Transformed Moms

SUNDAY IN THE SON... LOVE THE LORD

2012-01-29T06:19:00.000-05:00

LOVE THE LORD
as sung by Lincoln Brewster

Love the Lord your God
With all your heart
With all your soul
With all your mind
And with all your strength (2x)

With all your heart
With all your soul
With all your mind
And with all your strength
Love the Lord your God
With all your heart
With all your soul
With all your mind
And with all your strength

I will serve the Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength (2x)

With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength
I will serve the Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength

I will love You (I will love You)
I will praise You (I will praise You)
I will serve You, Lord (I will serve You)
I will trust You, Lord (I will trust You)

And with all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
With all my strength

I will love You Lord
With all my heart
With all my soul
With all my mind
And with all my strength (3x)

JESUS IS LOVE!

LOVE JESUS!

~OH, THE JOY!~

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY AND FAMILY FELLOWSHIP FRIDAY...

2012-01-27T08:32:00.000-05:00

Last week, I wrote the following:

In a christian family and in the church family, our goal is to grow up in the love of Christ or be "taken by the love of Christ". I love this scripture, Ephesians 4, that describes how this transformation happens:

"11 So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to EQUIP HIS PEOPLE for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, WE WILL GROW to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up IN LOVE, as each part does its work."

I saw this picture on FB and I immediately thought of the transformation process we all must go through and how it relates to our role as wives and mothers. I connected it back to last Thursdays post (above) and then I thought of two chapters later in Ephesians 6, where Paul says this:

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For 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. 13 Therefore 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And 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 Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should."

Life is a battle! Jesus gives us His armor!

~LOVING JESUS~

~Oh, the J.O.Y.~

I LOVE THE LORD.... WOMEN IN THE WORD WEDNESDAY

2012-01-25T07:22:00.000-05:00

I am so grateful for God's WORD who feeds us, whether it is through reading and meditating on any scripture or making the higher level connection of looking at Jesus, the WORD, and His role in the big picture. It is all HIS-Story!

In January, we are focusing on the love that Jesus has for us and our love for Him. The last few Wednesdays we have looked at several scriptures for possible memorization. Here are two of the most important... we already looked at them in the Monday post:

Our God sees the little details of life, but He also sees the big picture. Our God is LOVE and He asks the same of us. When God came down and "dwelt among us" (John 1), He was the walking talking embodiment of LOVE. He asks me to be the same! In fact, He said it in the Old Testament and He said it in the New Testament:

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 ^"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts."

Matthew 22:36-38 ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. "

You can link back here to former Wednesday scriptures on this blog: WOMEN IN THE WORD WEDNESDAY

Jesus loves me!

I love Jesus!

Oh, the J.O.Y!!!!

I LOVE THE LORD... GRATITUESDAY...

2012-01-24T08:38:00.004-05:00

My greatest blessing?

Jesus Christ!

I love the LORD Jesus Christ!

~Oh, the JOY~

I LOVE THE LORD... MEDITATION MONDAY...

2012-01-23T06:26:00.002-05:00

As I consider how much Jesus loves me, I must consider my love for Him. Life is so hard! It's easy to raise a fist to God and say, "Why?" or "You betrayed me!" The TRUTH is that He does know the answer to "WHY?" and He does not betray.

Our God sees the little details of life, but He also sees the big picture. Our God is LOVE and He asks the same of us. When God came down and "dwelt among us" (John 1), He was the walking talking embodiment of LOVE. He asks me to be the same! In fact, He said it in the Old Testament and He said it in the New Testament:

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 ^"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.⁵ L ove the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts."
Matthew 22:36-38 ³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” ³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. "

What is this LOVE? 1 Corinthians 13 tells us:

"Love is patient,
love is kind.
love does not envy,
love does not boast,
love is not proud.

⁵ Love does not dishonor others,
love is not self-seeking,
love is not easily angered,
love keeps no record of wrongs.

⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

⁷ Love always protects,
Love always trusts,
Love always hopes,
Love always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails.
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a (wo)man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. "

I love You, LORD!

~Oh, the JOY~

I LOVE THE LORD...SUNDAY IN THE SON...

2012-01-22T05:28:00.000-05:00

I LOVE THE LORD

as sung by Whitney Houston

I love the the LORD, He heard my cry
And pitied every groan, long as I, I live
And troubles rise, I hasten to His throne

[Chorus:]
Oh, I love the LORD
I sure do, surely do love the LORD
He heard, He heard my cry
And pitied every groan, yes He did
Every groan
Long as I live, long as I, I live
And troubles rise, troubles rise
I hasten to to to to to
I'll hasten, I'll hasten to His throne
I'll hasten to His throne hold on hold on
Tears are streaming down my eyes
I'll hasten, I'll hasten to His throne

Yes I will, I'll run
I know I can go to His throne
I know I can go, I know I can go
I'll hasten, I'm gonna run
I know I can go, I know I can go
I'll hasten, I'll hasten to His throne

See I can run, LORD you know I will
When there is nowhere to go I know I can go to You
I know I can run to You oh
I'll hasten, I'll hasten to His, His throne
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I'll hasten, hasten to His throne
Surely gonna be here

LOVE JESUS!

~Oh, the J.O.Y.~

TAKEN BY LOVE... FAMILY FELLOWSHIP FRIDAY...

2012-01-20T08:42:00.000-05:00

What a week of great challenge! I don't know what I or others would do without the fellowship and love of God and His family.

This week, has been one of great challenge in the midst of me hobbling with a cane because of a bum knee and my new semester beginning:

different friends are grieving the loss of a father, sister, and grandfather
friends are battling depression for multiple reasons
a friend was rushed to the emergency room with great pain and signs of having a heart attack - we joined him there with his family
my husband stopped by to see a friend, only to find this friend dead in his living room...

I have seen many tears and deep grief / pain responded to with great measures of LOVING-KINDNESS... LOVING SERVICE... LOVE...

I am TAKEN BY THE LOVE OF JESUS and how He works in and through my family and friends.

~Oh, the J.O.Y.~

TAKEN BY LOVE... TRANSFORMING THURSDAY...

2012-01-19T16:23:00.000-05:00

I begin each semester by sharing with my classes, at the university, that they are beginning the semester as a caterpillar and are on their way to becoming butterflies. The struggle can be difficult. Many butterflies take longer than others in their transformation process. I have heard butterfly experts share that "rushing the process" can be detrimental to the final outcome. Also, that often the greater the struggle, the more beautiful the butterfly at the end.

For humans, it works much the same way, but it's a beautiful thing when the whole process is bathed in LOVE. In a christian family and in the church family, our goal is to grow up in the love of Christ or be "taken by the love of Christ".

I love this scripture, Ephesians 4, that describes how this transformation happens:

11 So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to EQUIP HIS PEOPLE for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, WE WILL GROW to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up IN LOVE, as each part does its work.

~LOVE JESUS~

~Oh, the J.O.Y.~

TAKEN BY LOVE... WOMEN IN THE WORD WEDNESDAY...

2012-01-18T12:31:00.002-05:00

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that
   neither death nor life,
   neither angels nor demons,
   neither the present nor the future,
      nor any powers,

  neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
    will be able to separate us from
       the love of God
       that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What does "the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" look like?

1 Corinthians 13 describes that love called "agape".

⁴ "Love (Jesus) is patient,
love (Jesus) is kind.
Love (Jesus) does not envy,
love (Jesus) does not boast,
love (Jesus) is not proud.

⁵ Love (Jesus) does not dishonor others,
love (Jesus) is not self-seeking,
love (Jesus) is not easily angered,
love (Jesus) keeps no record of wrongs.

⁶ Love (Jesus) does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

⁷ Love (Jesus) always protects,
Love (Jesus) always trusts,
Love (Jesus) always hopes,
Love (Jesus) always perseveres.

⁸ Love (Jesus) never fails...

¹³ ...And now these three remain: faith, hope and love (Jesus).
But the greatest of these is love (Jesus). "

1 John 3:16

"This is how we know what love is:
Jesus Christ laid down His life for us..."

Revelation 1:5-6

"...Jesus Christ,
who is the faithful witness,
the firstborn from the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To Him who loves us
and has freed us from our sins by His blood,
⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests
to serve His God and Father—
to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen."

I invite you to choose one or more of the above scriptures to put to memory this month.

J is for Jesus!

Love is Jesus!

Jesus is love!

Jesus loves me!

~OH, THE JOY!~

TAKEN BY LOVE... GRATITUESDAY...

2012-01-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

Jesus LOVED me enough to be JOYFUL in all circumstances.

Jesus LOVED me enough to PRAY for me.

Jesus LOVED me enough to give THANKS for me.

I saw a quote on FB that once again reminded me of Jesus' love:

“Religion says: God will love us if we change.

The Gospel says: God’s love changes us.”

Thank You, God, for this amazing love!

I'm TAKEN BY LOVE!

~Oh, the J.O.Y.!~

TAKEN BY LOVE... MEDITATION MONDAY

2012-01-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

You've read this on this blog multiple times:

"When a mustard bottle gets squeezed mustard comes out.

When a ketchup bottle gets squeezed, ketchup comes out.

When a christian gets squeezed, Jesus Christ should come out."

Why is it then, that when things don't go as planned, when the stresses of the day become overwhelming, or when we just don't "FEEL" like it... our squeeze ends up pushing out "garbage/sewage"?

Yesterday, in his sermon entitled DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY, my hubby repeated this statement several times:

"When I am weak, then I am strong...

I don't want to get in the way of the Divine!"

We read through the following scriptures:

2 Corinthians 11:22-29
Ephesians 6:10-12
1 Peter 2:18-3:16

He used all the above to get us to thinking / meditating on:

It's not about me! It's about Christ living in and through me!
There is a battle going on!
I was called for a purpose.

THE PURPOSE? For the love of Christ to live in you/me (in spite of the battle) as we:

LOVE J ESUS
LOVE O THERS
LOVE Y OURSELF

__________________

~Oh, the J.O.Y.~

TAKEN BY LOVE... SUNDAY IN THE SON...

2012-01-15T19:28:00.004-05:00

TAKEN BY LOVE

as sung by Kutless

You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

You've taken my heart
My heart, my heart

You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

You've taken my heart
You've taken my heart
You've taken my heart
You've taken my heart

~OH, THE J.O.Y.~

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

TAKEN BY LOVE...

TESTIFY TO LOVE...

JESUS...

     You've likely seen this video. It's all over Facebook! I saw it for the first time on Wednesday. Wednesday evening it had about half a million viewings. By last night at 10 p.m., it had over 3,200,000 viewings and 500,000 comments. What? Yes! I don't agree with every statement the young man makes, yet his premise is so true. Jesus loves me! Jesus loves you!
.
     I sat for about 5 minutes after watching the video on Youtube: WHY I HATE RELIGION, BUT LOVE JESUS! The comments rolled in at about 1 per second. Nasty comments! Vile comments! Encouraging and loving comments! It hit me... this is what God sees ALL THE TIME. How patient can He be? Is it time for the King to return?

     I believe He is waiting for one more... five more... hundreds more... thousands more... to be added to the Family! He is waiting for one more... five more... hundreds more... thousands more... to BE TAKEN BY LOVE!

Our children need to be taught that "church" is not a place we go to... it is the people who are in love with Jesus.... His bride... who is TAKEN BY LOVE!

Taken by the love of Jesus!

Testify to the love of Jesus!

~OH, THE JOY!~

2012-01-12T01:14:00.001-05:00

THE KING IS COMING... TAKEN BY LOVE...

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

It was and is who Jesus is that drove Him and still drives Him to love you and me.

JESUS = LOVE

The song you hear playing on the playlist, TAKEN BY LOVE, uses these words sung by Kutless to tell us a little about His love:

The world will fade away as I lift my hands
The King is worthy of praise, is the great I AM
The joy You've given rings out as I lift my voice
I'm captivated by Your ways, so I will worship You

You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

All creation will bow to the risen King
All of heaven will shout and the earth will sing
The joy You've given rings out as I lift my voice
I'm captivated my Your ways so I will worship You[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/kutless-taken-by-love-lyrics.html ]
You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

You've taken my heart
My heart, my heart

You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

You've taken me by love
You've taken me by grace
You've taken me away, I can't resist
Because You've taken my heart

You've taken my heart
You've taken my heart
You've taken my heart
You've taken my heart

NOTE: You may want to pause the playlist after listening to TAKEN BY LOVE.

This week, on this blog, we've gone to 1 Corinthians 13 several times. I paraphrase it here for your consideration. As you read through it, determine which one of these traits of Jesus' love do you internally have the hardest time believing that He can do for you?

⁴ "Jesus' love for me is patient,
Jesus' love for me is kind.
Jesus' love for me does not envy,
Jesus' love for me does not boast,
Jesus' love for me is not proud.

⁵ Jesus love for me does not dishonor others,
Jesus love for me is not self-seeking,
Jesus love for me is not easily angered,
Jesus love for me keeps no record of wrongs.

⁶ Jesus love for me does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

⁷ Jesus' love for me always protects,

Jesus' love for me always trusts,
Jesus' love for me always hopes,
Jesus' love for me always perseveres.

⁸ Jesus' love for me never fails...

¹³ ...And now these three remain: faith, hope and Jesus' love.
But the greatest of these is Jesus' love. "

3.
People are all different. We express emotions differently. We express our love differently. Jesus showed us how to love in all ways. He showed Himself to love on different ends of the continuum of personality:

From Extroverted to Introverted
From iNtuitive to Sensing
From Thinking to Feeling
From Perceiving to Judging

As the Gospels show us the array of personalities that Jesus loved and led while He walked this earth, I can only imagine all the Spirit leading and loving that it took to change Peter from the impetuous soul to the Spirit-led church leader. I think of the love of Jesus that it took to change John from a "son of thunder" to the "apostle of love." Wow! There's hope for me!

Join me today in taking this quick personality quiz. Then, take a look at that "natural woman" the results show you to be. You will come face to face with your personality extremes and you can begin talking to Jesus about how He is and wants to live and love through you in His kingdom. I will begin posting tomorrow about how Jesus' love can shape and mold our unique characteristics for His glory. Remember your 4 letter profile that you will get at the end of the quiz!

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

J is for Jesus!

Love is Jesus!

Jesus is love!

Taken by love!

~OH, THE JOY!~

THE KING IS COMING... WOMEN IN THE WORD WEDNESDAY...

2012-01-11T07:29:00.000-05:00

THE KING IS COMING

What does "the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" look like?

J is for Jesus!

Love is Jesus!

Jesus is love!

Jesus loves me!

~OH, THE JOY!~

2012-01-10T07:15:00.005-05:00

THE KING IS COMING... GRATITUESDAY...

I love the words to our theme song...

"The King is coming,
and He's coming for me!"

I'm thankful today that this KING, the Creator of the universe, who desires an eternal relationship with me is the God of LOVE. When I read, as we did yesterday, from the book of John that Jesus is God and then in 1 John that God is LOVE it draws me to the chapter in the Bible called THE LOVE CHAPTER - 1 Corinthians 13.

Since Jesus is God and God is Love, let's use THE LOVE CHAPTER to help us get to know Jesus.

⁴ "Love (Jesus) is patient,
love (Jesus) is kind.
It (Jesus) does not envy,
it (Jesus) does not boast,
it (Jesus) is not proud.

⁵ It (Jesus) does not dishonor others,
it (Jesus) is not self-seeking,
it (Jesus) is not easily angered,
it (Jesus) keeps no record of wrongs.

⁶ Love (Jesus) does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

⁷ It (Jesus) always protects,
(Jesus) always trusts,
(Jesus) always hopes,
(Jesus) always perseveres.

⁸ Love (Jesus) never fails.

But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a (wo)man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love (Jesus). But the greatest of these is love (Jesus). "

J is for Jesus!

Grateful that:

Love is Jesus!

Jesus is love!

Jesus loves me!
I choose to love Jesus!

~OH, THE JOY!~

THE KING IS COMING... MEDITATION MONDAY...

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our new theme and a new year of transforming! I have pondered and prayed about our new theme. There are many things to consider when we are talking about eternal life for you, your family, and those who you come in contact with. I'm planning on blogging in a similar, yet new fashion this year. Join me in a year of J.O.Y.

I am a teacher at heart: teacher for children, teacher for future teachers, teacher for women/moms... Maybe you remember singing this kids song in Bible class, Vacation Bible School, or church camp: "

"J.O.Y.! J.O.Y.!

Happy as can be!

Jesus first!

Yourself last!

And Others in between!"

This connects us to "The Greatest Commandment". I'd like to spend this year exploring J.O.Y. in terms of the acrostic:

J is for Jesus
O is for Others
Y is for Yourself

You can see the "plan" for the year over on the right sidebar.

Let's begin with considering this timeline of verses from scripture:

Genesis 1:
²⁶ "Then GOD said, 'Let US make mankind in OUR image, in OUR likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'”

John 1:
¹ In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with GOD, and the WORD was GOD.
² He was with GOD in the beginning.
³ Through HIM all things were made; without HIM nothing was made that has been made.
⁴ In HIM was LIFE, and that LIFE was the LIGHT of all mankind.
⁵ The LIGHT shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
⁶ There was a man sent from GOD whose name was John.
⁷ He came as a witness to testify concerning that LIGHT, so that through him all might believe.
⁸ He himself was not the LIGHT; he came only as a witness to the LIGHT.
⁹ The TRUE LIGHT that gives LIGHT to everyone was coming into the world.
¹⁰ HE was in the world, and though the world was made through HIM, the world did not recognize HIM.
¹¹ HE came to that which was HIS own, but HIS own did not receive HIM.
¹² Yet to all who did receive HIM, to those who believed in HIS name, HE gave the right to become children of GOD— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of GOD.
¹⁴ The WORD became flesh and made HIS dwelling among us. We have seen HIS glory, the glory of the one and only SON, who came from the FATHER, full of GRACE and TRUTH.

John 3:
¹⁶ "For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS one and only SON, that whoever believes in HIM shall not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE."

1 John 3:

¹ See what great love the FATHER has lavished on us, that we should be called children of GOD! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know HIM.
² Dear friends, now we are children of GOD, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when CHRIST appears,we shall be like HIM, for we shall see HIM as HE is...

¹⁶ This is how we know what LOVE is: JESUS CHRIST laid down HIS life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the LOVE of GOD be in that person?
¹⁸ Dear children, let us not LOVE with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

1 John 4:
⁷ Dear friends, let us LOVE one another, for LOVE comes from GOD. Everyone who LOVEs has been born of GOD and knows GOD.
⁸ Whoever does not LOVE does not know GOD, because GOD IS LOVE.
⁹ This is how GOD showed HIS LOVE among us: HE sent HIS one and only SON into the world that we might live through HIM.
¹⁰ This is LOVE: not that we loved GOD, but that HE LOVEd us and sent HIS SON as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
¹¹ Dear friends, since GOD so LOVEd us, we also ought to LOVE one another.
¹² No one has ever seen GOD; but if we LOVE one another, GOD lives in us and HIS LOVE is made complete in us.
¹³ This is how we know that we live in HIM and HE in us: HE has given us of HIS SPIRIT.
¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the FATHER has sent HIS SON to be the SAVIOR of the world. ¹⁵ If anyone acknowledges that JESUS is the SON OF GOD, GOD lives in them and they in GOD.
¹⁶ And so we know and rely on the LOVE GOD has for us. GOD is LOVE. Whoever lives in LOVE lives in GOD, and GOD in them.
¹⁷ This is how LOVE is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like JESUS.
¹⁸ There is no fear in LOVE. But perfect LOVE drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in LOVE.
¹⁹ We LOVE because HE first loved us.
²⁰ Whoever claims to LOVE GOD yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not LOVE their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot LOVE God, whom they have not seen.
²¹ And HE has given us this command: Anyone who LOVES GOD must also LOVE their brother and sister.

Revelation 22:
¹² “Look, I am coming soon! MY reward is with ME, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
¹³ I am the ALPHA and the OMEGA, the FIRST and the LAST, the BEGINNING and the END.
¹⁴ “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of LIFE and may go through the gates into the city.
¹⁵ Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
¹⁶ “I, JESUS, have sent my angel to give youthis testimony for the churches. I am the ROOT and the OFFSPRING OF DAVID, and the BRIGHT MORNING STAR.”

J is for Jesus!

Faith is Jesus!
I place my Faith in Jesus!

Hope is Jesus!
I place my Hope in Jesus!

Love is Jesus!
I choose to Love Jesus!

~OH, THE JOY!~

THE KING IS COMING...

2012-01-08T18:48:00.010-05:00

SUNDAY

IN THE

SON

The King is Coming

(Bill Gaither)

The marketplace is empty,

no more traffic in the street

All the builder's tools are silent,

no more time to harvest wheat

Busy housewives cease their labor,

in the courtroom no debate

Work on earth has been suspended

as the King comes through the gate

Happy faces line the hallway,

those whose lives have been redeemed

Broken homes He has mended...

those from prison He has freed...

Little children and the aged

hand in hand stand all a-glow

Who were crippled, broken, ruined,

clad in garments white as snow

Chorus:

The King is coming, the King is coming

I just heard the trumpet sounding

and soon His face I'll see.

The King is coming, the King is coming

Praise God, He's coming for me

I can hear the chariot's rumble,

I can see the marching throng

And the fury of God's trumpet

spells the end of sin and wrong

Regal rolls are now unfolded,

heaven's grandstands all in place

Heaven's choir is now assembled,

start to sing 'Amazing Grace'

Repeat Chorus (x2)

Praise God,

He's coming for me...

for me...

~OH, THE JOY~

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME...

2011-12-25T17:21:00.008-05:00

SUNDAY

IN

THE SON

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME

as sung by Tree63

BLESSED be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
BLESSED be Your Name

BLESSED be Your Name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
BLESSED be Your Name

Every BLESSING You pour out,
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in,
LORD, Still I will say...

BLESSED be the Name of the LORD
BLESSED be Your Name
BLESSED be the Name of the LORD
BLESSED be Your glorious Name
BLESSED be Your Name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
BLESSED be Your Name

BLESSED be Your Name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
BLESSED be Your Name

Every BLESSING You pour out,
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in,
LORD, Still I will say...

BLESSED be the Name of the LORD
BLESSED be Your Name
BLESSED be the Name of the LORD
BLESSED be Your glorious Name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
LORD, BLESSED be Your Name

Every BLESSING You pour out,
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in,
LORD, still I'm going to say...

BLESSED be the Name of the LORD
BLESSED be the Name of the LORD
BLESSED be Your glorious Name
BLESSED be the Name of the LORD
BLESSED be Your Name
BLESSED be the Name of the LORD
BLESSED be Your glorious Name

You give and take away
You give and take away

My heart will choose to say,
LORD, BLESSED be Your Name.

~BLESSED~

I AM BLESSED... FAMILY AND FRIENDS...

2011-12-23T06:09:00.006-05:00

"The holidays" are here! They can be soooo memorable and sooooo stressful. Before you head into this day/this weekend/this next week, take a moment and read through these few words of inspiration, taken from a book put out by Hallmark, called FRIENDSHIP IS A BLESSING. My friend, Melody, gave me this book about a year and a half ago.

"BLESSED

are they who have the gift of making friends,

for it is one of God's best gifts.

It involves many things,

but above all,

the power of going out of one's self,

and appreciating whatever is

noble and loving in another."

ABC'S of Friendship

A - Accepts you as you are.
B - Believes in you no matter what.
C - Calls you just to say "Hi".
D - Doesn't give up on you.
E - Envisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts).
F - Forgives your mistakes and shortcomings.
G - Gives of self unconditionally.
H - Helps you without being asked.
I - Invites you to come over.
J - Just wants to be with you.
K - Keeps you close in heart.
L - Loves you for who you are.
M - Makes a difference in your life.
N - Never judges you.
O - Offers you support.
P - Picks you up when you are down.
Q - Quiets your fears.
R - Raises your spirits with encouraging words.
S - Says nice things about you.
T - Tells you the truth when you need to hear it.
U - Understands you.
V - Values you.
W - Walks beside you during the hard times.
X - eXplains those things you don't understand.
Y - Yells as loud as it takes to make you listen.
Z - Zaps you back to reality.

And, if these ABC's are too hard to remember, Charles Swindoll, makes it simpler:

"I A ccept you as you are."

"I B elieve you are valuable."

"I C are when you are hurt."

"I Desire what is best for you."

"I Erase all offenses."

~BLESSED~

I AM BLESSED... I WILL ENDURE...

2011-12-22T07:08:00.008-05:00

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

The past month or so I have visited with many friends who are Despondant, in Despair, Discouraged, and almost Destroyed... they are ready TO QUIT. I know people who are out of work, had their utilities turned off, lost their jobs, lost their homes, lost a family member... Endurance is not simple!

Please, my friend... DO NOT QUIT! Endurance is not just stamina or strength of will. It requires a dependence on resources that we don't even possess... SOME-ONE greater than ourselves. There is a need for deep breathing... health... pacing... positive thought... against all odds.

This time of year -during the holidays- is so hard. This time of year -when winter has set in and the days are short- is so hard! Hanging in our den are the words:

Life is hard,

but GOD is good!

How did this guy make it up the mountain?

With the life and limb given to him by GOD!

How did this tree maintain it's brillance in the midst of a snowstorm?

It has gotten some nourishment from the sun and water

into it's root system that other trees have not.

How did this little guy get these icebergs to separate?

He did not! He waited in faith, nothing doubting,

for this amazing opportunity to give him passage.

1. Count as BLESSINGS what GOD has given to you.
2. Seek GOD's SON first... He is our "SUN" who is the LIVING WATER.
3. Know that GOD will make a way! There may not be anyway that looks possible, but JESUS can make a way when there is no way!

Depending on where you are in your life right now, I beg you to participate in the encouraging act of ENDURANCE... Either be...

the hands and feet of Jesus to others... provide love, encouragement, food, gifts, etc.

the willing recipient of those who want to minister to you

And while you are doing 1. or 2. or both, count your BLESSINGS and not your troubles!!!!

Today, will find me involved in all three! Join me in ENDURING!

~BLESSED~

‘Come, you who are BLESSED

by My Father;
take your inheritance,

the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and

you gave me something to eat,

I was thirsty and

you gave me something to drink,

I was a stranger and

you invited me in,

I needed clothes and

you clothed me,

I was sick and

you looked after me,
I was in prison and

you came to visit me.'

~BLESSED~

I AM BLESSED... TO GIVE AND RECEIVE...

2011-12-21T09:30:00.006-05:00

MATTHEW 25

31 “When the Son of Man comes...

HOW?

...in
His

glory,

and all the angels with Him, He will sit...

WHERE?

...on
Hi

glorious

throne.

32 All the nations will be gathered...

WHERE?

...before
Him,

and He will separate the people one from another...

HOW?

...as a

Shepherd

separates

the sheep

from

the goats.
33 He will put

the sheep

on His right

and the goats

on His left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right,

WHAT WILL HE SAY?

‘Come, you who are BLESSED

by My Father;
take your inheritance,

the kingdom prepared for you
since the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and

you gave me something to eat,

I was thirsty and

you gave me something to drink,

I was a stranger and

you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and

you clothed me,

I was sick and

you looked after me,
I was in prison and

you came to visit me.’

~BLESSED~

I AM BLESSED... CHRIST IN MY EVERYDAY...

2011-12-20T05:52:00.012-05:00

I am so grateful that Christ my King humbled Himself to be born in a stable and become a child in a poor family. I believe that although He was born, it was not at Christmas. Yet, I am personally very grateful that both Christ's birth and death/resurrection are brought to the forefront each year by the world.

Quoting a FB friend, "He is the reason for every minute of every day. My family celebrates His birth and resurrection ALL the time..."

Our little town has a banner across it's main street that proclaims, "KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS". If you sit on the curb and look up, you can see that proclamation above.

This one sign, in this small town in South Jersey, has recently drawn national attention. The Freedom From Religion Foundation is demanding that sign be taken down. Our town disagrees!

Much like the USA, our town was founded on the belief that:

Jesus is God, our Creator and King.

Jesus humbled Himself to come to earth to show us how to live.

Jesus died on the cross to show us how to love.

Jesus rose from the grave to show us there is life after death.

Jesus ascended into heaven to show us that HE LIVES eternally!

If you read at wikipedia.com, about Pitman, NJ, you will find some of these statements about the beginning of Pitman:

..."The land had an auditorium located on a central
meeting ground, and twelve roads originated from the central area as spokes on a wheel, each representing one of the disciples of Jesus. "

"...worshipers' tents originally lined each of the
twelve roads, cottages slowly replaced the tents and formed the foundation of the town of Pitman."

..."In 1904, residents of Pitman Grove voted 122 to 35
for incorporation as an autonomous borough..."

I...

live in a nation founded with Jesus Christ in mind...

live in a town founded with Jesus Christ in mind...

live in a town that celebrates Christmas with Jesus Christ in mind...

Let's all live EVERYDAY with Jesus Christ in mind!!!!!!!!!

I say, "Let's replace that sign on 12/26/11 with KEEP CHRIST IN MY EVERYDAY!!!

~BLESSED~

I AM BLESSED... GOD SHOWS UP...

2011-12-19T06:02:00.004-05:00

MEDITATION MONDAY

Praise to God for a Living Hope!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, "God showed up" in a more accentuated way than usual in our Sunday morning service. My husband preached a sermon entitled, "I ALMOST QUIT!"

On this christian journey, there are things that often get in the way of victorious christian living and our ability to see the blessings we have all around us. God always shows up, yet the Devil would like nothing more that for us to not realize that and become...

Discouraged

Despaired

Distressed

Disillusioned

Distracted

to the point that we quit.

Steve's wonderful words of encouragement with a reading of 1 Peter 1:3-9:

3 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In His great mercy He has given us new birth

into a living hope

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 and into an inheritance that can

never perish, spoil or fade.

This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,

5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power

until the coming of the salvation

that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In all this you greatly rejoice,

though now for a little while

you may have had to suffer grief

in all kinds of trials.

7 These have come so that

the proven genuineness of your faith—

of greater worth than gold,

which perishes even though refined by fire—

may result in praise, glory and honor

when Jesus Christ is revealed.

8 Though you have not seen Him,

you love Him;

and even though you do not see Him now,

you believe in Him and are filled with

an inexpressible and glorious joy,

9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith,

the salvation of your souls."

~BLESSED~

NOTE: You can join others in listening to Steve's sermon(s) online here.

I AM BLESSED...

2011-12-18T07:03:00.010-05:00

UPDATE: I apologize to those of you who have wondered where I've been this past week. I was having technical problems posting and I did not have the time to spend to figure out how to fix it.

As we finish the year strong, may the remainder of this year's posts be an inspiration to you.

SUNDAY IN THE SON

I AM BLESSED

as sung by Rachel Lampa

I may never climb a mountain

So I can see the world from there

I may never ride the waves

And taste the salty ocean air

Or build a bridge

That would last a hundred years

But no matter where the road leads

One thing is always clear...

I am blessed

From when I rise up in the morning

Til I lay my head to rest

I feel You near me

You soothe me when I'm weary

Oh Lord, for all the worst and all the best

I am blessed

All along the road less traveled

I have crawled and I have run

I have wandered through the wind and rain

Until I found the sun

The watching eyes they ask me why

I walk this narrow way

I will gladly give the reason

For the hope I have today

I am blessed

From when I rise up in the morning

Til I lay my head to rest

I feel You near me

You soothe me when I'm weary

Oh Lord, for all the worst and all the best

I am blessed

You've given me joy

You've given me love

You give me strength

When I want to give up

You came from heaven

To rescue my soul

This is the reason I know, I know

I am blessed

From when I rise up in the morning

Til I lay my head to rest

I feel You near me

You soothe me when I'm weary

Oh Lord, for all the worst and all the best

I am blessed...

~BLESSED~

BLESSINGS...

2011-12-10T00:36:00.000-05:00

SUNDAY IN THE SON

BLESSINGS

as sung by Laura Story

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family,

protection while we sleep.

We pray for healing,

for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand

to ease our suffering

All the while,

You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if trials of this life are

Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

And we cry in anger

when we cannot feel You near

We doubt Your goodness,

we doubt Your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while,

You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near

And what if trials of this life are

Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not, this is not our home

It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

And what if a thousand sleepless nights

Are what it takes to know You’re near

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy

And what if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are Your mercies in disguise?

~BLESSED~

MY SAVIOR MY GOD... CANDY CANE REMINDER...

2011-12-08T23:54:00.008-05:00

I'm giving my grandchildren a collection of candy canes this month - one a day for the 12 days of Christmas.

Christmas Candy Cane Poem

~adapted~

Look at a Candy Cane.

What do you see?

The stripes are red,

Like His blood shed for me.

The white is for MY SAVIOR

Who is sinless and pure!

“J” is for JESUS, MY GOD,

that’s for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD-

loves you and me!

~BLESSED~

MY SAVIOR MY GOD.... BREATHE IN...

2011-12-08T09:10:00.006-05:00

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

Yes! I am an oldest child! Not only am I the oldest, but I was an only child for several years. I was preparing for first grade before my brother, the second child, came along. Yes! I do feel responsible! Responsibility is deeply engraved in my psyche. If I don't meet my "responsibilities" real or imagined, then "guilt" raises its ugly head.

It can be frustrating when I am unable to fulfill all my "responsibilities". This time of year, especially, a mommy and/or grand-mommy needs:

a deep reservoir of God's Spirit

extra Physical energy

clarity of Intellect (mind)

understanding/supportive Relationships, and

normalcy of Emotions.

Why? Well, haven't you heard? It's the Hectic Holiday season!

The weather here where I live has been torrential rain. I have tendonitis in my leg. My leg is not only very painful, but it is slowing me down considerably. Yesterday, I needed to drive many miles to visit school sites. I needed my hubby to drive me around. I have relied on him for much. Thank you, Steve! Thank You, Jesus!

I have not purchased one gift. Yet, our daughter has stepped in with her "cyber savvy" and taken care of it all. Each year we do the 12 days of Christmas countdown to Christmas. Last night, with my leg propped up I realized that the 12 gifts for each grandkids box were almost complete. Thank you, Jess! Thank You, Jesus!

I want this month to transform into something extra special... peaceful... loving.... memorable... It must start with me giving up control! I have certainly battled feelings of frustration. It's okay that I do not "get everything done". If it's "late" - that's okay! Usually we have our tree up by now. Not one Christmas decoration is up... and our prayer is that we'll have all the grandkids here to celebrate at the end of the month.

BREATHE, PATTI! God is IN control! In fact, I need God IN me calming my Spirit 24/7. I need help for my NEEDS that I bulleted above!

IN-SPIRE means to actually have the "breath of God". BREATHE GOD, PATTI!

IN me is God who provides:

S - piritual transformation for the following:
P - hysical
I - ntellectual
R - elational
E - motional

~IN - SPIREd~

~BLESSED~

MY SAVIOR MY GOD... SON OF MAN... SHEPHERD... KING... BLESSED....

2011-12-07T00:02:00.000-05:00

This year, we began memorizing "The Beatitudes". Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount with, "BLESSED are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." That is not the last time the BLESSING of the kingdom of heaven is addressed in The Beatitudes. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount sets down the principles of kingdom living for His disciples.

The concepts of the "Sermon on the Mount" came up again and again in Jesus' ministry. Consider our new verses for this month as a challenge to FINISH STRONG:

MATTHEW 25

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory,
and all the angels with Him,
He will sit on His glorious throne.

32 All the nations will be gathered before Him,
and He will separate the people one from another
as a Shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right,
‘Come, you who are BLESSED by My Father;
take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

~BLESSED~

MY SAVIOR MY GOD... GRATEFUL...

2011-12-06T06:50:00.003-05:00

Psalm 65

1 Praise awaits You, our God, in Zion;

to You our vows will be fulfilled.

2 You who answer prayer,

to You all people will come.

3 When we were overwhelmed by sins,

You forgave our transgressions.

4 BLESSED are those You choose and

bring near to live in Your courts!

We are filled with the good things

of Your house, of Your holy temple.

5 You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,

God our Savior...

~BLESSED~

MY SAVIOR MY GOD... HE MINISTERS TO ME THROUGH MUSIC...

2011-12-05T08:23:00.007-05:00

MEDITATION MONDAY

Some hours in our lives are tougher than others.

Some days in our lives are rougher than others.

Some weeks in our lives seem like they will never end.

Some years in our lives, it is hard to put one foot in front of the other.

One of those years, in the past decade, found my hours, days, and weeks full of crying out to the LORD. Challenges with family, work, friends, and church literally took my breath away. I would get in my car to head for work and turn on christian radio, "Spirit 95". Invariably, the song that was #1 for 24 weeks that year would be playing: MY SAVIOR MY GOD, sung by Aaron Shust. I would sing along... be ministered to... and then, another song from the top 10 would play. It was amazing how God used those songs to sustain me:

1. MY SAVIOR MY GOD - Aaron Shust
2. HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD - Christ Tomlin
3. THIS MAN - Jeremy Camp
4. PRAISE YOU IN THIS STORM - Casting Crowns
5. I AM - Mark Schultz
6. CRY OUT TO JESUS - Third Day
7. MOUNTAIN OF GOD - Third Day
8. WELCOME HOME - Brian Litrell
9. SO LONG SELF - Mercy Me
10. BREATHE INTO ME - Red

This weekend, as I battled tendonitis in my leg, I sat a lot (with my leg propped up)and listened to christian music:

via this blog

on my Ipod

on my cell phone

on my DVR

As I leave the house today, my CD is already set for music of BLESSING.

NOTE: The words to MY SAVIOR MY GOD are on yesterday's post. I am moving some of these top 10 songs of 2006 up to the top of my playlist.

~BLESSED~

MY SAVIOR MY GOD...

2011-12-04T06:54:00.004-05:00

SUNDAY IN THE SON

My Savior, My God

As sung by Aaron Shust

I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands One who is my Savior

I take Him at His word and deed
Christ died to save me this I read
And in my heart I find a need
For Him to be my Savior

That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, my Savior lives
My Savior's always there for me
My God He was, my God He is
My God He's always gonna be

Yes, living, dying let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring
That He who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Savior

That He would leave His place on High
And come for sinful men to die
You count it strange so once did I
Before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, My Savior lives
My Savior's always there for me
My God He was, My God He is, My God He's always gonna be (x6)

My Savior lives, My Savior loves
My Savior lives, My Savior loves

~BLESSED~

FOREVER... FAMILY...

2011-12-02T19:39:00.005-05:00

FOREVER FAMILY only happens because of Jesus.

Jesus Christ is...

A uthor of the forever family

B rother in the forever family

C reator of the forever family

D eliverer of the forever family

E ternal Life of the forever family

F aithfulness within the forever family

G oodness, Gentleness, and Grace within the forever family

H umility, Holiness, and Hope within the forever family

I ntegrity within the forever family

J oy within family

K indness within the forever family

L ove and Life within the forever family

M eekness and Mercy within the forever family

N ame of the the forever family

O nly Begotten Son of the forever family

P eace and Purity of the forever family

Q uieter of the forever family

R ighteousness of the forever family

S pirit, Soul, Savior, and Song of the forever family

T ruth and Teacher of the forever family

U nfailing Love and Unspeakable Gift of the forever family

V ictory of the forever family

W ay and Word of the forever family

eX ample for the forever family

Y ahweh of the forever family

Z ealous for the forever family

~BLESSED~

FOREVER... TRANSFORMED...

2011-12-01T06:19:00.009-05:00

.....N..............................D.....

..........O.....................E.........

...............V..........C...............

....................E......................

....................M.....................

....................B......................

....................E......................

....................R......................

~BLESSED~

FOREVER... IN THE WORD...

2011-11-30T09:02:00.001-05:00

LAST DAY OF NOVEMBER:

2011 NOVEMBER SCRIPTURE MEMORY

ZECHARIAH 4:6

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:

‘Not by might nor by power,

but by my Spirit,’

says the LORD Almighty.

~BLESSED~

FOREVER... NO STINKIN' THINKIN'...

2011-11-29T06:29:00.005-05:00

I love reading about the miracles of Jesus. The first one, of His ministry, was done in response to a request from His mother. He often approached naysayers or those who just wanted to make Him look bad. One of my favorites, of His miracles, is recorded in 3 of the gospels... Matthew 9, Mark 2, and Luke 5.

I'm grateful that:

The paralyzed man had 4 Faithful Friends who stepped out in FAITH! No stinkin' thinkin' here!

Jesus took care of the most important things first by forgiving the paralyzed man of his sins! No stinkin' thinkin' here!

In spite of the "stinkin' thinkin'" of the "religious people", Jesus remained kind!

The paralyzed man walked away - no longer paralyzed!

Everyone praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" No stinkin' thinkin' here!

MARK 2:
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that He had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and He preached the word to them.

3 Some men came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get Him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.

5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Immediately Jesus knew in His spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts,

9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”

So He said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”

12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.
This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

I invite you to scroll down to yesterday's post to see more about the focus of my gratitude!

~BLESSED~

FOREVER... GIVING THANKS FOR JESUS...

2011-11-28T00:00:00.002-05:00

MEDITATION MONDAY

It's been a BLESSED and reflective Thanksgiving. As I contemplated our new theme song for this week, I wanted it to reflect my desire for the "spirit of Thanksgiving" to continue FOREVER! It does! When the Holy Spirit of God is present, praise and thanksgiving permeate the place!!!

Yesterday, we ended our "quarter" in our Sunday women's Bible class. Our review focus was on FAITH...

F ix my eyes on Jesus!

A ssured of who I am in Christ!

I don't wanna', but I'm a gonna!

T hrow off everything that hinders!

H oly Spirit led!

What followed was a worship service and sermon with 2 very strong messages that are the bookends of our FAITH acrostic.

Fix your eyes on Jesus is the first and primary thing: GET TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST!

Holy Spirit led! Take the first step and begin the journey!

We were challenged get rid of STINKIN' THINKIN' and let this be our focus!

FIX MY EYES ON JESUS via

the "ABC's in 3's"of JESUS:

A dvocate, Alpha and Omega, Almighty

B lessed, Bright and Morning Star, Bread of Life

C reator, Counselor, Comfort

D eliverer, Divine, Door

E ternal Life, Emmanuel, Everlasting

F aithful Friend, Forgiver, Faithfulness

G od, Goodness, Gentleness

H oly One, High Priest, Hope of Glory

I Am, Immanuel, Incarnate God

J oy, Judge of the Living and the Dead, Jehovah

K ing of kings, Keeper of my soul, Kindness

L ove, Light of the world, Lion and Lamb

M essiah, Mediator, Master

N ame above all names, Nazarene, Never-ending

O nly Begotten Son, Omnipresent, Offspring of David

P rince of peace, Peace, Patience

Q uieter of the winds and waves, Qualified, Qualifier

R esurrection and the Life, Redeemer, Righteousness

S avior of the world, Servant, Self Control

T ruth, Teacher, True Vine

U nfailing love, Unspeakable gift, Unchanging

V ictor, Victory, Valiant Warrior

W ay, Word, Wisdom

eX act representation of God, eXalted, eXample

Y ahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh

Z ion's glory, Zion stander, Zion's choice stone

Holy Spirit Led... The HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD...

...indwells

... blesses

... helps

... gives life

... comforts

... leads

... empowers

... bears witness

... bears fruit

... gifts

... convicts

... moves and inspires

... seals and pledges

... fills

... intercedes

... fellowships

... teaches

... rejoices

... abides

... transforms...

~BLESSED~

FOREVER...

2011-11-27T20:20:00.003-05:00

FOREVER

as sung by Chris Tomlin

Give thanks to the LORD

Our God and King

His love endures forever

For He is good,

He is above all things

His love endures forever

Sing praise, sing praise

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm

His love endures forever

For the life that's been reborn

His love endures forever

Sing praise, sing praise

Yeah

Forever God is faithful

Forever God is strong

Forever God is with us

Forever

From the rising to the setting sun

His love endures forever

By the grace of God

We will carry on

His love endures forever

Sing praise, sing praise

Yeah

Forever God is faithful

Forever God is strong

Forever God is with us

Forever

Forever God is faithful

Forever God is strong

Forever God is with us

Forever

His love endures forever

Forever

Sing praise, sing praise

Yeah

Forever you are faithful

Forever you are strong

Forever you are with us

Forever

And ever

Yeah

Forever you are faithful

Forever you are strong

Forever you are with us

Forever

ForeverYou are God.....

Forever

And ever and ever ....

~BLESSED~

GIVE THANKS... FOR FAMILY...

2011-11-25T23:40:00.005-05:00

I am so thankful that the words above are true. Whether it be my physical family or my spiritual family, it is God's love that transcends all to make us friends.

I love the straightforward definition of love that God gives us in scripture. Within that "definition" in 1 Corinthians 13, anyone's name can be entered in my paraphrased version here:

My Love for _____ is patient,

my love for ______ is kind.

It does not envy,

it does not boast,

it is not proud.

5 It does not dishonor , ______

My love for _____ is not self-seeking,

My love for ____ is not easily angered,

My love for _____keeps no record of wrongs.

6 My love for ________does not delight in evil

but rejoices with the truth.

7 My love for ______always protects,

My love for ______always trusts,

My love for ______always hopes,

My love for ______always perseveres.

8 God's kind of Love never fails.

But where there are prophecies, they will cease;

where there are tongues, they will be stilled;

where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10 but when completeness comes,

what is in part disappears.

11 When I was a child, I talked like a child,

I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.

When I became a man,

I put the ways of childhood behind me.

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;

then we shall see face to face.

Now I know in part;

then I shall know fully,

even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain:

faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

~BLESSED~

GIVE THANKS... IN SPITE OF YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES...

2011-11-24T09:21:00.002-05:00

TRANSFORMING

THANKSGIVING

THURSDAY

Thank You, JESUS!

~BLESSED~

GIVE THANKS...IN, FOR, AND THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD...

2011-11-23T04:40:00.008-05:00

I am thankful that Jesus has given me a piece of His Holy Spirit to live and work inside of me. This is my identity IN CHRIST!

He promised this in John, when He said,

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

What is the evidence of Jesus' Spirit living inside of me? Galatians 5 tells us that the Spirit's fruit has these characteristics:

My thanksgiving is overflowing for the miracle of the Holy Spirit!

Our Scripture Memory for this month is:

ZECHARIAH 4:6

"So he said to me,
This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:

‘Not by might nor by power,

but by my Spirit,’

says the LORD Almighty. "

The HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD...
...indwells... blesses... helps... gives life... comforts... leads... empowers... bears witness... bears fruit... gifts... convicts... moves and inspires... seals and pledges... fills... intercedes... fellowships... teaches... rejoices... abides... transforms...

~BLESSED~

GIVE THANKS... FOR CHRIST AND HIS BODY...

2011-11-22T07:52:00.005-05:00

Today, I'm beginning with the picture I posted yesterday. To get the full explanation you might scroll down to "MEDITATION MONDAY" before beginning this post.

Oh, how thankful I am for my church family!

PACK THE PULPIT SUNDAY:

1. Children brought the love offerings of food:

2. "D" shared his story / testimony... of being homeless for over a year. Then, along came "A" to feed him... care for him... nurse him back to health! He was lost, but now he's found... Both "A" and "D" were born again this year... now part of the wonderful family of God. Welcome to the family little brother and sister of Jesus Christ!!!!

3. Our church family kept giving in the afternoon... Baby Sammy is being provided for in a very big way! He's expected to arrive to the loving arms of Daddy R and Mommy J in December. This car headed home loaded with love gifts!

Thank you, LORD for my loving and giving church family! Jesus, thank YOU for being the Head of this body: THE BODY OF CHRIST!

~BLESSED~

GIVE THANKS... THROUGH YOUR GIVING...

2011-11-21T21:26:00.000-05:00

MEDITATION MONDAY

Yesterday, my church family joined together in our "Pack the Pulpit Sunday". People brought their love offerings of food into the building. The children brought the gifts on up to the pulpit area. Tomorrow, I will share more pictures. In the meantime, consider what "judging" has or does not have to do with "giving" as you read these verses from LUKE 6:

37 “Do not judge,

and you will not be judged.

Do not condemn,

and you will not be condemned.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

38 Give, and it will be given to you.

A good measure, pressed down,

shaken together and running over,

will be poured into your lap.

For with the measure you use,

it will be measured to you.”

GIVE THANKS...

2011-11-20T16:30:00.006-05:00

Give Thanks

as sung by Don Moen

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because

He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

And now let the weak say, "I am strong"

Let the poor say, "I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us"

Give thanks

We give thanks to You, oh Lord

We give thanks...

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... GIVE HOPE... FAMILY...

2011-11-18T05:41:00.013-05:00

Please watch a brief newscast video of a christian man who along with his wife has chosen to BLESS many. My FAMILY and I have been overwhelming recipients of God's lovingkindness through the Craig and Kathy Taylor FAMILY. So thankful that we are all FAMILY in Jesus!

I am putting a link here just in case the embedded video does not work.

http://www.news9.com/story/16060870/amanda-taylors-role-model-speaks-out-about-hunger

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... TRANSFORM...

2011-11-17T23:32:00.005-05:00

T rust Jesus

R epent to Jesus

A ccept Jesus

N eed Jesus

S ubmit to Jesus

F aith in Jesus

O ffer life to Jesus

R ely on Jesus
M odel Jesus

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... TRUST THE SPIRIT'S LEADING!

2011-11-16T08:52:00.003-05:00

2011 NOVEMBER SCRIPTURE MEMORY

ZECHARIAH 4:6

So he said to me,
“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’
says the LORD Almighty.

Dear friend, each of us must learn to walk in FAITH knowing that:

F ixing my eyes on Jesus is foundational.

A ssurance of my hope in Jesus shows I trust Him.

"I don't wanna', but I'm a gonna!" must be my attitude!

T hrowing off things that hinder my spiritual walk is imperative!

H oly Spirit led women are FAITH walking, assured, persevering, victorious Jesus followers.

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... CHOOSE THANKFULNESS...

2011-11-15T06:51:00.003-05:00

Yes! This was my post last Tuesday! I'm thankful to have the reminder AGAIN!

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... BE STRETCHED...

2011-11-14T21:56:00.005-05:00

MEDITATION MONDAY

Today, I want us to consider FAITH as it relates to RUBBERBANDS. I recently read something about rubberbands that gave me some thoughts to ponder:

"The main thing to remember when discussing rubber bands
is entropy. Generally speaking, entropy is chaos, or a lack of order.

Entropy is best defined in the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that a system will naturally move from a state of order to a state of disorder. This is best illustrated in a rubber band. While not being stretched out, the polymers (molecules that make up the rubber) are tangled up in a random mess, all of them haphazardly lying atop the others. When a rubber band is stretched, though, these molecules lengthen out and become ordered in a single direction. However,
the natural urge is to return to the state of entropy, so as soon as the rubber band is released, it will snap back to its original form and back to a state of entropy."

My question for us to ponder:

Is it the continual STRETCHING of our circumstances that gives us the opportunity to order our FAITH focus in the direction that God wants it to go?

On Friday, we lived through 11-11-11. We honored our God. We honored Veteran's.
On Sunday, churches across the USA joined in "Orphan Sunday". Our prayer and giving focus was for children who are living without one or more parents.

There are things that STRETCH and grow FAITH more than others. Separated from family and friends while in harm's way is certainly FAITH STRETCHING! Living without the comfort , protection, and guidance of a parent is a mind boggling STRETCH OF FAITH.

Add to Veteran's and Orphans our dear Widows and Widowers! All alone from years spent with his or her Beloved, FAITH IS STRETCHED on a daily basis.

For these people, the holidays can be an extremely difficult time. As you count your BLESSINGS in the next few weeks, please consider how to pray for, love, give to, and serve these special people. STRETCH YOUR PRAYER LIFE! STRETCH YOUR LOVE! STRETCH YOUR GIVING! STRETCH YOUR SERVICE!

James 1:26-27

"Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. "

Luke 6:38

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO...

2011-11-13T17:23:00.003-05:00

SUNDAY IN THE SUN

(Our second week, in a row, for this theme song!)

What Faith Can Do
as sung by Kutless

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you're stronger, stronger than you know

Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling

I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try

Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water

It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing

You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds?
You don't have a chance!
(That’s what faith can do).

When the world says you can’t
It’ll (FAITH will) tell you that you can!

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling

And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That's what faith can do!

Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise!

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO...

2011-11-11T02:53:00.005-05:00

11-11-11

Today's date is so unique! It reminds me that I am a fan of ones!

In Ephesians chapter 4, there is a focus on ONES:

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then,

I urge you to live a life worthy

of the calling you have received.

2 Be completely humble and gentle;

be patient,

bearing with one another in love.

3 Make every effort to keep

the unity of the Spirit

through the bond of peace.

4 There is ONE body

and ONE Spirit,

just as you were called to ONE hope when you were called;

ONE Lord,

ONE FAITH,

ONE baptism;

ONE God and Father of all,

who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each ONE of us

grace has been given

as Christ apportioned it.

1 Body

1 Spirit

1 Hope

1 LORD

1 Faith

1 Baptism

1 God and Father of all

1 Godly Husband

1 Godly Oldest son

1 Godly Oldest daughter

1 Godly Youngest son

1 Godly Youngest daughter

That's what FAITH can do!

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... TRANSFORM...

2011-11-10T06:07:00.008-05:00

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

This fall, in our Sunday morning ladies class ,we are looking at several spiritual concepts, including FAITH. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first step to the BLESSED life. Trusting in God, the Creator of the universe is Faith. Believing that Jesus Christ is God takes Faith.

FAITH

F ixes my eyes on Jesus!

FAITH

A ssures me of what I do not see!

FAITH says,

"I don't wanna, but I'm a gonna!"

FAITH

T hrows off things that hinder!"

FAITH follows the

H oly Spirit's lead!

Each of the above phrases in the acrostic have a memory scripture that we have been memorizing. During this process of memorizing these scriptures, several other scriptures have been brought to my attention by the Holy Spirit. All of these scriptures are TRANSFORMING my thinking!

The newest scriptures, include:

SCRIPTURE 1:

When the children of Israel were standing at the Red Sea and the Egyptians were behind them in pursuit. This statement was made before God parted the waters of the Red Sea.

EXODUS 14:14

"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

SCRIPTURE 2:
Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet". Yet, Jeremiah knew that it was God that it was the LORD GOD who he should put his Faith in.

JEREMIAH 17:7

“But BLESSED is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in Him."

SCRIPTURE 3:
The angel of the LORD spoke to the prophet Zechariah:

ZECHARIAH 4:6

"So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:
‘Not by might nor by power,
but by my Spirit,’
says the LORD Almighty. "

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... BE STILL AND TRUST THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD...

2011-11-09T08:01:00.006-05:00

These 3 verses have BLESSED my life a lot lately. I have added all 3 as our NOVEMBER SCRIPTURE MEMORY! All 3 verses scream FAITH!

EXODUS 14:14

"The LORD will fight for you;

you need only to be still.”

JEREMIAH 17:7

“But BLESSED is the one

who trusts in the LORD,

whose confidence is in Him."

ZECHARIAH 4:6

"So he said to me,

“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:

‘Not by might nor by power,

but by my Spirit,’

says the LORD Almighty. "

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... BE THANKFUL ANYWAY...

2011-11-08T18:59:00.003-05:00

Start today!

Count your BLESSINGS and not your troubles!

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO... JESUS BRINGS UNITY OUT OF DIVERSITY...

2011-11-07T08:29:00.004-05:00

MEDITATION MONDAY

I love my church family! An amazingly diverse group of people have come together because of their faith in and love for LORD JESUS CHRIST. We worship Him, we fellowship with each other, we work through our differences, and we are learning and maturing in how to be Spirit-led. We are more than community... we are the family of God - The Pitman Road church of Christ!

Yesterday, via cardboard testimonies, some of this body of believers shared why they loved our church family. Here are some of the words they wrote on cardboard. Join me in meditating on these words of gratitude today:

1. God fearing, Spirit-led leaders!

2. Love! Love! Love! 100%

3. Gospel is preached through many lives!

4. Faith, Hope, Love shown always!

5. Our Diversity!

6. Our service projects! World mission!

7. All of the Bible classes!

8. Everyone is willing to help!

9. Godly shepherds and wives!

10. Family feeling!

11. Seeing the Bible lived in people's lives!

12. Good preachers!

13. We care for the needy!

14. Accappela singing!

15. Young people in our Life Groups!

16. Many men share from pulpit!

17. Clarity!

18. Self sacrificing elders and ministers!

19. We go outside our comfort zones to share!

20. Bible studies are awesome!

21. How they make me feel like family!

22. Visible relationships!

23. Spiritual family manifested!

24. Imperfect and caring people, yet we fit together!

25. Leaders move beyond tradition!

26. Accept different worship styles!

27. The love and hearts of people!

28. 27 years of never giving up!

29. The truth is preached and taught!

30. A Bible believing church!

31. Life Groups

32. We never stop caring!

33. We exemplify that we are family through Christ!

34. Not judgmental!

35. Show the real meaning of love!

36. Songs we sing!

37. We meet 3 times weekly!

38. Youth Groups!

39. Singing!

40. Sense of Community!

41. Prayerful practices!

42. Spirit led!

43. The people!

44. Family atmosphere!

45. It's big! It's fun! Toys! (1st grader)

46. Heavy investment in our young people!

47. I was saved here - Great Commission emphasis!

48. Many people participate!

49. Life Group Fellowships!

50. Non-judgmental, accepting members!

51. Prayerful leaders, members!

52. Men gather consistently to pray!

53. Generosity!

54. Give and give and give!

55. Forgive me of my sins!

56. We bring our friends to church to bring them to Jesus!

57. We don't talk about diversity, we display diversity!

58. Godly shepherds!

~BLESSED~

THAT'S WHAT FAITH CAN DO

2011-11-06T17:41:00.004-05:00

SUNDAY IN THE SON

What Faith Can Do

as sung by Kutless

Everybody falls sometimes

Gotta find the strength to rise

From the ashes and make a new beginning

Anyone can feel the ache

You think it’s more than you can take

But you're stronger, stronger than you know

Don’t you give up now

The sun will soon be shining

You gotta face the clouds

To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn’t ever end

Even when the sky is falling

I’ve seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard

Impossible is not a word

It’s just a reason for someone not to try

Everybody’s scared to death

When they decide to take that step

Out on the water

It’ll be alright

Life is so much more

Than what your eyes are seeing

You will find your way

If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn’t ever end

Even when the sky is falling

I’ve seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds

You don't have a chance

(That’s what faith can do)

When the world says you can’t

It’ll tell you that you can!

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains

Hope that doesn’t ever end

Even when the sky is falling

And I’ve seen miracles just happen

Silent prayers get answered

Broken hearts become brand new

That’s what faith can do

That's what faith can do!

Even if you fall sometimes

You will have the strength to rise!

~BLESSED~

VOICE OF TRUTH... TO THE FAMILY...

2011-11-04T12:27:00.006-04:00

Last Sunday, in our Faithful Friends Bible class someone shared that her upbringing was quite opposite of what she was reading in the Bible. My heart was touched with saddness to hear her speak.

This week I have addressed words on this blog like endurance, perseverance, Holy Spirit, transformation, happiness, and blessing. Our youngest daughter was visiting last weekend. As she headed for the airport on Tuesday, I repeated to her what she has heard me say often over the years, "Be a blessing!" In some families, that would not be said or even considered.

What does the VOICE OF TRUTH tell us about the difference between a family living for Jesus and a family who is not? Compare / Contrast the two families below, understanding that no family is perfect. The family on the right is certainly what a christian family should aim for.

F ear

F aith and forgiveness

A rguing

A blessing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M e, myself, and I

M orality and ministry

I mmorality

I ndwelling Holy Spirit

L ies

L ove!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Y ou and me

Y ahweh, you, and me

~BLESSED~

VOICE OF TRUTH... BLESSED IS... HAPPY IS...

2011-11-03T22:20:00.007-04:00

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

There were three things that happened this week, among many, that brought to my attention that I was hearing the VOICE OF TRUTH speak some transformational words through me.

1. I sat across the table, at a coffee shop this week and listened to my friend say, "I just want to be happy!" I couldn't get the words, that I heard, out of my mind. So, later that evening I sent an email,

"One of my very favorite scriptures is Jesus beginning His sermon on the mount on the topic of HAPPINESS. I was going to share it with you today, but I did not want to come across as self righteous or preachy. His words minister to me on a regular basis. I have used some memory hooks to help me put them to memory. I will paraphrase them here:

'Happy are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Happy are those who mourn over sin, for they will be comforted.

Happy are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Happy are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Happy are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Happy are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Happy are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.

Happy are you when people say things against you falsely because of Jesus,

for great is your reward in heaven.

Happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Blessings for a brand new day,

Patti

2. This week, a teacher in another department asked if we could meet to discuss some concerns. Toward the end of the almost one hour meeting, he stated the following quote,

"A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself to light the way for others." ~Author Unknown

I responded with, "Hey, that's what's underneath my signature on all of my emails.

He replied, "I know! That's where I got it from."

3. During the month of October, I have heard a lot of grumbling, complaining, and whining from my students. I gave them "the talk" this week. It's November now! It's time for all of this to cease and everyone to develop a gratitude attitude!

Thank You, Jesus! Today I have received multiple beautiful "thank you" emails from students. A few of the comments included,

"...when you love something so much (like you do with teaching) it probably does not matter the circumstance, you just keep pushing forward. That is why I just wanted to thank you for all the work that you put into our class..."

"...I hope you know how much I enjoy your class and how I feel like I am learning skills to make myself a better teacher every time I am around you. Thank you for helping me achieve my dream of not just becoming a teacher, but being a good one."

"I wanted to let you know how much I value your advice, wisdom and encouragement in our class this semester. I cry with almost every blog because the videos you provide us are so meaningful... I also wanted to thank you for interupting the "whine fest" this morning... This is a stressful time for all of us, but your advice, guidance and support is important and helpful to all of us. THANK YOU!"

~HAPPY = BLESSED~

VOICE OF TRUTH... BY THE HOLY SPIRIT...

2011-11-02T05:08:00.003-04:00

Zechariah 4:6

So he said to me,

“This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:

‘Not by might nor by power,

but by my Spirit,’

says the LORD Almighty.

~BLESSED~

VOICE OF TRUTH.. JESUS

2011-11-01T04:20:00.006-04:00

Today is 11/1/11.

1 Body

1 Spirit

1 Hope

1 Lord

1 Faith

1 Baptism

1 God and Father over, through, and in all

Ephesians 4:4-6 says, There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

In order to ENDURE and PERSEVERE, I must, by faith, becoming one with the ONE. First step? FIX MY EYES ON JESUS, the author and perfector of my faith! As I sing along with our theme song this week, I am grateful that THE VOICE OF TRUTH tells me that Jesus is the answer to all of my unrest, all of my questions, and all of my difficult circumstances. It is IN HIM and IN HIM alone that I will ENDURE. When I chose Jesus, I chose the whole package: the body (the church), the Holy Spirit, hope, Jesus, faith, baptism, and God! I am sooooo grateful that you can't have one without the others! So when you choose Jesus, you are choosing the others!

THE VOICE OF TRUTH LYRICS HAVE AN ANSWER IN JESUS

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

JESUS IS THE QUIETER OF THE WINDS AND THE WAVES!

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown
where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

JESUS IS THE WAY!

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed

JESUS IS IMMANUEL (GOD WITH US!)

The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again.
"Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

JESUS IS MY VICTORIOUS WARRIOR!

Chorus:
But the voice of truth
tells me a different story

JESUS IS THE TRUTH!

The voice of truth says,
"Do not be afraid!"

JESUS IS MY CONFIDENCE!

The voice of truth says,
"This is for My glory."

JESUS IS ZION'S GLORY!

Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
the voice of truth

JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE,

NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM!

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes
to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

JESUS IS MY STRENGTH!

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again.
"Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

JESUS IS THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES!

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

JESUS IS MY STRONG TOWER!

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

JESUS IS THE WORD - THE VOICE OF TRUTH!

~BLESSED ~

VOICE OF TRUTH... PERSEVERE... ENDURE...

2011-10-31T00:01:00.002-04:00

MEDITATION MONDAY

~PERSEVERANCE~

~ENDURANCE~

James 1:12

Blessed is a (wo)man

who PERSEVERES under trial;

for once she has been approved,

she will receive the crown of life

which the Lord has promised

to those who love Him.

Hebrews 12:2-3 2

“Let us fix our eyes on JESUS,

the Author and Perfector

of our FAITH,

who for the joy set before Him

ENDURED the cross,

scorning its shame…

sat down at the right hand

of the throne of GOD.

CONSIDER Him

who ENDURED such opposition

from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary

and lose heart.”

Hebrews 11:1

“Now FAITH is being sure

of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:3-40

“By FAITH,

we understand that

the universe was formed

at GOD's command…

And without FAITH,

it is impossible to please GOD,

because anyone who comes to Him

must believe that He exists

and that He rewards those

who earnestly seek Him…

By FAITH,

men conquered kingdoms...

administered justice...

gained what was promised ...

shut the mouths of lions...

quenched flames…

escaped the sword…

weakness turned to strength…

became powerful in battle…

Hebrews 12:1

“Therefore,

since we are surrounded
by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders,

the sin that so easily entangles,
and let us run with PERSEVERANCE
the race marked out for us.”

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

The truth is that

ENDURANCE AND PERSEVERANCE

work best when alongside

Faithful Friends!

~BLESSED~

VOICE OF TRUTH...

2011-10-30T06:51:00.012-04:00

SUNDAY IN THE SON

It was Friday, but Sunday has come!

THE VOICE OF TRUTH

as sung by Casting Crowns

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of faith it takes

To climb out of this boat I'm in

Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone

Into the realm of the unknown

where Jesus is

And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name

And they laugh at me

Reminding me of all the times

I've tried before and failed

The waves they keep on telling me

Time and time again.

"Boy, you'll never win!"

"You'll never win!"

Chorus:

But the voice of truth

tells me a different story

The voice of truth says,

"Do not be afraid!"

The voice of truth says,

"This is for My glory."

Out of all the voices calling out to me

I will choose to listen and believe

the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have

The kind of strength it takes

to stand before a giant

With just a sling and a stone

Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors

Shaking in their armor

Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand
But the giant's calling out my name

And he laughs at me

Reminding me of all the times

I've tried before and failed

The giant keeps on telling me

Time and time again.

"Boy you'll never win!"

"You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size

To put the giant on the ground

And the waves they don't seem so high

From on top of them lookin' down

I will soar with the wings of eagles

When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus

Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

~BLESSED ~

CHERISH THE TREASURE.,., WITH FAMILY...

2011-10-29T07:22:00.004-04:00

KETCHUP AND MUSTARD DAY

Catch Up and Must Do

I cherish the treasure of family time! The last few nights were a special time at our house. It wasn't necessarily because "our team" won the World Series. It was because the barometric pressure was above 30, which meant our oldest daughter (who suffers from chronic pain caused by low barometric pressure) was able to enjoy it with us. Thank You, God!!!!

I cherish the years of memories I had sitting with my Granny and watching / listening to Cardinals games on her little TV (with "rabbit ears") as we listened to Jack Buck announce the games via the radio.

I cherish the time we'll have the next few days with our youngest daughter - the Yankee's fan - who is flying home today for a visit.

How wonderful to know that the treasure of my Granny and our 2 daughters is not in the ball team, but in Jesus Christ, our treasure for eternal life!

~BLESSED~

CHERISH THE TREASURE... FOR THE CHILDREN...

2011-10-28T06:40:00.002-04:00

I've been a people watcher for a long time, when it comes to families. I heard many years ago, that one of the best ways for parents to raise children is for the children to really see and know that their daddy loves their mommy and their mommy loves their daddy!

Over the years, I've seen parents who choose to "stay together for the sake of the children". They live, putting on foot in front of the other, tolerating their spouse. It's mediocre at best!

Life is so hard! Satan has come to steal, kill, and destroy! Why allow him to do that to our marriages? Our families? Put Jesus at the center of your marriage relationship and soon Jesus will become the center of your family. Put Jesus and the center and there will be many blessings, beginning with the fruit of THE SPIRIT: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

I pray that if you have not had a chance to read the posts of this week, that you do so now. They will encourage you to become a Spirit-led mommy who cherishes the treasure of your spouse because of Jesus! Go ahead! Be a blessing by counting your blessings!

~BLESSED~

CHERISH THE TREASURE... CHOOSE FAITH AND FORGIVENESS...

2011-10-27T00:14:00.001-04:00

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

What a treasure! Jesus not only forgives me, but He models how I must forgive others. Easier said than done. Jesus, You are an incredible example of inner strength!

In our marriage seminar this last weekend, the speaker discussed "not forgiving" as a poison to the person who does not forgive. It is unhealthy (and downright deadly) for body, mind, soul, and spirit to hold on to unforgiveness.

Over the last few days I have had continual opportunity to be impatient, frustrated, angry, and even furious with various people. It did not take long for me to get a knot in my stomach and feel the need to tell it like it is to more than a few people. But why go at it with that attitude?

Not always, but often, people "do not know what they do! Not always, but often, people have "no clue"! We can injure each other with our actions, our words, our ingratitude, and our forgetfulness. Sometimes forgiveness means having a loving dialog with the other person. Sometimes the other person is not ready for that discussion or even clueless as to what they did. In such a case - FORGIVE AND MOVE ON!

SIGH! Easier said than done! Yet, "I don't wanna', but I'm a gonna'!"

At home today, with our husbands and children, let's cherish the treasure and choose forgiveness.

Out and about today? Let's do the same! I certainly don't need any more toxins in my body than I already have.

I forgive! I choose to count my blessings and not my troubles!

FAITH

Fixes my eyes on JESUS

Hebrews 12:2-3

“Let us fix our eyes on JESUS,

the AUTHOR and PERFECTOR

of our F.A.I.T.H.,

who for the joy set before Him

endured the cross,

scorning its shame…

sat down at the right hand

of the throne of GOD.

3 Consider Him

who endured such opposition

from sinful men,

so that you will not grow weary

and lose heart.”

FAITH

Assures me

of what I hope for!

Hebrews 11:1

“Now FAITH is being sure

of what we hope for

and certain of what we do not see.”

FAITH

says,

"I don’t wanna’

but I’m a gonna’!"

Hebrews 11:3-40

“By FAITH we understand that the universe

was formed at GOD's command…

6 And without FAITH,

it is impossible to please GOD,

because anyone who comes to Him

must believe that He exists

and that He rewards those

who earnestly seek Him…

by FAITH men conquered Kingdoms…

administered justice…

gained what was promised;

shut the mouths of lions,

quenched flames…

escaped the sword…

weakness turned to strength…

became powerful in battle… "

By FAITH, I choose to forgive!

~BLESSED~

CHERISH THE TREASURE...

2011-10-26T00:07:00.000-04:00

*NOTE: Practice these verses today, challenging your memory. If you can't figure out what goes in the blanks, look over on the right sidebar.

BLOG'S OCTOBER SCRIPTURE MEMORY

JAMES 1 12

Blessed is a (wo)man who ___________ under trial;

for once she has been ____________,

she will receive the _________of life

which the Lord has ____________

to those who ______ Him.

FAITHFUL FRIENDS CLASS VERSES

FAITH Fixes my eyes on JESUS – Heb 12:2-3 2

“Let us fix our ______ on JESUS,

the AUTHOR and __________ of our _________,

who for the ______ set before Him

endured the cross, _________ its shame…

sat down at the right hand of the __________of GOD.

3 Consider Him who endured such ____________

from sinful men, so that you will not grow _______ and lose heart.”

FAITH Assures me of what I hope for - Heb 11:1

“Now FAITH is being sure of what we ______for

and ________ of what we do not see.”

FAITH says I don’t wanna’ but I’m a gonna’-Heb 11:3-40

3 “By FAITH we understand that the universe

was formed at GOD's ___________

6 And without FAITH it is ___________ to please GOD,

because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He ______

and that He rewards those who earnestly _______ Him…

by FAITH men ___________ Kingdoms…

administered justice…

gained what was ____________;

shut the mouths of lions,

34 quenched _________…

escaped the sword…

weakness turned to ___________…

became ___________ in battle…

~BLESSED~

CHERISH THE TREASURE... INSIDE THE TREASURE

2011-10-25T07:53:00.003-04:00

I love it that THE TREASURE lives at my house. It is a privilege and an honor to be BLESSED with the treasure of my husband, Steve. It is THE TREASURE who lives inside of Steve who makes Steve the man he is.

When a person walks in step with the Spirit of God, the Spirit's fruit is evident (Galatians 5:22-23):

love

peace

patience

kindness

goodness

gentleness

faithfulness

self control

I cherish my husband and THE TREASURE he allows to live inside him and keep step with.

Galatians 5:24-26
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

~BLESSED~

CHERISH THE TREASURE... HEAVENLY PLACES...

2011-10-24T05:43:00.008-04:00

MEDITATION MONDAY

WHO AM I AS A CHRISTIAN?

AS A CHRISTIAN WIFE?

MOTHER?

SISTER?

FRIEND?

CHILD OF GOD?

Today, after a full weekend of being part of a powerful marriage retreat, the Faithful Friends Bible class, and a Holy Spirit driven sermon about Heavenly Places, I am cherishing the treasure of my LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Over the course of this quarter, in our Faithful Friends class, there has been an emphasis on seeing with "spiritual eyes". Throughout the marriage retreat and Steve's sermon, we were challenged to do the same. Steve encouraged us to see ourselves in Heavenly Places and make sure that's where our marriages and ministries are. Those two words are found 5 times in scripture - all in the book of Ephesians. Let's meditate on those five today as we CONSIDER our marriages, mothering, and ministries.

1:3 "BLESSED be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly Places in Christ..."

1:19-21 "...what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the Heavenly Places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come."

2:5-7 "...even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the Heavenly Places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

2:9-11 "... and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; 10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the Heavenly Places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord..."

6:11-13 "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the Heavenly Places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm."

NOTE: The devil is in Heavenly Places, too. Re-read 6:11-13.

Steve encouraged us to put on God's FULL ARMOR, as we live in Heavenly Places. "Remember when the devil tries to remind you of your past - you remind him of his future!"

~BLESSED~

CHERISH THE TREASURE...

2011-10-23T06:45:00.004-04:00

Cherish the Treasure

as sung by Steve Green

I cherish the treasure
The treasure of you
Lifelong companion
I give myself to you
God has enabled me
To walk with you faithfully
And cherish the treasure
The treasure of you

As I obey the Spirit's voice
And seek to do His will
I then can see the wisdom of His plan
For as He works His will in me
I then can love you selflessly
And by His grace,

can pledge my love
To you

Chorus

This sacred vow I make to you
Does not contain an "if"
Though I'm aware that trials lie ahead
I will love you and pray with you
And through it all, I will stay with you
Our home will be a refuge of
Unconditional love

Chorus

Cherish the treasure...
The treasure of you

~BLESSED~

BLESSED ASSURANCE... FOR FLAWED FAMILIES...

2011-10-21T07:59:00.003-04:00

Let's face it! We are all flawed! I'm flawed! You're flawed! Husbands and ex-husbands are flawed! Children are flawed! Yet, it is because of Jesus that God sees us differently. Once you and I took the steps to become a christian, we became part of a large eternal family. We've said, "We are friends of Jesus!" On the Judgment Day, Jesus will say to His Heavenly Father, "These guys are with me! I claim them as my brothers and sisters."

If we know we are all flawed and Jesus is the answer for life, then why don't people flock to Jesus? What about when marriages need a tune-up or a major overhaul? Shouldn't Jesus be the answer to the problems within marriage?

This weekend our church is hosting a Marriage Enrichment, beginning this evening at 7 p.m. www.cochrist.org

Couples are taking the step to confess that there are flaws in their marriages. They know that Jesus is the answer! What BLESSED ASSURANCE!

~BLESSED~

BLESSED ASSURANCE... NOT MY WILL BUT THINE...

2011-10-20T06:24:00.003-04:00

TRANSFORMING THURSDAY

Our kids grew up hearing their daddy often say, "I don't wanna' but I'm a gonna"!" It's a phrase that has stuck with all of us. Jesus used a similar phrase, "Not my will, but Thine!"

You and I both know how hard life can be. Sometimes I literally scream, "I don't wanna' do this!" It can be because of fear, frustration, exhaustion, or even bull-headness. Each time, though, I pray that it is by FAITH that I say, "Patti, you may not 'wanna'', but it's the right thing to do!" That's when the "I'm a gonna!" steps in.

Here are some thoughts to ponder as you consider how you are transforming into Jesus' likeness:

F ix your eyes on Jesus!

A ssurance is in what we hope for and do not see

I don't wanna', but I'm a gonna!

Scroll down to yesterday's post to read our scriptures that go with these statements.

~BLESSED~