Thankful for the Mender of Broken Hearts!

Saturday, I worked outside cleaning out an overgrown garden. It was full of dead weeds, grass, and plants. My mother and I worked hard digging into the ground to pull up all the roots. I was so happy to get this project done. Well, until Monday, when I started breaking out on my arms and face. There is this weed that grows in one flower bed that I'm allergic too. I have broken out a few times before but never like this. I usually avoid that weed at all cost. However, with everything dry and dead, I just didn’t see it. Then this morning my face and wrist are covered with blisters, swelling, and redness. My face was so swollen I didn't even look like myself. The pain and itching drove me CRAZY. I wanted relief and I wanted it NOW! I could not get to the two doctors that I use so I went to a friend who is a doctor and got some meds. I wanted them to work instantly, but not going to happen. I am trying to wait patiently but the pain has been unbearable at times, mainly from it wearing me down for 24 hours.
Have you ever been going along living life and then something that you tried to avoid just hit you hard? It brought pain and suffering, and brought you to a desperation for help? Your heart is breaking and you just need relief. You think you will never endure such a hurt. Everything about you feels different. Recently, a friend was feeling like this when divorce hit her. She tried everything to keep it from happening, but it did. She is now brokenhearted and she has to recover. She is seeking God and she believes Him for His promises! She told me, “I couldn’t deal with the pain anymore. I do pray God restores it all as I know He will. I was praying in my room, my face down on the floor with praise music on and told God “if you are close to the broken hearted then I know you are with me''". Good for her, that she ran to God and stood firm on His Word. I know she wants instant relief from the pain and suffering but God is showing Himself faithful to her and God is using that to draw her near Him so he can mend that broken heart.
I am so thankful that God does care if we are broken hearted. He never walks away and He is the only who one can mend our heart. When was the last time you were face down on the floor pouring your broken heart out for the Lord’s mending? I can assure you, if you could see my heart where Christ resides, you would see many scars. Those scars are from the times I have had my heart broken. With each scar, you would see the stitches of love sown by my Heavenly Father, mending it all back together. With every one of those stitches, I thank God for tender, compassionate love.

If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; If you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.
Psalms 34:18 (Message)

Thankful for His Righteousness

I was raised an only child. I know the first thing you think is spoiled. I hate that image. However, I probably was spoiled but I was not rotten. I worked hard at being the perfect daughter. I learned to live life on a pedestal. Let me tell you it is hard and exhausting trying to keep from falling off that pedestal once you work your way up on it. It creates a fear of failure and a fear of making a simple mistake. It brings insecurity when you are not sure if people will still love you if you were to fall off. I hate life on that pedestal yet I so often fall back into old habits of trying to live on one. That is how it would feel if we could make our self righteous. We are not perfect. We all sin. So it is impossible for us to be righteous on our own. Thank God I don’t have to. It is not about my righteousness, which is as filthy rags, it is all about Jesus and His righteousness. When I gave my life to Him and let Him become my Savior and Lord, I received His righteousness. When God looks at me, he sees Jesus! Hallelujah!
Let me share with you an illustration I have used in many of my classes. If you haven’t done this you might actually want to do it for a visual, to keep in your Bible. Take a filthy, dirty piece of paper. You might have to dig a piece out of the trash. Write your name across the paper. This paper represents you before Christ. Scripture says our righteousness were like fifty rags to God. Now get a clean, pretty envelope. Put the dirty piece of paper inside the envelope, and write Jesus on the outside of the envelope. Now seal the envelope. If you have a wax seal or a gold sticker seal, use it to seal the envelop. The Bible says we are sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit. When God looks at us, He sees Jesus. Our dirty sins are hidden inside Christ. That is why you are righteous as as follower of Jesus!
It is all about Jesus! It is not about you being good enough. It doesn’t matter if you have failed. It only matters if you have been sealed in Christ by the Holy Spirit!

It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed (this Message of your salvation),, found yourselves home free--signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13

Thankful for His forgiveness

How many people have you had to forgive in your life? Have you had to forgive the same person more than once? Are there people you just can't forgive because they hurt you so terribly? I admit, some of you have endured such cruel acts that I can't imagine having to forgive your offender. How do you forgive someone who abuses your child, or aids in their death? How do you forgive a person who abuses you? How do you forgive a man who abandons you and your children? A very close friend of ours had a friend that was killed by a drunk driver a few days ago. He was a husband and a father to a 12 year old son and a 14 year old daughter. Over the last year, he had experienced a great spiritual renewal and had started a ministry for men to encourage them in their walk with the Lord. His son was in the truck with him when the drunk driver hit them head on. The wife and daughter was following a little ways back in another car. This drunk driver, who also lost his life, destroyed this family. This 12 year old boy will have to live with the image of seeing his father die. The hurt has to be unbearable. How is this young widow of two children going to forgive this man? What testimony will she give those around her if she forgives? Have you noticed the attention the media gives people who forgive those that do horrindous things to them. I believe it is because they aren't use to seeing forgiveness. I remember hearing the parents of Rachel Scott, the first one shot at Columbine, on the Larry King show. They shared their testimony of forgiving the boy that killed their daughter. That testimony was amazing! Larry King had to ask Billy Graham to explain to him how these parents could do such a thing. Billy Graham went straight into the gospel and explained that we forgive because we have been forgiven. What a testimony! It is not just the life changing events that we must forgive, we are to forgive the daily things like rudeness, gossip, backstabbing, lying, disrespect, etc. People are watching! Our response to those who wrong us speaks loudly of who God is. Rachel Scott's family has touched millions through their testimony of God's forgiveness working in them. What if they hadn't forgiven? When we forgive, we touch others by showing the power of God!
Forgiveness does not let the person who hurt us off the hook, it only puts them in God's hands. He will judge them fairly and with justice. It is not our role, it is His! If we do not forgive and we allow bitterness to grow roots in our heart, it will eventually destroy us. Unforgiveness ends up hurting us more than the person who wronged us. When we do not forgive, we give the offender power over us. Forgiveness destroys that power. I recently heard a powerful statement, "Unforgiveness, this is like taking a poison yourself hoping that it will hurt the other person."
I am not saying that forgiveness is easy. It is diificult and we do not have the strength or capacity to forgive on our own. We can only forgive by the grace of God.
I am so thankful for God's forgiveness. I do not deserve it and I do not understand it. I am also thankful that he commands me to forgive; or I probably wouldn't. I am thankful He empowers me to forgive. Living without bitterness gives me peace and joy. It is a blessing not to carry the burden of unforgiveness. However, the most important question is, "How can I receive the abundance of forgiveness from God for the terrible sins I commit, and not pass that forgiveness on to those that hurt me? "

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

Hebrew 12:14-15

Thankful for His Strengthening Grace

In 1991, Dwayne and I packed up our home and our children and headed off for Fort Worth to begin Dwayne's seminary training. We felt led to get through seminary as fast as possible. He was able to graduate in two years and two months. Those years gave us wonderful, life-long friends. A maturity in our Christian walk and great training for the stresses of the ministry. However, they were the most challenging years we have endured. We both worked full time jobs, Dwayne had hours of studying to do each day and we had two young children. Dwayne and I did not have the same days off and I worked during the day and he worked at night. I was the fortunate one because I got 7 hours sleep each night and dwayne felt blessed if he got five. That kind of stress on his body was beginning to take its toll, before we left. I look back at those years with fond memories and a awe of how we made it through.
Yestereday we talked about grace as God's unmerited favor and today I want to talk about the other definition for grace, which is 'the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them'. I know that it was by His grace, His power that we survived those years. I am so thankful there is nothing the Lord calls us to do that he does not give us the grace to accomplish it and there is no valley we go through that he does not give us the grace to endure. Whatever you are going through right now, whether it be a difficulty or a trial, God will provide the grace you need to get through it. That is His promise!
I know that many of you are walking through some challenges and trial and you can rest assure that God is there to give you the strength you need and regenerate you to endure.
My grace is enough; it's all you need.

2 Corinthians 12 :9 (The Message)

Thankful for the Gift of Grace

One thing we do not see often in our world is grace. Grace is something we love to receive but it is something that is much harder to give. We criticize and judge people's actions. We seek revenge on those that hurt us. We make people pay for their mistakes. As parents, Dwayne and I tried very hard to teach our children obedience and consequences. However, it was very important to us to demonstrate grace to them as well. We wanted them to experience our grace and teach them about God’s grace. The main definition of the word GRACE is ‘unmerited favor’. One of my favorite biblical stories of grace is of the woman caught in adultery. Jesus was teaching and some legalistic, proud men brought a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. I am sure with their arrogant attitude, they did not give her the respect of letting her pull herself together before they grabbed her and dragged her to her public humiliation. She might have been able to reach for a blanket or some cloth to cover herself, or she could have been naked; we really do not know. It frustrates me that we do not see the man being brought before Jesus, just the woman. This shows they choose what sin and whose sin they wanted to judge. In the culture of the time, it was understood that she would be stoned to death for her sin. Each person would pick up a stone and throw it, then they would do it over and over until her body couldn't’t take anymore and would breathe its last breath. The Pharisees tried to entrap Jesus to endorse the stoning or to go against the law. Jesus took another approach. He started writing in the sand. There are great debates as to what he wrote, but we will never know. In my mind, I believe he was writing out the sins he knew had been committed by those present. Then he said the words, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her”. Here is when we get to hear what grace sounds like. One by one they dropped their stones and walked away. Close your eyes and ear the sound of a stone hitting the dry dirt with a thud, then another, and another. That is the sound of grace! Followed by the words of grace, which Jesus spoke, “I do not condemn you”. Amazing!
What about you? When someone in your life has sinned, maybe against you or a loved one, and you find a rock in your hand, what are you going to do with it? Are you going to throw it, or are you going to give grace and drop it?
Because of the sins I have committed, I, like the woman in the story, deserved stoning; deserved death. Jesus took the 'stoning' for me and took on the death that due me. That makes me want to ask the question, “Why me?”. There is no other answer except grace! It was God granting favor to me though there was not one thing in me that merited it. What a gift! I will never understand why someone would refuse the gift of grace and salvation. Why they would turn and walk away from it. I accepted this gift in the fall of 1971 as a young child in the 4th grade. At the moment I accepted salvation, Jesus said the words of grace, “I do not condemn you." It awes me still today! Without the gift of grace, nothing else matters. There are no words to adequately describe my gratitude and thankfulness for the grace I am been given. We have heard the code that if a man saves the life of another, the person saved must live in debt to the rescuer and serve him for their entire life. In reality, I haven’t heard of anybody actually living out that code, except in the movies! However, I think it does apply to my relationship with Jesus. He saved me from eternal death and I choose to live the rest of days serving him out of thankfulness, not because I have to but because I want to!

The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. what do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "the sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt. hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her, "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?" "No one, Master." "Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on don't sin."

John 8: 3-11 (The Message)

Time for Thanksgiving

Three weeks from today is Thanksgiving. What goes through your mind when you hear that statement?

• What foods are you going to prepare, or your family is going to prepare?
• What is the schedule?
• Who is coming?
• How will we see everyone in one day?
• When will I shop?
• When will I clean my house?
• I need to prepare my shopping list for the day after Thanksgiving Christmas shopping!
• I need to get my decorating done!
• There goes my diet!!!
• Days of Football!
• Great movies releases!

Many times it is these things that grabs our attention with a firm grip and doesn't let go until the Holiday is over. We then look back and wonder what has happened to the real meaning of Thanksgiving? The real purpose of Thanksgiving is to put one day a side each year to join together with family and friends and offer our thanksgiving to God for all of His provisions. How much time do you spend on Thanksgiving day offering your thankfulness and praise to the Lord? Many times we hurry through the dinner prayer so the food doesn't get cold. Do you know that Thanksgiving wasn't always celebrated yearly until President Lincoln established it as an annual holiday. Before then, different presidents would occasionally pick a random day and declare it a day to offer thanks to God. Sometimes, it was a day of prayer and fasting! Fasting on Thanksgiving, how would that affect our celebrations?
Have you hosted a party to honor a loved one? Did you say a few words of obligatory praise and then sit the guest in the corner to observe the party? Isn't that what we do sometimes on Thanksgiving? Start now planning ways you can bring a time of thanksgiving to your holiday. How are you going to show gratitude and appreciation to the one that you acknowledge as the Giver of all things? In our home, we spend time going around the dinner table sharing the things we are thankful for. Each year there are special moments of blessing from this activity. However, I am going to look for ways to do more. I think the older I get the more I realize how much I have to be thankful for and how inadequate I am in my praise. At times, I have given God crumbs of thanks while I am feasting on a bounty of blessings! That isn't acceptable any more. I want to live every moment of every day praising Him with my life.

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

Psalm 34:1-3 (Amplified)

*The devotions from now to Thanksgiving will be covering different things to praise and thank the Lord for.

Just Laugh

Yesterday, I told you one of my weaknesses, today I will make another confession. If you know me well, you already know it. I am a blundering klutz; both physically and verbally. Sometimes it's not anything I do or say, it's just the situations that I get myself into. Some people think I should write a blog on my comical experiences but I would rather talk about the Lord! Dwayne has a habit of just shaking his head at me and saying, “only you Tonya, those things only happen to you”! Well, I had one of those special times this morning. I started a new medicine (after the hormonal meltdown, I told you about) and I was warned that the side effect of it was difficulty sleeping. I dismissed that warning because I can sleep anytime, anywhere. Well, that was a mistake. Sure enough, I haven’t been able to sleep soundly for several days now. It’s like my body sleeps but my mind doesn’t. When the mind follows the body to sleep, it dreams really weird things. When I roll over or I am stirred, my mind instantly becomes totally awake. I have to lay there with my dead body, clearing my mind so it will go back to sleep. To help my chances of undisturbed sleep, I slept on the couch last night. Around 5:00 AM, I decided to go to the bed for my last couple hours of sleep. I slipped into bed and instantly our two puppies came to me and snuggled in. Well, one snuggled, the other one just wanted to give me kisses. I finally got her settled and started to go back to sleep when I heard this weird sound. We have a sleep number bed and my side of the bed was slowly deflating and the controller wasn't working. Great! I thought about going back to the couch but I was too tired and my down comforter felt too good. I just decided to snuggle in myself and endure. Then the snuggle dog started snoring. I rearranged her, got her quiet, and started the process of clearing my mind of a thousand thoughts to hopefully get to sleep. Then the little hyper dog started biting her leg, vibrating my bed, which now is more like a recliner from the deflation. After a few pats on the rear, she figures out that I want her to be still. It is now getting close to 5:45 and now I have just lost another hour of sleep, but I have one more hour and everything is calm. I started my relaxing process once again and just about the time I start to doze off, Dwayne starts snoring. Not the loud kind, but just the quiet snore that is distracting my mind. So, I regressed to my normal reaction of taking my leg and reaching it over as far as I can stretch and give him a firm but loving little kick. It worked, like it usually does, and I was back to my goal of going to sleep. Once again, for what seemed the hundredth time, I was pulled away from my goal of going to sleep. Dwayne started snoring again! This time I was not the only one hearing it, the hyper dog started growling at the noise she was hearing. I grabbed her and got her quiet. The snoring continued. I tried to ignore it, really I did, but then before I knew it my mouth hollered the name of my wonderful husband (remember he edits this). DWAYNE!!! At that stupid mistake the hyper dog jumped up and ran over to him. I just laid there hoping that the hyper dog would bother Dwayne enough to keep him quiet and I could get at least 30 minutes of sleep. After a few minutes, I could feel my body going to lala land but I guess between my kicking and hollering at Dwayne and the hyper dog messing with him, he decided to get up. When he gets up, the morning ritual begins and again my sleep goes on hold. He wakes up the puppies, let them stretch while he rubs their bellies, gets them up to take them out to potty and then brings them back to get in bed with me. Soon, I had little cold feet and noses touching me. At this point I really wanted to yell and have a little fit, but I wanted that last 20 minutes of sleep more, so I just laughed. As I laid there thinking about the events that had taken place over the last two hours, it really was funny. I nestled into my new cocoon of a bed, with my adorable puppies and my comforter and enjoyed the last precious minutes of sleep. Of course, when I got up to get ready the puppies were now tired and stayed in bed. Some days it would be great to be a dog!
We will continuously have times we must choose to laugh, cry, or yell! I have learned the hard way that laughing is the best choice. If I would have started the day yelling at Dwayne, for something that wasn’t his fault, we would have ended up in an argument and my day would have been ruined. If I just stepped out of the situation for a moment, it really was funny, why not just laugh and accept it. Sometimes, I believe God has a sense of humor and watching me when I choose to laugh, makes Him smile! Next time you have one of those situations, instead of getting mad, laugh! It’s good medicine!

A cheerful heart is good medicine
Proverbs 15:30

We Want Company

One thing I am not very good at is editing my own work. I do better, not perfect, editing other's writing but editing my own takes too much focus. I know what I intended it to say and I read it that way. That is why I always have to have an editor. For my devotion , my editor is my husband, Dwayne. It has been a new humbling experience letting him edit my devotions each night before it is posted. This is my 45th devotion and I haven't been error free yet. I accuse him of just making up corrections to keep me from getting a perfect devotion!
On Sundays, I run the projections at church. I download his sermon notes into the software and follow his sermon with the notes. Last Sunday, as I was looking a few slides ahead, I spotted a misspelled word in one of his sentences. I was so excited he had made a mistake! It made me feel better about all of mine. It kind of put us on equal footing. He had wrote your bind is not the issue, your heart is. I was sure that bind was suppose to be mind, so I made the correction and was so proud of myself for catching it. Well, dang! Sure enough he said bind; he was correct afterall. I was so glad that I hadn't put the slide up yet when he said it, so I was able to correct it quickly back to bind, and get it up on the projector before anyone knew. However, my bubble was busted. I humbly surrender to his superiority in the editing arena. (he will hear this story for the first time when he edits the devotion)
We have heard the saying that misery loves company but I think we like company in our failures as well. It makes our mistakes not seem so big. Comparing ourselves to others can make us feel better about ourselves because there are always people worse than we are. Isn't the reason we gossip about people is because it elevates us? When we start concentrating on others we walk on dangerous ground. It keeps us from focusing on ourselves and if we aren't focusing on ourselves, how can we ever become better? I want to be all God has for me to be and to do that, I need to concentrate on what I need to do and keep my eyes off others. I need to keep striving for that error free devotion!

Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others.

Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

Galatians 6:4-5 (The message)

God Sees It All

Saturday a good friend from high school and her husband came to our home for lunch. She was a great friend in school. We were pom pon girls together and we share a special bond from being together in a car wreck where we totalled my mother's brand new car. She is an amazing woman who has a solid, tried and tested faith in Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to have her as a friend. However, I was nervous about her coming to my house. I have people in my home quite often and learned a long time ago not to ruin my fellowship with my guest by being all stressed out trying to make everything perfect, but this time I regressed back to some old behavior. I wanted my house to be perfect when she came. I think it is because she is an interior designer and I knew she would pay attention to details. So, I needed to pay attention to details. All of a sudden, the items on my six month old 'to do list' had to be completed Saturday morning. I tidied up Brittne's room which I rarely go into. I painted a spot on the wall mural where the puppies had scratched it. I cleaned the porches that looked like they had already been through a long winter. I even cleaned off the dirt on the outdoor grill! It felt good taking care of those little things and getting the house looking good! I am just glad she didn't open a drawer or closet. See, I only really cared about what she was going to see, not the areas that were hidden. I also kept noticing all the things that were still on the hit list that didn't get done, like repainting all my woodwork. I just hoped she didn't notice all the flaws.
Many times we act out the same scene spiritually. We have this 'to do list' in our head that we want to accomplish but we put it off because of all the other things we allow to have precedence. Then the day comes that we get around people we want to impress and we try to clean all up. Well, at least on the outside. We really don't mess with the hidden things. Nobody is going to see those things. When we are with them, all we can think about is the things we haven't finished cleaning up. We wonder if they are noticing our flaws.
I am so glad we can't act this way with God. No matter how good we make our self look on the outside, he sees the hidden things. He opens every closet and every drawer. I am very thankful that He sees it all because if I could hide things from God, I would. I would be afraid to let Him see all of me, so I would hide, just like Adam and Eve did. I would concentrate on the outward appearance, hoping that would be enough to please Him. However, He is not concerned about the outward appearance, He cares about the hidden things of the heart. He changes the inside which changes the outside. He sees every inch of dust, clutter, and dirt that looms there. He sees all of me; the things that nobody else sees, the things that I don't even see. So, I don't have to hide things, it would just be a waste of time. Because he sees and knows everything, I get to experience an intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior. How thankful I am for that!

O God, You know my folly and blundering; my sins and my guilt are not hidden from You.
Psalms 69:5 (Amplified Bible)
God you know every sin I've committed; My life's a wide-open book before you

Psalms 69:5 (The message)

God-conscious?

Wow! We have spent the whole week talking about Satan. There is a part of me that despises giving him that much attention. On the other hand, I know we need to understand our enemy's tactics. Especially during this time of year, when the world portrays him as nothing but a fictional, fun character. We as Christians need to have an accurate knowledge of him. Do not let that knowledge scare you. We have Christ living in us and He is our Victory over Satan; in the past, in the present, and in the future. Satan does loose and he loses big, like being cast into the eternal lake of fire. Though we do not fear him, we do not need to engage in his practices either. We need to keep our self separate from him and his ways. A mistake we can make when we learn something new is to become obsessed with it. Many times when Christians study Satan they start looking for him under every rock. He becomes the center of their attention. That should never happen. Christ should always have our attention. He will deal with Satan if we stay focused on him.
Dr. A.W. Tozer a pastor and theologian explains this eloquently when he states, “The scriptural way to see things is to set the Lord always before us, put Christ in the center of our vision, and if Satan is lurking around he will appear on the margin only and be seen as but a shadow on the edge of the brightness. It is always wrong to reverse this—to set Satan in the focus of our vision and push God out to the margin. Nothing but tragedy can come of such inversion. The best way to keep the enemy out is to keep Christ in. The sheep need not be terrified by the wolf; they have but to stay close to the shepherd. It is not the praying sheep Satan fears, but the presence of the shepherd. The instructed Christian whose faculties have been developed by the Word and the Spirit will not fear the devil. When necessary he will stand against the powers of darkness and overcome them by the blood of the Lamb and the word of his testimony. He will recognize the peril in which he lives and will know what to do about it, but he will practice the presence of God and never allow himself to become devil-conscious.”
Are you God-conscious or devil-conscious? Praise God that Halloween is over and tomorrow we enter the Thanksgiving season. A time we set apart to remember all the things we should be thankful for year round. There is no better time than the holiday season to be God-conscious.

Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered.
Psalms 105:4-5

What is This World Coming To?

When I was a teenager, I loved all the world had to offer me. I saw all the good in it and couldn’t wait to experience it; college, marriage, children, jobs, home, and grandchildren. I have experienced it all except the grandchildren; that is the next thing on the list. However, the older I get the more disappointed in this world I become. I don’t know if you feel it but this world feels more evil every day. The persecution of Christians is increasing and it seems every news program confirms it. Just this week there are two stories hitting the airwaves against Christians. One is the Penn State t-shirts which sold thousands. However, 6 people from the game made a complaint to the school that the blue vertical stripe down the middle of the shirt with words going horizontal looks like a cross. They said it was offensive. We also have heard about the man in Florida that was terminated from Home Depo for wearing a ‘One nation under God” button. It appears we are all asking the question in unison, “What is this world coming too”.
I don’t think we have a good grip on the answer to that question or we wouldn’t keep asking it. This world is coming to an end! Every day we are one day closer to the return of Jesus! Every day Satan is fighting harder because he knows what is coming. Evil is growing because there are more and more people without Jesus in their life. Our dysfunctional society is starting to reap its consequences. We catch ourselves believing that this world should be wonderful because of Jesus' power over Satan. However, Satan has been given the right to rule this world until the day of judgment where he is thrown into the lake of fire. Until then, Satan will continue to "prowl around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Though our lives can possess peace and happiness, this world is not going to experience that until the return of Jesus. I am so ready for that day! Are you?

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lie in the power of the evil one.
1 John 5:19

The Great Masquerade

If I could go back in time, I think attending a costume ball would be fabulous! I know some of you are rolling your eyes at me, but I think it would be fun to dress up and have a formal party. That is one thing I think is fun about Halloween; everyone dressing up. Today my favorite pictures of my children are when they dressed up for the Fall Festivals at church. I always made them dress up as partners, like Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, Dorothy and the Scarecrow, and Indian chief and wife. As Bryce got older that fun came to an end. Actually, I think he stopped participating after I made him wear tights for Peter Pan. I had to tell him that football players wore them under their uniforms to get him to put them on! However, for me I wish we could skip all the evil costumes. Not because I think they're scary but because it recognizes Satan and his evilness. I wish we had times during the year, other than Halloween, we could dress up in fun costumes! We could, if we all lived in my perfect little world. lol
However, when it comes to masquerading there is none better at it than Satan. Scripture tells us that he is the great deceiver and he appears as an angel of light to deceive. I think one of the greatest illustrations of this kind of deception is found in the movie “A Little Mermaid”. Remember Ursula the sea witch. First, she baits Ariel to give up her voice to become human, not telling her the full consequences of her decision. Then she masquerades as a beautiful girl to keep Eric away from Ariel. When she doesn’t keep them apart in time, she shows her true self as the witch. She takes Ariel to lock her up in chains because Ariel’s soul now belongs to her according to the contract. However, her father ends up paying the contract and she is freed. Sound vaguely familiar? What we need to remember is that Satan would never get us to bite the bait of sin if we could see the consequences of doing so. It does nothing but produce destruction and pain. So he always makes the bait tempting, appealing, and alluring. When we bite, the chains come on and reality becomes ugly. Scripture says the pleasure of sin is only for the short term but the love of God will last forever. Be very wise about the bait that Satan dangles in front of you. The pleasures of Christ will out last any bait Satan can offer by far.

….for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
2 Corinthians 11:14 (NIV)

Woman to Woman

As a Christian woman, okay, older Christian woman, there is nothing I love more than to get the opportunity to disciple a young woman. A new Christian has such a strong desire to learn God’s way. They are a sponge; wanting to soak it all in. They have an awe of God , and a freshness and excitement to His ways. They usually have no idea what a blessing they are to the “older woman”. They remind us of the joy of the Lord, that can sometimes fade over time. They remind us to never lose our eagerness to learn. They remind us that our lessons of life can be an encouragement to someone else. In the past few months, I have had two young married women say these words to me, “It is a great feeling to know that my marriage isn’t the only one that has these experiences. I didn’t know it was normal to feel this way.” We as women need to be growing in the Lord and we need to mentor those younger women. We need to share with them how God provides and delivers. We need to share with them how to be good wives and good mothers. Most importantly, we need to be an example for them follow. Ask the Lord to provide you an opportunity to mentor a younger woman or an older woman to mentor you. It is definitely a relationship that blesses all those involved.

Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, they younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior.
Titus 2:3-5 (The Message)

Bid the older women similarly to be reverent and devout in their deportment as becomes those engaged in sacred service, not slanderers or slaves to drink. They are to give good counsel and be teachers of what is right and noble. So that they will wisely train the young women to be sane and sober of mind (temperate, disciplined) and to love their husbands and their children. To be self-controlled, chaste, homemakers, good-natured (kindhearted), adapting and subordinating themselves to their husbands, that the word of God may not be exposed to reproach (blasphemed or discredited).
Titus 2:3-5 (Amplified)

Gift Boxes

I know each of us would admit that God is good and He has given us some amazing gifts. Let’s imagine those gifts all wrapped up in beautiful boxes; what would yours look like? My gifts would be wrapped in glittery white and silver paper, with big silver bows, and maybe some white ostrich feathers! (I love ostrich feathers). Now what are you going to do with your beautiful boxes? Are you going to put them in a place of honor? Or are you going to put them in full view to be a daily reminder that your gifts should be used for God’s glory? Or are you going to just throw them in the floor and walk all over them, letting them become torn up and dirty? Once they become dirty, are you going to hide them because you can’t stand to see their neglect? Once you do that, how long will it take you to forget all about your boxes full of the gifts God has given you?
Now consider what gifts could be in your boxes. One box could hold the gift of marriage. Another one could hold the gift of life and health. One box could hold your talents and spiritual gifts. The gift of relationships could be in another box and one box could hold the gift of time. How are you treating these boxes? So many times we throw our boxes around as if they have no worth. We act like our boxes will always stay in tack ready for our use whenever we want them, regardless of how we treat them. Sometime we waste the gifts instead of using them for the One that gave them to us! I have to admit, I haven’t always cared for by boxes like I should have. In yesterdays comments a quote was shared that seems to fit well with today’s lesson. It states, “We often take for granted what we should be giving thanks for.” What shape are your boxes in? If you are truly thankful for the gifts that God has given you, you will take care for them.

We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.
John 1:16

How Is Your Memory?

For years now my memory has been playing games with me. Some days are worse than others. I hate to admit it, but it seems it may have something to do with my age. I have to work much harder to remember the things that use to come so easily. One thing I must work hard to remember is the works of God in my life. If I don’t, I can allow the pressures and problems of everyday life to affect me in a negative way. I can become depressed, question God’s faithfulness, waste time worrying, loose hope, or feel forgotten. It is very disappointing how fast we can forget the things God has done for us and what our lives were before God delivered us from our slavery to sin. However, it is easy for us to remember the stress and problems of today! That is not what God wants.

He wants us to always remember:

His work__His Word __His delieverance__His purpose for us

How can we ever feel forgotten when we remember God's faithfulness? How can we ever loose hope and worry? How long is your memory? Spend time today remembering the works God has done in your life. Make a written list and count your blessings.

I will remember the day of old; I mediate on all your doing; I ponder the work of Your hands.
Psalms 143:5-6

Doing What We Say We Want

Today I am going to start with scripture: Romans 7:15 (The Message)

What I don't understand about myself is that I decide on a way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can't be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God's command is necessary. But if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real questions? The answer, thank God is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do somthing totally different.

The solution is Life on God's Terms.

Wow! How powerful are these scriptures. Lately, it seems everyone I talk to is struggling with this same conflict. We want many things but we convince ourselves we can't achieve it. We have a list of reasons why we don't do what it takes to get what we say we want. Our talk and our walk just does not match. Think about the goals you want but really aren't doing anything to achieve them. Maybe it's loosing weight, maybe it's getting back in church, maybe it's developing a quiet time, maybe it's finding new friends, or maybe it's to become a better spouse. Now ask yourself what excuses are you using to not achieve your goals. I once heard the testimony of a man who had walked away from homosexuality. He made a profound statement. He said, "God does not take away our desires for our sin. We must get to the point that we want God more than we want our sin". To achieve our goals, God is not going to take away our excuses. We must want to please God more than we want to listen to our excuses.

A Phone Call Away

Today definantly unfolded in a completely different way than I anticipated. Today is church day! As long as we are home, we attend church on Sunday. However, this morning all plans changed with a phone call. A young couple in our church, who doesn't have family close, had a bad car wreck in Arkansas and I had to go pick them up from the emergency room and bring them home. We are very blessed that they were not hurt, other than some soreness and bruises. The car was totaled, however the person who hit them had insurance so their car situation should be taken care of. As we talked on the way home, we discussed a phrase from a popular Christian song that we all loved and which seemed very apropos for today's situation. It states that we are one phone call from our knees. As a mother and a pastor's wife, every time I hear the phone ring, I must admit I feel a little apprehension. I know that life can change with a phone call and I do realize that each phone call can take me to my knees. Knowing this, I feel it is very important to live my life spiritually ready for any phone call. Each day I need to make sure my focus is on the Lord. I need to acknowledge that whatever may come throughout the day, it was filtered through the loving fingers of God. I have always been observant of how people respond to situations. Some panic immediately and seem to fall apart. Some see everything as a crisis with no hope. Some stay calm. They seek the Lord's plan and direction, and realize that He is in control and will take care of them. There is a saying I learned many years ago from a godly man that ask the question, "Are you circumstance controlled or spirit controlled?" We must let the Lord fill us with the spirit every day to be spirit controlled. What about you? If tomorrow you got a phone call that takes you to your knees, would you be prepared? Would you be circumstance controlled or spirit controlled?

Where is Your Passion?

Today is Saturday, which for most Okie's mean OU football game day! Football is an acquired interest of mine but I must have an emotional connection to a team to really love it. Since, my son, Bryce went to OU, I developed that emotional connection with OU football. As we sit and watch the game with our OU attire, we experience a roller coaster of emotions. As some of you know, watching OU (especially this year) creates every extreme level of joy and frustration. Oklahomans have a passion for football! Every conversation for two days before the game and two days after the game will eventually center around an analysis of the game.
Last week, I met a wonderful woman from the Netherlands. Early in our introduction she grabbed my attention. Within a few minutes into our conversation she confidently declared she has a passion for Jesus. My initial reaction was taken aback by her boldness. But why is that? As a christian I admire her for her proud declaration. My first response should have been, "I too have a passion for Jesus"! Passion is the same as fervor, obsession, excitement, enthusiasm, zeal, craze and delight. Maybe I need to analyze my passion level? Maybe I need to be as excited about church as I am a game. Maybe I need to talk about Jesus as much as I talk about the way OU is playing! I pray that I will become more like my new friend and boldly declare that Jesus is my passion in life! Let's become passionate for Jesus together.

Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.

Matthew 22:37 (The Message)

Boss's Day

Today is Boss's Day. You might be like the majority of people and say, "big deal". As Christians, I think today is a great opportunity to show appreciation and respect to our authorities. I know that some of you may not think your boss is deserving of encouragement and respect. However, maybe they would be different if they felt respected and appreciated. We never know what is going on in their lives to make them the way they are. Scripture tells us we are to be thankful for all things. That includes our jobs and our bosses. God uses both to help us grow one way or another. In my career, I have had some great bosses. My favorite boss considered our positions as a ministry and our goal was to minister to the employees. That was some great times. I have also had some bosses that challenged me to walk my Christan talk. I had one boss I could not stand, to put it bluntly. Then one day I read a scripture that said to bless your enemies. So each time I felt my blood pressure go up with him, I would say, "Bless His Heart". At first I said it with my teeth locked but then I actually started feeling a change happening to me. The more I blessed him, the more I cared about him. We actually became friends before it was over. I never respected him for his behavior, but I learned to respect his position in my life and to learn to love him as a person. I learned a lot from that experience. So, whatever your feelings are towards you boss, examine your heart today and give thanks for them and your job. Ask God to bless them.


Not everyone works outside the home but we should all have one boss in common. If the Lord is in his proper position in our life then He is by all means our Boss. Remember to thank Him for His great leadership in our lives and for giving us the best job ever which is to serve Him.

Thank God in everything , no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (amplified)

Loving others

At my reunion I was able to see some very special people, besides my classmates and spouses. We had a good amount of teachers attend. I was able to see my kindergarten teacher, my sixth grade science teacher, my seventh grade English teacher, and my tenth grade social studies teacher. Each of these teachers had an impact on my life. However, it was seeing my kindergarten teacher which touched me so greatly. She was in her 80’s and she was adorable. As a little kindergartener, I loved my teacher, Mrs. Williams. I don’t remember very much about that year of my life, except for being in the hospital several weeks with a critical condition and receiving notes and letters from my class. It helped the long, boring days pass by easier. I can’t remember the exact actions Mrs. Williams did or the exact words she used to impact me. It wasn’t so much what she did but how she made me feel. I know my little kindergarten class was a place where I felt loved. I believe this feeling gave me the foundation of liking school. She seemed honored to have so many people thank her for investing in their lives. Can you imagine seeing 'children' you taught 43 years ago, and hearing them as adults thank you for the difference you made in their lives! I wonder if she has had to wait 43 years to hear it. She may have even felt forgotten at times, like her efforts didn’t count. However, after visiting with her I do not believe she did what she did for the praise of man. I believe she did it for the praise of her Lord.
There are times we may be like Mrs. Williams. We may invest ourselves into the lives of others and may never know if it really made a difference. We may have to wait years to hear someone say thank you, or we may never hear it at all. We may feel forgotten. It is at this time we need to remind ourselves that it is the Lord we're to please. We please Him when we share his love to others. As long as we are loving people we can be assured that we are making a difference in this world. People may not always remember what we do or what we say but they will remember how we make them feel.

Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it.

Love makes up for practically everything.

1 Peter 4 (The Message)

Love?

When I attended my reunion, I was able to see many friends that I haven't seen in 30 years. Some of them were my best friends in elementary and high school , and I loved them. In fact, when I saw them again I still felt love towards them immediately. This got me thinking. How much does love depend on spending time together? If I hadn't seen them in 30 years, how could I say that I still loved them? My daughter, Brittne, is in Peru. I have only seen her once in the last year but my love for her hasn't diminished. So, does spending time together have anything to do with the ability to love someone? I think it is more of a matter of intimacy rather than love. You can not be intimate with people unless you spend time with them. Brittne and I still talk weekly, I share her hurts and your joys, I pray for her. We are as close as we ever have been. However, in the last couple of months, I have had the blessing of making contact with several old friends . Some of them have walked through some real valleys. I hated that they have had great hurt in their life and I hated that I wasn't there to pray for them, or encourage them, or just care for them. I still love them but I can not say that I have been intimate with them because I haven't shared their struggles, their hurts, and their joys . The same principal applies to a marriage. I have seen marriages end in divorce where each spouse says they still love the each other but they no longer feel any intimacy. For Dwayne and I to keep intimacy in our marriage we have to spend time with each other. We have to talk to each other and share with each other.

I believe most of us would say that we love Jesus? However, you must spend time with Him, sharing your struggles, your hurts, and your joys to experience intimacy with Him. Where do you want to be with Christ? Do you love Him? Are you intimate with Him?

Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received!

2 Peter 1:3 (The Message)

Time is Ticking

Last weekend, I attended my 30 year high school class reunion. Wow! 30 years! Thirty years ago I was wondering what my life would be like. Would I really marry Dwayne? Would I have children? How many would I have? Where would I live? What would my life be like? It seemed life was creeping along. However, looking back has a whole different perspective. Where did the time go? I had children yesterday and today they are all grown. It was just yesterday that I said “I do” to Dwayne and somehow we just celebrated our 28th anniversary. I have called 15 different places home; I have lived in 8 cities, 3 states, and have been members of 9 churches. How amazing! And it all happened in a blink of an eye!
Another part of life that can pass like a blink is our spiritual walk. How long have we been dealing with the same sins and yet they are still a stronghold. How many times have we committed to spend more time with the Lord and never do? How many times have we made promises to God and time keeps ticking away without any actions of follow through? We need to get a real perspective of the ticking clock. We must take the gift of time and use it each and every day to be about the Father’s work. If we don’t, 30 years will go by and nothing will change which will only leave us with regrets. I don’t want regrets at the end of my life, do you?

Figure out what will please God and do it. Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuit of darkness.

Expose these things for the sham they are.

Ephesians 5:10-11

Where is Your Focus?

I remember when my two children were small and we would hang out at the park. We usually went with friends who had children their same ages. I would sit on the bench and talk to my friends. Bryce would be off in the fort playing with the boys and Brittne would be sliding with the girls. As a young mother, it was my responsibility to watch them both. However, at times they would get so far apart that my scope of vision could not focus on both at the same time. I had to look over at one, and then look at the other. Sometimes, I would get so interested in watching the boys take charge of organizing the war strategies that I would forget for a while to look over and make sure the girls weren’t in the midst of a little girl argument. I felt torn between them, which should I watch.
We struggle this way in life too. We know we are to focus on Christ but the problems of life demands our attention. We separate the problems so far away from Christ we can’t focus on both, so we start the head bobbing thing. We look at one for a while and then give the other one its turn. Spiritually, it just doesn’t work. Jesus doesn’t want equal time to your problems. He wants your problems! They are His to deal with. All he wants you to do is focus on Him and He will take care of everything else. It is the essence of a song which was written 87 years ago, yet it could have been written yesterday.


Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.


This is the answer to every problem. It is the nutshell of all teaching. This is the essence of walking the Christian life. If I could only have one song in my head to guide me through life this would be it. It reminds me that my only responsibility in life is to turn my eyes to Jesus. Where are your eyes focusing?

Michal Smith sings this song. It is very moving. Just use it as a quiet, worshipful time.

It is about being real!

Stained Glass Masquerade

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong
So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them
Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade
Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage
The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart
But would it set me freeIf I dared to let you see
The truth behind the personThat you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

This song came out at the same time God was calling us to start Fusion Church. I remember playing it for the college class when we told them we were starting Fusion. The song is speaking of getting rid of all the pretense we have at church and being real for people. We might look good for all the other Christians when we put on our pretense but we build up walls for the hurting and the lost and they do not know how to penetrate them. What is our calling as Christians? Is it to look good for our brothers and sisters in Christ? Or is it to reach the lost? On top of that we do not have a real relationship with our fellow Christians if we cannot let them know of our hurts, our struggles or our weaknesses. We are just playing the game. In this busy world, if the church is not real and relevant people will walk away. That is why we have 80% of young adults (18 year olds) walking away from the church when they graduate High School. What about you? Will you lead out in your church and be real, so that others can see that it’s okay to have hurts and struggles?

Audience of One

I grew up as an only child. Yes, I was spoiled but I was not rotten!! As far back as I can remember, I strived to please people. I wanted people to love me and be pleased with me. I wished I would have outgrown that personality trait but I did not. I have struggled with it all of my adult life. A few years back, I attended a pastor's wife retreat. The main thing I took away from that retreat was a song. It penetrated my heart and hit dead center the trait of wanting everyone's approval. It wasn't the words of the song, it was purely the title. The title was "Audience of One". I strive to live my life for an audience of One, for God and God only. I must confess, this blog is challenging this area of growth in my life. I love teaching women. I love connecting with them and helping them through this journey of life. I love witnessing God's work in their life and I love being used by Him to touch another's life. It blesses me. I want to hug them, cry with them, pray with them and encourage them. Teaching on a blog is so different. I do not know who I am teaching. I do not know if it is impacting anybody. I can't see anyones response. I do not know if they are crying, laughing, or sleeping. I can't hug anybody or pray with anybody. However, this blog was created out of obedience to the Lord. I know I am to write for one year regardless if anybody ever reads it or not. It is something that I am suppose to do for me and the Lord. My heart longs to get to the place where I am only concerned with His satisfaction. I want to be content with my audience of One! I am determined to grow in this area. What about you? Who are you trying to please. Is God's approval enought for you?

To be honest I do not remember the rest of the words of the song. I only remember the title. However, I think the Audience of One song by Big Daddy Weave is the essence of the desire of my heart.

God's Calling

Another major step in my spiritual growth was dealing with my willingness to surrender to the Lord. By surrender I mean to sell my house, move my family, take my children to another state, and return back to the workplace because Dwayne sensed God was calling him to the ministry. I was so scared. It seemed God was asking me to give up everything I loved and I was digging in my heels. Dwayne was not going to drag me to the ministry. He gave me over to the Lord. He trusted that God would change my heart since He was the one calling us. I felt the tug at my heart but I did not want to surrender. We visited with a mentor couple about seminary and the pressure became stronger for me. I went to the car and for some reason Dwayne was still in the house. I was still struggling. I turned the car on and the following song was playing. The words pierced my heart as if God was speaking them to me directly from His mouth. I knew at that moment Dwayne was the kind of man that the song was speaking of and that God was calling him into the ministry. That decision was confirmed as we visited the seminary. It was there in a shabby hotel room that we knelt together and surrendered to the ministry. As you read the words below, ask yourself if you are the kind of person the song is talking about. Don’t let the gender reference deter you.

What this dying world could use is a willing Man of God
Who dares to go against the grain and works without applause;
A man who'll raise the shield of Faith, protecting what is pure;
Whose love is tough and gentle; a man whose word is sure.
God doesn't need an Orator who knows what just to say;
He doesn't need authorities to reason Him away;
He doesn't need an army to guarantee a win;
He just needs a Few Good Men.
Men full of Compassion, who Laugh and Love and Cry-
Men who'll face Eternity and aren't afraid to die-
Men who'll fight for Freedom and Honor once again-
He just needs a Few Good Men.
He calls the broken derelict whose life has been renewed;
He calls the one who has the strength to stand up for the Truth.
Enlistment lines are open and He wants you to come in-
He just needs a Few Good Men.

God needs you! Are you going to enlist?

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 5:10

God's Grace is Enough

I remember when I became a Christian during the song “I Surrender all”. I remember rededicating my life at Youth Camp (Falls Creek) as a teenager to the then new song “The Savior Is Waiting”. These two events in my life are the beginning milestones to my journey as a follower of Jesus Christ and they are associated with two special songs in my memory. However there is another special song associated with my first real struggle in this journey that dealt with my burden of guilt. When I was in my mid-twenties, I was consumed with guilt from a past sin. I was having a really hard time conquering it. I was blaming the things that were happening to me as punishment from God for my sin. Praise the Lord, I overcame that struggle. As I was learning to grasp the fact that Christ paid for all my sin--past, present, and future, I heard a song that turned on the light switch in my heart. It was a song I had heard before, but not really heard. It was the hymn ‘Grace Greater Than My Sin’. The title is enough. My sin can never outreach God’s grace. My sin can never be too big and His Grace will never be too small. Grace is unmerited favor, which means there is nothing I can do to earn it, deserve it, or receive it. God’s grace is not just for salvation, but for every day of my life. When we accept the burden of guilt in our life we become stuck. We cannot move forward with our walk with Christ. Not until we let go of the guilt and realize that Christ was enough to pay for every sin we commit. When we hold on to guilt we are saying that Christ wasn’t enough to pay for it. If you have any guilt, I encourage you to let go of it. The burden is too great to carry and you don’t have to. Living without it is such a relief and a blessing. Let the following words minister to your soul as you pray over the words.
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
Grace, Grace, God’s Grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace. Grace, God’s Grace
Grace that is greater than all our sins.
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

But if it is by grace (His unmerited favor and graciousness), it is no longer conditioned on works or anything me have done. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace (it would be meaningless). Romans 11:6 (Amplified)

Importance of Music

For weeks now I have been pondering the affect that music has on our lives and on our worship. I have a hard time remembering my phone number and address from four years ago, but I can remember the words to songs from the 70’s. It has been proven that music helps us remember. I would bet that all of us learned our alphabet by learning to sing it. When we sing hymns and spiritual songs we remember scripture and principles of our faith. Music impacts us. Music is important to God as well. Music and singing is mentioned 274 times in scripture. God wants us to sing praises to Him. It is a part of our worship. There are other parts of worship but music definitely has a role. When we started Fusion Church we had to go a few months without any music in our Sunday worship. Though it was a time to focus more on other aspects of worship, I missed the singing. I have to admit that I do not understand people who refuse to sing in church. Some of the most precious singing I have ever heard is from people who sing with their hearts but can’t carry a tune. When Dwayne and I were missionaries in Montana, we were guests at a mission conference in Missouri. As we were hearing a testimony from missionaries from China, the question was asked, “What needs do you have that we can help with?” The answer they gave was to ask the Christians in the States to sing for them. They meet in underground churches and must be quiet. They mouth songs but cannot utter a sound. We should sing praises to the Lord every day. God loves it when His children sing praises to Him. Examine your life, how much has music impacted your spiritual walk? How much praise are you giving God through song?

Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices and instruments and making melody with all your heart to the Lord.

Ephesians 5:19

This week I am going to share how God used different songs to speak to me and give direction in my life. I hope that you will think about what songs have changed you and share that on comments. I have opened up the comment section to everyone. You no longer have to have a Google account to share your comments.