Worry Wart Remover

I have several resolutions for the new year...one of which is to try to blog more regularly! Let's see how that goes ;)
Looking back on this year I see one that was busier than ever- as well as one that threw some major obstacles my way. So instead of just trying to keep up, I found myself almost drowning in an overwhelming sea of stress and worry. Why was I now struggling with things that had never before been an issue? A young- okayyy- relatively young woman, healthy and in the prime of her life now struggling with high blood pressure, anxiety, and taking meds to slow her heart rate. And all 3 discovered at the same time, for no apparent reason. Yep- These are just a few of the things life dealt me in the year 2013.
I've always been a worrier. Just ask my husband :) He says I like to lie in the bed at night and worry over what to worry about. Sadly, it's true. I don't know why...I just worry. For instance: I wake up at 2am worried that the trash can didn't get put on the curb and by morning, I will forget to remind the boys to make sure it's done. I worry about whether Matt has paid the homeowners insurance, or if I fed the cat that day. And for some strange reason, I always worry about stupid stuff at night. Things that during the day would NEVER cross my mind- (what if someone breaks in-will I hear them? Will Matt hear them and be superman, or will I have to don my cape and exterminate them myself? Why did Andy run that random fever the other day? What if there's an underlying reason for that fever and my blood pressure and Gracie's headaches....) big
 sigh right here>  These are some examples of the normal "everyday worries" I go through. Now let's talk about work related things. My husband is a Pastor- as if my readers didn't know this already. With his job comes many many many many (ok-I'll stop-sorry!) stresses and worries. I never knew how much the wife of a pastor had to deal with. I'm not the pastor's wife that dives in headfirst planning ladies luncheons and retreats and plays and makes sure that all the committees are running smoothly and if they aren't, jumps in and does it herself. I'm not her. I'm me. All may not agree with my stance, but it's mine. I can't imagine doing all that, yet I know pastor's wives that do!! All I can think is, "How on earth can they handle all that with everything they already have to WORRY about?!?!" If you are or ever have been in the ministry, you know what worries I'm talking about. If you haven't, you can't even imagine! I've often wondered, "Lord, YOU of ALL people know how ill-equipped I am to handle this job!!" But with the problems and set-backs I have recently had, the answer has become more obvious. 1 Thes. 5:24 "Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." Ok, if He called me to do this, then I MUST be capable, or He wouldn't have called me. As for my worry? 
Psalms 121: 1-2 

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth."

Psalms 31:24
"Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord."

And then finally- all of my worrying simply takes away from my faith in my God to sustain and take care of me. He knows the number of my days and I rest in the promise that when my days are over, I will spend eternity with Him. When I worry, I am telling The Lord that He isn't enough, that somehow I believe in my finite mind that I can change my circumstances, or that my circumstances are out of His control. 

I can honestly say that what I once considered bad, I now consider good. The Lord put things in my life that He knew I needed in order to reign in my worrying. I can't say that I'm totally worry-free now, but I can tell you that everytime I start to worry, I tell myself 

Philippians 4:11 - Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, [therewith] to be content.

6 Ways to Deal with Drama

This is not mine, but borrowed from another blog. I found it very insightful, and I hope that it helps someone else who may be dealing with this issue right now.




6w Ways to Deal with Drama

Trials

I have heard a lot about trials lately and wanted to share my thoughts on the subject. Some people say "If the Lord didn't think I could handle it, He wouldn't put it on me." Others say "The Lord just wants me to depend on Him." While both of these may be true, I believe that there's a deeper reason for trials. Or maybe not so much a deeper reason, as a tri-fold reason. Charles Spurgeon says it like this: "Tried faith brings experience. You could not have believed your own weakness had you not been compelled to pass through the rivers; and you would never have known God's strength had you not been supported amid the water-floods. Faith increases in solidity, assurance, and intensity, the more it is exercised with tribulation. Faith is precious, and its trial is precious too." Our FAITH grows and prospers through trials. A strong faith is a precious and priceless gem in a decaying and declining world. A little faith is all it takes to secure your spot in eternity. But a strong faith gets us through this life victoriously and helps us to shine with the light of Jesus in a dark place. I'm thankful for trials. I'm thankful for the dependency on my Savior and I'm thankful for the testing of my faith that encourages me to dig deeper and stand firmly in the hope that I have in knowing my Lord will never leave me nor forsake me. His promises are sure and His love and mercy is everlasting. So rejoice in your trials- Be victorious in your trials-Let your faith be strengthened through your trials.

Facebook

A few of you may have noticed my recent absence from Facebook.
There are a couple of reasons for this.

 The main reason I use Facebook is to stay in touch with friends and family and occasionally to be a blessing to others. Since we are in the ministry, Facebook comes in super handy for advertising events and in general, for keeping others "plugged in" to what's going on. However, lately there has been an "issue" and it seems to be getting worse and worse. Instead of using it for positive or informative purposes, people seem to be using it as a means of saying things that #1. are none of ANYONES business, #2.bashing others, or #3. using Facebook as a way to hurt or attack others. I have seen people "innocently" posting things that I'm pretty sure were meant to hurt and I have seen so-called Christians posting pictures or statuses that would make a grown man blush either out of embarrassment or shame . I find it quite comical to picture Jesus having a problem with someone so instead of acting how He always did, suppose He got out a scroll and began to blab it to the whole world and list the persons faults for all to see. Comical only because that is so far from how our Saviour would act. As a matter of fact, He said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone..."

Anything created for good, satan will try to use for bad. Sadly, I think he has gotten all over Facebook. The great thing about this, is we have the ability to either allow that, or not. I personally will not allow it. I have been hurt, stressed and worried about things that should never have been an issue because of facebook and users' lack of self control. But because this is the age of social media, I have realized that  it is such a great tool to have and use, and I don't have to  delete it altogether to eliminate stress and heartache. So, I have decided that I will make full use of the "hide" function, and when I feel that someone is being offensive or acting in a way that I deem inappropriate, I will hide them from my newsfeed. If you are my friend on Facebook, then please understand if you put anything on there that would be offensive if Jesus Himself read it, then I will hide you (or delete if necessary). I know that none of us are perfect, we all have the freedom of speech, but come on! A little common sense and maturity is all it takes and if we all used it, Facebook would be an AWESOME thing!!
So with this being said: I have taken a small break from it and prayed about deleting it altogether. The conclusion that I have come to through scripture and prayer is that if I can be an uplifting, positive and godly example, it is better than keeping silent. Gal. 5:22-23a "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..." I have found that this verse is synonymous with the old question to live by, WWJD? If our public profile displays any of the qualities mentioned in Gal. 5:22, then we are on our way to pleasing a holy and just God. I plan to ask myself before each and every post, "Is this in any way an attribute of any of the fruits of the Spirit?" If it goes against any of those things, I won't post it.
Again, I'm not telling you how to behave on Facebook. I am simply letting you know where I stand and how I personally will govern my Facebook.
Especially for my Christian friends and family: I love you ALL and want to remind you that we are connected to one another for ETERNITY. We should love eachother and help one another. Pray for eachother!!   If we have any ill will or hard feelings towards a brother or sister in Christ, regardless of what they have done, we need to ask God to remove those feelings from OUR hearts, or else the fault lies within us. I'm just glad that Jesus has been tolerant with me. I'm glad He doesn't  air my dirty laundry publically.

The Death of Morality- Are You a Contributor?

I am saddened more and more everyday to see the decline in spiritual morality. As Christians, we should be standing AGAINST the sin the world offers, not FOR it. Scripture clearly tell us to “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” We are ALL sinners. But as Christians, we are saved, and forgiven. This doesn’t mean that we stop sinning- but it SHOULD mean that we try harder not to. The word abstain is a verb, which conveys an action, an occurrence, or a state of being. And it means : to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of self-denial from an action or practice <abstain from drinking> . The fact that “self-denial” is mentioned in the definition clearly implies that whatever sin we abstain from can be pleasurable. What sin would be tempting were it not pleasurable? I mean come on, the devil isn’t stupid! The definition also uses the word “often”. Sin is very tempting and we will be faced with it time after time after time after…well you get it. But the Lord knows the definition of the word abstain. He created it. And He wouldn’t have put it in His word unless He meant it. He wants us to “constantly, on purpose, deprive ourselves, deny ourselves from sin.”  Hebrews 11: 25 says” Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;”  

  Is lust wrong? Fornication?  Why do we brag publically when we watch a movie about male strippers? Why do we brag about partying and getting drunk??  What about bitterness, anger, wrath? Let the past go. Forgive. Stop talking about it, forget it, whatever “it” might be.  People mess up, so do you. We are no better, no holier than the next person. When we hang onto problems and continually talk about them with others (GOSSIP), we are allowing the problem to become deeply rooted in our hearts, thus causing a separation between ourselves and God. Jealousy? A huge problem that puts wedges between Christians. Love each other with godly love! Agree to disagree! Realize that we are ALL human, and each of us have different thorns, different srtongholds and sins that we struggle with. Again, we all sin. But as born-again believers, we should be striving daily to combat the sin. Don’t give it in to it voluntarily, fight it. Pray against it- the Lord will give you strength to overcome. Instead, so many Christians are bragging publically about their sins, helping to send our society into an even deeper moral plunge. I’m so saddened by the fact that so many Christians are advertising their pleasure in sin to a lost and dying world. Don’t you know that Jesus is coming SOON?  Don’t speak out against places and people who are trying their best to stand for good moral biblical principles- we don’t want to come across as holier than thou. LOVINGLY stand for what  is right. Even if you have points you disagree with, isn’t something biblical and spiritual better than NOTHING at all? We are running out of time to reach these people. Our testimony may be the one thing that reaches them. Who cares about your past? God says that “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” He also says He remembers them no more. Don’t live on mistakes you’ve made in the past. Forget the past, just like Christ has. But don’t misunderstand – just because Christ “remembers them no more” doesn’t mean that we will not suffer the consequences of the sin. The marks of sin will stay with us, but we can strive TODAY to do more, and be more for the cause of Christ. Ask yourself this: “Are my actions, and what I do each day edifying  to the body of Christ and pleasing to the Lord?” In others words, are my actions making the Lord proud of me, and is our daily testimony encouraging to another Christian? If the answer to anything you do is No, this is NOT edifying or pleasing to the Lord, then stop. Plain and simple. And when you DO mess up, willingly sin, continue in your sin, please don’t advertise it. You are doing so much damage by doing so. People are watching you. Lost people, saved people. They see how you behave as a Christian, and your walk affects others whether you realize it or not. I pray that we will be bold, have courage, and take a stand for all things holy, and against all things contrary to holiness. I also pray that this convicts a heart that has gotten slack in the endeavor to win souls to Christ, and “that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

 1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Salvation- I'm not "good enough" to keep mine

Some days, my mind just gets the best of me. I wake up grumpy, and just feeling plain ol' unloveable. And everyone around me knows it- because I make them feel unloveable as well. My mind is filled with all sorts of negative thoughts, whether it be about bills, school problems, or simply put, people problems. It's days like that, that I feel very unworthy of God's love. Let alone His salvation, His security, His favor.

I remember as a child, my mom scolding me for lying to her. Don't ask for specifics, because that happened too often for me to recall! But I also remember at night, my mom letting me lay on her lap as we watched t.v. I may have gotten scolded earlier in the day by her, but as she plays with my hair and tenderly caresses it with her fingers, I feel nothing but love. No anger, no judgement, no "re-hashing" the past, just love from my mom. No matter what I did, mama always forgave me. Sometimes forgiveness came after harsh punishment-sometimes, either by forgetfulness or mercy, either of which I'm grateful for, there was no punishment at all. But always was the look of disappointment or hurt on her face when I did wrong.

Anyone that knows me, which is a LOT since I still live in the very town I grew up in, knows that I have made a lot of mistakes. Some would be shocked to know that I have been saved since the age of 9. I lived in a home where church was "on-again off-again". Pretty much as I became a teen, church became a thing of the past. There was really no spiritual guidance or consistency which in turn led to a weak, ill-educated young adult christian. In my mind, I never really thought much about my salvation. I knew that I had trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior, but that was about the extent of it. Only until I became well into my twenties, did the realization strike me of what my salvation really meant. I had not lived a very pleasing life during my teen or early adult years. I was full of anger and animosity over life situations that had happened to me over the course of the years, and seemed intent on ruining my life. I may not recall the very moment of this realization, where I was, or what I was doing, but I remember a thought hittting me like a ton of bricks to the jaw: "Jesus has been with me all this time-I have taken Him with me to all the bad places,He has heard all the horrible things I have said,watched me almost destroy my life time and again." But the thought didn't stop there. It was like a python wrapping itself around me, squeezing tighter and tighter. So tight that I could barely breathe, as I realized the grief that I had put my Savior through for years of my life.
 I have never doubted that God's grace was sufficient. That I've always known. But what I did start to doubt was, "If I have been saved all this time, why would I live a life like I did? Why wouldn't God stop me? Did I really get saved?" This question began to quietly torture me. At this point in the story, I realized the error of my ways and I changed my life. I was no longer living an unpleasing life, but this nagging doubt was in the back of my mind always.

 I'm convinced that the Lord put 2 verses in the Bible specifically for me.

1. 2 Timothy 2:20
   But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.
2. 2 Timothy 2:21
   If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

I was a vessel of dishonor. How shameful! Dishonor is never a good thing, no matter who or what it applies to. But since I am a vessel made by GOD, then my dishonor is directed at Him. I have dishonored Him, the One Who made me. But....and this a but with a capital B...I am still a vessel. Wow, what a thought-a life altering thought. The second verse up there says that even a vessel of dishonor CAN become a vessel of honor. Thats hope!! This thought changed my life. Talk about mercy....never has any one person been shown so much mercy as a child of God who has become such a vessel of dishonor that one would never recognise them as a christian. I'm so thankful that my Potter never took this lump of clay and destroyed it when it became ugly and marred. He just started over again, and began to remold, reshape, until I started to resemble the shape that He desired. Only He knows how many times He has had to reshape me, because only He knows how weak I am, and how many times I become marred. He never tires though....He's the Master Potter. Full of patience and love for His vessels.

In case anyone should ask about my earlier statement- the one about never doubting that I was saved...about how I always knew His grace was sufficient- Epesians 2:8-9 is very clear.  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast.

I know you've heard of the term "Indian-giver"...I don't mean to be offensive and I'm trying to be derrogatory at all, but as a child this word was associated or given to someone who gave you something, but then took it back. My God gave me a gift. Eternal salvation. The verse clearly states that nothing I could do, none of my works aquired this salvation. It was a gift. From God. And he's not an "indian-giver". Once He gives me something, it's mine forever. The faith that I placed in Him allowed me to have this salvation, and His grace is what gave me that faith. I can't brag about my salvation, because truthfully, I've done nothing to deserve it. I can brag on God however, because He is the One that keeps my salvation, in spite of me.

John 10:27-29

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
²⁸ And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
²⁹ My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

I am thankful for His grace that saved me. I am thankful for His mercy that keeps me saved. He is the ultimate loving father- that will allow us to crawl up on His lap even after we've done wrong and still have the tears of remorse running down our face, the evidence of his chastisement still visable, and love us still.

Romans 8:38-39

³⁸ For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
³⁹ Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 He already has me seated in heavenly places :)
No, I'm not good enough to keep my salvation, that's why my God keeps it for me :)

Grief

Recently, a dear friend contacted me about her grief. I felt very inadequate in the answers I gave her, but tried to reassure her that I would be praying for her. Not coincidentally, the book I have been reading covered a section on grief this past week and I wanted to share, in hopes that it may help her or anyone else for that matter. It helped me, as I have very recently dealt with the deepest form of grief I have ever experienced with the loss of my precious grandmother.
The lady writing this book I am reading experienced the loss of her young sister, and so she knows very well of that which she writes. So I will jot down some excerpts from Lysa Terkheurst's book, "Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl", and pray that God will help to heal someone else's hurt through these words.


"Sometimes when hurts and disappointments come, they cause a temporary panic that rises and falls in a mini-tidal wave. ...at times the hurt comes in the form of a loss that cuts into your heart so viciously it forever redefines who you are and how you think. It's what I call deep grief. The kind that strains against everything you've ever believed. So much so you wonder how the promises that seemed so real on those thin Bible pages yesterday could ever possibly stand up under the weight of your enormous sadness today.
I've already mentioned how I walked away from God at that time. That is how many people process loss. Disillusionment can break people. It's understandable really. We are told from an early age that God can do anything, and we've read the stories about Jesus helping people. But how do we process such beliefs in the face of loss? Any kind of loss hurts. Trying to come to grips with the fact that God could have prevented this grief but didn't is a bit like trying to catch the wind and turn it into something visible. It's an answer we could chase our whole lives and never get. And sometimes this chase just simply wears people out. They turn and walk away, whispering, "I tried, God, but You just didn't work for me.You hurt my feelings and I don't want anything to do with You anymore." I was asking the wrong question. I was asking why.  Why did this happen? Why didn't You stop this, God? Why were my prayers not answered? Why?
Asking why is perfectly normal. Asking why isn't unspiritual. However, if asking this question pushes us farther from God rather than drawing us closer to Him, it is the wrong question.
In most situations, nothing positive can come from whatever answer there might be to a why question. If God gave us His reason why, we would judge Him. And His reasons, from our limited perspective, would always fall short. That's because our flat human perceptions simply can't process God's multidimensional, eternal reasons. God describes it this way:
   For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
   For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Is. 55:8-9) We can't see the full scope of the situation like God can; therefore, we must acknowledge that His thoughts are more complete and that He is more capable of accurately discerning what is best in every circumstance. In the case of losing a loved one, love skews even the most rational parts of us. Our love for the person we lost would never allow God's reasons to make us feel any better or to understand any more fully. We would still feel as though God had made a terrible mistake.
So, if asking the why question doesn't offer hope, what will? The what question. In other words, Now that this has happened, what am I supposed to do with it? Good can come from any loss if we make the choice not to resist the birthing process required to bring this good to life.
Psalm 139:16 tells us every person has a certain number of days assigned to them: Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
It takes time. Even when you love God and believe His promises, Even when you know without a doubt that you will see your loved one again. Even when you know hope is still there. It takes time. It takes wading through an ocean of tears. It takes finding a possession of your loved one that you thought was lost and realizing that God did that just to comfort you. It takes discovering one day that the sun still shines. It takes being caught off guard when you catch yourself smiling, only to realize it's okay. It takes prayer. It takes making the decision to stop asking for answers and start asking for perspective. It takes telling people to please not avoid saying their name-you want to hear it, over and over and over again. Then one day you take off the blanket of deep grief. You fold it neatly and tuck it away. You no longer hate it or resist it. For underneath it wondrous things have happened. The why questions have been replaced with truths from God's Word. verses that stung to read at first have now become the very lifeline you cling to. God's presence has fallen softly upon you and helped you see that good can come and will come in you and through you.
Yes, in time things have happened. Wondrous things. Things that could have only come about because divine hope still intersects with our broken world. The secret is letting God's Word get into you to achieve the purpose He intends. Then you can lift up your despair, your doubts and questions, your feelings of being hurt by God. And with open hands held high, you let the wind blow them all away.
And, finally, you will see years stretching before you once again. Hope stretching before you again. New perspectives even when others hurt you again. And more honest conversations with God stretching before you again."

A Change of Pace-

I made a hard decision last week.... after months of stressful deliberation (and much prayer) of whether or not my life and calling allowed time and room for the dedication that it takes to be a teacher, I came to the conclusion that I will be ending my fulltime teaching career. My life as a mother and Pastor's wife has been a fulltime job in and of itself for the last 3 years. I love teaching. I love those children. I love the women I work with. But I love my family more. Our church has grown at a rate that has been hard to keep up with- what a blessing! My husband barely manages to spread himself just thin enough to meet everyones needs, while our children compete for our time in the evenings and on weekends. You can imagine, as a mother, struggling with the guilt of not giving enough time, energy, or attention to matters of the home. As a teacher, my students deserve 100%. And the staff is expected to give 100%. My other "careers" as I will call them, are my family, and our ministry. They also deserve 100%. But how can I give 100% all the time, when I am trying to give it to so many? I have found myself so emotionally and physically stressed that I dread the things that I once loved. I feel like I have robbed myself of my joy. I have spent time doing things that I love, instead of loving the things that God has called me to do. He called my husband into fulltime ministry. I have children, and since we have a very busy church life, I have to make a way to have time for both. I guess we could say that I am prioritizing. I know that what will feel like just a matter of days, my kids will be grown and gone. I have lost a grandmother who needed me everyday for her last months, but I couldn't /didn't devote to her the time she needed because I was already juggling 3 "jobs". As long as the Lord allows, I will step out on faith, and be here for my family first. I don't want to continue to give them my "leftovers". So, looking at all these things on my plate, I asked myself, which ones are the most important? Which one will allow time for the others if given up, and which one can be given up? My heart aches with the decision  I made. But I know that I made the right one. I will miss my job at BHS, but I look forward to being able to do my other "jobs" with joy, knowing that they have my undivided attention and devotion. I look forward to helping my husband as I've never helped him before. I look forward to what the future hold for our family. I look forward to being all that I can be to the people that God has brought to LBC. I wish that I would have had this time back in January. It breaks my heart everytime I hear my mawmaw's words to me, "Make time for me, they can wait." But I was too busy, pulled in so many directions. I'd give anything to have that time back. But...I must tell myself what some good friends have recently told me: "It's all in GOD'S time, not mine". I will have time to spend with my grand daddy, while I still have him. I will not continue to live my life in a blur of fast forward days, barely having time to blink. Life is short enough as it is. I will slow down, and enjoy what God has given me. My family, my church, my health. Make time for your family! Even if it means sacrafice, it's worth it! After all, no one has forever here. We're all on borrowed time :)
 I will end with one of my favorite songs. Just as the song says, I will "leave it all behind...I am full of love beyond measure, my joy is going to flow like a stream in the desert."

The Mentor of a Lifetime

Who can measure your worth?
 Not a soul, not here on earth.

You were so much more than grandmother,
Gentle, kind, and loving like no other.

My mind is crowded with memories near and dear,
 Ones we made, year after year.

Camping trips to the beach, with all of us in tow- Your vacations weren't to "get away"-
No, you wanted us all to go.

Walking on the pier, barefoot and sun-kissed
Precious memories that will always exist.

You loved my children, the way you loved me
with that special "mawmaw love"- whole, and completely.

I'm so glad they were able to know you
 For women of your worth are rare and few.

You were such a great example, living what you taught
 from how to make biscuits,to living how we aught.

 You taught me that people change, and the past is the past
 You loved with your whole heart, and put yourself last.

 I never heard you murmur, never heard you complain,
only saw you get up everyday, and do it all again.

I'm sorry for the busyness, that kept me away from you-
 But I am extremely proud, that in me, you saw what God can do.

Because He took a spoiled, selfish girl that never gave, only took
 And turned me into a woman, that by the grace of God, that old lifestyle forsook.

 I am who I am because of Him, and because of your love
 that God so selflessly, through you, sent from above.

You are so precious in my sight, the greatest woman I ever knew
God was extra gracious, when He gave this world you.

 In loving memory of Shirley Moon Brooks Dec. 13,1934- April 12,2012

HE'S ALIVE!

~New Devo posted yesterday-See the Devotion Page~

I think we all jumped the gun a little on spring! Feels like it, anyway! But no matter the weather, come this Sunday morning, we will be celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I plan to be at Sunrise Service, even it means bundling up in a blanket, because this is the day that all of Christianity is based upon. We serve a RISEN Savior, one that DIED for us, but was RAISED incorruptible. There's a song about this....our own quartet sings it at church, that goes like this: I WALKED BY THE TOMB OF BUDDHA LOOKED INSIDE AND SAW HIS BONES, TRAVELED ON TO SEE MOHAMMAD STILL WRAPPED UP IN HIS GRAVE CLOTHES, THEN I JOURNEYED TO THE GARDEN , WHERE OLD JOSEPH LEFT HIM LAY, BUT THE PRECIOUS LAMB GOD'S ONLY BEGOTTEN HE WAS NO LONGER IN THE GRAVE IF YOU KNEW HIM LIKE I KNOW HIM, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT HE'S ALIVE, IF YOU FELT HIM LIKE I FEEL HIM, RESURRECTION DEEP INSIDE, YOU'D KNOW HE'S LIVING AND DEATH HAS DIED IF YOUR WONDERING IN THE DARKNESS COME AND STEP INTO THE LIGHT, NAILSCARRED HANDS REACH OUT TO HELP YOU, TO PULL YOU SAFE FROM DEATH TO LIGHT, FRIEND I TOO HAVE HAVE STOOD WHERE YOU STAND, COULD I TRUST IN THINGS I SEE, BUT JUST ONE STEP IN HIS DIRECTION THEN IN LOVE HE RAN TO ME IF YOU KNEW HIM LIKE I KNOW HIM, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT HE'S ALIVE, IF YOU FELT HIM LIKE I FEEL HIM RESURRECTION DEEP INSIDE, YOU'D KNOW HE'S LIVING AND DEATH HAS DIED YOU ASK ME HOW I KNOW HE'S LIVING HE LIVES WITHIN MY HEART IF YOU FELT HIM LIKE I FEEL HIM RESURRECTION DEEP INSIDE, YOU' KNOW HE LIVING AND DEATH HAS DIED. No other religion can claim that their Messiah was born of a virgin, died for their sins, and yet lives forevermore. Jesus is His name, God's only Begotten, Who left Heavens throne because His very own were in need of a Savior and He knew that no one else could do it. If you aren't sure what all of this means, I'd be glad to tell you. Email me, comment, whatever means you have of contacting me and I will tell you exactly what this means, and how you can have eternal life by trusting in Jesus Christ and the blood that He shed on an old wooden cross so that you and I could be forgiven, and accepted. John 3:16 Eph. 2:8-9