have or do something you really should not have done. Think for just a moment about some of the things you may have done that you would be embarrassed if anyone knew about. Well, God knows. He knows your every thought. Scary isn't it.

Add on top of that, there are things that He commanded us.

These are the 10 commandments:
1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (like umm, I don't know, Yourself maybe?)
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3.Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4.Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother.
6.Thou shalt not kill. (what about murdering with your lips?)
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Jesus went as far to say if you even THINK about it, you've already done it. Yikes!)
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9.Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (that would be LIE to all of us simple folks. :-D )
10. Thou shalt not covet. (Yeah, we live in America, there's not a one of us hasn't committed this sin!)

All of us, if we are honest, would not be able to come away from reading this to say I'm good enough! In fact, we are born with this evil nature in us. Why would God then command these things & what's going to happen to me since I'm not living up to His standard? Two very important questions to ask. God wants us to know who we are. We can start to compare ourselves with one another & think we're something special, but the truth is, we're not. We are created beings. We have full choice in our life and we don't always choose the right way. Therefore, we are not righteous. Not like God is. He created you. He has the right to give a command and expect it to be obeyed. If you made a sandwich, yet it kept hopping off your plate, wouldn't you do something about it? If it were me, I'd toss it in the garbage & call it a good for nothing sandwich. Think about it. It's not worth anything if it's not going to do it's purpose, the thing you made it to do. Well, this brings me to another characteristic of God. He is filled with long-suffering. You see, we've lost the way. We were made to be His. We were made for Him. Yet here we are living for ourselves, like we have all eternity to be here on earth. We don't. We will die. There is an end. What happens afterword is what we have to decide now.

Although God is patient, in many ways God feels the same way about us that I mentioned about the sandwich. He's long suffering, but at some point, he will be done in His patience. You see, Since He made the laws and we broke them, He will judge us according to His righteous judgement and we will never be able to live up to it. Sounds unfair? He wants perfection, yet we are not perfect. So, He made a plan. His plan is laid out in the Bible. It really needs to be read in order to fully understand. Just start at the beginning, just like a book, and read what He has to say. If you have questions, just ask Him. Be patient and He'll direct you.

You need to know, He has made a place of torment. People don't like to talk about, but it's important to know the truth. His desire is that all would come to repentance, but the truth is, not all will. Many will continue in their sin without acknowledging Him or what He's done to reach them. The Bible says it's a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, complete outer darkness for all eternity. How horrific. Yet, we do deserve it.

We were made to worship Him, yet we barely acknowledge Him. We may mention Him every so often when things are going bad (maybe we yell at Him?) but are we truly putting Him first like the first commandment states? Do we love Him? This is really what He wants. He wants to know us. He longs for us to really Know Him. He is hoping for us to tell Him our deepest desires, our hurts and above all, our devotion to Him. Maybe Your not quite sure why you should love Him. Well, let me explain what He did for YOU.

God had a plan from the moment the first humans sinned. He decided He would send His only Son (who is perfect, since He is a part of God) to die in our place. See, before Jesus came, God would forgive sins as blood was shed in repentance. He would accept blood from a lamb, etc. as an offering of repentance. When Jesus Christ came, He became the Perfect Lamb. He willingly laid down His life, so that we could be forgiven. His blood was shed for you. For your sins. Your guilt and shame. He loves you so much He died for you. If you are willing to receive Him into your life and your heart, ask Him for forgiveness, and you will be set free! Oh the joy of having your sins forgiven by your Creator! It is the most wonderful, amazing thing. Only those who have experienced it understand. Yet, some will never. Some will walk away. Are you willing to open your heart, to allow God access into the deeper areas that no one has gone before. He really does love you beyond comprehension. Let Him save you from the place of torment He has planned for those who are unwilling to repent. Be willing to love Him. To know Him. He is listening to Your heart.

Will you pray with me?
God, I thank You for drawing me to Yourself so that I can be set free. I believe Jesus Christ died for me. For my sins. Lord, take my life. Come into my heart. I want to be new! Change me so that I can live for Your glory. Use me for Your kingdom. Help me to understand. I ask for wisdom and guidance so that I can live for You for all eternity. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, please let me know by leaving a comment below.

First things first, get yourself a Bible. Begin to read. Then, re-read it again. As you seek to know Him, He will show Himself to You. Talk to Him often. And, it's very important to find a Church that believes in being born again and is adamant that the Bible is the infallible word of God. God will direct you. On your way, tell everyone you can about what God has done for you! If you have any questions, please comment below.

Congratulations on becoming a Child of God!
And may God continue to bless your life.
Amen.

John 1:12,13
But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even them that believe on His name: which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Wowza! That's scary!!

Maybe you've heard of this guy, but...

Here's some man who is claiming to be Jesus Christ!!!

Check out his website...
http://www.cegenglish.com/

Oh Lord, that's how we KNOW You'll be here soon.

Are you ready?

This video is awesome!!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=SmLhyPjHVes

This is the fellowship I belong to. :-D