Update

I really want to share some stuff but I have an interruption today. Rod is fine for all of you that asked...thank u. He was fine to begin with but I must say I am about to beat him to death...just kidding. For those of you that know me you will know I stay up very late. It is the only way I can get anything done. I also have to get up and get in the word if I am going to be in the Spirit at all. So, I get very irritated if you talk to me while I am in the word in the morning. You may not be able to talk until you have had your coffee... well the same is true for me about my dose of Scripture. So this is a pretty long standing thing in the Williams house...nothing new. Rod knows how I want to hear from God (fresh) before anything else crowds out my mind. He knows that we will all be better off when I can steal away with Jesus...or else I just can't face the day. Seriously.

So this morning, bright and early, the basement floods. Something is wrong with his bathroom shower and it overflowed to the downstairs. So guess who gets to clean it up. He left for work and I finished my bible study since I knew the water would be there when I got finished (please don't tell him). Anyway, I broke out the shop vac like he told me. Then, after about 5 minutes of sucking up water in this VERY NICE & EXPENSIVE shop vac...IT QUITS! (Let me tie this into scripture just for fun...on how temporary are treasures are...which a shop vac may be a treasure to Rod but not to me...LOL. Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God stands forever.") I am thinking I need to go back to sleep. Anyway, I text Rod and he calls me back. He says that I was supposed to change the hose out. Well, who knew that? He said he figured I would call and ask him how to do that. Well, since I can't read minds and am not very knowledgeable in the area of SHOP VACS!!!!! NO I DIDN'T know to change out the hose to vacuum water!!!! So, it is shot and I am having to do the cave man thing and get a billion towels and go soak up the water. This is not a big deal but could you just say a prayer before I lose it today...please. On another note I loved reading Luke 8 about the hemorrhaging woman and the dead girl that was raised. Heal me Lord, raise the dead places in me Jesus. Help!!! :)

Idiots!

I love this passage in Acts. I love that God in His economy chooses the foolish things of the world to shame and confound the wise. In these verses where it says that Peter and John were unschooled ordinary (in my version NIV) men...the word in the greek is the word translated that they were idiots. God used a bunch of unschooled ordinary (idiots) to turn the world UP SIDE down and we are still experiencing the earth quake type impact that was caused by their tenure on planet earth. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever so He will use us no matter our personal background, lack of education, or failure. I love Him so much!

This is from an experiencing God devo:
October 7
Scripture:When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and knew that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13, Holman CSB)
Thought:None of the people God ever encountered could remain the same afterwards. They had to make major adjustments in their lives in order to walk obediently with God. If you keep your life God-centered, you will immediately put your life alongside His activity. Two fishermen, Peter and John, became bold preachers in the cities of the world. What can you become if you place your life alongside God's activity?
Prayer:Bold Mover of mountains, I know I do not have the capability in my strength, but neither did Peter and John. Help me keep life God-centered so I may always be in the center of Your work. Amen

The Tenderness of God

Luke 18:16
16But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

Rod gashed his arm tonight at the hunting club (don't worry he is fine) but he is going to have to go tomorrow and get some stitches. Anyway, I got on my knees with Morgan and told her that we needed to pray for daddy's arm. That little sweet thing laid prostrate on the floor with her face to the floor and her hands tucked under her little face as we prayed for her daddy. What tenderness...I just stored that up in my heart. She has just started really knowing about praying at dinner and etc. She will just bow her sweet little head and we say "thank you Jesus"! It is so precious!!!

Take a Listen

One of my dear friends produced a cd with songs that she wrote a while back. Go HERE to listen for yourself. She is very gifted!! I was just listening to the songs and thought I would share. You can buy a cd as well on her site.

Out of Touch

James 2:15-17

15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

I hung up the phone with my sister an hour or so ago and I have been cleaning the house and thinking. We were talking about the kiddos and just family stuff. Then our conversation took a serious turn. She and her husband have three children and her husband is the associate pastor at a church in North Alabama. They have been visiting Paraguay for the last couple of years. Their church has helped start a day care center in a poverty stricken town. I was talking with her about some stuff that really resonated with me when I did the Daniel study (by Beth Moore). I was sharing with her about how much we have seen the hand of God provide for us and how I am afraid that if I were rich or something that I would be afraid that I would get really proud and think I had something to do with things (as if). I told her how I have been praying the following verses for several years in regards to needs:
Proverbs 30:7-9

7 "Two things I ask of you, O LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:

8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, 'Who is the LORD ?'
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.

I have prayed that God would give us our daily bread. Man can not live on bread alone, but I have been praying that He would just meet my needs for years now. I know what it is like to struggle but I have no idea some of the struggles that others face around the world.

I got to thinking about the motto here in America: "Land of the free. Home of the Brave." Please hear me out as I say this, are we really free? Or are we in bondage to our stuff (I am not talking about everyone)? Are we really brave as Christians in America? As I type that I am washed in conviction. I get so tied up in my own self, my own trivial pursuit in life. I am not talking about war hero's but I am talking about America. In Christ we are free and He is our personal bravery but are we living that out? I am not always.... I can say that for sure.

A quick personal story is that I have really tried to take God up on His words in Matthew 6 and other passages. I want to trust Him when times are good and when times are bad. I want to seek first His kingdom. I want to be content. Not a sinful contentment, but a holy and godly contentment. I want to be satisfied with Him and in Him. I want to beat the snot out of my flesh and its cravings sometimes. It is never satisfied...wanting, craving, hungering, for lustful fleeting pleasure. Whenever Morgan starts to run low on clothes I pray and ask God to provide them for her. I am not speaking on prosperity but listen they literally show up at my door. Could I go out and spend myself buying them, yes. Instead, I have been blessed beyond measure by waiting on Him and watching Him do what He does. I sat on my couch and literally wept before the Lord over His provision for me Tuesday morning. Wednesday night Rod called me at work and asked me to come straight home when I got off because he was so tired. I always come home so I kind of cracked up about the call but instead of coming right home... I had not eaten all night so my stomach drove me to Taco-Nasty-Bell. This is what I was going to have to tell him if he asked why I was a few minutes behind. I thought about how much our appetites really drive us until we are suffocating the cries of the really needy in tirelessly trying to satisfy our flesh.

Philippians 3:18-20
18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ

I shared with Heather about King Neb and how he was given and opportunity to humble himself by renouncing his sins and showing kindness to the poor. Long story short he did not do this and he was humbled big time. Beth talked about how we wanted to learn this lesson in the classroom and not on a field trip. Amen. I don't want to have to take that field trip of being humbled because I have many times. It is not fun. Anyway, as she and I were talking she brought up some of the work they were doing in Paraguay (she says I write too long...just on and on she says...don't you love the honesty of flesh and blood!). The children that are in the daycare centers parents would LEAVE THEM CHAINED TO THE DOOR OR A TREE while they went to work in prostitution and etc before they had the free daycare to take them to. The children were so diseased and malnourished when they first got there. Can you imagine...leaving your child chained up or just playing in the streets while you went off to work? I can not even begin to imagine. As I have felt the chaos of clutter closing in on me tonight I thought about the abundance here. Should you run right now to your closet and get rid of all but one outfit? I am not saying that. What I am saying is that I literally have so much excess that it just gets in the way. As Heather and I talked she spoke of how the children there had one outfit and the daycare center was washing their clothes each day. She said the kids are getting fed, bathed, and loved on. She says the difference in going there last year and this year is a world apart. The children in the daycare were so much more nourished and healthy...Praise the Lord. Count your blessings because no matter what we are going through we are still blessed to live in America. Lord, I am sorry for my whining, complaining, discontented attitude. Please open our eyes Jesus and keep sending out the workers into your field to help your precious children. God please help us to not lose sight of the poor around us.

"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Luke 7:23-25

23Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

24After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces.

I can not tell you how many times I have had to bring my misleading heart back to the rich truths of God's word. Specifically to the hardship that John the Baptist, David, Moses, Joseph, Daniel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Paul, John the Beloved and so many others have faced. Sometimes along the way I fall into the trap of believing that because I am a Christian things should be a certain way for me. God is sovereign and His word is a blueprint for sure, it is pure and without fault. But sometimes I let my feelings just over rule what I know in my mind. I have spent the last almost decade saturating my mind in God's word daily. I do not say that with pride...I say that because I have been a girl in desperation for my God. Listen, I do not think there is anyone on the planet more prone to wander than me. I have to stay close to Him through His word or I will allow my feelings to deceive me, I have fallen into that trap a million times. There are so many opportunities that you and I will have to say in essence "you know what I deserve better than this" (I am not talking about staying in abusive relationships and etc) and we will want to cling to the rights that we think are ours. Philippians 2 paints the picture that shatters my rights when I want to start thinking of what I am entitled to. Jesus Christ came. He took on flesh. He was fully God. He was fully man. He did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped. He humbled Himself and became obedient to death on a cross....a criminals death and He was the lamb without spot or blemish. He took on our sins and He did not have to. He bore the cross and He did not have to...but in His grace and mercy He did. Did we deserve forgiveness? No! But He forgave anyway. It is a great paradox.
I look at John the Baptist and the consecrated life he lived during his tenure on this earth. If anyone deserved blessing we would surely think it was him. If anyone deserved release from prison we would think it was him. If anyone did not deserve to be beheaded we would think him. He was focused and his mission was clear. He took the Nazarite vow and lived to prepare the way for the Lord. But stop for just a minute and remember this: The Lord Jesus and John the Baptist were related. Their mothers were cousins, remember. What an interesting dynamic. John is known as the voice of one calling in the desert. He was calling people to prepare the way for the Lord...not only for His earthly ministry but to prepare room for the Lord by turning from sin and turning to God. Then John's ministry lasts only a year and as you know he was thrown into prison.
I love the boldness of John. A boldness that I think is lost in our day. Why do I think it is lost...because I think that sometimes (me included) we fear man instead of God. John wasn't afraid to call things for what they were. Why? Because he knew that souls were at stake and that Jesus came to bring a sword.

Proverbs 29:25 says that Fear of man will prove to be a snare. IT will and it will keep us from our destiny in Christ. A snare is something like a trap that we fall into. Fearing man and living for the approval of men will prove to be a trap.
25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

I love the verse in Galatians 1 that says this: "10Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Enough said.

Though it won't be easy there is great blessing in living to please the Lord. I have certainly experienced repercussions of living to please myself.

Proverbs 14:26-27

26 He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
and for his children it will be a refuge.

27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,

Back to John, he was in prison because people in authority did not like the truth. They were above reproach in their own eyes and they were going to live for themselves and do as they pleased. When John confronted them with the truth it was not what they liked...they hated it. See for yourself:

Mark 6:16-18
16But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!"

17For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married. 18For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

So they had power over John but it was only temporary, and they did not have the power to destroy his soul. The Lord was in control of that horrible situation just like He is Sovereign over you and me.

John is in prison for living a life set apart to Christ. Remember he is the one that said that he must decrease and Christ increase. So John while in prison, faced with the fact that he may die as well, sends his disciples to ask this:

Luke 7

"18John's disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, 19he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

John like all of us probably struggled with knowing that God could do anything but why was he in prison faced with death. What spurs me to journal this is that I have been going through a long term situation where I really want to believe God over but as time creeps along and I see absolutely no change I am tempted to wonder why and doubt. I am tempted to believe that I deserve better than this and doubt the goodness of God. If we do not go back to God's word and see that His ways our not our ways we will fall prey to the snare of believing that we deserve better than what God is working out in us and maybe for the sake of others. Life is not easy and our circumstances our not going to be cake. If we live a life based on circumstances we will fall away (I don't mean loss of salvation but ensnared to sin) on account of what He is doing. The word for fall away that I referenced in the beginning is skandalon meaning: "a trap, stumbling block. To cause to stumble and fall. In the NT figuratively, to be a stumbling block to someone, cause to stumble at or into something, give a cause of offense to someone. Without reference to the element of deceit, it means to throw someone unawares into ruin; to give occasion for ungodly conduct resulting in the mischief incurred thereby. To craftily entice or lead to ruin, allowing someone to adopt a course in which he will unknowingly come to mischief and ruin."
You may need to read this again. I believe Jesus was telling John to hold onto his faith because He told them to send word to him "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." In other words life will present circumstances that will cause you to doubt the plan and goodness of God. And believe me the enemy will use your doubt as an opportunity. He is an opportunist. Never turn your back on him. He will present you opportunities that will ensnare you. Now what if you have already doubted and fallen away on account of your circumstances? Listen to me....God is not like man. He is forgiving. He made a way for us and with Him there is complete forgiveness. If you fell into a trap He does not mean for you to lay down and die for the duration of your time here. He will redeem that sin and use it for His glory. The enemy will do all he can to condemn you and make you ineffective. Listen to me...get the word in your heart and mind. Saturate yourself with scripture, sound teaching, music that edifies. He will train you for battle. I can not tell you how many times I have had past sin thrown up in my face. Some how I felt I needed to punish myself and carry around that load because I deserved to. The Lord took on our sin and our disgrace. Lets not let it continue to get the victory over us.
Let me give you some scenarios of circumstances that we are faced with and options that we can take (that we don't want to take).
1. Being single. The temptation is to think that God has forgotten you. Time goes by and maybe you have been obedient in the area of purity. More time creeps along. You think that because you have been pure that God will bless that (He will). More time goes by and there is no guy or girl in site. The enemy brings an opportunity your way. You deserve this he says. Yes God has a will...but maybe this is not part of His plan and well you have these desires so what are you going to do, just live the rest of your life without this...you say? You doubt, then an opportunity comes along and you are ensnared. Then your eyes are opened and you have a huge mess on your hands. Marriage does not solve a purity issue. What I believe happens in this situation is you have an unmet desire. Maybe God's plan is that He is enough and that you can live victoriously. Remember He was tempted in every way that we are yet without sin. What do you think that means? It means every way that we are. He will also give us power to live victoriously. Even with purity...I know this first hand. I know what it is like to sin my tail off but also to have lived a life of sin and be able to live victoriously through Him. Our life here is short and if we focus on this being it...we will miss the point. Do keep bringing your heart and desires to Jesus. Keep pouring them out to Him. That is all I know to do when time keeps passing and I see no end in sight. "Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

2. Marriage. You are married and you feel extremely unloved and neglected (I am particularly writing to women so) you wonder what happened. Did you make a mistake (No if you are married you are married...but this is the doubt part)? This is not how you thought life would turn out. Years and years have gone by and there has been no change. God has changed you but not the dynamics of your relationship. You feel lonely at times and just want to be wanted and loved by your husband. The enemy brings an opportunity along...another man. He will tell you all that you long to hear. You feel wanted and longed for. You say to yourself...I deserve this. Things have not changed here and my life is so short. I deserve to feel something. Why should I live this way, with this man for the rest of my life in misery. You think that the grass is greener. So you take of the fruit and eat and your eyes are open and you have a huge mess on your hands. The grass is not greener. What you needed was for Christ to fill the lonely, desperate places in you. You doubted Him and went after your deceitful desires. You feel used and full of shame. You fell into a trap. How did you even get here? Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

3. Betrayal- you have been betrayed by someone. A spouse, friend, or family member. You know that God's word says to forgive them but you feel that if you forgive them that it gives them entitlement. That it will be OK and you are not OK. You choose to stick to how you feel instead of truth. Your anger turns to months and years. You become bitter and that bitterness creeps into every part of your murky water. You live a life of isolation. You can no longer trust anyone you say. You have no friends...you have pushed everyone away. You were done wrong but instead of turning it over to the Lord until He healed you...you decided to be in control. You thought that if trusting God got you to this place then why should you trust Him? You get to the end of your life and realize all of the years that were wasted. If you would have just poured out your heart to God and walked with Him how would things be different? Would you still have your relationships to your children and friends but now they are severed and you feel like you have wasted your life. You fell for the life to hold on to your entitlement of unforgiveness...but instead it held on to you and ate you alive. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

These are just a couple of real examples and I could come up with so many more. We have so many VERY REAL mountainous things going on in our lives. If we do not see God working in the way we think we will be tempted to buy the press of our own heart instead of sticking to the truth of His word. This is my temptation and I think all of ours. I really have to get going today but I want to encourage you to keep bringing your broken heart to Christ and the healing balm of His word. When I do this...I see that hey these people did not have it so easy either but this world was not their home and they were receiving an eternal kingdom that could not be shaken, a kingdom that will never perish, spoil, or fade. A lasting kingdom. This is our hope people. As you know John is beheaded and he receives the kingdom of God. This is not our home...we are receiving something far better. We have got to set our affections there....not here...or we will not make it. We will fall prey to all manner of sin and we will have a huge mess on our hands. No matter what...if God has given you breath it is not to late for you to allow Him to heal you. Run to Him. He is faithful. Just because we have been entangled to sin does not mean that we can't be free. We can.

Hebrews 12:1
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Beth Moore's new study- Psalm of Ascent

I am so stinking excited! The new study is coming out on 11-1-2007. I am not sure when our next start dates are at HSBC but this is my next study. Let me know if you will be interested!!!! :)

Here is the link to Lifeway. YEAH!!!!!!

10 year old gives birth

This story broke my heart.

Deo for the B.O.

Ok....this is going to be an informative TMI post! I have found a deodorant that I really like so I will share the love! I have tried it all to no avail. Here is one that is technically a man deo BUT it is more of a clean smell. DRUM ROLL!!!
Speed Stick Irish Spring! It really does work!!!! Now you can sleep at night knowing this! Next time you come close and get a whiff and think man she smells like Irish Spring...it is the deodorant!

I am linking up to THIS article regarding the transgender Oprah Winfrey episode...by Dr. Al Mohler. My blog has been hit so many times on people searching this out so I am reposting it.

the man tag!

All about my man!
Kim tagged me! So here goes nothing!!

It is all about your hubby/man!
1. Who is your man? Rod

2. How long and you been together? 7 years

3. How long did you date? We dated on four seperate occasions. I broke things off with him 3 different times and we dated the 4th time seriously and got married. I tried to break it off many times the last go around because of the hunting...but he talked me out of it. He said he wanted to save me the embarrassment of begging him back. Yeah right!

4. How old is your man? 40 going on 80

5. Who eats more? he does for sure

6. Who said I love you first? he did

7. Who is taller? Roderick

8. Who sings better? we equally sing bad!

9. Who is smarter? As far as current events, Auburn, and manly things...Rod. I pretty much spank him at everything else! :)

10. Whose temper is worse? Rod

11. Who does the laundry? um...me!

12. Who takes out the trash? me again

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I sleep in another room because he snores so loud it sounds like a train is coming and I would have to be on anti anxiety medication to stay in the same room. But I sleep on the right side.

14. Who pays the bills? me again

15. Who is better with the computer? me

16. Who mows the lawn? Not me. This is one thing that rod is very particular about.

17. Who cooks dinner? (Chic-Fil-A...the guy there told me he hasn't seen me in a while...that is because I have been coming through the drive thru! LOL) No, but I cook and I am a pretty good cook...I have always been pretty domestic with that. Rod does grilling and fried things. I forbid that food get fried in my presence.


18. Who drives when you are together? We do not ride together much. I get very car sick and usually he drives if we ride together.

19. Who is the most stubborn? This may be a tie but i am usually the first to apologize.

20. Whose parents do you like the most? What kind of question is that?!

21. Who kissed who first? duh...he kissed me!

22. Who asked out who? it depends on which time. I gave him my number (at church) but I think he asked me out first.

23. Who proposed? He did. Then after a bad ATV accident we were married 2 months later. He asked me at his house and I thought it was a joke because I was in the middle praying and he interrupted my prayer to ask me. I thought the ring was fake and that he was playing some sort of joke.

24. Who has more friends? that would be me

25. Who has more siblings? I do. I am a twin. I have a sister that is 16 months older, a 20 yr old sister, and a 16 year old brother.

I tag Mandy, Angie, and Heather, and Darla!

El Roi

Genesis 16:13-14
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen [b] the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi [c] ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

gotta get ready for work but there are a couple of quotes that I wanted to share. I got this one out of "Jesus the One and Only" by Beth Moore:
"Satan's prompt demise would spare us trouble, but it would also spare us tremendous growth resulting in many rewards." pager 84

There is a lot of context surrounding that quote but I just wanted to encourage you that even though some things may seem long and hard and the climb of life may be burning your lungs and calves...Do not quit trucking on with God. The enemy has come to my door many times with an easy way out. Sometimes I have taken that counterfeit way that would offer me the momentary fix that I was looking for. It was momentary, not worth it, and he proved himself to be the big fat liar he is. I was thinking about the Israelites in Egypt and how they were being oppressed and forced to bitter labor (see the beginning chapters of Deuteronomy)...even though they forced to back breaking labor...the Lord did not forget them. Don't you think they felt forgotten? We are faced with the same test at times. He remembered is covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and he heard there cry and deliverance was on the way. Do not buy the lie (or continue to buy into it) like Eve did, and like I myself have done...the lie that says that God is holding out on you. Even though you may not have sight...believe. If your problem is HUGE keep believing: With God all things are possible.

from Pastor James: www.walkintheword.com

Eliminate the Drain
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:1-2
If you had a hole in your gas tank, it wouldn’t be long until you investigated why your tank is always empty. I just filled up, you think. Why am I on empty again? The same thing happens in the Christian life. We get filled up with great Bible studies and sermons, and we think we’re good for the long haul. But not far into the trip, we’re out of gas. Completely drained. What happened?
I believe one reason our spiritual strength drains quickly from our lives is because we hoard it. Sounds like the opposite would be true, but it’s not. If we keep everything we gain in the Christian life to ourselves, we end up running out of gas. Paul tells Timothy: “What you have heard from me . . . entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).
The way to grow spiritually is not to pack every study, every sermon, every lesson you can into your skull. You might think you are a great Bible scholar but really you’re just a big Bible fathead. Some of the most spiritually weak people I know have more Bible information in their cranium than anyone around. But they can’t face temptations or weather even the smallest storm because they haven’t been growing in what they’ve learned. You’ve got to transfer truth to others in order for it to make a difference in your own life.
Do you take sermon notes when your pastor preaches each week? What do you do with them afterward-stuff them in a drawer? Carry them around in your Bible until you purge them all? Find someone this week to share something new you learned from the sermon or from a message you’ve read in a book or heard on the radio. In Paul’s words, entrust to others what you have learned. You will experience a fresh infusion of the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Merely reading the words will do nothing for you. But if you do what they say, you will fill up on God’s strength.
How about it?

ps

Luke 12:4-6
4"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies[a]? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

I have issues and we already know that. Anyway, I always lose a few heart beats at certain sunsets or glimpses of the moon. Sometimes, as most of you know, I think that Jesus is about to roll back the curtain and make His entrance. Well, let me just say...Morgan and I were coming home tonight and the moon was so fat, so full of splendor that I thought I was going to drive smack into it! Did you see it? It was incredible! At the sight of it I gasped then lifted my hands in praise to the One who made it. It beholds His glory...shouts it out...proclaims it! Anyway, it struck fear (Holy fear at a God that Awesome that I so discount so often) in me at the sight of it and the verse above came to my heart immediately while driving down the road. I thought it was fitting with my last post on fear.

Psalm 27

Of David.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh, ^[a]
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.

Quick story. Last night was the first night I have had to myself (meaning without Morgan) since December of 06. I wish that I did not have to work the whole weekend. Anyway, back in my single days I got really set in my ways with having time to myself...so it was nice to have a few hours to myself even if it was only a night. Point of the story. The Lord has delivered me from a HUGE (I mean HUGE) stronghold of fear. My dad is in law enforcement and I have heard every worse case scenario under the sun. I had a family member get raped in their home and I learned of this when I was six (please do not tell a 6 year old that). So, I have been scared to death ever since I can remember. When I had Morgan I decided that I really needed to be free from this. I did not want her to see her mother wigging out all of the time and pass this on to her. Plus I was just sick of living in fear. Well, I really got to the point where I decided that whatever was going to happen in my life was written in His book before one day came to pass and I was just going to have to rest in that instead of living in panic mode (it is good to be cautious but I don't think Christ wants us living in constant paranoia and fear wondering what villan is hiding behind the shower curtain when we go to the bathroom). So, last night as I was closing up a couple of policemen came by the store (at the mall). I talked with them a while and they told me all of the latest horror stories. Seriously. They told me of robberies and car jackings and etc and etc. They gave me some tips (which my mom mails me the same tips in the mail...talk about scare you to death if you weren't scared already...she means well but I just have to throw them away and not look at them) on not carrying a purse (yeah right) and parking closer to the building (as if) and they walked me to my car. That was sweet...but I said guys, now I am about to go and stay home by myself for the first time (without Morgan...not Rod) in almost a year...thanks for all of the stories! Then they warned me to NEVER help ANYONE. Don't you just love that. The point is to that the enemy wanted me to go home and stay up all night in fear and you know what it did not happen...GLORY! Just so happened the one night I am to stay alone (which I don't no why I wouldn't be scared all the times its just me and Morgan...since she's 2...but I just have to be grown up for her) I get all of this wonderful news. I decided to take my thoughts captive and trust in Christ last night and I slept like a baby! AAAHHH! Gotta get ready for work and then I am heading to Moody to get my sweet girl...I miss that little thang! I had to put on some cartoons for a second last night so it would seem like she was around. What a sweet blessing!

without knowing

without knowing...how old do you think I look? It really is not relevant but y'all....working in retail I get asked ALL of the time what school I go to... as in high school. Then tonight a lady told me she had a daughter my age...knowing that she clearly could not have a daughter my age I inquired about the daughter. She just graduated high school! LOL! Anyway, that is fine that people think that...it just cracks me up. Then I had a lady the other night that I was helping and I told her that she looked familiar. She said, "well, I am in real estate and maybe your mom or someone has bought a house from me or something." I said no, I don't think so...but I have worked at this mall for 10 years so I am sure I have seen you here. She could not believe that I have been working for 10 years!! So funny! Then sometimes if I answer the door (which i usually don't) someone will ask if my mom is home. LOL!! I got carded yet again for night time cold medicine and I said really do I not look 18? She said no...and how am I supposed to know! I will take the youth while I can....

perspective

The Lord has been shedding His light on a past season of sin that I did not understand why I could not grasp the truth over. I wanted the truth but there were areas in my heart and mind that I was dealing with that were deceiving me. Without going into detail, I hope you can relate somehow to what I am talking about. I knew the truth of God's word but what I felt and how I acted were not in line with the truth. I can not tell you how I love the psalms and I can not begin to express what they mean to me. Anyway, I could literally write on some of these verses for hours and hours and I would lose everyone because maybe the Lord intends them just for me. I believe so much of my faultiness and the corner of deception in my mind was due to a lack of perspective (seeing the big picture). Perspective is very important in the life of a Christian. If we just decide to live for the here and now we will forfeit everything. I have to be very careful to not make constant "feeling" based decisions. Case in point: Rod and I were in a fight a couple of weeks ago and in my anger I sent him an ugly text message. The point was retaliation and I wanted to provoke a response in him. I am just being honest. Well, he just got the text yesterday. He forwarded it back to me and I called him and said, "You just got this?" To which he said, "yes Jenny and you need to stop doing those rash things in the heat of the moment...look how drastic you got in that text message." He was right and we laughed it off. Even when I sent the message I really didn't mean what I said but I just wanted him to respond. If I had the right perspective I would not have sent that message...but I was just plain walking in the flesh. The thing is that was sin for me. We are told in our anger not to sin. We are to be angry, but not to sin in our anger. I have prayed these verses for several years:
Psalm 90
12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 144:3-4
3 O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?
4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

James 4:14
14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

The point is that we only have one shot here. I want God to show me that each day may be my last. We are truly not promised tomorrow and if we live in this light it really does help us to keep perspective. Look at your relationships and the shape that they are in...is that how you want them to be if you don't have tomorrow with that person? Do you want to continue to hold on to that grudge? To you want to keep your pride and refuse making amends because you are right? If you live that way, I promise you will live with a lot of regret. The Lord has been faithful to these prayers as if to constantly nudge me to make things right whether I am in the wrong or not. If I don't respond I will lose sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. I can't tell you the times I have woke Rod up to apologize to him even if I did not feel I was in the wrong, just so I would not let the sun go down on my anger. You can't control another persons anger, or whether or not they let the sun go down on their anger but you are responsible for yours. If you don't deal with yours you will give the enemy a foothold. That is a command with a promise.

So this past Sunday we celebrated 20 years of being in Hoover, Alabama as a church family. We just finished celebrating 100 years in the life of our church. We made a time capsule to be opened in 50 years and our church members were to write a letter to the people who would be opening the time capsule in 50 years. Well, this got me thinking and it brought me back to the above verses. I started really thinking about my life and the traps that I get into that are just one big fat waste of time. I can not believe how fast life is flying. We get one chance and are not promised another day...but one chance on this planet earth to impact others for Christ. To leave a legacy for Christ. In 50 even 100 years no one will care about my hair, my clothes, my hobbies, football teams, i-pods, my name. I am not saying that you should not take care of yourself or have hobbies but I am just guilty of getting distracted and pouring myself into things that don't matter and won't matter. I really started thinking last week about how the passages that speak of satan being cast down spoke of him being an angel and him becoming proud because of his beauty (Ezekial 28). Our economy is all about that. Looking young and beautiful and thin...and it really can turn to pride. Anyway, Proverbs clearly states that beauty is fleeting yet we pour ourselves into attaining that as women almost every day and then we are jealous of others when we feel like they are better than we are. Am I right? Take care of yourself and honor the Lord with your beauty but this should not be the thing that is all consuming in our lives. Another problem I think is so prevalent among the US is that we compare ourselves so much to others instead of bringing ourselves before the word and realizing that as Hebrews says
Hebrews 4:13
13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

While we think that something is okay for us because it is for someone else we really need to realize that everything is permissible but not beneficial and that we really are going to give an account. Also, I don't even want life to be so much about what kind of legacy I leave as much as was Christ revealed in me? Was my life about Him? Was He brought glory? If I make it so much about me leaving a legacy it puts the focus on me and takes my focus off of Christ. If I make it my utmost goal to focus on Christ, to know Him and to run after Him...I will not have to worry about leaving a legacy. If He is my perspective, I will live...not in perfection...but in light of eternity. I want this. I am so sinful left to myself. I was on the phone with a friend the other night, she knows me very well, and I said to her that I sure appreicate others encouraging me...but that I know how sinful I am left to my own demise and I don't buy my own press. Those were my exact words. If I take my focus off of Christ and live in the flesh...I am a wreck...to put it nicely. An absolute accident waiting to happen...I know first hand!

I was reading Hebrews 11 the other morning and got to the end verses (they absolutely do me in) and I came to the part that says "the world was not worthy of them." These people were not perfect...but they had one thing in common...they chose to believe God. They were weak, yet in their weakness they were made strong. When we choose to put our focus on God and choose to discipline ourselves through knowing Him through the Word it will change us and we will be able to live in the power of the Spirit in a way that we can't on our own. The opposite is true as well. If we choose to just live for ourselves and feed our flesh...the world will be worthy of us alright. I love these verses speaking of their perspective:
Hebrews 11:15-16
15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Listen you and I have the same opportunity we can return to our own land of slavery that God has delivered us from by choosing to live for the moment for what feels good. Or we can look continually by faith for a better country. I can not tell you how many times I get discouraged and I get in the word and my faith is renewed to go on and keep believing God...or my mind gets renewed. I can't tell you though the grace God has poured out on my life either. I know their have been times where I have disappointed Him and He would be ashamed to be called my God...were I have brought shame and reproach on His name. He takes us back and renews us thank God. If He kept a record of sins who could stand (Psalm 130)?

Below is my prayer that God would steal my focus, that you and I would have an undivided heart, that we would love Him wholly. That we would not settle for what is cheap. Oh how I have settled. Most all of my disobedience can be summed up in a lack of love for my Father because if we love Him 1 John says we will obey Him. Well, I am praying that His love will be made complete in me. I want to obey, I have sure suffered the consequences of disobedience.

Psalm 119:37
37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.

Turn our eyes from worthless things God...turn them to You through Your word.

The word for worthless things in the Hebrew is Saw meaning false, worthless, that which is in vain, sin iniquity, calamity, destruction. God please help us, give us focus. May it be said when we go to be with you that this world was not worthy of us.

Casting Crowns - East To West (Live) from Altar and the Door

please, please (I will beg you), please read

what cracks me up is I was led to read the hall of faith in Hebrews 11 this morning and then bam this was in my inbox! Gotta love how the Lord keeps driving it home with me. :)

from walk in the word....my fave!

Faith Over Feelings

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:1,6

If you’ve been around Walk in the Word a while, you’ve no doubt heard our favorite definition of faith: Faith is believing the Word of God and acting on it no matter how I feel because God promises a good result. This is critical to the Christian life. Faith discounts how we feel and boldly acts upon the Word of God.

I know a woman who wants more than anything to talk-talk-talk to her unbelieving husband about Christ. She’s having a hard time believing that she’s not a big part of his decision to come to Christ. She feels she must say something or he will never change. But faith discounts how we feel and boldly acts upon the Word of God. First Peter 3:1 says, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.” So she obeys the Word and keeps quiet.

The question for us is, “Will I do what God has asked me to do and trust Him to do the part that only He can do?” That’s a faith issue. We must choose to obey God even when we don’t feel like obeying. Do you ever have those situations when you could talk yourself out of obeying in eight different ways? But unless we want to be like roller-coaster Christians for the rest of our lives, we have to learn to obey even when the emotions aren’t there.

Emotions are wonderful things. In their rightful place, they bring color and fulfillment to our lives. As our servants, emotions can do much good, but when they become our “master” and start dictating our actions, we are headed for disaster. Think of your life as a train. Emotions make a lousy engine but a great caboose. Learning this truth has been a real point of victory for me. When I’m frustrated or anxious, I can choose to have faith no matter how I feel. If I feel like indulging myself, avoiding a problem, or nursing a personal slight, I must choose to ignore how I feel and cultivate faith instead. I must “believe the Word of God and act upon it no matter how I feel.” Why would I deny what comes most naturally to me? Because I choose to believe God instead.

Morgan is already in to customs! She loves her blankie head dress! LOL


Fun at the park


Morgan growling at the ducks... :)


Another day at the park





Me and Morgan sporting our pink.

Let's face it, it is super easy to get stuck on the ground in the muck and mire of "circumstance" in the day in and out of living on this planet called earth. I am not sure what life has dealt you, or what challenges you are facing (I hope you are facing them and not turning your back on them because that just breeds bigger problems) right now...but I am sure that God's word speaks to your situation. You may be experiencing health problems, financial crisis, loneliness, depression, you may have come out of a season where you took a great tumble into sin, you may be experiencing rejection, betrayal, problems at your workplace, there are just so many things that we face and what do we do with these things? Rod has a friend that Morgan is scared to death of and she saw him outside today and just hid under the covers in my bed. She just didn't want to deal with it...you know what I mean. There are some things that I am scared of and some issues that I just don't want to have to face. I am so afraid of failure that sometimes I can literally freeze or just plain paralyze in fear. Like Morgan, I to want to just hide under the covers some days. I have heard a lot of messages on the "full armor of God" and the fact that we have no armor for our backside. The key to victorious living is only going to come with the power of the Holy Spirit and by putting on the "full armor" of God. Read for yourself:

Ephesians 6:10-18
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Growing up with a large family I was exposed to a lot of dysfunction. The bible is replete with dysfunctional families if anyone needs a point of reference just scan the book of Genesis for a start. One common denominator that I saw existed with certain people who seemed to have some mountainous problems was that they did not "deal with their stuff." I had a relative who was an alcoholic and I will never forget one night when life had just gotten to him and I saw him trying to take his life. When a problem arose he turned to the bottle to try to drown it out (please don't think this person was not a believer either...he was and he did have a heart for God). The alcohol was always a temporary fix and then guess what...in not dealing with the problem...the problem just got bigger and bigger. It had a snowball affect. Starting out small at the top of a hill and by the time it rolled down the hill it was huge boulder of ice. I have done the same thing...just left certain things unchecked and turned my back on dealing with stuff and given the enemy an opportunity to come and pounce on me like prey that he was ready to devour. We can't blame everything on the enemy. Some of it is our own flesh...our own sinful nature. One area specifically that I think I have struggled with the most is rejection. I felt the sting of rejection from a VERY early age. Our biological father wanted nothing to do with us and at a young age I wondered why doesn't our daddy love us? I of course couldn't see then that it had nothing to do with me...he was just incapable of loving. Anyway, I have noticed a pattern in my life of self-protecting instead of allowing God to protect me. We are going to be hurt and we are going to face rejection it is just a fact. I have been dealing with this issue even today is why I am blogging this. I would make sure that I broke off every relationship in my past so I could know and feel that I was not rejected. And when the going got tough...I got going. I don't think I really knew that this is what I was doing but I did. I had to have the upper hand so that I could feel like I was in control and that no one was saying goodbye to me. Through hurt I would build walls around my heart...maybe a more accurate description would be fortresses. Anyway, one of the scariest things for me is to relinquish control of my heart to the Lord and trust Him. I am so willing to look like a fool to some if it may help a few so here goes with a very recent example. When I first held Shelby, my firstborn, in my arms it was one of the most heart wrenching moments of my life. I had to literally hold her as she died in my arms. My body was in shock literally, yet in those moments my heart was unlocked to feel something that I did not know I could feel...the love of a mother for her child. I never felt loved as a child so I did not know that I was capable of this capacity nor did I ever think I would be a mom. I was also faced with the fact that I may never be a mother. Well, after months of D-R-A-M-A (that is the only word I can find to describe the whirlwind of trials that I had to go through) on June 24th, 2005 at 11:38pm Morgan Hope made her way into this world. Sadly I guarded myself during the pregnancy just in case she too did not make it. Looking back I wish I would have believed God more during my pregnancy and doubted Him less over her arrival. I can not even begin to describe my feelings for this little 5 pound baby girl with pitch dark eyes. This five pound love of my life came in this world and took control of her mothers heart. The Lord has used this child to minister to my heart in more ways then you will EVER know. Grace, grace, grace...and hope fulfilled are a few words to describe it. Listen though, I stayed up for three days straight after having her I was so amazed that she was really here (we had several [SEVERAL] scares along the way that we would lose her to). I am talking I was so elated and after all I went through and all of the scares that we had she was finally here. Rod on the other hand was asleep an hour after we had her if that says anything about personalities. I love God's word because it says in Luke 2:19 "19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." It does not mention Joseph doing this just to show you a difference in gender. I am not saying that men don't but I am saying that women seem to cherish the tender things in life. Morgan was brought to my room after everyone had left and they told me that her temperature was really low and that I needed to warm her up by placing her on my chest so she could draw off of my warmth. As she lay there on my chest...I can not tell you the host of emotions and feelings for this tiny little creation that surged through my heart...in fact I thought that I just may go into cardiac arrest my heart was pounding so hard over that little thing. I completely one hundred percent had my heart opened to love this child in all of the fullness that I know how in my earthly tent...and it is one of the scariest yet most wonderful things that I have ever known. Since then the Lord has used her to show me "hey Jenny...you think you love Morgan...well, that is not even a drop in the bucket compared to how I love you." He loves us so much more than our human minds and hearts can even take. Yet we search the world over in vain to find the love that we can only find in Christ. So, now she is 2 and I am already having to constantly turn her over to the Lord. One of the worst things I could ever do is not love my child for fear of rejection or loss. The other day I had a horrible fear wash over me. Here is the part where I get foolish. My child is an escape artist. Well, I had envisioned (imaginations) that she might somehow escape from the playground, run out into the road, and get hit by a car. I know you may think I am crazy now. Anyway, I had decided that I was going to be led of the Spirit to not take her to Mothers Day Out that day because I just knew that if I could watch her that this fear would not become reality. Then I had Psalm 121:4 wash over me.

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

It was if the Lord was saying in my Spirit "Jenny, I will watch her. Remember me the ONE who does not even need sleep...I never stop watching or tending. Cast your anxieties on me. Show me where worrying has ever gotten you...did it control anything that you thought needed to be controlled?" No sir.

So, I took her to Mothers Day Out and I would lie to you if I told you the thought did not occur to me to do a drive by of the playground just to make sure there were no escapee children (named Morgan). Maybe the Lord wanted to use me in that way...just kidding. Here is the thing though...my fear and wanting to protect her that day were rooted in a lack of trust. We can not live lives that hull up like hermits for fear of getting hurt or something happening. Case in point. Shelby's life was taken from us and I never ever had that fear cross my mind...yet it happened. The things that happen in life are going to happen. Yes we need to exercise caution and be filled with the Spirit but we also have to acknowledge continually who is in control. I literally shook my head that day and thought man oh man what has this little one done to me? I love her so much and it scares me that I can love someone that much and that they can be taken from me.

The enemy of our souls wants us to allow all manner of unforgiveness, hurt, rejection, bitterness, and the like to take root in us. He wants us to leave the gardens of our hearts untended until we have bitter roots and weeds growing all over the place choking the life out of us. So what do we do when we are faced with a decision to guard our own hearts? They need guarding but God as the watchman on the wall. Not us. We are prone to cut people off and close ourselves away to keep from feeling. We can be scared to death of pain so we just want to shut down. We choose to keep believing God. To keep entrusting our hurts and our hearts to Him. We have to or we will live miserable lives that are cold and calloused. In choosing to bring the hurts to Him we will know the Healer. He is the only one that can fulfill the deep longings of our soul and He is the only one who can truly heal us. Keep getting up and asking to be filled with the Spirit. Keep bringing your brokenness to Him. I am doing the same and I promise He is faithful. Keep walking in the full armor of God and DO NOT turn your back on the enemy because your backside is not covered and he is an opportunist. He wants to gain ground with you. Do not let him...in the power of the Spirit is your victory!

Heal us, O LORD, and we will be healed! Save us and we will be saved...for YOU are the ONE we praise!!!!

Jeremiah 17:14
14 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
save me and I will be saved,
for you are the one I praise.

Stop, Collaborate and Listen...Jenny's back with a new rendition!

Yes...this is my blog! I have been debating on a change and this is brighter and more fun! I did lose a lot of my stuff so if I don't have you on my blog roll leave me a message so I can link to you. :)

Injustices

I read this last night from Pastor James MacDonald's blog. It is so what I needed re a situation. I thought you all might enjoy it!

Dealing with Life's InjusticesPosted by James MacDonald on September 14, 2007 02:06 AM


Can't sleep. Up in the middle of the night over something that has happened that I'm struggling to let go of. Tossing and turning, talking to silent faces that don't respond to my well-reasoned, imagined presentations. I have been the recipient of an action that is 100% wrong. I didn't ask for it, I didn't deserve it, and I didn't see it coming. It's not right, it's not defensible, and it's most certainly unbiblical. It hurts my heart, it wounds my sense of fairness, and I can do absolutely nothing to change it. If I press for justice or at least vindication, I risk further misunderstanding and will only make matters worse. Those few who could step in and force a reconciliation are content to be passive and protect their own interests. . . Hmmmmm . . . Time to preach to myself!!!
What would Jesus do?
Hebrews 12:3, "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Ok, yes, Jesus was falsely accused and much more and yet, "when he was reviled he did not revile in return." He was silent in the face of His accusers. Hmmmm. . . Well, too late for silence, but I can at least regroup and be silent going forward. I can, with God's help absolutely seal my lips and refuse to rally support for my cause or draw anyone else into the issue. Yes, silence; that seems right! But what about my cause? What about my reputation? What about justice?
More preaching to myself needed . . .
1 Peter 2:23a, "Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not." I know, I know, Jesus was silent, but that's not easy, especially not, as in my case where the issue involves total pagans. They don't believe as I do. They don't go to my church, read the same Book, or follow the same rules. How will this matter ever be set right if I just fold completely? Who's gonna handle this . . . ?
1 Peter 2:23a, "but committed himself to him that judges righteously." Yes, that's it. I believe there is a God of perfect justice who sees and keeps track of everything that happens. I don't need to fight for my rights, or demand a hearing or set the record straight. I don't need to fight for fairness or insist that others are held accountable, I need to commit the whole matter 100% to God and wait for Him to vindicate in His time and way. Romans 12:19, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,' says the Lord."
OK, but what do I do with all these feelings welling up inside me? Oh, here comes another Scripture. James 2:13a, "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy." Yes, that's it! Even though my flesh cries out for justice and the righting of all wrongs, in my spirit I know that I am following a master who has shown me a better way. The people in this situation are expecting a response of demanded rights, and push back about fairness, etc., etc. Because I know that I will account to God for every action I take, because I want the mercy of Christ for me and my family in that final day, I want to show mercy whenever possible. I want to withhold from others what they may deserve and give them grace instead. I have received so much grace, how could I not extend it to others?
Yep, that's it for sure. James 2:13b, "Mercy triumphs over judgment." That's what I should do, that's what I want to do, that's what . . . hmmm, with God's help I'm gonna do. I'm gonna write the matter off to the ultimate justice of God and show mercy to those involved.
I promise, Lord :)
Ok, back to bed. If I was smarter I would have settled this before I went to sleep. Psalm 127:2, "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep."
I'll be snoring in 5 minutes. God is good!
james

Give Him Some Praise

Psalm 61:1-3
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

Today is Thursday so lets give Him some praise (oh if you are not familiar this is the day where I have my blog "thang" and you can share a verse or praise or whatever)! I want to just take a moment to share about how alive and active Jesus is. I began to get in a slump over not having "homework" and I prayed about the current word that the Lord would have for me to hear in this season. I did not want to go and make a purchase so I prayed that the Lord would just have a study show up at my door. He is big enough. So, I went downstairs and scanned the bookshelf for a workbook that I may have not used yet. I picked out two and decided on "Jesus the One and Only" again I really should move on to something else but I just love these studies. So, I can't even tell you how thrilled my heart is to be back in the New Testament for a time. I have been making my abode in the Old Testament with frequent visits to the New Testament for a while. Back to my prayer...I come home on Tuesday (prayed that prayer Monday) and what do you know..."When Godly People Do Ungodly Things" was returned to my door. I was like Lord not again...a hard one...so I guess I will be listening to the audio of that again. I have some work to do with Jesus as always...but isn't that just hilarious. Pray and expect an answer.

Your responses to my incident cracked me up! I started to research concussions last night and I had some news for Roderick this morning! He cracked up when I told him this and I quote: "Rod, if I am irritable, have crying spells, or am confused it will be because I have a concussion." To which he replies, "babe, you are always like that (as he turns around with a smile on his face)." Then I yell, "When do I cry!" "See you are irritable!", he says. "It's just the concussion...LOL!" No but really sometimes I can be such an idiot I was saying the dumbest stuff last night at work. It was like the lights were on but no one was home. I think that is just plain lack of sleep.

I am okay

Seriously, I have issues. Depth perception issues is one of them. Anyway, I had just put Morgan in her car seat earlier and went to open my car door and I felt like I had the living daylights knocked out of me. I had opened the door in my face. I have a huge knot on my forehead seriously. I saw stars and I wondered what just happened as I struggled to keep consciousness. I leaned forward in the seat to catch my breath for a minute. The neighbor next door would not have known if I was dead or alive because he works hard at not making eye contact. Anyway, I am okay...don't worry. I just thought...who does this stuff? gotta take a nap before I have to go to work.