Asleep,....REALLY!

I listened to James McDonald on Walk in the Word teaching Acts 12 this morning. I really like the way he teaches and I almost always leave with a nuggget of truth to tuck into my heart. Today my nugget was verse six..... "And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter WAS SLEEPING between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison." Acts 12:6.... This may not mean much to you unless you know the rest of the story. Peter was to be put to death in a short time, he was in prison surrounded by sixteen soilders and bound in chains and yet he slept. HE SLEPT!!! SNOOZED...SAWED SOME LOGS...HE SLEPT!!!! I am utterly ashamed of the things that rob me of my peace in Christ. I have never been placed in anything as fearful as Peter, and yet I allow lies to steal from me the peace that comes from knowing the truth that God is IN CONTROL....even when I can't see how things will ever work, or when I don't feel like God is there, or when my circumstances scream that there is no hope.... GOD IS IN CONTROL!!! AND He is REALLY good at His job. So, I can sleep soundly while God works and trust that whatever He does will be a hundred thousand times better than anything I could do on my own. It is my prayer that God will continue to grow in me and that I will learn to shine brighter for Him! And that I will trust more fully in Him and cling to Him as the sustainer of this simple little life I lead. I like to share what I learn with people I love in the hopes that it will encourage someone, somewhere.

Time Flies When Life is CRAZY

I think I prefer the original quote..........
"Time flies when you are having fun" .......alittle more than my title... but the truth is life isn't always fun!

The last few weeks have been crazy here. Tim was laid off at the end of February for the eighth time in four years, I pulled some ligaments in my foot, our van broke, and I started having major back issues and was out of commission for almost three weeks, Emily dropped a trailer hitch on her foot and Ashley started running a fever late Saturday. And that was just MARCH!

WOW OH WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a month! It is really easy during difficult times to become overwhelmed and discouraged and grouchy. I'd love to say that during all the month of March my outlook was perfect and I never once experienced any of these feelings, but since lying is a sin I can't do that :-D

Truth is I experienced them all! Life is tough and sometimes honestly it gets the best of me. Most of the time when I get discouraged it is because I focus on the temporary situation instead on The timeless Savior.

Everything that happened in March was temporary, and we survived just fine. It wasn't pleasant and at time it seemed like it was never gonna end. The bottom line is difficult times serve a purpose just like pleasant times. Diamonds are just lumps of coal until it's placed under major pressure! Sometimes we don't really find out what is on the inside until pressure is applied, our faith is strengthened during difficulty in a way that can't happen during easy times.

Sometimes during tough times it is easy to be tricked by what is not true, because satan is very good at his job,which is to discourage and deceive. It is during these times we must remember to cling to what God taught before the storm began.

Truth doesn't change! God's Word gives truth to cling to during difficult times. Here are a few of my favorites...............

Jer 29:11 "For I know the thought that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you and expected end."

Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

Psalm 25:5 "Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou are the God of my salvation: on thee do I wait all the day."

Matthew 12:20 " A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgement unto victory"

Matthew 11:29 "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

I hope that if you are having a tough time you find comfort in the same place I do, God's Word.

Hang in there, and remember this too shall pass........

Life's Little Victories

Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts Psalm 90:12

If I am not careful my morning blurs into my afternoon, which blurs into night, which blurs into weeks, which blurs into months and before I even know it time has passed and I'm not any wiser in my heart.

Today in the middle of my home school day the sweet whisper was heard in my heart,"don't miss the victory in this day of teaching."

So, I stopped and tucked away some of the sweet victories for this day:

Josh struggles with confidence in math. We are working on it and one day he will believe he is as smart as he really is in math. At the start of our lesson I knew this was gonna be on of those days were he didn't believe that he could. I could see it written all over his frowning face. I explained... he said I can't. I explained again using manipulative......he said I don't understand. I explained again...he shut down. I stopped and prayed, "Lord, please give me wisdom, help me to help him." then I waited until I knew what I was suppose to say and then I spoke truth: "Josh, this is not a new concept, you did it yesterday, I've shown you several times. I think the real problem here is you have decided to flip the switch to the "I can't do this" place and i need you to flip that back to "I can" please. He looked me right in the face and took a deep breath and "OK, mom I'm sorry. Is this right? and I got to say Yes!!! That is exactly right! You did great! VICTORY!!!

Jacob is in the second grade and we are really focusing on neat work. today He sat beside me and wrote every neatly without one reminder from me! VICTORY!!
Ashley is in the third grade and has been learning multiplying more than one digit and she said for the first time today "Hey, this isn't that hard!" VICTORY!!!
Emily struggled today in math but she didn't give up, she didn't say I can't she kept going and she finished her math. VICTORY!!!!!

A few months ago I would have missed these victories......cuz I was too focused on the big picture and I was too distracted with where I was going to enjoy where I was. Alot of sweet victories are overlooked when you travel this way. God is teaching me to enjoy the journey and not just the final destination.

My final destination for our kids is four grown kids that love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds, and that they trust Him and allow Him to direct their paths. It's my prayer, it's my goal, it's my final destination for my kids.

God has granted me the privilege of home schooling our four kids. I must be honest with you and tell you that each day is NOT all fun. Sometimes its alot like dental work with out pain medication. My kids aren't wired to wake up and begin each day with a song of rejoicing because they get to do school on this day-----cuz they are NORMAL KIDS!!!!! But God does allow me days, like today, where the kids try hard and work well and we accomplish much.

And it is VERY GOOD!

Just Enough, but ALWAYS enough

"And the people shall go out and gather the portion of a day in his day."Exodus 21:4

These instructions were given to the children of Israel during their stay in the desert. Gather only enough manna for this day.

God is still in the "enough for this day" business.

Too often we spend our time worrying about what tomorrow may hold or regretting what yesterday held and we live discouraged and broken lives.

This is not the plan God has for you!

If I am not careful I find myself looking at this huge project that I can't possible accomplish and I become very discouraged and just want to give up, instead of taking things one day at a time. In doing this I become bogged down in the big picture and become very overwhelmed! but, if I will just gather for today the things I can do for this day then it doesn't seems so HUGE and SCARY.

God provides all that I need for this day and I receive enough grace and mercy to complete the task set before me on this day.

Just enough, but ALWAYS enough......

It is my hope that this will encourage you to let go of yesterday's regrets and tomorrow's fears and live in this day that God has blessed you with....

Have a good day sweet friends.

Enjoy

About six months ago I wrote on my fridge with a dry erase maker these words:

Don't endure life, enjoy it.

Sound easy enough, doesn't it? Well, I am here to tell you, it is anything but easy. It is worth it but it isn't a short walk on an easy path. It is a journey that takes prayer and time to fully understand.

Paul reveals the secret for this journey in Philippians 4:11

"Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have LEARNED in whatsoever state I am , therewith to be content."

He learned to abide in the place that God put him and to know that when God places, He provides. This is a lesson that cost Paul much. He knew what it meant to have little and to have much and how quickly you can change from much to little. Keep in mind that Paul was Saul, a leader in the Roman army. He had seen his table full of good food, had worn the soft garments under his armor and had rode on fine horses and slept in warm houses. Then he meet his Saviour, and though his physical eyes were blinded for a season, his spiritual eyes were seeing clearly for the first time.

None of that stuff mattered! It was all stuff, that could gone in the blink of the eye. What mattered to Paul was Jesus, and making sure he shared this truth with anyone that God place in his path.

When Paul wrote Philippians he was in jail, with nothing more than the tattered clothes on his beating back. An yet his words were not grumbling and whining,he was practicing what he had preached earlier in this letter (Phil 2:14). He continued to point others to the source of his ability to be content......

Christ!

When you truly understand that God is the giver of all you need and that He decides when and where to place you and for how long, you are better able to live a life that points always to Him. A life that draws onlookers in for a better view of the source that gives you such a peace. A better look at the vine, Christ.

I don't know if you are in little or much during this season of your journey but I do know that if you abide God will supply.

Sweet Encouragement from Abiding in Christ

"In that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day."
Isaiah 27:2-3

This is one of those times when the encouragement didn't just leap off the page for me. It took me a few minutes for this to sink into my heart and bless me with sweet encouragement.

This is the verse for day thirteen in Abide in Christ. As I read today's passage this,first overlooked, word of encouragement took root in my heart and I hope it offers you the same.

I am in that vineyard, attached to THE VINE and God "waters me every moment" and "keeps me day and night". Every moment, day and night! You see my God does no sleep nor does He slumber (Psalm 121:4) which allows perfect peace and rest to settle over me like a warm blanket on a cold day.

This is a promise to believers that if we abide, we will have all that we need and God keeps us every moment. I wonder why so few Christians live in this place? But, then I remember satan is very good at his job. He seeks to deceive and destroy, and because this is true some live in a bondage instead of bounty, in chains instead of in Christ, and in fear instead of freedom.

THIS IS NOT THE PLAN GOD HAS FOR YOU!

God not only plans for you to abide in Christ, He provides all that you need to be able to abide safely in Christ. Andrew Murray explained today that there are different paths to this understanding:

"the way in which souls enter into the possession may differ. To some it may come as the gift of a moment.... it is as if all at once a new revelation comes upon the soul. It sees as in light of heaven, the strong Vine holding and bearing the feeble branches so securely, that doubt becomes impossible.....To others it comes by a slower and more difficult path. Day by day, amid discouragement and difficulty, the soul has to press forward. Be of good cheer; this way too leads to the rest. Seek but to keep your heart set upon the promise: "I THE LORD DO KEEP IT, night and day.Take from His own lips the watchword: "EVERY MOMENT" In that, you have the law of His love, and the law of your hope."

Whichever path you find yourself on in the journey of Abiding in Christ cling to the promise giving today in God's Word. God watches over you every moment day and night! He sees you right where you are and has a good plan to get you right were you need to be... Abiding in Christ......

I love you friends!

Twinkle and Sprinkle

Twinkle and Sprinkle by LaDonia Beam

Twinkle twinkle little light
Point always to what is right
Point to God up above
showing others His sweet love

Sprinkle sprinkle little salt
Season those along your walk
Trust in Him and then obey
Spreading salt along your way

Don't be jealous of my talent:-D

I know this is a cheesy way to remind myself to be salt and light to the world God has given me but the message is very true!

"You are the salt of the earth. but if the salt should lose its taste how can it be made salty? It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16

God gives each of us people that we can point to him. With this privilege come a HUGE responsibility to not give our opinion about a situation but give God's word.

So often we speak before we pray. In doing so, we miss an opportunity to twinkle and sprinkle.

Our goal as Christians should always be to point always to our Wonderful Saviour.

This is so very easy to say and very hard to do. I am learning to not respond quickly but to pray quickly. There are times when I want to really speak my mind but the Holy Spirit reminds me that most people don't need to hear what's on my mind as much as they need to hear what is in God's word.

Don't take this task lightly because you feel like your world is too small. Be faithful in little, and do what God has set aside for you to do. Do it to the best of your ability and pray for God to bless and be gloried.

The world needs more of God's word and less of people's opinions. That is where they will find salvation and the One that will never leave or forsake.

Twinkle and Sprinkle each day..............