It is GOD who BLESSES and TRANSFORMS...

This is a blog for women (not just moms) who:

(1) Desire to be transformed by JESUS' LOVE, HOLINESS, AND GRACE;

(2) Believe that GOD'S WORD is the true Spirit food for HIS HOLY SPIRIT who lives within us;

(3) Submit to GOD and walk this journey of life with HIM transforming us more and more into HIS likeness.

It's a blog about the POWER OF TRANSFORMED LIVES. Let's begin with yours and mine and pass it on... 1 + 1 + 1...

Since GOD's HOLY SPIRIT lives inside a christian, let's choose to be nurtured and transformed by feasting daily on HOLY SPIRIT food - GOD's WORD - The Holy Bible..

My regular posts stopped in 2013, with a major move and the chronic illness and eventual death of our oldest daughter. Yes, we grieve daily, yet I am determined to continue to let the LIGHT of my LORD and SAVIOR shine through me. I have tried to start posting again, over the last few years, but have not been consistent. So, I think the biggest blessing for you and me both will be to intersperse some new posts while revisiting some of the former posts. Let's begin with "Oh, the JOY!" as we head into living through Fall 2019; meeting back here 1-2 days a week.

If you need daily encouragement, you will find plenty by clicky on past posts. When reading earlier posts, you will see that I often posted daily, following this format: ...Sunday in the SON, Meditation Monday, GratiTuesday, Women in the WORD Wednesday, Transforming Thursday, Family Fellowship Friday, Ketchup & Mustard Saturday.


There's a whole lot here! Take your time to browse.

Please come back and visit each week. Welcome!

Because of JESUS, we can be family,

Patti





TRANSFORMED MOMS:MOMS TRANSFORMED

Romans 12:1-2 "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Friday, March 6, 2009

I HAVEN'T TURNED OUT YET...AMAZING GRACE!


Notice with me how the apostle Paul begins his first letter to Timothy:
.
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus
according to the commandment of God our Savior,
and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope;
to Timothy, my true child in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace
from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
.
If you've visited this blog recently, you know that we are spending alot of time discussing Christ's "Beattitudes" in His Sermon on the Mount. We are now on Beattitude #5, "Blessed are the merciful..."
.
How do you and I create an atmosphere of hope, grace, mercy, and peace in our homes? How do we teach our children to be mercy givers? I am convinced that it must be part of the family's life style. There must be a personal connection, not just a jar to collect pennies to donate to an orphanage once a year. The more we talk about how thankful we are for the grace, mercy, peace, and hope that God has extended to us, the more natural it comes to extend those same things to others.
.
When our children were young, they went with Steve or I or both of us regularly to visit widows. They became friends with orphans. They gave their own things to those who had been burned out or suffered loss in some way. We made meals for families and delivered them together. We had people in our home who were struggling, discouraged, or needing a boost. As they matured, they went on mission trips to:
  • inner city USA in Nashville, Denver, and NYC
  • Hurricane Katrina Relief
  • homeless shelters
  • Russia
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador

Often, they would sing to whoever they ministered to. I remember several people including Kathy, who was blind. She wanted to hear the kids sing several songs including "Amazing Grace". In spite of her circumstances, she wanted to be reminded of the grace and mercy that the LORD had extended to her.

.

Someone asked Steve and I recently if any of our children, as young adults, have worked with people with special needs. My immediate response was to say that Crystal is now majoring in special education. Then, I heard Steve say, "Yes, all of them!" Jordan worked at a home for people with disabilities while going through York College. Although he graduated in 2003, he still keeps in contact with some of his former "clients". Jessica was the head tech at a home for people challenged with schizophrenia while going through Indiana University and she worked at a home for those with disabilities while attending Abilene Christian University. Caleb now works full time with clients with disabilities. Crystal has developed a passion for working with children with autism. All of our children continue to be major mercy givers!

.

The last few weeks there has been much about health challenges and death on this blog: Connor Deal, John Baldwin, and Lowell Keesee. We were in prayer for Connor and John before they went on to eternity. Lee Smith, in our congregation, also passed away this past week. His viewing was Monday, the funeral and meal for the family were on Tuesday, and the burial was on Wednesday. At the meal on Tuesday, I found out that one of Lee's granddaughters is engaged to one of my students. We prayed for Maria through her tumor removal surgery. We continue to pray for Lauren as she awaits a new heart. How do we extend mercy and grace to these families? The other night, as soon as Brian Mansdoerfer heard that John had passed on, he headed over to John's house to extend mercy by shoveling the driveway and walks before the grieving family returned from the hospital.

.

Last night, as I was visiting a few blogs, I was once again overwhelmed by how the Holy Spirit works. I went to multiple posts that continue this discussion. They gave me more food for thought. I share them with you here:



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Patti! I did see Crystal at church on Sunday, but was not able to talk with her. I wasn't sure if she would remember me, it's been so long since I've seen her! Isn't that video just great, I listened to it about 5 times in a row when my mom emailed me that.

TRANSFORMED MOM, LISA, REQUESTED PRAYERS FOR HER HUBBY: FULLY RESTORED! FULLY HEALED!