Merry Christmas Friends

Thank you all for reading my blogs and responding by voting or commenting.  I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

GOD BLESS YOU ALL! 

Merry Christmas!

Yes, I said it!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  Christ is why we celebrate Christmas.  It's his birth.  That's why we have Christmas.  That's what Christmas is all about you "Charlie Brown's"!  Duh?

Life

This quote also came from Pinterest:

"Beginnings are usually scary.  Endings are usually sad.  But it's all the things in between that make it worth it."

God's Will

I borrowed this from Pinterest:

"As much as you want to plan your life, it has a way of surprising you with unexpected things that will make you happier than you originally planned.

                                                                                  That's what you call

                                                                                   GOD'S WILL."

Choose Life

Heaven is real.  Hell is real.  Earth is the dressing room.  We are only here for a short while.  We must choose life.  We choose life by choosing Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  If we do not choose life we automatically choose death.  When I think about anyone going to hell it makes me sick to the pit of my stomach.  

If anyone reads this and you have not made the choice to accept Jesus I admonish you to choose now!  Don't wait another minute.  Choose now!  

The Bible says today is the day of salvation.   Jesus is waiting with outstretched arms, inviting you to come to Him.  Come today.  Come to Jesus.  Your life will be forever changed and you will have the peace that passes understanding.

Jesus loves you!

Faith Bible Verses

Faith Bible Verses

There's No Place Like Home

It was a little hard to get up this morning and go to work.  It always is after time off.  It's difficult to get back into the swing of things.  I felt like I was running behind and could never gain momentum, but I made it through.  

I was delighted to come home and find my husband had made us a nice dinner.  That was one less chore I had to deal with and it was a welcome blessing.  Plus, it was a healthy meal.  Another added bonus.

There's no place like home.  There's no place like home.  I agree with Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.  I love coming in out of the cold and the rain to a nice dinner, a warm fire, and shut the door to the world and all the problems out there.

This reminds me of the blessings of the Lord.  We can stay under the umbrella of His care and protection or get out from under the umbrella of his care and protection.  I choose to stay under the umbrella of His care and protection.

Me Too!

All I can say is "me too" to this beautiful song.  Thank you Father for your Grace which is embodied in your Son Jesus Christ.

Too Much Divorce

There's too much divorce these days.  What happened to 'till death do us part?"  Where's the commitment?  Tell me where's the love?  People are so selfish these days.  They are totally wrapped up in themselves until they don't care even about the children.  It's all about "me" these days.

I heard a story about an elderly man whose wife had Alzheimers Disease.  He visited her every day and took loving care of her.  Someone asked him why he didn't just go on and live his life without worrying about her.  After all she didn't recognize him any way.  She would never realize it if he didn't come by to see her.  His reply was,  "Yes, that may be true, but I'll know."  That's love and commitment.

Remember the two men who went up to the temple to pray?  One was a Pharisee, the other a publican.  The Pharisee prayed a very selfish prayer telling God how good he was.  He went on and on and on about all the good things he did.  I'm sure God got sick of hearing it, just as we would.   The publican prayed a very unselfish prayer telling God how good He (God) was.  The truth is we have no righteousness except the righteousness that comes from Christ Jesus.

The Bible tells us the publican was justified rather than the Pharisee, so don't go bragging about all the good deeds you do.  "For every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."  Luke 18:14 KJV


I love to see families playing together, cooking together, working together, going to church together.  There's nothing that warms my heart more than to see a man and woman who love God, love each other, and love their children.  It's a beautiful, most sacred thing.  God instituted marriage and loves the family.  The Bible says God hates divorce.   People who have experienced it say it's almost worse than death.  I believe that to be true.

I admonish anyone in a marriage to do everything in their power to stay in that covenant relationship.  If it's a bad relationship take it to God in prayer.  Ask God to heal your marriage and restore your love for your spouse.  Get someone to help you pray.  Ask God if you need to change.  Maybe it's you and not entirely your spouses fault.  God is able to restore.  Don't bail out too quick.  Give it a fighting chance.

I was coming home from work this afternoon and was scanning through the stations when I heard this old Michael Martin Murphey song.  It touched my heart and got me thinking about the many failing marriages in our own community.  Every time I hear of a couple getting a divorce it just breaks my heart.  I hurt for the couple and I hurt most of all for the children.  God help our marriages and our families.  Heal the hurting today Oh Heavenly Father, I pray.

The Few Video

Amazingly Beautiful

One of the most beautiful hymns of all time sung by one of the most talented singers of all time.

Love this version.  

C.S. Lewis

You don't have a soul.
You are a soul.
You have a body.

C.S. Lewis

Let It Go

I goofed!  Have you ever goofed?  You know goof is such a funny little word.  It means to blunder; make an error, misjudgment, to make a mess of something.  Well, that's definitely what I did.  I made a mess of something.  Have you ever done that?  I thought so.  We humans goof up from time to time.

It's not the first time I've goofed and I'm fairly certain it won't be the last.  I would like to think that I will never goof up again, but that's only wishful thinking.

I must admit that I am a perfectionist.  Not that I do everything perfect, but I want everything to be perfect.  I'm the type that straightens pictures in my house, but the problem is I want to straighten the pictures in your house too.  Of course, I constrain myself and keep my hands off other people's pictures. However, I do slip up sometimes and straighten pictures in my daughter's house.  She brings my attention to it with a smile.

Another problem I have is after I goof, I go around beating myself up for 2 or 3 days.  But you know what?  I'm learning (it took me a while) to forgive myself and let it go.

Yesterday I saw a picture of a balloon floating away and the caption read, "Let It Go".  Such good advice for us all.  Let it go and let God.  Let God handle your goof ups.  I'm trying to remember to be quick to ask His forgiveness and then forgive myself.  Just like the picture of the balloon, just let it go.  I'm going to do that.  How about you?

A Ham Sandwich With Joyce

This evening I was eating my ham sandwich and listening to Joyce Myers.  I always enjoy her because she keeps it simple, speaks to where we're at, and does it all with a sense of humor.  Besides that, she has the most amazing testimony of the healing grace of God.  She's a living testimony of what God can do in a life yielded totally to Him.

To summarize her message, she said we, as Believers beat ourselves up too much.  Of course, the devil helps us in that department.  But then she began to say we will never be able to live a victorious life until we realize who we are in Jesus Christ.  I totally agree with her.  I believe that right believing produces right living.  Her message reminded me of Christ's love for us and what He did at Calvary.  Just like the old song me and my sisters use to sing, "Life Begins At Calvary" and it absolutely does.

As she was talking about the goodness of Jesus Christ it brought tears to my eyes.  I thank God for His Son, Jesus Christ!  I'm so thankful Jesus was willing to come and die on Calvary.  Where would you and I be if He had not been willing to come?  Thank God, He was willing to drink the bitter cup of suffering for you and I.  

Brag On God

Do you hate to hear someone talk about themselves all the time?  It seems like 'they' are their favorite subject.  Does it seem like "I" is their favorite personal pronoun?  It gets tiring very fast, doesn't it?  Have you ever been around someone like this?  I have and I'm sure you have too.

Last week was a tough week.  I faced some things that I wish I didn't have to face, but life happens.  I wish I could go back and just erase some of the events that did happen, but it's not possible.  I must admit it left me feeling a little down and I was ready for a boost.

I had my morning devotions and someone invited me to go to a Bible study.  My first reaction was to politely decline because I had a lot of things I needed to do, but I thought, no, maybe that's just what I need, so I accepted their offer.

It was just a few minutes into the study, when I realized it wasn't a Bible study at all.  It was a Praise fest, but not for the One who is worthy to be praised.  It was a praise fest for some of the ones who where there.  It was bragging on who brought what, and who did this, and who said that, and on and on and on.  I hate to sound negative and I hope that I misunderstood, but that is what I saw.

I left there feeling cheated.  I went expecting to hear a good word from the Word, but all I heard was words of praise for each other!  Now don't get me wrong, we are supposed to do good works and I appreciate it when someone does something for me, but I don't think we're supposed to talk about this in a group.   I definitely think we should thank that person who does something for us and return the favor, but I believe we should brag on Jesus.  That's right!   We should brag on Jesus.   By that, I mean we should talk of all His goodness and His greatness.  We should tell all the wonderful things He has done for us, especially how He saved our souls.  When we brag on Him, it will lift up the one who is worthy of all the honor and glory and praise!

Psalms 71:24 says, "My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long."  Let's be careful not to life up ourselves, but to brag on God.  He is worthy!

Thank You!

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day in the United States and besides being happy that I have the day off, I am also happy and thankful for the many Veteran's who served in the Armed Forces.  There are thousands of brave men who gave all for the freedom we enjoy.  I am proud that members of my own family have served in the Armed Forces.

So to all of our Veterans I want to say a great big "THANK YOU!" We honor your service to our country.

Angels All Around Us

It was about 2:00 A.M. the other morning and I couldn't sleep so I turned on the TV.  It happened to be on a Christian station and there was a young woman singing.  She had a beautiful voice and a beautiful personality as well.

When she finished her song she began to talk about an experience she had with her young son, who was only 3 years old at the time.  She said he began to have bad dreams, which eventually turned into night terrors.  She shared how hard it was for her to have her precious little boy suffering such fear and torment from these horrible nightmares.

She taught him Bible verses hoping this would alleviate the night terrors.  She prayed with him before he went to sleep and then she remembered a little song her mother had taught her.  She said the song had brought her much comfort, so she decided to teach it to him.

The song was about angels.  I can't remember all the words, but it went something like this:
"Angels are in front of me, up above me, behind me, they're all around me........"

 As I listened to her sing this heavenly little song, it gave me chills and brought such comfort all at the same time.  She said after she taught him the song he began to sing it.   The night terrors left him and have not returned.  He now sleeps peacefully at night.

Thank God for His ministering angels.  The next time you feel disturbed, worried, fearful and can't sleep, just remember His angels are all around you too.

A Covenant Man

Last night my husband made a confession to me.  No, he didn't confess he'd been unfaithful and no, he didn't admit he ate the last piece of candy in the house.  He confessed something to me before it actually happened and I believe it happened because he confessed it to me.

Does that make sense?  It does to me.  Let me explain.  The Bible tells us to call things that are not as though they were.  In other words, you can't see it with your natural eyes, but call it like you want it to be and see it with your spiritual eyes.  Another way to say it is see it with your faith eyes, or eyes of faith and soon you will see it with your natural eyes.  It's called living by faith.

I know it's totally opposite of the way we humans operate, but that's what the Kingdom of God is like.  You might say it's an upside down Kingdom.  His way of doing things is opposite of the way we do things.

You might be wondering what my husband confessed to me.  Okay, I'm going to tell you.  We were at our grandson's soccer game.  They were playing for the championship.  The team that won would receive a huge trophy.  The game was almost over and neither team had scored.   My husband leaned over to me and said, "Logan is going to score."  He also reached over and told our grandson, "your going to score."  He was actually sitting out that quarter of the game.  We all shook hands on it, in a symbolic gesture of agreement that it would happen.

The next quarter the coach called Logan back into the game.  He wasn't on the field but just a few minutes when he made a goal.  In fact it was the only goal made that night by either team and so with a score of 1-0, our team won the championship!

My husband and I just smiled.  After a celebratory meal at the local Huddle House, we went home talking about the blessings of the Lord.  My husband proudly said, "I'm a covenant man."  And you know what?  I agree with him!

Praise His Name

In everything and in every situation give Him praise.  God inhabits the praises of His people.

Thank You Jason

Friday I was reading the paper and came across an article about a young Marine, Lance Cpl. Jason Nicholas Barfield, who was killed Monday in Afghanistan.  He was only 22.  Jason left behind two parents, six siblings and numerous friend and family members who will forever remember his enduring smile, the article said.

His father said Jason never met a stranger.  He was always smiling and outgoing.  His mother said he was one of those people who, when you met him, you never forgot him.  He had an impact on everyone.  She also said she thought he slept with a smile on his face, and he never gave in to idle gossip.

Ray Barfield said his son loved family.  He loved the Lord.  He loved going to church.   Ray Barfield also said his son sang, 'Amazing Grace' at his (mother's) funeral about three years ago.  Both parents had just spoken with their son early Sunday morning.  He had called them about 1:30 in the morning and woke them up just to talk with them.  Jason told them he was looking forward to coming home and getting some of his mother's cooking.

Friends said he had grown up to be the best, sweetest, kindest, most loving young man that you have ever wanted to meet.

As I read the article my heart was touched.  It sounds like these parents did a wonderful job of raising a son who was respectful of God, family, and country.  According to the article Jason's mom, Kelli said, "I was very blessed to have him as a son."

We too can be proud because Jason was an exemplary young man who was defending his country.  I am thankful that these parents did such a fine job raising their son.

Remind The Devil

When the devil reminds you of your past, just remind him of his future!

We have authority over the devil.  Keep him where he belongs, which is under our feet!

Blessings!

He Reigns

Amen, He reigns!  Because He reigns, we reign also!  I like this song and just wanted to share it with you.   Give God the glory He deserves.

Courageous Movie Review

A few days ago my husband and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary.  To celebrate I took the day off from work and we went to see a movie and eat dinner.  We got to the movie theatre a little early so I bought us a bag of popcorn to munch on while waiting for the movie to start.  We were talking and I told my husband I hadn't seen a good movie in such a long time.  In fact, I said, I don't remember the last time I saw a good movie that made me cry.  I guess I associate crying with meaning it was a good movie because it touched my sensitive side. 

We decided to see the movie Courageous.  I heard it was a good movie, but I really didn't think it would be good.  I've heard that before, then when I go to see it I'm usually disappointed. 

This time I was not disappointed.  The movie was good.  It touched my heart and I cried.  (There's all the proof I needed).  I laughed.  I was in suspense.  It had all the ingredients for a good movie in my opinion. 

My husband was laughing at all the funny parts and yes, he cried too at one scene in particular.  If you don't cry during that scene then I wonder about you.  The people were not what you would call professional actors, but they were "real" people facing "real" problems.  It was "real", although it was not "real", if you know what I mean.  The movie also addressed a "real" problem in families today that the church needs to stand up and address. 

I would encourage every parent to go see this movie, especially fathers.  It is probably the best movie I've seen in a long, long time.  I'm glad Sherwood Baptist Church in Georgia is ministering in this way.  We need more movies like this being made.  Keep up the good work Sherwood Baptist!

Be sure to watch the above movie trailer from the film and if you have the opportunity go see the movie.  I highly recommend it!

It's Coming!

I'm the oldest of seven children and when I was growing up we didn't have a lot of money.  It was a treat just to go to the store and buy a candy bar every once in a while.  We didn't eat out either.  Mom cooked all of our meals, which was usually a big pot of soup or vegetables.  If we did eat out, which was once in a blue moon, it was just a grilled cheese sandwich at a little drive inn.  I didn't eat at a McDonald's until I was married.  My husband thought it was funny because I told him my dream was to one day to be able to buy a box of ice cream sandwiches and eat the whole box!  I had three brothers and if you didn't get to the table right when mom called us it was ready, you might not get anything to eat. I've had that happen a few times.

I wore hand me down clothes and shoes that were given to me by some of my cousins.  I didn't know what it was like to have a new dress.  I do remember being all excited one afternoon.  My older cousin, Wanda, worked at a 5 and 10 store, as we used to call them.  She called my mother to find out what size dress I wore.  She bought me 5 new dresses.  I was so thrilled.  I still remember what one of them looked like.  It was a yellow dress with pretty little flowers around the border. I felt like a Princess with all those new dresses!  I didn't know which one to wear first.  She also bought me other dresses.  She was so good to me and I've never forgot it.

One year just a few weeks before Christmas we didn't have a tree up.  We kept asking mom when we were going to put up our tree.  She answered we would tell daddy to go get us one that afternoon.  Winters in Indiana get very cold and it was beginning to get dark.  Daddy still wasn't home.  I was so anxious to get a tree.  I loved putting up the tree and decorating it with all the lights and ornaments.  After it was decorated we always turned out all the lights and sat and looked at the tree while Christmas music played.  I loved Christmas and still do.

This afternoon it seemed he would never come home.  It was beginning to snow.  Great big snowflakes were falling from the sky and the ground was quickly becoming white.  It was also growing darker.  I remember thinking we're not going to get a tree put up today.  I was tired, bored, and sad, so I laid down on the sofa and was soon fast asleep.

I don't know how long I napped, but I was awakened by voices.  When I opened my eyes, my dad and grandfather were coming through the door with a great big beautiful green live tree.  My heart was thrilled.  We had a Christmas tree!  We all gathered around and began decorating the most beautiful tree I had ever seen. 

This reminds me of God's promises.  He says in His Word what He'll do and we begin to wait in earnest expectation for it to happen.  However, most of the time it doesn't come right away.  It's usually a process of time and if we're not careful we can get despondent, and begin to lose hope.  But just when we're about to give up, here it comes!  The promise we've been waiting for is there, coming through the door and our spirits are lifted to new heights.  The thing is, it happened just like He promised. God always comes through.  If He said He'd do it, then you can count on it.  He is true to His Word.

So don't give up.  Keep waiting.  Keep hoping.  Keep looking for the promise.  Soon you'll look up and there it will be!  The promise, the thing you've been praying about and longing for will be right there.  God always keeps His promises.

God Is Among Us

I teach.  It's what I do.  I like it.  I've always wanted to be a teacher.  When I was young, my sisters and I played school and I was the teacher.  I gave them test.  I graded their test and loved marking the answers wrong.  Why?  So I could reteach the material.  Obviously they didn't get it the first go around, so I needed to teach it again.  It was fun for me, but boring for them.

Even today in my real classroom, I love to get the red ink pen out to correct papers.  It's almost exhilarating.  Well, I am exaggerating a little, but not much.

In one of my reading classes this week, our vocabulary word was among.  After giving the definition and using it in a sentence myself, I asked young Brandon to use it in a sentence.  (He already had his hand up waving it in the air).  I couldn't wait to hear what grammatically incorrect sentence he would use, but surprisingly this was his sentence.  God is among us.

Well, I was surprised and knew that indeed God was among us.  Not only was it a grammatically correct sentence, it was quite accurate in truth also.  I do believe God helped Brandon to make this sentence and helped me to realize God is indeed among us.

Life Is Fragile

Life is precious.  Life is short.  Life is given to us by God.  He breathed His breath into man.  Man then became a living soul.  God created man in His very image.  We're like God in that we have a spirit man, an eternal soul that will live on forever, just like God.  The soul never dies.  It will live throughout eternity.  Life is precious.  Life is short.

I was reminded of this fact today.  I went to work.  I checked my email.  There it was.  A message saying the funeral was Sunday at 2:00 PM.  I missed the funeral, because I was out of town.  In another state, in fact.  My friend's son, only 33 years old had died and was already buried.  I didn't know it until this morning.  Too late to attend visitation.  Too late to attend the funeral.  My heart aches for this mother.  Her son has left this earth.  His physical body that is, but the spirit man lives on.  More news, which I hope is not true, that this young man was not prepared for eternity.  I pray he had a chance to make things right with His maker. 

There are two ways.  The Bible says to choose life.  What is life?  It's Jesus Christ!  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  He came to give us life.  Abundant life!  He's the only way.  Life is fragile.  Handle it with care.   Accept Him today.  If you haven't accepted Him, DO IT TODAY!   Don't wait another minute.  Today is the day of salvation. Life is precious.  Life is short. 

Try A Little Kindness

One Saturday night about a year ago, me and my husband of 39 years this month, were just relaxing at home.  He in his recliner watching a little TV, and me on the sofa reading a magazine.  It was so wonderful to just be home together doing nothing really.  You that are busy like we are, know exactly what I mean.

The telephone rang and it was an elderly black woman asking if I had sold a chair I had for sell on our local radion station on a program called "Switch and Swap".  I told her I had not.  She then proceeded to ask me all kinds of questions about the chair and then said she did not have a way to come look at it, because she did not have a car or drive and she depended on her son to take her everywhere.  She told me he lived in another city and the next time he came down she wanted to come look at it, if I hadn't sold it.

She continued to make small talk and to be honest I was anxious to get off the phone and back to my magazine and quiet time, when I felt a nudge by the Holy Spirit saying, talk to this lady.  She's lonely and needs someone to talk to right now.  Immediately I began to perk up and talk with this little sweet lady.  I forgot all about myself and began to focus on this lady and her needs.  I began to let love operate through me and that is exactly what we as Christians are supposed to do.  We are to let our light shine and be Jesus to others. 

We had a pleasant conversation and I actually stayed on the phone with her for probably another 20-30 minutes or so.  But I must tell you when I got off the phone with this lady I felt soooo good that I had obeyed the Lord.  Now, you might be thinking that it was not a big thing that I did and you would be right, but I am glad I placed another's needs above my own. 

You know, there have been times in my life when I would have loved just to have someone to talk with.  I have been lonely and I know you have been too and it's wonderful just to have that kind, listening ear and someone to make conversation with.

My husband asked me who I was talking to and I told him the ladies name, he said "Oh, I know her.  She used to be one of my customers.  She's a sweet little lady and in her 90's." 

A few months after our Saturday night conversation, Ms. Daisy died and I smile to think that maybe I made that one Saturday night a little less lonely for her.  Although, I suspect she had someone with her all the time. I think He's the one that said He would stick closer than a brother.

I'm thinking of the old Glen Campbell song,  "Try A Little Kindness".  Wouldn't this old world be a whole lot better if we would all show a little kindness?  It doesn't cost anymore to be kind.  Give someone a smile.  Open the door for someone.  Take time to really listen when others are talking to you.  It's called preferring our brother. 

Maybe I'll do that with my husband when he comes home in a little while.  He'll probably think, what's going on?  I hope not!

The Believer's Blessing Blog: It's Still Amazing

The Believer's Blessing Blog: It's Still Amazing: The tombstone of John Newton, the author of this hymn, tells his story: "John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of sl...

It's Still Amazing

The tombstone of John Newton, the author of this hymn, tells his story:
"John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slavers in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had so long labored to destroy."  Those words were written by Joh Newton himself, and they are a testimony to God's transforming power.

After years as a hardened slave trader, Newton met Jesus Christ, and his life was dramatically turned around.  Throughout his years of ministry, God's amazing grace remained central to his thinking.  When it was suggested he retire at the age of eighty-two due to poor health and a failing memory, he responded, "My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things:  that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior."

Article taken from, The Complete Book of Hymns, by William J. Peterson & Ardythe Peterson

Ain't Nothing Like It

What am I talking about?  The presence of Almighty God!  There ain't (pardon my English) nothing that can compare with His presence.  Have you ever experienced His presence?  If so, you'll long for His touch again.  When your soul is hungry, He can satisfy your mouth with good things.  He's your bread.  When your dry and thirsty, He will be that spring of Living Water bubbling up from within.  When your worried and restless, He can give you peace. 


David said, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."
Psalm 42:1,2 NIV

And then in verses 5 &6 he goes on to say, "Why are you downcast, O my soul?  Why so disturbed within me?  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. "

Put your hope in God today.  His presence is always there.  He said He would never leave us nor forsake us.

Beware! Chrislam Is Spreading In America

I heard this saying the other day and it goes like this:  "It would be awful to climb the ladder of success, only to find out your ladder was leaned up against the wrong building."

The Bible says "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Proverbs 16:25 KJV 

We must be sure we are building on the foundation of Jesus Christ.  It doesn't matter what some famous preacher says, if it goes against the Word, then do not believe it or receive it.  There are a lot of false preachers out there today teaching and preaching compromising doctrines.

An example, is most recently, Rick Warren, founder and pastor of Saddleback Community Church in Orange County California, addressing the convention of the Islamic Society of North America.  Warren stated that Muslims and Christians must work together to combat stereotypes, promote peace and freedom, and solve global problems.  Christians and Moslems---faith mates, soul mates and now work mates!  Chrislam!

Quote of the Day: 
"Before we "shake your hand" in responding to your letter, we ask forgiveness of the All-Merciful One and of the Muslim community around the world."  
Rick Warren in a speech to Muslims

The concept of Chrislam, now embraced by such preachers as Rick Warren and Robert Schuller, appears to have emerged from a program on the meaning of "love your neighbor" at Grace Fellowship Chuch in Atlanta, Georgia in 2001. 

Rick Warren even made reference to Isa (the Muslim name for Jesus) in his prayer at the inauguration of President Barack Obama and just recently TBN refused to air a broadcast of Jack Van Impe because he spoke out against Chrislam and called Rick Warren's name.  Van Impe has now pulled all his broadcasts from TBN and will seek out other stations.

On June 26, 2011, churches all across America held Chrislam services in their churches.  An example of a "Faith Shared" service (this is what a new group is called that's spearheading the move to merge Christianity with Islam), would include a Christian Minister, a Jewish Rabbi and Muslim Imam participating in a worship service or other event.  Suggested readings would be provided from the Torah, the Gospels, and the Qur'an, but communities are encouraged to choose readings that will resonate with their congregations. 

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 says not to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.  Church we need to pray!  Preachers need to preach the Word and proclaim the blood that is able to wash away every sin.  Minister's do not compromise the Gospel.  God is Sovereign and Jesus has been given a name that's above every name!  Too many churches are doing everything on Sunday mornings from selling candy, dinners, showing videos, cutesy little entertainment, to singing unbelieving songs.  But the Word of God is not being proclaimed from the pulpit!  The Word must have first priority above everything else!

Let's get back to the Bible.  Let's teach our children and young people.  Let's plead the blood and pray for the church in America, especially the Minister's of the Gospel, to repent and get on her knees and then get up and go into all the world and proclaim the good news that Jesus is Lord!

May I Recommend?

In 2009 I purchased a book entitled, Destined To Reign by Joseph Prince.  It is one of the best books I have ever read.  It really changed my life by helping me more fully understand the message of grace. 

For those of you who are not familiar with Joseph Prince, he is the founding member of New Creation Church in Singapore.  He initially served as an elder and associate pastor, however, with his appointment as senior pastor the church congregation grew from about 150 to more than 17,000!

People are calling this book a breath of fresh air and that's exactly how I feel about it.  The book tells you how to discover the secret of reigning over every adversity, lack and destructive habit that is limiting you from experiencing the success, wholeness and victory that we as children of God were destined to enjoy.

You are destined to reign in life.  Joseph Prince points out in his book that is not the Lord's desire you that you live a life of defeat, poverty and failure.

I encourage everyone to pick up this book and read it today.  It might just change your perspective and your life.

The Best Ever!

One of the best gospel songs ever, sung by one of the best gospel singers ever, in my opinion.  I never get tired of listening to this song and it ALWAYS blesses me every time I hear it.  I just wanted to share it so you could be blessed too.  It's an oldie, but goodie.

Abba Father

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
Romans 8:15

2 Quotes From The Prince of Preachers

These quotes are taken from C.H. Spurgeon's message, "Faith and Repentance", preached July 13, 1862.  I was listening to this message this morning and these 2 quotes I thought were worth quoting.

"The repentance that sinks a man low as hell is of no use except there is the faith that also lifts him high as heaven."


"Jesus saves you, not by what you feel, but by that finished work, that blood and righteousness, which God accepted on your behalf."

Thank you Jesus for your shed blood and the hope of eternal life.

Preach The Word Video

This is the Gold City Quartet singing, "Preach The Word".  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  Churches need to get back to preaching the uncompromised Word of God, instead of trying to be seeker friendly, or whatever else.  The Word of God should be first priority in our lives and in the House of God.

Got Jesus?

We're all probably familiar with the commercial where there's someone holding a tall glass of milk, big grin on their face, sporting a milk mustache and the caption simply asks, "Got milk?" 

When I was a kid, everyone in my household liked and drank milk, a lot of it, except my mother. She did not drink milk.  She was allergic to it.  In fact, she was a vegetarian.  She did not eat any animal products. 

Then when I had a family of my own we all liked milk, but this blog is not about milk, it' about Jesus.  I know you already guessed that from the title, didn't you? 

I want to talk about Jesus.  You see it's not about us, but it's all about Him.  With Jesus we can leave the low life behind and live life abundantly.  I like that word abundant.  Abundant means:  present in great quantity (your thinking money, right?).  It means more than adequate; oversufficient; well supplied; abounding; richly supplied.  That's the life we can have with Jesus.  In this life we can have everything we need, because Jesus is our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.  He has a never ending supply of blessings for His children. 

The low life.........or the high life?  The world.........or Jesus?  You can't have them both.  It's one or the other and you must choose.  You may try to put off that choice.  You may try to hang on to the low life while reaching out for the high life at the same time.  But you can't do that.  It won't work.  You must choose.  You'll never be able to sample the high life until you're willing to take Jesus at His Word and trust Him to take care of you.  When you do you'll start living the kind of life described in Psalm 1, where it talks about the blessed man.  No matter what happens in the world, the blessed man will still prosper.  Once you dare to let go and let God...........take care of you, instead of you struggling to take care of you and everybody else, you will see just how good life can be.  You'll be living the high life, that abundant life Jesus talks about. 

So my question to you today is, got Jesus? 

When Faith Will Not Work

Fear tolerated is Faith contaminated.



Chinese Cole Slaw

Okay, this is another one of my favorite recipes I want to share with you.  It's sweet, delicious, and probably loaded with calories.  Everytime I make this I get lots of compliments and people want the recipe.  When I take it to a luncheon or dinner there's never any leftovers.  Forget the calories and enjoy!

Chinese Cole Slaw

1 pkg. cabbage mix
5 green onions chopped
1 stick butter, melted
1 can sesame seeds
1 pkg. Ramien noodles
1 pkg. slivered almonds
1 c. oil
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
2 T. soy sauce

Toss cabbage mix and onion together.  Brown noodles, sesame seeds and almonds in butter. (Add sesame seeds last to prevent burning.)

Dressing:
Mix oil, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce in blender.  Toss all ingredients together just before serving.

Don't Blame God

I read a little booklet not long ago by Kenneth E. Hagin, entitled, "Don't Blame God", thus the name for this blog post.  The copyright date was 1979, but this book is so pertinet to this year in the aftermath of April's Fury.  The tornadoes that ravaged our nation, particularly Alabama, had a lot of people trying to find an answer to the death and devastation.  As usual, when people can't find an answer to the question of, "why me?" they just blame God.

As long as questions crowd your mind, there will be doubts.  And as long as you have doubts, your faith will be hindered, as Brother Hagin points out in his booklet.  Remember what the disciples thought of the man who was blind from birth?  They even asked Jesus, "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?"  John 9:2  Jesus explained to them that neither the man had sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.  When people read this passage they tend to think, he is just sick so God can heal him.  Wouldn't that be a terrible thing to accuse God of?  I wouldn't be interested in serving a God like that.  But thank God, that is not true!

Jesus healed the man.  That is why he came:  to save, heal, and set the captive free.  Many people believe the lie that it is not God's will to heal them, yet it is illogical to believe that God heals, and at the same time believe He won't heal you.  God would be a respector of persons, and the Bible clearly states He is not.  He loves us all.

Christians do not take advantage of what belongs to them.  Either they do not know how to take advantage of the blessings, or they do not know what blessings belong to them.  Faith says, "I have it now", according to Hebrew 11:1.  Now faith is.....

God laid on Jesus not only our sin, but our sickness and disease and what He bore, we do not need to bear.  He did it all!  And I know my loving Heavenly Father, does not cause sickness, death, disease, tornadoes, or other bad thing you can think of.  He sent His only begotten Son into this world to deliver us!  So don't blame God!  Blame the devil.  Why do people never blame the devil?  He's the one who came to kill, steal, and destroy, not my God!

Destined To Reign

I grew up in a denominational church.  My parents were very faithful in attending church.  We never missed a service unless we were sick.  In all the years I attended church, I don't remember one sermon being preached on grace.  In fact, I don't remember that word ever being uttered in church, so as you can imagine I didn't have a concept of the gospel of grace. 

My dad was also a very strict, authoritative figure.  He was not lenient at all.  I had to walk a straight line and being the oldest of seven children, much responsibility was put on me.  So, because of my upbringing in a legalistic church and because my father was a strict authoritative figure in my life, I felt I had to be perfect, and of course, I was not.  No one is perfect except Jesus Christ, but the good news he understands we're not perfect and so he gives us His grace, which means undeserved favor.  Thank goodness for grace.  The Bible tells us His grace is sufficient and that His grace covers a multitude of sins.

Because I thought I had to be perfect and because I thought God expected me to be perfect, I was in a state of depression most of the time.  I lived a miserable existence.  I thought God was mad at me and was just looking for an opportunity to hit me with a big stick. 

My husband understood grace and he tried to explain it to me.  It sounded too good to be true.  But that's exactly what the gospel is.  It's good news!  It sounds too good to be true, but it is true!  However, I couldn't understand it.  My mind had been programmed to a legalistic way of thinking and it needed to be renewed to the good news of the gospel.

One day I was listening to a minister I had never heard before and what he said really caught my attention.  He was telling about how we were destined to reign in this life.  This sounded good to me, so I ordered the book.  A few weeks later my husband and I were traveling to Virginia to visit our son and his family.  I had not had time to read my new book, so I decided to take it with me and read it to my husband also as we traveled.  It would be a good way to pass the time.  As we traveled I read the book aloud.  The book was so good I could not put it down.  With each mile and with each chapter I felt joy begin to bubble up within my soul.  The author helped me understand the message of grace.  I laughed and I cried.  I asked my husband, "is this really true? "  He said, "yes, that's what I've been trying to tell you."  The book opened my eyes of understanding to the wonderful message of grace.

If you want to read a good book about grace, may I recommend, "Destined To Reign" by Joseph Prince.  I think it will bless you as much as it did me.

Remember, grace is a person and that person is Jesus Christ.

Shut The Devil Up!

Heard this somewhere, but I can't remember where.  You've probably heard it also, but I like it and want to share it with you in case you haven't heard it before.

"When the devil reminds you of your past, just remind him of his future."

That ought to shut him up for awhile:)

Taking My Stand

The Bible says the devil is the accuser of the brethren. That means he is always accusing the born again Believer of something they've said or done wrong in the past. He loves to bring condemnation on us, but he is a total lier. In fact, he is the father of lies. That's why we need to take a stand against him.

I don't know about you, but I'm taking my stand! I say, "devil take your hands off my body, soul, and mind. Take your hands off my family, my marriage, my job, and my finances. You have no authority in my life. I am a blood bought child of my Heavenly Father. I am a joint-heir with Jesus Christ. I live in the Blessing! I look only to Jesus. He is my hope. He is my future. He is my only source and not the government, the economy or anybody else. I have faith in God! I believe!" Thank you Jesus!

One of my favorite scriptures is, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:1

Don't let the devil beat you up today. Tell him who you are and what he is: a liar!

Saturday

I'm sitting here looking out my window at a gorgeous Saturday morning. The weekend is finally here and like many of you I'm thinking about what I want to do today.

I think I want to go to Tupelo and shop. We like going to Tupelo over Birmingham for a couple of reasons. One the traffic is not as congested and the stores are all together in the same area. This makes shopping a lot more pleasant.

The only other decision is where we will eat lunch. I think I'll let my husband make that choice. After all it is Saturday and I don't want to rack my brain too much.

Vote Yes Mississippi on Amendment 26 & Stop Abortion & Cloning

In a few days Mississippians will have the opportunity to vote Pro Life by voting Yes on Amendment 26. If Mississippians vote Yes on Amendment 26, all human beings would be ensured equal rights in the state of Mississippi and protection under law-regardless of their size, location or developmental stage.
If Mississippians vote Yes on Amendment 26-Abortion will be outlawed. Unborn children will no longer be killed "illegally". Mothers in crisis will be protected from a harmful medical procedure.
If Mississippians vote Yes on Amendment 26-human cloning, embryo stem cell research, and other forms of medical cannibalism would be effectively stopped-which would focus the attention of medical researchers on approaches that have been proven to actually work (like adult stem cells)and do not require the killing of an innocent Person.
If Mississippians vote Yes on Amendment 26-a legal challenge will be set up to the unconstitutional court ruling "Roe-v-Wade" that allegedly "legalized" abortion. Court decisions do not make law because courts are not given the authority to make law.

Therefore:
If Mississippians vote Yes on Amendement 26, the rule of law and obedience to the Constitution will be restored to the state of Mississippi in the area of law and the path towards restoring the Constitution across the nations will be advanced.

Finally, if Mississippians vote Yes on Amendment 26, they will be honoring God and loving their neighbors as themselves.

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live."
Deuteronomy 30:19

Equipped

I still believe God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called. If God's calling you step out in faith. He will give you courage, finances, resources, strength, grace, whatever is needed to fulfill His plan and call on your life. You have nothing to worry about and nothing to fear.

Yummy Lemon Dessert

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I want to share one of my favorite recipes with you. It's a cool, creamy, layered dessert kind of like Banana Pudding. If you like Banana Pudding and lemon you'll absolutely love it and want to slap somebody. I got this recipe from our school nurse and I thank her for it. Here it is. Enjoy!


Lemon Layer Delight

Bottom Layer

1 box vanilla wafers crushed
1 stick real butter, melted (Like Paula Deen says,"you know it's going
to be a good recipe if it has butter in it,
y'all)
2 T. sugar

Mix together and press into bottom of container

Second Layer

1 large cool whip (use a little over half)
2 8oz. cream cheese bars
1 1/2 c. sugar

Mix together and spread over crust

Third Layer (It's getting better and better:)

6 egg yolks only
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice (include pulp, but not seeds--now did I
really have to tell y'all that)

Mix together and spread on second layer

Fourth Layer

Spread remainder of Cool Whip on top

This makes a large dessert. I personally leave out the egg yolks and it works fine. I also use reconstitued lemon juice too, but the fresh is a little better.

Let me know if you like it.

LOL
2

Committed

Good Morning!

A wise man once said, "Commit your works to the Lord, And your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3

In our society today, seems like noone wants to commit to anything. Whatever happened to "till death do us part?" Well, that's been thrown out the window with just about everything, including the unborn child's protection.

Let's commit ourselves to be committed today, just like the Word says. When we do this, we'll be successful and not a fly by night whose world is turned upside down.

Can We Talk?

Wow, it's been a loooooooong time since I posted anything on my blog, February 9, 2009, to be exact. Where have I been? Occupying, just like you. Stuff. Life. You get what I'm saying and boy the time just flies. Oh, there it goes! What, you say? Time. Enough of the silly pandering. Is that the word I want to use? I guess it's as good a word as any. Anyhow, I've missed writing. Although I'm not sure if anyone missed my writing, but anyway I'm back and it's good to be back.

I read one of my old post about congratulating Barak Obama as the new President of these here United States and I meant what I said. No, I didn't vote for him. Why? That's my business! You shouldn't ask me that question! Oh, wait a minute you didn't. But I didn't. Vote for him, I mean. Now, I don't agree with a lot of his policies, but he's still the man in the White House and I'm tired of everybody putting him down and our government. Yes, we have some things that need fixing, but that's where you and I come in. Instead of flapping our jaws, why not pray for the situation. Why not, get out and vote next time! Yes, Christian, I'm talking to you who is doing most of the talking instead of praying. Let me ask you, did you vote? Well, enough on that subject.

I still think our country is the best one in the world and we have it pretty good. I also believe that everything is going to be all right and turn out amazing. Why? Because God is good and I trust in Him. With Jesus as Lord you can not fail.

Well I'm glad we had this talk. I feel much better. Until next time, God bless.